Ji Rong's expression remained impassive, but the hand holding her cup trembled slightly.
The truth?
Was the heroine about to reveal some great secret?
No way. Something that important shouldn't be told to her, right?
Ji Rong did not respond immediately after hearing Gu Baiyi's words. Instead, she lifted her gaze, letting countless thoughts condense into a single deep look, silently signaling Gu Baiyi to figure it out herself.
Can you sense my desperate desire to survive?
Gu Baiyi met Ji Rong's gaze and was momentarily startled. Then, she lowered her eyes and smiled, saying nothing.
But the electronic voice chimed in again.
[Ding! Gu Baiyi's favorability +50]
Ji Rong: "..."
Great. She was sure now, Gu Baiyi couldn't sense it at all.
Unaware of Ji Rong's internal struggle, Gu Baiyi reached for her wine cup, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.
She knew her fingers were cold, even colder than the white porcelain cup filled with Bamboo Leaf Green.
But what frustrated her wasn't just how icy her fingers were, it was that even her hand holding the cup was trembling slightly.
Yet, her face remained calm as she lifted the cup again and downed the drink in one go.
Unlike her usual composure, this time she drank hastily, swallowing the wine the moment it touched her tongue.
Ever since she had reached the seventh stage, Red Lotus, her sense of taste had dulled.
Drinking wine didn't matter to her anymore; she only drank in hopes of getting drunk, to dull her clarity.
Yet now, looking at Ji Rong sitting across from her, Gu Baiyi found her mind growing sharper instead.
Painfully clear.
Clear enough to see the confusion in Ji Rong's brows and the way she unconsciously pressed her lips together.
Holding her cup, Gu Baiyi suddenly recalled the first time she met Ji Rong in her past life.
Back then, Ji Rong was clad in gauzy robes, seated indifferently beneath Pei Hui, casually watching the initiation ceremony.
Following Ji Rong's hand, Gu Baiyi's gaze landed on the blood jade bracelet she wore, then moved to her wrist.
Her delicate wrist was mostly concealed by the wide sleeves embroidered with plum blossoms, revealing only a glimpse of snow-white skin.
Then, as a thousand plum petals fluttered in the wind, Ji Rong lifted her head and met her eyes.
Gu Baiyi had actually heard Mei He calling her forward to pay respects to her master, but her feet had frozen in place, momentarily forgetting to move.
By the time she snapped out of it, she slowly stepped forward and bowed to the elders in greeting.
Standing above, Mei He smiled and asked, "Now that you have entered the inner sect, you may choose one of the four venerable elders as your master. Have you decided whom to follow?"
Gu Baiyi hesitated for a moment, stealing a glance at the woman in gauzy robes before replying, "Disciple wishes to be apprenticed to Elder Pei."
—
Ji Rong watched as Gu Baiyi seemed lost in thought, her heart tightening in suspense.
Her hand even moved instinctively to the sword at her waist, preparing herself in case Gu Baiyi suddenly erupted into violence.
But the one to act first wasn't Gu Baiyi, it was the system's voice.
[Ding! Gu Baiyi's favorability +20]
Ji Rong: ?
Before she could react, the system continued bombarding her.
[Ding! Gu Baiyi's favorability -10]
[Ding! Gu Baiyi's favorability +30]
[Ding! Gu Baiyi's favorability +50]
[Ding! Gu Baiyi's favorability -10]
[Ding! Ding! Ding! Target's psychological activity is too complex. System cr-cr-crash—crashing—crashed—]
A burst of garbled static followed, and then silence. The system had seemingly died.
Ji Rong was dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded.
What kind of operation was this?
Holding her breath, Ji Rong closely observed Gu Baiyi's every move.
But to her surprise, Gu Baiyi seemed to sense it, turning to meet her gaze with a soft smile.
Her eyes were deep and focused, as though a thousand mountains and rivers lay between them. Her gentle smile was filled with unspoken emotions.
Ji Rong, however, felt the urge to curl into a ball in sheer terror.
After a long silence, Gu Baiyi finally spoke, her voice calm. "Senior Sister, I fear I must leave soon."
Ji Rong thought, Yes, yes, you're about to get promoted to the Demon Sect's big boss. Safe travels. No need to send me a postcard.
