Gu Qianying glanced at Han Chenglin, who lay on the ground, lifeless.
Her cold, clear eyes then shifted to Han Xuan, his face covered in blood.
This man was vicious and cruel, another "Song Gang."
She didn't care who became the city lord, nor did she care if the Western Regions were destroyed or slaughtered after they left; it had nothing to do with her.
But... here, what she couldn't let go of were Song Yu'er and her mother.
Keeping a ruthless and vicious person by their side.
Would it be dangerous for Madam Song and her daughter, or would it offer a different kind of protection?
Her cold eyes narrowed.
It seemed some matters required her involvement.
She turned to look at Song Wuji, who was holding Baili Jingxuan, his retreating back.
Gu Qianying closed her eyes, making a decision in her heart at that moment.
She turned and grabbed Song Wuji's arm: "Wait."
The tears in Song Wuji's eyes had dried. He looked at Gu Qianying with vacant eyes.
At this moment, Gu Qianying saw a disheveled, spiritless Song Wuji.
She also saw despair towards the world on Song Wuji's face.
"Song Wuji, have you surrendered just like this?"
Song Wuji held the already lifeless Baili Jingxuan tightly in his arms, refusing to let go.
"What else do you want? If you kill all of them, Baili Jingxuan will wake up, is that it?"
A cold sneer played on Song Wuji's lips.
He laughed self-mockingly: "They deserve to die, of course, but what good will their deaths do? What I've always wanted is not their lives; I want Baili Jingxuan to live well. I want to travel the world with him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him."
"What does any of this have to do with us! Gu Qianying, tell me, what exactly did I do wrong to pay such a heavy price! Gu Qianying... ever since you outsiders came to the Western Regions, when have we ever had peace! Gu Qianying... tell me, do you want all of us here to die before you'll be satisfied, is that it!"
The last sentence was almost a shout from Song Wuji.
Gu Qianying saw his gaze shift from indifference to hatred.
At this moment, Gu Qianying could clearly feel that Song Wuji now hated her.
Gu Qianying froze on the spot.
She withdrew the hand resting on Song Wuji's arm.
Was she in the wrong?
Was it wrong for her to have appeared?
Yes, so what if these people here fought tooth and nail for the position of city lord?
What did it have to do with them?
And she shouldn't have been here in the first place.
She was the one who brought harm to these people.
It was all her fault!
In an instant, Gu Qianying suddenly realized she was truly wrong.
In this world, who defines right and wrong? Between good and evil, who is right?
Yes, she had caused Baili Jingxuan's death, she had!
Gu Qianying closed her eyes.
She swallowed her bitter tears.
When she opened her eyes, she turned to Song Wuji: "You're right, it's my fault. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been around you people. And I killed Baili Jingxuan. Song Wuji, I'll return him to you now!"
Song Wuji frowned.
He looked at Gu Qianying, remaining silent.
He didn't quite understand what Gu Qianying meant.
But then he saw Gu Qianying take out her Scarlet Blood Saber.
Grasping the hilt, she fiercely slashed her palm with the tip of the blade.
Blood instantly welled up.
"Gu Qianying, what are you doing?"
Gu Qianying didn't respond to Song Wuji's question.
As her palm bled, she pushed Song Wuji away.
Song Wuji stumbled, staggering backward. Due to the momentum, he couldn't hold onto Baili Jingxuan in time.
Baili Jingxuan fell from his arms.
Song Wuji's pupils contracted; it was too late to reach out.
In his fury, he saw Gu Qianying grab Baili Jingxuan with one hand, placing him flat on the ground.
She pried open Baili Jingxuan's mouth.
Gu Qianying clenched her fist, and the blood from her palm dripped into Baili Jingxuan's mouth, drop by drop.
As Song Wuji regained his footing and walked over, he saw Gu Qianying's actions and his eyes widened in shock.
"What are you doing?"
Song Wuji bent down, intending to stop her, but he noticed the changes around Gu Qianying.
The blue sky and white clouds suddenly turned gloomy, and the clear sky transformed into a scene of spreading black mist.
A strong wind rose.
The surroundings became chillingly eerie.
In the blink of an eye, several shadowy figures with red eyes appeared all around, spinning incessantly around Gu Qianying.
Her clear, cold eyes suddenly turned red.
Ten thousand black threads wildly flew behind her.
