The flying boat pierced through layers upon layers of the sea of clouds, leaving the vast snowfields of the northern border far behind.
During the journey back, Gu Chengming could feel the red dust aura of the capital becoming increasingly intense.
Gu Chengming leaned against the deck railing as countless invisible silk threads rose from the towns and villages below.
Previously, he could only sense the strength of these auras through intuition, but now, those red dust threads had distinct paths in his eyes.
Gu Chengming withdrew his wandering divine sense and turned around, his gaze landing on the lounge chair on the other side of the deck.
Yu Wenqiu was not basking in the sun with her snack box as usual, nor was she flipping through her storybooks.
She sat cross-legged on the soft couch with her eyes tightly shut, surrounded by ripples of spiritual energy. The fluctuations were not as obvious as ordinary five-element spiritual energy; instead, they felt like an illusion that only appeared when she was seemingly absent, making her figure look somewhat ethereal and unstable.
Gu Chengming poured a cup of tea, walked over, and placed the teacup gently on the small table.
Yu Wenqiu had just finished a cultivation cycle. Her eyelashes trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
"The Elder is acting strange today." Gu Chengming sat down on a nearby wicker chair and teased, "The sun hasn't even set, yet you've already started working hard?"
Yu Wenqiu let out a long breath of turbid air, reached out to take a sip of tea, and then huffed. "This elder has always been diligent. I'm just usually low-key and don't like to show off in front of people."
As she spoke, she glanced at Gu Chengming, seemingly feeling a bit guilty about her own excuse, so she added, "Besides, we're about to return to that nest of trouble known as the capital. If I don't stabilize this newly realized divine ability, do you really expect a Second Realm junior like you to carry me on your back if something happens?"
Gu Chengming smiled, not exposing her.
However, mentioning divine abilities did make him somewhat curious.
The Heavenly Eye cultivated by Yu Wenqiu was an extremely special inheritance within the Wenjian Sect.
Though named 'Eye,' it actually involved karma and space.
In the Third Realm, she could already perform spatial techniques similar to shrinking the distance of the earth, peer through layers of restrictions, and even interfere with karmic locking to a certain extent.
Such methods were practically on a different level compared to cultivators of the same realm.
"Was what you were practicing just now a new divine ability after reaching the Fourth Realm?" Gu Chengming asked.
Yu Wenqiu put down her teacup and nodded with some restraint, though her tone couldn't hide her pride. "You could say that. As the Heavenly Eye improves with cultivation, the world one sees becomes quite different. At the Fourth Realm, one can see... other things."
"Other things?"
"For example..." Yu Wenqiu elongated her voice. "Things that might happen in the future."
Gu Chengming was startled. "Observing the future?"
The Director of the Daqian Imperial Observatory claimed to know the mandate of heaven, yet every deduction of national destiny only resulted in a few ambiguous prophecies, and it required a heavy price.
If Yu Wenqiu could observe the future, this Heavenly Eye was far too absurd.
Seeing Gu Chengming's expression, Yu Wenqiu quickly waved her hand. "What are you thinking? Truly predicting a fixed future would drain me dry."
"The Heavenly Dao is fickle, and karma changes in an instant. No one can truly see the future clearly."
"What I can see is merely a certain 'possibility' deduced by following the clues based on existing karmic threads."
Yu Wenqiu thought for a moment, feeling the explanation was a bit dry, so she gave an example.
"For instance, if I used this divine ability to look at you and saw a future image where you and a certain fairy became dao companions."
"This doesn't mean you will definitely marry her in the future, because there might be accidents or the relationship might end."
"But this image gives me a certain piece of information—it tells me that, at this moment, that fairy must have feelings for you. Without this karmic foundation, there would be no possibility of marriage in the future."
After Yu Wenqiu finished speaking, she lifted her chin quite proudly. "How about it? Although this divine ability cannot determine life and death, it's perfect for seeking fortune, avoiding calamity, or eavesdropping on secret gossip."
Gu Chengming nodded thoughtfully.
Explained this way, the divine ability seemed reasonable, though it felt inferior to his Mind is Myriad Things.
After reflecting for a moment, Gu Chengming felt eager to try. "Since the Elder is practicing, why not try it on me?"
Yu Wenqiu hesitated.
