Xie Jingci's spiritual energy ran out halfway through their flight, much like a motorcycle running out of gas.
Thus, the two had no choice but to ride on Pei Du's Zhanyuan sword, swaying gently all the way back from the sea to the beach. If one had to describe it, it was probably like switching from a wild motorcycle race to a slow pedal on a tricycle, which was actually quite pleasant.
The midnight sea was vast and boundless. Though it was a deep blue bordering on black, the brilliant starry sky was reflected on its surface, dotting all directions with a fluorescent glow. As Zhanyuan slowly passed overhead, its frost-like sword aura carved out streaks of bright, snow-white light.
Once they reached the shore, the surroundings were no longer as lively and bustling as they had been during the Rebirth Festival. Looking around, not a single person was in sight; the area was desolate and bleak.
The Mind-Bewildering Gu was extremely lethal. Even a cultivator like Meng Xiaoting could only eliminate one of them with all her might. Many villagers of Lingshui Village had never come into contact with immortal spells. Facing such a bizarre and terrifying scene, they must have suffered heavy casualties.
Xie Jingci kept an eye on her surroundings along the way and returned to Lingshui Village together with Pei Du. As they reached the village entrance, they finally spotted a few figures.
The Rebirth Festival had already been halted. The pedestrians on the street were filled with panic, all of them on edge with pale faces. As they approached the medical clinic, the wailing grew louder and more frequent.
"Miss Xie, Young Master Pei."
There were too many injured villagers, and the clinic could not accommodate them all, so the extra patients had to be placed by the door. The village chief was watching over the rows of beds, wiping the wounds of a young girl. Catching sight of the two, she nodded in greeting. "I heard that you two broke the array on the mountain. Thank you."
"It was just a small effort. No need to thank us."
Xie Jingci glanced at the simple wooden bed in front of her and couldn't help but frown. "Was this child also afflicted by the Mind-Bewildering Gu?"
The bed was nothing more than a wooden board propped up with a thick quilt spread over it. The little girl lying in the middle looked to be only six or seven years old. Her face was bloodless, her head covered in cold sweat, and a large patch of skin on her forehead was scraped and oozing blood.
She seemed to be terribly frightened, curled up and trembling. Her eye sockets were red and swollen, indicating she had been crying for a long time.
The village chief sighed and nodded. "The Gu Master indiscriminately attacked everyone who participated in the Rebirth Festival... This child was terrified and blindly ran into the mountains, falling off a steep cliff. What a sin."
Xie Jingci frowned.
That person used revenge as an excuse, but in reality, he was carrying out an indiscriminate massacre. Perhaps he never considered right or wrong, good or evil. The only thought in his mind was to drive this village to its death.
Ultimately, this "revenge" was nothing more than a facade for him to vent his dissatisfaction and unleash his tyrannical murderous intent.
"Don't be afraid, Yaoyao."
The village chief softened her voice and continued to wipe the dirt from the girl's forehead. "I'll apply medicine for you in a moment."
Xie Jingci asked curiously, "You know medicine, Village Chief?"
"I know a little, but I'm not an expert."
The village chief smiled warmly. "As you two Daoist Masters can see, this sudden incident has left many injured. The clinic is severely understaffed. Although I am a layman, I can still help out a bit. This child's parents are both delirious and currently receiving treatment inside the clinic, so I thought I'd come and take care of her."
Indeed, Lingshui Village was currently filled with the injured.
Her movements were gentle, her expression focused and earnest as she carefully wiped away the gruesome bloodstains from the girl's forehead. The girl had been trembling uncontrollably, but thanks to this tender touch, a faint trace of color finally returned to her face.
"I... I'm not afraid."
The girl shrank back timidly. "Teacher, you said we shouldn't shed tears easily."
Pei Du was slightly taken aback. "Teacher?"
"That's me."
The village chief smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling. "Lingshui Village is situated in a remote area with very little communication with the outside world. If the children want to attend school, they have to walk for more than an hour to reach Taiping Town, which is the closest place. So, I opened a school here in the village."
So she was also a teacher.
Xie Jingci's heart stirred slightly as she raised her eyes to carefully study the village chief.
When the village chief spoke of thirty years ago, she claimed to be just a young girl in her teens. Thus, her current age should be around fifty.
However, when Xie Jingci first saw her, she instinctively thought this was an old woman in her sixties or seventies—her hair was gray, her figure shriveled and frail, and wrinkles covered her entire face, like ravines of varying depths.