A vast expanse of black mist completely enveloped Gu Qianying and Baili Jingxuan.
And at this moment, those who lay dead on the ground for a long time, including the people of the Han family...
Their souls were all extracted and merged with those thousands of shadowy figures.
At this moment, the surroundings were filled with chilling energy, as if one had entered hell.
Song Wuji had never witnessed such a scene.
The coldness in the air made him feel frigid.
But what shocked him even more were Gu Qianying's actions at this moment.
Was she using her own blood... to save Baili Jingxuan?
Yet, at the same time, he found it utterly absurd.
How could blood revive someone? It was impossible!
He didn't believe it!
But why were those intangible shadowy figures with red eyes lingering around them?
What was this woman, Gu Qianying, doing?
This scene also caused Han Xuan, who stood nearby, to show surprise.
He looked at Gu Qianying's blurred figure, enveloped in the black mist.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Greed flickered in his eyes.
This woman, Gu Qianying, was truly a... "treasure"!
If he could win her over, it would be a great fortune for him.
With this woman at his side, why would he fear anyone?
He would become invincible in the world.
At that time, with the Charm Tiger Token in hand, refining some ghost soldiers, and then using this woman as his sword...
The unification of the six kingdoms, with him as king, would be realized very quickly.
And at this moment, as the sky suddenly shifted...
Not far away, a white figure was rushing towards them.
As the person approached, it was revealed to be a beautiful woman.
Her hair was blue and cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore a white robe stained with blood.
Her eyes were hollow, the whites of her eyes gone, replaced by black pupils.
Upon closer inspection, a deep wound could be seen on the woman's fair, tender neck.
There was no blood; bone was exposed.
The aura around her was as cold as ice, her movements stiff and unnatural.
As she approached, she knelt directly behind Gu Qianying.
"Greetings, Master."
And at this very moment, the black mist dissipated, and the several intangible shadowy figures also vanished.
Song Wuji could now see Gu Qianying and Baili Jingxuan clearly.
Gu Qianying's back was to him, and Baili Jingxuan lay on the ground, shielded by Gu Qianying.
Therefore, he couldn't see their faces clearly.
Suddenly, Gu Qianying's body swayed, about to collapse.
"Be careful!"
Song Wuji exclaimed and rushed forward to support Gu Qianying, turning to look at her.
The moment he saw her, he was stunned.
It was a face as pale as paper; the red eyes had vanished, and she had returned to her usual appearance.
Bloodstains seeped from the corners of her lips, and the wound on her palm had healed with astonishing speed.
Gu Qianying's complexion was very poor.
Her body felt so weak that she could collapse at any moment.
"I have returned him to you."
Before fainting, this was Gu Qianying's last sentence.
Just then, Baili Jingxuan, who lay on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes.
His eyes were vacant and hollow. He then stood up and knelt before Gu Qianying: "Master."
Seeing Baili Jingxuan alive, Song Wuji was overjoyed.
But a moment later, he realized that Baili Jingxuan no longer recognized him.
"Jingxuan, Jingxuan..."
Song Wuji called Baili Jingxuan's name twice, but Baili Jingxuan remained silent and didn't look at him.
He simply knelt rigidly before Gu Qianying.
Turning his head, Song Wuji also noticed that the woman kneeling behind Gu Qianying was her maid, Lu Zhu.
While overjoyed that Baili Jingxuan was alive, Song Wuji felt a pang of sadness and confusion that Baili Jingxuan ignored him.
Why had things turned out this way?
As he picked up Gu Qianying, intending to take her away, a man in red robes galloped towards them.
Before he even got close, the man leaped from his horse and landed in front of Song Wuji, forcefully snatching Gu Qianying from his arms.
Song Wuji's pupils widened.
He admitted that he had said he hated Gu Qianying.
But that was just an impulsive, irrational statement.
Without Gu Qianying and the others, the Han family, the Baili family, and their Song family would still have fought for the position of city lord.
The Western Regions would eventually face unrest.
This was undeniable.
He couldn't blame Gu Qianying for it.
He still considered Gu Qianying a friend.
Seeing his friend being carried away by a stranger, how could Song Wuji stand by idly?
He stepped forward, blocking the man's path with his sword.
He asked, "Who are you? Let her go!"
The man in red glanced at Song Wuji with cold eyes, his gaze chilling: "Ouyang Qinglin. I will not let go!"