One day later.
In a small inn 50 kilometers outside the capital.
Shen Ruochu slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, she was stunned for a moment. Instinctively, she called out, “Mother~ Chu’er wants a hug~”
“Mother, where are you?”
No one answered her. After a short pause, her expression froze. She finally remembered everything that had happened yesterday, and a wave of grief surged over her in an instant.
“No… that must have been a dream. Just a nightmare…”
She suddenly sat up and looked around frantically.
She wanted to be sure. She needed to be sure whether what happened yesterday had truly been real.
“You’re awake?”
A gentle voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
Hearing his words, Shen Ruochu stiffened and turned around.
A figure in blue leaned casually against the window, quietly watching her.
There was complexity in his expression.
The moment their eyes met, Gu Chengxing’s gaze flickered slightly, as if avoiding hers.
It was him. Gu Chengxing, the one who had taken her away.
The instant she saw him, Shen Ruochu felt as if she could not breathe. Painful memories flooded her mind. Her beautiful eyes gradually turned red.
Not a dream. Not a dream. Not a dream… Everything that happened yesterday was real.
Father and Mother were dead. Killed by the person in front of her.
Gu Chengxing looked at the grieving little girl and wanted to step forward, but…
That would likely only make things worse. It would be better to take it slowly.
Unexpectedly, Shen Ruochu did not cry or make a scene.
She sat quietly, looking at Gu Chengxing with nothing but hatred in her eyes.
“Where are you taking me?”
Her childish voice was filled with coldness, and beneath that coldness lay deeply buried hatred.
Gu Chengxing turned his head away, his tone gradually becoming colder.
“To the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.”
After that, his figure vanished from the room.
Only Shen Ruochu remained, sitting alone on the bed, her expression dull and her eyes hollow as she stared at the window where he had stood.
Gu Chengxing went downstairs.
The inn attendant immediately approached him.
This young man in blue robes was exceptionally handsome. At a glance, it was clear he was no ordinary person. The innkeeper had specifically instructed that he must not be slighted.
“Young Master, is there anything you need?”
“Prepare a bowl of rice porridge, one steamed bun, a portion of braised pork, and a plate of green vegetables. When it’s ready, send it upstairs.”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
Gu Chengxing found a seat by the window and sat down, looking at the crowd outside with an unreadable expression.
The conversations of other diners drifted into his ears.
“Hey, did you hear? The Shen family in the capital was wiped out.”
“What? The Shen family is a prominent clan. How could they be exterminated without reason?”
“You don’t know? I heard it was done by someone from a demonic sect hiding in the capital. That person’s demonic aura surged wildly. Blood flowed everywhere!”
“Something like that happened right under the Emperor’s nose?”
“Exactly. The Emperor is furious. The entire capital is in turmoil. Everyone is on edge.”
“…”
Listening to the discussions, Gu Chengxing’s expression remained unchanged.
He was not surprised.
Nor was he particularly worried.
According to the plotline, Gu Chengxing would not be discovered. Even though Shen Ruochu and Ling’er recognized him, for the sake of survival, they would conceal their identities and endure in silence.
Moreover, Shen Ruochu was now in his hands. Ling’er would be even less likely to reveal anything.
Shaking his head lightly, Gu Chengxing cast aside his thoughts and began carefully deducing the hidden elements of the novel’s plot.
“At present, I am the sole true disciple of the Peak Master of Transcendent Peak in the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, and the only disciple of Transcendent Peak. But in the main plotline, the original Gu Chengxing had already become the Peak Master of Transcendent Peak, and his master, Chen Wuxin, the former Peak Master, was already dead.”
“Something unusual must have happened during this period.”
“Damn. When Shen Ruochu exposed that Gu Chengxing possessed the Heavenly Demon Physique and killed his master, I read that part too quickly… I only remember that the original body killed his master… but the reason was barely mentioned…”
In the original novel, Chen Wuxin treated Gu Chengxing extremely well. It could be said that he devoted everything to nurturing him as his sole successor.
Although the original text did not describe Gu Chengxing’s feelings toward Chen Wuxin in great detail, it was clear that he deeply respected him and even carried guilt.
Thinking of this, Gu Chengxing felt it was troublesome. But for now, he could only take things one step at a time.
At that moment, he suddenly sensed a distinct malicious intent directed at him.
“Hm?”
He instantly became alert.
Standing up, he tried to locate the source of the hostility.
But soon, he realized something was wrong.
“No. It’s not aimed at me!”
Gu Chengxing immediately activated Azure Cloud Shadow Step. In an instant, he appeared in Shen Ruochu’s room on the second floor.
Inside the room, Shen Ruochu had already fallen unconscious, and a black-clad figure was about to pick her up.
“Stop!”
The Azure Cloud Sword appeared in Gu Chengxing’s hand. A streak of green sword light slashed forward.
Clang!
The black-clad man had no choice but to abandon Shen Ruochu for the moment. A sharp dagger appeared in his hand as he blocked the incoming blade.
At the moment of contact, Gu Chengxing sensed that the opponent’s realm was above his own. His heart trembled.
“Half-step Nascent Soul Realm?”
With a loud bang, the immense force forced Gu Chengxing half a step back.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He was not flustered by the sudden ambush.
Or rather, he had anticipated that there would be an attack on the way back.
If nothing unexpected occurred, the half-step Nascent Soul Realm expert before him was from the Heavenly Divination Sect.
At this moment, the only force capable of quickly focusing on Shen Ruochu was the Heavenly Divination Sect.
The Heavenly Divination Sect was the foremost force supported by the Great Zhou Empire.
They inherited the Dragon Fortune, calculated the heavens, and acted in accordance with destiny.
They knew what ordinary people did not know and did what ordinary people could not do.
In the original plotline, the Heavenly Divination Sect had been aware of Shen Ruochu’s existence since her birth and had subtly intervened in her life.
This had been hinted at multiple times.
If anyone would suddenly attack at this time and harbor intentions toward Shen Ruochu, it could only be the Heavenly Divination Sect.
[Ding! Host has encountered an attack from a member of the Heavenly Divination Sect. Villain selection triggered.]
[Choice 1: Abandon Shen Ruochu and leave her to the Heavenly Divination Sect. Reward: Title “Cowardly Turtle,” permanently lose 20% of combat power.]
[Choice 2: Fight to the death and kill the opponent, completely falling out with the Heavenly Divination Sect. Reward: Heavenly Demon Physique exposed, Shen family massacre revealed, become reviled by the world.]
[Choice 3: Protect Shen Ruochu and successfully escape with her. Reward: Comprehend Minor Mastery Thunder Sword Intent.]
“Do I even need to choose? System, if you want me to pick three, just say it!”
Even as he complained, Gu Chengxing’s figure flashed instantly.
The Heaven Rank, Top-Grade movement technique Azure Cloud Shadow Step had already been cultivated to its peak by him. His speed was astonishing.
The original novel mentioned that Gu Chengxing feared pain greatly as a child, which was why he loved movement techniques the most.
At the Core Formation Realm, he could unleash speed faster than an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
And the man before him was only at half-step Nascent Soul. That level posed little pressure to Gu Chengxing.
He flashed past the black-clad man in an instant, swiftly picked up Shen Ruochu, leapt through the window, and sped toward the direction of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
The black-clad man was left standing there, staring blankly at the fleeting figure. His mind was filled with confusion.
“Am I the assassin, or is he?”
[Ding! Host has completed Choice Three. Minor Mastery Thunder Sword Intent comprehended.]