It must have been due to overwork that her hair turned white prematurely.
A sense of respect welled up in Xie Jingci, and her voice naturally softened. "You've worked hard."
"Our teacher is a very good person! She only charges a very small amount for tuition, and for kids like He Qiusheng whose families have no money, she doesn't charge anything at all."
The girl highly admired the village chief. Hearing this, she grew excited and stopped crying out in pain. Instead, her eyes sparkled as she patiently listed the village chief's deeds. "It's the same on normal days. No matter who it is—ouch! It hurts! Teacher, this medicine burns!"
The village chief lowered her gaze in a faint smile and continued to apply the medicine, without looking back at Xie Jingci and Pei Du. "Don't listen to her nonsense. This little girl sure knows how to flatter people."
Pei Du said gently, "Your actions, Village Chief, are indeed admirable."
"Perhaps it's because I was just like these children when I was young."
After a long while, she spoke in a low voice, a hint of melancholy in her tone. "My family didn't have much money. My parents were busy fishing and scavenging all day. Although I desperately wanted to go to school, I knew very well that it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens."
Xie Jingci followed up, "You didn't study when you were a child?"
"Fortunately, there was a turning point."
The village chief curled her lips in a silent smile, but for some reason, there was little joy in her eyes; instead, they held more hesitation and bewilderment. "A kind-hearted person suddenly appeared and bought brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for all the children in Lingshui Village. He even built a school... It's just a pity that we never knew his identity."
Xie Jingci realized, "It must have been the work of some wealthy merchant, right?"
The old woman remained silent, her cloudy eyes dark and unreadable.
"It's strange to say, but even though I never met that person, I always felt he wasn't a wealthy merchant... How should I put it? He must have been an ordinary person you could see anywhere, with an average appearance but very bright eyes. He seemed gentle and mild, looking as if he didn't care much about anything. On rainy days—"
Stopping there, she finally realized she had spoken too much. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she resumed her usual kind smile. "I'm sorry. Anyway, it was precisely because of the education at that school that I was able to become who I am today. Later, when the school closed down, I reopened one on the same site as a way to repay that gentleman's kindness."
"Gentleman?"
Xie Jingci quickly followed up, "Was the benefactor a man?"
The village chief was taken aback once more.
Under the silent sea of stars of the spring night, this moment of silence was stretched infinitely. After a while, the corners of her mouth parted, revealing a sudden smile.
"Perhaps it was just a childhood dream. I was always letting my imagination run wild when I was young."
She said with a touch of melancholy, "I have never actually met that person face to face."
With the topic reaching this point, it was time to bring the conversation to a close.
Xie Jingci still had important matters to attend to and couldn't stay at the clinic for much longer, so she asked straight to the point, "Aunt Song, do you know where Gu Mingzhao lives?"
"Mingzhao? Leave the clinic and head straight down the small path to the southeast. At the very end, you'll come across a small courtyard with a banyan tree planted in it. That's his home."
She let out a thoughtful "Hmm" before continuing, "Gu Mingzhao isn't a native of Lingshui Village, is he?"
"He came here when he was a teenager, saying he wanted to explore and hunt for treasure, but ended up staying ever since. You two don't suspect him of being the Gu Master, do you?"
The village chief's pace quickened. "It absolutely cannot be him. That child has lived in Lingshui Village for so many years and has never done a bad deed. He frequently helps out with affairs at the academy. Besides, I've seen Wen Zhilan, and he looks completely different from Gu Mingzhao."
She paused, taking a breath. "Wen Zhilan, that was the name of the boy from back then."
"Don't worry, Aunt Song. We just want to ask him a few questions."
Xie Jingci smiled. "As for the Gu Master, it shouldn't be him."
Things were gradually becoming more interesting.
Thinking back to the mysterious benefactor the village chief had just mentioned—an ordinary person with bright eyes, ordinary looks, and a gentle demeanor... Every single detail seemed to perfectly match Gu Mingzhao.
And as for why he wasn't plagued by the Gu poison, other than the possibility of him being the Gu Master himself, there was another explanation.
A wild, imaginative possibility that few could have ever thought of.
*
Following the small path straight ahead, it didn't take long to see the courtyard planted with banyan trees.
