As Qiu Qiu remembered that memory, she felt the urge to splice herself in half. A person as cold as Grandmistress Qian had hugged and kissed her, but at the time she could only feel resistance and humiliation.
She could not remember what Grandmistress Qian's expression had been after the rejection.
But now, she could clearly see every emotion.
Grandmistress Qian's frigid gaze was like the blade of a knife. She pressed her lips together until they formed a white line. She didn't say anything, but her whip had already thrashed into Qiu Qiu's body.
This time, she used all her strength to do so.
Qiu Qiu did not make an attempt to dodge out of the way, and took every whip lash one by one. As she lay sprawled on the ground, she tried to make herself look as pitiful as possible.
But this time, Grandmistress Qian ignored her. She flogged her whip again and again, covering Qiu Qiu's body with blood until nothing remained unmarred.
In this life, Grandmistess Qian did not love her yet. She would not forgive her so easily because of heartache or helplessness.
Qiu Qiu knew this.
However, in reality, Grandmistress Qian felt that Qiu Qiu was an interesting person. She was a demonic cultivator whose ability was on par with hers, and her appearance was good. And though she was eccentric, all her words and actions seemed to revolve around flattering her, and she also seemed to know a great deal of things. Therefore, Grandmistress Qian had always held a minute amount of curiosity towards Qiu Qiu.
When Qiu Qiu had only a breath of life left, Grandmistess Qian grabbed the other party and held her up in the air. Qiu Qiu smiled weakly, sending Grandmistress Qian a wronged expression.
In her memory, Grandmistress Qian had never beaten her to this point. The Grandmistress Qian in the previous life was cold, yes, but it was just like what people said: the more indifferent a person was, the more they were unable to part with someone when their emotions were stirred. This expression was a suitable descriptor for Grandmistress Qian. She indulged Qiu Qiu greatly, but her love was both unfathomable and too deep.
Qiu Qiu had been unable to receive this love. However, when she found it was taken away, she, a cheap person, was irreconcilable.
She sucked in her lips. Her entire body hurt. She looked down, not willing to look at the Grandmistress.
Humph!
If Grandmistress Qian didn't immediately pick her up and kiss her, she would ignore her!
Unfortunately, Grandmistress Qian did not follow her wishes. After Qiu Qiu had been suspended for a good deal of time, she found herself suddenly put down and something stuffed inside her mouth.
Before Qiu Qiu could ask exactly what it was, she heard Grandmistress Qian's cold voice: "Swallow it."
Qiu Qiu immediately swallowed it.
Grandmistress Qian said, "This is the larvae of the Life-Claiming Gu."
Qiu Qiu stared blankly at her. She knew what the Life-Claiming Gu was. It was said that the lives of those who were implanted with the larvae of the Gu no longer belonged to them. This was because the Mother Gu was able to kill its larvae at any moment, inadvertently dooming its host to death as well. There was no cure.
Grandmistress Qian reached out a hand to hold up Qiu Qiu's chin, forcing her to meet the other's eyes. Qiu Qiu's expression was unguarded, and hints of longing were visible within her gaze. Grandmistress Qian found that she liked this kind of expression. Her cold expression softened slightly.
She paused, then said, "As long as your intentions are sincere, the Gu larvae will live."
Qiu Qiu was extremely familiar with Grandmistress Qian, and so caught the flash of tenderness that imperceptibly passed through her eyes. Her eyes widened in astonishment, and then a gleeful smile formed on her face.
"I am entirely loyal to Grandmistress Qian!" Qiu Qiu said loudly.
Grandmistress Qian did not reply. She released the hold on Qiu Qiu's chin, then gave a slight nod.
With the matter of the Life-Claiming Gu resolved, Grandmistress Qian asked Qiu Qiu what her purpose was in coming here. Qiu Qiu did not attempt to conceal the truth. After hearing her words, Grandmistress Qian merely instructed her not to find the black iron, and then allowed her to leave.
Qiu Qiu's entire body ached. The whip marks left by Grandmistress Qian were not easy to heal. She feared that it take a long time before she was fully recuperated, and so, when given the opportunity to leave, she did not hesitate. When she reached the cave entrance, she suddenly stopped.
Turning around, she used her magic to tease the person inside the cave: "Grandmistress Qian, what did you feel about that kiss just then?"
