Chapter 82: The Social Death of Empress Ruyan
"She was probably deceived both in body and heart."
After thinking for a while, Yang Dieyi finally spoke.
She herself had been fooled by He Ni.
At first, she thought He Ni had fallen, indulging in the desires between man and woman.
But now that He Ni had vanished without a word, abandoning Gu Qing, how could Yang Dieyi not realize that He Ni's true intention had been to borrow his seed?
Such things were all too common in the cultivation world.
Many powerful female cultivators desired an heir but not a man.
So, they sought out male cultivators of exceptional talent, deliberately seduced them, coaxed them gently, and once they conceived, they left—keeping only the child.
At this thought, Yang Dieyi looked at the dazed Gu Qing with a trace of pity.
How pitiful.
So young, yet already tricked by an old monster into giving up his body.
Truly tragic.
"Ah…" Liu Ruyan's beautiful eyes widened, her firm worldview beginning to crumble.
What did she just hear?
That the morally corrupt scoundrel was deceived by a celestial fairy?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
He Ni was a supreme existence, like her master—one who had achieved transcendence and possessed an unshakable Dao heart.
How could she do something so morally depraved?
Liu Ruyan shook her head wildly, unwilling to believe it.
"Strange? This is not strange at all," Yang Dieyi said coolly, her tone detached.
Even immortals possess the seven emotions and six desires. Unable to withstand the loneliness of eternal life, it was only natural for one to seek a man to ease that solitude.
Back in the day, the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor had even vowed to sleep with every handsome man in the world.
Her guiding principle was to follow her heart and remain unbound by thought.
"No, that's impossible. The fairy sister isn't that kind of person—there must be some misunderstanding."
Liu Ruyan instinctively defended He Ni.
Although He Ni was her master's mortal enemy, who wished to destroy her, she had never extended that hatred toward Liu Ruyan.
In fact, she had treated her quite well.
Over the years, He Ni had given her precious elixirs, even a Phoenix Undying Fruit, and had passed down a sword technique divine art to her.
Thus, Liu Ruyan deeply respected He Ni, though because of her master, she dared not get too close.
"You're still young. When you grow older, you'll understand the treachery of the cultivation world," Yang Dieyi said with a faint smile, her gaze shifting thoughtfully toward Gu Qing.
"Senior…"
Feeling a burning gaze upon him, Gu Qing quickly returned to his senses and looked in confusion toward the hollow willow tree.
"You possess Xuanhuang Undying Blood… no wonder," Yang Dieyi murmured, realization dawning in her eyes.
This confirmed even more firmly that He Ni had fled while carrying a child.
She had not used any secret techniques to examine Gu Qing's body before, merely observed his aura.
But now, under her eye technique, his constitution was laid bare.
A mutated Starry Cosmos Divine Body, containing traces of chaotic origin.
And that immortal, indestructible Xuanhuang Undying Blood.
Such an invincible physique had only existed in the distant ancient era—born with a Dao seed, destined to attain the fruit of the Great Dao.
No wonder He Ni had lost control.
"System, she didn't see through my Dao Bone or Dao Eyes, did she?" Gu Qing asked nervously.
[Rest assured, host. The Dao Bone has been sealed by me—no one can perceive it. As for the Dao Eyes, their divine mysteries lie within your pupils. As long as she doesn't examine your eyes directly, they will remain hidden.]
"That's good," Gu Qing sighed in relief.
In the world of cultivation, bones and eyes were the easiest things to be stolen.
He had no desire to follow the usual protagonist's miserable path.
With that, Gu Qing bade farewell and returned to his cave residence to dismantle the formation flags.
Since He Ni had ascended, there was no longer any point in staying.
As for dealing with Liu Ruyan—her master, an Immortal Emperor, was right here. He had no desire to die young.
"Do you fear that I might harm you?"
Seeing how eager Gu Qing was to leave, Yang Dieyi was momentarily speechless.
She was an Immortal Emperor, after all—not someone who would stoop to harming a junior.
Besides, she and He Ni shared no deep blood feud—only a conflict over the Dao.
"Ruyan, go out and temper yourself with him."