Gu Mingzhao had a leisurely temperament. Aside from planting trees, he also grew a lot of colorful flowers in his courtyard. Now that the spring equinox had arrived, it was truly a blooming bouquet of vivid purples and brilliant reds.
It was just that the bright reds and greens were undeniably a bit gaudy.
The lights in the courtyard were still on, casting a few silhouettes through the windows, accompanied by a tragic, blood-curdling wail of pain. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Lighter, lighter! I'm dying, I'm dying!"
Heaven could bear witness, even the little girl lying in front of the clinic hadn't wailed and howled so dramatically.
Mo Xiaoyang sucked in a breath of cold air. "Brother, hang in there! Grit your teeth! Push through!"
Then came Meng Xiaoting's frantic voice. "Bro, the ointment barely even touched your wound! And Mo Xiaoyang, shut up! What kind of lines are those?!"
Xie Jingci: ...
Xie Jingci walked into the courtyard and knocked on the door.
"Who is it? Come in."
Meng Xiaoting was exhausted from the ordeal. Turning her head and seeing Xie Jingci, she immediately put on a pitiful expression, silently begging for comfort and a hug. "Cici! Look at him! Gu Mingzhao only had a chunk of flesh bitten off his knee, but he absolutely refuses to let us apply the medicine!"
Gu Mingzhao's eyes widened. "Only? Only?!"
For cultivators, this indeed wasn't a rare injury, but Gu Mingzhao was clearly used to smooth sailing and a carefree, lackadaisical life. Even the slightest bit of pain would be infinitely magnified for him.
Xie Jingci stepped closer to take a look. His knee was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Amidst the surrounding pale skin, only this spot was covered in blood, faintly revealing the bone underneath.
Pei Du asked in a deep voice, "How did it end up like this?"
"He did it to save Miss Han."
Meng Xiaoting sighed. "When we were coming down the mountain, the illusion gradually weakened, and we could see the other villagers and Gu Spirits. The scene was total chaos. Several Gu Spirits attacked Miss Han all at once, and in the nick of time, Gu Mingzhao blocked them."
As for his current wailing and howling, there was not a single trace of his previous bravery to be seen.
Xie Jingci massaged her forehead. "Where is Miss Han?"
"She said she was frightened and wanted to return to her room to rest."
Mo Xiaoyang scratched his head. "That girl is a bit weird. Her arm was scratched by a Gu Spirit, but she stubbornly refused to let Meng Xiaoting apply medicine for her. And I can't help but feel that she's particularly prone to attracting Gu Spirit attacks."
She had always kept herself tightly bundled up, and who knew what kind of secrets were hidden beneath that oversized robe.
However, this wasn't the top priority that needed resolving right now.
Xie Jingci exchanged a glance with Meng Xiaoting and suddenly spoke up. "Gu Mingzhao."
Gu Mingzhao looked up blankly. "Ah?"
She pursed her lips into a smile, her tone peaceful. "In Chaohai Mountain, you were the only one who didn't have a Gu Spirit following behind you, right?"
Meng Xiaoting gave her a thumbs-up.
Ever since she noticed something amiss with Gu Mingzhao's words, she had been exceptionally cautious. Even after leaving Chaohai Mountain, she forcefully stayed by his side under the guise of "helping to apply medicine". If he truly was the Gu Master, given her and Mo Xiaoyang's strength, they definitely wouldn't be a match for him. They had to wait for Cici and Pei Du to return before exposing him face-to-face.
Gu Mingzhao paused.
"I'm guessing you're not the Gu Master."
Xie Jingci continued, "The reason you didn't have a Gu Spirit following you is that you have another identity, right?"
She appeared certain, but in reality, she wasn't entirely confident.
They hadn't been in Lingshui Village for long and knew very few clues. They could only rely on the limited traces available to try and piece together the truth of the matter.
Moreover, the possibility Xie Jingci had deduced was truly bizarre.
"When I let it slip back then, I wondered if you guys would find out."
In the sudden silence that descended, Gu Mingzhao scratched his head. "Actually, it's not a secret that's hard to speak of... The reason there were no Gu Spirits is that I'm not controlled by the Mind-Beguiling Gu."
"Not controlled?"
Mo Xiaoyang was taken aback. "Do you have some kind of special constitution?"
"Although I don't know much about Gu arts, that Mind-Beguiling Gu thing should work by affecting a person's sea of consciousness, allowing the spirit within the Gu to sense them, thereby establishing a bond and following them around."
