At this moment, Lu Ning was trapped in a state of deep conflict.
What should she do now?
Should she “interrogate” that crazy Eldest Princess right in front of her rebellious disciple, getting revenge for everything the princess had done to her?
Just imagining the scene made Lu Ning tremble all over.
If she actually did that, her rebellious disciple, Gu Qinghuan, would absolutely turn dark on the spot.
But if she did nothing, it would be hard to give Gu Qinghuan an explanation.
Gu Qinghuan had already made a concession by promising to spare Ji Linglong’s life afterward.
As it stood, this seemed like an unsolvable predicament.
Just as Lu Ning was caught between a rock and a hard place, preparing to enact some token revenge, a very polite knock suddenly echoed through the room, sounding exceptionally jarring in the eerie silence.
The three people inside the room froze simultaneously.
A flicker of doubt crossed the eyes of both Lu Ning and Ji Linglong, while Gu Qinghuan’s brow furrowed instinctively.
Could it be that the Imperial City guards had found them already?
No, the knocking was too polite; it didn’t sound like those crude guards.
“Sister Qinghuan, it’s me.”
A gentle, pleasant voice, like a mountain spring, drifted in from outside the door.
It was none other than Su Yuexi.
Gu Qinghuan’s expression relaxed slightly, but the confusion in her eyes deepened.
Wasn’t Su Yuexi supposed to be waiting outside the Imperial City to provide support?
How did she find her way directly here?
“Come in,” Gu Qinghuan said indifferently.
The door was slowly pushed open, and a beautiful figure dressed in a pale green silken dress appeared at the entrance.
The newcomer was the Sect Leader of the Hundred Flowers Valley, Su Yuexi.
A perfectly poised smile sat on her face as her gaze swept across the room.
She looked slightly surprised when she saw Ji Linglong on the floor and Gu Qinghuan standing nearby with a cold expression.
“Sister Qinghuan, it seems you’ve succeeded.”
Su Yuexi’s tone was calm as she stepped inside and casually closed the door behind her.
“How did you find this place?”
Gu Qinghuan’s tone carried a hint of displeasure.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me outside the city?”
“Don’t misunderstand, sister.”
Su Yuexi smiled warmly, her smile like a spring breeze that carried not a hint of hostility.
“I sensed several powerful auras coming from the direction of the palace. Worried for your safety, I took the liberty of coming to check on you.”
She paused, turning her gaze toward Ji Linglong on the floor.
“The entire capital is currently under martial law. Every entrance and exit has been completely sealed, and several Ancestors of the Great Desolate Dynasty are personally overseeing the situation. Leaving now would probably be harder than ascending to heaven. I stayed because I wanted to see if I could be of any help.”
Su Yuexi spoke with such sincerity that she truly seemed like a loyal sister willing to risk everything for a friend.
After hearing her explanation, the icy look on Gu Qinghuan’s face softened slightly.
Although she was confident in her own strength, escaping the heavily guarded capital while protecting a Master with weak cultivation was indeed no easy task.
Having an extra hand was always a good thing.
Furthermore, although Su Yuexi was only the Sect Leader of the Hundred Flowers Valley, she had extensive connections and a high reputation among the righteous path.
She was socially adept and might truly have a special way out.
“Sect Leader Su, what kind of plan could you have?”
Gu Qinghuan asked.
“A way… there is always a way.”
Suddenly, Su Yuexi’s gaze moved past Gu Qinghuan and landed on Lu Ning, who was standing behind her.
From the moment she entered, she had noticed the woman standing behind Gu Qinghuan.
Although the woman was only wearing white inner robes, her face and that unique temperament gave Su Yuexi an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Moreover, Gu Qinghuan’s almost obsessive protective stance toward her filled Su Yuexi with curiosity.
“Sister Qinghuan, this lady is…”
Su Yuexi asked tentatively.
However, before Gu Qinghuan could answer, Su Yuexi’s pupils contracted violently.
Her gaze locked onto Lu Ning’s face, and for the first time, her gentle, pretty face showed a look of unbelievable shock.
That face… those eyes…
Even though the temperament and demeanor were worlds apart from the person in her memories, she would never forget that face.
“The… the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
Su Yuexi’s voice trembled slightly.
The moment Lu Ning saw Su Yuexi’s face clearly, her entire mind went numb.