The karmic threads on Gu Chengming were always a mess, and he had those strange cultivation arts protecting him. Usually, if she didn't use her full strength, she couldn't even lock onto his location.
"Since we're idle anyway," Gu Chengming laughed, "I'd like to see what I'll look like in the future in the Elder's eyes."
"Fine."
Yu Wenqiu's curiosity was piqued. She was indeed a bit curious about what the future Little Gu would be like.
Following that, she formed hand seals and activated the Heavenly Eye.
In the next moment, the world before Yu Wenqiu's eyes changed instantly.
The deck, the sea of clouds, and even Gu Chengming faded away, replaced by countless intersecting lines.
She focused her attention and found the thread belonging to Gu Chengming within that tangled mess of karma, then followed the extension of that thread toward the void on the other side.
The image was initially blurred, as if through a thick mist.
Yu Wenqiu pushed the Heavenly Eye harder, and the mist gradually dispersed.
What appeared was a grand and somewhat decadent hall.
The lighting inside was dim, with only the dragon oil everlasting lamps on the surrounding pillars emitting an ambiguous warm glow. In the center of the hall stood an imperial seat carved from a single piece of warm jade.
Gu Chengming sat there. His long hair, which was usually tied meticulously, was draped loosely over his shoulders. His robe was not the plain white attire of a sword cultivator but a complex and magnificent black robe. Large patches of blooming Hehuan flowers were embroidered on the hem with dark gold thread, their petals overlapping in a strange and alluring manner.
He rested his chin on one hand, leaning lazily against the imperial seat with a faint, enigmatic smile on his lips.
His eyes were slightly narrowed with no hint of warmth, and below that imperial seat was a dark mass of kneeling figures, almost all of whom were female cultivators.
Behind Gu Chengming, two blurred figures stood silently in attendance. Though their faces were unclear, the aura emanating from them suggested they were at least great ones of the Fifth Realm or higher.
Such a display, such an aura...
Yu Wenqiu's gaze moved upward, landing on the black plaque with gold lettering at the top of the hall.
——【Hehuan Sect】.
"!"
Yu Wenqiu shuddered, and the image before her shattered instantly.
"Elder?" Seeing her strong reaction, Gu Chengming couldn't help but feel surprised. "What did you see?"
Yu Wenqiu did not answer immediately.
She slowly opened her eyes and stared blankly at Gu Chengming.
The young man before her was still dressed as a sword cultivator, with clear eyes and a gentle smile, looking every bit the righteous disciple of a prestigious sect.
But that image just now... that man in the black Hehuan-flower robe, sitting high on the imperial seat with that enigmatic smile.
"Elder?" Gu Chengming waved a hand in front of her eyes.
Yu Wenqiu suddenly snapped back to her senses.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" she denied rapidly, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet Gu Chengming's gaze. "This... this new divine ability isn't fully mastered yet. My spiritual energy just went haywire, and I saw nothing."
Gu Chengming looked at her suspiciously. "Saw nothing? Then why is your face red?"
"Who's blushing! This is... this is from the backflow of spiritual energy!"
Yu Wenqiu grabbed the snack box she hadn't had time to eat and hurriedly jumped off the soft couch. "Anyway, I just remembered I haven't written to the neighbors to say I'm coming back. I'm going to my room!"
Without waiting for Gu Chengming to respond, she bolted into the cabin.
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
Gu Chengming was confused but didn't ask further.
...
Inside the cabin.
Yu Wenqiu leaned against the door and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.
She raised her hands to cover her burning cheeks, her heart still pounding in her chest.
"How is it possible..." she murmured to herself. "Didn't Little Gu just learn the Yin Yang Creation Strategy? How did he end up as the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect?"
What kind of place was the Hehuan Sect? It was one of the six paths!
To sit in that position, how many people would he have to step over?
The image from just now flashed in Yu Wenqiu's mind again.
That lazily reclining Gu Chengming in the black robe... it had to be said, he looked quite good.
"No, no, no!" Yu Wenqiu shook her head violently, slapping her cheeks to try and drive that dangerous image out of her mind.
"I must have seen it wrong, or the divine ability really isn't ready yet."
"That's just the most absurd out of ten thousand possibilities. It could never happen."
