7: The gears of fate began to turn

Chapter 7: The Gears of Fate Begin to Turn

Qianqiu suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with longing as she looked at Gu Liangyuan:

"Is what the Immortal Revered Master said true?"

Gu Liangyuan smiled, then turned and walked up the mountain:

"Immortal methods are naturally effortless."

Watching Gu Liangyuan turn and leave, the insecure Qianqiu again felt a sense of anxiety and apprehension.

What did the Immortal Revered Master mean by this? Did he turn and leave because I asked one too many questions?

Was he angry?

Did he not want her anymore?

Just as she was lost in thought, Gu Liangyuan's voice came again from ahead:

"Let's go, silly girl."

Qianqiu finally reacted, a beautiful smile appearing on her face, and she responded clearly:

"Oh, I'm coming."

Gu Liangyuan was in front, and Qianqiu was behind.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, merging them into one.

Qianqiu looked at Gu Liangyuan's solid back, deeply imprinting this scene into her mind.

For the next hundred thousand years, this scene would appear many times in her dreams. Especially that phrase, "silly girl," which she could never forget.

It was precisely at this moment that the gears of her fate began to turn.

Gu Liangyuan, walking ahead, had immersed his mind in the System panel, feeling the rising infatuation value of 20, satisfied in his heart.

Eighty points reached the passing line for taking a disciple; it was still very easy to brush up.

Just like that, the two walked until dusk, finally arriving at the top of Forget-Love Peak.

As Qianqiu walked, she found that Forget-Love Peak was not only beautiful in scenery but also had many halls.

Some were built against the cliff walls, strange and unique; others were intricately carved and painted, ingeniously designed. The overall layout resembled stars surrounding the moon, guarding the Forget-Love Hall in the very center.

However, these halls were uninhabited.

Gu Liangyuan noticed Qianqiu's confusion and explained:

"Forget-Love Peak was once the head of the Seven Meridians of the Grand Supreme, but it later declined. These are all the residences left behind by Seniors; you can pick any one to live in."

Qianqiu blinked her eyes:

"Where does the Immortal Revered Master live?"

Gu Liangyuan pointed to the Forget-Love Hall: "This is my residence."

Qianqiu pointed to the side hall next to the Forget-Love Hall: "Then I'll live here; it will be convenient for the Immortal Revered Master to call me if anything comes up later."

"Mm."

Just as Qianqiu was about to pack her belongings and settle in, the great formation of Forget-Love Peak suddenly vibrated.

Gu Liangyuan flipped his hand and took out a bronze mirror.

The image displayed in the bronze mirror was precisely the scene at the mountain gate of Forget-Love Peak.

Outside the mountain gate, a woman in a green Daoist robe stood, performing a Daoist bow:

"Chu Xingyue of Wuji Peak, by Revered Master's command, requests an audience with Senior Grand-Uncle."

Gu Liangyuan formed hand seals, and the mountain-protecting formation directly opened.

Chu Xingyue entered the mountain gate, and with a few flashes, she arrived before Gu Liangyuan:

"Greetings, Senior Grand-Uncle."

"Dispense with the formalities."

Chu Xingyue raised her head, and the moment she looked at Gu Liangyuan, her mind momentarily wavered.

Although Gu Liangyuan's appearance had not changed, how did he seem much more handsome than before?

And the Daoist aura flowing around him made Gu Liangyuan appear even more refined and ethereal, as if he were not of the Mortal world.

"For what purpose has Junior Martial Niece Lü sent you?"

Hearing Gu Liangyuan's words, Chu Xingyue finally recovered her senses, secretly scolding herself for losing composure.

She patted her Storage Pouch, and a slender precious sword appeared in her hand.

She bent slightly, holding it with both hands above her head:

"Revered Master said that Senior Grand-Uncle was previously troubled by love and wasted many resources, which she found unbearable. Therefore, she specifically ordered me to deliver this sword to Senior Grand-Uncle, hoping that Senior Grand-Uncle can break through the emotional barrier."

Gu Liangyuan swept it with his Divine Sense, slightly surprised.

He hadn't expected the sword before him to be a top-grade Heavenly Rank Magical Artifact.

