Liu Piaopiao had been bewitched.
Yes.
She knew she had been bewitched, but she didn't know how, or even when it had happened. She only felt her consciousness gradually beginning to blur. She tried to stand up, but her body was utterly weak, unable to muster a shred of strength, as if her entire form no longer belonged to her.
At that moment, nestled in the white-robed man's embrace, her consciousness grew increasingly hazy. Suddenly, a flash of bloody crimson appeared right between her brows. Her blurred consciousness instantly sharpened, and she tried to rise, only to be pressed firmly back into his embrace by Gu Qingfeng.
"You dare...
attempt to infiltrate this lady's Sea of Consciousness!"
The alluring Liu Piaopiao was no longer alluring. The seductive charm had vanished from her fox-like face, replaced by shock and horror!
She had never imagined that her use of the Great Spirit Unification Art would fail to bewitch the man before her.
Bewitched?
This fellow hadn't been affected in the slightest, not even a tiny bit.
What was even more terrifying was that she herself...
she didn't even know when he had bewitched her...
What technique had he used?
She didn't know.
Liu Piaopiao couldn't tell at all, couldn't sense it. However, what truly sent chills down her spine was that this guy had actually attempted to infiltrate her Sea of Consciousness. If not for the Blood Spirit left by Her Majesty guarding her Sea of Consciousness, then...
the consequences would have been unthinkable.
One must know that the Sea of Consciousness contained everything about a person. Once it was infiltrated, one could say there were no more secrets left.
Just thinking about it made Liu Piaopiao feel a wave of fear. Thankfully, her Sea of Consciousness was guarded by Her Majesty's Blood Spirit, which had activated at the critical moment.
Opposite her, Gu Qingfeng remained as he was, leaning against the wall, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his head slightly tilted, eyes narrowed as he looked at the beauty in his arms and chuckled. "It seems...
your master thought things through quite thoroughly, even knowing to use a Blood Spirit to guard your Seas of Consciousness."
"You!"
Liu Piaopiao was both humiliated and furious, but what filled her heart more was a deep, profound horror. Staring at Gu Qingfeng, she transmitted a secret message: "Just who are you!"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, smiling without a word, merely picking up a cup of wine and taking a small sip. Seizing this moment, a flash of light enveloped Liu Piaopiao, and with a *whoosh*, she instantly stood up.
Gu Qingfeng let out a derisive laugh, too lazy to bother with her. Instead, he looked up towards a private room on the eastern side of the tavern, then glanced at another on the northern side. He drained his cup, stood up, and prepared to leave.
The others in the tavern only saw the two of them there, unaware of what had transpired. Now, seeing Gu Qingfeng about to leave, the Spirit-Capital Sect led by Luo Jinheng and True Being Mingtao, the Ice-Profound Sect led by Wen Huayu and True Being Lianggong, and the Murong Family led by Murong Tai all rose to their feet.
"Halt."
A sharp shout rang out—it was Young Master Wu Han.
He was a man who valued face. Having been publicly rejected by Liu Piaopiao earlier had already cost him some dignity. Now, seeing Liu Piaopiao actively throw herself into Gu Qingfeng's arms made his face even harder to save. He was determined to reclaim his lost face. Seeing Gu Qingfeng about to leave, Wu Han immediately stopped him.
"I heard you won quite a bit of money at the gambling den, that your gambling skills are impressive. Dare to play a few rounds with me?"
Wu Han stood ramrod straight, hands clasped behind his back, his expression somewhat gloomy.
"Not interested today. Another time."
"Not interested?
Heh."
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Wu Han's mouth. "And what if I insist on playing a few rounds with you?"
As his words fell, the dozen or so people behind him flashed, blocking the doorway. Wu Han's meaning couldn't be clearer: today, you'll gamble whether you want to or not.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng, who had been about to leave, stopped. He wiped his face, an indescribable, inscrutable feeling in his expression. He knew these little brats would definitely cause trouble for him. He had originally planned to come here later to intimidate them a bit.
He had indeed intended to do just that.
But just moments ago, from the private room on the second floor, he had sensed two strange individuals.
One of them, he was certain, was a bearer of the Heavenly Edict.
This was within expectations and not particularly noteworthy. The key was the other strange person.
Who that person was, Gu Qingfeng didn't know. But the aura of sacred purity emanating from them reminded him of a special kind of existence.
That kind of special existence was terrifying...
so terrifying that Gu Qingfeng wanted nothing to do with it.
That woman called Bing Xuan, who knew what kind of mess she had gotten herself into, entangling karma, and now the Heavenly Dao—it was already complicated enough. If that special kind of existence got involved too, then this matter wouldn't just be complicated; it would become utterly inextricable.
Gu Qingfeng thought he needed to go back and think things over carefully. As for the matter with these little brats, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with it now, nor did he feel like playing along anymore. His narrowed eyes gradually opened as he looked at Wu Han and the others and spoke.
"Gambling won't be necessary. You've simply heard I obtained quite a few treasures in the cave dwelling and have your eyes on them, right?"
"Oh?"
Wu Han seemed surprised Gu Qingfeng would say this. The hunchbacked elder beside him responded, "You misunderstand, sir. My young master merely heard of your impressive gambling skills and wished to exchange pointers with you in a few rounds, that's all."
"Exchange pointers in a few rounds?"
Gu Qingfeng poured himself another cup of wine. "What's the plan?
You gamble a few rounds with me here, and then wait for your Great Manor Lord to arrive and kill me with his own hands?"
Hmm?
Both Wu Han and the hunchbacked elder's expressions stiffened, as if they hadn't expected Gu Qingfeng to know their plan.
"And you lot."
Gu Qingfeng's dark gaze swept over Murong Tai and his group, over Wen Huayu and his group, over Luo Jinheng and his group one by one. He chuckled and asked, "Are you all here to seek revenge on me?"
"You killed my cousin Murong Fei. I will naturally settle this score with you clearly!" Murong Tai said coldly.
"You slaughtered our Spirit-Capital Sect's inner disciples and numerous elders. Our Spirit-Capital Sect vows to avenge them and wipe away this humiliation!" True Being Mingtao of the Spirit-Capital Sect stepped forward and shouted.
"In the cave dwelling, you killed disciples of our Ice-Profound Sect. How could our Ice-Profound Sect let you go!" True Being Lianggong of the Ice-Profound Sect stepped forward and roared.
"Just a moment ago, when you saw Liu Piaopiao, each of you looked like you wanted to rush up and take a bite."
Gu Qingfeng looked at them and laughed. "And you motherfuckers are here for revenge too?"
"What did you say!" The Murong Family, Ice-Profound Sect, and Spirit-Capital Sect members were furious.
Gu Qingfeng paid them no mind. His gaze swept over everyone present. "What about the rest of you? Did you hear I got treasures in the cave dwelling and all want to take advantage of the situation to snatch some?"
The people in the tavern looked at each other, unsure what to say. Someone stepped forward and said, "Young master, you misunderstand. We're just here to drink."
"Yes!
We're just here to watch the show."
"Enough."
Gu Qingfeng cut them off. "Wanting to rob treasures isn't a shameful thing. If it were me, and I heard someone had treasures, I'd also try to take advantage and snatch some. It's not shameful at all, completely understandable."
He paused, drained his cup of wine, and continued, "However, treasure-robbing is a dangerous business. A slight misstep and you lose your life. And right now, I can tell you quite definitely: I have treasures in my possession, and quite a few of them. Anyone who wants to rob them, come right ahead."