“So, Senior Sister Gu, that senior of yours was right when she said you overthink things too much, which leads to a lack of courage and momentum. But kindness after hesitation is still kindness. If you were carrying so much responsibility yet didn’t hesitate at all and acted purely on impulse, then you would be a real fool. Don’t worry about it too much. No matter how powerful that senior is, her path and convictions are not yours.”
The morning light was faint, but the sun had completely emerged on the horizon, bathing the mountain peak in warmth.
Qian Yu’s milky-white fur was shrouded in a golden halo under the sunlight, making her look both playful and adorable.
After looking up and finishing her piece, she turned to take her leave.
Gu Qinghan watched her retreating back, her heart filled with a thousand different emotions.
Not long ago, Qian Yu had woken up from her meditation.
With nothing else to do, the two of them had started chatting.
Gu Qinghan had actually been very concerned about what Yingning said—that she had become overly conflicted after dying once.
She had always known that her path must be under her own feet, and she still didn’t feel that her previous hesitation was wrong.
However, the person who had criticized her was, after all, her most respected Master.
These two conflicting thoughts had been clashing in her mind, causing her immense frustration.
She hadn’t expected that this seemingly dull and silly little fox would be the one to enlighten her, speaking words that gave her much to think about.
‘Qian Yu is right.’
‘The era Master lived in was the Ancient Era, where rules and order were in utter chaos. She didn’t have a single family member to her name, so her conviction was to achieve extraordinary feats by taking extraordinary risks. It’s only natural that she doesn’t like my hesitation and overthinking.’
‘But I have more attachments and more responsibilities than she did.
If I truly followed her path, wouldn’t I become a bad person who only cares for myself and ignores the safety of others?’
This conversation with Qian Yu had made Gu Qinghan see the light.
This was exactly the kind of Dao Discussion she had always wanted.
If Qian Yu hadn’t insisted on leaving, Gu Qinghan would have truly wanted to keep her there for three days, sitting across from each other day after day.
Sighing softly, she watched the distant figure of Qian Yu, and a sudden wave of guilt washed over her.
Qian Yu trusted her and had just tried so hard to comfort her, yet when Gu Qinghan had asked the girl to resolve her doubts, she hadn’t dared to mention her Master by name, using “senior” as a substitute instead.
“Qian Yu!”
For some reason, Gu Qinghan couldn’t help but call out to her.
When Qian Yu turned around, however, Gu Qinghan didn’t know what to say.
The little fox truly looked beautiful in the morning sun.
Coupled with the drifting, yet not freezing, snow, she looked like an ink-wash painting.
Gu Qinghan’s heart, which was usually like eternal ice and snow that never melted, suddenly skipped a beat, as if it had come to life.
Everything around her became fresh at that moment, especially Qian Yu.
The scene of the girl handing her the Fox Tail Dagger—the symbol of trust—with tears still on her face surfaced in her mind once more.
She paused for a long time.
Seeing that Qian Yu’s gaze was becoming confused, she blurted out, “We are friends, right?”
“Mhm, mhm.”
Qian Yu didn’t understand what Gu Qinghan was doing, but she still nodded with a smile.
“Then the next time we meet, don’t call me Senior Sister Gu anymore. You also call Nalan Yunyan ‘Senior Sister Nalan.'”
“Huh?”
Qian Yu was a bit dazed by Gu Qinghan’s nonsensical words.
Just as she was about to ask what she should call her instead, the other woman had already turned around and returned to her Cave Residence, her steps looking much more hurried than usual.
‘What is she doing? Has she gained another insight for cultivation?’
Not understanding but choosing to be respectful, Qian Yu shook her head and continued her departure, not truly caring about what was going on in Gu Qinghan’s mind.
Comforting, Dao Discussion, smiles—she smiled very sweetly, but her heart remained completely unruffled.
If possible, she hoped Gu Qinghan would have a good ending, but that didn’t mean Qian Yu would spend her energy worrying about the woman’s convoluted inner thoughts.
Her mind was already focused on what she had to do next.
The first was her cultivation.
The Celestial Intent granted by Yingning was of a very high level, but it didn’t directly affect Qian Yu’s cultivation.
Currently, she was still in the late First Realm, only because her comprehension had increased slightly.
Whether it was for her own strength, to upgrade her bloodline, or to approach the Heavenly Fox Ancestor for protection as Gu Qinghan had hinted, she had to accelerate her breakthrough to the Second Realm.
The Cloud-Weave Star Venerable, who had mysteriously broken through to become a Semi-Saint ahead of time, was too much of a rule-breaker.
