The night was deep and quiet.
Linglong Mountain Villa had returned to its usual bustle. Those who listened to music did so, those who drank wine drank. The events of the day were still being discussed with relish, especially when the Immortal Office sent people to arrest the fellow who had crippled Peng Jia and claimed to be the Monarch. Steward Wei said the scoundrel had already left.
How did he leave?
It was said he left silently, without a trace, completely undetected.
Although Steward Wei said so, many people did not believe it.
The entire Linglong Mountain Villa was enveloped by layer upon layer of formations. Even Immortals could not leave at will. The only exit was the main gate, and at that time, many people were guarding the gate, yet no one saw that imposter leave.
Could it be that Sister Hong was shielding the imposter?
Upon careful thought, this seemed unlikely.
That imposter had crippled Immortal Court Noble Peng Jia within the villa, breaking the villa's rules. How could Sister Hong possibly shield him?
Many speculated that perhaps that imposter was already dead...
Wiped out by Sister Hong.
Whether it was true or false, no one knew.
Opinions varied widely.
Meanwhile.
In the Grand Tutor's Villa.
Tang Manqing and Lin Xiang'er had long since departed.
Only Chu Jiaohong remained, reclining on the grand tutor's armchair, her eyes slightly closed in silence. Her enchanting, bewitching face, set against the faint moonlight, appeared even more sinister and eerie.
She had been pondering one question all along: how exactly had that fellow entered so silently, and how had he left completely undetected?
She had pondered this question for several hours, and to this day, she still hadn't figured it out. Instead, the more she thought, the more confused she became; the more she thought, the more it drove her to the brink of collapse. In her mind, it was something fundamentally impossible, yet it had so undeniably happened.
"Granny Lu, tell me...
How exactly did this person manage it?"
Chu Jiaohong raised a hand to lightly press her forehead, feeling utterly vexed.
Beside her, Granny Lu bowed slightly and shook her head, indicating she couldn't figure it out either. "Such a bizarre matter, this old servant is encountering it for the first time as well."
"This palace is baffled. Why are there so many people in this world impersonating that fellow surnamed Gu? And each one is more mysterious and bizarre than the last. Just why is that?"
"Perhaps they are all like Your Majesty, searching for him?
Didn't Your Majesty also impersonate that scoundrel surnamed Gu for a period?"
Mentioning this, a bitter smile couldn't help but appear on Chu Jiaohong's enchanting, bewitching face.
She had indeed impersonated Monarch Chixiao.
And her purpose was to find the true Monarch Chixiao.
Her reason for seeking Gu Tianlang was simple: revenge.
Revenge for being deceived, tricked, and duped by Gu Tianlang back then, and revenge for the provocation, disrespect, and liberties he took with her.
Speaking of which, it was a matter from long ago.
So long ago that Chu Jiaohong was still in a state of weak slumber back then. She never knew how it happened, but her cave abode was inexplicably opened, and a group of people barged in without permission.
Although she was weak and in a state of slumber at the time, with limited power she could mobilize, she didn't take those cultivators who barged in seriously. However, the unpredictable nature of the world meant that among the intruders, there was one little fellow. Not only was his Fortune bizarre, but his character was also exceedingly cunning. He not only laid traps, causing her to fall into them, but also used illusions to deceive and blind her. Finally, taking advantage of her weakness, he both provoked and humiliated her, even taking liberties with her.
To this day, Chu Jiaohong could never forget how despicable, sinister, and cunning that little fellow was, nor could she forget how he humiliated her and took liberties with her.
Alas.
Back then, Chu Jiaohong was already weak and slumbering, and having fallen for the deception and trapped in layer upon layer of snares, she couldn't even move, forced to let that little fellow have his way with her. In the end, not only was she subjected to his liberties, but all the magical treasures in her cave abode were plundered clean, and even the token most important to her fell into that fellow's possession.
Back then, Chu Jiaohong swore that on the day she awoke, she would have that little fellow sliced into a thousand pieces.
When the Ancient Era ended and the Current Era began, as all things revived, she finally awoke. The first thing she did was investigate those people who had barged into her cave abode back then. She killed them all and finally learned that the little fellow who had humiliated and taken liberties with her back then was surnamed Gu, named Tianlang, with the Daoist title Chixiao.
She thought she could finally have her revenge.
But what Chu Jiaohong never expected was that fellow had already been reduced to ashes by the judgment of the Immortal Dao two hundred years before the Current Era began.
Yet she did not give up.
Because rumors said that fellow might not be dead.
Afterwards, Chu Jiaohong also investigated all of Gu Tianlang's deeds in detail and somewhat suspected that fellow might truly not be dead.
For this reason.
All these years, she had been searching for Gu Tianlang.
However, what she never expected, and what utterly devastated her, was that not only were there many imposters in this world pretending to be Gu Tianlang's descendants, but there were also many imposters pretending to be Gu Tianlang himself. She would find one, only for it to be fake. She would keep searching, and it would still be fake. After searching for so many years, it had nearly driven her to mental collapse, because she hadn't found a single real one—they were all damn imposters.
And that wasn't the real reason for her devastation. The true reason that drove her to the brink was that those fellows impersonating Monarch Chixiao each had identities more mysterious than the last, and their strength was more formidable one after another. When she tested them, she hit walls everywhere. Among them, a few possessed such terrifying strength that even she was deeply wary.
As for whether those fellows impersonating Gu Tianlang were real or fake, she didn't know either. After searching for so many years, she increasingly felt that fellow's existence was extraordinary. If it weren't so, there wouldn't be so many mysterious, bizarre, and powerful people looking for him.
After all these years, she no longer actively searched.
The reason was simple.
She was tired.
Exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Most importantly, the more she searched, the more she felt that fellow's existence was not simple. It was as if he had stirred up some huge mess, offending many, many terrifying existences.
Even so.
She still had not given up.
It wasn't just to take revenge on that fellow for the liberties he took with her; she also wanted to retrieve that token taken by Gu Tianlang back then. It was very important to her.
Unfortunately.
Fortune plays tricks.
The world was full of imposters, yet she couldn't find a single true Gu Tianlang.
As for those few Gu Tianlangs whose authenticity was hard to discern, she could neither distinguish them nor did she want to test them anymore.
All these years, she had no choice but to lie low in the Yanluo Kingdom. She had finally managed to figure out the identity of that Monarch Chixiao in the Yanluo Kingdom, only to have another Gu Tianlang pop up now.
To be honest.
Now, whenever she heard the name Gu Tianlang, Chu Jiaohong would get a headache. After searching for so many years, she had even begun to develop a shadow over the name Gu Tianlang.
"Your Majesty, do you still dwell on what happened back then?"
"That was the greatest humiliation this palace has ever suffered in my life. How could I forget!"
"Sigh..." Granny Lu sighed deeply. "If possible, I hope Your Majesty can let go of that obsession. Whether Gu Tianlang is alive or dead, his existence is far more complicated than we imagine. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many mysterious people in the world searching for him."
"This palace knows."
Granny Lu sighed again. "As for today's person, although this old servant has not met him, he possessed neither cultivation nor Fortune, yet with a single mighty roar, he shattered the minds of Steward Wei and the others. Moreover, he could come and go as he pleased, completely undetected, through the Eight Mystic Chaos Heaven Array personally laid by Your Majesty. Based on this alone, this old servant also feels this person is no ordinary individual. I hope Your Majesty will not rashly test him...
All these years, Your Majesty has searched for him, leaving yourself covered in wounds. This old servant truly fears for Your Majesty..."