One had to say Tang Manqing's heart was truly kind. Seeing the newly awakened Gu Qingfeng in such a weak and feeble state, she not only gifted him a Qi-Condensing Pellet but also took out a precious bottle of Jade Dew for Gu Qingfeng to enjoy.
At this moment.
The four of them sat in the pavilion. Shui'er held the white jade bottle, carefully pouring a cup for Gu Qingfeng, looking somewhat reluctant as she muttered, "You, this fellow, have cultivated eight lifetimes of good fortune to meet our Princess. Here, drink this cup of Colorful Exquisite Dew."
Gu Qingfeng looked at the white jade cup. The Jade Dew inside displayed a myriad of colors, brimming with vibrant vitality, as if it were the very essence of nature's spiritual hues. Just then, Shui'er's voice came again.
"Hey, this is our Princess's Colorful Exquisite Dew, brewed over three years by collecting the dew of nature's colorful spiritual energy. It has the power to bring the dead back to life. A single drop is incredibly precious, a priceless treasure that money can't buy. I've only had a few cups myself. You've really hit the jackpot this time."
"Is that so?"
Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly. He could tell this thing was indeed precious. After all, it was the dew of colorful spiritual energy, the essence of colorful spiritual qi. It was probably collected during the great natural anomaly years ago when colorful spiritual energy filled the sky. As for the so-called 'bringing the dead back to life,' though a bit exaggerated, it wasn't far off.
At the very least, Gu Qingfeng knew this stuff could reconnect severed meridians, regenerate flesh on a missing arm, and revitalize a withered, dried-up Dantian. Of course, that was for ordinary cultivators. For his physical body, unless it was a treasure comparable to the Nine Nethers Primordial Fire, it would have absolutely no effect.
After expressing his thanks, he picked up the white jade cup and took a gentle sip. The taste was quite good, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth, refreshing the heart and mind.
"Hey, we still don't know who you are. What's your name? Where are you from? Which sect do you belong to? And why did you fall from the sky?"
Shui'er blurted out the many questions in her heart in one breath.
Gu Qingfeng didn't hide anything either, stating directly, "Me? My surname is Gu, given name Qingfeng. No sect, no affiliation. I'm from the Great Northwest."
"Gu Qingfeng? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
Shui'er felt she had heard the name Gu Qingfeng somewhere before but couldn't recall it for the moment.
Beside her.
Tang Manqing also found the name somewhat familiar. Thinking carefully, her expression slightly stiffened as she asked, "Your surname is Gu, given name Qingfeng, and you're from the Great Northwest... Could it be... you are that Young Lord Chiyan from the Great Northwest?"
"Young Lord Chiyan! Yes! That's Young Lord Chiyan!"
Shui'er suddenly remembered, looking utterly shocked as she exclaimed, "Are you... are you that Young Lord Chiyan who ran rampant across the Great Northwest nine years ago?"
"Well... you could say so."
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin thoughtfully, seemingly deciding there was nothing to hide, and nodded, acknowledging it.
Seeing Gu Qingfeng nod, not only was Shui'er dumbfounded, but Tang Manqing's expression beside her also showed slight astonishment.
Neither of them had ever imagined that the person they had accidentally rescued was actually that Gu Qingfeng, the Young Lord Chiyan who had shaken the Great Northwest nine years ago.
Regarding the name Gu Qingfeng.
They had both heard of it and knew of his deeds, which had been quite resounding nine years ago.
It was said this Young Lord Chiyan's cultivation wasn't high, but his physical body possessed immense strength. He single-handedly annihilated the Nine Blossoms Alliance, slew Immortal Officials, and at Little Fold Manor, not only challenged all the experts of the Great Northwest Border Wasteland but also wiped out the twenty-four Immortal Prodigies of the Northwest Immortal Mansion. Under the Mansion Stele, the might of his voice alone caused the cultivation of over a thousand Immortal Officials and Great Venerables to crumble, and he slaughtered dozens of Noble Scions of the Immortal Dynasty in one go.
