Back then, Gu Qingfeng was a man with a world of trouble on his shoulders, even wanted by the Immortal Court. Not wanting to implicate anyone, and to make Feng Zhuyue give up on him, he found another woman to pose as his Dual Cultivation partner.
Although his original intention was good, it still broke Feng Zhuyue's heart.
Young and foolish back then, now, upon careful recollection, Gu Qingfeng deeply regretted his actions and felt truly ashamed before Feng Zhuyue.
"So now you finally know you should be ashamed before Feng Zhuyue? What were you doing earlier? Fickle-hearted is fickle-hearted, a philanderer is a philanderer. Why make so many excuses!" Huode was a man of traditional values at heart, so he had always disapproved of Gu Qingfeng's philandering ways, sneering, "If you had no feelings for her back then, why did you engage in Dual Cultivation with her? To me, you just couldn't control that thing in your pants. See a beauty, and you'd want to tease her...
Play with her, then find her annoying, make up excuses to dump her..." Gu Qingfeng said irritably, "I damn well never engaged in Dual Cultivation with Feng Zhuyue!"
"You still refuse to admit it even now? Back then, the affair between you and Feng Zhuyue caused a huge uproar. Who in our Great Northwest didn't know? Feng Zhuyue only engaged in Dual Cultivation to help heal your injuries. If I remember correctly, that's what Feng Zhuyue herself said, right? Back then, Feng Zhuyue was the number one prodigy of our Great Northwest. Dual Cultivation is such a major matter, concerning her reputation. If it were false, why would she say such a thing!" Gu Qingfeng shook his head helplessly, reclining in the Master's Recliner, rubbing his forehead. "Back then, Feng Zhuyue only said she engaged in Dual Cultivation with me to save me."
"Save you? What do you mean?"
"I had been living incognito at Yao Yue Palace. Later, I don't know how, but my identity was exposed. After the news spread, Feng Zhuyue, worried for my safety, wanted the elders of Yao Yue Palace to step in and help me. Yao Yue Palace refused. So, Feng Zhuyue lied and claimed she had already engaged in Dual Cultivation with me."
"Her original intention was to help me, but it ended up harming me instead. Back then, I had been living incognito at Yao Yue Palace for over two years. Not only had my injuries long since healed, but my cultivation had also advanced by leaps and bounds. Although many experts in the Great Northwest frontier wanted me dead back then, and I might not have been able to defeat them, carving a bloody path of escape wouldn't have been a problem."
Huode asked, "I remember you did escape back then. Why did you come back later?"
"It was all because of Feng Zhuyue. When those bastards couldn't catch me, they started threatening Yao Yue Palace and even planned to move against Feng Zhuyue to force me out."
Remembering the events of that time, Gu Qingfeng shook his head and sighed. "After learning this news, I had no choice but to return. Back then, they held a blade to Feng Zhuyue's neck, forcing me to cripple my own cultivation. To save Feng Zhuyue, I could only cripple my cultivation."
"There was such a thing? How come I didn't know? The rumors said you wanted to ignite eighty-one golden cores to perish together with them, didn't they?"
"How could they let outsiders know about such despicable deeds? Afterwards, they naturally made up lies to smear me. I've been slandered my whole life."
"So, you really never engaged in Dual Cultivation with Feng Zhuyue back then?"
Gu Qingfeng glared at Huode. Huode chuckled awkwardly. "No wonder the first thing Feng Zhuyue did after leaving seclusion was to slaughter every single person involved in that incident cleanly."
A long silence followed.
Gu Qingfeng asked again, "How is Feng Zhuyue now?"
"Don't know."
"Don't know?"
"Back then, Feng Zhuyue went to find you, but you already had a new lover. After Feng Zhuyue returned, she succeeded as the Palace Master of Yao Yue Palace. Perhaps you hurt her too deeply. Feng Zhuyue became cold and ruthless, killing without batting an eye. During that period, she single-handedly dealt with all the major and minor forces in the Great Northwest frontier, whether they were evil cultivators, demons, or ghosts. Those who wouldn't submit were killed. Within a few years, almost all the forces in the Great Northwest frontier had submitted to Yao Yue Palace. Yao Yue Palace grew larger and larger. It was also around that time the Zhuyue Dynasty began to rise, and Feng Zhuyue became the Frontier Queen of our Great Northwest."
Huode took a puff from his large tobacco pipe and continued, "After you were judged by the Immortal Dao and turned to dust, Feng Zhuyue was heartbroken. After entering seclusion, she never appeared again. Without Feng Zhuyue managing it, Yao Yue Palace quickly fell apart, and the so-called Zhuyue Dynasty gradually collapsed."
Gu Qingfeng's brow furrowed slightly. "And after the Calamity? You haven't seen her either?"
"I haven't. But many people say she emerged from seclusion once."
Huode thought for a moment. "After the Calamity, Yao Yue Palace faced a crisis, a truly devastating one, besieged by many experts. Some say the Immortal Court was behind it. I heard Feng Zhuyue emerged from seclusion that time and instantly obliterated over a hundred Daozun, allowing Yao Yue Palace to survive the crisis."
"Is that so."
Gu Qingfeng pondered. "Do you know where Feng Zhuyue is in seclusion?"
"How could this old man know such a thing?" Huode scratched his head. "Probably still at Yao Yue Palace."
Seeing Gu Qingfeng lost in thought, Huode asked, "What, you want to go see her?"
"The thought has crossed my mind."
"By reason and by sentiment, you should go see her."
Huode nodded. "When are you leaving?"
"In a couple of days."
"Alone?"
"What? Want to come with me?"
"Get lost! It's a reunion of old lovers. What would I be doing there!" Gu Qingfeng threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"Oh right, Young Gu, there's one thing you need to pay attention to."
"What is it?"
"The Immortal Court might be planning to move against the Crimson-Letter Sect."
"Really?"
"I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but that's the rumor going around. Even if they don't act now, they definitely will in the future. And even if the Immortal Court doesn't act, the various major sects will."
"How so?"
"You know the Crimson-Letter Sect today is no longer your Chixiao Sect of the past. Many young upstarts in the Crimson-Letter Sect are using your name and banner to run amok everywhere, committing all sorts of evils. Under the pretense of eradicating demons and defending the Dao, they engage in bullying and oppression."
"That is indeed a headache. Doesn't every Crimson-Letter Sect branch have a Chixiao person overseeing it? Aren't they worried at all?"
"After you left, almost all the Chixiao people chose to live in seclusion. Although they oversee the Crimson-Letter Sect branches, it's just in name. They rarely interfere in branch affairs. But their disciples, grand-disciples, and descendants are utterly rampant. Now, public resentment towards the Crimson-Letter Sect is growing. Once the Immortal Court decides to move against the Crimson-Letter Sect, it will be seen as acting on behalf of heaven..."