Gu Qianying, dressed in red, entered with Wu Zi.
Fan Tiantian, startled, quickly shut her mouth and hid to the side.
Shangguan Sang Xi was still pressing down on Shangguan Yu Wei's stomach.
"Slap!"
Wu Zi walked up to Fan Tiantian, raised her hand, and slapped her across the face.
"You insulted our sect leader, you deserve this!"
Fan Tiantian covered her face, glaring at Wu Zi in disbelief.
Wu Zi's aura was even more imposing than hers.
Fan Tiantian dared not do anything to her. She lowered her head, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and shedding two tears.
At this moment, the Third Princess Shangguan Sang Xi also got up from Shangguan Yu Wei.
Seeing Fan Tiantian cry, she immediately became angry: "Sect Leader Gu, guests are guests. Your maid is too rude!"
"Oh? Rude? Heh!"
Gu Qianying sneered coldly. Her indifferent gaze swept across Fan Tiantian's face. As her sight moved away from Fan Tiantian's face, in the blink of an eye, she quickly caught a fleeting glint of light at the corner of Fan Tiantian's eye.
Following that, she looked at Shangguan Sang Xi: "Since the Third Princess knows she is a guest, she should behave herself here with this sect leader."
"You...!"
Being retorted.
Shangguan Sang Xi was choked with anger.
As the words fell, Gu Qianying slowly walked towards Shangguan Yu Wei, bent down, and squatted in front of her. She raised her slender fingers and touched the bleeding wound on her face.
"You've been beaten so badly, are you dead? Don't you know how to resist?"
Gu Qianying raised her hand towards Wu Zi. Wu Zi understood and respectfully handed over the bandaging supplies with both hands.
Gu Qianying took them and, with skilled movements, squatted in front of Shangguan Yu Wei, cleaning her blood, applying medicine, and bandaging her wound.
It was as if she were in darkness and saw a beam of light.
Shangguan Yu Wei stared blankly at the person in front of her.
She had grown up in the palace. Although she was also a princess on the surface,
due to her mother's low status and her lack of favor with her father, she was often bullied in the palace, beaten by Shangguan Sang Xi, and neglected by the servants. She had long grown accustomed to it.
All the harm done to her, she had silently endured herself.
When she was beaten until every part of her body was bruised, she could only hide in a corner where no one could see and apply medicine to herself.
Even her closest mother, all day long, only thought about how to gain her father's favor.
From childhood to adulthood, her mother had never protected her.
Wherever she was injured, or if a wound that had not yet healed became inflamed, her mother never knew.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and Shangguan Yu Wei looked at Gu Qianying intently.
The pain of being beaten at this moment made her feel numb.
"Thank... thank... thank you."
As she spoke these words, her lips trembled, deeply moved.
After Gu Qianying finished bandaging her wound, she extended her hand to her: "This sect leader never makes friends with trash."
Friend?
Shangguan Yu Wei was stunned.
The word "friend" was too foreign to her.
And at this moment, someone would actually befriend her.
The mist in her eyes increased slightly, and she reached out and grasped Gu Qianying's hand.
When she reached out,
Gu Qianying's indifferent eyes, upon seeing the butterfly-like birthmark on Shangguan Yu Wei's wrist, curved into a smile as she looked at Shangguan Yu Wei.
In her mind, the scene of their acquaintance in her previous life appeared.
It was indeed her!
Since her rebirth, the experiences of her previous life had changed greatly in this life.
The trajectory of history had changed the moment she was reborn, and it had become different.
However, fortunately, the people she met in her previous life, she had met again in this life, just… with a different acquaintance, a different identity, and a slightly different face.
Gu Qianying stood up and pulled Shangguan Yu Wei up.
She also instructed Wu Zi to get clean clothes for Shangguan Yu Wei to change into.
Seeing Gu Qianying's vastly different treatment of Shangguan Yu Wei, Shangguan Sang Xi became displeased: "Sect Leader Gu, this princess also needs to change clothes and have a meal."
"Wu Zi, did you hear that? Go make arrangements."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Wu Zi obeyed and went out.
Seeing Gu Qianying agree so readily, Shangguan Sang Xi was a little puzzled.
Until… a servant dressed in black robes walked in and reported: "Sect Leader, the Third Prince and the First Prince of the Empire have come to the inn to pick someone up."
Upon hearing this,
Shangguan Sang Xi finally understood.
It seemed that her father had sent someone to deliver the token for entering the Xuan Ling Sect.
She knew that her father would not abandon her.
Her father was the one who loved her the most.
Thinking of this, Shangguan Sang Xi immediately gained confidence: "Sect Leader Gu, this princess is a guest you invited on your knees. You actually locked this princess in such a dirty room and kept her with that filthy woman. Is this your hospitality?"
