Faced with the white-robed man whose speech and demeanor carried a hint of a playboy's style, Ouyang Feiyue appeared both flustered and cautious. In contrast, Ouyang Ye seemed much calmer than her aunt. She stared at Gu Qingfeng and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I missed you, so I came to see how you're doing."
To be honest, Gu Qingfeng wasn't exactly lying. He had indeed thought of Ouyang Ye and decided to drop by to check on the little girl's situation. Noticing the increasingly nervous looks the two were giving him, Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm not some demon from the deep mountains, and I'm certainly not going to eat you two. Is that really necessary?"
Ouyang Feiyue's lips parted slightly, but she didn't dare say anything, her vigilance growing even stronger.
"Aunt told me that a month ago, when my bloodline flared up and I lost my senses, you were the one who took me away?"
"That's right."
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "You could say that."
"You... what did you do to me?"
This was a question Ouyang Ye had always wanted to ask, because ever since that incident, she could clearly feel that significant changes had occurred within her.
"You don't know?"
Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes with a smile, countering with a question of his own.
"I have no recollection at all."
"That's exactly how it should be."
Gu Qingfeng had no intention of telling Ouyang Ye about Yun Nishang. Even though he knew the little girl was the reincarnation of Yun Nishang's bloodline, and that Yun Nishang's soul fragments were now sealed within her bloodline—whether to evade karma or to graft it—it no longer mattered. What mattered was that the little girl knew nothing about it.
Since that was the case, why drag her into it?
"What do you mean, 'that's exactly how it should be'? Can't you explain clearly?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged noncommittally.
Seeing that he wouldn't say, Ouyang Ye had no choice but to let it go. She didn't press the issue further but asked another question instead. "There's another thing I've always wanted to ask. Why did I used to feel a sense of familiarity when I saw you?"
"Do you still feel it now?"
"Yes."
Ouyang Ye pondered for a moment before responding, "And it's even more complicated now."
Indeed.
Now, upon seeing Gu Qingfeng again, not only was the sense of familiarity stronger, but it was also accompanied by a strange sensation and an inexplicable feeling of aversion—much like her inexplicable dislike for dusk.
"Even more complicated?"
Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, took a sip from his wine cup, and asked, "How so?"
"It's a kind of..." Ouyang Ye started to describe her feelings, but halfway through, she wrinkled her delicate nose slightly and said with some dissatisfaction, "If you won't tell me, then I won't tell you either."
"Oh? Learning to be willful now, are we?"
Whether it was an illusion or not, as Gu Qingfeng gazed at Ouyang Ye, he faintly glimpsed traces of Hongxiu's shadow, especially in those deep, melancholic eyes—they were incredibly similar to Hongxiu's. As he stared, he couldn't help but release his divine sense to investigate. This investigation, however, caused his brows to furrow deeply.
"Hey, you... what are you looking at!"
Being scrutinized so brazenly by Gu Qingfeng made Ouyang Ye feel extremely uncomfortable and somewhat fearful.
"Um... Young Master Gu, Yeye is still young. Please don't take her words to heart."
Noticing the odd look in Gu Qingfeng's eyes, Ouyang Feiyue, fearing she might anger this fellow, quickly stepped forward to apologize.
Even Ancestor Zhuxia, Elder Sen of Chixu Mountain Manor, and the reincarnated expert Si Qianhua had knelt, bowed, and performed rites of respect before this man. Who knew what kind of person he truly was?
Seeing that Gu Qingfeng didn't respond, Ouyang Feiyue bid farewell and tried to pull Ouyang Ye away.
Just then, a voice rang out.
"Wait."
That single word nearly scared Ouyang Feiyue to death. She turned around, her originally beautiful face now deathly pale. She immediately circulated her Spiritual Power, shielding Ouyang Ye behind her, and asked nervously, "You... you... what do you want?"
"I said, sister, is that really necessary?"
Looking at Ouyang Feiyue's terrified expression, Gu Qingfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't be bothered to explain further and instead turned to Ouyang Ye. "Little Sister Ouyang, what's the deal with that mark on your body?"
"Mark? What mark?"
Ouyang Ye seemed to remember something and asked suspiciously, "How do you know about the mark on my body?"
There was indeed a mark on her body, one that had appeared inexplicably a month ago. However, she had only told her aunt about it and never mentioned it to anyone else. How did this guy know? Suddenly recalling the way Gu Qingfeng had looked at her earlier, Ouyang Ye flew into a rage of shame. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, she exclaimed, "You... just now! You... you're so shameless! Aunt, let's go!"
The two tried to leave again, but before they could take a single step, Gu Qingfeng's figure had already appeared in front of them.
"Yeye, run! I'll hold him off..."
Ouyang Feiyue, disregarding the fear in her heart, prepared to fight Gu Qingfeng to the death. But just as she began circulating her Spiritual Power, before she could even make a move, Gu Qingfeng casually waved his hand. A flash of light later, Ouyang Feiyue had no idea what happened before she directly lost consciousness.
"Aunt!"
Ouyang Ye was horrified and shouted angrily, "Gu Qingfeng, you bastard! I took pity on you and kindly took you in back then, and now you've grown some skill, actually harming my aunt! Do you have any conscience left? I... I'll fight you!"
"Little girl, your aunt will be fine after a nap."
Gu Qingfeng tried to explain, but Ouyang Ye wouldn't listen. She circulated her Spiritual Power and attacked. Although her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds and she had already opened her Purple Mansion, how could she possibly be a match for Gu Qingfeng?
"Quite the fierce little thing."
As Ouyang Ye charged at him, Gu Qingfeng waved his hand, effortlessly neutralizing all her martial techniques. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he cast a spell. A radiant light blossomed, instantly enveloping the little girl. She stood there, unable to move, her consciousness also slipping away.
Without another word, Gu Qingfeng picked her up, walked to the pavilion, and sat down. He reached out and brushed his hand over Ouyang Ye's chest. The little girl's clothes there turned to dust, revealing fair, smooth skin. On her chest was a mark, about the size of a baby's fist.
The mark was extremely peculiar, profound and mysterious, wondrous and subtle, as if it were the source of life itself, endlessly regenerating.
It also seemed to be evolving something—like light and darkness, like yin and yang, like water and fire. Light and darkness intertwined, yin and yang cried out, water and fire coexisted—truly miraculous.
"What in the world is this?"
This was the first time Gu Qingfeng had seen such a mark, and he found it unbelievable. From the mark, he sensed an aura emanating from the source of life. As this thing evolved, it was as profound as the Supreme Ultimate—the Supreme Ultimate giving birth to the Two Forms, the Two Forms giving birth to the Four Symbols...
Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly noticed the mark undergo a drastic change. Immediately after, a vast, life-giving power erupted from it. With a *bang*, it sent him flying back. At the same moment, the sky above underwent a strange transformation.