Dongfang Yuqing asked this question with a joking tone, but his eyes were serious.
Hua Qian Gu did not answer immediately.
She lowered her head, looking at the jade token in her hand, her fingertips tracing the patterns on it. In her previous life, there were many people she wanted to protect the most—Tang Bao, Sha Qian Mo, and Dongfang Yuqing himself. But in the end, all of them died because of her.
"My father," she said, looking up, "and Tang Bao."
"Tang Bao?" Dongfang Yuqing raised an eyebrow. "Who is that?"
Hua Qian Gu took out the warm egg from her embrace and placed it on the table. The eggshell glowed with a green light, and something could be faintly seen moving inside.
"An Ancient Spirit Insect?" Dongfang Yuqing leaned closer to take a look, his pupils contracting slightly. "You actually have something like this. This thing has been extinct for several thousand years."
"Her name is Tang Bao," Hua Qian Gu said, tucking the egg back into her embrace, her tone gentle. "In my previous life, she died saving me. In this life, I won't let anyone harm her."
Dongfang Yuqing leaned back in his chair, watching her protect the egg, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upwards.
"Alright, I'll help you," he said. "But you have to help me too. We agreed, tell me what will happen in the future."
Hua Qian Gu nodded. "What do you want to know?"
"Let's start with something practical," Dongfang Yuqing said, taking a blank silk from his desk drawer and a brush. "Yi Xiu Pavilion will suffer a great fire in the future. When? And why?"
"July fifteenth, three years from now," Hua Qian Gu recalled from her previous life's memory. "The cause was someone trying to steal Yi Xiu Pavilion's secret texts and setting a fire to create chaos. The arsonist's name is Zhou Huan, a Rogue Cultivator, hired by—"
She paused.
"Hired by Mo Yan."
Dongfang Yuqing's hand, holding the brush, paused, his eyes turning slightly cold. "Chang Liu World Honored One?"
"He appears righteous on the surface, but he does more behind your back than you can imagine," Hua Qian Gu said. "He wants to obtain Yi Xiu Pavilion's secret texts because they contain the method for 'Godhead Awakening'."
"Godhead Awakening?" Dongfang Yuqing's eyes sharpened. "You mean... the Power of the God Realm?"
Hua Qian Gu did not deny it. She had a Godhead within her, but she couldn't tell him yet. It wasn't a lack of Trust, but the time was not right.
"Continue," Dongfang Yuqing said, lowering his head to record, the tip of his brush rustling on the silk.
Hua Qian Gu recounted the cause and effect of the great fire at Yi Xiu Pavilion in her previous life, the people involved, and the extent of the losses, one by one. Dongfang Yuqing filled an entire silk, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
"Mo Yan..." he murmured the name, killing intent in his voice. "I've noted it."
"Don't rush to act," Hua Qian Gu said. "If you move against him now, you'll only alert the enemy. There's someone behind him."
"Who?"
"I'm still investigating," Hua Qian Gu said, not lying. In her previous life, she didn't know who the mastermind was until she died. In this life, she would investigate from the beginning.
Dongfang Yuqing put down his brush and looked at her deeply.
"Your intelligence is very valuable," he said. "In exchange, I'll give you something too."
He stood up and walked to the innermost layer of the bookshelf, taking out a scroll from a secret compartment. The scroll was made of sheepskin, its edges worn, showing its age.
"Map of the Immortal Realm's forces," he said, unrolling the scroll on the table. "It marks the locations, strengths, and faction relationships of all Immortal Sects, as well as the personality weaknesses of each Sect Leader."
Hua Qian Gu looked down. The map was densely marked with hundreds of names. Some she recognized—Chang Liu, Penglai, Shu Shan, Kunlun. Some she had never even heard of.
"On this map, green markings indicate Immortal Sects that are friendly to mortals, and red markings indicate those that discriminate against mortals," Dongfang Yuqing pointed to the markings on the map. "You must have suffered losses from many Immortal Sects in your previous life, right? With this map, you can avoid those places that look down on people in advance."
Hua Qian Gu's fingers slowly moved across the map, finally stopping at Chang Liu Mountain.
Chang Liu.
The place where she cultivated in her previous life, and also where her nightmare began.
"What about this place?" she asked, pointing to Chang Liu.
"Chang Liu," Dongfang Yuqing's tone became subtle. "The foremost sect in the Immortal Realm, its Sect Leader Bai Zi Hua, is known as the 'Number One High Immortal of the Six Realms'. He appears just and selfless on the surface, but in reality... hmph."
"In reality, what?"
"In reality, his Senior Brother Mo Yan handles most of the affairs. Bai Zi Hua only focuses on cultivation and rarely gets involved in worldly matters," Dongfang Yuqing glanced at her. "Did you have any interaction with Bai Zi Hua in your previous life?"
Hua Qian Gu was silent for two seconds, then said, "He is my Life and Death Tribulation."
Dongfang Yuqing's smile froze.
"Life and Death Tribulation?" His voice deepened. "Are you sure?"
"Certain."
"Then you should stay as far away from him as possible," Dongfang Yuqing rolled up the map and stuffed it into her hand. "A Life and Death Tribulation is not a joke. Was your death in your previous life related to him?"
Hua Qian Gu did not answer.
But Dongfang Yuqing read the answer in her silence.
"Alright, I won't ask anymore," he waved his hand. "Take the map. Also, I'll give you another piece of intelligence—Sha Qian Mo's whereabouts."
Hua Qian Gu suddenly looked up.
"Didn't you say you wanted to protect him?" Dongfang Yuqing said with a half-smile. "He is currently in seclusion healing at the border between the Demon and Monster Realms. It's said he's quite badly injured and has been in seclusion for half a year."
Hua Qian Gu's heart clenched.
In her previous life, Sha Qian Mo had exhausted his cultivation and gone mad for two hundred years to save her. In this life, he was still in seclusion healing—which meant his injuries had not yet healed.
"I'm going to find him," Hua Qian Gu stood up.
"Now?" Dongfang Yuqing raised an eyebrow. "The Demon King has a strange temper and hates being disturbed while in seclusion the most. If you, a Mortal, go there, you might be torn to shreds by his guards."
Hua Qian Gu tucked the map into her embrace, picked up Tang Bao's egg, and looked at him, saying earnestly, "He won't hurt me."
Dongfang Yuqing looked at her determined eyes and suddenly smiled.
"Fine," he stood up and took a thin booklet from the bookshelf, handing it to her. "This is an introduction to the Etiquette and Language of the Demon Realm. If you're going to find him, at least don't get yourself killed for not knowing the rules."
Hua Qian Gu took the booklet, flipped through a couple of pages, and looked up at him. "Why are you helping me so much?"
Dongfang Yuqing tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps because you died for me in your previous life?"
"You died for me," Hua Qian Gu corrected him.
"Same," Dongfang Yuqing smiled. "In any case, our lives have long been intertwined."
Hua Qian Gu looked at his familiar smile, and her nose stung.
In her previous life, he had also smiled like this while blocking a fatal blow for her.
"Dongfang Yuqing," she said, "In this life, you are not allowed to die for me again."
"Okay," he agreed readily. "Then you also promise me, don't die."
"Deal."
The two looked at each other and both smiled.
【End of Chapter·Comment Section Guess: Will Hua Qian Gu find Sha Qian Mo? 】
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