Her graceful figure moved with light steps. Beneath the white veil, her bright, dark almond eyes slowly cast a glance this way. Her skin, like ice and jade, seemed like a fairy descended from heaven.
Du Chun and the others, unable to avert their gazes, were captivated by her.
Though they considered themselves experienced with women, they had never encountered one with such extraordinary aura.
As the woman slowly approached, Gu Qianying's gaze swept over her. When she looked at Bai Xianhua again, her eyes were fixed on this woman.
Yet, despite this, the demonic energy surrounding him had not dissipated.
The bell had clearly been shattered, so why did he seem even more frenzied?
Gu Qianying formed a seal, confining the Scarlet Blood Saber before Bai Xianhua, using its scattered blood essence to contain his demonic energy.
She landed beside Nangong Mo, supporting his body as she walked towards the Bai family members.
At this moment, Bai Yuetian's eyes flashed with cunning, and one could only wonder what he was plotting.
Watching the woman step by step towards Bai Xianhua, Gu Qianying and everyone else were puzzled by her identity.
"She is Fairy Mingyuan, but how is she alive?"
Those who had ascended in the immortal realm could not be resurrected from death. Her demise had occurred a thousand years ago; how could she reappear here now?
Although Nangong Mo had revealed her identity, he too was perplexed by the mystery of her life and death.
As the few watched in astonishment, the Bai family members all knelt before the woman in white, calling out, "Fairy Mingyuan."
It was said that if an immortal's physical form merely perished, they could still transform their essence and reshape their immortal body to live again after a thousand years.
However, someone who had ascended and then returned to life was unprecedented.
To put it plainly, only a feigned death could explain this.
Gu Qianying did not voice her conjecture, but as the woman in white reassembled the shattered bell and slowly turned to face them, her spiritual consciousness began to flicker.
Xuan Ling Nu, who had been in seclusion, had not appeared for a long time. This time, her awakening only transmitted a faint voice.
"She was never benevolent. Your conjecture is correct; Mingyuan's death back then was indeed not straightforward. You must be extremely cautious."
After saying this, her spiritual consciousness closed again. However, Gu Qianying now understood the true nature of Fairy Mingyuan. Though shocked by this outcome, since she knew everything, she would absolutely not allow those around her to be harmed.
Observing the approaching figure, Gu Qianying waved her hand, creating a barrier.
"I'm afraid, Fairy, it would be best if you didn't come closer." She blocked the woman's advance and nudged Nangong Li, signaling him to hold Xiao Yihao further away.
Everyone was somewhat confused.
Nangong Mo had once said that Fairy Mingyuan was a kind and gentle immortal maiden who, a thousand years ago, had met an unfortunate end precisely because of her kindness, which led to her being taken advantage of.
As for why she had come back to life, perhaps it was heaven's way of not tolerating the wicked continuing their evil deeds.
"Susu, I think she is here to stop my brother's evil deeds as well. Is your hostility not a bit misplaced?" Nangong Mo, unaware of the full situation, naturally believed that appeasing his brother as quickly as possible was the priority.
However, just as Gu Qianying was about to speak, the woman in white spoke first.
"This young lady might have misunderstood. I am here precisely for the reason this gentleman mentioned. He has indeed changed so much."
Fairy Mingyuan's gaze was as clear as water. She turned and looked gently at Bai Xianhua, who was trapped, her eyes flowing with immeasurable emotion.
"Do not pretend to be pitiful and compassionate. If you truly pitied Bai Xianhua, and since you did not die, why did you allow yourself to be framed by villains and have your core essence extracted and suppressed beneath the Nine Nether Purgatory?"
This statement did hold some truth, but it was not pleasant to hear.
Bai Yuetian rubbed his chest and spoke with a choked voice.
"You do not know what Ah Yuan went through back then. The bone-scraping was real, and her leap from the Immortal Platform was true. It's just that I saved her afterward, and she remained in an endless darkness, asleep. For these thousand years, I truly believed she would never wake up."
His words were filled with feigned affection, as if he were not the one who had committed evil deeds back then.
Hearing this, the Bai family members all turned their heads, dabbing at the corners of their eyes with their sleeves.
Their fairy had truly suffered greatly. Thinking of this, a few thoughtless Bai clan members began to accuse Gu Qianying.
"Where did you come from, woman? Not only are you meddling in our affairs, but you are also slandering our fairy maiden like this. Do you know how much injustice the fairy has suffered over the past thousand years?"
At this moment, someone stepped forward to distinguish right from wrong. It was as if these were not the same people who had hidden in a corner, afraid to come out and argue, after being beaten by Bai Xianhua.
Seeing these people curse him as if he were ungrateful for his good intentions, Du Chun and the others, despite their doubts, chose to stand by Gu Qianying.
Nangong Mo naturally protected his beloved.
He placed a hand on Gu Qianying's hand and glared fiercely at the few talkative individuals.
"The matter of the fairy's life and death has nothing to do with us. My wife's intentions are for everyone's safety. If you are ungrateful, so be it. But if you continue to speak sarcastically, I don't know whose face my sword will end up in front of."
His words indeed silenced the few talkative Bai clan members.
Fairy Mingyuan lowered her head and smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned by Gu Qianying's hostility. Instead, she shifted her focus and walked to Bai Xianhua's side.
Without the strange sounds of the bell, the demonic energy around Bai Xianhua was slowly dissipating, but his gaze towards Mingyuan was filled with deep affection.
This was the person he had longed for, the one he had thought of even in death.
Now that she had not ascended and was standing before him in good health, Bai Xianhua's eyes softened instantly, his previous ferocity replaced by immense tenderness.
"Hua Lang, have you been well these past thousand years?" the woman in white slowly asked, her fingers gently touching Bai Xianhua's cheek.
The familiar sensation washed over him again. Bai Xianhua couldn't help but swallow, his voice hoarse as he spoke.
"To be able to see you again, what happened before is no longer important."
His heart had long been filled with obsession. Even without the demonic energy, he still appeared somewhat disoriented.
Seeing him like this, Fairy Mingyuan took his hand.
"In the past, I made a wrong choice in a moment of carelessness. The subsequent suffering has brought me immense pain. Now, will you take me away from here?" Her deep affection flowed like water, making it impossible to refuse.
Taking his beloved's hand once more, Bai Xianhua's eyes were solely on this woman. His gaze never left her, and his steps followed her movement.
"I know they all want you to stay, but why? You have already endured a thousand years of suffering. Must you still be used by them to eliminate those they don't want around?"
Although Fairy Mingyuan's words did not explicitly name anyone, at this moment, the only one connected to Bai Xianhua was Nangong Mo.
Seeing that his mind had been controlled, Gu Qianying placed the Scarlet Blood Saber between them, blocking their path.
"He cannot go with you."