Wei Li’s narrow phoenix eyes were mesmerizing, her lips as red as if painted with rouge, and she reminded him mockingly, “Keep a good eye on your man, don’t let him be abandoned one day without even knowing why.”
Abandoned?
The word felt both strange and novel to Gu Junshi.
From the beginning to the end of every relationship, Gu Junshi was always the dominant party. She had truly never experienced being “abandoned,” not out of arrogance, but as a fact. Therefore, she initially approached it with an attitude of neither fear nor concern… Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind, and she recalled Wei Li’s past bizarre instances of gratuitously gifting “Koi” good fortune…
She mused, “Sect Leader, are you trying to say that the ‘stinky woman’ who disguised herself as me and stayed by my husband’s side did so because she’s infatuated with my husband?”
Seeing that she had finally caught on, Wei Li’s gaze was playful, as if she were a student he could teach, “Otherwise, what? Do you know how much she has silently sacrificed for your husband?”
How much had she sacrificed?
No one knew better than she herself did.
Gu Junshi was momentarily speechless.
Wei Li, seeing her fall silent because of his words, assumed she was deeply struck, consumed by jealousy. Even her usually calm and still eyes seemed to falter.
He couldn’t help but look at her a couple more times, and suddenly realized that this “dispirited” appearance was nothing like her.
But what was she like?
Wei Li discovered that he had, at some point, formed a fixed impression of “Gu Yi.” Although she was mortal, her will was unyielding, not easily defeated by ordinary matters. Her gaze was always firm, always looking directly and penetratingly at people, as if gazing into a vast, misty sea. Beneath the dust, above the autumn waters, she stood alone.
He had a mischievous nature and a quick temper. This was the first time he had reflected on whether his words were too harsh. He opened his mouth and instinctively said, “You should have confidence in Liu Jiangfusheng. Didn’t he confess his love to you at the Nine Peaks before? Clearly, he only has eyes for you.”
Gu Junshi looked at him upon hearing this.
It was a very ordinary glance.
But in Wei Li’s eyes, it was automatically interpreted as her seeking comfort in a “pitiful” manner, yet stubbornly trying to maintain her pride by pretending indifference. In short, she looked… quite pitiful.
Thus, Wei Li, who had some regrets about going against his nature, found his mouth moving again uncontrollably, “Although you are weak, and a mere mortal, marrying you brings no benefit to Liu Jiangfusheng, and you are rather a hindrance… ” He had genuinely belittled her at length before finally remembering that he was supposed to be comforting her. After a complete turn in his tone, he rack his brains to squeeze out, “But he likes you.”
Gu Junshi: “…” She was truly grateful for his insincere and strained comfort.
“Sect Leader, are you having me, who is very weak, a mere mortal, and a hindrance with no benefit to my husband, participate in the Rookie Rankings with him because of that stinky woman you mentioned?” she asked, causing Wei Li’s scalp to prickle.
Caught off guard, Wei Li’s expression couldn’t be concealed in time, and Gu Junshi understood his answer through his micro-expressions.
It seemed it was indeed the case.
Gu Junshi, by analogy, felt she could finally grasp his past thought processes. She asked with amusement, “You want to… stop her from approaching my husband?”
Wei Li felt his fur stand on end at her all-knowing demeanor, and said ferociously, “What do you want to say?”
Gu Junshi glanced at him, stopped speaking, and truly didn’t want to say anything more.
This Nine-Tails was still the same as when she first met him, a tail severed. He appeared shrewd, worldly, insidious, and cunning, but in reality… he was so foolish it made one want to sigh in regret.
With such a bizarre and peculiar train of thought, she, a “mortal,” truly could never have imagined it.
With a sense of concern for a “person with a disability,” Gu Junshi brought up another matter. She said, “Regarding your transformation into a spirit beast, Gu Yi will help cover for you.”
Thinking she was reciprocating his previous comfort, Wei Li raised an eyebrow, disdainfully and proudly, “No need.”
Gu Junshi suddenly took a step closer to him, so close their sleeves overlapped. Wei Li, not understanding, took a step back, his hips just bumping against the window sill.
She continued to approach, and Wei Li’s eyes widened slightly.
“You–”
“Sect Leader, have you forgotten that when you transformed before, you were my little spirit fox? Elder Jiu Li and the others all know this. If they see you, will they suspect you are related to that fox demon from before, and refuse to take you to the Dragon Island Secret Realm?”
