By the time Gu Qinghan snapped back to her senses, the Cave Residence was already spotless.
Not a single trace of Zhong Yu’s existence remained.
If not for the deep, agonizing wounds on her cheeks, she would have doubted whether the other woman had even been there today.
She struggled to prop herself up, turning her gaze toward the tiny creature before her.
“Are you Qian Yu? You killed her… but, this power — “
“Alright. I know you have many questions, but put your confusion aside for now. Let’s treat your injuries first.”
Qian Yu walked over to the Cold Jade Table, preparing to check Gu Qinghan’s condition.
The moment the words left her mouth, the still-innocent young girl shook her head violently.
“Don’t touch me! The wounds on my face are highly toxic!”
Even if Qian Yu had used some unknown method to erase Zhong Yu, in Gu Qinghan’s eyes, she was still the frail little half-yao who would arrive at the mountain peak huffing and puffing.
This poison was agonizing enough to make even her suffer; the little half-yao would surely die the moment she touched it.
Gu Qinghan tried her best to stop Qian Yu with her gaze.
However, it was useless.
Qian Yu’s fingertips brushed against the mangled, rotting flesh of the wounds on her face.
‘How could she be so reckless!’
Gu Qinghan’s heart sank. Yet, the scene that followed caused her pupils to shrink as if she were in a dream.
The little half-yao before her was still the same small, fluffy, and cute creature she remembered coming up the mountain to talk to her.
However, the energy emanating from her fingertips was dreamlike and incredibly soothing.
It was like moonlight, like a gentle stream, yet it contained a vast vitality that Gu Qinghan had never seen before—one she hadn’t even dared to imagine.
As the energy brushed over the wounds, the mangled flesh stopped bleeding, and the torn cheeks began to knit back together.
The insidious poisons that Zhong Yu claimed could only be eradicated by a divine object of the Fifth Realm acted as if they had met their natural nemesis.
They were purified instantly.
In just a few breaths, Gu Qinghan felt the hideous wounds on her face vanish without a trace.
Her skin was as smooth as before, without even a single scar left behind.
Her heart shook violently.
However, the energy from Qian Yu’s fingertips was not finished.
These toxins, sourced from the Nalan Family’s private collection and provided by Tang Qiurou, were meant for more than just permanently scarring Gu Qinghan’s face.
Their true malice lay in a hidden Cold Poison that targeted the dantian and the meridians of the entire body.
Initially, it was extremely subtle and almost impossible to sense.
But once spiritual power began to flow, or if one tried to circulate a cultivation technique to regulate their breathing, the Cold Poison would instantly spread through the entire body.
In her past life, Gu Qinghan had almost died from qi deviation because of this.
Even though she had narrowly survived, her meridians had been destroyed, turning her into a useless person and forcing her to taste the bitterness of human indifference.
But now, this stubborn Cold Poison—which in her previous life had only been thoroughly removed after she met Yingning—was being rapidly neutralized without any resistance under the vast, pure, and gentle spiritual power from Qian Yu’s fingertips, like the spring sun melting a glacier.
Gu Qinghan’s body trembled slightly.
The warm, cozy comfort spreading through her caused the black-haired girl, usually as cold and aloof as a lunar fairy, to frown slightly.
Even her breathing became a bit shallow and labored.
She stared blankly at Qian Yu, who was mere inches away, noting the calm, indifferent, and almost casual expression on her small face.
She couldn’t believe that the person before her was the same little creature who, after being saved once, insisted on following her and begging to be her friend.
And…
What kind of majestic power was this?
Gu Qinghan’s unfocused eyes gradually regained their clarity.
She dazedly touched her restored cheeks and felt the spiritual power flowing through her body again—power that felt even purer than before.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
Even if she hadn’t been reborn, her talent had already brought her into contact with many Venerables.
She had even met the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable, who was at the peak of the Venerable rank.
Yet… the power they displayed didn’t seem nearly as miraculous as this.
It wasn’t that they weren’t strong enough; it was that, in terms of sheer level, they seemed a step below the little fox in front of her.
A Venerable… or… a Saint?!