Yet on the surface, she merely frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"
Gu Baiyi smiled and replied, "Somewhere Senior Sister cannot see."
Ji Rong was ecstatic. Isn't that perfect?
Then, Gu Baiyi paused before adding, "And, of course, somewhere I cannot see Senior Sister."
Ji Rong: ?
Wait. Somewhere she can't see me?
Why did that sound so much like a love confession?
No, wait, why was the heroine saying something that sounded like a cheap romance line?
Ignoring Ji Rong's stunned expression, Gu Baiyi continued with a smile, "These past few days, I have been wondering… perhaps Senior Sister has already sensed that I would leave. After all, you know so much, how could you not have guessed this?"
Ji Rong remained dazed.
She felt like she understood Gu Baiyi's words but also didn't.
Indeed, she had predicted that, due to the Divine Sect's prophecy about the descent of the Heavenly Demon, Gu Baiyi would have to leave. But the way Gu Baiyi spoke suggested there was more to it than that.
Gu Baiyi raised her wine cup, took another sip, and said gently, "Perhaps you are unaware, but I believe you actually do know."
"From the moment you mentioned 'Fenchuan' in our swordsmanship lesson, I suspected that you knew far too much. But you said everyone has their secrets, and you didn't care, so I didn't ask. And I never will… But that's not what I want to say now."
At that moment, looking at Gu Baiyi's serene expression, Ji Rong felt as if something clicked in her mind.
If Gu Baiyi was truly reincarnated, then she must have known the original plot.
Even though Ji Rong had tried to maintain the original owner's personality, Gu Baiyi, who had been familiar with the original owner, would have noticed inconsistencies.
Thinking of this, Ji Rong feigned calmness and asked, "So what are you trying to say?"
Gu Baiyi looked at her and smiled. "Senior Sister, you should already know."
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Ji Rong's mind buzzed. The plot development felt absurdly surreal.
If Gu Baiyi had really said, "Somewhere I can't see Senior Sister," then if Ji Rong still didn't get it, she would be beyond dense.
Recalling the thirty-eighth main storyline in the game—At the initiation ceremony, Gu Baiyi met her gaze, mesmerized by the falling petals—Ji Rong felt a thunderbolt strike her mind.
Wait… could Ji Bai really be real?
Could the heroine actually like the original owner?
After all, when the original owner died, the game's developers ended the main storyline. Maybe those dumb devs really had set Gu Baiyi up to have a thing for the original owner…
Ji Rong recalled everything that had happened over the past few months, along with Gu Baiyi's various strange behaviors. Suddenly, everything made sense.
She had a moment of enlightenment, but it felt utterly unbelievable.
Damn it. So there really was a place for "Ji Bai" on the CP rankings? And the main character in question… was her?
Ji Rong was on the verge of tears.
At this moment, she was overwhelmed with grief, feeling as though she had just lifted a rock only to drop it on her own foot.
Yet, deep down, Ji Rong was calm, so calm that it reflected on her face. She smiled faintly and said to Gu Baiyi, "Junior Sister Gu, to be honest, I'd rather you hadn't said anything."
Hearing those three words, "Junior Sister Gu", Gu Baiyi looked at the person before her, her eyes meeting Ji Rong's cold gaze. She set her wine cup down on the table and softly asked, "Senior Sister, why can't I say it?"
Ji Rong's voice was steady. "Because that's something you could say to anyone, but never to me."
Gu Baiyi's face turned pale. She forced a smile and stubbornly pressed on, "Why?"
"You're asking why?"
Ji Rong suddenly realized the CP she had been shipping was destined for a bad ending. Devastated, she decided to just go all in. "You already know the answer, don't you? I'm not her."
Gu Baiyi frowned slightly and said slowly, "At first, Baiyi thought the same. But later, I became certain, you are her."
I'm the original protagonist? Keep dreaming.
Ji Rong figured that since the ship was already sinking, she might as well let it sink completely. So, she smiled and admitted openly, "Unfortunately, I'm not her. And whether I am or not, you shouldn't be saying this to me, because I don't treat you well, nor do I have any feelings for you."