Magical Artifacts are divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow ranks, corresponding to the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul realms, respectively. Above that, up until Immortal Ascension, are Spirit Treasures.

In the outside world, a top-grade Heavenly Rank Magical Artifact was enough to be called a sect's treasure; even in a Holy Land, it was extremely precious. Many Elders never acquired a Heavenly Rank Magical Artifact in their lifetime.

In Gu Liangyuan's impression, Lü Qingmei had always been cold towards him, her Junior Martial Uncle, so why was she so generous today?

However, there was no reason to give up something that had already fallen into his hands.

He casually took the precious sword, and with a slight shake, the sword hummed repeatedly.

Upon closer inspection of the sword body, the characters "Autumn Water" were inscribed on it.

"Autumn Water Sword, a good sword, a good name. Go back and thank Junior Martial Niece Lü for me."

Chu Xingyue bowed again: "Xingyue will certainly deliver the message."

Watching Chu Xingyue depart on her sword, Gu Liangyuan looked at Qianqiu beside him. He found her gazing in the direction Chu Xingyue had flown, her eyes revealing longing.

Clearly, she yearned immensely for the Cultivation World's methods of ascending to the heavens and descending to the earth.

Gu Liangyuan took out a few pills and handed them to Qianqiu:

"Come back to your senses. Cultivators do not eat grains, and there is no stove fire on Forget-Love Peak, but as a Mortal, you must eat."

"Take these few Grain Abstinence Pills. One pill can keep you from hunger for half a month."

Qianqiu took the Grain Abstinence Pills, and gratitude welled up in her heart again.

Her birth mother had died early when she was young, and although she was a princess, she was a concubine's daughter, unloved by her imperial father.

Especially after her forehead was scalded, she didn't even see her imperial father for several years.

In the deep palace, her imperial father's likes and dislikes were everything.

Seeing that she was out of favor, even the palace maids and eunuchs secretly withheld her clothing and food.

As a mere woman, she couldn't even meet her imperial father, so she could only silently endure.

At fourteen or fifteen, her country was destroyed, and the women in the palace met tragic ends. Because of her ugly appearance, she escaped this fate and began her path of exile.

It could be said that ever since she had memories, she had never known what it felt like to be cared for by others.

Especially after arriving in the cold Cultivation World, she had suffered endless bullying.

She hadn't expected to feel the taste of being cared for from Gu Liangyuan, an Immortal Revered Master whom she regarded as high above.

And he said he went to Dan Peak; was it to find medicine for her?

How could this be? How could someone be so good to her?

Did she deserve it?

Qianqiu felt like crying.

When she came back to her senses, she found that Gu Liangyuan was no longer in front of her.

She sniffled, rubbing her slightly red eyes.

Looking at the morning star in the sky, a strange feeling arose in her heart...

Before long, Gu Liangyuan returned.

Looking at Qianqiu waiting in the wind, he beckoned:

"Let's go. It's windy outside. Let's go into the main hall, and I'll apply the medicine for you."

"Mm."

Qianqiu responded weakly, and with a mix of apprehension and anticipation, she followed Gu Liangyuan into the main hall.

Half an hour later, Qianqiu looked at herself in a mirror repeatedly, unable to control the joy on her face.

The scar that had always troubled her was finally gone!

At this moment, although Qianqiu's complexion was still sallow, without the hideous scar, she looked quite delicate.

But Gu Liangyuan knew that Qianqiu's Spiritual Root had not yet opened, and this was not her true appearance.

Only after washing away the lead and revealing her true self could her radiant beauty be seen!

Qianqiu looked at herself in the mirror for a while, crying tears of joy, and knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing: "Thank you, Immortal Revered Master, for your great kindness. From now on, even if Qianqiu has to be your ox or horse, she will have no complaints."

Having experienced discrimination due to her appearance, Qianqiu knew too well the importance of appearance to a woman.

Now, regarding Gu Liangyuan's kindness, Qianqiu felt that calling it a "re-creation of life" was not an exaggeration.

Gu Liangyuan looked at the infatuation value of seventy above Qianqiu's head and hadn't expected it to rise so sharply.

Just by helping her remove a scar, it was almost enough?