"Back then, my aunt and the Monarch met in an ancient Cave Dwelling."
Tang Manqing sat upright opposite him, her hands placed on the stone table with fingers interlocked. Her clear, beautiful face wore a serious and solemn expression as she gazed at Gu Qingfeng, speaking softly, "Since you claim to be the Monarch and your memories are not fragmented, you should remember what was said during your first meeting with my aunt. Don't tell me you've forgotten—a cultivator's Sea of Consciousness never forgets any memory."
The fact was exactly as Tang Manqing said—a cultivator's Sea of Consciousness never forgets. All memories from a person's entire life are stored within it; even a single thought, a wisp of sentiment, or various distracting notions could be found in the Sea of Consciousness.
"The first meeting..." Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, recalling. He still remembered many things, so naturally, he didn't need to search his Sea of Consciousness. After a moment of recollection, he replied, "When I first met your aunt, neither of us said a word. She didn't speak, and I didn't either."
Hearing this,
Tang Manqing's eyes showed a slight flicker of surprise. She asked again, "Are you certain nothing was said at all?"
"I'm quite certain."
Tang Manqing fell silent for a while before continuing her questioning, "Not long after my aunt entered the Cave Dwelling, she became trapped in a Formation. If you are the Monarch, you should remember how you rescued my aunt."
"I didn't."
"What do you mean, you didn't?"
"When your aunt was trapped in the Formation mechanism, I didn't rescue her."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled, "In my youth, I did have a habit of flirting with girls, but I wasn't the type to flirt with anyone at any time. Although your aunt's beauty was truly breathtaking back then, I could tell at a glance she wasn't someone to be trifled with. Plus, we were in an ancient Cave Dwelling—who knew what might happen? So, I wouldn't rescue anyone. At least, that's how I was in my youth."
Gu Qingfeng's words were brutally realistic, so much so that Tang Manqing couldn't agree with them, but she knew they were the truth.
Back then, when her aunt was trapped in the Formation trap, Monarch Chixiao not only didn't lend a hand but even stood there watching the spectacle for a while. To be precise, while her aunt was breaking the Formation, Monarch Chixiao took the opportunity to study the Cave Dwelling's structure.
Earlier, Tang Manqing had said she couldn't verify whether Gu Qingfeng had fused with the Monarch's remnant consciousness but had a way to confirm whether Gu Qingfeng was Monarch Chixiao.
This was because she knew the entire process of how her aunt and the Monarch met, became indebted to each other, grew acquainted, and eventually understood each other deeply.
Although the tales of Monarch Chixiao had long spread throughout the world, and his story with her aunt had become a favorite anecdote among storytellers,
however,
many details, Tang Manqing believed, were known only to herself besides Monarch Chixiao and her aunt.
The two questions she had just asked were precisely those details—unknown to outsiders.
Yet, she never expected this man to answer them, and answer them flawlessly.
How could this be?
She stared at Gu Qingfeng, her eyes gleaming with sharp light, trying to see through his heart and discern truth from falsehood through subtle expressions on his face. But no matter how she looked, she couldn't see anything.
After a silence, she prepared to continue questioning, but Gu Qingfeng interrupted her, "Little sister, don't ask one question at a time. Bring two jugs of wine, and I'll tell you the whole story from beginning to end in detail."
What!
Tang Manqing's expression instantly turned shocked. She stared at Gu Qingfeng with a look of astonishment, her lips slightly parting as if she wanted to speak but stopped herself. Without overthinking, she ordered Shui’er to bring two jars of fine wine from the manor.
Seeing the fine wine, Gu Qingfeng was like a lovesick fool seeing a beautiful woman. He opened one jar, tilted his head back, and gulped it down, glug-glug-glug.
Opposite him,
whether it was Tang Manqing, Shui’er, Earth-Immortal Wind Uncle, or Gu Zhenyuan, all four stared at Gu Qingfeng as if he were a monster. Regardless of whether this guy was a fraud, he had just narrowly escaped death and was still extremely weak. In such a state, he actually downed an entire jar of wine in one go.
Did he not want to live?
Or was he reckless with his life?
Or was he truly Monarch Chixiao?
None of the four knew, including Tang Manqing, who stared at him with shock and suspicion.
What astonished them even more was that this guy had seemed listless just moments ago, but after drinking the jar of wine, he suddenly became spirited. Although he was still extremely weak, that burst of energy was like a flame about to extinguish suddenly blazing up again, making him seem full of vitality.
"Not bad, not bad!
If you want to nourish the body and spirit, fine wine is the way to go!"
Gu Qingfeng stood up, stretching vigorously, then sat back down. After satisfying his craving, he picked up the wine jug, poured himself a cup, and drank three cups in succession, saying, "The wine is good, but it's a bit too mild, lacking punch. Still, it'll do. Little sister, go get two more jars—this isn't enough to drink..." Shui’er stood there dumbfounded, blinking as if she hadn't fully processed the situation. She nodded numbly and went to fetch two more jars.
"The story goes like this...
Back then, when your aunt was trapped in the Formation, I didn't rescue her. Mostly, I wanted to see your aunt's strength and take the chance to study the Cave Dwelling's structure."
"Speaking of which, your aunt is truly remarkable. Trapped in layer after layer of Formation traps, she still managed to break through them by sheer force."
"It's better to be kind, you know? Heaven always favors the kind-hearted. So, your aunt quickly found treasures in the Cave Dwelling. As for me, I was unlucky—I also fell into a Formation trap."
Gu Qingfeng drank while reminiscing, sighing as he spoke, "Back then, my research into Formations wasn't deep enough. Once trapped in a Formation, the more I struggled, the deeper I sank. I almost lost my life. Fortunately, your aunt rescued me."
"At that time, I was so moved I nearly kowtowed to your aunt. That's the difference—the difference in character."
"However, your aunt also had a weakness: she loved to investigate everything thoroughly. In the Cave Dwelling, while studying a Formation, she accidentally released a ferocious beast. That beast was powerful; your aunt was no match for it. As for me, I exhausted all my strength back then to rescue your aunt from the beast's clutches. I vomited quite a bit of blood for that, saving your aunt's life and repaying the favor she did by rescuing me earlier."
"Later, we found the Cave Dwelling's core, which held many treasures but also endless dangers. I've always been the type to value treasure over life, so I jumped right in. Later, for some reason, your aunt jumped in after me."
"The Cave Dwelling's core was a world unto itself. Your aunt and I were trapped inside for a very, very long time. It was from that period that I truly got to know your aunt."