"Gu kid, tell me, is that Seven-Colored Exquisite Tree that the Lady of Nature gifted to this old man also a trap set for you, just like the one the Saintess Empress laid?"
"Unlikely."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "I haven't had much interaction with Yun Nishang."
"What do you mean 'not much interaction'? That whole affair between you and Hongxiu back in the day, wasn't that interaction? And... do you know where the Lady of Nature planted this Seven-Colored Exquisite Tree?"
"You've turned the Great Northwest upside down with all your antics, how the hell should I know where she planted the tree?"
"Come with me, you'll see."
Shortly after.
Huo De led Gu Qingfeng away.
This was the forbidden ground of the Yunxia Sect. Normally, it was heavily protected by layers upon layers of formations. Within the sect, aside from Patriarch Huo De and his few personal disciples, no one was permitted to enter.
Inside the forbidden ground, vitality flourished, the breath of life exceptionally rich. All over the mountains and plains grew a riot of colorful flowers and plants. That tall Seven-Colored Exquisite Tree stood planted on a mountain ridge, looking particularly conspicuous.
"Gu kid, can you tell what place this is?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. He looked for a long time but still couldn't recognize it.
"You've forgotten your roots, haven't you? Can't even recognize the place where you grew up?"
"Where I grew up?"
Gu Qingfeng's expression froze, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You mean this is Scarlet Flame Ridge?"
"Of course! What else did you think?"
"I genuinely didn't recognize it."
Gu Qingfeng looked down the mountain again and said, "I remember there was a mausoleum of mine at the foot of Scarlet Flame Ridge. Where did it go?"
"I dismantled it."
"Damn it! Why'd you tear down my perfectly good mausoleum?"
"Why do you think I tore it down? You're alive and well, you haven't kicked the bucket. What do you need a shabby mausoleum for? It's bad luck!"
Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "Well, you've got a point there!"
"See, Gu kid? The Seven-Colored Exquisite Tree is planted right on Scarlet Flame Ridge. The Lady of Nature must know you were born and raised here. Tell me, why would she plant the tree here, of all places, if there wasn't some underlying meaning?"
"What meaning could there possibly be?"
Gu Qingfeng looked around, thought for a moment, but still couldn't see anything special. "You're probably overthinking it."
"I hope it's just this old man overthinking it."
The two didn't linger in the forbidden ground for too long and soon left.
Huo De asked, "By the way, Gu kid, there are quite a few of your old friends in Yunxia Sect. Do you want to see them?"
"My old friends? Who?"
"After I rebuilt Yunxia Sect back then, I brought over many of the old Scarlet Banner folks."
"Oh? How... how are they now?"
"They're all doing alright. Those tired of conflict are living in seclusion. The ones who can't sit still are helping manage the sect's affairs. If you want to meet them, I can arrange it."
"As long as they're living well, that's enough. Meeting them... let's not. So many years have passed. They've all found the lives they wanted. I don't want to disturb them."
"Since that's how you feel, I'll respect your wishes. Gu kid, didn't you say you were tired? Why don't you rest first? I just got back, and there's a pile of trivial matters in the sect I need to deal with."
"Go ahead and take care of your business. I'll finish this bit of wine and then rest."
Gu Qingfeng felt tired, weary.
But for some reason, he just couldn't feel sleepy.
After finishing a jug of wine, having nothing better to do, he left Yunxia Sect and wandered alone.
The changes in the Primordial World were simply too vast, so vast that Gu Qingfeng felt utterly unfamiliar with it, as if he had never lived in this world at all.
All the familiar places from his memory seemed to have vanished—whether it was Liuren Mountain, Demon Moon Palace, even the Kingdom of Misty Silk was gone.
Back when he was cultivating, Gu Qingfeng hadn't felt this way. But after slumbering for ten thousand years and awakening to return, revisiting old haunts, he truly understood the meaning of 'time passes, things change, people are no longer the same.'
He wandered aimlessly through this homeland world, both familiar and strange, like a lost, solitary ghost, idle and profoundly lonely, desolate...
The sun set in the west, dusk descended.
Gu Qingfeng stood atop a mountain peak, sat at the edge of a cliff, opened a jug of wine, admired the beautiful scenery of his homeland world under the sunset, and waited for the night that would follow the twilight.
"Seeing the familiar homeland of your youth become so unfamiliar... doesn't it stir an indescribable loneliness within?"
Suddenly.
A soft, light voice came.
In response appeared a person—someone tightly wrapped from head to toe in white cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes.
"Bai Chou?"
Seeing Bai Chou's abrupt appearance, Gu Qingfeng was quite surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Why can't I be here?"
Bai Chou's reply left Gu Qingfeng at a loss for words. He said helplessly, "I'm asking how you knew I was here."
"I told you, we are the same kind of people. We both have the same blood of Original Sin flowing in our veins. I can sense your presence."
"Now that's strange. If we're the same kind of people, and you can sense my existence, why can't I sense yours?"
"It's not that you can't sense my existence. You simply don't wish to."
Gu Qingfeng smiled but said nothing. He just casually tossed a jug of fine wine over. Bai Chou caught it, looked at it, and said with surprise, "It's actually Hell's Unpredictable Wine?"
"Well!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Not bad, you even recognize Hell's Unpredictable Wine."
"Not only do I recognize Hell's Unpredictable Wine, I also know where yours came from."
"Then tell me, where'd my wine come from?"
"It was given to you by the Undying Demon Emperor, Ren Tianxing."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng's brow furrowed slightly. He rubbed his chin, sizing up Bai Chou up and down. "Impressive, Bai Chou. Haven't seen you in a while, and you've become all-knowing. Quite mysterious, aren't you? What's the deal? Did you take that little lady Genggu Wuming as your master? Can you also know past and future, grasp fate and karma, deduce the cosmos, and perceive the profound mysteries of heaven and earth?"
"Are you mocking me? Or are you being sarcastic?"
"No, I'm genuinely curious and just asking. Of course, you don't have to answer."
"Since I can sense your existence, naturally I can also sense Ren Tianxing's. You two met not long ago. I don't need to guess to know this Hell's Unpredictable Wine was given to you by him."
"Even if you know I met Old Ren, how do you know for sure this wine was a gift from him and not something I procured myself?"
"After you left the Twin-Polar Heavenly Domain, you've been drifting through the Great Desolate Void. Where could you possibly obtain such a precious wine as Hell's Unpredictable Wine? Moreover, long before you awakened, I knew Ren Tianxing possessed a great deal of Hell's Unpredictable Wine. And he himself said he doesn't drink. All that wine was prepared specifically for you."
"So, you know Old Ren too?"
"I wouldn't say I know him. We've just met a few times."