The little girl appeared to be about five or six years old, delicate and adorable, with chubby cheeks that made people want to pinch them. Yet in Liu Shuyu’s eyes, she seemed like a ferocious monster, a terrifying creature that definitely should not have appeared here!
“You, you…” Liu Shuyu pointed at Gu Xiaosang, stammering for a long time without being able to speak clearly.
Gu Xiaosang looked at the little girl with a charming smile: “Let her come out and meet this auntie.”
The little girl looked up at Liu Shuyu and suddenly spoke: “Mother, this auntie feels so familiar.”
“Of course an auntie would feel familiar,” Gu Xiaosang explained solemnly.
The little girl furrowed her brows, looking close to tears: “But Father doesn’t seem very familiar…”
“That’s because your father is heartless and unfaithful, abandoning his wife and daughter,” Gu Xiaosang said matter-of-factly.
The little girl nodded firmly, clenching her tiny fists with a childish voice: “When I grow up, I’ll protect Mother and defeat the bad Daddy!”
Liu Shuyu’s face turned alternately red and pale, as if the little girl was doing something deeply shameful.
Gu Xiaosang patted the little girl’s head, smiling slyly like a fox: “Mother and Auntie have something to talk about. Go play by yourself for a while.”
The little girl retreated behind the screen and quietly began playing with Liu Shuyu’s clothes and accessories.
“You didn’t kill her, so as for me…” Liu Shuyu looked at Gu Xiaosang with wary and confused eyes.
Gu Xiaosang once again rested her chin on one hand, looking both clever and playful, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons as she smiled happily: “Because of certain events that occurred, I could only leave her with half her life. So you awakened your memories and began transforming from an emanation body back to your original form. But don’t you yourself find this suspicious? With your Celestial Maiden’s body, after more than two years, how come you’ve only opened six of the celestial orifices?”
“So I’m still just an emanation body…” Liu Shuyu seemed finally to have resolved her inner confusion, her flushed face gradually returning to normal, her beauty becoming ethereal like a fairy, deep and calm like a lake.
As a Celestial Maiden’s disciple, momentary loss of composure was understandable, but prolonged loss of decorum reflected poor cultivation.
Gu Xiaosang did not press the matter further and went on by herself: “Sister Liu seems to detest me so much that you’d rather see me dead. The moment you noticed something odd, you couldn’t wait to expose it, even dropping hints to that fool Su Meng.”
Liu Shuyu was about to admit her hatred when suddenly her expression changed slightly: “You did it on purpose!”
“If I didn’t want it, would I have left any clues for you to find? Don’t you remember when we truly became close friends?” Gu Xiaosang continued speaking about being close friends, still appearing sincere and heartfelt.
Liu Shuyu’s face paled slightly, her voice like a dream: “The spring after my original body was suddenly attacked by you…”
Originally, she and “Yulongzi” were only occasional pen pals, one living in the Divine Capital and the other in the Southern Province; how could they have become such close friends?
But during that spring after her memories awakened, Yulongzi traveled to the Divine Capital. Although a few years older, she was sweet and poised, liking to call herself “Sister Liu,” which suited Liu Shuyu’s temperament perfectly. Their relationship deepened, with frequent letters exchanged, becoming close friends.
Thinking back now, she had been deliberately cultivating that relationship!
“Have you been planning to use me since then? You’ve been plotting for years!” Liu Shuyu looked at Gu Xiaosang with growing fear.
Gu Xiaosang smiled sweetly: “More or less. Before I pursued Shan Xiumei into Huan Province, my sect had already begun preparations. Along the way, I happened to encounter the Joyful Demoness and the Thousand-Faced Demoness, so I invited the Heaven-Devouring Demon King and the Lantern-Bearer Divine Messenger to a meeting. I never originally intended to use the Celestial Maiden’s emanation body until I returned from the Ninth Heaven and discovered that Sister Liu was actually a Liushuo emanation.”
