After returning to Yunxia Sect, Gu Qingfeng did nothing at all; he simply fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
In fact, Bai Chou was not wrong.
Gu Qingfeng had long suspected that Bai Chou was that Eldest Senior Sister from Canyang Valley, the one who was the same as him. Of course, it was only a suspicion, not a certainty.
The reason he had never asked about it all this time was because he simply didn't care who Bai Chou really was.
As for why Gu Qingfeng pretended to be ignorant while knowing full well, deliberately putting on this act, it wasn't as Bai Chou said—that Gu Qingfeng knew her purpose for coming. To be honest, Gu Qingfeng did not know, and he wasn't even aware that Bai Chou was in this world.
However,
There was one point Bai Chou got right: if Gu Qingfeng was willing, nothing in this world could be hidden from him.
Gu Qingfeng might not know Bai Chou's purpose for coming this time, but one thing was clear in his heart: Bai Chou wouldn't seek him out for no reason, nor would she be so bored as to come just for a chat. Her seeking him out must involve something, and that something was certainly related to the Karma of Original Sin from the Daoless Age.
The current Gu Qingfeng wanted neither to see nor bother with anyone or anything related to the Karma of Original Sin from the Daoless Age.
Therefore,
He pretended not to know Bai Chou's identity and put on a masterful performance.
And you know what?
It was quite satisfying.
Actually,
Having lived this long and experienced so much, even Gu Qingfeng himself wasn't clear whether he had always been deceiving himself with an act or if this was simply his true self.
As he had said, he might have long been lost...
He just didn't know it.
And as Bai Chou had said, Gu Qingfeng simply didn't care whether he was lost or not. So, being lost or not was meaningless to him.
This sleep lasted a full seven or eight days, and it was utterly refreshing. After waking up, he felt invigorated and clear-headed.
He washed up and even took a leisurely bath.
At noon,
Gu Qingfeng sat in the garden, reclining in a master's chair, basking in the sun while sipping wine. His life couldn't have been more carefree.
There was no helping it; Gu Qingfeng had always been fond of this kind of life, and it had never changed since he was young.
Not long after,
A figure slowly walked into the garden.
It was a woman, a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in red.
When she saw Gu Qingfeng, she froze for a moment, standing there in a daze. Her eyes fixed on Gu Qingfeng, her gaze incredibly complex.
Gu Qingfeng also tilted his head, squinting slightly as he looked at the beautiful woman. He seemed to recall Huode saying that this was the back mountain of Yunxia Sect, a place for secluded cultivation. Not only were ordinary disciples forbidden from entering, but even the sect's elders, big and small, weren't qualified to come here.
How did a woman suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Moreover, this woman wasn't an ordinary cultivator from the mortal realm. Though she was a practitioner of the Great Dao, she was neither an immortal nor a Buddha, nor a demon or monster, but a very rare practitioner of the Witch Dao. What surprised Gu Qingfeng even more was that this woman actually carried an Edict Mandate on her, and it was an Edict Mandate of the Great Natural Order.
If it were just an ordinary Edict Mandate of the Great Natural Order, it wouldn't have struck Gu Qingfeng as peculiar. What he could see was that the Great Natural Order Edict Mandate on this woman felt strange to him. It seemed like an Edict Mandate, yet not quite; it seemed not to be a Great Natural Order Edict Mandate, yet the beautiful woman seemed to be fused with the Great Natural Order itself—inexplicably mystical and eerie.
Gu Qingfeng reckoned that this beautiful woman was most likely connected to the Great Natural Order.
As he looked, Gu Qingfeng also felt that the beautiful woman seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her before.
Damn it.
That feeling of familiarity again. Could this woman also be from the Daoless Age?
Gu Qingfeng looked more carefully and realized he was overthinking it; the beautiful woman was not from the Daoless Age.
But if she wasn't from the Daoless Age, why did she feel familiar?
Could it be that he had met her before?
After thinking for a moment, Gu Qingfeng asked, "Big sister, have we met somewhere before?"
"You...
don't remember me?"
The beautiful woman stared at Gu Qingfeng. After a long while, she finally replied, "We met a very, very long time ago."
"How long is 'very long'?"
"Ten thousand years ago, right when the Present-Ancient Era had just begun."
Gu Qingfeng thought carefully. When the Present-Ancient Era had just begun, he had been stripped of everything by the heavens, then perished and was reborn in this world. But he didn't recall knowing such a beautiful woman. He explained, "Big sister, my mind isn't too sharp, and my memory is a bit lacking. I've forgotten many things from the past, so...
could you explain in more detail?"
"On a certain day ten thousand years ago, I once took Yeye to pay respects at the mausoleum of Chixiao Junwang beneath Chiyan Ridge. That was the first time we met..." Before the beautiful woman could finish, Gu Qingfeng slapped his forehead in delight. "I remember now! You're Ouyang Ye's aunt, right? Seems like...
your name is Feiyue, isn't it? I remember you used to run a manor called First-Class Manor. Back then, I often went to your manor to drink and listen to music. That's you, right?"
Hearing that Gu Qingfeng not only recognized her but also remembered her name, Feiyue was overjoyed. Not daring to be negligent, she immediately knelt and bowed. "This humble woman Feiyue pays her respects to Chixiao...
to Youdi."
"We're old friends. What's with the bowing? There's no need for that. Besides, the current me is neither Chixiao Junwang nor the Nine Nethers Emperor—just an ordinary man."
Gu Qingfeng casually waved his hand, and Feiyue, not knowing what happened, felt herself lifted by a gentle breeze.
"Big sister, counting the days, it really has been a long time since we last met. Come, come, sit down, let's chat."
Gu Qingfeng gestured for Feiyue to sit and drink with him. Though Feiyue walked over, she didn't dare to sit.
Back then, when she didn't know Gu Qingfeng's identity, it was one thing. But now that she knew Gu Qingfeng was both Chixiao Junwang of this world and the awe-inspiring Nine Nethers Emperor, how could she dare to sit and drink with him?
"Big sister, how have you been all these years? Why are you at Yunxia Sect? Don't tell me you've also become a member of Yunxia Sect now?"
Feiyue nodded, replying respectfully, "After Senior Huode rebuilt Yunxia Sect, I also joined."
"Ouyang Ye from back then has now become the Great Natural Empress. As her aunt, you could have anything you want across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds as easily as turning your hand. Even the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands within the Great Desolate would be open to you. Why stay cooped up in this tiny Yunxia Sect? If I had a niece who was the Great Natural Empress, I'd be strutting across heaven and earth without a care."
"Youdi is jesting."
Feiyue said earnestly, "This humble woman does not yearn for the vastness of the Great Desolate, nor does she like unfamiliar environments. She only wishes to remain in her familiar homeland, living out the rest of her days in peace and quiet."