Not good at boasting, he revealed a slightly embarrassed expression. "But, how should I put it, with his current cultivation level, it seems he still doesn't have the ability to shake my sea of consciousness."
Meng Xiaoting's eyes widened, her face screaming disbelief. "But doesn't that Gu Master have at least a mid-Nascent Soul cultivation base?"
That was mid-Nascent Soul stage, higher than the vast majority of cultivators in the cultivation world.
And judging by Gu Mingzhao's meager spiritual energy, this guy hadn't even touched the threshold of cultivation. Let alone resisting the aggressive Mind-Beguiling Gu, if he were even lightly touched by the Gu poison, he would likely die on the spot.
"The sea of consciousness isn't solely related to cultivation level," Xie Jingci breathed a sigh of relief. "Knowledge, temperament, and foundation can also influence its strength."
Gu Mingzhao chuckled foolishly. "Right, right, right! That's exactly it!"
Meng Xiaoting looked at him with a frown.
Although she said that, no matter how one looked at it... Was this person knowledgeable? He was just a frail scholar helping out at the academy. Did this person have an extraordinary foundation? He was just an ordinary mortal by the seaside. As for his temperament—
Gu Mingzhao had nearly cried from pain just a moment ago.
"You might not believe me if I tell you."
The thin, handsome young man moved slightly, raising a finger to point toward the village entrance. His tone was casual, as if chatting about mundane matters. "Remember that dilapidated temple we passed by? That's my old haunt."
Mo Xiaoyang showed a look of pity. "You used to sleep on the floor there?"
"What he means is," Xie Jingci's tone was flat, "he is High Immortal Shuifeng."
This way, many questions could finally be explained.
Even though the village chief had clearly never seen the man who built the academy, she was able to roughly outline his appearance. Perhaps he truly had existed in the past, only for some reason, he had been entirely forgotten by everyone.
The same was true for High Immortal Shuifeng.
Coastal areas were most fervent in their worship of deities. Furthermore, with Lingshui Village frequently encountering crises and overrun by demons and evil spirits, it stood to reason that they should have created a deity to worship, rather than becoming the masterless land it was today.
The temple of High Immortal Shuifeng was exquisitely built, which meant it must have once enjoyed flourishing incense offerings. Now, decades later, no one remembered him anymore.
No matter how one thought about it, there was definitely something fishy going on.
...Could it be that something happened, erasing everyone's memories of him all at once?
Gu Mingzhao: "Ah, yes, Miss Xie is right."
There were no gasps of surprise as he had imagined. As his voice fell, a brief silence ensued.
Then, Meng Xiaoting spoke with a complex expression, "You're a deity, so later when we apply the medicine, don't scream, okay?"
Mo Xiaoyang said sincerely, "Bro, your house is in a pitiful state. Go clean it up when you have time."
Gu Mingzhao: "..."
Gu Mingzhao: "Oh."
After a moment of silence, the young man endured the severe pain in his knee and sat up straight. "No, wait, aren't you guys even the slightest bit surprised? Is there nothing you want to ask?"
"Looking at you, with no believers, your power must be almost depleted, right?"
Mo Xiaoyang patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, when I'm rich, I'll build you a new temple. We both have bright futures ahead of us."
Gu Mingzhao: ...
Poverty was the common passport for both poor gods and poor people. This was absolutely the most pitiful identity reveal in history, bar none.
Was there something wrong with him, or was there something wrong with this group of people in front of him?
"I have a question." Xie Jingci raised her hand. "You were the one who established the school in the village many years ago, right? Why doesn't anyone remember your existence?"
Gu Mingzhao looked a bit dejected. "It's a long story."
"Then you might as well make it short."
"When people's faith is strong enough, it can create the 'god' in their minds. But in reality, we are far from reaching the level of true deities. At best, we can only be considered masterless spirits between heaven and earth."
Gu Mingzhao said, "Although our abilities are meager, because we are born from the wishes of a local land, the vast majority of us will stay in the area and do our utmost to protect it—we can't be called 'guardian deities', but if you had to put a name to it, perhaps 'guardian spirits'?"
Mo Xiaoyang: "Repaying gratitude, huh!"
"If the villagers knew my true identity, there would definitely be a ton of trouble. I've lived in Lingshui Village for hundreds of years, and I've never exposed myself. Instead, I transform into different faces, make up different stories, and come here under different identities."
