"Hmph! I thought this guy Gu was all arrogance, but it seems he's nothing special after all."
Yu Dingxing, the leader of the Bingxuan Sect's Nine Disciples, sneered contemptuously as he watched Gu Qingfeng's hurried departure.
All the wariness he had felt toward Gu Qingfeng in the depths of his heart dissipated completely at this moment.
Faced with Luowen Zhenghao's threat, he had immediately backed down, fearfully declaring he wouldn't form a Dao partnership with Leng Yanqiu, and then hastily left.
In Yu Dingxing's mind, if Gu Qingfeng didn't even have the guts for that, yet still dared to dream of forming a dual-cultivation partnership with the goddess in his heart, it was pure delusion. He had never taken Gu Qingfeng seriously before, and now that his wariness had vanished, he regarded him even less.
"Putting on a calm front, borrowing authority from others—such a coward isn't worth mentioning!"
Similarly, seeing Gu Qingfeng back down and flee in disarray, Jingtao Gongzi's wariness toward him also faded greatly. If given another chance now, he would definitely not hesitate to teach that foolhardy fellow a lesson!
"Mmgh..." Beside them, Bai Yunfei, who had been silenced by Shui Yunruo's spell, was already bursting with discomfort. He grunted and shouted until Shui Yunruo waved her hand, her slender jade fingers weaving a spirit seal. A flash of light later, Bai Yunfei could finally speak again.
"Senior Sister! Why did you cast that silencing spell on me? Do you have any idea how suffocating that was!"
"Don't speak out of turn in the future."
Shui Yunruo sat upright, still appearing as ethereal and hazy as mist or smoke. However, the cold indifference on her beautiful face was gone, replaced by a deep, thick confusion. Her willow-leaf eyebrows were furrowed as if pondering something.
"When did I speak out of turn!" Bai Yunfei retorted indignantly. "You saw how arrogant that Gu Qingfeng was at the start! I just wanted to teach him a lesson with a few words, that's all! Really! I thought he had some real capability, but it turns out he was just putting on a front. He was probably scared out of his wits inside. As soon as Jingtao Big Brother and the people from the Nine-Hua Alliance threatened him, his true colors showed immediately. He didn't even dare let out a peep, promptly declared he wouldn't form a partnership with Leng Yanqiu, afraid he'd die here, and ran off in a hurry. It's absolutely laughable!"
"Hey, Senior Brother, how can you talk about Young Lord Chiyan like that? He's my lifesaver!"
Hearing Bai Yunfei insult Gu Qingfeng, Mu Xiaoyou was very displeased.
"Junior Sister, I know he saved your life, but what I'm saying is the truth. That guy really is a coward who puts on a front and borrows others' authority."
"That's not true!" Mu Xiaoyou's little face was full of anger as she said heatedly, "Big Brother Savior wasn't putting on a front at all, and he certainly wasn't borrowing anyone's authority! He didn't flee in disarray either! The Cave Master taught me Heart-Observation Art. I can tell—Big Brother Savior's calm and indifferent demeanor wasn't faked at all. He seemed like he didn't care one bit, and he wasn't scared at all. And... and Big Brother Savior couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to any of you from the very beginning!"
"Junior Sister, even if that so-called Gu fellow is your lifesaver, you don't need to go that far." Bai Yunfei chuckled. "Heart-Observation Art, really... You've only learned the bare rudiments of it and you're already showing off! If he wasn't scared, why did he publicly clarify he wouldn't form a partnership with Leng Yanqiu? And why didn't he dare stay a moment longer before running off?"
"That's because... because Big Brother Savior might genuinely not want to form a partnership with Leng Yanqiu. As for why he left, I saw him talking to a very short, very fat guy just now... Big Brother must have left because he saw someone looking for him."
Mu Xiaoyou wanted to say more, but Bai Yunfei had already lost interest, waving his hand repeatedly to tell her not to guess wildly and to eat more fruit instead. Jingtao Gongzi, Yu Dingxing, and the other Nine Disciples and Eighteen Chief Disciples at the same table also didn't take her words to heart, treating them as a little girl's nonsense.
Though furious, Mu Xiaoyou didn't know how to convince Bai Yunfei. Her little face flushed red with anger, and she immediately went to Shui Yunruo's side, saying, "Senior Sister, your Heart-Observation Art is better than mine. Tell them, am I just guessing wildly?"
Shui Yunruo glanced at Bai Yunfei, then at Jingtao, and said calmly, "Little Junior Sister is right. Young Lord Chiyan didn't seem to be putting on a front. At least from what I saw, he wasn't pretending. His expression remained calm the whole time, and so were his emotions. Although there were changes, they were only two instances of helplessness."
"The first time was when Wan Wei and Wei Qing paid their respects to him. His emotions changed then—it was helplessness."
"The second time was when Jingtao Gongzi and all of you surrounded him. His emotions changed again—also helplessness."
"The first helplessness seemed like he realized revealing his identity would bring some trouble."
"The second helplessness seemed like he felt helpless about your provocation."
"Just helplessness, nothing else. No fear, no terror, not even wariness. And..." As she spoke, Shui Yunruo looked at Jingtao Gongzi and the others again, perhaps considering whether to say what came next.
Jingtao Gongzi and Yu Dingxing, along with the other Nine Disciples and Eighteen Chief Disciples, clearly didn't believe Shui Yunruo's words. Jingtao, in particular, asked with a smile, "And what?"
"And I could tell that from beginning to end, he never regarded any of you with any importance. The three Young Lords of the Nine-Hua Alliance, those deputy hall masters and hundred commanders—he didn't regard any of them with importance. Including you, Jingtao Gongzi, and all of you Nine Disciples and Eighteen Chief Disciples. Even including me..." Shui Yunruo had indeed cultivated the Heart-Observation Art, and her attainment was not low. Recalling everything she had observed earlier, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed even deeper. "He kept drinking wine, as if waiting for someone, looking utterly bored. The way he looked at us... there was a kind of amusement in his eyes, as if... as if he was watching us for entertainment. That's truly how it was... Even though I can't understand it, I could see from his eyes that he really was watching us for entertainment the whole time."
As she spoke, Shui Yunruo shook her head. The cold expression on her beautiful face was filled with all sorts of confusion, bewilderment, and endless curiosity. "He simply didn't care, didn't mind in the slightest, not even a bit... I've never met such a strange person before, and I can't imagine what kind of person would have such a bizarre state of mind. But one thing I can say with absolute certainty: he is not to be trifled with. He is mysteriously terrifying and unfathomably bizarre. So, I advise you all to avoid provoking him if you see him in the future."
Because Taixing Cave and the Fire Cloud Branch had some connections, Shui Yunruo and Jingtao were acquainted. She also knew of Jingtao's feelings for her, which was why she voiced her inner thoughts—she was sincerely advising them. However, the moment her words fell, Jingtao Gongzi couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
His laughter was filled with defiance and intense fury.