Seeing the two suspicious "lookouts" finally connect, Gu Junshi, hidden in the shadows, watched them intently for a long time. She was slightly surprised by what she discovered, yet it also felt as if it all unfolded naturally.
So that's how it is.
When she had spoken with the Ghost Infant earlier, she had sensed someone lurking in the darkness. However, that person bore no killing intent; they were merely quietly monitoring and probing the Ghost Infant's whereabouts.
As long as Gu Junshi did not wish for others to discover her identity, no one could see through her illusions. Even a nine-tailed fox could only sense the presence of others through intuition, unable to penetrate the deceptive mist she had set up.
It was just that she hadn't expected the person who emerged in the end to be Female Lead Three.
How could it be Female Lead Three, Zi Ying?
In the end, Gu Junshi saw that she also possessed a pair of strange, demonic crimson eyes, identical to the Ghost Infant's, and they were directly attached to her face. When the crimson eyes appeared, she was clearly awake, while the Ghost Infant's consciousness had been seized. However, compared to the demonic crimson eyes on Zi Ying, the ones on the Ghost Infant clearly held greater power.
What factor determined this?
It turned out that this kind of strange crimson eye was not unique to the Ghost Infant; it could appear on other people as well.
This discovery could be considered a significant breakthrough.
And it brought her closer to her suspicions.
However, she still didn't understand where they came from, nor what Zi Ying and people like the Ghost Infant who possessed crimson eyes truly were.
Although the clues were still scarce, it had to be said that keeping the Ghost Infant under her nose was indeed very useful.
See, she had just hooked a potential "fat fish" lurking beneath the surface.
As for the rest, she wasn't in a hurry; she would eventually understand everything.
—
The next day, Liu Jiangfusheng was still in seclusion in his room. Earlier, the sect leader of the Void Gate had summoned Elder Jiu Li and the others to Zhenhua Sect, likely to inquire about the specifics of Chen Daoshan's accident.
Gu Junshi, being a mere mortal, was naturally not included.
Since arriving at the Void Gate, Gu Er had been unable to meditate in peace. He was restless in her consciousness space, constantly clamoring to be let out.
She knew he wanted revenge, but now was not the time.
He was suppressed within by Gu Junshi, and the Human Emperor, wanting to cultivate into human form as soon as possible to have children with "A Miao," was focused on his cultivation and had not caused any further trouble.
With nothing else to do, Gu Junshi decided to visit the Void Gate's "Newcomer Ranking" to take a look at the list of this year's selected disciples.
As she walked, she finally witnessed the magnificent and prosperous scene of a great sect. Countless flying swords streaked across the sky, emitting beams of light and shooting straight into the clouds. Everywhere she looked, there were immortals. Amidst the vast sea of clouds, she could only smell fragrant breezes and hear the cries of Xuanhe cranes.
She had seen many immortal cultivation sects, but the Void Gate was undoubtedly one of the most extravagant. If not for this "Newcomer Ranking" event, which consumed so much time, effort, and money, it wouldn't have been the recurring host, earning ample fame.
However, while it gained fame, it was often undeserved.
The iron scroll ranking automatically filtered the seeded contestants selected each year, then arranged them according to their current cultivation levels to create a preliminary ranking. Generally, their personal information would be displayed on the list.
She arrived at the Taiji Chixi Gate of the Void Gate. Passing through the five-zhang-high gate, she saw six towering pillars in front of her. The pillars were vermilion and adorned with numerous profound runes. Between the two pillars, a sheet of snow-silver iron was unfurled like a scroll. The six pillars together formed three sections, each neatly inscribed with columns of text.
At this time, the Taiji Chixi Gate had only a sparse scattering of people. The earlier peak of bustling activity had passed. Disciples from other sects would come here first to check their rankings. Fang Rui had been among the first to arrive, but by the time Gu Junshi came, it was considered the tail end of the event.
She saw that on the iron scroll's preliminary list, at a glance, at least a hundred disciples had been selected, including those from the major sects of the eighteen heavens. As she looked through the columns, she saw the names of the top few individuals.
Indeed, they were the people Fang Rui had mentioned.
Dan Ya was also ranked among the top, and Xiao Jiaofu was in a respectable sixteenth place on the preliminary list.
As she was reading his introductory description, she noticed his column flash, and then his position swapped with the one above him. He then slowly climbed up several more positions, settling at the number twelve.
So, the records were updated in real-time.
Besides Dan Ya and Xiao Jiaofu, who were ranked relatively high, the obscure Ghost Infant was ranked at the lowest, eighty-sixth, and Fang Rui was in the seventy-odd position.
This ranking... what was it based on?
Cultivation?
But the people at the top of the list were basically all at the peak of the Golden Core stage. Even so, a distinction could be made.
Or perhaps the basis for the ranking was their estimated combat power.
As Gu Junshi was watching, a cheerful but slightly angered girlish voice suddenly reached her ears: "Cheng Hong, why are you ignoring me again? Ever since you joined the Buddhist sect, you spend your days either chanting scriptures or eradicating demons. You don't care about me at all!"
Cheng Hong...
Upon hearing the familiar yet distant name, she turned her gaze.
A ray of sunlight slanted through the clearing breeze, the willows swayed, and the grass and orioles chirped. A graceful figure in a simple monk's robe walked out from the misty expanse. In the bright light, a faint scent of incense and ink emanated from him. His face was serene and unperturbed, subtly radiating a jade-like luster, clear and ethereal.
From the first life, until now, long time no see... Cheng Hong.
Seeing him, a faint, deep shadow flashed in Gu Junshi's eyes.
She still remembered his accusations clearly.
Turning into enemies, it was indeed accurate to describe their past.
He resented her for falling into the demonic path and growing distant from him, while she was angered by him for... killing the Human Emperor, and they had different paths and could not cooperate.
As if sensing her gaze, Cheng Hong's eyes, like falling crimson flowers, met hers without any defense.
The first thing he saw were a pair of ancient, deep eyes that seemed to sigh, possessing a profound, unfathomable darkness. It was like a vast sea of blood or a forest of murderous bones, exceptionally imposing.
But in an instant, it was as if it were an illusion. The person opposite was merely an ordinary... mortal?
Seeing Cheng Hong staring ahead, the girl pouted and said unhappily, "What are you looking at?"
Then, she also turned her face and saw Gu Junshi not far away.
Huh?
After a moment of observation, she exclaimed in surprise, "A mortal?"
How could there be a mortal within the Void Gate?
Although it was a bit strange, the girl did not pay much more attention to a stranger. She pestered him again: "Cheng Hong, you said that if I also made it onto the Newcomer Ranking, you would grant me one wish."
Cheng Hong lowered his eyes, clasped his hands together, recited a Buddhist verse, and withdrew his gaze from the extraordinary mortal. He said serenely, "Ru Lan, you are the chief disciple of Boundless Mountain in the Boundless Realm. It is not surprising that you made it onto the Newcomer Ranking."
"Then what if I made it into the top ten?" she quickly pressed.
Cheng Hong sighed, "What do you want?"
At this point, Ru Lan stopped fussing. She spoke earnestly, "Brother, help me. For so many years, I have had only one wish, you know."