Gu Xun'er trembled upon realizing she had such a terrifying thought
Xiao Yan noticed her unusual state and quickly asked with concern, "Xun'er, what's wrong?"
Knowing she shouldn't continue talking to Xiao Yan in her current state, Gu Xun'er waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Xiao Yan... Brother, I'm fine. I just finished my seclusion and am a little tired. I might need to go back and rest." With that, Gu Xun'er headed towards her room. Leaving Xiao Yan standing there, looking bewildered, he scratched his head in confusion.
"Just finished seclusion... a little tired? Need to rest? Shouldn't one rest well before leaving seclusion? Was my previous seclusion just a fake one?" However, Xiao Yan didn't dwell on it and walked in the opposite direction of the back mountain. He was just a ruthless cultivation machine. ... The back mountain of the Xiao family. Gu Xun'er wore a simple green dress, the hem fluttering in the wind, her fair skin and jade-like bones making her look like a celestial being. Standing on the cliff edge of the back mountain, she was like a snow lotus atop a snow-capped peak, breathtakingly beautiful, sacred and inviolable. Her exquisitely beautiful face was expressionless, but her clear, autumn-water-like eyes revealed a hint of bewilderment. Several days had passed since she returned to the Xiao family, and everything seemed as before—peaceful and serene. No one had noticed her disappearance for over a month; it was as if she had always been with the Xiao family. She even wondered if the events of the past month had been nothing but a dream, like the name of Lin Changqing's move—just a mirage! The image of Hun Changqing in his black robe flashed endlessly through Gu Xun'er's mind, almost without pause. Gu Xun'er's emotions were incredibly complex; she didn't understand what was wrong with her. She had tried to hate him as she had at the beginning, to want to kill him. But the thought of his death instantly enveloped her in an overwhelming sense of despair, making her feel suffocated and unable to move. Her eyes revealed a deep bewilderment. "Xun'er! What are you doing here!" A surprised voice interrupted Gu Xun'er's scattered thoughts. Turning her head, she saw Xiao Yan walking towards her excitedly, accompanied by... her good older brother Lin Changqing... shrouded in a black robe, wearing a hood, holding a small purple beast, and emanating a chilling aura. "It's him!" Seeing the familiar attire and feeling the familiar aura, Gu Xun'er's pupils contracted, and a feeling of surprise welled up in her heart. Then, she was shocked by the scene before her, and an incredulous expression appeared on her face. During the month or so that Gu Xun'er had been imprisoned, Hun Changqing would occasionally visit the Xiao family, sometimes giving Xiao Yan some basic cultivation guidance. His main purpose was to investigate his cultivation progress. Gu Xun'er, of course, was unaware of the hidden reasons behind this and found it unbelievable that the two were together. She had been threatened by Hun Changqing with Xiao Yan and toyed with by him for over a month, and now, upon her release, she found these two appearing together? Xiao Yan, accompanied by Hun Changqing, walked up to Gu Xun'er. A smile appeared on his resolute face as he said to Gu Xun'er, "Xun'er, what brings you to the back mountain today? Were you waiting for me?" Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Gu Xun'er snapped out of her reverie and forced a calm reply, "No… I've just been feeling a bit restless these past few days, so I came here to clear my head. Xiao Yan… Brother, who is this next to you…?" Xiao Yan slapped his forehead and laughed, "Haha, look at my memory! I forgot to introduce him to you, Xun'er. Xun'er, this is my sworn brother, Lin Changqing. He's incredibly strong, you know. He's only seventeen this year, but he's already much stronger than my father. He's a true genius! It was he who cured my strange illness of not being able to absorb Dou Qi several months ago, and then took me as his sworn brother to guide my cultivation." Xiao Yan scratched his head, proudly introducing Hun Changqing to Gu Xun'er.
Then Xiao Yan said to Hun Changqing,
"Brother, this is Xiao Xun'er. For the past three years since I lost my Dou Qi, it's been Xun'er who has comforted me, allowing me to persevere!"
Hun Changqing smiled knowingly, gently stroking the small beast in his arms, and said,
"Oh~ This must be your sister-in-law. I didn't expect her to be so beautiful. It seems you're quite fortunate, Brother Yan~"
"Hehe, no, no, I only consider Xun'er my little sister."
Xiao Yan shyly scratched his head.
"Hehe, more like a sweet little sister~"
Hearing Hun Changqing's teasing, Xiao Yan blushed slightly, chuckling to himself, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Watching the two conversing so harmoniously, Gu Xun'er felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.
A Dou Zong from the Soul Hall who constantly threatened to kill Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan, the young master of the Xiao family and once a mortal enemy of the Soul Hall, were now calling each other brothers.
Gu Xun'er felt that everything before her was so unreal.
However, she then recalled what Xiao Yan had said when introducing Hun Changqing to her.
"Seventeen years old, a genius… No wonder he called me a fool who only knows how to talk about love. I possess the divine bloodline of the Ancient Clan, yet I'm still just a Dou Zhe.
Now that my bloodline is damaged, it seems I've lost the talent to grow stronger…
I'm no longer the proud daughter of the Ancient Clan with the divine bloodline, but just an ordinary genius from the small Xiao family…"
Gu Xun'er felt a pang of loss, beginning to doubt whether suppressing her cultivation for Xiao Yan all these years was the right or wrong thing to do.
…
After teasing Xiao Yan a couple of times, Hun Changqing began to teach him. Xiao Yan focused on his cultivation, while Gu Xun'er quietly watched the two of them.
From the moment Hun Changqing appeared until now, he hadn't said a single word to Gu Xun'er.
He acted as if nothing had ever happened between them, as if they were complete strangers.
Seeing Hun Changqing's completely unfamiliar expression, Gu Xun'er felt a strange tightness in her chest.
Watching Hun Changqing's perfectly white hands gently caress the purple beast in his arms, a sudden pang of jealousy arose within Gu Xun'er.
"He's never been so gentle with me before, has he? That demonic beast... it's so annoying, I really want to... kill it..."
A murderous intent inexplicably surged within Gu Xun'er, a fierce glint appearing in her eyes.
In the month or so that Hun Changqing had been with Gu Xun'er, he was constantly talking about killing.
He would frequently use the "Mirror Flower, Water Moon" technique to project images of mountains of corpses and seas of blood into Gu Xun'er's mind, frightening her.
Unconsciously, Gu Xun'er had become quite accustomed to those bloody scenes, growing somewhat indifferent to others, her gaze unconsciously fixed on them as if they were corpses. Her murderous aura intensified, and the violence within her silently amplified infinitely.
However, she herself was unaware of this; she herself hadn't killed many people.
These feelings were usually hidden within her, but all it took was a trigger to fully awaken the violence and murderous intent deeply lurking within her!
The elegant, refined, and unapproachable Gu Xun'er, yet with a touch of naivety, will be gone forever. What kind of Gu Xun'er will replace her remains unknown…