"Saintess, what matter do you wish to discuss with me alone?"
In the pavilion, after Ling Yuxian and the maid left, only Saintess Xiyuan and Gu Changge remained.
Mist lingered, and a refreshing fragrance filled the air. Gu Changge continued to sip his tea leisurely, appearing completely at ease and detached from the world.
"Young Master Gu, you mentioned earlier that you've seen me in a dream. I'm suddenly curious—what kind of dream was it?" Saintess Xiyuan spoke as she walked over and sat down opposite Gu Changge, bringing with her a refreshing and elegant fragrance.
She picked up the still-warm teacup, as if intending to take a sip, but then remembered she was wearing a veil. She suddenly smiled and reached behind her ear with her slender, jade-like hand, gently removing the veil.
Instantly, a breathtakingly beautiful face was revealed, as if from a celestial realm.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her face as radiant as a shooting star, her skin as smooth and warm as jade, and her lips naturally red without the need for makeup. Her flawless beauty was heart-stopping, untouched by the mundane world.
Saintess Xiyuan picked up the teacup and took a small sip, seemingly unbothered by revealing her true appearance before Gu Changge.
Gu Changge, looking at the stunning face so close to him, showed no hesitation in his admiration.
"What kind of dream it was isn't important. What matters is that the real person is even more beautiful than in the dream," he said with a smile, then shifted his gaze away.
"Is this Young Master Gu complimenting me?" Saintess Xiyuan also smiled, her bright eyes fixed on Gu Changge's face. Her slender jade hand played with the teacup, appearing both playful and charming, a stark contrast to her usual transcendent and aloof demeanor.
Her actions and demeanor at this moment were incredibly bold, especially for a first meeting.
Even those familiar with Saintess Xiyuan would find it hard to believe that she would act and speak in such a manner.
"The Xiyuan Sacred Hall possesses the Mirror of Reincarnation, one of the Six Supreme Treasures of Civilization. As the current master of the Xiyuan Sacred Hall, the Mirror of Reincarnation should be in your hands."
"Since the Mirror of Reincarnation is named as such, it can deduce and comprehend both past lives and future destinies. It can explore the heavens above and the underworld below, and all possible futures and countless changes can be reflected within it."
"I'm curious, Saintess, what did you see in the Mirror of Reincarnation that made you use your beauty to approach me upon our first meeting?"
As Gu Changge spoke, he set down the teacup, but his hand suddenly reached out and grasped Saintess Xiyuan's smooth, jade-like chin.
Saintess Xiyuan had intended to dodge when she saw Gu Changge's hand approaching, but she found that an invisible force had enveloped her.
The space around her had become as viscous as mud, making it impossible for her to move or evade.
She could only watch as that slender, pale hand firmly grasped her chin.
She felt a slight pain. In her long years of cultivation, this was the first time someone had grabbed her chin, especially a man.
Of course, Saintess Xiyuan was no ordinary person. Despite Gu Changge holding her chin, her expression remained calm and composed, showing no signs of panic.
"Young Master Gu, what do you mean by this? Although this is our first meeting, and there's a sense of familiarity, such forward behavior is hardly becoming of a gentleman."
"I initially wore the veil to avoid showing my true appearance, as it might seem disrespectful. That's why I removed it."
Saintess Xiyuan spoke indifferently, her earlier smile now gone.
"I've never claimed to be a gentleman. Are you saying I've misunderstood your intentions?" Gu Changge chuckled and released her chin.
Saintess Xiyuan felt that her chin must now bear the marks of his fingers.
In the future simulations of the Mirror of Reincarnation, Gu Changge would kill her at the slightest provocation.
So, his sudden action just now didn't surprise her at all.
In fact, it was entirely in line with his character and behavior. The fact that he hadn't shown any killing intent could already be considered an act of mercy on his part.
"Young Master Gu must be used to being admired by countless women, which is why you think this way. Unfortunately, I've disappointed you."
Saintess Xiyuan took another sip of tea, then glanced at Gu Changge with a calm expression. She touched her slightly reddened chin and put the veil back on.
Fortunately, in the future simulations of the Mirror of Reincarnation, she had been killed by Gu Changge dozens, if not hundreds, of times.
She had gradually come to understand his habits and personality. One couldn't simply follow his lead; one had to oppose him.
If she were to blindly obey him, it would only bore him, and he might casually kill her.
These were the strategies Saintess Xiyuan had pieced together at the cost of her life.
"At this point, should I follow the usual script and say something like, 'You're truly different from the ordinary women out there'?" Gu Changge looked at her with interest, amused by her sudden shift to a calm and composed demeanor, as if she were telling him to behave himself.
