Gu Qiushui slowly closed her eyes.
Spiritual power surged rapidly within her pupils.
Before her, a scene began to take shape—blurry at first, then gradually becoming clear.
Divine Ability — Clairvoyance Across a Thousand Miles.
In the vision was a vast wasteland.
At the center of the wasteland stood a towering structure that rose straight into the clouds.
The tower was built from bluish-gray massive stones and looked ancient and weathered.
Her gaze passed through the exterior and peered inside.
Within the tower, in an empty room—
It was her junior brother, Chen Yuyang.
But what she saw next left Gu Qiushui utterly dumbfounded.
The young man was being forcibly pinned beneath a red-clad girl.
Gu Qiushui recognized her immediately.
It was none other than Yan Luo, the eldest miss of the Yan family.
At this moment, Yan Luo straddled the boy, her face flushed, her breath warm and fragrant.
Heated breaths brushed against Chen Yuyang’s neck.
A faintly ambiguous smile curved at her lips, her eyes hazy as she murmured,
“What are you still waiting for, Yuyang~ Just give in to me~ I, Yan Luo, will offer the entire Yan family as my dowry. Am I still not worthy of you?”
As she spoke, one of her hands roamed restlessly across his chest.
Chen Yuyang’s expression remained largely unchanged, still calm and composed.
Only his deep eyes hinted that he was thinking about something.
He did not resist.
He simply allowed Yan Luo to continue her actions.
…
The sight made Gu Qiushui’s expression change drastically.
She couldn’t help crying out,
“Ah! What is Junior Brother doing?!”
How could he be with her…
And pressed beneath her like that…
Even his clothes…
Could it be that Yan Luo had taken a liking to him and used some underhanded method to capture him, intending to make him her—slave?
Despicable!
Absolutely shameless!
As the eldest miss of the Yan family, how could she behave so brazenly?
No!
She absolutely could not allow this to happen!
How could her junior brother’s precious virgin body be taken by such a shameless woman?!
But separated by countless thousands of miles, even though her heart burned with anxiety, Gu Qiushui could only watch helplessly.
Right!
Master!
Where was Master?
As long as she found Master, they could rescue Junior Brother from this predicament.
Gu Qiushui did not dare delay.
She quickly circulated her spiritual power again, activating the Clairvoyance ability once more.
This time, she searched for her master.
Her gaze pierced across endless mountain ranges, crossed surging rivers and vast seas.
Finally, it arrived at a shattered stretch of land.
Her sight locked onto a square bronze disk.
Before she could think further, her vision passed through the bronze disk and entered a fragmented, ruined small world.
The place was desolate.
The sky was gray and dim.
Cracks covered the earth.
At the center of this broken world, Bu Lingxuan lay quietly upon a relatively flat rock.
Her eyes were closed, her face pale as paper, her lips dry and cracked.
She was unconscious, her aura so weak it was nearly imperceptible.
Not far from her, Ling Xi sat cross-legged, faint spiritual energy surrounding her as she cultivated.
“What happened to Master?!” Seeing this, Gu Qiushui felt her heart clench painfully.
Master was clearly gravely injured!
Could this have been done by the Yan family?
Had they kidnapped Junior Brother and injured Master as well?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Fury surged within her, her body trembling with anger.
No.
Master’s condition looked far too dire.
Though Junior Sister Ling Xi was there, her cultivation was shallow—she couldn’t possibly protect Master!
And the condition of that broken small world was unknown.
They could face danger at any moment!
She had to do something.
She absolutely could not stand by and watch.
Gu Qiushui forced herself to calm down.
Her gaze slowly retreated, carefully memorizing the route from her current position to that fragmented small world.
The direction of the mountains.
The distribution of the rivers.
She engraved everything into her mind.
As for Junior Brother…
Though it looked like he was about to be defiled by Yan Luo—
Gu Qiushui bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
If he were defiled, then so be it.
At least his life would not be in danger.
The urgent priority was to find Master and save her!
As long as Master awakened, there would still be hope!
Gu Qiushui’s eyes became resolute.
She took a deep breath.
Beside her, Yun Xiu watched her senior sister’s shifting expressions—anger, grief—and felt confused.
What had Senior Sister seen?
Yun Xiu did not know.
But soon, Gu Qiushui abruptly turned around.
“Yun Xiu, stay in the sect. Senior Sister is going out.”
“Oh, and go find Senior Sister Chunshuang. Tell her to stop her closed-door cultivation… The sect is in trouble. Perhaps… perhaps…”
Gu Qiushui did not finish.
There was no time to explain.
After giving brief instructions, her figure transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward the direction revealed by her clairvoyance.
As for Chen Yuyang—
At this very moment, he was under attack.
Looking at the girl before him, now lost in illusion, eyes unfocused as she frantically pushed against him, he felt nothing but helplessness.
Recalling what had just happened, Chen Yuyang couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been set up.
And to explain what happened, it would have to begin three hours earlier.
