In the next second, Yuan Dao's body swelled to a frightening degree, like a heavily pregnant woman preparing for the ten-month arrival of her child. His eyes were viciously calculating, his five fingers gripping Gu Er's wrist, which was inserted into his chest, as if intending to drag them both to their deaths.
Fortunately, Gu Junshi appeared in time. Without even glancing at Yuan Dao, she severed his arm with a stream of air, thrust Gu Er into her consciousness space, and then instantly vanished miles away.
Before Yuan Dao's eyes, blood splattered, and simultaneously, a severed arm, cut at the shoulder, "thudded" onto the ground. He watched in utter disbelief as Gu Chuhao was taken away before him, only able to wait helplessly for the moment of his self-detonation.
He had lost.
Utterly and completely defeated!
*Bang—*
The power of a Nascent Soul cultivator's self-detonation was immense. The area before and behind Yuan Dao's cave dwelling, even extending to the rock face of the back mountain, was almost entirely razed to the ground in an instant.
A tremor shook the earth, alerting everyone inside and outside the Void Gate. With such a massive commotion, there was no way to conceal Yuan Dao's death.
However, what clues they could uncover from it would depend on the capabilities of the Void Gate's people.
Within Gu Junshi's divine sense space, Gu Er sat stunned on the ground. His tall frame was curled into a pathetic ball, tears constantly streaming down his face. Clearly, the blow had been significant, leaving him utterly dejected.
"Sister, I don't know anything. I even recognized a thief as my master, and I..."
And for that scumbag, he had abandoned Gu Yi.
Thinking of his past, of how he had fawned over that scumbag, treated him with respect, served him like an elder, and trusted him, he wished he could strangle that foolish self to death.
No wonder his sister always called him stupid; he truly was!
Gu Junshi saw through Gu Er's thoughts at a glance. She could allow him a brief moment of weakness and escapism, for she believed Gu Er was strong. A person who, from such a young age, understood how to care for his sister and was willing to support the entire family with his small frame, would not tolerate remaining dejected forever.
After learning everything about the hidden plot of the Gu clan, Gu Junshi quickly understood. Following the trajectory of the male-perspective story, any woman who had a relationship with the male protagonist could not be ordinary. Therefore, "Gu Yi," who was said to have killed his wife to achieve enlightenment, likely had a hidden background, which was plausible.
It was just that the entire Gu family's experience was indeed that of cannon fodder; none were spared.
"Compared to being ignorant and deceived by Yuan Dao before, at least now I know part of the truth," she said to Gu Er.
Gu Er, wiping away his tears, then became so angry he tore at his hair. "But he still got away..."
What strange temper was this? He was already disfigured, did he want to tear off his hair to become even more unsightly?
Gu Junshi frowned slightly. "Out of sight, out of mind." "No hurry, he won't get away."
When Yuan Dao self-destructed, Gu Junshi had bound something to his spiritual consciousness. From then on, no matter where his soul fled, as long as it entered her sight, she would recognize him.
"Gu Er, the revenge for the Gu clan is not just against Yuan Dao alone. Yet, a mere Yuan Dao has rendered you so disheveled."
Her words meant for him to put away his sentimental heart, quickly get up and cultivate, and increase his power, lest he be crushed underfoot again the next time she wasn't around, and nearly caught and blown into bloody dust.
But obviously, people's joys and sorrows were not the same, as her indifferent tone made Gu Er even more heartbroken. He felt his sister didn't care about him at all; he was so miserable, and she was still making sarcastic remarks.
Seeing the young man cry even harder after hearing her words, Gu Junshi intended to let him calm down, but... after all, he was the biological brother of this body, and she couldn't truly ignore him. So, with a calm expression, she helplessly reached out and embraced him.
She recalled that when she was educating her spirited nephew before her transmigration, she often used the tactic of "one stick and one candy" to coax him. Now, this Gu Er, in her eyes, was much like that seven or eight-year-old child who felt wronged and asked for candy.
Gu Er was stunned.
His mind hadn't reacted yet, but his body, like a starving dog catching a scent of meat, hurriedly, before the other party could change their mind, tightly hugged his sister.
"Wuwuwu... This is the first time my sister has been so gentle with me."
Gu Er felt his fragile heart had been somewhat healed and comforted.
He actually understood that the past could not be chased, but the truth he had suddenly learned was too cruel, exceeding his capacity to accept it. Especially since Gu Er, though often acting cute and obedient in front of Gu Junshi, was actually a proud individual. Every time he thought of his past, he felt so ashamed that he wanted to cry.
But seeing that his sister didn't seem to despise him, and even treated him better, his inner knot had somewhat loosened.
His gaze was high and firm, and this young man, who was actually only seventeen, seemed to have grown a lot overnight.
"Sister, I will not let Yuan Dao go, nor will I let go of the person who killed our parents!"
Gu Junshi "Mm"-ed. She was always protective. Anyone who entered her circle of protection, or anyone she approved of, besides herself, she would never allow others to wrong them.
She recalled how close her relationship with Cheng Hong had been, but because he had "transcended" the Human Emperor, who was both her teacher and friend, she had completely broken ties with him and parted ways amicably.
"Having ambition is a good thing, so continue your seclusion."
Gu Junshi released him. Her mind was on needing to visit the "Scripture Pavilion" of the Void Gate again to borrow some books. When she had flipped through it casually, she seemed to recall a book titled "The Hidden Surname XX."
She was not illiterate, but she couldn't recognize the last two characters. They looked somewhat like Sanskrit tadpole script or a shrunken, twisted graphic, which was why she had a strong impression of the book.
Since she temporarily had no other leads, perhaps by perusing some books, she could find clues related to the Gu clan's furnace seeds that she needed.
—
Returning to the West Cliff of Misty City, Gu Junshi knew before even entering her room that Liu Jiang Fusheng had woken up.
She pushed open the door and saw him sitting on the windowsill, clad in a loose robe, moving with a gentle, slow grace. His thick, ink-black hair cascaded down to his waist. The collar of his long neck garment was creased from his sideways glance at the window, and his delicate, smoothly contoured collarbones were half-hidden, half-revealed, truly possessing an unparalleled beauty through the ages.
"Husband."
Gu Junshi called out to him softly.
However, Liu Jiang Fusheng seemed lost in thought, his pupils like a fall into a bewildering night, without focus. He did not turn around, appearing to be lost in some melancholic contemplation, not even hearing Gu Junshi's voice.
Gu Junshi closed the door and walked up to him.
She spoke again, "What are you thinking about?"