"What?"
Gu Qianying froze for a moment.
She turned to Leng, her brows furrowed slightly. "What did you say your name was?"
"Han Shuo."
As he uttered the name, Leng's voice changed from before.
"Han Shuo? Han Shuo!"
Gu Qianying repeated the name twice.
Her pupils contracted, and she suddenly remembered someone.
"Are you the young master of the Han family?"
In the Gu family, she only knew of one Han Shi.
The Han family behind Han Shi, though their family background was said to be in decline at the time, she had once sent someone to investigate the Han family. After the misdeeds of the Han Shi family were exposed, all the Han family members were arrested and exiled to the border.
She heard that one person from the Han family had gone missing at that time.
The young master of the Han family, the nephew of the third concubine, Han Shi.
"Yes, I am Han Shuo, the young master of the Han family at the time of my coming of age."
Leng turned to Gu Qianying, trying to discern any change in her eyes. However, Gu Qianying's expression was calm. Upon hearing Leng mention the Han family in front of her, she showed no signs of guilt.
"Eldest Miss, I am Han Shuo, the young master of the Han family. You know my true identity now. Do you have nothing to say to me?"
As he asked this, Leng had already engaged in an internal struggle.
There were some things he didn't want to ask or pursue, but the blood flowing from his body constantly reminded him that he was a son of the Han family, and he harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the master he had followed for years and the person he had secretly loved for years!
Every time he thought of this.
He felt an urge to shed his skin and bones.
He abandoned his mission and became an unfilial son of the Han family.
It was only because he couldn't bear to harm her.
Hearing Leng's words, Gu Qianying smiled. "What should I say? That you deliberately approached me, hid by my side for many years, intending to kill me and avenge your Han family? Or that you stayed by my side for so many years, originally intending to kill me, but then couldn't bring yourself to do it?"
"Or should I say that Han Shi's death back then was not my doing, but her own fault?"
As if all her thoughts had been spoken by Gu Qianying.
Leng choked out, "I..."
"Leng, or rather, I shouldn't call you that. I should call you Han Shuo. Han Shuo, I do not deny that Han Shi was killed by me, nor do I deny that Han Shi, who went from being honored in the Gu mansion to being driven out and becoming a discarded wife, was also due to my actions."
At this point, Gu Qianying paused. A cold glint appeared in her usually indifferent eyes. "If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have used such troublesome methods to deal with her. Instead, I would have killed her directly much earlier!"
"Eldest Miss... you...!"
Leng was shocked.
"Heh!"
Gu Qianying sneered. "What? You think I'm cruel? Heh! Back then, I participated in the internal medical competition at the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall. During that time, I underwent closed-door assessments at the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall for several days. After the competition ended, when I returned to the mansion, guess what I saw?"
Leng remained silent, waiting for Gu Qianying to continue.
Gu Qianying didn't care whether Leng would speak.
The cold light in her eyes intensified. "My mother was bullied by the newly arrived concubine, Sun Shi. My mother's attendant, Mama Wang, lost an arm, and the mastermind behind all of this was Han Shi alone. It was Han Shi who used medicine to control my father, who never loved me, making him find a mysterious expert to injure me!"
"It was also Han Shi who drove my mother, Mama Wang, and me out of the Gu mansion. I was severely injured and almost died. My mother, in order to save me, was harmed by a scumbag and committed suicide by jumping off a building. All of this was Han Shi's doing."
"If it weren't for her, my mother and I wouldn't have been separated for so many years. If it weren't for her, my mother wouldn't have been unable to control her spiritual power and would still be in seclusion and cultivation in the Yi Jing Pavilion."
"Besides my mother, Han Shi also wanted to sabotage my brother Gu Yefeng's relationship with Princess Xuanning. She was venomous and committed various evil deeds against our Gu family. If I could do it again, I wouldn't have let her live for so long!"
From Gu Qianying's words, Leng could hear the hatred she harbored for his aunt, Han Shi, even though Han Shi was already dead.
Every time Gu Qianying mentioned Han Shi, the hatred in her eyes was never concealed.
"You hate my aunt very much, don't you?"
Leng finally managed to ask this after a long while.
He actually dared not ask directly.
He didn't know what he was expecting in his heart.
"Hate! I hate her very much!"
Gu Qianying had never hidden her hatred for the Han family from Leng.
Even at this moment, when she knew Leng was the young master of the Han family, she still couldn't help but hate the Han family, especially Han Shi.
Even though Han Shi was dead, she couldn't forgive Han Shi for the harm she had inflicted on her mother and herself!
Leng's face gradually lost its color.
His bound hands were clenched tightly.
"Including... hating me... right?"
As Leng asked this, his voice trembled.
"No, I don't hate you, never have!"
Gu Qianying looked at Leng.
Leng suddenly looked up and met her gaze.
As if he hadn't heard clearly, Leng's lips trembled as he asked again, "You... what did you say? You... say it again."
"My personal grievances with Han Shi have nothing to do with you. Although you are a son of the Han family, you have never harbored any intention to harm me during the years you have followed me. On the contrary, with you here, I have been much more at ease. Many things were handled by you, and you performed all the tasks assigned to you very well."
"Han Shuo, I don't know how your relationship with your aunt Han Shi was, but I want to tell you that no matter what you do, you must follow your heart. If you still want to avenge your aunt, I can accompany you."
"But if you have let go of your hatred, then don't hesitate any longer and get caught in a contradiction, which will only make you suffer in the end."
"Furthermore, with me, you can restore your Han family identity, or you can continue to use the name 'Leng'. Both are up to you. From the moment I allowed you to join the Jue Sha Sect, I have considered you one of my own. Everyone in the Jue Sha Sect, from top to bottom, are brothers and sisters who have gone through life and death together!"
"Sect Leader... I... I can continue to follow you, right? You... you won't dislike me because of this, will you?"
Hearing Gu Qianying's words, Leng felt a surge of joy, but he still wanted to confirm.
"Why would I dislike you? You're so handsome, the only rare handsome man in our Jue Sha Sect, from top to bottom. With a handsome man by my side when I go out, my mood is naturally the best."
With a bit of teasing, Gu Qianying revealed her perspective.
Although Leng was usually cold in demeanor, when interacting with others, especially in front of the person he secretly loved, his face was quite thin.
His face flushed like a red apple, and he lowered his gaze, smiling.
Seeing him so easily shy.
Gu Qianying also smiled with him.
She was not someone who couldn't distinguish between right and wrong.
Han Shuo had been hiding by her side as Leng for many years. Although Leng's goal at the time was to kill her and avenge Han Shi,
Yet, over the years, Leng had never made a move against her.
She believed that the current Leng had let go of his hatred.
At least he had never shown hostility towards her.
Given this, how could she impose her hatred for Han Shi onto Leng?
"Oh, our Ninth Princess Consort is flirting with the pretty boy by her side here. I've arrived at an inopportune moment!"
The entrance to the prison cell was pushed open from the outside.
Wulala Yixiu, dressed in a luxurious robe, followed by several maids and a strangely-looking person, entered the dungeon gate and slowly approached.
Gu Qianying and Leng both looked towards the source of the sound.
Leng's eyes flashed with a cold light.
Gu Qianying looked up at the approaching person, her expression turning cold.
"Wulala Na Yixiu, you're finally here!"