"Old Master, your Primordial Spirit has just been reforged and is still very weak. Go back and rest first. When I have some free time in the coming days, I'll visit you at Wuse Mountain."
"Young Lord..."
Ku Mu still wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Gu Qingfeng interrupted him. "Go back. We'll talk after you've recuperated for a while."
Ku Mu knelt on the ground, his expression agitated as he gazed at Gu Qingfeng. He opened his mouth, words caught in his throat, hesitating for a moment before finally kowtowing. "I must trouble you, Young Lord, to convey to the Monarch that his great kindness and virtue is something I, Ku Mu, will never forget for all eternity."
"I will."
Ku Mu hesitated for a while longer, but ultimately left.
Upon his departure, just like Xuefeng and the others, he performed the nine-step grand rite. As he had said earlier, the Monarch was always the Monarch, the sovereign of this world and this realm. As a cultivator of this world, no matter how close their personal relationship, it was only proper to pay respects to the Monarch.
Qing Xi originally wanted to say a few words of apology, but seeing how exhausted Gu Qingfeng looked, the words died on her lips. She silently resolved to personally visit and express her gratitude in the coming days.
After the people from Wuse Mountain had left, only Qian Shan, Han Dong, and Ouyang Ye remained at Xiao Zhe Manor.
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the three of them but didn't say anything. After greeting Xiao Jinr, he found a quiet place by himself to rest.
Long after Gu Qingfeng had departed, Qian Shan and the other two still seemed unable to snap out of their daze, standing there motionless in a stupor.
Although Qian Shan and Ouyang Ye hadn't said anything, from their reactions, Han Dong already knew that the so-called Lao Jiu was not Lao Jiu, but the real Gu Qingfeng. She just felt that this matter was simply too coincidental, so coincidental that she could hardly believe it was real.
Initially, when they had found someone to impersonate Young Lord Chiyan, Han Dong had been completely forced into it by Ouyang Ye. She had been truly worried about how they would handle things once the deception was exposed. But she had never imagined that Lao Jiu, the one impersonating Young Lord Chiyan, would actually *be* Young Lord Chiyan. Moreover, this Young Lord Chiyan not only possessed strength that could shake the heavens and earth and move ghosts and gods, but he also came representing the Monarch, and even her own master regarded him with immense reverence.
Han Dong felt all of this was like a dream, a bit unreal.
She felt this way.
And Qian Shan was no exception.
Qian Shan had long known that Ouyang Ye had found someone to impersonate Young Lord Chiyan, and she knew the reason. That's why she had brought Xiao Jinr along—initially intending for Xiao Jinr to meet the fake Young Lord Chiyan and then return to cultivate in peace.
But she never expected...
That this fake would turn out to be real.
For Qian Shan, it wasn't that she couldn't accept the fact that Lao Jiu was Young Lord Chiyan. What she truly couldn't accept was something so heaven-defying, so contrary to the laws of life, as a person who had turned to dust and smoke being able to die and come back to life.
She also felt this was like a dream.
However.
Compared to Qian Shan and Han Dong, Ouyang Ye felt even more that this was like a dream.
She was also the most deeply affected of the three.
Witnessing Gu Qingfeng turn to dust and smoke beneath the Tai Xuan Monument three years ago had left a profound impact on her.
Because it was only after Gu Qingfeng died that she realized she had fallen in love with that man—who, when laughing, seemed as leisurely and carefree as a spoiled young master, and when angry, as aloof, proud, and domineering as a god looking down upon the world.
It was just that this feeling came too late. By the time she realized it, Gu Qingfeng had already turned to dust and smoke.
At that time, Ouyang Ye was in great pain, grieving for over a year.
It was only after a year that she mustered the courage to face life again.
To forget the dead Gu Qingfeng, to forget the painful memories, she left her family and friends, and she left the Four Great Domains.
She thought she could forget.
But over the next two years, she found she couldn't forget at all. Not only could she not forget, but this feeling grew stronger and stronger. Whenever she was alone, Gu Qingfeng's figure would involuntarily appear in her mind.
Finding someone to impersonate Gu Qingfeng was indeed to help Han Dong through her difficulties.
But in truth, Ouyang Ye also had selfish motives.
She missed Gu Qingfeng too much, so much she was going crazy. Even if it was just a fake, it could occasionally stir her heart.
When Ling'er-jie impersonated Young Lord Chiyan, this feeling wasn't particularly strong. But when Lao Jiu took on the role, she had felt her heart stir several times. Often, she couldn't even distinguish between real and fake, nor did she want to distinguish so clearly. She would rather let the play become reality, treating the fake as the real one.
To be honest.
When she found Lao Jiu to impersonate Young Lord Chiyan, she had been truly happy.
Because Lao Jiu really resembled the Young Lord Chiyan in her memory. Whether it was the laziness in his leisure or the unrestrained freedom in his unrestrained freedom, everything about him fascinated Ouyang Ye. She had even once thought about letting Lao Jiu keep impersonating him forever.
She had really thought that.
However, ever since Lao Jiu claimed he *was* Young Lord Chiyan, Ouyang Ye had abandoned that notion.
She could treat Lao Jiu as Young Lord Chiyan, but she absolutely would not allow Lao Jiu to claim he *was* Young Lord Chiyan.
Why?
Ouyang Ye herself didn't know.
She had always thought Lao Jiu had become obsessed with impersonating Young Lord Chiyan, acting the part until he really believed he was Young Lord Chiyan.
Yes.
She had really believed that all along.
Only now did she understand why Lao Jiu's habits and mannerisms were so similar to Young Lord Chiyan's. Only now did she know that guy hadn't been obsessed at all. He hadn't been pretending to be Young Lord Chiyan—he *was* the real Young Lord Chiyan. How could his habits and mannerisms *not* be similar?
After completely confirming that Lao Jiu was Gu Qingfeng, Ouyang Ye simply couldn't accept this fact. Even though she had always hoped this fact was true, she still couldn't accept it.
Unlike Qian Shan.
Qian Shan couldn't accept the fact that Gu Qingfeng, having turned to dust and smoke, had died and come back to life. Ouyang Ye, however, wasn't unable to accept Gu Qingfeng's death and resurrection. On the contrary, she had always hoped Gu Qingfeng hadn't died. As for defying the heavens or violating laws, she didn't care at all. As long as Gu Qingfeng could live, she would gladly violate the laws herself.
What she truly couldn't accept was that the Lao Jiu she had found to impersonate Young Lord Chiyan was the very Young Lord Chiyan she had been yearning for day and night.
*That* was what she found most unacceptable.
In Ouyang Ye's mind, finding Gu Qingfeng to impersonate himself was already an incredibly foolish thing to do. Even more foolish was that she had personally taught Gu Qingfeng how to imitate himself.
If that were all, it wouldn't have been enough to make Ouyang Ye wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into out of sheer embarrassment. The reality was that when Gu Qingfeng claimed he was Young Lord Chiyan, not only did she not believe him, she repeatedly warned him, even calling him a fraud...
Heavens!
Ouyang Ye felt like crying but had no tears. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like collapsing. She slumped to the ground, head bowed, clutching her head, pulling at her hair. At this moment, she utterly despised herself, feeling she was as stupid as could be, so stupid she wanted to gouge out her own eyes and smash her own brain.
For three years, Ouyang Ye had fantasized that if Gu Qingfeng were still alive, she would find a way to make him understand her feelings.
Now Gu Qingfeng really was still alive.
But she didn't know how to face him.