During those five days, Gu Lianqian's physical wounds healed quickly, yet every night she was plagued by nightmares she could not control.
With her strength as a Sixth Rank martial artist of the Martial Courage Realm, she should long ago have been free of such disturbances.
After stepping into the Sixth Rank, one's martial cultivation strengthens the divine soul, and one's will becomes vastly superior to ordinary people.
To the Gu Lianqian of the past, such things, nightmares and fear, were troubles only for the weak, for those whose minds and bodies were both fragile.
She was, after all, the martial prodigy praised by her father, the little princess of the Northern Garrison Prince's Residence.
She feared neither heaven nor earth, what could possibly make her tremble, to the point of haunting her even in dreams?
Yet it was when she was most proud and complacent that she encountered the darkest moment of her life.
That despicable man, whose face she had never even seen, took advantage of her serious injuries and helplessness to commit an act of monstrous cruelty upon her!
To this day, she had told no one about what happened.
Those in the Sword Pavilion, as well as Ning Caiyong, only believed that she had been hunted for days, could not accept her defeat, and had thus withdrawn into her room in silent shame.
But in truth, though Gu Lianqian's mind was still immature, she was undeniably a pure martial genius.
This defeat, rather than breaking her, made her quickly recognize her shortcomings in every aspect.
Her battles of life and death against numerous powerful foes had rapidly deepened her understanding of martial cultivation; otherwise, how could she have escaped under siege by so many of the same rank?
These past days, while confined to her room, she had been both healing and cultivating.
In just a few short days, she already sensed faint signs of a breakthrough.
Previously, her so-called courage had been an illusion built by others' flattery, her Martial Courage Realm was not solid.
But after this ordeal, she had found a chance to break and then rebuild herself anew.
It was, in truth, a blessing born of misfortune.
Just as Gu Fangchen had once said: true martial courage comes from absolute mastery of strength, from which fearlessness is born.
Once Gu Lianqian understood her own abilities and limits, this defeat no longer filled her with fear, it instead elevated her martial heart.
What she truly feared was that absolute darkness in the mountain cave.
That unknown man, his name, his face, both hidden, who had violated her body, his rough hands cruelly invading and seizing every part of her.
No matter how she had screamed, no one came to save her.
Each midnight, she awoke in tears, trembling, curling up beneath her blanket, unable to stop herself from crying.
She had checked countless times, there had been no physical trace left by that man.
And yet, every time she awoke, her lower abdomen would ache faintly, as if his hands were still inside, stirring the pain anew.
That was the most horrifying nightmare of Gu Lianqian's life.
She had not broken down completely for two reasons.
First, because of the spiritual support she found in "Not Daoist."
Though he had vanished without a trace, Ning Songjun had personally confirmed that "Not Daoist" did indeed exist. Thus, Gu Lianqian told herself that he must have his own matters to attend to, that he had left only for a time.
The second reason was that the stranger was dead.
Though she had not seen the corpse herself, among those outside the cave, there had been one body in a purple robe, Fifth Rank cultivation, newly slain.
She had convinced herself that this was the man "Not Daoist" had killed.
So each morning, she comforted herself, the man was dead, and no one except "Not Daoist" knew what had happened.
Time would pass. Everything would be fine again.
She would eventually walk out of that darkness.
However, when that familiar voice sounded beside her ear once more, Gu Lianqian was dragged helplessly back into the abyss.
The damp, cold, filthy cave, the blurred, hideous silhouette, reappeared vividly before her eyes.
Impossible!
It couldn't be, how could he still be alive?!
And worse, how could he be in her room?
This was the Sword Pavilion!
Her uncle's domain, a sect guarded by a Second Rank divine cultivator, how could some vile intruder possibly enter undetected?
Her face turned as pale as paper. She trembled violently, curling into herself, gripping the blanket tightly to wrap herself completely.
Impossible!
It must, it must be an illusion!
Yes, that was it, she was dreaming!
Gu Fangchen looked at the trembling bundle before him and knew that Gu Lianqian was trying to play ostrich, pretending she had heard nothing.
He sat casually on the edge of the bed, sneering coldly.
"Do something wicked, then hide in guilt when caught. Truly your father's daughter, Gu Yuye's little hypocrite."
"Tell me, if others learned that our noble little princess was actually a corrupted girl who tried to harm her own mother, and who isn't even pure anymore, what would they think?"
His Wandering Spirit Realm soul, though not yet fully materialized, was already capable of influencing physical objects like an ordinary person.
Gu Lianqian's pupils shrank violently, she could feel the bed dip slightly beside her, pressed down by real weight.
She covered her mouth, barely stifling a scream, tears filling her eyes.
What should she do?
It really was him!
That beast was alive!
Not only alive, but he had silently entered the Sword Pavilion, he had come for her again!
Terror overwhelmed her completely. She forgot that she was a Sixth Rank martial artist. Her limbs froze; she dared not even lift the blanket.
The memory of the cave had stripped her of all courage.
She shook her head desperately, lips trembling, eyes shut tight as she stammered,
"No! Don't tell anyone! P-please… I didn't really mean to hurt Mother, I was only pretending! I just wanted to distract that bastard, then I would've stopped right away!"
Gu Fangchen's voice was cold.
"You didn't want to? Then who did?"
He reached out, lifted the blanket, and tore away her last line of defense.
Gu Lianqian screamed sharply and crawled to the corner of the bed, trembling uncontrollably, still not daring to open her eyes.
Outside, the maid heard the commotion and asked anxiously,
"Little Princess, are you having nightmares again?"
Gu Lianqian wanted to call for help, but suddenly felt two icy hands press down on her shoulders.
She trembled again and answered with a quivering voice,
"N-no… I just want some quiet. Go rest for now."
The maid, unsuspecting, obeyed and left.
Gu Fangchen lowered his voice.
"You really seem to hate Gu Fangchen, don't you? Just a few words from someone else, and you were ready to sacrifice your own mother to get rid of him?"
Gu Lianqian shook her head hard, pale and frantic.
"No, I never meant such a thing…"
"Then it was Gu Yuandao who did."
"Impossible! Second Brother is a man of integrity, everyone knows that! He only came to such a plan because he was forced, because there was only one chance. He said even if I refused, he wouldn't blame me!"
"Oh?"
Gu Fangchen leaned closer.
"Then you mean, if you hadn't agreed, he would have given up the plan?"
Gu Lianqian nodded firmly.
"Of course!"
Gu Fangchen said,
"How utterly naive."
Seeing that he did not immediately harm her and seemed merely curious, Gu Lianqian mustered a bit of courage and said through clenched teeth,
"It's the truth! Second Brother isn't a bad person!"
Gu Fangchen sneered.
"Then I've decided how to punish you."
"I'll let you see for yourself what kind of man Gu Yuandao truly is. Do as I say, pretend to agree, say you'll help him hold Ning Caiyong hostage. But when the day comes, you must not act. Watch with your own eyes what he does."
The pressure on her shoulders vanished. Then came his voice, calm yet laced with mockery.
"If Gu Yuandao still acts, then you're a lying little dog. And when that happens, you'll kneel before Gu Fangchen and bark three times like one."
Gu Lianqian froze in disbelief, snapping her eyes open,
But before her, the room was empty.