439: Chapter 439 Finding Liu Qing

[You actually know a bit about these Law Enforcement Guards—]

[This is the lowest-level position in the Heavenly Palace, with almost no requirements as long as your Realm is high enough.]

[You didn't rush to agree, but instead asked, "Does Fellow Daoist know someone named Liu Qing?"]

[The expression on Chu Fan's face froze for a moment.]

[He stared at you, his tone turning a few degrees colder. "What does Your Excellency want with her?"]

[Your heart stirred.]

[This reaction... he knows Liu Qing.]

["Fellow Daoist, don't misunderstand," you explained with a smile. "An elder from my clan instructed me to come to the Heavenly Palace to seek refuge with Lady Liu Qing. But since I've never met her, I had to ask."]

[Chu Fan looked at you for a few breaths, and his expression softened slightly.]

[He didn't respond but directly handed over a jade plaque.]

["This is a Law Enforcement Guard jade plaque. With this, you can collect a sum of Spirit Stones every year."]

["When you go to collect your Spirit Stones, you will be able to see Lady Liu Qing."]

[The Law Enforcement Guard token was palm-sized, engraved with complex inscriptions, and faintly shimmering with spiritual light.]

[Hearing his words, you were secretly delighted—it was quite smooth. After searching for over a year, you finally knew Liu Qing's whereabouts.]

[You took it casually and offered a few words of flattery.]

[Chu Fan waved his hand, accepting the compliments.]

[His squad, including you, now had exactly five people.]

[The duties of a Heavenly Palace Law Enforcement Guard were easier than you had imagined.]

[One might even say... it was ridiculously leisurely.]

[There was no need for patrols or standing guard; you just had to keep an eye on your assigned area.]

[A Spirit Transformation Cultivator's Divine Sense can cover over a thousand miles, so each squad of Law Enforcement Guards is responsible for a radius of a thousand miles.]

[If anything happened, a sweep of the Divine Sense would naturally reveal what was going on.]

[As for when nothing was happening... you could do whatever you wanted.]

[Cultivating, drinking tea, or listening to storytelling—no one cared what you did.]

[No wonder this Chu Fan often came to this Tianxing Tower to listen to storytelling.]

[The sixty-ninth year.]

[During this year as a Law Enforcement Guard, you kept such a low profile that you were practically invisible.]

[Your true body remained hidden deep within your residence, Cultivating in seclusion and never showing its face.]

[The ones walking around outside were two Clones.]

[The first Clone dutifully performed the tasks a Law Enforcement Guard should do—eating, drinking, having fun, wandering around, and occasionally sweeping the Divine Sense over its assigned area.]

[The second Clone accompanied Gu Jing.]

[This girl's mood had been improving over the last few years. Every day she followed you around, finding everything fresh and new, laughing like a child who hadn't grown up.]

[Sometimes, as you watched her, you would feel in a daze that living like this forever wouldn't be so bad.]

[Three days later, for some reason, Gu Jing inexplicably achieved a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation.]

[You immediately appeared before her.]

["Now, can you peer into my destiny?"]

[Gu Jing nodded and closed her eyes; the Law of Destiny activated, and she performed a deduction technique.]

[A moment later, she opened her eyes, her brow furrowed. "I still can't see it clearly."]

["Why?"]

["This situation..." She thought for a moment. "There is only one possibility—you possess immense Luck and are a legendary Child of Luck. The destiny of such a person is naturally impossible to peer into."]

[You fell silent.]

[You are also someone who has reached Perfection in the Law of Destiny; you understood this principle.]

[Logically, with Gu Jing's Soul Transformation cultivation, she should have been able to see something when peering into a sliver of your fate.]

[But she saw nothing at all.]

[Even the Mahayana-stage Venerable Tianming might not be able to see your fate clearly.]

[But here was the problem—in those previous instances, how did the Venerable Tianming know your whereabouts in advance?]

[A thought suddenly occurred to you.]

[Could it be that the Venerable Tianming wasn't calculating your fate, but rather the fate of those around you?]

[The more you thought about it, the more likely it seemed.]

[You understood—as a Void Refining Cultivator, you had many life-saving methods, but once your true body was locked onto, the consequences would be unimaginable.]

[The Venerable Tianming was the only person you were currently wary of.]

[You had to find a way to break this deadlock.]

[You looked up at Gu Jing and suddenly remembered something.]

["In all these years, haven't you been curious about how the Gu Family is doing now?"]

[Gu Jing smiled, her voice surprisingly calm. "The Gu Family has long been gone; I know."]

[You were stunned for a moment, then nodded.]

[You had kept this from her all along, fearing she wouldn't survive the Heart Demon Tribulation during her Breakthrough to Soul Transformation.]

[But she had known for a long time.]

["I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hidden it from you," you said.]

["It's fine." She smiled and shook her head.]

[Then, she looked up at you. There was something indescribable in her gaze.]

["Young Master..." She paused, as if gathering her courage. "I'm leaving."]

[You opened your mouth to say something, but the words died in your throat. You simply nodded with a smile.]

[She looked at you, her eyes slowly turning red.]

[Then, she suddenly took a step forward, opened her arms, and gently hugged you.]

[With her head resting on your shoulder, her voice choked with emotion, "Young Master, I know... I am not your destined one."]

["But these past few years have been... the happiest days of my life."]

[She held you tightly, as if trying to carve this moment into her very bones.]

["For the rest of your life, when I'm no longer by your side... you must take good care of yourself."]

[Having said that, she let go and turned around.]

[She wiped away her tears.]

[Her figure flickered.]

[And she vanished.]

[You stood in the empty living room, staring in the direction she had disappeared. After a long time, you let out a soft sigh:]

["Take care."]

[You didn't know where she was going!]

[But with her Soul Transformation cultivation and the Heavenly Fate Dao Embryo's ability to seek fortune and avoid disaster, as long as she didn't seek out her own death, she would have no problem staying safe.]

[Besides, following you... was actually more dangerous.]

[You didn't think about it any further.]

[At the same time,]

[Your Law Enforcement Guard Clone, filled with anticipation, arrived before a towering palace.]

[Today was the day annual salaries were distributed, and there were exceptionally many Law Enforcement Guards coming and going in an endless stream.]

[Standing to the side, you watched the people entering and leaving, secretly marveling—the Heavenly Palace truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier power. Even these Law Enforcement Guards were at least at the Soul Transformation stage; wouldn't any of them be a prominent figure in the outside world?]

[You walked to the counter with a smile and handed over your jade plaque.]

[The person behind the counter didn't even look up. He took the jade plaque, swiped it, and casually tossed over a bag of Spirit Stones.]

[You caught it and, instead of rushing off, asked, "Excuse me, is Lady Liu Qing here?"]

[Only then did the man look up at you, glancing toward the upper floors. "Top floor. You can go up with your jade plaque."]

[You cupped your fists and turned to head upstairs.]

[The top floor was a stark contrast to the bustling scene below; this level was so empty it was almost desolate.]

[Only by the balcony sat a woman.]

[She had a very curvaceous figure, with long silvery-white hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her aura was as cold as frost, and her features carried a sense of aloofness that kept people at a distance.]

[With her back to you, her profile was hidden in the play of light and shadow. She held a cup of spiritual tea, seemingly gazing at the scenery outside.]

[Just as you stepped out of the stairwell, she spoke in a faint voice without turning her head: "Are you the one Chu Fan mentioned—Qin Tian?"]