Su Yuexi! The Sect Leader of the Hundred Flowers Valley!
If there was anyone in this world besides Ji Linglong who harbored a bone-deep “hatred” for the original “Lu Ning,” this woman—who seemed as gentle as water—was definitely one of them.
Lu Ning’s mind flashed back to the lore regarding Su Yuexi’s background in the game “Immortal Demon Era.”
It happened a long time ago.
At that time, Su Yuexi was just a bright, ambitious young girl.
Born into a declining cultivation family, she had traveled thousands of miles to seek greater power, arriving at the gate of the then-flourishing Heavenly Demon Sect to beg Lu Ning to take her as a disciple.
However, her hopeful pleas were met with cold rejection.
After personally inspecting her foundation, the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Lu Ning, left her with only one icy sentence.
“Your talent is mediocre, your will is weak; you are destined for nothing. This Seat does not accept trash.”
Those words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing all of the girl’s passion and hope.
But Su Yuexi did not give up.
She firmly believed that hard work could make up for a lack of talent; as long as she worked hard enough, she would surely move the high-and-mighty Sect Leader.
And so, she knelt before the gates of the Heavenly Demon Sect for seven days and seven nights without rising.
She did not waver through the wind, the rain, or the scorching sun.
Her perseverance even moved some of the disciples and elders of the Heavenly Demon Sect, who spoke up on her behalf, hoping Lu Ning would at least accept her as an outer disciple.
However, that heart-of-stone Sect Leader ultimately gave her no chance.
To completely sever Su Yuexi’s hopes and to demonstrate the prestige of the Heavenly Demon Sect, “Lu Ning” personally acted, planting a vicious curse inside her body—the Hundred Flowers Heart-Eroding Curse.
The curse was not fatal, nor did it affect her cultivation of righteous arts.
But the moment she dared to try practicing any demonic arts, the curse would activate instantly, causing her to feel the excruciating pain of ten thousand ants devouring her heart and the sensation of her soul being torn apart.
This effectively severed any possibility of her ever entering the demonic path.
After planting the curse, “Lu Ning” left one final sentence for the girl, who was on the verge of death from kneeling.
“You are no longer destined for the demonic path in this life. Get lost, and don’t let This Seat see you again.”
It was at that exact moment that all of Su Yuexi’s admiration and longing turned into a towering hatred.
She swore a blood oath at the gates of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
One day, she would make Lu Ning pay for her arrogance.
She would make that high-and-mighty demon admit with her own mouth that she had been wrong!
Recalling this extremely dramatic and bitter backstory from the game, Lu Ning felt her vision go dark, almost fainting on the spot.
It was over.
Everything was completely over.
One rebellious disciple, one crazy Eldest Princess, and now a “victim” who hated her to the bone.
Su Yuexi’s goal from the start probably wasn’t to help Gu Qinghuan, but to personally see the miserable state of her “enemy.”
Lu Ning could feel Su Yuexi’s seemingly gentle gaze scanning her up and down.
Just as Lu Ning began to calculate whether she should just play dead, something completely unexpected happened.
Su Yuexi took a deep breath, suppressing the thousand thoughts in her heart.
Then, she slowly bowed toward Lu Ning, performing the grand salute of a junior to a senior.
“Su Yuexi of the Hundred Flowers Valley greets Sect Leader Lu.”
“It has been many years, yet the Sect Leader’s grace is as it was then.”
“I was young and ignorant back then and offended you greatly; I hope the Sect Leader can forgive me.”
“If not for the palm strike the Sect Leader gave me back then, which woke me from my dream, I would not have achieved what I have today.”
“I will never forget the great kindness you showed me, Sect Leader.”
Lu Ning: “????”
Hearing Su Yuexi’s “sincere” words and seeing her face full of “gratitude,” Lu Ning felt her worldview being shattered once again.
What… what was going on?
This wasn’t the script! Shouldn’t she have drawn her blade immediately to settle old and new grudges?
What exactly was this woman trying to do?
Meanwhile, seeing Su Yuexi recognize Lu Ning’s identity, Gu Qinghuan’s face instantly darkened.
A cold killing intent radiated from her body, locking onto Su Yuexi.
“Sect Leader Su…”
“If a single word about my Master’s identity as a woman leaks from your mouth…”
“I guarantee the entire Hundred Flowers Valley will be buried with you.”