Chapter 101 Qinglin's Clear Understanding

Gu He's voice was light and airy: "This Spirit-Communicating White Fox, do you still want it?"

Wang Chen's eyes darkened, but he sharply noticed Qing Lin behind Gu He. She was small and particularly conspicuous standing behind him.

Wang Chen gave a cold sneer.

"What if I do want this fox?!"

"Heh." Gu He snorted, and a Heavenly Flame enveloped him.

Wang Chen also kicked back into the dirt, his black shadow acting like a solid shield as his palms suddenly turned a hair-raising pitch-black color.

His figure quickly charged toward Gu He's face.

"Swish—" The sound of wind whistled.

Gu He had already struck out with a palm, meeting the attack head-on.

However, Wang Chen weirdly bypassed Gu He and closed in directly on Qing Lin's throat!

It turned out his target from the very beginning was Qing Lin!

Wang Chen's attack trajectory was extremely bizarre, appearing unsteady like a manipulated puppet.

Although it didn't look fast, it carried a strange sensation that made it difficult to evade; this was the rare Dark attribute!

"Hmph!"

Amidst the wind, Wang Chen curled his lips into a disdainful smile.

He, Wang Chen, was a recognized powerhouse within the Pavilion! He usually enjoyed clashing with Dou Zong-level experts and had never once been defeated!!

But was Gu He someone to be trifled with?

He reacted with lightning speed.

Daring to touch Gu He's reverse scale?

Seeking death!!

Beneath his robes, he quickly flipped his hand and flicked a finger. A streak of blue-white Heavenly Flame, carrying a god-slaying Aura, streaked through the air like a meteor and shot directly into Wang Chen's body.

The blazing fire instantly ignited Wang Chen's robes and forearm, causing thick white smoke to erupt from his palms.

Wang Chen's body seemed to be bound by an infinite force, unable to move even an inch.

A touch of despair surfaced from the depths of his eyes—

He was striking a stone with an egg; his resistance was utterly meaningless!

Facing Gu He's Heavenly Flame, the corrosive power of Wang Chen's Dark-attribute Dou Qi was completely ineffective!

Immediately, the Heavenly Flame rapidly coiled and expanded, with dense smoke billowing out. In just two breaths,

Wang Chen, a powerhouse of one of the Four Pavilions, had fallen!

"Bang!"

The powerful shockwave that erupted also snapped the trees near them in half, leaving the ground a charred and messy ruin.

Qing Lin, who was still standing blankly on the spot, had already tightly covered her mouth.

Faced with Wang Chen's sudden attack,

She hadn't had time to react.

At that moment, she could hear her own heartbeat as clearly as a ticking clock, and it grew heavier and heavier, as if it would burst through her small chest beneath the green robes in the next second.

This was a moment of life and death! And she once again realized her own weakness!

She subconsciously closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling like tiny brushes.

Fragile and so pitiable that even I would feel for her.

However, when she opened her eyes again, Gu He had already dealt with Wang Chen.

Clean and decisive. Then, in his clean black robes, he walked toward her through the nearly invisible forest breeze and took her hand once more.

"Scared?"

Qing Lin subconsciously shook her head.

She suddenly remembered what she had said to Gu He before.

"Qing Lin can protect herself!"

Yet in this life-or-death crisis, she was still being protected behind Gu He's back, just like a parent protecting their own.

But... she wasn't small anymore.

Qing Lin took the initiative to grip Gu He's hand.

"Lord, let's continue our journey!"

Gu He took several storage rings he had scavenged, cleaned them with Dou Qi, and tucked them into Qing Lin's pocket before leading her onward.

Gu He's movements were smooth and natural, and he was exceptionally focused when doing something.

So he didn't see the Three-Flower Pattern that seemed to rotate for an instant in the lowered Qing Lin's green eyes, nor the deep-seated adoration in her gaze.

Many thoughts flashed through Qing Lin's mind.

Finally, the words Sister Xiao Yi Xian once said surfaced in her mind. She said,

"Once you like someone and fall in love, you will fall for them a thousand times over in every moment of the future, for reasons as numerous and varied as flowers."

"Perhaps it's because of the softness and warmth of his fingers, perhaps because of the curl and thickness of his eyelashes, or perhaps because of his voice or the emotion and meaning conveyed by a certain sentence."

"No matter what it is, these tiny details can make a person fall deeply in love all over again."

Qing Lin was still young then and didn't understand such complex emotions, but now she understood...

She now had the exact same state of mind as Sister Xian.

The Poison Master who was betrayed by her lover passed her romantic experiences to Xiao Yi Xian, and Xiao Yi Xian unintentionally passed her thoughts to little Qing Lin.

Was this not a form of teaching by example and the subtle influence of one's environment?

Qing Lin gripped Gu He's palm tightly, reluctant to let go, like a kitten seeking warmth in a human's embrace during a cold winter.

...

"Lord, should the little white fox turn small again and stay in your pocket?"

"I'm afraid others might target it again..."

On the forest path, Qing Lin tilted her head slightly and spoke with a hint of caution.

Gu He just patted her head.

"On the way to the Blood Pool, even if there were no Spirit-Communicating White Fox to attract their attention, would they let us go?"

"There are only a few spots, and only eight remain for humans."

"If we weren't strong enough..." Gu He paused, looking at Qing Lin's raised head and her fluttering long eyelashes.

"So, there is no need to fear."

"Some conflicts are bound to happen sooner or later. What we need to do is crush them!"

Qing Lin nodded silently.

She somewhat understood the Lord's thinking now.

Instead of driving them away one by one, it was better to use a bait to catch them all in one net, like attracting greedy brocade carp.

As the two walked and talked, the surrounding thick mist gradually thinned.

After a while, a row of towering giant trees appeared in their sight.

Hidden between these giant trees was a tree gate only wide enough for one person to pass through.

This was the Maze!

In front of this row of giant trees, there were also a dozen or so figures, clearly all people who held expectations for the Tianshan Blood Pool.

And among these people stood two pretty and upright figures.

One in water-blue robes and one in a light purple dress—it was Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian!

When they saw Gu He, their eyes immediately lit up with joy.

However, before they could reunite with Gu He, a shrill voice rang out, breaking the silence.

"Everyone look! It's the Spirit-Communicating White Fox!"

Upon noticing the newcomers, those dozen or so people also quickly turned their heads to look at Gu He.

Then, their gazes were drawn to the little white fox in Qing Lin's arms.

A voice of pleasant surprise instantly ignited the greed of these ten-plus people.

Everyone's eyes turned toward Qing Lin.

No one present knew how to crack the Maze, and the sudden appearance of the Spirit-Communicating White Fox immediately reignited their hearts that had been like dead ashes.

Facing so many burning gazes, even though Qing Lin was prepared, her pretty face with its hint of baby fat still changed slightly as she held the white fox and took a step back, standing cautiously behind Gu He.

"Swish!"

In an instant, the Crimson Sky Sword appeared in Gu He's hand. The red blade, which should have been as cool and smooth as moonlight, emitted a fiery intent like a blazing torch. The tip of the sword nearly touched the ground, and a sharp sword wind carved a deep pit into the earth.

Then, the Dou Qi within his body erupted, and the Aura of a Nine-Star Dou Huang was released without reservation.

"If you don't want to die, avert your eyes..." Gu He's voice was extremely indifferent.