Hua Qian Gu did not have the ability to fly with her sword—at least not yet. She crossed two mountains and a dense forest on foot, her shoe soles worn through and her feet blistered.
But she didn't stop.
In her previous life, she had traveled farther and endured greater injuries; this hardship was nothing.
On the evening of the third day, she finally stood before the entrance of Yi Xiu Pavilion.
It was a massive structure built on a cliff, with black tiles, white walls, and upturned eaves. Two dim green lanterns hung at the doorway. The entire building was shrouded in mist, giving it a sinister appearance, like a haunted house.
Hua Qian Gu took a deep breath and stepped forward to knock.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The door opened, revealing a pale face—it was a gatekeeper boy, his eyes dark and glossy like two glass beads.
"Do you have a letter of introduction?" the boy asked in a shrill voice.
"No."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
"Then what are you here for?" The boy moved to close the door.
Hua Qian Gu reached out to hold the door open, looked him in the eye, and said word by word, "I want to see Lord Yi Xiu. Tell him I know his secret."
The boy froze.
According to the rules of Yi Xiu Pavilion, anyone who dared to use a "secret" as leverage was either genuinely informed or seeking death. This young girl before him didn't look like she was seeking death.
"Wait." The boy closed the door and ran inside to report.
Hua Qian Gu waited at the doorway.
The night wind blew up from the cliff, carrying a chill. She hugged Tang Bao's Egg tightly in her embrace; the eggshell was slightly warm, as if offering her courage.
A quarter of an hour later, the door opened again.
The boy stepped aside, making way: "Follow me."
Hua Qian Gu followed him through a long corridor, past winding galleries, and countless rooms filled with ancient books and rare treasures. Yi Xiu Pavilion was much larger than she had imagined, like a labyrinth.
Finally, she was led into a study room.
The study was vast, with three walls lined with bookshelves reaching the ceiling, filled with bamboo slips, scrolls, and parchment. An oil lamp on the desk flickered, illuminating the profile of a man.
Dongfang Yuqing.
He wore a green robe, his long hair tied back with a wooden hairpin. His features were as exquisite as if drawn from a painting. He was currently looking down at a bamboo slip, his fingers long and slender with well-defined joints, turning the pages with an elegant and unhurried motion.
Hua Qian Gu stood at the doorway, her heart suddenly pounding.
In her previous life, it was this man who took a fatal blow for her, dying in her embrace. Before he died, he smiled and said, "Don't cry, it doesn't hurt."
"Lord Yi Xiu," Hua Qian Gu spoke, her voice calmer than she expected.
Dongfang Yuqing looked up at her.
His eyes were unusual, his pupils a deep amber, like a pool of still water, revealing nothing. He appraised Hua Qian Gu from head to toe, his gaze lingering for a moment on her coarse cloth and linen clothes before moving to her face.
"You said you know my secret?" His voice was pleasant, low with a hint of nonchalance.
"Yes." Hua Qian Gu walked in and sat opposite him, neither subservient nor arrogant.
Dongfang Yuqing put down the bamboo slip, clasped his hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly: "Let's hear it."
Hua Qian Gu did not answer directly. She looked around and suddenly said, "The secret techniques of Yi Xiu Pavilion consume one year of lifespan for each use. You've used them too much and have less than ten years left."
Dongfang Yuqing's pupils contracted sharply.
This was his greatest secret, known only to himself within Yi Xiu Pavilion. How could this young girl know—
"How do you know?" His voice lost its nonchalance, tinged with caution.
"As I said, I know your secret," Hua Qian Gu met his gaze directly. "And I know more than just this one. I also know that in three years, Yi Xiu Pavilion will suffer a great fire, burning more than half of its collection of books. In five years, you will face a Life and Death Tribulation, and someone will take a blow for you. In ten years—"
"Enough," Dongfang Yuqing interrupted her, his eyes sharpening. "Who are you?"
Hua Qian Gu was silent for a moment, then said, "I am someone who has come to ask for your help."
"Help?" Dongfang Yuqing leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "You know my secret, and you've come to ask for my help?"
"I know your secret, so you won't kill me to silence me," Hua Qian Gu said. "Because you want to know what else I know."
Dongfang Yuqing stared at her for a long time.
This young girl looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, dressed in coarse cloth and linen, with mud on her feet, like a country girl. But her eyes were different—there was a steadiness and clarity in them that transcended her age, as if she had lived a lifetime.
"Interesting," Dongfang Yuqing suddenly smiled. "Go on, what do you need my help with?"
"Help me investigate someone." Hua Qian Gu took out a slip of paper from her embrace and pushed it over. "Ni Mantian. I need to know all her movements in this life."
Dongfang Yuqing picked up the paper, glanced at the name, and raised an eyebrow. "The Daughter of the Penglai Sect Leader? Do you have a grudge against her?"
"Yes," Hua Qian Gu said. "The kind that ends only in death."
Dongfang Yuqing put the paper down, interlaced his fingers, rested his chin on the back of his hands, and looked at her with amusement. "What can I gain by helping you?"
"I can tell you what will happen in the future," Hua Qian Gu said. "Everything, told to you in advance. You can move the collection of books before the fire at Yi Xiu Pavilion, and you can avoid the Life and Death Tribulation before it arrives. I will ensure you survive."
Dongfang Yuqing's smile deepened.
He had seen countless people—liars, madmen, fools—but he had never met a young girl like this. She was nothing, yet she dared to sit before him, using his life as a bargaining chip to negotiate terms.
"Deal," he said.
Hua Qian Gu breathed a sigh of relief.
Dongfang Yuqing stood up, walked around the desk, came before her, and bent down, leaning in to look at her.
"But before that, I need to confirm one thing." He reached out, his slender fingers gently touching her center of the forehead.
A warm current flowed into her from her brow. Hua Qian Gu felt her consciousness being touched by something—as if someone were flipping through a book in her mind.
"As expected," Dongfang Yuqing withdrew his hand, his expression becoming complex. "Your fate has two trajectories."
He looked at her and said word by word, "One is 'a person who has died,' and the other is 'reborn and returned.'"
Hua Qian Gu did not deny it.
"So, you truly have returned from the future." Dongfang Yuqing sat back in his chair, his expression shifting from amusement to seriousness. "Then I am even more curious. In your previous life, what was our relationship?"
Hua Qian Gu looked into his eyes, remembering how he had died in her arms in her previous life. Her nose stung, but she held back her tears.
"In your previous life," she said, "you were the one who died for me."
The study fell silent for a few seconds.
Dongfang Yuqing was stunned, then slowly smiled.
"Then in this life, I must live well."
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