Liu Ruyan's injuries had already stabilized; staying here any longer would only waste time.
Accompanying Gu Qing might even lead her to a great opportunity.
"Alright then."
Although Liu Ruyan didn't want to travel with Gu Qing, her master's orders surely carried reason.
She hurried to say goodbye to the village chief and a few childhood friends.
"Village Chief Grandpa, I'm leaving."
"Go on, little eagle—you must one day soar high," the old village chief said kindly, smiling.
"Er Ya, Hu Zi, Gou Dan…"
"Goodbye, Sister Ruyan!"
A few half-grown children, all dirty and dark-skinned, with runny noses and half-exposed backsides, surrounded Liu Ruyan.
Er Ya spoke angrily, "Your parents and sister are awful! How could they take away your source essence? When I grow up, I'll help you beat them up!"
"Me too!"
"And me!"
"Alright!"
"I'll definitely come back!"
Liu Ruyan, eyes brimming with tears, mounted the Thunder Eagle. Looking at the simple, kind villagers, she couldn't hold back her tears.
She wiped her eyes and waved, swearing that she would one day return.
"…" Gu Qing silently watched the young Empress Ruyan.
Could it be that this thirteen-year-old version of Empress Ruyan was actually a little crybaby?
With a thought, Gu Qing took out a Memory Stone and recorded her image. Perhaps it would prove useful one day.
An hour later, Liu Ruyan finally stopped crying—only to realize that a morally corrupt scoundrel had been quietly watching her the entire time. Her face instantly turned red.
At first, she stammered and flailed her arms, then finally covered her face in embarrassment.
Heavens! How could she have shown such a disgraceful side in front of Gu Qing?
Empress Ruyan wanted to die.
Her small body curled up, wishing she could crawl inside the Thunder Eagle's belly and disappear.
"Hahaha…"
Gu Qing burst out laughing at her adorable display.
She was socially dead—Empress Ruyan had officially died of embarrassment.
He wondered if, centuries later, when Liu Ruyan remembered this scene, she would die of shame all over again.
He had already kept the evidence.
"What are you laughing at? Stop laughing!"
Liu Ruyan's little face turned crimson as she glared fiercely at him.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Gu Qing said, rubbing his chin before changing the subject. "So, where do we go next?"
He had originally wanted to return to the Central Divine Domain, but Yang Dieyi had transmitted a message, instructing him to take Liu Ruyan with him for a year. The reward she offered was far too tempting to refuse.
"Hmph!"
Liu Ruyan took a deep breath to calm herself. In an instant, her expression reverted to its cold, world-weary demeanor as she turned away with a snort.
She honestly didn't know where to go.
Though she was far more mature than others her age and had suffered much, she had spent most of her life confined to the royal palace.
When the old maid brought her to Liu Village, she had been only seven years old and had never left since.
She wanted revenge—but her current strength made it impossible.
"Your kingdom—where is it? Do you have a coordinate?" Gu Qing asked.
The heavens and earth were vast. Without coordinates, knowing the name of a place meant nothing.
"The Great Qing Kingdom. What's a coordinate?"
Liu Ruyan's knowledge was very limited.
After all, Liu Village was secluded from the world, and the level of education barely extended beyond basic literacy.
Gu Qing explained the concept, then spread his divine sense to search tens of thousands of miles around them.
Indeed, Gu Qing's divine sense could sweep across an area of tens of thousands of miles.
Before long, he located a large tribe and purchased its coordinate marker. Then, he summoned his Void Airship.
The Thunder Eagle was only a Purple Mansion Realm beast. By the time it reached the Great Qing Empire, it would be far too late.
"Ruyan, can you tell me how your parents could bear to take your source essence and give it to your sister?" Gu Qing asked curiously.
At first, he had thought that Liu Ruyan's Divine-Demon Dao Body source essence had been taken by her cousin.
Even a tiger does not eat its cubs.
Moreover, an essence that was not one's own could never be fully controlled, and its potential would always remain limited.
From any perspective, it made no sense for parents to strip one daughter's source to empower another—
Unless she was not their real daughter.
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