Her heartbeat was like a drum, but there was no fear on her face.
She was not afraid of Ni Mantian. In her previous life, she had survived even in desperate situations. In this life, armed with the script, there was no reason to fear a defeated opponent.
But she needed to reassess the situation.
Ni Mantian was stronger than she had imagined. It wasn't just her cultivation—Ni Mantian was a cultivation genius in her previous life, and having been reborn in this one, she must have been cultivating in secret. What was more troublesome was that Ni Mantian's memories of the previous life were even more complete than hers, knowing all her weaknesses.
"Head-on confrontation, I can't beat her right now," Hua Qian Gu muttered to herself.
But fighting wasn't the only way to win.
In her previous life, she lost because she was too naive, treating everyone as good people. In this life, she would learn to use her brain.
The next morning, Ni Mantian arrived again.
This time, she was dressed more splendidly, in a purple immortal dress, with a flowing tassel hairpin adorning her elaborate hairstyle. Standing in the dilapidated courtyard of Maoshan, she looked like a peony planted in mud.
"Sister, have you thought about it?" Ni Mantian asked with a smile.
"Thought about what?" Hua Qian Gu asked, squatting in the courtyard and washing her face, not even looking up.
"About going to Chang Liu," Ni Mantian squatted down, meeting her gaze, her tone as intimate as that of sisters. "I've thought about it seriously. Your aptitude is so good, it would be a shame not to cultivate. I can recommend you to Chang Liu, to study under a renowned master. Your future achievements will be limitless."
After washing her face, Hua Qian Gu stood up, wiped her hands, and said unhurriedly, "I said yesterday, I'm not going."
"Why?" Ni Mantian also stood up, tilting her head to look at her. "Do you really plan to stay in this broken place forever?"
"This broken place is my home," Hua Qian Gu glanced at her. "I think it's quite good."
Ni Mantian bit her lip, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.
The Hua Qian Gu of her previous life wasn't this difficult to deal with. Back then, she was an unsophisticated country girl who would follow along after a few coaxing words. Now, she was completely unyielding.
"Hua Qian Gu," Ni Mantian lowered her voice. "I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid of repeating the past, aren't you? But have you considered that with me here in this life, I won't let those things happen again?"
Hua Qian Gu glanced at her, almost laughing out loud.
You won't let those things happen again? Those things were done by you.
"Ni Mantian," Hua Qian Gu put down the towel and looked directly into her eyes. "Let's stop pretending."
Ni Mantian froze.
"You were reborn, and so was I," Hua Qian Gu's voice was not loud, but every word was as clear as if carved from stone. "You know what I did, and I know what you did. Don't you get tired of pretending to be a good older sister?"
Ni Mantian's smile finally vanished completely.
She stared at Hua Qian Gu for a full five seconds, her gaze shifting from gentle to cold, and then from cold to a strange admiration.
"Fine," Ni Mantian nodded, dropping the pretense. "Then I'll be direct. Hua Qian Gu, I don't plan to be your enemy in this life."
"Oh?"
"What happened in the past is over. You died, and I didn't fare well either. We've both started over in this life, why can't we cooperate?" Ni Mantian spread her hands, her expression so sincere it was almost convincing. "I can help you avoid those pitfalls, and you can help me. A win-win, isn't it?"
Hua Qian Gu watched her quietly.
If she hadn't been harmed by her so many times in her previous life, she might have almost believed her.
"Okay," Hua Qian Gu said.
Ni Mantian's eyes lit up: "You agreed?"
"Agreed to what?" Hua Qian Gu tilted her head. "Agreed not to be enemies? Sure, as long as you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you."
Ni Mantian's expression stiffened: "That's it?"
"What else?" Hua Qian Gu smiled. "You don't expect me to go back to Penglai with you and be your little follower, do you?"
Ni Mantian actually wanted that.
She wanted to keep Hua Qian Gu under her watchful eye, control her, and then kick her aside when she was no longer useful. But Hua Qian Gu had clearly seen through her plan.
"Hua Qian Gu, you will regret this," Ni Mantian's voice turned cold.
"Regret what? Regret not going with you?" Hua Qian Gu shook her head. "Ni Mantian, in my previous life, I went with you, and what was the result? When you gave me the Pool of Despair Water, you didn't ask if I regretted it."
Ni Mantian's face turned completely dark.
That incident was one of the most venomous things she had done in her previous life: to ruin Hua Qian Gu's appearance with the Pool of Despair Water, turning her into an ugly monster scorned by everyone. She thought Hua Qian Gu didn't know she was responsible, but it turned out Hua Qian Gu had always known.
"Since you know, you should understand that I'm not someone to be trifled with," Ni Mantian said word by word.
"I know," Hua Qian Gu nodded, her tone as calm as if she were commenting on the nice weather. "That's why I won't give you a second chance."
The two looked at each other.
One's eyes were filled with malice, the other's were calm as water.
Ni Mantian looked away first. She walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped and said without looking back, "Hua Qian Gu, do you think you'll be safe by avoiding Chang Liu? There are plenty of places in this world where you can stumble."
"I know," Hua Qian Gu said. "But the one who stumbles might not be me."
Ni Mantian snorted coldly and left with a flick of her sleeve.
This time, she didn't look back.
Hua Qian Gu stood in place, watching Ni Mantian's figure disappear at the end of the mountain road.
She looked down at her hands—they were still trembling slightly.
It wasn't fear.
It was the lingering effect of a surge of adrenaline.
Confronting Ni Mantian was like dancing on the tip of a knife. One wrong word could lead to eternal damnation. But today, she had won.
Ni Mantian wanted to lure her to Chang Liu, and she refused.
Ni Mantian wanted to "cooperate" with her, and she saw through it.
Ni Mantian wanted to intimidate her, and she was not intimidated.
"First step, taken firmly," Hua Qian Gu clenched her fist.
But she knew this was just the beginning. Ni Mantian would not let it go, and more ruthless moves would follow. She had to find her backer before Ni Mantian made her move.
Hua Qian Gu returned to the house and took out the list from under her pillow.
Dongfang Yuqing.
She stared at this name for a long time.
In her previous life, Dongfang Yuqing exchanged his life for hers to save her, dying in front of her. He said, "In this life, I've repaid what I owed you."
But Hua Qian Gu knew it wasn't him who owed her; it was she who owed him.
In this life, she wanted to find him, not for him to die for her again, but—
"I want you to live," Hua Qian Gu said softly. "Live well."
She tucked the list into her embrace, picked up Tang Bao's Egg, and opened the door.
Father Hua was chopping wood in the courtyard. He was startled when he saw her with a bundle on her back: "Xiao Gu, are you going out?"
"Yes, I'm going to town," Hua Qian Gu walked over and hugged her father. "Dad, I'll be back soon."
"Be safe," Father Hua patted her back, not asking further questions.
Hua Qian Gu nodded and strode towards the mountain road.
She was going to Yi Xiu Pavilion.
To find the person who died for her in her previous life.
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