“About half a year ago, I gradually left clues in my letters for you to discover, allowing you to uncover my identity and the true situation of the Yu family. This was originally just a passive move, but unexpected circumstances arose. After losing half of the Holy Emperor’s Demon Command, it actually proved useful.”
She stood up, gracefully performing a bow: “Without Sister Liu’s meticulous and leakproof efforts to leak this information, if we had relied solely on spreading rumors ourselves, the signs would have been too obvious to dispel the suspicions of those old foxes at the Immortal Trace and lure out the snake. And without you arranging the Nine Heavens Thunder God—or rather, that medicinal waste—to activate the grand formation, we would have needed to expend more effort, risking exposure of our secrets. Therefore, I specially came to thank you, dear sister.”
Her tone suggested that the Su Maiden Sect seemed to have long known about the connection between the medicinal waste’s Outer Realm and Mythical states.
The Su Maiden Sect, which had been passed down since the Human Emperor’s era, had a long and storied history, only slightly inferior to a few rare forces like the Jiangdong Wang Clan.
Liu Shuyu’s face turned pale again, her voice becoming weak: “You weren’t afraid I’d expose everything early?”
“The Yujia of the Southern Province had long been an empty shell, a necessary sacrifice in our plans. And without the Immortal Trace stealing half of the Holy Emperor’s Demon Command, there would have been no ‘Yujia entering the capital’ incident. Even if you had exposed everything early, what use would it have been? With your intelligence, you surely wouldn’t have acted without seeing the rabbit first.” Gu Xiaosang stepped out from behind the desk, her smile ethereal, making Liu Shuyu involuntarily shiver.
“But… but the Holy Emperor’s Demon Command still ended up in the Six Ministries’ hands…” Liu Shuyu didn’t finish her sentence, seemingly realizing something.
Gu Xiaosang’s eyes sparkled, enchanting: “The Holy Emperor’s Demon Command is of no use to us, so naturally we have cooperative parties who need it. And among the Six Ministries, wouldn’t someone capable of stealing others’ power for cultivation have some influence?”
“The Six Ministries and the Emperor don’t value the Holy Emperor’s Demon Command much. Switching it secretly won’t be too difficult.”
“But you aren’t afraid that Sima Shi and Zhao Wu Yan will abandon their plans against Doumu Yuanyun and come after us directly?” Liu Shuyu’s voice grew softer.
Gu Xiaosang covered her mouth and laughed: “Who poses a bigger threat to the Divine Capital, us or Doumu Yuanyun? Even if there’s a miscalculation, at worst we can just throw out our Holy Emperor’s Demon Command. If things go really bad, let them catch us. As long as we don’t die on the spot, there will always be opportunities.”
Liu Shuyu listened in a daze, sensing that the bewitching girl’s unspoken intentions were shrouded in mystery, instinctively convincing him that she would undoubtedly escape danger.
Suddenly, Gu Xiaosang’s smile vanished, and she gazed directly into Liu Shuyu’s eyes: “Besides thanking you, I have another matter to discuss with Sister Liu this time.”
Liu Shuyu’s heart raced, brimming with caution. However, Gu Xiaosang’s “detailed and thorough explanation” had just painted a vivid image in her mind—a cunning, formidable, and ruthless demon girl who completely overwhelmed her both spiritually and mentally, leaving her feeling utterly vulnerable: “What is it?”
Gu Xiaosang smiled brightly, like a hundred flowers blooming, so enchanting that even women couldn’t help but be captivated: “The Celestial Maiden still exists; the Celestial Maiden’s disciple will always be just a disciple. If you die, the Su Maiden Sect won’t be too troubled, at worst seeking another infant girl capable of containing Celestial Spirit Qi, as such things have happened before.”
“But you only have one life. If you die by my hand, you will return to the Void forever, with no chance of rebirth or any life to enjoy. Are you willing to risk that?”
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Liu Shuyu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Gu Xiaosang smiled with pursed lips: “I just want to forget our past grievances and sincerely join forces, helping each other in the future.”
Liu Shuyu knew well that such “mutual help” would likely mean she would be forced to work for Gu Xiaosang. Her expression darkened as she considered whether to fight to the death or surrender.
