Facing her Master’s solemn teachings, Gu Qingying’s mood was unusually complex.
She could only lower her eyelashes to hide the complicated emotions in her eyes and quietly respond.
“Hmm. Disciple understands. Thank you for your concern, Master.”
“Hehe… It’s good that you understand.”
Lu Li saw that his disciple seemed to have taken it to heart, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then he reminded her a few more times to rest well and consolidate her cultivation, and told her the location of the Nuanke for bathing before turning and leaving the room.
As the door quietly closed, Gu Qingying’s tense body finally relaxed.
She weakly sat back on the edge of the bed, still tightly clutching the soft strip of white cloth in her hand, which seemed to retain the warmth of her Master’s fingertips and a trace of sweat.
Pressing the cloth against her flushed cheek, Gu Qingying felt a sweetness in her heart from her Master’s gentle care, yet an inexplicable wave of helplessness and bitterness surged within her.
Suppressing the complex emotions inside, she then made her way to the eastern Nuanke to wash away the grime on her body.
Gu Qingying gently pushed open the door to the Nuanke.
The warm, moist steam mingled with the familiar fragrance of spiritual plants and greeted her.
The large open-air bathing pool came into view.
The water was clear and misted with a faint water-element spiritual aura.
A few petals floated quietly on the surface, spreading a sense of calm and focus.
Everything before her was exactly as she remembered from her past life—luxurious yet tranquil.
She walked slowly into the space.
Inside the vast Nuanke, only the soft sound of flowing water and her own light footsteps could be heard, making the silence feel particularly lonely.
Her fingertips brushed over the slightly warm edge of the pool, and a moment of daze appeared in her eyes.
Once upon a time, this place was far from so desolate.
Her memory was always filled with several senior sisters playing here, splashing water about, laughing joyously, sometimes teasing one another with kind-hearted comparisons about their figures and appearances.
Those vivid, lively scenes now seemed as distant as events from a past life.
Well… to her, those really were matters from a past life.
A faint, bittersweet smile tinged Gu Qingying’s lips.
Back then, worries were simple—whether it was Master assigning her difficult tasks, or a senior sister’s cultivation progress making her feel pressured…
Or perhaps… her secret envy and inferiority over the senior sisters’ graceful figures compared to her own slightly underdeveloped body.
Now that she had been reborn and once again stood alone by this familiar bathing pool, those noisy, warm memories felt like another world.
The quietness in the air even made her feel a chill that pierced to the bone.
Yet, these thoughts flashed only briefly before Gu Qingying forcibly suppressed them.
Considering everything from her previous life, it was better that Duanqing Peak remained somewhat cold and quiet.
Gu Qingying took off her filthy robes, then slowly immersed her slender body into the warm pool water, allowing the spiritual liquid of the Ling Pool to envelop her.
She closed her eyes, tiny droplets on her long lashes like fleeting clouds drifting past the regrets of her past life.
Rather than letting her senior sisters fight tooth and nail, suffering countless hardships alongside Master and herself, it was better to keep them away from this place where storms and troubles were ever ready to erupt, and let this Nuanke remain quietly deserted…
At the very least, it would keep them safe.
As these thoughts passed through her mind, Gu Qingying unconsciously recalled the words Master Lu Li had just said to her—the ones urging her to be open and honest with him.
At the memory, a faint look of relief appeared on her lips.
Sure enough, Master really was as kind as ever…
But, Master…
The corners of Gu Qingying’s mouth curved bitterly.
Some secrets, a disciple truly could not reveal.
After all, things like rebirth—existing only in folk tales—were nothing but fleeting legends even in the cultivation world.
If she told Master, would he believe her?
Or would he think she had gone mad from cultivation mishaps, suffering from hallucinations?
Or worse, would he see her as a schemer disguised as a woman trying to sneak into Duanqing Peak?
Though her Master was gentle, if she revealed these things, he might become angry, feeling deceived, and brand her as a madwoman or liar.
In the end, she would lose the right to stay by his side and train under him forever!