Gu Baiyi stared at Ji Rong, silent for a long while.
Then, she moved her lips and stubbornly asked, "If that's the case, then why did you let that fox heal my scars during the alchemy lesson?"
Ji Rong replied indifferently, "It was just a thoughtless act. Don't dwell on it."
"And at the cold pond, you knew I had the intent to kill you. Why did you still warn me to dodge the Crimson-Scaled Serpent? And when I was swallowed by it, why did you stab it?"
Ji Rong thought for a moment before answering, "If you died, I wouldn't have been able to get out either. That's all."
Hearing this, Gu Baiyi lowered her gaze and let out a soft chuckle. "In that case, when the duel ended, and you carried me back to my residence, treated my wounds, and stood up for me after I was defeated by Dou Weiyi… Were all those also thoughtless acts?"
"Yes."
"Then in the secret realm, why did you block Yan Haiyao's sword for me?"
Ji Rong pondered for a moment before responding calmly, "Earlier, you were controlled by your inner demon and shielded me from a falling boulder. I was merely returning the favor."
Gu Baiyi froze for a moment before letting out a low laugh. "So it was because of the inner demon… I never considered that before. You risked losing your left arm to block that strike, and it was just… repaying a debt."
"Senior Sister, you wield your sword with your left hand. Surely you understand that losing it is akin to abandoning the sword path entirely?"
Ji Rong thought to herself, Well, Yang Guo lost an arm, and he still became a great hero.
But at the time, she truly hadn't realized just how terrifying Yan Haiyao's sword strike would be.
Seeing Ji Rong's momentary daze, Gu Baiyi understood, she probably hadn't considered that back then.
So, in the end, everything was just her own delusion.
Like the jar of Eternal Drunkenness at Chonghua Tower, like the beautiful lanterns floating down the moat.
Such wonderful sights, yet they had all passed.
Some things were destined to remain out of reach, like the moon hanging in the sky, visible, yet untouchable. No matter how much one prayed to the gods, what use was it? It was nothing but an empty wish.
After a long silence, Gu Baiyi stood up from the stone bench, cupped her hands toward Ji Rong, and said apologetically, "It was my mistake to say so much useless nonsense here, wasting Senior Sister's time."
Ji Rong's eyelid twitches. She really couldn't handle the heroine bowing to her. But since she had to stay in character, she only responded lightly, "It's fine."
"If today's conversation has troubled you, please don't take it to heart. Just focus on preparing for tomorrow's sect tournament."
Ji Rong nodded. "You too."
At last, Gu Baiyi lowered her hands, glanced at the two wine cups on the stone table, picked one up, and downed the drink in a single gulp.
Staring at the empty cup, she shook her head.
The cup slipped from her hand, fell to the ground, and shattered into two halves.
Then, Gu Baiyi curved her lips into a smile, looked at Ji Rong, and said, "I've said everything I needed to. Baiyi will take her leave now."
Ji Rong nodded.
Gu Baiyi turned and left.
Her purple robes were bathed in the golden hues of twilight, resembling flickering light in the chaos.
Ji Rong watched as Gu Baiyi walked step by step into the dark forest. For a fleeting moment, she had the urge to reach out and pull that shadowy figure back into the light.
But in the end, she didn't.
That purple silhouette was too fragile, disappearing faster than a withered leaf drifting to the ground, soon vanishing from Ji Rong's sight altogether.
For some reason, Ji Rong felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
Maybe it was because she had somehow become the heartbreaker. Or maybe because the unfaithful one was actually… herself.
Ji Rong looked at the cold wine pot on the table and the lone remaining cup, suddenly feeling a deep sense of desolation.
She let out a sigh. Being a villain was truly difficult.
Since Gu Baiyi had left, there was no reason for Ji Rong to linger at Yan Hui Pavilion either.
Just as she turned to leave, she unexpectedly caught sight of a fiery red figure.
Dressed flamboyantly in crimson robes, the person carried a wine jug in one hand and grinned at Ji Rong. "What a coincidence! How fortunate for Xie to run into Senior Sister Ji here. As the saying goes, 'Fate brings people together.' Would Senior Sister care to share a cup of peach blossom wine with me?"