Chen Yue was overjoyed.
She had thought tricking Gu Qingfeng into drinking that cup of Sea-Blue Moon containing the Spiral Dream-Return Pill would be very troublesome. She never expected this fellow to just drink it down like that. This made her incredibly excited, her eyes brimming with triumphant glee, as if she couldn't wait to see Gu Qingfeng's terrified expression.
"I say, little sister."
Gu Qingfeng sat back down on the stone stool, crossed his legs, and smiled with great interest. "Do you really think I can't tell it's you just because you've disguised and altered your appearance?"
Across from him, Chen Yue's heart skipped a beat. The triumph in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by wariness. "You know who I am?"
"What a stupid question."
Gu Qingfeng poured himself another drink. "With the two of you and your clumsy acting, anyone who isn't blind could recognize you."
"You...
You...
How could you possibly recognize me!"
Chen Yue was utterly shocked, then hurriedly denied it. She believed her disguise technique was peerless in the world. Moreover, to prevent being recognized, she had specifically asked a reincarnated great expert from the Nine-Hua Alliance to use a grand method to conceal her spiritual aura. For this, she had even tested the effect on her own family members—even her closest grandfather hadn't been able to recognize her. How could this fellow possibly do it!
"What's so impossible about it?"
Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "Little sister, your disguise technique isn't quite up to par yet. As for the spiritual aura on your body, the concealment is just so-so. The method is decent enough; ordinary people really wouldn't be able to tell."
"You...
You...
You actually really..." Hearing Gu Qingfeng say this, Chen Yue finally realized this fellow wasn't lying. He had truly recognized her!
Heavens!
Chen Yue felt somewhat panicked, but more than that, she was furious—absolutely livid. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, she gnashed her teeth and raged, "You recognized me from the very beginning? Which means you've been toying with me all along?
And you deliberately made me dance for you?"
"Well, you seemed to be having so much fun playing your little game, so I just went along with it."
Went along with it?
Those words instantly made Chen Yue recall what happened in the Black-Raven Secret Realm cave dwelling. Back then, she had been enveloped by the Harmonious Bliss Breath, and this fellow had hugged and embraced her, saying something about seeing how 'thirsty' she was and just 'going along with it'.
Remembering this.
Chen Yue clutched her chest, so angry she could barely breathe, her chest tight with fury. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, she took heavy, ragged breaths. "You...
You...
You infuriate...
infuriate me to death..." Especially seeing Gu Qingfeng sitting there so leisurely, sipping his little drink, looking like he was watching a show, made Chen Yue even more breathless.
Hmm?
Wait!
Suddenly spotting that empty wine cup, the anger in Chen Yue's heart vanished, and her breathing became smooth again. A triumphant gleam returned to her eyes. "Hmph!
You deadbeat nouveau riche, don't you get cocky! Do you know what was in that cup of Sea-Blue Moon I just gave you?"
"That cup of Sea-Blue Moon, huh...
If I'm not mistaken, it should contain a pill that confuses the mind and paralyzes consciousness, right?
Such pills aren't common. It seems a bit like the Spiral Dream-Return Pill. I wonder if my guess is correct?"
Boom!
At this moment, Chen Yue felt her mind go completely blank. Staring wide-eyed at Gu Qingfeng, she was utterly dumbfounded. "You...
You...
How could you...
How could you..." Perhaps she was too shocked, as she could barely form coherent words. "You...
If you knew it was the Spiral Dream-Return Pill, why...
why did you still drink it..."
"I didn't want to waste that cup of Sea-Blue Moon."
Gu Qingfeng picked up the wine pot and poured himself another cup of Sea-Blue Moon. Looking at Chen Yue's stunned expression, he smiled playfully. "I'm a man who loves good wine. This Sea-Blue Moon is pretty decent. My mouth was craving it, so I drank it. As for the Spiral Dream-Return Pill, to me it's no different from a candy bean. Can't be helped—I'm born with divine strength, impervious to blades and spears, immune to water and fire. Forget a measly little Spiral Dream-Return Pill; even if you brought me the Nine Suns Mad Demon Pill, I could still crunch it down like a candy bean."
