"So naïve." From a distance, Li Xun watched and tossed out his comment in a flat, indifferent tone.
Of course, he knew full well that the reason the Heavenly Vigorous Sect would pull such a "foolish stunt" probably had everything to do with the clash later that day between the Underworld Monarch Sect and the Vermilion Hook Sect inside the Demon Thunder Monastery.
That fight nearly finished the monastery off for good.
Out of its five main courtyards, four were destroyed. The main hall, side halls, bell tower, and shrines collapsed one after another. Blood pools and underground fire pits were smashed to rubble, buried deep beneath the wreckage, leaving nothing recognizable behind.
Li Xun would never believe those two demonic sects had struck any kind of agreement. But he did believe in the unspoken rule they shared: if I can't have it, then no one else can either.
And so, for the moment, the Heavenly Vigorous Sect's attention was drawn to that rogue cultivator.
With their chance to study the monastery's hidden mechanisms gone, the Underworld Monarch Sect and the Vermilion Hook Sect joined in as well, making a big show of "hunting down" Xiao Zhongzi.
Add to that a swarm of rogue cultivators, half-clueless, half-looking for scraps, and the endless sea of forest stretching ten thousand li around the monastery turned into nothing less than a game of cat-and-mouse between soldiers and bandits.
Still, Xiao Zhongzi's performance genuinely surprised Li Xun.
For two straight days, the kid vanished without a trace, leaving all three sects chasing shadows. His tricks were nothing short of impressive.
Naturally, that only left the masters of the three sects running around even harder.
In that charged atmosphere, Li Xun arrived at the outskirts of the Demon Thunder Monastery.
He sat perched on a tall tree, arms folded across his chest to shield the wound that still hadn't healed. His eyes flickered with light, yet lacked any real focus.
Back then, when he had spared Gu Pin'er's life, part of it was pity. But even more than that, it was his confidence in the Heart-Locking Technique.
The Heart-Locking Technique was a subtle mind-technique from the Netherworld Record. Taking advantage of the damage to Gu Pin'er's spirit, he had buried a heavy psychological suggestion and restriction deep within her wound, forcing her to forget his very existence.
Because it was planted in the breach of her spirit, blending perfectly into the injury itself, it should have been impossible to remove.
And yet, he had overlooked the chance of a miracle.
He didn't need to know how Gu Pin'er had managed to break free of the scar embedded in the depths of her heart. All he needed to understand was this: she was no longer the puppet he had once molded at will. She was now a variable he could not afford to ignore.
But…
"Come find me."
That was what Gu Pin'er had said to him two days ago.
Her words were soft, almost tender, like a plea whispered to a lover, not to the man who had once defiled her and ground her into humiliation. Could Li Xun really believe that? That this woman, now utterly different from the girl she had been, still carried the very same thoughts she'd held the day they parted?
When Li Xun recalled the unusual look on Gu Pin'er's face the other day, even with all his discipline he couldn't help but feel a trace of distinctly male pride. But along with it came something stronger. An unease he couldn't quite put into words.
He also had the faint sense that he had seen something like this before.
Just then, a thought stirred in his mind. After waiting four full hours, his target finally appeared. Instead of stepping forward to meet her, Li Xun's figure flickered backward. He retreated swiftly, slipping past the scouts of all three sects, and left the scene behind.
He was certain Gu Pin'er had already sensed his presence. Just like two days ago, though he still couldn't figure out how she had pierced through his concealment technique and come straight for him.
He stopped at a riverbank more than seventy li from the monastery. There, dozens of ancient trees, each over a thousand years old, grew across the river. Their tangled branches wove a canopy so thick it blocked out the sun, casting even the flowing water beneath into shadow.
Quiet and secluded, it was the perfect place for a secret meeting.
More importantly, he had already laid down layers of restrictive formations, and hidden his two puppets in ambush. It was enough to deal with any sudden surprises.
Of course, that was nothing more than a precaution.
By instinct, Li Xun didn't believe Gu Pin'er meant him any harm.
After waiting for nearly a quarter of an hour, Li Xun finally heard the faint rustle of leaves and branches. For reasons he couldn't explain, a strange tension welled up inside him, as though he were both anticipating something and resisting it at the same time. In that state of mind, he saw her, walking gracefully through the night in flowing violet robes.
Gu Pin'er... His heart called out her name. The heavy darkness posed no obstacle to his eyes; as he watched her silhouette draw nearer, a flash of astonishment flickered through his gaze.
The other day, things had happened too quickly for him to take a good look. But now, seeing her clearly, he couldn't help but marvel.
Time, for cultivators, almost means nothing. And yet, the weight of years always leaves its trace on the soul.
Sixty years ago, Gu Pin'er had already been a striking beauty. But now, sixty years later, her beauty had undergone a transformation in essence.
It wasn't just that her bearing had grown calmer. To Li Xun, a woman who had endured what she had could never remain naïve or frivolous, unless she had gone mad. That much was inevitable.
