Although Ouyang Ye said this, she couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Recently, while contemplating the mysteries of the Cloud-Color Sword, the more she pondered, the more profound and elusive they seemed. Just as she was feeling troubled, it was as if she received guidance from a master in her dreams, and overnight, she had an epiphany. In just over ten days, she had grasped about seventy to eighty percent of the sword's mysteries.
She had always thought it was Aunt Xue guiding her in her dreams.
But upon further reflection, it didn't seem right. If Aunt Xue were guiding her, there would be no need to do so in a dream. Direct guidance would be much better; why go through the extra trouble?
She had wanted to call out to Aunt Xue and ask, but there was no response from her.
Just now, hearing Gu Qingfeng say that, she almost believed him. But upon careful thought, it seemed impossible. This fellow called Lao Jiu was only at the Golden Core cultivation level; how could he understand the mysteries of the Cloud-Color Sword? The real Young Lord Chiyan might understand, but the key point was that this guy was an impostor!
It couldn't be him.
It must have been Aunt Xue.
She would ask Aunt Xue once she finished her seclusion.
This fellow might not have much skill, but he sure knew how to take credit for himself. And with that mysterious, half-truthful attitude he just displayed, he almost fooled her.
"I say, Lao Jiu, you're something else!"
Seeing Ouyang Ye sizing him up, Gu Qingfeng smiled and asked, "What's up?"
"You're becoming more and more like that Gu Qingfeng guy, even picking up his mysterious, enigmatic tricks."
Ouyang Ye stared at Gu Qingfeng and said, "You almost had me fooled just now."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled wryly. "That's all thanks to your excellent teaching. These past few days, you've been teaching me how to imitate that so-called Young Lord Chiyan. You teach, I learn. You said Young Lord Chiyan was mysterious, so I just followed suit."
"Following suit isn't wrong, but remember one thing: don't use these tricks on me in the future."
"Why's that?"
"No reason, you just can't!"
"Are you scared?"
"Scared? What a joke! What would your grandaunt have to be scared of?"
As she said this, Ouyang Ye was clearly a bit guilty, her eyes darting away, and her confidence wasn't very strong.
Indeed.
She was scared.
Because she found it increasingly difficult to tell whether this guy was Lao Jiu or the real Gu Qingfeng.
No!
To be precise, she knew the person before her was Lao Jiu, just someone impersonating Gu Qingfeng.
What truly frightened her was the worry that, if this continued, she might start mistaking the fake for the real one.
"Little sister, there's actually something I've been wanting to tell you."
"What? What is it?"
Gu Qingfeng sat up, took a swig of peach blossom wine directly from the jug, and smiled faintly. "Actually, I didn't die three years ago."
"What do you mean you didn't die three years ago? Your grandaunt never said you died three years ago."
As she spoke, Ouyang Ye suddenly felt something was off. What did he mean by 'didn't die three years ago'? What was he implying?
Could it be...
Was this guy saying he himself was Gu Qingfeng?
"That's right, I am Gu Qingfeng himself."
"You..." Ouyang Ye was instantly stunned, looking at Gu Qingfeng with disbelief. Then, anger instantly flashed across her beautiful face as she grabbed Gu Qingfeng by the neck, gritting her teeth and saying, "Old Surname! Your grandaunt warned you! Don't play these mysterious games with me anymore. If you dare joke like this with your grandaunt again, I'll... beat you to death!"
"What, you still don't believe me?"
"Nonsense! If I believed you, your grandaunt would be a complete idiot!"
After letting go, Ouyang Ye snorted coldly, ignored him, and left the carriage. "Sister Handong, I'm in a bad mood. I'll wait for you at the entrance of Yaoyue Palace."
With that, she glared fiercely at Gu Qingfeng and flew off alone.
Han Dong wanted to call her back, but Ouyang Ye had already flown far away. She shook her head helplessly and turned to look at Gu Qingfeng. "Young Lord, please don't be angry with Yeye. Although she can be willful, her heart is kind. She doesn't mean anything by it."
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, shook his head, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeye isn't usually like this. It's not that she can't take a joke. It's just..." Han Dong explained softly, "She just doesn't like people joking about Young Lord Chiyan."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Although Yeye has never said it outright, I can tell she cares deeply about that Young Lord Chiyan who died three years ago."
Han Dong recalled the bits and pieces of her year-long acquaintance with Ouyang Ye. "Don't be fooled by her usual carefree, indifferent demeanor. In her heart, she's always missing Young Lord Chiyan. Every day at dusk, when the sun sets and twilight descends, she would sit alone in a daze..." Gazing in the direction Ouyang Ye had left, Han Dong murmured, "She said she used to hate sunsets and the twilight before nightfall. The reason she stares at the dusk is that twilight feels exactly like Young Lord Chiyan who died three years ago."
"Is that so..." Gu Qingfeng also watched Ouyang Ye's receding figure and took a drink.
Recalling his five hundred years of cultivation, Gu Qingfeng had fought and killed, living in constant fear. Not wanting to implicate others, he had let down many women. This was the greatest regret of his life. If not for this, he wouldn't be on the road to Yaoyue Palace today.
However, since deciding to abandon karma, Gu Qingfeng had completely let go.
He decided to go with the flow and live a different life.
Not only would he make up for all the regrets of the past, but he would also live this life truly carefree, truly unfettered, and in true great freedom.
In the past, he lived in fear, not wanting to implicate anyone.
Now it was different. Now he feared nothing, and he had the confidence to protect anyone.
In the past, he had let down many women. In the future, he would not let down a single one.
As for Ouyang Ye, Gu Qingfeng had no particular thoughts, only seeking four words: go with the flow.
"So, I hope Young Lord won't joke about Young Lord Chiyan anymore in the future."
Gu Qingfeng nodded and also stepped out of the grand carriage. He stretched, looked down at the Star-Moon Domain beneath his feet, and asked, "How much farther to Yaoyue Palace?"
"Look, right ahead."
Han Dong pointed to a mountain ahead that emitted a faint yellow glow. "That's Yaoyue Mountain. Yaoyue Palace is on that mountain."
"Why is it still on Yaoyue Mountain?"
Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow and drank. "I remember after Feng Zhuyue conquered the Great Northwest, she built a palace, right? I heard it was quite impressive. I don't see it."
"The palace built by Lady Zhuyue... fell into ruin during the Great Calamity due to demonic chaos... After the end of the Ancient Era and the beginning of the Current Era..." At this point, a trace of sorrow appeared on Han Dong's face. "In the Current Era, the Immortal Dynasty renovated the palace. However, the renovated palace no longer belongs to Yaoyue Palace."
"Then who does it belong to?"
"The Immortal Prefecture."