"So that's how it is."
Meng Xiaoting pondered, "When the village chief talked about Wen Zhilan's incident, he claimed that his mother detonated her spiritual power, which was incredibly powerful, and the villagers of Lingshui Village had no way to parry it, yet no one suffered overly severe injuries. Was it because you were there at the time and used your spiritual power to protect them?"
Gu Mingzhao nodded. "Thirty years ago, not long after Wen Zhilan left, another major incident occurred in Lingshui Village."
"This village is adjacent to the Langya Mystic Realm. The spiritual energy inside the mystic realm is dense, which to demons, ghosts, and monsters, is a delicious flavor they flock to."
At this point, he knitted his brows. "Over time, demonic aura, fiendish aura, and spiritual power merged with one another, inevitably giving birth to a completely new evil entity. One day when the mystic realm opened, that monster actually passed through the entrance and arrived in Lingshui Village."
A completely new evil entity from the Langya Mystic Realm.
Xie Jingci's heart skipped a beat, and Meng Xiaoting also quickly glanced at her, listening as Gu Mingzhao continued, "Like I said, Lingshui Village is just a small village, so the faith it can provide isn't much. My cultivation base is at the Nascent Soul stage at best, so I could barely fight it."
Having said that, what exactly happened afterwards seemed to go without saying.
"That monster took pleasure in devouring memories. Since it was hard for it to fight me head-on, it targeted the villagers instead. With just a whoosh—"
He paused, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion. "All memories regarding me completely disappeared."
Without memories, naturally, there would be no more faith.
Since then, the school closed down, the temple was left uncared for, and High Immortal Shuifeng became an inexplicable joke that popped out of nowhere, leaving only a solitary stone statue standing by the sea.
Any passing villagers who saw it would all laugh heartily. "Who secretly built this temple? High Immortal Shuifeng—never even heard of him. Who would come to worship?"
"I still remember the first time we met, you guys asked me about the strange occurrences that had happened in the Langya Mystic Realm."
Gu Mingzhao swept his gaze over them. "Someone among you has also lost their memories, right?"
Xie Jingci nodded. "Me."
So the part of her divine sense that she had lost... was entirely memories.
She felt a bit bewildered and continued speaking, "But I don't really feel like I've lost any memories... It seems those things weren't that important to me."
"Who knows."
Gu Mingzhao smiled. "However, since that monster had to choose its food, it would definitely pick the most exquisite and delicious parts. I was once the faith of many people in Lingshui Village, and I made quite a few friends here. In the end, didn't I still end up in this state? Once memories are gone, they're gone; no one will care."
Although he was smiling, these words carried a helpless bitterness and self-deprecation that made one's heart ache.
Xie Jingci was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up, "If we kill it, can the memories return?"
Gu Mingzhao was slightly taken aback, then laughed. "Who knows, maybe. But back then it already had a Nascent Soul cultivation base. Now that its strength has grown, I'm afraid it won't be easy to deal with."
No matter how strong it was, it was still just a thief that bullied the weak and feared the strong.
"Once the matter with the Gu poison is resolved, I'll defeat it and take the memories back."
Xie Jingci lightly tapped the table with her right hand, making a soft thud. "Before that, why don't we talk about Wen Zhilan first."
Gu Mingzhao grinned.
"To be honest, Wen Zhilan's strength has far exceeded my expectations."
He leaned back as he spoke, finally recovering his usual cheerful vigor, his lips flapping non-stop. "It's only been a little over thirty years since he left the Eastern Sea, yet he transformed from an orphan with zero cultivation into a Nascent Soul level Gu Master. Even many personal disciples of cultivation sects might not be able to achieve such rapid progress."
Reaching the mid-stage of Nascent Soul in a mere thirty years was already considered exceptionally gifted, not to mention he was also a Gu Master.
Gu Masters appeared and disappeared unpredictably, making them one of the most mysterious groups in the entire cultivation world. Wen Zhilan had no sect, no faction, and no one to rely on. How could he have mastered such peerless skills?
"I heard that Gu Masters place great emphasis on family inheritance and won't easily pass their unique skills to outsiders."
Before coming to Lingshui Village, Xie Jingci had done a systematic investigation into Gu Masters. "As for wanting one's cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds, I heard some people choose to feed Gu with their own bodies, nourishing the venomous insects with their flesh—however, since Wen Zhilan was born with evil bones and has a special physique, he probably didn't need to resort to such crooked methods to achieve such rapid progress."