In the hundred years since the Modern Era began, it wasn't that no one had ever killed an Immortal Official.
Nor was it that no one had ever killed a Noble Scion of the Immortal Dynasty.
But to wipe out the cultivation of a thousand Immortal Officials at once and slaughter dozens of Noble Scions of the Immortal Dynasty, so blatantly challenging the hegemony of the Immortal Dynasty—such an earth-shattering event was unprecedented.
One must know that each of these Immortal Dynasty Noble Scions was an 'Immortal Second Generation,' every one backed by a great clan or major sect. It was no exaggeration to say that the consequences of killing a single Immortal Dynasty Noble Scion were extremely terrifying, consequences no one could bear. Even Tang Manqing, as the Princess of Yanluo, a direct disciple of a major sect, and also a holder of the Purple-Gold Cloud Nobility, dared not casually kill an Immortal Dynasty Noble Scion.
Yet that Young Lord Chiyan had slaughtered dozens of Noble Scions at once.
This was absolutely unprecedented in the hundred years of the Modern Era.
However.
What they had heard about Gu Qingfeng didn't end there.
It was said this Young Lord Chiyan claimed to be the Monarch's successor, had fused with a wisp of the Monarch's remnant consciousness, possessed peerless musical attainments, could evoke the artistic conception of 'Drunken Chanting of the Azure Sea' with an empty strum, stir the winds of Great Green Mountain, and even evoke the artistic conception of the Monarch's 'Youthful Journey.' It seemed... it seemed the Dragon-Elephant Spirit Seas of the Chixiao people revered him immensely, and the Chitou of the Great Northwest believed he was the Monarch's successor.
Could it be that the fellow before them was that Gu Qingfeng, the Young Lord Chiyan?
Shui'er found it hard to believe, and Tang Manqing was no exception. Wind Uncle with his Earth Immortal cultivation, and Gu Zhenyuan, were also staring wide-eyed in shock.
Then, Shui'er seemed to remember something and cried out, "Wait! Aren't you dead?"
"Dead?"
Gu Qingfeng was taken aback, puzzled. "Who told you I was dead?"
"Fairy Hua! She said it herself."
"Su Hua? She said I was dead?"
"That's right. I heard that after the Heavenly Mandate ended, many experts from the Immortal Dynasty went to the Great Northwest to eliminate you... And Fairy Hua said you... said you were reduced to ashes during the struggle for the Heavenly Mandate..."
"Oh?"
Gu Qingfeng pondered for a moment and asked, "Is that what she said?"
"What do you mean, 'is that what she said?' Isn't that the truth?"
"How to put it..." Faced with this question, Gu Qingfeng truly didn't know how to respond.
Seeing him hesitate, Shui'er's thoughts raced, recalling some rumors, and she blurted out, "I heard before that Fairy Hua deeply believed in your identity as the Monarch's successor. She publicly shielded your crimes multiple times in front of crowds. I always thought those rumors were false, but now I know they're true!"
"Nine years ago, you weren't reduced to ashes at all! Fairy Hua deliberately said that, right? To protect your life, to keep you from dying at the hands of the Immortal Dynasty! Yes! That must be it!"
Shui'er looked very excited, as if she had unraveled some age-old mystery, saying excitedly, "It's common knowledge that Fairy Hua has always admired the Chixiao Monarch, searching for him all over the world. Learning you were the Monarch's successor, loving the house for its crow, she couldn't bear to see you die at the Immortal Dynasty's hands, so... she repeatedly shielded your crimes..."
"You killed so many Immortal Nobles at the Northwest Immortal Mansion. Fairy Hua knew the Immortal Dynasty wouldn't let you off easily, so she deliberately announced your death to the world, right?"
Looking at the excited and thrilled Shui'er before him, Gu Qingfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, shaking his head with a sigh. "Little sister, your imagination is far too rich."