Then, without waiting for an answer, she flew away on her magic sword.
She didn't want to be whipped by the Grandmistress another time!
…..
Evern since Qiu Qiu discovered Grandmistress Qian's cultivation cave, she frequently visited the area. Whenever Grandmistress Qian was present, she would sit by her side, sometimes idly chattering away—though, of course, Grandmistress Qian basically ignored her. Sometimes, she would cultivate alongside the Grandmistress. When Grandmistress Qian was away, she would cultivate alone, or think about the events of her previous life, trying to map out what big events would happen next.
Grandmistress Qian would visit the cultivation world soon. In her previous life, the Grandmistress would be gravely injured, and Qing Ruo and Hua Meng would die.
Qiu Qiu felt aggravated. She had initially wanted to prevent the Grandmistress from going in the first place, but this was something that she was unable to avoid. Now, she only wished to find a godly weapon and warn Grandmistress Qian at the right moments, preventing the tragedies of the previous life from repeating itself.
However, a godly weapon was not something that could be found anywhere.
Suddenly, in a twist of fortune, Grandmistress Qian brought her a weapon.
It was a sword.
When the Grandmistress gave her the sword, Qiu Qiu's arms trembled.
The sword was black and red, with twisting wisps of blood intertwined in the the metal. It was the same as the "blood sword" she had received in her previous life.
The blood sword was a true demonic weapon. In her previous life, Qiu Qiu rarely had the chance to use it. Still, it was undeniable that it was a legendary weapon.
Qiu Qiu could no longer remember what she had felt when Grandmistress Qian gave her the sword in the first life. However, it was easy to deduce that the previous her had not felt a single ounce of gratitude, nor did she have the same throbbing feeling that now pounded in her veins in the current moment.
She took the proffered sword and decided to perform a sword dance for the Grandmistress. It was a set of women's swordsmanship from the righteous cultivators that had little practical use outside of performance. However, when she performed this dance her movements were lithe and graceful. Her robes fluttered in the wind, creating an attractive scene for the viewer.
Without using any magic, she used the blood sword to create small wisps of blood in the air. Her figure moved softly; with the wisps of blood circled around her, she appeared even more alluring and beautiful.
Grandmistress Qian stared at her.
Qiu Qiu knew clearly that Grandmistress Qian was staring at her right now. She danced with the sword, a seductive smile on her face.
She continued to dance, and her legs moved closer and closer to the hot spring. Seeing the warm steam rising from the water, her smile grew bigger; then, leaping into the air, she landed inside the water.
As she fell into the water, her figure suddenly seemed to disappear. Grandmistress Qian's gaze paused for a moment on the spot where Qiu Qiu had just been. Slowly, she walked to the hot spring, stopping at the edge.
Qiu Qiu suddenly erupted from the water.
Her movements were swift. The water moved with her, a few droplets splashing against Grandmistresss Qian's face. A single drop caught on her eyelash.
Grandmistress Qian seemed to be a little discomfited. She lowered her head, blinking, and a large pearl of water cascaded from her eyelashes, landing perfectly on the below Qiu Qiu's lip.
Qiu Qiu did not seem to be surprised. She glanced away for a moment before smiling, the water on her lip disappearing into her mouth.
Afterwards, she looked up, glancing at Grandmistress Qian with a pair of serene eyes.
She smiled again.
As she smiled, she stood upright in the water. The hot spring was not deep. At her full height inside the spring, she was only shorter than the Grandmistress by one head.
Her entire body had been soaked by the water, causing her robes to wrap tightly around her figure, revealing her long and lithe figure. She reached upwards and removed her hairpin, allowing her wet hair to fall behind her ears.
Her smile was extremely tempting. She raised her head to stare unflinchingly at the Grandmistress; the other lowered her head as well, staring at her.
Qiu Qiu stepped forward, pressing her wet body against the Grandmistress's. She reached out and wrapped her arms around the other's waist, and pressed their faces together, the lip that was covered with pearls of water nearing Grandmistress Qian's own.
But she did not kiss her. Their faces were a paper's width apart.
Qiu Qiu, with eyes full of emotion and a smile on her face, parted her lips slightly:
"Grandmistress, thank you for the sword."