Meng Xiaoting stroked her chin. "Then the question is, where exactly did he learn his Gu arts from?"
"I actually have a guess."
Gu Mingzhao was thoughtful, speaking in a half-joking tone, "You guys don't know, Wen Zhilan was born with an uncanny appearance. Even when he was just a short, skinny kid, his features carried a beautiful, sinister charm. With his looks, who knows, maybe some Gu Master fell in love with him at first sight and secretly pledged their life to him."
He was originally just joking, but upon hearing this, Meng Xiaoting let out an exclamation of surprise, "Right! I... I... I remember now!"
As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Xie Jingci beside her. "Cici, do you remember the tragic family massacre I told you about on our way to Lingshui Village?"
A tragic family massacre.
Xie Jingci's heart stirred.
At the time, they had just gotten off the carriage. Meng Xiaoting, bored out of her mind, chattered endlessly about gossip regarding Gu Masters. One of the topics was the Bai family of Luocheng.
The Bai family was a somewhat renowned family of Gu Masters. Five years ago, they suffered a brutal bloodbath with very few survivors. After a massive fire, their library pavilion was completely destroyed, leaving not a single cultivation manual related to Gu arts behind.
...What if those books hadn't been burned, but instead taken by the murderer?
"There's a continuation to this story. It's said that when the sole survivor went to claim the bodies, they realized one person was missing."
Meng Xiaoting lightly clapped her hands together. "It was the very man who married the eldest young miss twenty years ago."
"So you're saying, that guy was so eager to cultivate that he simply slaughtered their entire family and took all the secret manuals?"
Gu Mingzhao shivered rather pathetically. "That's way too disgusting."
Just as his voice fell, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure in white robes outside the door.
The stench of blood in the room was too thick, so Xie Jingci hadn't closed the door when she entered. As soon as she turned her head, she unexpectedly saw Miss Han, who had returned to the inn earlier.
She had changed her outer robe but still kept her neck and arms firmly covered. Suddenly meeting so many people's gazes, a faint blush rose on her face.
"Miss Han, how did you know where my house is?"
Gu Mingzhao forgot about the injury on his leg and moved straight forward, only to grimace and howl in pain.
The other party seemed a bit hesitant. Taking a few steps forward, she timidly said, "...Medicine."
As she spoke, she reached out her hand. Emerging from her sleeve was a delicate porcelain bottle. "Thank you."
This girl's voice was quite pleasant to the ear.
Having received Meng Xiaoting's miraculous flesh-regenerating medicine, new flesh was already slowly growing on Gu Mingzhao's leg. It wouldn't be long before he was mostly recovered.
But he still grinned and reached out to take the porcelain bottle. "Thanks a lot. How are the wounds on Miss Han's body?"
She didn't speak, just quietly nodded, which probably meant she had applied the medicine.
"This Miss Han, no matter how you look at her, she's strange."
Mo Xiaoyang sent a secret telepathic message: "Do you guys think it could be Wen Zhilan cross-dressing as a woman, using the outer robe to hide all masculine features? Looking weak on the outside, but actually laughing like crazy inside at our stupidity for not seeing through his disguise!"
Meng Xiaoting's expression was complicated; she looked like she wanted to say something but stopped.
"However, you guys mentioned before that the Gu spirits in Chaohai Mountain were scrambling to pounce on her... Maybe there really is something fishy going on."
Xie Jingci said, "Why don't we think of a way to make her stay."
Just as she finished speaking, she heard a low exclamation that sounded like talking to oneself.
"Speaking of which, today is the Spring Equinox, right?"
Gu Mingzhao remembered something, sweeping away his previous exhaustion with the vigor of someone jolting upright from their deathbed. "On the Spring Equinox, all things revive and spiritual energy condenses. By the shores of the East Sea, a breathtakingly beautiful spectacle will appear. It only happens once a year, so seeing it is a huge gain! You all are visitors here; do you want to go take a look together?"
Gu Mingzhao.
You truly are mommy's good boy!
Mo Xiaoyang: "Yes, yes, let's go! Miss Han, why don't you come take a look too? The East Sea is very beautiful."
Meng Xiaoting: "Let's go, let's go! Miss Han, meeting is a matter of fate. Let's go stroll around together!"
The young girl standing at the center of attention felt like she had thorns in her back. She subconsciously lowered her head, remained silent for a moment, and actually nodded.
