After Xuefeng, Hongwen, and the people from the Changhong Branch hall left, Xiao Zhe Manor was left with only Qian Shan, Han Dong, Ouyang Ye, and the group from Wuse Mountain—Kuyu, Liu Qingyan, Qingxi, and the others.
Ever since confirming Gu Qingfeng's identity, the minds of Qian Shan and the other two had long since ground to a halt, their thoughts a complete blank. Even now, they stood there like statues, motionless.
The remaining members of the Wuse Mountain group had long been terrified into a state of paralysis by Gu Qingfeng's thunderous, ruthless methods. They dared not run, dared not move, dared not speak, dared not even breathe. They only dared to stand, not daring to do anything at all.
Before this, they had always believed Gu Qingfeng was a fraud.
But now, none of them dared to think so.
A fraud?
Was there such a terrifying fraud?
With such formidable power, would he need to impersonate the Monarch's heir to deceive people?
The answer was certain.
No, he would not.
He might truly be the Monarch's heir, and he might truly be able to represent the Monarch.
Yes.
That must be it.
If not, how could he have played the true profound mysteries of 'Wind Over the Great Green Mountain' and 'The Youth's Journey'?
If not, how could he have died and revived after being reduced to ashes?
If not, why would the Dragon-Elephant Spirits of old Chixiao veterans like Xuefeng revere him so?
Only if he was the Monarch's heir could all this be explained.
Opposite them, Gu Qingfeng lay reclined in his chair, wearily tapping his forehead, looking utterly listless. After a short while, he slowly raised an arm. Light swirled between his fingers as countless hand seals condensed and manifested. In an instant, he unleashed tens of thousands of seals. The seals intertwined and converged, transforming into a halo of light. The halo spread out, and wherever it passed, the corpses and bloodstains on the ground eerily turned to dust. In the blink of an eye, the ground full of corpses vanished without a trace.
What kind of technique was this?
No one knew.
No one could tell.
They only felt it was exceptionally profound.
However, at that moment, the door to the inner room opened, and a person walked out—it was Xiao Jinr.
"Big Brother!"
When Xiao Jinr emerged and faced the vanished members of the various sects, she didn't seem the least bit surprised. She didn't even glance at the scene, as if she simply didn't care.
"Big Brother, you look very tired. Do you want to go inside and rest?" Xiao Jinr's eyes were only on Gu Qingfeng as she asked with concern.
"Later," he replied.
"Then, Big Brother, let Jinr massage your shoulders."
"Alright!"
Watching this scene, the people from Wuse Mountain found it both incredible and deeply unsettling. They simply couldn't fathom what kind of person, after killing so many people, could remain so calm, chatting casually with a little girl. There was no discomfort in his words at all, as if the people from the various sects weren't killed by him, or as if nothing had happened at all.
Suddenly, they all remembered what Xiao Jinr had said earlier—that her Big Brother had killed so many people he had grown numb and weary of it.
Could it be...
Was that really true?
Even if he truly was the Monarch's heir, how many people could he have killed?
How many people would one have to kill to become numb?
To become weary of it?
No one could imagine.
What was even more peculiar was that, at some point, the stormy, thunderous weather gradually cleared. When the wind and rain vanished and the dark clouds dissipated, everything returned to calm. It was only then they remembered it was merely noon, the scorching sun still shining high in the sky.
But...
Why had it turned dark earlier?
Was it really just dark clouds blocking the sky?
No.
Absolutely impossible!
No matter how thick the clouds, even if they blotted out the sky, it would at most grow dim. How could it plunge into darkness?
They all clearly remembered—the moment Gu Qingfeng made his move, the sky had suddenly plunged into darkness, as if the sun had abruptly fallen, casting everyone into endless panic.
Was it an illusion?
Or something else?
No one knew.
"Oh, right, Big Brother, Elder Ku Mu has woken up," Xiao Jinr said.
"Oh? Is that so..." Gu Qingfeng didn't seem surprised. In his view, the old master should have woken up by now.
But Xiao Jinr's words struck the people from Wuse Mountain like a thunderbolt. They desperately wanted to rush in and see, but they didn't dare. They didn't even dare to open their mouths to ask, fearing they might anger Gu Qingfeng. Just as they were at a loss for what to do, two people emerged from the inner room.
One was Master Wenzhu, who was supporting an elderly man.
The old man had white hair and beard and looked very frail. Even with Master Wenzhu's support, he walked with trembling steps.
Seeing this old man, the people from Wuse Mountain were stunned, for he was none other than Ku Mu, one of the Nine Desolate Ancients of Wuse Mountain.
"Junior Brother! You..." Seeing Ku Mu, Kuyu and the others momentarily forgot their fear and rushed over immediately.
Ever since Ku Mu had been taken by Gu Qingfeng, the people of Wuse Mountain had been on tenterhooks. Only now, seeing Ku Mu alive with their own eyes, did their hanging hearts finally settle.
"Junior Brother, your Nascent Soul..." Kuyu was worried about Ku Mu's injuries, but when he extended his divine sense to investigate, he was shocked to discover that while Ku Mu was indeed weak, it was merely weakness. Apart from that, there were no injuries on his body whatsoever. Not only that, he actually had the aura of a Nascent Soul again.
Back at Wuse Mountain, they had all witnessed with their own eyes how Elder Ku Mu's Nascent Soul had been completely shattered bit by bit by the tune Gu Qingfeng played. How could Ku Mu have a Nascent Soul now?
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Kuyu continued his investigation. The more he probed, the stronger his astonishment grew.
Previously, Ku Mu's Nascent Soul had been on the verge of death, as if it could dissipate at any moment. But now, Ku Mu's Nascent Soul was brimming with vitality, as if possessing boundless spiritual power.
Heavens!
This...
Could it be...
Could he have truly reforged Junior Brother's Nascent Soul?
After finishing his investigation, Kuyu and the others were utterly dumbfounded. Liu Qingyan, Qingxi, and the other members of Wuse Mountain also noticed the change in Ku Mu's Nascent Soul, each standing frozen in place, unable to believe it.
Ku Mu himself paid them no mind. To be precise, at this moment, he had neither the mood nor the inclination to pay them any mind. The moment he stepped out of the room, his gaze fixed excitedly on Gu Qingfeng. With a thud, he knelt on the ground.
"Young Master's great kindness and virtue, this old man has no way to repay. This old man... this old man kowtows in gratitude to the Young Master, in gratitude... to the Monarch!"
Ku Mu was so agitated he could hardly control himself. He performed the nine-kowtow ritual of utmost respect towards Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng did not stop him. He knew even if he tried, it would be useless. The old master was a very traditional man. If not allowed to kowtow, he would persist endlessly. Rather than that, it was better to let him have his way. Moreover, Gu Qingfeng was currently so exhausted he really couldn't be bothered to say anything more.
As Ku Mu knelt and kowtowed, Kuyu and the other Wuse Mountain people also followed suit, bowing in respect.
They offered both apologies and thanks.
Apologies because they had finally realized they had misunderstood Gu Qingfeng.
Thanks because Gu Qingfeng had intervened to help Ku Mu reforge his Nascent Soul.