She took a deep breath, fished out a cold piece of mung bean cake from her robe, and stuffed it into her mouth, trying to suppress her shock with sweetness.
"Yes, it must be fake."
However, as she ate the mung bean cake, it lacked its usual sweetness, instead making her heart feel even more unsettled.
If her explanation of the divine ability just now was correct...
Since she could see this result, did it mean that in the current karmic lines, there was already some profound connection between Gu Chengming and the Hehuan Sect—one strong enough to overturn his identity as a sword cultivator?
Yu Wenqiu's chewing slowed down.
She couldn't help but feel worried.
...
The flying boat slowly descended, passing through the thick cloud layer to cast a shadow over the vast plains of Great Qian.
Below were crisscrossing fields, horses and carriages like dragons on the official roads, and a majestic city in the distance lying like a giant beast, breathing in the red dust smoke from all directions.
Gu Chengming stood at the bow, the headwind carrying the unique clamor of the marketplace.
The Red Dust Phantom Step became active almost instantly, as countless invisible threads rose from the common people below, weaving into a complex giant web.
This gave Gu Chengming a sense of comfort like a fish returning to the sea, and his true essence circulated more smoothly.
First, he needed to understand what had happened during his time away from the capital.
The capital was protected by dragon qi. In theory, even if the northern border fell, this place wouldn't be too affected.
Because of this, was the capital the same as when he left... or was it?
He looked up slightly, his gaze passing over the layers of glazed tile roofs toward the center of the imperial city.
But that true dragon symbolizing the Great Qian national destiny was currently in an extremely strange state.
It wasn't majestically coiled in the clouds; instead, it was twisting uneasily, its massive claws unconsciously scratching at the void below. It didn't roar; rather, it exhaled clouds of turbid air as its mouth opened and closed.
Within the originally pure and brilliant golden light, threads of glaring pink mist were actually entwined, infiltrating the dragon's body through its pulse lines.
Gu Chengming instinctively wanted to ask Yu Wenqiu if there was anything unusual about the dragon qi in the sky.
Yu Wenqiu quickly covered his mouth and sent a mental transmission: "Unless the dragon qi reveals itself or one has profound cultivation, an ordinary Second Realm cultivator cannot usually see it."
Yu Wenqiu knew that Gu Chengming had triggered the dragon qi on the day of his breakthrough, whether because of his cultivation art or some other reason.
So she wasn't surprised he could see it, but this matter definitely couldn't be known by others.
Even with her Fourth Realm Heavenly Eye, if she didn't deliberately focus on the direction of the imperial city, she couldn't see the manifestation of the dragon qi.
Gu Chengming blinked to show he understood, and Yu Wenqiu finally withdrew her hand.
It seemed Elder Yu hadn't seen the 'pink' dragon.
This also meant that this abnormality was not an external celestial phenomenon, but a deeper 'internal illness' that could only be detected by someone with the same source as the dragon qi or someone with high attainments in the red dust dao.
Gu Chengming redirected his gaze to the sky.
That pink mist...
He quietly activated the Yin Yang Creation Strategy and sensed it carefully.
That aura was not unfamiliar; it was a type of red dust aura, and specifically the most primitive part—passion.
But this aura of passion was too vast and chaotic to be gathered from just one or two people. It felt more like the desires of millions in the entire capital were being forcibly extracted by some array or evil object and then poured wholesale into the dragon qi.
Dragon qi was originally the ultimate yang and masculine essence. Now that it was being eroded by these feminine and chaotic desires, it was no wonder it appeared so restless and sickly.
"The dragon qi is contaminated..." Gu Chengming thought to himself.
If the crisis at the northern border was monsters attacking the pass, then the crisis in the capital might be even more treacherous than an armed conflict.
Recalling Zhou Qingmu's vague transfer order, the bad premonition in Gu Chengming's heart grew stronger.
Could Director Zhou have summoned him back from the north in such a hurry because of this matter?
...
Half an hour later.
Jishan Neighborhood, the familiar bluestone road.
Gu Chengming pushed open the slightly peeling wooden gate. The courtyard wasn't as desolate as he had imagined, though a thick layer of withered leaves lay under the old sweet-scented osmanthus tree, and a thin layer of dust covered the stone table and benches.
Although no one had lived here for several months, it didn't look dilapidated since neighbors had looked after it.