Gu Qingying could not take that risk, nor dare to.
Moreover, even if she wanted to speak out…
Even if Master searched her soul, that mysterious system in her mind would surely not allow it.
Thinking this through, Gu Qingying glanced at the bottom of the recognition modification system page in her mind, where a line of blood-red words glowed faintly—
[If the host reveals the existence of the system to ordinary people without a system, the system will eliminate the host.]
Sorry… Master, it’s not that your disciple deliberately wants to hide these secrets from you…
But disciple truly cannot say!
If I want to protect you, then these secrets and my feelings for you must be buried deep in my heart…
As Gu Qingying was lost in these thoughts, a faint mechanical clicking sound suddenly grew louder, approaching her from afar.
She snapped her eyes open and saw a dark-toned wooden automaton owl, exquisitely crafted, silently gliding through the mist and precisely landing beside the white jade pool.
The owl’s eyes flickered with a faint spiritual light, quietly observing Gu Qingying in the pool.
The softness in Gu Qingying’s eyes immediately vanished, replaced by a calmness and depth that belied her youthful appearance.
She showed no surprise at the sudden visitor, instead slowly rising from the pool.
Glistening droplets slid down her slender yet powerful curves.
She casually grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around herself.
Her wet hair clung to her fair neck, adding a delicate beauty, but her gaze was sharp as a blade.
Gu Qingying approached the wooden owl and gently touched its head with her finger.
The owl’s beak opened, and a clear, respectful, elegant female voice emerged.
“Reporting to Young Master: The woman you instructed us to watch for before you left was discovered a week ago in Luoyun City of Jin State.”
“After repeated identity verification, we followed your previous instructions and introduced her to the Tianjian Sect. After the sect leader examined her sword bone, he was astonished and took her in as a direct disciple.”
“She has already been granted her talisman at the Tianjian Sect. Everything is proceeding smoothly without any signs of exposure.”
Upon hearing this, the tight line of Gu Qingying’s lips relaxed slightly, a faint smile of relief appearing.
“Good. Well done.”
Her voice was calm and steady, carrying the natural tone of one in command.
“No further special attention is needed. Just ensure her ties with the Tianjian Sect remain firm, and continue to closely track the whereabouts of the other three girls.”
“I’m tired! You may withdraw!”
At her words, the spiritual light in the owl’s eyes flickered once, then it silently spread its wings and vanished into the night as quietly as it had come.
Gazing up at the cold, bright moon overhead, Gu Qingying muttered with firm resolve.
“Hehe… Senior Sister. This life, the Tianjian Sect is truly your best home.”
“There lies the most suitable sword cultivation inheritance for you, and a future brighter and more open than the Xu Ling Sect…”
“You won’t have to be dragged into the chaos of Duanqing Peak again.”
“Likewise, you need not feel sad or sorrowful for me… or for him anymore.”
“So, just cultivate there with peace of mind.”
As she spoke, her eyes grew brighter, like the most persistent star in the dark night.
“As for Master… this life, I will be the one to protect him…”
No sooner had Gu Qingying finished speaking than her left pupil suddenly flushed with a streak of blood red.
Immediately, her body trembled violently.
A cold and violent aura surged from her dantian, fiercely assaulting her limbs and bones!
At the same time, the blood vessels in her face darkened, as if something was trying to seize control of this body.
“Hmph…”
Gu Qingying let out a muffled grunt, then sat cross-legged inside the Nuanke, hands trembling as she struggled to form a seal.
“If the heart is like the Bodhi fruit reflecting the glazed mirror, the sago palm’s secret technique dispels the evil thoughts!”
As she chanted, cool, glazed blue light appeared at her chest, like chains pressing down on the restless black aura, forcing it back inside.
When the unusual aura settled, Gu Qingying opened her eyes and exhaled heavily, then spat lowly.
“Ugh… Gu Hongchen! You wretched beast, how dare you act recklessly at this moment!”
“Hmph! Once I push the Purification Heart Technique to the sixth level, it will be your death day, you evil spirit!”