Gu Xiaosang pointed behind the screen: “With my help, you can slowly absorb the Celestial Spirit Qi within her body to transform your own form. Who is the main body and who is the emanation isn’t necessarily fixed. What I ask of you will not exceed three tasks, and none will endanger the Su Maiden Sect’s lineage. Isn’t this a mutually beneficial choice?”
Liu Shuyu’s heart stirred. Given the circumstances and Gu Xiaosang’s convincing portrayal of a cunning and terrifying demon girl—one she couldn’t possibly defeat—she hesitated slightly before asking, “How can I trust you?”
Gu Xiaosang smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, taking out an ancient and worn yellow parchment: “Let’s sign a contract, witnessed by great cultivators.”
Though feeling like she was being sold, Liu Shuyu could only grit her teeth and sign.
With the contract established, Gu Xiaosang cupped her cheeks, seemingly blushing slightly, murmuring playfully: “Everyone else painstakingly disguises themselves, abandoning their identities to infiltrate, but only I can make the Celestial Maiden’s disciple become an inside agent. If my husband finds out, he’ll probably be stunned… Things are finally getting back on track…”
Her tone was full of joy, yet carried a hint of killing intent, making Liu Shuyu’s scalp tingle. She didn’t dare ask who her husband was, her mind filled with guesses.
After finalizing the agreement with Liu Shuyu regarding absorbing the Celestial Spirit Qi, Gu Xiaosang took the little girl’s hand and stepped out of Liu Shuyu’s boudoir.
As soon as they left, the smile vanished from Gu Xiaosang’s face, the blush gone, as if all her previous words had been mere dreams. Her expression became deep and calm, like an orchid in a quiet valley.
…
Reminded by Su Li, Meng Qi reviewed his experiences in the Divine Capital and realized that most of his troubles stemmed from the Holy Emperor’s Demon Command. If he had simply stayed put, he could have waited peacefully for the Qionghua Banquet alongside Qi Zhengyan, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng. Thus, he decided to focus on cultivation and avoid further trouble.
Early the next morning, just after discussing cultivation matters with Doumu Yuanyun, Meng Qi suddenly sensed a servant approaching.
“Second Young Master, someone outside requests an audience with you,” the servant reported respectfully, head bowed.
“Who?” Meng Qi frowned. How had they found him at the Su family’s secondary residence?
The servant honestly replied: “He didn’t say, only mentioning that he met you once before outside the Zhongzhou Courier Bureau.”
Zhongzhou Courier Bureau? Meng Qi suddenly recalled that “disappearing” carriage!
They actually came looking for him? Meng Qi considered that both Su Li and Su Yue were at the residence, so he locked his room and headed to the entrance.
Outside the main gate of the Su family’s residence stood a carriage—exactly the one Meng Qi had lost track of.
At the time, Meng Qi had been some distance from the carriage. After losing track of it, he took some time to reach the street, only seeing various carriages and pedestrians passing by, making it difficult to search. Thinking that the important figures would have enough time to abandon the carriage and escape, Meng Qi gave up the chase.
Outside the carriage stood a tall and graceful young man, clad in flowing robes with long sleeves, emanating an air of classical elegance. A long sword hung at his waist. Though his features were not particularly striking, he carried a refined and handsome demeanor. Standing there quietly, he seemed to blend seamlessly with the heavens and earth, naturally harmonizing with the carriage, horses, stone benches, and the flowing river.
It was the same person whose gaze had clashed with Meng Qi’s back then… Meng Qi approached unhurriedly.
The young man bowed with a smile: “My name is Cui Zhe. I’ve long heard of your reputation.”
Cui Zhe? Cui Zhe of the Purple Extreme Sword? The client who had commissioned the courier service was from the Pingjin Cui Clan! Meng Qi’s pupils slightly constricted.
“Where? I have only a minor reputation,” he modestly replied.
Cui Zhe smiled slightly: “My elders are very curious about yesterday evening’s battle and would like to invite Young Master Su to our residence for a discussion.”
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