“Good, very good. You truly are my fine disciple,” Lan Yun laughed in anger. “Since that is the case, I will grant your wish. You are to go to the Cliff of Contemplation for three months of Wall Reflection. Go immediately.”
In the end, Lan Yun did not expel Gu Qingxue from her tutelage. She could not bear to, and she did not dare. Gu Qingxue was a genius favored by the Supreme Elder. Lan Yun did not have the authority to decide her fate.
“Master, please don’t!” Su Fan once again put on his pitiful act. “Senior Sister Gu was only speaking in anger. Please do not take it to heart.”
Was this a joke? Qin Yuan was already at the Cliff of Contemplation. Sending Gu Qingxue there would be delivering her straight into Qin Yuan’s arms.
Lan Yun slowly shook her head. “Fan’er, say no more. My decision is final. Today I must discipline this rebellious disciple properly. Since she wishes to accompany Qin Yuan, let her go.”
“That is all. Everyone disperse.”
Lan Yun gave Gu Qingxue a deep look before turning and leaving gracefully.
The crowd soon scattered, leaving Gu Qingxue standing alone.
As expected, everything she had done was in vain.
Su Fan was a chosen one blessed with immense fortune. Without completely stripping away his destiny, he would indeed be difficult to deal with.
But there was one benefit. At least… she could accompany Qin Yuan now.
[Ding! The host has completed a stage mission. Successfully suppressed the chosen one. Su Fan’s destiny value -300. Host System Reward +300 system coins.]
Gu Qingxue was already eager to head to the Cliff of Contemplation when the voice in her mind made her pause.
“So that’s how it is.”
A faint smile curved her lips.
As long as she continued to alter the original fate, she would indirectly be seizing Su Fan’s destiny. If she persisted, one day she would drag Su Fan completely down from his pedestal.
Hope once again filled her heart. With a swift movement, she headed toward the Cliff of Contemplation.
…
…
“So that’s what happened. If nothing unexpected occurs, Senior Sister Gu should be arriving soon,” Qin Ming sighed after recounting everything in one breath at the Cliff of Contemplation.
“I never imagined that Senior Sister Gu, who always seemed so cold and distant, would be such a loyal and devoted person. Young Master is truly fortunate.”
Qin Yuan stood completely dumbfounded, ignoring Qin Ming’s envious tone.
What the hell was going on?
In the plotline he was supposed to follow, there was no such development.
Given Gu Qingxue’s disgust toward him, it would have been merciful if she had not struck him twice with lightning techniques. And now she was standing up for him?
There was no such scene.
“System? System, respond!”
Strange. Truly strange.
Even after ninety-nine reincarnations, this was the first time he had encountered something like this.
In the previous plotlines, no matter how outrageous things became, they ultimately followed the system’s script. Even when he deliberately tried to sabotage it, some unseen force would guide everything back to the original path.
But what was this now?
He had been diligently following the system’s requirements.
Why was Gu Qingxue suddenly causing trouble?
[Ding! This reincarnation is the final one among the ninety-nine reincarnations. The difficulty of completing the mission is higher and filled with many unknown variables. Please treat it with caution. As long as the host completes this life according to the script, you will Ascend and attain the Dao, gaining the cultivation of an Immortal Emperor.]
The system’s words were as formulaic as ever, yet Qin Yuan sensed something different.
“So this life is different from the previous ninety-eight. Before, I only needed to follow the plot step by step. But in this final life, other characters may interfere with the original plotline for various reasons.”
“Damn it. Don’t mess with me.”
Qin Yuan nearly lost his composure.
He could control his own actions.
But how could he control others?
If any random character caused a small disturbance and triggered a butterfly effect, he would suffer a devastating loss.
The system responded with silence.
“I knew it. Attaining Immortal Emperor cultivation was never going to be easy.”
The first ninety-eight reincarnations had passed without real danger. Yet in the final one, everything began to change.
Setting aside everything else, just Gu Qingxue’s sudden interference was already a problem.
How was he supposed to continue his mad dash-for-love plotline now?
Gu Qingxue herself was at the Cliff of Contemplation.
“Young Master, it’s getting late. I must leave. If the mountain-guarding Elder discovers me, I won’t be able to get out,” Qin Ming said solemnly.
“No matter what others say, I will always believe in Young Master. In the coming days, I will search for evidence to prove your innocence.”
After Qin Ming left, Qin Yuan gradually regained his senses.
“This won’t do. I must think of a way. I can’t let Gu Qingxue ruin my grand plan of becoming immortal.”
He had to find a way to steer the plotline back on track.
As long as he continued acting like a villain and made her hate him again, everything would return to its proper course.
“I’m a genius.”
With the key point figured out, Qin Yuan felt enlightened.
You damn system, trying to raise the difficulty on me?
Dream on.
No sooner had Qin Yuan resolved himself than a figure in white appeared before him.
Graceful as drifting clouds veiling the moon, elegant as swirling snow carried by the wind.
Gu Qingxue stood not far away, staring directly at Qin Yuan. Her clear eyes gradually filled with tears.
Qin Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. That emotional expression… This woman had truly grown a conscience.
That would not do.
Just as she was about to utter the unbearably tender words “Brother Qin Yuan…,” Qin Yuan’s face darkened and he rebuked coldly, “Gu Qingxue, what are you doing here?”
Gu Qingxue froze, her heart aching even more.
Qin Yuan was still blaming her.
Yet even so, when he heard she was in danger, he had left the Cliff of Contemplation without hesitation, willing to face punishment.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. “I’m sorry. I was truly wrong. I now know everything you did for me. All this time, I misunderstood you. I… I…”
Qin Yuan sneered. “Misunderstood my ass. If you have nothing to say, get out. Don’t stand in front of me and make me sick.”
His words were harsh, leaving her no room to explain.
Yet Gu Qingxue felt even more moved.
Brother Qin Yuan must be worried that the mountain-guarding Elder would discover her and punish her. That was why he was deliberately driving her away.
What a good man.
She wiped her tears, her gaze becoming even gentler. “I’m not leaving. I will never leave you again. You may not know this, but just now, because of the Nether Spirit Grass, I fell out with Su Fan and almost killed him. Now I have also been punished by Master to remain at the Cliff of Contemplation for three months of Wall Reflection.”
“Make it up. Go on,” Qin Yuan laughed scornfully.
“Gu Qingxue, do you think I’m a fool? You fell out with Su Fan and almost killed him? Three months of Wall Reflection? Everyone in the sect knows that Su Fan is Elder Lan Yun’s most beloved disciple. If his finger so much as gets a tiny cut, you all panic. You would kill him? Don’t think I don’t know. What happened at the foot of the mountain earlier was just a staged act between you two. And you coming to the Cliff of Contemplation must have some purpose as well.”
“I don’t know what you and Su Fan are plotting, but I don’t want to see you right now. Leave my sight immediately.”