Night.
Jade Clear Villa.
Inside a pavilion.
A woman sat upright.
The woman possessed a stunning, breathtaking beauty. Her hair was elegantly coiled high, and she wore magnificent purple attire, giving off an aura of classical nobility.
Beside the woman stood an old matron with grayish-white hair, leaning on a cane. This old matron was none other than the Earth Immortal who had suddenly appeared at the Immortal Estate earlier. And this elegant, peerlessly beautiful woman was precisely the Miss Wolan from Canyang Mountain whom the old matron had spoken of.
Wolan was playing a zither.
The zither was an ancient, jade-white instrument.
The music drifted over slowly—neither melodious nor high-pitched. Instead, it gave a very heavy feeling, heavy as if it were immortal history itself, or like a stone gate weighing millions of jun slowly creaking open.
Suddenly.
The music stopped abruptly.
She raised her head, looking out, gazing at the night sky, her brows tightly furrowed.
Beside her.
The old matron seemed puzzled and inquired, "Miss, what is it?"
"He has come..." Wolan's voice was very soft, yet also very heavy—soft as if ethereal, heavy as if ancient.
"He has come?
Who?"
The old matron was confused. Then, as if realizing something, she looked up and scanned the area but found nothing. She immediately released her divine sense to probe, yet still discovered nothing. Just as she was growing astonished, a figure inexplicably materialized out of thin air opposite them.
A robe of white, purer than snow.
Three thousand strands of hair, dark as ink.
A handsome face, indifferent and emotionless.
Eyes deep and dark, silent as an abyss.
When he appeared, silence reigned boundless.
Silent as the night wind ceased to blow, silent as the stars ceased to twinkle, silent as if the natural Yin-Yang and Five Elements had halted their transformations, and silent as if time had stopped flowing and space had ceased to operate.
It was Gu Qingfeng.
Inside the pavilion.
The old matron's expression changed dramatically, her eyes filled with utter shock.
Wolan's beautiful eyes were also fixed intently on Gu Qingfeng, as if trying to see through him completely. Yet no matter how she looked, or what she tried to see, in the end, she could perceive nothing, much less see through him.
There was no turbid aura representing sin.
Nor any pure aura representing the Great Dao.
Nor any spiritual aura representing creation.
There was nothing.
Only the ordinary Cultivation Level of a Golden Core.
Beyond that, there was nothing at all.
They were staring at Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng was also staring at them.
Although the old matron possessed Earth Immortal cultivation, that was all there was to it. Not to mention merely an Earth Immortal; even if she were a True Immortal or a Heavenly Immortal, Gu Qingfeng wouldn't bother with a second glance. However, this woman's existence was extraordinary.
Cultivation Level?
She had none.
Gu Qingfeng didn't even know if this woman was human. As for what kind of existence she was, he didn't know. He only knew that the feeling this woman gave him was the same as that of the Peach Blossom Old Daoist. These two were likely the same kind of existence, or perhaps it should be said they came from the same place.
"I heard you were looking for me."
Gu Qingfeng didn't stand on ceremony either. He walked directly into the pavilion and sat down.
"Yes."
Wolan nodded.
The old matron beside her wasn't idle. The moment Gu Qingfeng entered the pavilion, she picked up a wine pot and poured two cups, handing one to Wolan and the other to Gu Qingfeng.
"I heard Young Lord enjoys wine, so I specially prepared for you the Sunset Glow wine brewed by our Canyang Mountain."
Wolan raised her cup with a faint smile. "Our first meeting. Please."
Gu Qingfeng picked up the wine cup and, without a word, drained it in one gulp.
The wine was strong.
Upon entering the mouth, it felt like fire. After passing the throat, however, it became exceptionally mild. The sensation was peculiar, much like the sun setting behind western mountains, truly living up to the name Sunset Glow.
"How is the wine?"
"Passable."
"Just passable?"
"Just passable."
"Heh..." Wolan gave a light laugh.
Gu Qingfeng asked, "What did you want to see me about?"
"I wish to inquire with Young Lord Chiyan about a person."
"What person?"
"A person born five hundred years ago at Chiyan Ridge in the Yanyang Great Domain of the Northwest."
Wolan stared fixedly at Gu Qingfeng, speaking softly and calmly: "A person whose cultivation was broken and restored nine times, whose fate saw nine lives and nine deaths, who achieved the status of nine immortals and nine demons, who ascended to the peerless throne, whose creation was entirely rebellious and unique. A person who destroyed an Immortal Dynasty, severed an Immortal River, dominated the Nine Heavens, trod upon the Nine Halls, and defied the Nine Skies. A person hailed as the one and only throughout the Three Thousand Boundless Great Worlds since ancient times, with absolutely no second like him."
Wolan raised her cup, smiling. "Might Young Lord Chiyan know of him?"
"Of course."
Gu Qingfeng also smiled as he drank and asked, "Do you have business with him?"
"Yes."
"What business?"
"He owes me something."
"Owes you something?"
Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, looking at Wolan opposite him, and asked again, "What thing?"
"A life."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng chuckled in disbelief. "Is that so?"
"Of course."
Wolan brought the wine cup to her lips, took a small sip, and asked, "Might Young Lord know where he is?"
"Right before your eyes."
Gu Qingfeng replied with a faint smile. "He's right in front of you."
"Oh?"
Wolan seemed not to have expected Gu Qingfeng to say this. She was somewhat surprised, gazing deeply at Gu Qingfeng. A trace of a smile curved at the corner of her mouth. "If I heard correctly, you are him?"
"What else?"
"Heh..." Wolan's laugh was complex. She stopped looking at Gu Qingfeng and instead adjusted the strings of the ancient zither. "You know?
You are not the first to claim to be him."
"Then which number am I?"
"The ninth."
"That many?"
Gu Qingfeng asked again, "Have you met them all?"
"They all came to the Great Northwest, and they all went to Canyang Mountain."
"There's such a thing?"
Gu Qingfeng's brow raised slightly. He only knew that many in this world impersonated him, but he truly didn't know that those impersonators had all come to the Great Northwest?
And they had all gone to Canyang Mountain?
Wasn't this a bit too bizarre? After pondering for a moment, he asked again, "What did they all go to Canyang Mountain for?"
Wolan countered, "Aren't you also claiming to be him? Then what do you want to go to Canyang Mountain for?"
"It's nothing major. I'm going to Canyang Mountain just to clarify one matter."
"Hehehe..." Upon hearing this, Wolan couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the matter you wish to clarify is why the Nine Elders Cave-Estate of our Canyang Mountain sought to eradicate you back then, correct?"
This time, Gu Qingfeng grew even more puzzled. He crossed his legs, rubbed his chin, squinted his eyes, and looked at Wolan. "You know about this?"
"Of course I know."
Wolan raised her head, staring at Gu Qingfeng. Her gaze was extremely unfriendly, seemingly filled with anger, as she said coldly, "Every single one who claims to be him comes to our Canyang Mountain to clarify this matter. How could I possibly not know?"
Opposite her.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but be greatly astonished.
Not only had so many impersonators gone to Canyang Mountain, but they had all gone to clarify why Canyang Mountain had sought to eradicate him back then?
How the hell did this sound so wrong no matter how he thought about it!
"And then...
Did they all manage to clarify it?"
As soon as Gu Qingfeng's words fell, the icy Wolan opposite him suddenly shouted sharply, "Enough!
I've had enough!"