He didn't know where Saintess Xiyuan had learned this routine—first pretending to be flirtatious and seductive, then suddenly acting aloof and claiming that her earlier behavior was a misunderstanding.
Gu Changge could only laugh at such tactics.
It seemed that Saintess Xiyuan had seen some future scenes through the Mirror of Reincarnation and had decided to use this method to try to get close to him.
Unfortunately, Gu Changge was never one to let others take advantage of him.
"Young Master Gu, what do you mean by that?" Saintess Xiyuan was slightly startled, sensing that things weren't going as she had anticipated.
"What I mean is, I've never been a gentleman, so don't try to constrain me with the rules of one."
Gu Changge chuckled, his hand reaching out again. The veil Saintess Xiyuan had just put back on was swiftly removed.
Her stunning, immortal-like face was once again revealed, now filled with shock and disbelief.
"You—"
Saintess Xiyuan felt a sense of foreboding and tried to retreat, but Gu Changge followed her like a shadow. In an instant, the space and time around them shifted and twisted countless times.
The atmosphere became chaotic, with endless rules and orders manifesting within the small pavilion.
The universe seemed to expand and contract, and time itself surged like waves, rising and falling.
Saintess Xiyuan, as the current master of the Xiyuan Sacred Hall, was not only renowned as the most beautiful woman in the Xiyuan Civilization but also possessed terrifying strength. Even ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm experts were no match for her.
She had already survived several Heavenly Tribulations.
Her slender fingers conjured cycles of reincarnation, time, space, and various other terrifying laws. Worlds were born and destroyed in an instant, clashing with Gu Changge's palm.
If even a fraction of this power were to leak out, it could annihilate an entire world.
Such power was unimaginable, far beyond what any mortal could wield.
Yet, before her, Gu Changge pursued her unhurriedly, one hand still behind his back. With a single raised palm, it seemed as though he could crush all of eternity. The Great Dao itself was cracking under the pressure, and no matter how many techniques Saintess Xiyuan employed, they all seemed futile in the face of his absolute power.
With a loud boom, a golden palm descended, obliterating everything in its path.
Saintess Xiyuan let out a muffled groan as her slender figure was sent flying like a ragdoll.
All the scenes before her eyes shattered and disappeared. The distorted space and time returned to normal, and they were back in the small pavilion.
If one ignored Saintess Xiyuan, who was now lying on the ground with disheveled hair and a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, it would seem as though the intense battle had never happened.
"Did I lose just like that?"
Her expression was still slightly dazed and disbelieving. From the start of the battle to her defeat, it had all happened in an instant.
Of course, although the battle had seemed to last only a moment, they had actually exchanged countless blows across infinite time and space.
But this did little to change the fact that she was no match for Gu Changge.
"Your strength is indeed impressive. You lasted longer than I expected."
Gu Changge walked over, picked up Saintess Xiyuan, and carried her in his arms. She struggled fiercely, her cold, star-like eyes wide with panic.
Today's events had completely deviated from her expectations. She had asked Gu Changge to stay behind, not to be treated like this.
"Let me go!"
Saintess Xiyuan glared coldly at Gu Changge, a terrifying aura of destruction gathering in her heart, as if she were prepared to perish together with him.
"Do you think that's possible?" Gu Changge chuckled dismissively.
As he laughed, the destructive aura at Saintess Xiyuan's brow was instantly suppressed by an overwhelming force.
Saintess Xiyuan felt her loose outer robe slip off, and she realized she couldn't even perish together with Gu Changge.
She could no longer maintain her icy composure and began to panic.
Even in the future simulations of the Mirror of Reincarnation, nothing like today's events had ever occurred.
In the Mirror of Reincarnation, the future had always followed a certain pattern, progressing step by step.
But now, facing Gu Changge in reality, she suddenly realized that many things were completely different from what she had anticipated.
The Mirror of Reincarnation couldn't be wrong. It must have been her overacting that had backfired.
At this moment, Saintess Xiyuan was filled with regret and panic. She had never been skilled at using her beauty to manipulate others. Her earlier flirtatious behavior had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Gu Changge's sudden appearance had disrupted her original plan, and things had spiraled out of control in a direction she hadn't wanted.
"Since you can't truly use your beauty to serve others, don't try to scheme against me in the future. Otherwise, I won't let you off as easily as I did today."
Seeing the panic on Saintess Xiyuan's face, Gu Changge chuckled again. He reached out and draped her fallen outer robe back over her shoulders.
Then, he tossed her onto the bed behind him and turned to leave without another word.