Water, water all around,
Gu Qianying, Nangong Mo, and Ouyang Qingyang were submerged in the pool. The vast pool was empty, and the water was clear and icy.
This place was a cave, and the cave contained only a pool.
Cold, very cold, piercingly cold.
In the water, Gu Qianying shivered, her face pale, as if enduring extreme pain.
"Girl, don't be afraid, I'm here."
Suddenly, a pair of hands embraced her. Her water-soaked robes clung to her, and a gentle voice whispered in her ear.
Gu Qianying dared not open her eyes, but she could feel the warmth the person brought her.
In her fear, she suddenly grabbed his wrist, letting him lead her towards the shore.
She had been afraid of water since childhood. The suffocating feeling in the water would fill her with panic. Even though she had lived two lives, water remained her fear.
Fortunately, someone gave her a sliver of warmth, making her less afraid.
Exhausted, she fainted.
Watching Nangong Mo carry Gu Qianying ashore, Ouyang Qinglin, who had also fallen into the pool, harbored a hidden rage beneath his bewitching eyes. At the same time, he hadn't expected Gu Qianying, this fearless little thing, to be afraid of water.
Beneath his red robe, a small piece of silk fabric was clutched in his hand, soaking in the pool. He had intended to discard it but then hid it in his embrace.
Swimming ashore, he approached Nangong Mo, drew his sword, and pressed it against Nangong Mo's neck, his voice sinister and cold, "She is this Prince's consort, release her!"
Nangong Mo gently set Gu Qianying down. Without looking up at Ouyang Qinglin, he coldly uttered, "You are unworthy!"
His consort? Hah! A joke! She would only be his if he agreed!
The contempt and insult in his words sent Ouyang Qinglin's rage soaring.
"Nangong Mo, you seek death!"
Clenching his sword, he was about to attack Nangong Mo. Nangong Mo flicked his sleeve, unleashing a powerful surge of internal energy that struck directly at Ouyang Qinglin.
Ouyang Qinglin stumbled back a few steps, propping himself with his sword. He looked up, his gaze chillingly fixed on Nangong Mo, "Today, here, our accounts must be settled properly!"
After settling Gu Qianying, Nangong Mo stood up and looked at Ouyang Qinglin. His voice was clear and cold, his deep eyes glinting with murderous intent, "It is indeed time to settle them properly!"
In the vast dark cave, two figures, one red and one white, contended. Under the glint of swords and blades, their movements were incredibly swift, almost invisible. Only the gusts of wind could be felt as two powerful internal energies clashed, neither willing to yield, neither compromising.
Until, the woman lying on the ground suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. Her eyes were vacant, her movements listless. She walked to the edge of the pool, began to undress, spread her arms, and murmured, "Father, don't hit Mother, your daughter will jump now..."
"Girl!"
"Little thing!"
Nangong Mo and Ouyang Qinglin, who were fighting, both cried out in shock. Sensing Gu Qianying's abnormality, they stopped fighting and rushed towards her.
As they approached, one of them forcefully pulled Gu Qianying, while the other quickly took off his still-damp robe and draped it over her.
Seeing Ouyang Qinglin drape his robe over Gu Qianying, Nangong Mo said nothing. At that moment, his only concern was Gu Qianying.
"Girl, what's wrong with you?"
"Little thing, what exactly is wrong with you?"
Nangong Mo and Ouyang Qinglin were both focused on Gu Qianying, neither noticing that in the center of the clear pool behind them, a large vortex had formed. As the vortex spun faster, the water in the entire pool vanished in an instant. With the receding water, several skeletons surfaced.
On each bone, a dense layer of white dots writhed. Upon closer inspection, these tiny white dots were revealed to be small white poisonous insects with sharp teeth, bulging eyes, no limbs, but tails. They were gnawing at the bones, and where they gnawed, poisonous water bubbled. The white insects that had fed on the bones were growing at an accelerated rate.
As they grew larger, their appearance became clearer. The bulging parts of their eyes dripped with green fluid.
At this moment, within the cave, the previously flat and unremarkable cave walls began to display scenes of people entering the cave. The images were like illusions, appearing both real and false. In these scenes, some people wore coarse cloth, had dark skin, and were stout and healthy, resembling hunters. Others wore brocade and jade robes, with fair skin, clearly the sons of wealthy families. Among these people were also some scantily clad women and some elderly individuals in peculiar attire.
After entering the cave, these people seemed to witness something that excited them immensely. Following this, they unnaturally clutched their own throats, and then, all of them collapsed. Colored water surged into the cave, submerging them all. Half an hour later, the water receded, and all these people had turned into skeletons. Such a strange phenomenon was too unusual.
Ouyang Qinglin was the first to notice the unusual aspects.
"Look, what is that?"
Following Ouyang Qinglin's pointed direction, upon seeing the rapidly growing white poisonous insects and glancing at the images on the cave walls, he frowned, "This place resembles a sorcery chamber."
Ouyang Qinglin looked at him abruptly, "You mean a sorcerer? A sorcerer is hidden beneath the Xia Kingdom's imperial palace?"
Nangong Mo nodded, "Legend has it that amidst the power struggles of the previous dynasty in your Xia Kingdom, the reigning emperor, to consolidate his position and eliminate those disloyal to him, kept a highly skilled sorcerer in his secret chamber. This sorcerer possessed considerable ability in sorcery such as Gu techniques, body-swapping, and soul-summoning. The previous emperor relied on him to gradually conquer many territories outside Xia's borders. Even the former saintess of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom was no match for this person.
However, after many years, no one knew where this sorcerer went after the previous dynasty's decline. Since then, no one has seen his true appearance. Later, it was rumored that this sorcerer had taken a female disciple who inherited all his magical arts, becoming a sorceress. Even more rumored was that his disciple was the world's one and only Purple Feathered Woman."
"What? The Purple Feathered Woman?"
Ouyang Qinglin was extremely surprised.
Seeing the shock in Ouyang Qinglin's eyes, Nangong Mo frowned, as if he had seen through Ouyang Qinglin's true thoughts.
"You don't happen to know this woman?"
Ouyang Qinglin's gaze fell upon Gu Qianying, his meaning more than obvious.
Nangong Mo was shocked. He had never imagined that the Purple Feathered Woman could be his girl!
No! Impossible!
How could this be possible?
He had known Gu Qianying since childhood. The young Gu Qianying, how could she resemble a sorceress? No, this was absolutely impossible!
But...
Gu Qianying's vacant eyes began to change. Her gaze became bloodthirsty, her three thousand strands of black hair instantly turned red, and all the images on the cave walls suddenly shifted... they were all gaping maws...