As she spoke, Shangguan Sang Xi pointed at Qiu Ling'er, who was locked in the iron cage.
Qiu Ling'er, who was sitting in the iron cage, immediately stood up and glared back at Shangguan Sang Xi: "You stinky girl with no milk and no figure, I haven't offended you, why are you pointing at this princess? You say you are a guest Gu Qianying invited on her knees? Hahaha? Only a fool would believe that. I know better than you what kind of person Gu Qianying is. You're just a pathetic worm abandoned and sent as a hostage."
"You still think you're a desirable apple of everyone's eye?"
As Qiu Ling'er said this, Gu Qianying looked at her.
This girl's mouth was quite venomous.
For the past few days, Qiu Ling'er had been following her. Apart from her freedom of movement, she had never mistreated her in any other way.
The purpose of keeping Qiu Ling'er by her side was to exchange "person for person" upon reaching Demonic Mountain.
It was heard that Qiu Ling'er was the Demon Emperor's most beloved daughter.
Exchanging an outsider for his most beloved daughter, she believed the Demon Emperor would agree to such a transaction.
It was just… what was strange was that after Qiu Ling'er was locked up here, there had been no movement from Demonic Mountain.
In the past few days, no one had appeared to rescue Qiu Ling'er.
This point made her feel very strange.
Furthermore, she discovered that Qiu Ling'er had no demonic power within her. On the contrary, there was a faint, sealed spiritual power within her.
A demon without demonic power, but with spiritual power, this was even stranger.
The strangest thing of all was that some of Qiu Ling'er's habits were somewhat similar to her husband Nangong Mo.
Thus, she began to suspect Qiu Ling'er's true identity.
In the past few days, she had also strengthened the guards outside and asked A Mu to pay more attention to Qiu Ling'er.
"You damn ugly woman, how dare you say this princess has no milk and no figure? This princess will beat you to death!"
Raising her hand, she gathered three-tenths of her spiritual power in her palm. The crimson spiritual power shot out from her palm, heading straight for Qiu Ling'er.
Qiu Ling'er's eyes narrowed. She couldn't dodge, nor could she resist.
However… at this very moment, a red sleeve swept out, and demonic power emerged from Gu Qianying's palm.
Instantly, the ball of crimson spiritual power dispersed, and Shangguan Sang Xi retreated a few steps.
Gu Qianying protected Qiu Ling'er. She looked at Shangguan Sang Xi with cold eyes, her voice extremely cold: "Although she is a captive of this sect leader, she is also considered this sect leader's person. Apart from this sect leader, no one is qualified to touch her. Third Princess, you have overstepped!"
As these words fell,
Qiu Ling'er was stunned.
She looked at Gu Qianying in astonishment.
Was this bitch Gu Qianying protecting her?
But why would she protect her?
What did Gu Qianying want to do?
Not kill her, keep her locked up, and not let others kill her?
Why was this?
Could it be for…
Qiu Ling'er's eyes narrowed.
At this moment, a plan to escape began to sprout in her heart.
Meeting Gu Qianying's ice-cold eyes, Shangguan Sang Xi felt a chill down her spine, and fear surged into her heart. Her face turned pale.
"This princess doesn't want to eat anymore. Quickly take this princess to see the Third Prince and the First Prince."
Shangguan Sang Xi used her unreasonable behavior to cover up her fear of Gu Qianying.
At this moment, she desperately wanted to return to her third brother and eldest brother.
She felt that this demonic empress in front of her was too terrifying.
"Since… the Third Princess is so eager to leave, that's fine. There's no need to eat. Wu Zi, send the Third Princess and Miss Fan out. As for the Fourth Princess…"
Gu Qianying turned her gaze to Shangguan Yu Wei: "Your injuries have not healed. Would you be willing to stay here to recuperate? I will take care of you, and when you are fully recovered, I will personally send you back to the palace, how about it?"
"This…?"
Shangguan Yu Wei was extremely surprised.
Sect Leader Gu wanted to keep her here to recuperate!
Her friend wanted to take care of her?
Her heart suddenly felt very warm.
"Okay, thank you."
Shangguan Yu Wei revealed a sincere smile at the corner of her mouth.
Beside her, Fan Tiantian, who was hiding behind Shangguan Sang Xi, her gaze fell on Gu Qianying's slightly bulging belly.
No!
She had finally lured the demonic empress here, and her plan had not yet been implemented. How could she leave like this?
"Third Princess, the Third Prince and the First Prince have arrived. We don't need to be afraid of this demonic empress in front of us anymore. I heard my father say that the blood and bone marrow of the child in her belly can increase the spiritual power of us Xuan Ling Masters."
Fan Tiantian walked closer to Shangguan Sang Xi and whispered in her ear…