“Brother.”
Mu Qianqian poked her head out and stuck out her tongue.
Gu Ming kept a stern face, closing his eyes to rest, and did not speak.
Seeing this, Mu Qianqian tiptoed into the room and came to Gu Ming’s side.
Gu Ming remained unmoved.
Mu Qianqian sat down beside him, straightening her back and swinging her legs.
She stared at her nose and focused her mind, looking exactly like a child who had done something wrong.
Gu Ming could not help but flick Mu Qianqian’s forehead.
Snap.
Mu Qianqian let out a cry of pain and covered her forehead with both hands.
“Brother, you’re hitting me!” She pouted in protest.
Gu Ming exhaled softly and shook his head.
“Who taught you to be so wicked?”
“Brother, do you not like it?” Mu Qianqian asked in return.
Gu Ming was stunned.
In his eyes, Mu Qianqian had always been an obedient and good younger sister with a proper moral compass. He never expected her to resort to threatening people, which truly disheartened him.
“Brother, this is the real Qianqian,” Mu Qianqian suddenly said.
“Qianqian wants Brother to understand the real me, instead of always playing the role of a well-behaved sister in front of you.”
“Brother, you know…”
Mu Qianqian leaned forward.
Her collar was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of the beauty within. Those rounded curves made Gu Ming’s eyes glaze over.
Gu Ming quickly averted his gaze.
Mu Qianqian exhaled a gentle fragrance. Her warm breath brushed against Gu Ming’s face, making his heart flutter uncontrollably.
Her eyes were hazy as she spoke.
“Originally, I wanted to come on my own, but I felt that Brother would surely have a terrible impression of me.”
“However, if I do nothing, the relationship between Brother and me will only stay at a standstill forever.”
“So, I want Brother to realize the real me.”
“The me who only has eyes for Brother.”
“The me who is willing to pay any price for Brother.”
“I also know that Brother would get angry like this.”
“But, since Brother is going on a long journey this time and I don’t know when you will return…”
“Even if Brother is angry, I must do this.”
“Brother, I just want to tell you.”
“I can sacrifice everything for you.”
Mu Qianqian lowered her eyelashes and continued to lean forward, lightly biting Gu Ming’s earlobe.
Gu Ming frowned in pain and then subconsciously pushed Mu Qianqian away.
He looked at the Mu Qianqian before him as if seeing her for the first time.
Mu Qianqian’s eyes were dazed, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were slightly parted, making her look like an obsessed girl.
“The mere thought of not being able to see Brother for a long, long time makes my whole body feel uncomfortable.”
“I am in a lot of pain, Brother.”
She pulled her collar open, revealing her snowy-white skin, and continued to lean in.
“So, Brother, will you accept the current me?”
Gu Ming was stunned. For a moment, he did not know how to respond, until he saw Mu Qianqian’s slightly trembling palms and her delicate body.
‘Is she shaking?’
‘Is she playing me?!’
Thinking of this, Gu Ming reached out again and gave Mu Qianqian’s smooth forehead another flick.
Snap.
“Qianqian, stop fooling around.”
Mu Qianqian covered her forehead with both hands, her face showing pain. Then, a blush spread from her neck to her entire face, even reaching the tips of her ears.
The breath she had been holding was now gone, like a deflated balloon.
“Wuwu—”
Mu Qianqian made an unintelligible whimpering sound.
“Brother, how could you? I finally made up my mind.”
“Made up your mind to play a yandere to fool me?”
Gu Ming rolled his eyes at her.
“But, what I said was also the truth…”
Hearing Mu Qianqian’s tiny whisper, Gu Ming could not help but be taken aback.
***
Four days had passed. Gu Ming said his goodbyes to Mu Qianqian and headed toward Saintess Mountain alone.
Upon parting, Mu Qianqian was still reluctant to see him go, but fortunately, she did not say anything to try and keep him there.
The two of them simply shared a brief embrace.
On the way to Saintess Mountain, Gu Ming was filled with mixed emotions.
Since joining the Demon Cult, he had never left the cult’s territory except for missions.
But when he was on missions, he would return quickly. It was not like now, where the date of his return was uncertain.
They said it would be one year, but in reality, no one knew how long it would be.
Three days later, Gu Ming arrived at the foot of Saintess Mountain.
The area was a vast plain with several arenas and a high platform.
A crowd from all over the world had gathered in front of the arenas.
They were all hoping to join Saintess Mountain.
Because Saintess Mountain was one of the five major powers of the Righteous Path Alliance, its resources were top-tier. As a result, many rogue cultivators came here drawn by its reputation.
Gu Ming scanned the area and found that the strength of these people was quite average, with none of the experts he had expected.
Just as he was thinking this, a powerful aura flashed by.
He looked around but did not find anything unusual. This aura was strong enough to rival his own.
He was secretly surprised but also greatly delighted. If there were experts here, he could legitimately lose the competition and return in disgrace, causing the Sect Leader’s plan to be ruined before it even started.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out among the crowd, and people began whispering and discussing something.
Gu Ming followed everyone’s gaze and saw two people approaching through the air from a distance.
One of the two was a young woman.
She wore a veil, but her beautiful eyes above it were like the bright moon and stars, shining and drawing everyone’s attention.
She had long, smooth hair and wore beautiful silver earrings. A light blue dress outlined her graceful figure, and she wore a pair of strappy high heels on her feet.
She was like a fairy from the heavens who had suddenly descended.
According to the people around him, she was the Saintess of Saintess Mountain — Shen Lingxi.
Next to Shen Lingxi was an old man with white hair, though his complexion was ruddy and showed no signs of old age.
This person was Elder Zhong, one of the elders in charge of recruiting disciples this time.
As soon as the two of them landed on the high platform, the people below began to talk.
“The Saintess actually came?”
“Isn’t this just a common entry trial for Outer Disciples?”
“Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect to be able to see the Saintess on such an occasion.”
…
Listening to the crowd’s discussions, Gu Ming felt the same confusion in his heart.
He looked toward the Saintess on the high platform. In just an instant, he noticed that she was also looking his way.
‘What the… what the hell?’
‘Did she just look at me?’
Gu Ming was startled, but exclamations of surprise soon reached his ears.
“The Saintess looked at me!”
“No, the Saintess was clearly looking at me just now.”
“It’s me, it’s me!”
…
Hearing these voices, Gu Ming suddenly felt a bit foolish for being so narcissistic.
When he looked back again, the Saintess was already chatting with Elder Zhong beside her.
On the high platform.
The corners of Shen Lingxi’s lips curled up slightly, and a flicker of heat passed through her eyes. ‘You’re finally here, Brother Gu Ming.’
‘The mere Demon Cult Leader is nothing more than this.’
‘He still fell into my trap!’
Shen Lingxi was extremely proud of herself, and she was almost beaming with joy.
Her gaze would occasionally drift toward Gu Ming in the crowd, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes.
‘This time, I will not allow you to leave me again. Not even the Alliance Leader can stop me!’