The time to form the Soul Pact had not yet arrived, so the two remained in the cave to wait.
Over the next few days, Gu Changyuan would return to the Servant Quarters during the day to handle his daily chores, avoiding any unnecessary suspicion. At night, he would return to the cave to continue cultivating the Heaven-Burning Art and to look after Feng Jiuli.
Feng Jiuli's external injuries were slowly healing, but the erosion of the forbidden curse relentlessly continued. The dark red runes had now spread across her entire face, violently flaring up every few hours.
Fortunately, Gu Changyuan was by her side. Every time it flared up, he would tightly hold her hand, keeping her from being completely consumed by the agonizing torment.
"You don't need to guard me every single time," Feng Jiuli said weakly. "I can endure it."
"I know you can endure it," Gu Changyuan replied lightly. "But having someone by your side is always better than being alone."
Feng Jiuli fell silent.
Looking at Gu Changyuan's calm profile, a complex emotion stirred in her heart.
She had lived for thousands of years and met countless people. The way those people treated her was always driven by either deep reverence, greedy covetousness, or bitter jealousy. No one had ever been like Gu Changyuan—simply staying by her side without asking for absolutely anything in return.
"You... are a very strange person," she said softly.
"Mm?"
"I mean, you are different from anyone I have ever met," Feng Jiuli continued. "You are clearly a piece of trash—no, you were a piece of trash, yet you possess a willpower far firmer than many supreme experts."
"You were clearly framed and ruined, yet you haven't become extreme or entirely consumed by madness."
"You clearly could have ignored me, yet you chose to help me."
"Why?"
Gu Changyuan was silent for a moment.
"Because I know that hatred cannot solve the problem," he said slowly. "Three years ago, I hated too. I hated the person who framed me, I hated those who kicked me when I was down, and I hated this entirely unfair world."
"But later, I figured it out."
"Hatred would only turn me into someone exactly like them."
"What I need to do is not to hate, but to become stronger."
"Strong enough to protect the people I want to protect, and strong enough to make those who hurt me pay the ultimate price."
Feng Jiuli looked at him, a flicker of profound surprise in her eyes.
"You... are far more mature than I imagined."
"Three years of endless torment will force anyone to grow up," Gu Changyuan said lightly.
Feng Jiuli didn't speak further.
She simply watched Gu Changyuan quietly, something quietly shifting deep within her heart.
On the sixth day, trouble arrived.
Gu Changyuan was cultivating in the cave when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura approaching.
"Someone is coming."
He abruptly opened his eyes, his expression shifting slightly.
Feng Jiuli sensed it too. She frowned. "People from your sect?"
"Yes." Gu Changyuan stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and peered out through the gaps in the vines.
On the mountain path leading to the back mountain, several figures were striding in their direction.
The person leading the group was someone Gu Changyuan was all too familiar with.
Chen Xuanfeng.
"It's him." A chilling glint flashed through Gu Changyuan's eyes.
"Who?"
"Chen Xuanfeng, an Inner Sect disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect," Gu Changyuan said in a low voice. "Three years ago, he was my defeated opponent; now, he is my sworn enemy."
"What is he doing in the back mountain?"
"I don't know." Gu Changyuan frowned deeply. "But it's definitely nothing good."
He turned his head to look at Feng Jiuli. "Can you move?"
"Barely." Feng Jiuli stood up. Although her footsteps were somewhat unsteady, she could still walk.
"Follow me."
Gu Changyuan grabbed Feng Jiuli's wrist and led her out through another hidden exit at the back of the cave.
It was a concealed, narrow path leading into the ancient forest deeper within the back mountain. When he cultivated here three years ago, he had thoroughly explored the terrain in this area and knew it like the back of his hand.
Not long after the two slipped away, Chen Xuanfeng and his lackeys arrived near the cave.
"Search!"
Chen Xuanfeng's arrogant voice echoed from a distance. "That piece of trash has been acting suspiciously lately; there must be a problem. Search carefully, and don't miss a single corner!"