"Finally back!"
Yu Wenqiu cheered and stretched without any concern for her image, then familiarly pulled a broom out of her storage pouch and thrust it into Gu Chengming's hand before bolting to the neighboring yard.
After a short while, Yu Wenqiu's voice came from next door, sounding a bit strained.
"Auntie Wang, thank you for looking after it during this time... Oh, how... how did it get so heavy?"
Accompanying slightly heavy footsteps, Yu Wenqiu walked in holding an orange-colored unidentified object.
Gu Chengming stopped his movements. In Yu Wenqiu's arms, the already somewhat chubby orange cat had now completely turned into a spherical ball of flesh.
Its limbs were so short they were almost invisible. As Yu Wenqiu walked, its fat shook up and down like waves. Its eyes, which used to be somewhat spirited, were now squeezed into slits by the fat on its face, exuding an air of 'I'll just rot right here' decadence and tranquility.
It lay in Yu Wenqiu's arms with its tail hanging limply, looking like a cloth bag filled with flour.
A giant fat cat from afar, a fat cat giant up close; truly a giant fat cat, truly a fat cat giant.
Gu Chengming stepped forward to help, taking the orange cat.
It felt heavy in his hands, at least twenty pounds.
"Auntie Wang said it has a good appetite and isn't picky, eating whatever she gives it."
Yu Wenqiu found it hard to describe. "And this lazy thing does nothing but eat and sleep. It doesn't even blink when a mouse runs past it."
The orange cat rolled over in Gu Chengming's arms, found a comfortable position to remain paralyzed, and started purring, clearly satisfied with this new cushion.
The two of them settled the cat and did a quick cleaning of the house.
Yu Wenqiu was truly exhausted.
Although protected by Luo Jinyao in the northern border, she had been on the front lines and her nerves had been constantly taut. Returning to this familiar small courtyard, sleepiness immediately rushed in.
She didn't even take off her outer robe, throwing herself directly onto the canopy bed and rolling twice in the soft bedding before letting out a satisfied sigh.
"As expected, home is the most comfortable."
Gu Chengming looked at the bulge in the covers, smiled, and closed the doors and windows for her.
He returned to the yard to finish sweeping the last of the fallen leaves, then changed out of his travel-worn clothes and put on the black patrol uniform of the Night Guard Division.
Since he was back, he had to report for duty at the office.
Especially since the matter of the 'pink dragon' over his head made him feel uneasy.
Gu Chengming stepped out of the yard and walked along the long street toward the Night Guard Division.
The streets of the capital were as bustling as ever, with restaurants and entertainment houses crowded and the sounds of music never-ending.
But as Gu Chengming walked through the crowd, he keenly detected a hint of abnormality.
The emotions of the pedestrians around him seemed a bit too excited.
The street vendors' cries were louder than usual, carrying a strange urgency. The scholars passing by had flushed faces and wandering eyes. Even the night watchmen on patrol walked with a hint of frivolous instability.
It was evening, and the lanterns were starting to be lit.
Night Guard Division, the side hall of the Hidden Dragon Courtyard.
As soon as Gu Chengming crossed the threshold, he bumped into Vice Commander Liu, who was pacing with his hands behind his back.
Upon seeing Gu Chengming, Vice Commander Liu's movements paused visibly.
"You're back?"
He looked up and down at the young man, who was travel-worn but had a spirit as sharp as an unsheathed sword, a rare look of daze appearing in his eyes.
A few months ago, he had personally handled this kid's induction procedures.
At that time, while Gu Chengming was a good prospect, in Vice Commander Liu's eyes, he was at most a junior with decent potential who would have to spend years in the deep waters of the capital to make a name for himself.
But who could have imagined what would happen in such a short time?
The war reports coming back from the northern border were each more terrifying than the last.
If he hadn't personally watched this kid grow step by step, Vice Commander Liu might even suspect some great one had seized his body to re-cultivate.
"Good lad."
Vice Commander Liu stepped forward and heavily patted Gu Chengming's shoulder. His strength was so great that if it were a weak civil official, they might have collapsed on the spot. He lamented:
"Just based on your achievements during this northern border trip, you are arguably the top contributor in the entire Night Guard Division, second only to Director Zhou. It won't be long before I'll have to start calling you Lord Gu."
