After Ni Mantian left, Hua Qian Gu did not leave her room for the entire day.
She sat by the window, staring at the dirt road outside the courtyard gate, her mind racing.
Ni Mantian had been reborn.
This fact weighed on her heart like a stone. In her previous life, her grudges with Ni Mantian began the day she was accepted as a disciple at Chang Liu. Ni Mantian was jealous of her, framed her, ruined her appearance, caused her to be punished, and finally tried to kill Tang Bao.
In her previous life, she was too naive, treating everyone as a good person, only waking up after being schemed against and left covered in wounds.
This life is different.
She knew Ni Mantian was a viper, so she would no longer give her the opportunity to bite her.
“Xiao Gu, it’s getting dark, aren’t you going to sleep?” Father Hua called from the outer room.
“Coming to sleep,” Hua Qian Gu replied, blowing out the oil lamp.
But she did not sleep.
She closed her eyes, recalling Ni Mantian’s every action, every word, and every weakness from her previous life.
Ni Mantian was the daughter of the Penglai Sect Leader, pampered since childhood, and arrogant. She cared most about "face" and "status," and feared being surpassed the most. In her previous life, the reason she hated Hua Qian Gu was because Bai Zi Hua chose Hua Qian Gu as his disciple and not her.
In this life, if she could prevent Bai Zi Hua from taking her as a disciple, would Ni Mantian’s hatred lessen?
No.
Hua Qian Gu dismissed the thought.
The way Ni Mantian looked at her just now was not just jealousy, but bone-deep hatred. It wasn't because of something that hadn't happened yet, like "Bai Zi Hua taking a disciple," but because of decades of grudges from her previous life.
She truly hated her.
This kind of hatred would not disappear just because Hua Qian Gu "gave up" something.
“Then let’s fight,” Hua Qian Gu opened her eyes, her gaze devoid of fear, only calmness.
In her previous life, she had been beaten down countless times, and each time she had gotten back up. In this life, she would not be beaten down again.
The next morning, Ni Mantian came again.
This time, she didn't make an excuse. She directly knocked on the door and said with a smile, “Sister, I’d like to stay in Maoshan for a few days, is that convenient?”
Hua Qian Gu’s internal alarm bells rang.
Stay for a few days? This was to monitor her at close range.
“It’s not convenient,” Hua Qian Gu refused crisply. “My home only has two rooms. My father and I each have one, so there’s no space for you.”
Ni Mantian’s smile didn’t change. “I can stay at an inn in town.”
“Then you should go stay there.”
“……” Ni Mantian was momentarily speechless, not expecting Hua Qian Gu to be so unaccommodating. The Hua Qian Gu of her previous life was a pushover, agreeing to anything.
She gritted her back teeth and changed the subject. “Sister, have you ever thought about Cultivation? I heard that Chang Liu Immortal Mountain accepts disciples every year. With your aptitude, you might be chosen.”
Hua Qian Gu sneered inwardly.
This was an attempt to lure her to Chang Liu. In her previous life, she was "introduced" to Chang Liu by Ni Mantian, and then step by step, she walked into a trap.
“I don’t want to,” Hua Qian Gu said. “My father is old, and I need to stay home to take care of him.”
Ni Mantian’s smile finally faltered.
She stared at Hua Qian Gu for three seconds, her expression shifting from gentle to sharp—the look of a viper eyeing its prey.
“Hua Qian Gu,” she suddenly stopped pretending, her voice lowering, “Do you know something?”
Hua Qian Gu’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm. “Know what?”
Ni Mantian stepped forward, her voice as cold as ice shards. “Stop pretending. You’ve come back too, haven’t you?”
The air instantly froze.
Two Reincarnators confronted each other in the small courtyard of Maoshan. One wore a luxurious Immortal Sect dress, the other wore coarse cloth and linen clothes. But in terms of aura, neither yielded to the other.
Hua Qian Gu neither admitted nor denied it. She simply looked at Ni Mantian calmly and said, “So what if I’ve come back?”
Ni Mantian’s pupils contracted sharply.
She had guessed correctly. Hua Qian Gu had also been reborn.
This meant all her advantages were nullified—Hua Qian Gu knew what she was going to do and would be prepared in advance.
“Good, very good,” Ni Mantian suddenly smiled, a chilling, sinister smile. “This time, I will not lose.”
Hua Qian Gu also smiled, her smile colder than hers. “Whether I win or lose isn’t up to you to decide.”
Ni Mantian gave her a deep look and turned to leave. At the courtyard gate, she looked back and said, “Hua Qian Gu, do you think avoiding Chang Liu will keep you safe? There are plenty of places where I can find you.”
“Then I’ll be waiting,” Hua Qian Gu replied.
The courtyard gate closed.
Hua Qian Gu stood in place, her fingers trembling slightly—not from fear, but from anger.
Ni Mantian had revealed her hand. Knowing she couldn't hide it, she had dropped the pretense and was now openly threatening her.
“Fine,” Hua Qian Gu took a deep breath and turned back into the house. “Then let’s see who can play the game better.”
She walked to the bedside, tucked Tang Bao's Egg into her embrace, and then took out the list she had written yesterday from under her pillow. She glanced at the words "Ni Mantian" and picked up her brush, adding four words after it—
“Public Enemy Number One.”
Then she turned to the next page of the list and wrote another name.
She needed help.
Someone smarter than Ni Mantian, someone who understood the Immortal Realm better, and someone she could absolutely trust.
Hua Qian Gu wrote: Dongfang Yuqing.
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