Morning.
The sun had just risen.
At a mountain villa named Qingye.
Inside a pavilion.
Wei Qing sat upright on a stone stool, holding a chess piece in one hand, his expression grave as he stared at an unfinished chess game on the table. His eyes held some hesitation, some confusion, but mostly worry—deep worry.
Not far away, Wei Qing stood with his body bowed, head lowered, silent.
Beside him, the enchantingly beautiful Liu Piaopiao, dressed in red, leaned against a stone pillar. She gazed blankly at the flowers and plants in the courtyard, her eyes filled with alarm, but even more so with terror. When she closed her eyes, the figure of the man in white filled her mind—unable to be driven away, unable to be dispelled, unable to fade.
That arrogance that looked down upon the world, that solitary pride that brooked no equal, that domineering supremacy within the silence.
One step, one heavenly realm; millions of acupoints opening.
Fierce flames scorching the sky, violent thunder exploding the void!
Spiritual power vast through nine transformations, nine transformations and nine derivations slaughtering the heavens.
Before the Heavenly Edict, erasing the Immortal Edict.
Liu Piaopiao closed her eyes, her eyelids trembling slightly as she shook her head weakly, asking in a hoarse voice, "What... should we do?"
What should they do?
Wei Qing wanted to know the answer to that question too.
"In a few days, Zhu Xia and Leng Yanqiu will emerge from seclusion. They have likely fused with the Bing Xuan Heart by now. With the Empress's blood spirits, they should have unlocked the mysteries of the Bing Xuan Heart. When the time comes, they will surely use the Bing Xuan Heart to reassemble the seven Soul Pearls, attempting to replace the Empress..." "And the Heavenly Edict... I don't know what they will do then."
Liu Piaopiao spoke listlessly: "And Gu Qingfeng... I don't know what he will do either."
After a moment, Wei Qing responded: "The Empress said we should watch and wait."
"That's easy to say, but... the situation is so chaotic now. What if the Empress..." Liu Piaopiao was speaking when she suddenly stopped, because she abruptly noticed a person had appeared in the courtyard out of thin air.
It was a stern-looking man in white. No one knew when he had appeared, or how he had appeared. They only knew that when he appeared, it was as if dusk had fallen. Even though it was morning and the sun had just risen, it gave people the feeling of twilight descending, as if darkness could envelop everything at any moment.
It was him!
Gu Qingfeng!
When Wei Qing saw Gu Qingfeng, he shot to his feet, his expression shocked and panicked.
He was like this. Liu Piaopiao, who had been leaning against the pillar looking dispirited and lost, also paled in terror upon seeing Gu Qingfeng. Not far away, Elder Hui, who had been standing bowed with his head lowered, was so frightened his face turned deathly pale, as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes filled with fear.
None of them had expected Gu Qingfeng to suddenly appear.
Nor did they know why he had come.
Gu Qingfeng walked to the pavilion and casually sat down. Glancing at Wei Qing and Liu Piaopiao's expressions, he smiled and said, "No need to be nervous. I just came to ask you a few things."
Last night's Gu Qingfeng had been cold, severe, solitary, arrogant, domineering, and lawless—in his demeanor, his eyes, his methods, in everything.
The Gu Qingfeng of this moment was neither cold nor severe, nor solitary and domineering. He was only casual, only indifferent. The smile at the corner of his mouth couldn't be called leisurely or comfortable, but it was like a spring breeze under the sunlight, giving people a very relaxed feeling.
At least on the surface.
But even so, both Wei Qing and Liu Piaopiao were extremely tense.
No need to be nervous?
Having witnessed Gu Qingfeng erase the Immortal Edict before the Heavenly Edict with her own eyes, how could Liu Piaopiao not be nervous? She stood there, nerves taut, eyes fixed intently, not daring to breathe, not daring to speak, not daring to move.
"Come, sit down and chat."
Gu Qingfeng took out Water-Cloud Wine and the Taixu Cup, poured one for himself, then poured a few more cups. He waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit.
Sit down and chat?
Who dared?
Wei Qing didn't dare. Liu Piaopiao didn't dare. Elder Hui dared even less.
Seeing the three of them looking so tense, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but chuckle wryly. He shook his head, picked up the Taixu wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and said helplessly, "Since that's the case, forget it."
He poured himself another cup of wine, then changed the subject: "However, there are a few matters I must get clear today."
A few matters?
Beside him, Wei Qing's thoughts raced like lightning, as if realizing what Gu Qingfeng was about to ask. After thinking it over, he took a few steps back, leaving the pavilion, bowed his head, and said with cupped hands, "May I ask... what matters does the Chiyan Young Master wish to inquire about?"
Stepping back was out of fear.
Bowing his head was out of panic.
Cupping his hands was out of dread.
Addressing him as Chiyan Young Master also represented the respect in his heart.
Wei Qing had always been a cautious and careful person, and he knew that facing Gu Qingfeng, he had to be even more careful, even more cautious. Otherwise, his life could be in danger at any moment.
"Who is your master?"
Gu Qingfeng asked softly.
Wei Qing did not hesitate in his response: "The Founding Ancestor of the Bingxuan Sect."
"What is her name?"
Wei Qing pondered for a moment before responding: "Her Dao name is Bingxuan. Her surname is Yun, given name Nishang."
"Yun Nishang..." Gu Qingfeng repeated the name. It was unfamiliar; he had never heard it before. He thought for a moment, swirling the Water-Cloud Wine in his Taixu Cup, and asked, "Your master had already reincarnated once when she founded the Bingxuan Sect. Who was she before that reincarnation?"
"I don't know."
Wei Qing responded with his head bowed.
"You don't know?"
Gu Qingfeng pressed.
"Truly, I don't know."
Wei Qing affirmed again.
Gu Qingfeng took a small sip from his Taixu Cup, crossed his legs, and looked at Wei Qing opposite him. He could tell that Wei Qing wasn't lying. He could also see that neither Wei Qing nor Liu Piaopiao were truly human—at least, they had no souls, and their bodies were not flesh and blood, but were shaped using Taiyin Blood Spirits.
Such beings, among demons, ghosts, and monsters, were also considered a type of 'monstrosity.'
A type of blood-monster.
Similar in nature to the blood-monsters of the Murong Clan, but different in that the Murong Clan's blood-monsters were refined after birth, while Wei Qing was a natural existence.
Gu Qingfeng's eyes could penetrate the surface of all things in the world to see their essence. Naturally, he could see that Wei Qing and Liu Piaopiao had been created about three thousand years ago.
In other words, Yun Nishang had created them using Taiyin Blood Spirits three thousand years ago. If asked who Yun Nishang was before her reincarnation, it was normal for them not to know, since Yun Nishang hadn't created them back then.
"Why did Yun Nishang create you? What did she have you do?"
"Observe."
"Observe what?"
"The changes in the Bing Xuan Heart."
"And why observe the changes in the Karma Heart?"
"I don't know."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, drinking and pondering. In his mind, Yun Nishang had created Wei Qing to observe the changes in the Bing Xuan Heart, likely to observe Karma.
"What have you discovered over these three thousand years?"
This time, Wei Qing did not respond immediately. He kept his head lowered. After a moment, he shook his head and replied, "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I don't know."
Wei Qing affirmed once more. Perhaps worried that Gu Qingfeng would get angry, he quickly explained: "Five hundred years ago, an accident occurred. That accident caused us to fall into a deep sleep for a full four hundred years. We only gradually awakened after the great calamity, and after awakening, many of our memories were lost..."