Gu Chengming smiled and cupped his hands. "The Vice Commander overpraises me. I was just lucky and picked up some scraps behind the seniors."
"Luck is also a part of strength."
Vice Commander Liu waved his hand, clearly not buying the modest explanation.
He stopped talking and gestured toward the back hall. "Fine, save those polite words for later. The Director has been waiting for you for a long time. Go quickly."
Gu Chengming nodded in acknowledgment, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the quiet room where Zhou Qingmu was.
Pushing open the eaglewood door, a rich but not pungent scent of medicine wafted toward him.
Gu Chengming looked up, and his footsteps faltered.
In the center of the quiet room, Director Zhou, who usually sat boldly with an aura as strong as an unsheathed heavy blade, was now sitting quietly in a specially made red sandalwood wheelchair.
Her face was much paler than usual, and her legs were covered with a thick fox fur. The saber that never left her side was not hanging at her waist but was laid across her lap. Seeing that wheelchair, Gu Chengming gained a more direct understanding of the severity of the 'Northern Border Victory.'
But on second thought, according to the reports, two Fifth Realm demon kings had actually perished on the demon realm side, and another had barely escaped back to their lair with only their soul after abandoning their physical body.
Trading one for three, with their own commander only ending up in a wheelchair.
No matter how one calculated it, Great Qian had made a massive profit.
"You're here?"
Zhou Qingmu sensed the movement and slowly opened her eyes, her gaze gratified.
"Official Gu Chengming greets the Director." Gu Chengming performed a salute.
"Sit." Zhou Qingmu pointed to a cushion opposite her, rarely making a joke. "You did very well in the northern border. I almost want to keep you in the Night Guard Division forever to take over my position."
Gu Chengming didn't dare respond to that.
The two of them briefly exchanged words about the battle situation in the north.
When mentioning the defeat of the demon realm and the Longevity Sect falling silent, Zhou Qingmu's face didn't show much joy; instead, her brows furrowed slightly.
"External threats are settled, but internal troubles have arisen."
Zhou Qingmu's fingers gently stroked the scabbard on her lap. Her gaze suddenly became subtle as she stared straight at Gu Chengming.
"Little Gu, I remember... you also practiced the techniques of the Hehuan Sect, right?"
Gu Chengming's heart skipped a beat.
This transition in topic was far too abrupt.
Could it be that the Director had some prejudice against such techniques?
Thinking about it, Zhou Rites' attitude wasn't great the first time he saw the Yin Yang Creation Strategy either.
But this kind of thing couldn't be hidden.
"Indeed." Gu Chengming admitted frankly, "By a stroke of luck, I did practice the Yin Yang Creation Strategy."
Zhou Qingmu fell silent for a long time. Her gaze made Gu Chengming feel uncomfortable, as if he were a patient about to fall ill.
After a moment, she finally spoke. "On your way back to the capital, did you feel anything unusual with your body or mental state?"
Gu Chengming wasn't sure what Zhou Qingmu meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Probably... not?"
"That's good."
She adjusted her sitting posture slightly and said seriously, "In that case, you must be extra careful during this time. Try to keep your Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art active at all times to protect your mind with righteous qi. If you feel an unbearable heat in your body or an uncontrollable desire for someone, come find me immediately."
Gu Chengming felt more and more that something was wrong. "Director, has some evil entity targeted at the Hehuan Sect's techniques appeared in the capital?"
Zhou Qingmu hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing which words to use to describe this absurd disaster.
Finally, she sighed and said with some helplessness:
"It is not an evil entity. It's that all members of the Hehuan Sect in the capital... whether outer disciples or inner elders, lost control of their cultivation overnight."
"Lost control?" Gu Chengming was stunned.
"To put it simply, it's a form of qi deviation."
Zhou Qingmu explained expressionlessly, "They have become unable to control their desires. Once they find a suitable dual cultivation partner, they will try every means possible, even spending all their wealth, to be with them."
She pulled a dossier from her sleeve and tossed it to Gu Chengming.
"The details are all here. I was originally worried you would be affected, but now it seems that because you also practice my mental art, you have temporarily escaped this fate."
Gu Chengming took the dossier. On the cover, only one line was written.
——【The Chaos of the Hehuan Sect】.