No, it wasn't her delicate face or her fine clothing that struck him most. Those were no longer the point. The Gu Pin'er standing before him had transcended the limits of flesh and form. A subtle shift in her brows and expression alone revealed a breathtaking beauty rooted deep within her soul.
What stirred Li Xun's heart most was her eyes. Beneath their calm and clarity, there lingered a trace of elusive, dreamlike melancholy. She was clearly looking right at him, yet it felt as though her spirit were drifting away, wandering in another world entirely.
And what did she leave you with? Perhaps nothing more than the same emptiness that dwells with the darkness itself.
They were eyes that could sap a man's spirit; yet also awaken the deepest urge to conquer.
It was in that moment that Li Xun placed Gu Pin'er among the most beautiful women he had ever seen. And only then did he realize he had been staring at her for far too long.
By the time Gu Pin'er drew near, he finally came back to himself.
He stood within the formation, unseen by her. Yet somehow, by means he could not fathom, she was still able to sense his presence. Her gaze, unfocused though it seemed, fell straight upon him, as if she had already marked his position.
Li Xun's brows knit. His body flickered, slipping behind her. Even so, she wasn't deceived; just as she began to turn, a strong arm slid around her neck. The muscles were smooth, the grip seemingly light, yet it was more than enough to cut off her breath in an instant.
She was clever. Her posture stayed straight, her eyes fixed forward, and she no longer made the slightest move to turn her head. Li Xun pressed himself against her back until not even the thinnest gap remained between them.
As their bodies brushed together, he heard her breathing falter, just slightly uneven; but still, she offered no resistance.
A faint trace of anticipation stirred in Li Xun's heart, though it was outweighed by his confusion.
Before this, he had struggled over what stance he should take when facing her. But now, looking at the scene before him, it all felt strangely familiar.
To test his suspicion, he deliberately pressed closer, letting the friction between them build. He lowered his chin onto her shoulder, cheek brushing against her smooth skin, and murmured a quiet word of praise.
The closeness of ear to ear, face to face, sent a jolt through him, nearly making him forget what he meant to say. Only then did it occur to him that it had been two or three years since he'd last touched a woman.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, his body reacted
Gu Pin'er, pressed so tightly against him, felt the change almost immediately. Li Xun could sense her body stiffen at first, then slowly begin to relax.
At this unbearable moment, Li Xun's voice came out rough: "What's going through your mind? That I didn't fuck you enough back then?"
The crude words struck straight to the heart. He could see her reaction flare even stronger than before. It seemed she wanted to answer with a nod or a shake of the head, but his arm locked around her throat left her unable to move. Her breath grew even more erratic.
Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched tight, then forced themselves open again. Li Xun could feel her jaw clenched hard; but still, the faintest sound escaped from between her lips. And then he felt a sudden tug at his robes, Gu Pin'er's hand seizing hold and refusing to let go.
Seeing the flush spread across Gu Pin'er's face, how could Li Xun not know what was running through her mind?
And yet he still held back his urges. Lowering his voice to her ear, he uttered three simple words: "Speak. Say it."
At last, Gu Pin'er parted her lips. But what came out was a soft and seductive moan. Li Xun's sharp senses even caught the sudden, intoxicating scent rising from her body, wrapping around them.
His own throat went dry. Unable to resist, he brushed her soft earlobe with his lips, a fleeting touch that made her body shudder violently. Instinctively she tried to turn away, but his teeth closed lightly, holding her in place.
She let out a low 'ah,' her body tensing to the breaking point. And at that very instant, his cold voice cut through the haze again.
This time it was one word: "Speak."
Her trembling only grew stronger. And then Li Xun noticed the shimmer of moisture. Glancing aside, he caught sight of a single tear sliding down from the corner of her eye.
At last, the response he had been pressing for came, soft and wavering at his ear: "I... I don't know."
That, he thought, was the only answer that made sense.
The ghostly light flickering in Li Xun's eyes pierced straight through Gu Pin'er's turbulent thoughts. He saw the wound inside her, torn open once again. And beneath it, a heart already eaten away by decay.
In that instant, he understood why she had escaped the fate of becoming a broken, useless shell.
If she could not climb out of the abyss, then she had chosen instead to sink ever deeper. At the bottom of the abyss, after all, there was another kind of world.
Li Xun brushed aside the last trace of hesitation in his heart. Even if he still didn't know why Gu Pin'er seemed "fixed on him," now he was absolutely confident. This female cultivator, whose strength was no longer what it once had been, could still be bound firmly to his hand. She would become an important pawn in his plan.
His mood lifted, and he no longer bothered to restrain himself. The hand that had been pressing against her vital kidney acupoint finally began to move, echoing the way he had once undone a woman's robes back in the imperial court. His fingers brushed against the gentle curve of her waist.
A long moan escaped Gu Pin'er, carried on true breath. Her body, filled with boundless energy, seemed suddenly boneless, twisting faintly as if to melt back into the man behind her. Amid her hushed and unsteady breaths, she allowed herself to be manipulated.