Even if Yingning were willing to protect her, it would only increase her chances of escape by one or two tenths.
If she truly wanted to rest easy, she had to rely on a genuine expert of the Saint Realm.
The second thing was that Qian Yu missed her own Master.
A long time ago, she thought the woman was just an unreliable drunkard.
Even if she had once stepped into the Semi-Saint level, she was just an ordinary genius expert.
A series of events after meeting the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable had changed Qian Yu’s perspective.
It seemed like her Master really had something special.
Whether it was the Gulu Gulu Become an Idiot Art or the Anything Can Be Slashed Art, they both seemed specially prepared for her.
Otherwise, why would her Master have only taught her three techniques in her life, and two of them just happened to be so perfectly useful?
Qian Yu planned to find her and ask her in person.
This wasn’t a suicide mission.
As an existence that had at least stepped into the Semi-Saint level, that drunkard—despite being a background character—wasn’t entirely without a presence.
She had left a strand of her remnant soul in this world, which had provided Gu Qinghan with a decent Opportunity.
Qian Yu intended to find this remnant soul.
The Opportunity didn’t matter, but she had too many things she wanted to clear up.
If she remembered correctly, the time for that was approaching soon.
But before that…
‘I still have to solve the problem of the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable.’
If the woman secretly followed her while she was out looking for her Master, that would be quite a disaster.
No matter how powerful Yingning was when she was alive, she currently only had the strength of the Venerable Realm.
Dealing with a peak Venerable was already a stretch; facing a Semi-Saint would be nothing but a gamble.
Qian Yu’s small face was full of worry as she pondered if there was any way to keep an eye on the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable.
Suddenly, a dainty cold snort interrupted her thoughts.
“Senior Sister Nalan, I wasn’t wrong, was I? Qian Yu really is here. She actually came to find Gu Qinghan!”
Looking up, she saw a cute girl with twin tails standing not far away, looking at her mockingly.
Qian Yu raised an eyebrow.
The one who had arrived was Tang Qiurou.
And standing beside her was the blonde girl, Nalan Yunyan.
According to Qian Yu’s calculations, at this point in time, the other girl should have been in deep seclusion to prepare for the battle against the Demon Holy Body this afternoon.
She hadn’t expected Tang Qiurou to somehow drag her over here, just in time to catch her coming out of Gu Qinghan’s Cave Residence.
Staying in an arch-rival’s room the night before a big battle—there was no way she could wash her hands of this suspicion now.
“Hmph, Qian Yu, what do you have to say for yourself now? You really are a spy that Gu Qinghan planted by Senior Sister Nalan’s side!”
Noticing the panicked look in Qian Yu’s eyes, Tang Qiurou immediately stepped forward and sneered with the arrogance of a victor.
Since the last time she had courageously admitted her failure in front of Nalan Yunyan, she had regained quite a bit of status in the other girl’s heart.
This had rekindled her desire to kill Qian Yu.
This time, she had turned her gaze toward the servants in the Sect who were treated as nearly sub-human—the ones everyone subconsciously ignored even when conducting investigations.
She didn’t ask them to do much, only to report back if they saw Qian Yu’s movements while they were cleaning the Sect.
She had originally thought she would have to wait at least ten days or half a month for an opportunity, but Qian Yu had foolishly come to find Gu Qinghan on the very night after Nalan Yunyan had saved her!
The girl had hidden her tracks and acted very carefully, but she wouldn’t have guessed that those insignificant servants were already Tang Qiurou’s people.
Every single one of her footsteps would be magnified by those who were watching.
This time, Qian Yu was dead!
To ensure this, Tang Qiurou had prepared more than just catching her red-handed.
She not only wanted to tear off the girl’s hypocritical mask and monopolize Nalan Yunyan’s trust and resources, but she also wanted to strike a decisive blow and crush Qian Yu once and for all.
“Oh, that’s right, Senior Sister. Previously, you asked me to investigate the cause of Xiao Ya’s death… Didn’t we discover some things that, if taken together, could cause someone to suffer a cultivation deviation?”
Without giving Qian Yu a chance to speak, Tang Qiurou immediately turned to Nalan Yunyan, her voice becoming hesitant.
“At that time, we also discovered that Gu Qinghan happened to have purchased those things during that period. It was just that she had no prior connection with Xiao Ya, so the matter was dropped. But now, we have all seen with our own eyes that Qian Yu came out of Gu Qinghan’s cave. Could it be…? Xiao Ya loved fluffy little animals most when she was alive…”