…
Inside the room, Yan Luo flipped through a book she had secretly taken from the library.
That “forbidden book.”
But it wasn’t forbidden because it was evil.
It was simply… not suitable for children.
Yan Luo had stolen it quietly.
Her purpose, naturally, was study and research.
After all, she knew very little about matters between men and women.
Even if she wanted to take the initiative, she didn’t quite know how.
“Ohhh… beneath flowers and moonlight, fine wine and beauty… there must be atmosphere… I see… atmosphere is important!”
Reading the scenes described in the book, the girl couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.
So this was the key.
Just being in a room—what was romantic about that?
No wonder all her hints had received no response.
Looks like it had to be something more… adventurous after all.
She chose what she believed to be the perfect location and decided she would invite him out.
When the time came, she refused to believe he wouldn’t be moved.
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.
Yan Luo immediately went to look for Chen Yuyang.
But after knocking on his door, she learned he had already left.
After asking the servants, she found out that her grandfather had summoned Chen Yuyang to the front courtyard for a banquet.
Yan Luo pouted, muttering to herself in dissatisfaction.
Grandfather, honestly… of all times to invite him, it had to be now.
After pacing around the courtyard several times, she finally couldn’t restrain herself and headed toward the front courtyard.
However, she did not enter, instead standing outside and watching from a distance.
…
Inside the banquet hall of the front courtyard, the lights were bright and lively, cups clinking in celebration.
Yan Dangmo sat to one side, his booming voice introducing Chen Yuyang to the gathered guests.
In his words, he made no effort to hide his appreciation and regard for the young man.
Most of the Yan family members present were seeing Chen Yuyang for the first time.
But seeing how highly the old ancestor regarded him, and hearing of the great fame he had gained at the Alchemy Convention—along with the fact that he was now personally teaching Yan Luo fire-control techniques—how could they not understand Yan Dangmo’s intentions?
Thus, one by one, they set aside any trace of condescension, raising their cups toward Chen Yuyang with compliments such as “A hero emerges young” and “Truly accomplished at such a tender age.”
Chen Yuyang maintained a polite, neither humble nor arrogant smile.
Though he felt little enthusiasm for such occasions, basic social courtesy could not be avoided.
After several rounds of drinking and some time had passed, Chen Yuyang judged it sufficient.
He feigned slight intoxication, cupped his hands respectfully toward Yan Dangmo and the others, and said: “Esteemed seniors, this junior cannot hold his liquor. If I continue drinking, I fear I may lose my manners. I shall take my leave first.”
Yan Dangmo did not try to detain him, merely patting his shoulder.
“Little Chen, no need to stand on ceremony. Treat this as your own home. If you’re drunk, go back and rest well.”
Chen Yuyang nodded and turned to leave.
The night breeze was cool.
As it brushed across his face, the pretense of drunkenness instantly vanished.
His dark eyes returned to clarity.
However, he had not gone far when a red figure suddenly leapt out from behind a decorative rock formation, baring her teeth and claws in mock ferocity, blocking his path.
“Boo!”
Yan Luo made a fierce, clawing gesture.
Unfortunately, Chen Yuyang had already sensed her presence.
Having weathered many storms in his life, he showed no reaction at all.
“Hey, you weren’t scared?”
Yan Luo asked, somewhat disappointed.
“Why would I be scared?”
“Am I not scary?”
“Scary?” Chen Yuyang chuckled lightly.
“Not scary. A bit cute, though.”
Yan Luo’s pretty face flushed red.
Was… was that a compliment?
“It’s late. Why aren’t you resting? What are you doing out here?”
Chen Yuyang changed the subject casually.
“It’s still early for me. I just came out for a walk.”
“Not cultivating?”
“Cultivating…” Yan Luo’s eyelid twitched.
What kind of person talks about cultivating all day long?
“Ah, you have to relax sometimes! I’ve been cultivating so much lately my head’s about to explode.”
“I wanted to take a walk and clear my mind. Since you’re here, why don’t you come with me?”
“Now?”
Chen Yuyang frowned slightly, attempting to decline.
“I had a few drinks just now. I’m a bit drunk and would like to go back and rest.”
“Drunk? What drunk? It was just a few cups! Are you even a man?”
Yan Luo bit her lip, abandoning any pretense of restraint.
She reached out and grabbed his arm, outright acting spoiled.
“Just keep me company, okay?”
“It would be so boring by myself. And besides, I’m just a girl walking outside late at night. What if something dangerous happens? Would you really bear to see me get hurt?”
Listening to her words, Chen Yuyang felt speechless inside.
With your status, in Yan family territory, who would dare lay a hand on you?
But seeing the pleading look on her face, he ultimately softened.
He sighed helplessly and nodded.
“Alright. But we’re just taking a walk. And we must come back early.”
“I knew Yuyang, you’re the best!”
Yan Luo instantly beamed, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him forward as she ran outside.
Watching her lively, almost childlike excitement, Chen Yuyang could only feel a trace of helpless amusement.
He quickened his pace and followed after her.