She was too close.
Wei Li’s breathing tightened slightly. He tried to avoid her approach with his upper body, his Adam’s apple rolling sensually. He said with a show of bluster, “You, you married woman, why are you coming so close to me without reason?”
He seemed to have completely forgotten that he could push her away with force.
Even as she made a seemingly forceful move, Gu Junshi’s voice remained calm and unhurried, “Sect Leader, your hair is messy.”
Huh?
Hair is messy?
That’s it?
The smooth, distinct bamboo-joint-like tips of her fingers brushed past his full, moist forehead, but she subtly placed a talisman seal on him. The power was weak, like a wisp of a gentle breeze sweeping over leaves, creating faint ripples but not arousing any vigilance in Wei Li.
Because at this moment, a groundhog was preparing to scream in his heart.
Gu Junshi did not know what Wei Li intended to do in the “Dragon Island Secret Realm,” but it might not be a good thing. If he caused trouble and was exposed, it would inevitably implicate Liu Jiangfusheng.
But even if Liu Jiangfusheng refused, this time the Da Yan Sect had a stroke of luck. Entering the “Rookie Rankings” also included Dan Ya and Gui Ying. She couldn’t stop him from going to the Dragon Island Secret Realm, but she could leave a unique mark on him. If he did anything, she would be able to sense it in advance.
Wei Li, while appearing charming and a womanizer on the surface, was actually hundreds of years old and a virgin who had never even held a woman’s hand. He had a sense of indulgence and relaxation towards Gu Junshi’s aura that even he himself hadn’t noticed.
He misunderstood her actions as teasing, and straightening his demeanor, his green eyes clear and sharp, he said dismissively, “You… don’t waste your effort. Because this Sect Leader will never like a mortal.”
With that, he pushed her away, dusted off some nonexistent dust from his chest, and stood there with an arrogant air.
Gu Junshi allowed him to create distance, her expression calm, and obligingly said, “Mm, Sect Leader likes fairies.”
Wei Li was momentarily stunned by her words.
He glanced at her sideways, seeing her standing there with an innocent expression, like a rogue from a border town who only engaged in irresponsible fleeting affairs. One moment the atmosphere was ambiguous and intertwined, and the next, she was pure and unattainable.
She… she wasn’t playing a trick on him just now, was she?!
Realizing this, Wei Li’s face immediately fell, and he said coldly, “Get out–”
Gu Junshi, thinking of Liu Jiangfusheng waiting outside, nodded and turned to leave without a word.
Wei Li, seeing her leave so readily, felt both angry and stifled.
This feeling of chest tightness and helplessness was exactly the same as when he was angered by that “stinky woman” before.
He couldn’t understand why Liu Jiangfusheng was always drawn to types like her who drove people to the brink of madness, with their poker faces and indifferent demeanor, making everyone unhappy whether they tried to be gentle or forceful.
—
After Gu Junshi left the Nine-Tails’ room, she saw Liu Jiangfusheng standing in the courtyard.
Ever since he descended from the Nine Peaks, he hadn’t had time to change. He was still wearing the same white robe with blue lapels of the Da Yan Sect, his immortal attire appearing ethereal in the wind.
“Husband.”
She called out softly.
Liu Jiangfusheng had actually heard her coming out long ago, but he wanted to hear her call him.
He turned around, the moonlight casting a frosty outline on his pleasing face. Seeing Gu Junshi, Liu Jiangfusheng said, “A’yi, is there anything you want to tell me?”
Gu Junshi walked towards him upon hearing his question, her mind pondering with each step. By the time they were close, they were facing each other.
“I do have something to say, but I don’t know what you want to hear, husband. Why don’t you ask, and I’ll answer?” she said.
Liu Jiangfusheng was amused by her cautious and proper response. With a natural masculine allure, he caressed the tender skin behind her ear with his flexible fingertips, drawing closer to her. His pupils were like stars reflected in a clear river, dazzling and tempting the ignorant beings on the shore to fall into this river of no return.
“A’yi is so cunning… But it’s alright, husband is willing to go along with your wishes. So, the first question… have you ever lied to me?”
Gu Junshi was like a monk unmoved by beauty at this moment, her gaze unwavering and direct: “Yes.”