Hiding in the ancient forest, Gu Changyuan and Feng Jiuli watched through the dense foliage as Chen Xuanfeng and the others scoured the area around the cave.
"He's looking for you?" Feng Jiuli asked in a hushed voice.
"Most likely." Gu Changyuan's eyes were as cold as ice. "I've been running to the back mountain frequently these past few days. He probably noticed."
"What is he planning to do?"
"I don't know," Gu Changyuan shook his head. "But it's definitely nothing good."
Feng Jiuli was silent for a moment.
"I can help you."
"What?"
"Although I am sealed, I still have a few tricks left," Feng Jiuli said. "For example, an Illusion Array."
She raised her hand, her slender fingertips glowing with a faint golden light.
The golden light rapidly traced out a series of highly complex runes in the air, which then transformed into a thin, shimmering curtain of light, completely enveloping the two of them.
"This is..."
"An Illusion Array," Feng Jiuli said. "It conceals our aura and makes us completely invisible to them."
Gu Changyuan looked at the curtain of light, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.
He knew Feng Jiuli was immensely powerful, but he hadn't expected her to casually deploy such high-level methods even while heavily sealed.
"Your origins... I fear they are far from simple," he whispered.
"I will tell you later," Feng Jiuli said lightly. "For now, let's just get through this crisis."
Chen Xuanfeng and his men searched the area for an entire hour, but found absolutely nothing.
"Useless trash!"
He furiously kicked a rock aside. "Where the hell is that cripple hiding?"
"Senior Brother Chen, could we be mistaken?" a disciple asked cautiously. "Gu Changyuan is just a lowly servant disciple. What kind of problem could he possibly cause?"
"What do you know?!" Chen Xuanfeng glared at him fiercely. "The look in that trash's eyes has been completely wrong lately. He is definitely scheming something."
"Moreover, I keep feeling like something about him has changed..."
He frowned deeply, recalling his encounters with Gu Changyuan over the past few days.
That cripple's gaze was far sharper than before. Although he still maintained that appearance of silent endurance, it constantly gave Chen Xuanfeng a highly unsettling feeling.
"Forget it. We'll stop here for today." He waved his hand dismissively. "We'll find another opportunity later."
With that, he led his men and aggressively marched out of the back mountain.
Only after Chen Xuanfeng and the others had gone far away did Feng Jiuli dispel the Illusion Array.
"They're gone."
Gu Changyuan let out a breath of relief and turned to look at Feng Jiuli.
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me," Feng Jiuli said indifferently. "We are partners in a transaction; helping you is only natural."
Gu Changyuan looked at her, remaining silent for a moment.
"You just said you would tell me your origins later."
"Yes." Feng Jiuli nodded. "Once the Soul Pact is formed, I will tell you absolutely everything."
"After the Soul Pact is formed, we will be incapable of lying to one another. At that time, you will naturally know who I am and where I come from."
Gu Changyuan looked deeply into her eyes and nodded.
"Alright. I'll be waiting."
The two exchanged a long look before walking back toward the cave together.
The sun set in the west, stretching their shadows long across the ground.
Although they had only spent a few short days together, the dynamic between them had already quietly transformed.
From the initial heavy guard and probing, to the current cooperation and tacit understanding.
While it couldn't quite be called absolute trust yet, at the very least, they were no longer strangers.
"Gu Changyuan."
Just as they reached the cave entrance, Feng Jiuli suddenly spoke up.
"Mm?"
"That Chen Xuanfeng..." She paused for a second. "I'll help you take care of him later."
Gu Changyuan froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight, sharp arc.
"No need."
"He is my enemy; I will settle the score myself."
"But..." He looked at Feng Jiuli, a trace of earnest sincerity in his eyes. "Thank you for the offer."
Feng Jiuli looked at him, a flicker of strange emotion flashing through her eyes.
A moment later, she gave a gentle nod.
"Alright."
"Then I will wait and watch you take care of him yourself."
The two shared a knowing smile before walking into the cave together.
Outside the cave, night descended.
Inside the cave, the campfire flickered and danced.
Two people, two entirely different destinies, were slowly but surely weaving together.