How could Hua Chiyu not see that He Qing was deliberately ignoring him? However, seeing Gu Changnian's increasingly pale face, she mustered up her courage and said timidly, "Master, Changnian has something to report to you."
Sure enough, He Qing's face turned cold when he heard Gu Changnian's name.
Perhaps it was because the Yaoguang Sect's martial arts were extremely murderous, and the cold faces of the Yaoguang Sect's masters and disciples had always put people under great pressure. Hua Chiyu had always been most afraid of He Qing's expression.
Because whenever He Qing showed this expression, Hua Chi Yu would either be scolded or picked on and punished.
At that moment, this expression that he had not seen for more than half a year appeared again in front of Hua Chiyu. Hua Chiyu was so scared that he immediately lowered his head and dared not look at He Qing again.
However, Hua Chiyu did not receive the expected harsh words, but instead heard He Qing say earnestly: "Chiyu, I know you are a kind-hearted girl, but you can't always be soft-hearted."
He Qing thought, it had only been a while since Gu Changnian publicly rejected the marriage proposal at the North Peak of Lingshan Mountain, which had deeply hurt this girl. How long had it been since then? Not only had she taken care of Gu Changnian's daily life, she had also come to speak for him out of fear.
When He Qing saw Hua Chiyu's pitiful and aggrieved look, he felt even more disgusted with Gu Changnian.
Hua Chiyu was slightly startled, raised his head and uttered a syllable in confusion: "Ah?"
He Qing did not intend to explain further. In matters of love, there was no room for outsiders to comment. So she skipped the topic directly, stretched her neck with a tired look, and said, "I'm a little tired. Let's talk about it later."
Seeing He Qing was about to leave, Hua Chiyu panicked and looked at Gu Changnian at a loss. He saw him calling out with difficulty: "Master, I really have something important to report."
He Qing didn't look back, nor did he even stop. He just shrugged apologetically at Yue Qingru at the back and was about to close the door.
"It's related to the Demonic Young Master!"
"etc."
Through the half-open door, He Qing leaned slightly to the side, looked over with a sinister gaze, and said softly, "Let him in."
※
Although he was reluctant to stay in a room alone with Gu Changnian, considering what was about to be discussed, He Qing still dismissed Yue Qingru and Lu Li who were beside him.
Before coming, Gu Changnian took a special bath and cleaned his clothes. He looked handsome, but after all, he was injured and had a lot of worries, so his face looked a little haggard.
He Qing lifted his robe and got on the couch, looking at him straight in the seat, and said in a gentle and cold tone: "Go ahead."
"..." Gu Changnian had a lot to say but didn't know where to start. He knew that he had attacked He Qing twice and there might be no possibility of restoring the master-disciple relationship. But if he really had to face it, it would be too painful for him.
All he could do now was to tell He Qing everything he knew, so that he could recognize the truth and no longer be deceived.
Thinking of this, Gu Changnian's eyes revealed a bit of determination. He cupped his hands and said, "Master, I suspect that Lu Li is the young master of the Demonic Path."
He Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. He only put on a serious expression and asked, "Do you have any evidence for what you said?" Seeing Gu Changnian shaking his head, He Qing felt relieved and smiled contemptuously, "I thought you had seen through the secrets and had some incredible evidence, but it turns out you were just talking nonsense."
"No." Gu Changnian explained in embarrassment: "Master, please think about it carefully. After Lu Li appeared, many strange things did happen in Lingshan. Among them, there are three most important doubts. First, I went to check and found that when the black evil spirit appeared at the North Peak, no one saw where Lu Li was. Second, the evil spirit that broke into the Monster Mountain swallowed Lu Li and was about to leave. After Lu Li was rescued, the miasma on his body was not fatal at all. Isn't this very strange?"
He Qing watched Gu Changnian speak silently, and his eyes became deep as he heard every word he said made sense.
"The last point is also the one that makes me most suspicious." Gu Changnian lowered his eyes and reported carefully: "Qi Guanxiao, the head of the Qi Guan family, moved the magical beasts sealed in the Genjing Mountains to this place. He should have abandoned the immortal sect and wanted to join the devil's way. But once the news was leaked, he fought to the death with several immortal masters in Lingshan without any scruples. He didn't make any backup plans at all. It's hard not to wonder whether he made some kind of deal with Lu Li after taking him away, and then decided to die to protect his master."
"..." He Qing's muscles tensed up and he wanted to kill Gu Changnian again. His cultivation also began to dissipate again.
That's really good. He Qing thought, although Gu Changnian had no evidence, if he told these three points to other people, anyone with a bit of brains would have doubts about Lu Li. That's really good, he is worthy of being the male protagonist.
Gu Changnian didn't notice He Qing's eyes flickering, and bowed his head and said, "Disciple really doesn't have any evidence to confirm the above conjecture, but disciple believes that as long as we follow this line of thought, we will definitely be able to find clues."
He Qing clenched her hands quietly in her sleeves, then slowly loosened them, as if she was preparing for a physical attack, or as if she was relaxing herself. She asked gently, "Have you said these words to anyone else?"
Gu Changnian shook his head: "Not yet."
He Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and snorted with a smile that didn't reach his eyes: "You are indeed very careful, but have you ever thought that I might have known about this for a long time and was on the same ship with Lu Li?"
The scene of the mysterious man and He Qing having a secret meeting in Lu Li's room suddenly rushed into Gu Changnian's mind, making him feel as if he was suddenly pushed by an invisible force. He immediately lifted his robe and knelt on one knee, saying in a deep voice: "Disciple believes that Master will never betray his Dao heart and the Immortal Sect. Disciple will never doubt Master."
He Qing smiled nonchalantly: "If I remember correctly, it has only been three days since you attacked me from behind, right?"
When this incident that Gu Changnian didn't want to recall was brought up, a trace of pain flashed across his eyes. He leaned over and kowtowed, saying with difficulty: "In the past, it was because I was too paranoid and unwilling to face my own heart, which led to the birth of a demon in my heart and almost hurt Master. I hope that Master can forgive my mistakes and accept me again."
"..." He Qing was a little shocked. She had always known that Gu Changnian was a man with a strong sense of self-esteem. The fact that he kowtowed and confessed his guilt so readily meant that he either truly regretted it, or he was intentionally lying dormant for some future plan.
Just when He Qing was in doubt, Gu Changnian could not hide his sadness and murmured: "Disciple should have understood long ago that Master is now very different from before. Disciple was unwilling to believe it at first and kept clinging to the past. Later, although I clearly envied Master's relationship with his fellow disciples, I was unwilling to face it... Master, I was wrong..."