Opening the dossier, the contents made Gu Chengming's eyes twitch.
Initially, it was just a few Hehuan Sect disciples fighting over jealousy in the entertainment districts, which wasn't unusual in the capital. But soon, things began racing in an indescribable direction.
People were publicly professing love on the streets, some were fighting in public to claim a passing scholar, and some even charged into others' homes to take people.
The most fatal part was that the Hehuan Sect's techniques inherently had a charm effect.
These out-of-control disciples were like walking human aphrodisiacs, indiscriminately emitting intense hormones. Ordinary citizens or even low-level cultivators with weaker willpower would have their most primitive desires triggered just by being near them.
The dossier recorded that in just three days, security incidents in the capital had increased tenfold.
But in those ten times, not a single one was murder or arson; they were all 'forced intimacy,' 'street-side love confessions,' and 'stampede accidents caused by mass gatherings.'
Gu Chengming closed the dossier, and some of his previous discoveries were explained.
No wonder he felt the gazes of the passersby were strange on his way back; no wonder the dragon qi in the sky had turned into that eerie pink color.
"So..." Gu Chengming swallowed hard and asked tentatively, "Is the capital very dangerous right now?"
"For ordinary people, it's still manageable."
Zhou Qingmu rubbed her temples, clearly having a headache over this. "But for a young cultivator like you who is handsome, has significant cultivation, and an inherent attraction..."
She looked up and said after a moment of hesitation, "You should try to avoid contact with high-level female cultivators."
Gu Chengming's heart sank. "High-level cultivators are also affected?"
"Regardless of cultivation level. Due to some deep-seated reasons, high-level cultivators are affected more deeply, but their dao hearts are also firmer, so in the end, they are no different from the affected low-level cultivators."
Hearing this, Gu Chengming's gaze involuntarily fell on Zhou Qingmu.
He thought to himself, isn't the Director the quintessential high-level female cultivator? And one of the top ones in Great Qian at that.
But looking at the woman in the wheelchair, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
This Director was usually either killing people or on her way to kill people. Her murderous aura was heavier than a ghost's. It was truly hard to imagine her being swayed by such romantic atmospheres. Besides, she was currently recovering from serious injuries, so she likely didn't have any worldly desires.
"At the moment, most of the Night Guard Division's personnel are out maintaining order. It's best that you are fine."
Gu Chengming thought to himself, what is going on? He returns to the capital only to find everyone has entered an era of great tension.
He wakes up to find that everyone's desires have increased a hundredfold, while he remains unchanged?
Pushing the messy thoughts out of his mind, Gu Chengming asked, "Has the source of this chaos been found?"
"It's still being investigated." Zhou Qingmu shook her head. "However, the deduction from the Imperial Observatory is that this seems more like a modification of the foundation of the Hehuan Sect's techniques, or... some higher level of rules being changed."
——Could it be a Dao Throne?
This guess surfaced in Gu Chengming's mind.
"All right, you may go. Remember what I said: keep your Zhou Rites active and don't let those pink auras find an opening."
Gu Chengming bowed and withdrew from the quiet room.
He responded obediently, not daring to stay any longer, and left the room after bowing.
Only when Gu Chengming's footsteps had completely vanished at the end of the corridor did Zhou Qingmu's hand, which had been resting casually on her saber's scabbard, suddenly tighten.
Her breathing was no longer steady; it became rapid and hot, and a flush appeared on her face.
It seemed like Gu Chengming's scent still lingered in the air—when he was there just now, that scent had caused the blood and qi in her body, which were already unstable from her injuries, to surge.
Zhou Qingmu bit her lower lip hard, her brows tightly furrowed, and a layer of fine sweat broke out on her forehead.
She had to use all her strength just to barely maintain her calm and dignified demeanor as a superior just now, and to keep from letting her gaze linger for even a second on the young man's neck, earlobes, or collarbone.
After a long while, with a suppressed hum,
she released her hand, which was already wet with sweat, and leaned back into the chair as if exhausted.
"Whew..."
Zhou Qingmu let out a long, burning breath, murmuring to herself as if in self-justification:
"It seems these injuries... are still having too much of an effect on me."
...
Jishan Neighborhood.
