While Gu Han was leisurely sipping wine and listening to music in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion,
On the outer fringe of the Wan Jue Mountain Range, along a rugged mountain path,
Gu Luoli was trudging step by agonizing step toward Linyuan City.
Her face was as pale as paper, her forehead beaded with fine sweat; after every short stretch she had to stop and catch her breath.
The wound to her dao foundation was like gangrene in the bone, not only dropping her cultivation but also gnawing at her life force and spiritual power.
The slightest use of spiritual power for travel triggered excruciating pain and a worsening of the injury.
She could only rely on her two feet like a Mortal, trudging on foot.
Her plain white dress was smeared with dust and grass, torn in places by brambles, giving a rather wretched appearance.
Yet her spine remained ramrod-straight.
Those Innate Double Pupils, now dim, still burned in their depths with an unyielding flame.
"Senior Yun... how much farther?"
Gu Luoli asked the remnant soul inside the ring.
"Soon. Climb the ridge ahead and you should glimpse the outline of the city,"
Yun Miaoyi's gentle voice sounded in her mind.
"Luoli, once we reach the city we'll find lodging first and gather information."
"Remember, be careful in everything; don't clash with anyone."
"Mm, I understand."
Gu Luoli nodded lightly, drew a deep breath, and kept walking.
In her mind Yun Miaoyi's earlier words echoed over and over.
The figure of the silver-haired Palace Master, the effortless way she had calmed a sea of flowers, was seared into her heart.
It was a power and a Realm she had never encountered, far beyond her comprehension.
Would someone like that truly take her in?
Gu Luoli's heart fluttered with unease.
Her Foundation was shattered; she was virtually a cripple, and even her valuable Innate Double Pupils had nearly dimmed from unsuitable Cultivation Techniques.
Why would a figure like that Palace Master fancy a burden like her?
The ring warmed slightly; Yun Miaoyi seemed to sense her anxiety and consoled her softly,
"Luoli, don't undervalue yourself."
"Your Double Pupils are a gift of heaven and earth; with the right method your future is boundless."
"As for Palace Master Gu Han..."
"What we need is a chance—one that lets her see your worth."
Her voice paused, as if she had steeled herself.
"If it comes to it... I'll offer every insight I've gained in Alchemy through my life to beg her to shelter you and heal your wounds."
"Senior Yun!"
Gu Luoli's heart clenched. "You can't! You..."
"It's all right."
Yun Miaoyi cut her off, calm yet resolute.
"I'm already dead, a wisp of remnant soul clinging to life. If I can fight for your future and find a home for my own Legacy, it's worth it."
Those words were half true, half false.
She did want to help Gu Luoli and valued her Double Pupil gift,
but more than that, she herself longed for Rebirth.
Clinging to Gu Luoli let her linger, but it was rootless duckweed—she might scatter at any moment.
Yet if she could attach herself to a power like Yaochi Immortal Palace,
with its resources she might truly reshape her Divine Soul and even gain a new life!
It was a desperate gamble—
betting that Palace Master Gu Han would need her Alchemy skills,
betting that Yaochi Immortal Palace could heal Gu Luoli's dao injury, betting that the two of them were worth the investment.
Gu Luoli, unaware of Yun Miaoyi's full thoughts, believed her Senior was sacrificing herself and felt both moved and bitter.
She clenched her fists, nails digging deep into her palms.
"I... I won't let Senior down!"
Just then—
"Hey, brothers, look! A lone girl over here!"
"Heh, quite a looker—even if she's a bit pale, like a sick beauty!"
"Sick or not, in these wild hills the heavens have sent us some fun!"
Several lewd laughs came from the woods ahead.
Four or five men in motley martial garb, weapons in hand and wearing obscene grins, stepped out to block her path.
Judging by their clothes and auras they were only Loose Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage who usually robbed lone travelers and bullied the weak.
Gu Luoli's heart sank; she knew this was bad.
In normal times she could swat such trash with a flick of her finger.
Now, with less than a tenth of her strength left, she might barely handle one or two—but there were five!
"Girl, where're you headed alone? How about we escort you?"
The leading thug rubbed his hands, eyes raking over her as he advanced.
The rest fanned out, cutting off her retreat.
Gu Luoli forced herself to stay calm, right hand stealthily resting on her sword hilt, voice icy:
"Step aside."
"Hey, quite the temper!"
"Brothers, let's teach her some manners!"
Before the words faded he lunged, fingers clawing for her shoulder.
The other four struck at once, blades rising, sealing every path of escape.
They moved in perfect coordination—clearly not their first such deed.
Gu Luoli's pupils shrank; her Double Pupils tried instinctively to activate, but pain blurred her vision.
She clenched her teeth and barely twisted aside.
Her sword flashed from its scabbard with faint spiritual light, slashing at the blade coming from the side.
Clang!
Metal rang against metal.
Her wrist shuddered violently; the sword nearly flew free as she stumbled back several steps.
A sweet taste rose in her throat; she forced down the mouthful of blood.
Her already pale face turned paper-white.
"Sure enough, a sickly wench! Brothers, press harder—take her!"
Scar-face grew wilder, his assault fiercer.
Gu Luoli struggled to hold on; though her swordplay was exquisite, her spiritual power was spent and her footwork sluggish. Soon she was stretched to the limit, danger on every side.
Her dress was slashed again, revealing blood-streaked skin.
"Am I... am I, Gu Luoli, to perish here? To die at the hands of such rats?"
A fierce bitterness and despair welled up.
She hadn't yet found Yaochi Immortal Palace! Hadn't yet healed her dao injury!
Hadn't yet shown those cold-eyed onlookers from Qingyun Holy Land what she could become!
Inside the ring Yun Miaoyi was frantic, yet powerless.
She was only a remnant soul, unable to wield force; all she could do was burn with anxiety.
Meanwhile, in a private room of the Spring-Breeze Pavilion
the pipa plucked like a bubbling spring, the girl's song lilting.
Gu Han, reclining by the window, paused mid-sip.
His gaze cut through layers of roofs and streets toward the mountain path, as though seeing the scene there.
"Truly the template of a great heroine—trouble wherever she goes..."
he murmured with a soft laugh.
Without any visible movement, he merely flicked a finger across the Void Realm toward that distant spot.
No spiritual light flashed, no force tore through the air.
Not even a wisp of breeze stirred.
Inside the room the playing girl merely thought the handsome, otherworldly Young Master had made an elegant, casual gesture.
She blinked and returned her attention to the strings.
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