Recalling the elegance with which Qian Yu had erased Zhong Yu from the world with a single snap of her fingers, the guess surfacing in her mind caused the girl, whose Dao Heart was usually unshakable, to swallow hard.
Once the treatment was over, she sat up.
Her gaze toward Qian Yu was now filled with a hint of awe and apprehension.
It was for no other reason than the fact that in the Cultivation World, the capable were shown respect first.
And a “Saint,” even if they only possessed half the qualities of one, was an absolute senior.
This was even truer considering Gu Qinghan was currently just a small disciple of the Third Realm.
“Thank you… Qian Yu… Senior Qian…”
Hearing Gu Qinghan’s slightly weak voice, Qian Yu fell silent for a moment.
Once upon a time, she had been so careful and cautious in front of Gu Qinghan.
Her smiles had to be precise, and her words had to be carefully weighed, fearing that a single mistake or slip-up would arouse the other’s suspicion.
But now…
She had merely done something so casual, yet the one being cautious was now the other party.
Hearing that hesitant “Senior,” Qian Yu felt something deep in her heart shift slightly.
She didn’t know if the girl was in awe of her or the power she wielded.
When she spoke softly, saying that Gu Qinghan had saved her once and there was no need for such formality because they could still be friends, she only received an even more reverent response after the girl let out a sigh of relief.
This caused Qian Yu to fall into an even deeper silence.
This was Gu Qinghan.
If it were anyone else, she couldn’t imagine what the scene would look like.
Every tiny bit of her kindness or every word she spoke would probably be interpreted and analyzed without limit, wouldn’t it?
Just like she used to do.
As Qian Yu remained silent, the already cold Cave Residence fell into a total hush.
It was so quiet that they could only hear the sound of each other’s breathing.
However, for Gu Qinghan, the shock caused by Qian Yu’s cultivation was secondary to the question weighing on her mind — why did Zhong Yu do it?
She had helped her so many times, hadn’t she?
“Heh heh, little one, it seems you have a lot on your mind. I won’t let you call me Senior for nothing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Gu Qinghan’s eyes lit up.
She subconsciously looked toward Qian Yu, wanting to pour out her countless sorrows and questions.
But seeing the other’s tiny stature, she swallowed them back down.
Regardless of the other’s cultivation, the image of the girl calling her “Senior Sister” and refusing to leave her side was too ingrained in her mind.
She didn’t want her negative emotions to affect Qian Yu.
Furthermore, she didn’t think that someone younger than her could answer the doubts in her heart.
“Tch. You just don’t understand why Zhong Yu betrayed you, do you? And now you’re hesitating about whether you should help others in the future. To think you don’t even understand such a simple truth, yet you dare look at me with those skeptical eyes.”
Qian Yu crossed her arms and gave a disdainful smile.
Regardless of her cultivation or state of mind, she was ultimately still that fox who loved to take it easy.
Usually, if she couldn’t figure something out, she would just give up.
But right now, an opportunity to act like a grandmaster was right in front of her.
If she didn’t show off now, would she even be human?
She looked at the still-disbelieving Gu Qinghan with a gaze that was both weathered and gentle.
Despite her small size, she tucked her hands behind her back and adopted the tone of an old predecessor, speaking with maternal affection.
“Child, remember this. When someone discovers there is no cost to betraying you, betrayal becomes an inevitability. You can continue to be kind, but you must also let people know at all times that you have the decisiveness and the ability to withdraw that grace and deliver punishment whenever you wish.”
Immediately after, seeing Gu Qinghan’s expression—which looked as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer, suddenly realizing something—Qian Yu almost burst out laughing.
She had done the exact same thing Zhong Yu did; who could understand it better than her? Heh heh heh.
“Then… why is it that even though I helped Zhong Yu so many, many times, the one time I refused her, she saw it as a massive insult and even wanted to kill me…?”
“A small favor breeds gratitude, but constant charity breeds resentment. You help those in a crisis, but you don’t provide for the chronically poor. Believe it or not, compared to you—her true benefactor—Zhong Yu would currently be far more grateful to Tang Qiurou, who doesn’t even look her in the eye and only lets a few Spirit Stones slip through her fingernails.”
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