Yu Wenqiu held the orange cat that was sleeping like a dead pig. The silver light at her fingertips used for the Heavenly Eye had not yet completely faded.
Through the observations of the Heavenly Eye, Yu Wenqiu had also roughly learned about the recent events in the capital, thinking to herself that these people in the capital really had a lot going on.
Although she was lazy, she was a Fourth Realm great cultivator after all, so she had that much willpower.
As long as she didn't use her divine sense to deliberately perceive those messy desires, the pink aura filling the city couldn't do anything to her.
But then she thought, didn't Little Gu also practice Hehuan Sect techniques?
Her mood for watching the show vanished instantly.
She had heard that this chaos was an indiscriminate strike against Hehuan Sect techniques. Although Little Gu was only practicing it as a supplement, he might be affected too.
"No! How can I watch my junior go astray?"
"If he really shows signs of qi deviation, I can only..."
Only what?
Yu Wenqiu's train of thought got stuck here.
For some reason, her thoughts began to wander uncontrollably. In this moment of distraction and loss of mental focus,
the pink aura that had been drifting in the night wind for a long time, unable to find a way in, finally found a gap.
Yu Wenqiu didn't notice anything unusual.
She just felt that the moonlight tonight was a bit too alluring, and the thought of 'saving' Gu Chengming became increasingly justified in her mind.
...
When Gu Chengming returned to the small courtyard, he saw a rather heartwarming scene.
Yu Wenqiu was sitting by the stone table, holding a cat toy and occasionally teasing the big orange cat.
Seeing him return, Yu Wenqiu didn't noisily pounce on him for food as usual. Instead, she sat up with extreme dignity and straightened her skirt.
"You're back?"
Gu Chengming felt something subtle. This dignified posture was something she had only shown back at the Wenjian Sect when they weren't well-acquainted yet.
What had suddenly happened to Elder Yu?
"It's nothing."
Gu Chengming gave her a suspicious look and sat down opposite her. "The Director gave me some instructions, telling me to be careful lately... You know, Elder, the capital isn't peaceful right now."
"Yes, I know."
Yu Wenqiu nodded, her gaze sweeping over Gu Chengming's face with a hint of inquiry. "So, how do you feel now? Do you feel hot? Or do any strange thoughts pop into your head?"
Warning bells rang in Gu Chengming's mind.
Director Zhou had just told him to watch out for being surrounded by female cultivators, and now he encountered this as soon as he got home?
"I'm fine." Gu Chengming poured a cup of tea, suppressing the sense of strangeness in his heart.
"Oh, it's good that you're fine."
Yu Wenqiu seemed a bit disappointed, yet also relieved.
She didn't say more, but that evening, her gaze would always stick to Gu Chengming intentionally or unintentionally, with a warmth that made his hair stand on end.
That night, the Hour of the Ox.
All was silent.
There were no lights in Gu Chengming's room. He sat cross-legged on the bed, practicing the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art.
A very faint creak broke the silence of the night.
The door was pushed open a crack.
A sneaky figure slipped in on tiptoe like a thief.
Yu Wenqiu's state was currently very wrong.
【Little Gu must be feeling terrible right now; he's just holding it in】
【How can he be fine? Didn't they say all Hehuan Sect cultivators are affected?】
【I have a responsibility to help him resolve this hidden danger...】
As she muttered these illogical excuses in her heart, she felt her way to Gu Chengming's bedside.
By the moonlight coming through the window, she saw the figure sitting cross-legged.
Yu Wenqiu swallowed, her throat feeling a bit dry.
"Just a check."
"To see if he's really okay."
She slowly leaned down, getting closer to that face.
As she got closer, she could even smell the faint scent on Gu Chengming, which was extremely lethal to her in her current state.
The string of reason in Yu Wenqiu's mind snapped.
However, in the next moment.
Swoosh!
"Huh?"
Yu Wenqiu only felt her ankle tighten, followed by the world spinning.
In the next instant, a sense of weightlessness hit her.
She was suspended upside down in mid-air, her skirt falling down to reveal her white underpants and a section of swaying lower legs.
Gu Chengming looked at the suspended Big Yu-cat before him.
He realized the true meaning of Director Zhou's words to 'stay away from high-level female cultivators.'
—Should I flee back to the Wenjian Sect immediately to seek refuge?
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