Xie Jingci quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could speak, she suddenly heard Pei Du's hesitant voice by her ear. "...Miss Xie."
She turned her head and heard him continue, "The character setting... seems to have changed."
That's a good thing!
Xie Jingci was overjoyed in her heart. She had finally survived the rabbit spirit setting! If Pei Du continued to show that look, she was afraid she would one day overheat and spontaneously combust.
Without overthinking it, she naturally asked, "What's the new setting?"
Pei Du: "..."
Pei Du's voice was tight: "Blackened Super... Eldest Young Master."
He had a noticeable pause in the middle because he didn't recognize the letter after "Super".
Xie Jingci's smile of narrowly escaping death froze on her lips.
Help. Me.
What was this, what was this, what could possibly follow the word "Super"?
This, this, this character setting... A Blackened Super S Eldest Young Master?!
She remembered this setting. Back when it was applied to Xie Jingci, it became "The Eldest Young Miss and the Pure Little Male Servant," a melodramatic story about forceful taking and plundering.
As for the "Blackened" part, to put it in layman's terms, it meant a psychopath with exploding possessiveness, like a monster born of jealousy, spending three hundred and sixty-six days a year drowning in it.
Most importantly, every time he got jealous, he would forcibly do certain indescribable things that were definitely not suitable for an all-ages work. The lines he would say were even more unbearable to listen to.
Xie Jingci could feel her own heart trembling.
It would have been fine if she were the one pretending to be fierce to scare Pei Du. But once she became the passive party... having him do those actions to her, she definitely wouldn't be able to handle it.
Fortunately, she could still be saved.
Unlike the rabbit spirit's random heat cycles, this setting sounded paranoid and obsessive, but it was actually easy to avoid—she just needed to keep her distance from other people.
This way, the jealousy setting would have nowhere to vent. Once the character setting was replaced again, everything would be perfectly fine.
Pei Du was equally silent, staring at the example sentences floating in his sea of consciousness.
Things like, [Which hand touched her? If you don't tell me, I'll chop them all off.]
Things like, [Do you understand your status? You belong only to me, and you can only look at me.]
And even things like, [Pleasure me.]
...What kind of words were these?
Just looking at them, Pei Du was already overwhelmingly ashamed. The little person in his heart curled up into a tiny ball, covering its eyes with both hands, only wishing he could disappear as soon as possible so he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of Miss Xie.
Looking at Miss Xie again—
Zhanyuan, please save him.
Miss Xie was already showing a look of absolute terror.
"I still think cross-dressing is highly possible. Who knows, maybe Wen Zhilan's way of thinking is just different from the norm?"
Mo Xiaoyang remained unwavering in his guess. He looked seriously at Xie Jingci, who was closest to him. "Besides, with so many Gu bugs attracted to her, just thinking about it feels wrong."
Xie Jingci's brow twitched.
Help! Don't come any closer!!!
Pei Du took a step closer to this side.
This character setting was the best at overthinking. She could almost hear the system notification in his mind: [Ding dong! Look at that woman flirting around!]
"Wouldn't it be better for him to just hide in the dark? Why would he need to go through all the trouble of creating a false front?"
Meng Xiaoting joined the secret telepathic chat, leaning even closer to Xie Jingci. She grabbed her arm and shook it gently. "Cici, don't you agree?"
You... you... you shouldn't come any closer either!!!
Pei Du took another step closer.
[Ding dong! Look at that woman playing the field! She won't even spare her best friend!]
"By the way, the flowers in my courtyard are blooming quite nicely."
Over there, Gu Mingzhao smiled and said, "If you like them, pick them as you please. I think those peach blossoms suit Miss Xie very well."
Xie Jingci: ...
[Ding-dong! Oh my god, is this a grand exhibition of a player's aquarium? Look at the light, the water, the fish, the shrimp, and that vast, boundless green pasture! What? You don't know what a player and his aquatic catches are? It doesn't matter. You only need to understand one thing: green is a beautiful color.]
Pei Du had already walked up beside her.
The young man's right hand, slender and elegant with distinct knuckles, gently grasped her wrist, sending a bone-piercing chill through her.
"Miss Xie."
The corners of his lips curled up, but his voice was cold and clear, completely devoid of any amusement. "I have something to say to you."
Only one word remained in Xie Jingci's mind.
Danger.
