Gu Qingfeng sipped his wine, engaging in casual, teasing banter with Nalan Qianqiu. The atmosphere was quite pleasant.
"Emperor Jiuyou, may I ask you something?"
Nalan Qianqiu's expression suddenly turned serious and earnest. Gu Qingfeng, however, remained his usual leisurely, carefree self. "Little sister, no need to be so formal with me. Ask away. I'll answer whatever I know."
"Alright."
Nalan Qianqiu first offered a toast before speaking. "May I know what you intend to do now that you've returned?"
"Do? I don't plan on doing anything."
"If you're not doing anything, then why did you return?"
"I say, big sister, what kind of talk is that? This is my hometown, after all. Can't I just come back to take a look?"
"Don't misunderstand. That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"What you did on the Xuantian Vessel the other day has spread throughout the myriad realms. You must know about this, right?"
"I know."
"Many people are searching for you everywhere. You know that too, right?"
"I heard about that from Huode, but... I'm a bit puzzled. Why are they looking for me? Do they all want to kill me?"
Nalan Qianqiu glared at him, saying with exasperation, "What else do you think?"
"It can't be that bad, can it? I don't have that many enemies."
"In the Ancient Era, you opposed the Three Thousand Great Daos, offended countless cave heavens, humiliated numerous blessed lands, slaughtered countless immortal realms, and exterminated countless clans. Back then, they couldn't do anything to you. Now, in the Present Era, their ancestral patriarchs have awakened one after another. Naturally, they seek revenge!"
"Ah, that makes sense."
Gu Qingfeng nodded with a smile. "As the old saying goes, what goes around comes around."
"Besides that, the Destiny-Bearers of the Present Era are also sharpening their blades, looking for you. But they're not seeking revenge. They want to prove themselves. You shook the Great Desolate in the Ancient Era. Every Destiny-Bearer of the Present Era wants to erase you to make a name for themselves in this era."
"Young people all want to make a name for themselves. I understand."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "Heck, sometimes even I feel like killing myself just for the fame."
Nalan Qianqiu shot him a sidelong glance and continued, "But that's not the important part. What matters is that you are the universally known Original Sin-bearer. The myriad realms all know your existence threatens the heavens, the earth, the Great Dao, and all living beings. So, once you show your face, the consequences are predictable."
Having said that, Nalan Qianqiu, fearing Gu Qingfeng might misunderstand, quickly explained, "Emperor Jiuyou, don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to scare you—I couldn't even if I tried. I'm saying this without any ulterior motive. I just want you to understand how chaotic the Great Desolate is right now."
Gu Qingfeng asked indifferently, "So?"
"So..." Nalan Qianqiu hesitated for a moment before saying, "So, I hope you... could you temporarily lay low? Wait for this storm to pass before reappearing. That way, you'll avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble. What do you think?"
"That's true."
Nalan Qianqiu's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. "You agree?"
"It's not a difficult request. Why wouldn't I agree? Besides, you have my best interests at heart, don't you?"
"You..." Nalan Qianqiu was momentarily stunned, staring at Gu Qingfeng with a complex gaze, as if she couldn't believe it.
Indeed.
Her visit to Yunxia Sect wasn't solely for Xiao Jinr. She also wanted to see Gu Qingfeng. To be precise, her main purpose was to see Gu Qingfeng.
Only with Xiao Jinr here did she dare to meet Gu Qingfeng.
If Xiao Jinr hadn't come this time, Nalan Qianqiu wouldn't have dared to see Gu Qingfeng even if beaten to death.
It was precisely because Xiao Jinr was here that she dared to come and test Gu Qingfeng's attitude, to see if he intended to shatter the peace of the Great Desolate.
And it was precisely because Xiao Jinr was here that she dared to suggest he lay low for a while.
Before coming, she hadn't held much hope. She knew Gu Qingfeng was an aloof, domineering person, and she didn't have much of a relationship with him. So, she didn't expect to persuade him. Originally, she thought that if her persuasion failed, she'd let Jinr try.
But she never expected that with just a casual mention, Gu Qingfeng would agree so readily—so readily that Nalan Qianqiu could hardly believe it was real.
"You really... agree to lay low?"
"Laying low saves me a lot of trouble. What's bad about that? It's just..." Just as Nalan Qianqiu was feeling delighted, hearing Gu Qingfeng say "it's just" made her heart tighten immediately. "Just what? Are you going back on your word?"
"Not going back on my word, little sister. But if I lay low this time, what about next time? Do I lay low again? And the time after that? I can't live my whole life in hiding, can I? What do you think?"
"I'm not asking you to live in hiding forever. I just hope you can temporarily lay low until this storm passes."
"Sister Qianqiu, can I ask you something?"
"What is it? Ask away."
"Did the Nine Heavens send you here this time?"
"I..." Perhaps feeling somewhat guilty and nervous, Nalan Qianqiu lowered her head, not daring to meet Gu Qingfeng's eyes. She drank a cup of wine and, after a moment, nodded in response. "I know I can't hide it from you. This time, it was indeed the Nine Heavens who sent me. Don't misunderstand. The Nine Heavens sent me just to persuade you, nothing more."
"The Nine Heavens' intention is for me to lay low first, right?"
"Yes."
"This matter spread so quickly and widely. The Nine Heavens must know someone is behind the scenes, fanning the flames and stirring up trouble, right?"
"That's precisely why we hope you'll temporarily lay low and not be used by others."
"Then tell me, what is the purpose of the person behind the scenes? What do they want to use me for? What goal are they trying to achieve?"
"Of course, they want to use you to throw the Great Desolate into chaos."
"I see."
Gu Qingfeng smiled. "In the Present Era, the Nine Heavens Immortal Path has finally managed to dominate heaven and earth. They don't want the Great Desolate to fall into chaos. So, they sent you down to persuade me."
Nalan Qianqiu said solemnly, "They saw this point clearly, which is why they stirred up trouble behind the scenes, spreading this matter throughout the myriad realms."
"In other words, the person behind the scenes wants to provoke a conflict between me and the Immortal Path, right?"
"Yes."
"Then what benefit does the person behind the scenes gain?"
"There are many benefits."
"Tell me."
"Emperor Jiuyou, you should know there are many Original Sin-bearers in this world, right?"
"I know."
"You should also know that many, many Original Sin-bearers want to become the Original Sin True Master recorded in the Book of Destiny—the one who will end the Present Era and open the Era of No Dao?"
"I've heard something about that."
"Back when Mount Wu Dao descended, Emperor Jiuyou, you ignited the Original Sin Karmic Flames, but you also awakened the Blood of Original Sin. Many people regard you as the future Original Sin True Master."
"So?"
"So, many Original Sin-bearers want to replace you, especially those terrifying existences from the Guixu. They've been watching you closely from the shadows."