"You..." If learning that Gu Qingfeng had seen through her identity earlier had made Chen Yue so angry her chest tightened and she couldn't breathe, then hearing now that Gu Qingfeng had eaten the Spiral Dream-Return Pill with absolutely no effect was more than just chest-tightening for Chen Yue—it was a splitting headache, a dizzying, world-spinning sensation.
She didn't know how Gu Qingfeng had seen through her.
She didn't know why Gu Qingfeng was completely unaffected after eating the Spiral Dream-Return Pill.
She didn't know. She knew nothing.
All she knew was that she had been played for a fool once again. Previously, in the Black-Raven Secret Realm, she had been burning with desire before this fellow, actively throwing herself into his embrace only to be rejected, utterly humiliated and mortified. Today, to trick this fellow into taking the Spiral Dream-Return Pill, she had danced for him—even performed the 'Drunken Imperial Consort Tempting the Monarch' dance. In the end, not only had she been seen through, but this fellow had also treated her as a joke, as entertainment...
Chen Yue felt she was going mad. With a furious roar, she charged forward, bellowing, "Gu Qingfeng, you bastard! This lady will fight you to the death!
! Go die!"
Chen Yue was very powerful. With an eighty-one-revolution Golden Core cultivation, Nature's Four Realms Ninefold Flowing Color, plus her innate Phoenix Bloodline, with such strength she could face even Nascent Soul experts without fear. However, she was facing Gu Qingfeng—a legendary figure who had successively ascended to the Immortal Monster King Throne and the Nine Nethers Emperor Throne, a man shouldering endless judgment.
Chen Yue went all out, wanting to fight Gu Qingfeng to the death. But before even one exchange was completed, before she even knew what was happening, she only saw Gu Qingfeng swing his arm, releasing a turbid, radiant light, and then...
Then there was no 'then'...
By the time she reacted again, she was already being held in Gu Qingfeng's arms.
Gu Qingfeng sat on the stone stool, one hand supporting Chen Yue's neck, the other cradling her delicate buttocks. He smiled playfully. "Little sister, if you have something to say, say it properly. Why resort to violence?"
"You!
Ah!
Let me go!"
Chen Yue was horrified. At that moment, Gu Qingfeng raised a hand and, with some unknown technique, imprinted something onto Chen Yue's heart. Chen Yue, disregarding her terror, immediately circulated her Golden Core. But the moment she did, a strange sensation instantly arose in her mind, followed by a tingling numbness spreading through her body.
"You...
What did you do to me?"
"As the saying goes, it's impolite not to return a favor. Today you treated me to wine and gifted me a pill, so I've also given you a little present."
As Gu Qingfeng raised his hand, a flower petal was pinched between his fingertips. The petal was enchantingly beautiful, a dark crimson color, and it emitted a peculiar aura—an aura that felt very familiar to Chen Yue. Thinking of it suddenly, she was so frightened her face paled, and she cried out in alarm, "Harmonious Bliss Breath..."
"Oh ho, so you remember..."
Chen Yue frantically circulated her Golden Core, her Nature's Colored Spirit, her innate Bloodline. But the more she circulated, the more her whole body felt weak and limp, and the more chaotic and restless her mind became.
"Little sister, I've just implanted a wisp of Harmonious Bliss Breath into your heart. I advise you not to move around recklessly. It's best to remain calm and composed. Otherwise...
the more violently you move, the more fiercely the Harmonious Bliss Breath will act. When the time comes...
if you're burning with desire, don't blame me for not warning you."
"You..." Chen Yue was afraid. Truly afraid. The events in the Black-Raven Secret Realm cave dwelling were still vivid in her memory. How could she not be terrified?
Gu Qingfeng held her with one arm, picked up the wine cup with his free hand, and drained it in one gulp. Looking at the utterly terrified Chen Yue, he said in a flat, unimpressed tone, "Little girl, you've got some nerve, coming to my place and trying to paralyze my consciousness with a Dream-Return Pill. Since you didn't learn your lesson in the Black-Raven Secret Realm, today I'll make sure you remember it well!"
Finished five chapters yesterday. Was two hours late, but I got it done in the end...
Last month my lazy bug acted up. This month I plan to treat it properly, striving to force myself to write five updates every day!