She answered honestly, but it was precisely this confirmation that made Liu Jiangfusheng’s smile deepen, though a hidden meaning lingered within that clarity.
“So…”
At this moment, Gu Junshi preempted him, asking, “So, husband, is there anything you have hidden from me?”
She didn’t mention “lie,” and her tone was as if they were having a casual marital chat. Compared to Liu Jiangfusheng’s sharp inquiry of “lie” and his intention to coax and lure her step by step, her words were a simple, calm reminder.
Liu Jiangfusheng’s expression froze.
He had indeed hidden many things from her. To say “hidden” was almost the same as lying.
Speaking of which, the secrets between them as husband and wife were equally unspeakable. So… what right did he have to be so aggressive towards her, acting as if he had been lied to, hurt, and betrayed?
This was what she meant, wasn’t it?
No wonder she had so honestly admitted that she had.
Because she already had a reason to shut him up.
Yes, how could he forget that his wife was not the ignorant Gu Yi, but Gu Junshi, who cultivated the “Great Dao of Ruthlessness” and held the power of life and death in her hands.
“A’yi, tell me, honestly tell me just one thing…”
He no longer put on a “questioning” posture. Instead, he lowered himself, resting his head on her neck, and spoke in a soft, almost pleading tone that could soften her heart, “And I won’t ask anything else.”
Gu Junshi appeared to be more susceptible to “soft” than “hard” approaches, but this was only in appearance. Her heart was hard, and her mouth was even harder. It was not easy for ordinary people to gain her promise and sincerity.
“What do you want to know?”
Her counter-question clearly indicated one thing.
Whether or not to answer, and how to answer, depended on whether his question touched her bottom line.
Liu Jiangfusheng said, “You once said that if one day you were to kill me, it would be because you had fallen in love with me. Is that true?”
Gu Junshi did not expect him to remember that line.
She did not deny it: “It is true.”
“Then will you really fall in love with me?” he asked.
Gu Junshi actually had no answer to this question.
Love, she had come to realize over time, was something illusory and unpredictable. It wasn’t something that could be guaranteed by sheer effort or by making a plan.
Sometimes, she would rather conquer the world than wade into the quagmire of love.
It was a pity that since the absurd event of her transmigration, she seemed to have been pushed into a certain plot. Although every path seemed available, in reality, once a move was made, there was no turning back. All she could do was to continue playing the game according to her heart and strive to find the root cause of everything.
“If I fall in love with you, I will kill you. Even so, do you want me to fall in love with you?” Gu Junshi countered.
Liu Jiangfusheng did not hesitate: “Yes, I dream of it. Even if I die by your hand, I will have no regrets.”
He had died by her hand more than once. But this time… the rules would be set by him.
Most girls, upon hearing such a confession of dying without regret, would likely be moved even if they didn’t love the man. But Gu Junshi was clearly a different kind of person. She said, “I have answered your question, so can you answer one of mine?”
Liu Jiangfusheng imitated her: “What does A’yi want to know?”
Gu Junshi thought for a moment, then decided to try and probe indirectly: “Have you ever looked forward to having children?”
Liu Jiangfusheng seemed a bit taken aback, repeating her words, “You said… looked forward to having children?”
“Yes.”
Liu Jiangfusheng looked at her. To be honest, he had never thought of having children with Gu Junshi.
Firstly, his bloodline could only be passed on by a designated person. Others could never conceive his child. Especially Gu Junshi, even if she had some abilities, she was truly a waste spirit root, a mortal constitution, so she could never conceive his child.
Secondly, their affairs were too complicated. Their love and hate were already intertwined and unclear. In the future, it would likely be either his death or hers. The more they loved, the more they killed. Having cultivated the “Great Dao of Ruthlessness,” she would never stop. In such circumstances, he couldn’t imagine she would be willing to carry his child.
If she did… she might also abort it.
“No,” he said indifferently.
Not before, but now he realized… he did.
No matter how many reasons he tried to find, he couldn’t deny that because he loved someone, he would want to continue their life with her. He might not necessarily dote on children, but he would definitely be responsible for the mother of his children for life.
Upon hearing this, Gu Junshi didn’t feel much emotion. She was merely thinking that in this way, this child could be managed entirely by her.
After all, the child’s father had said he didn’t have expectations for children, which meant he didn’t intend to have them.
“Mm,” she replied indifferently.