Two idiots.
Gu Chengming was speechless at the reactions of Hundred Bones Resonating and the Yin Yang Creation Strategy.
As the Yin Yang Creation Strategy circulated, he could clearly sense the fluctuations in the Second Imperial Princess's aura.
Though her emotions were somewhat tense, her presence was extremely pure. She harbored no malice toward him; instead, there was an almost clumsy urgency to show goodwill.
'She clearly has no ill intent...' Gu Chengming thought to himself. 'So why is her way of doing things so repulsive?'
Did she carry some dharma treasure that could block or distort spiritual sense perception?
"The conditions Your Highness offers sound excellent."
Gu Chengming suppressed his doubts and spoke slowly.
"But I cannot say the same for your conduct."
Ji Yixi froze slightly.
"Before entering, you allowed your guard to suppress me with his aura. After entering, you claimed you wouldn't use the dragon qi matter to threaten me, yet you brought it up the moment I moved to refuse. Now, you expect me to risk my life for you based on empty words."
"First the sword, then the ritual; the stick followed by the carrot. Your Highness is quite skilled in the art of manipulation. But with this attitude, I don't see any necessity for cooperation between us."
Ji Yixi was stunned. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain: "I didn't..."
"Elder, see our guest out."
Gu Chengming gave her no chance to explain. He stood up and walked toward the house.
"Hmph!"
Yu Wenqiu, who had been annoyed by this princess for a while, finally found her chance to act. She spat out a fruit pit and tossed the withered branch she used for 'reasoning' onto the ground. Wiping her hands, her peach-blossom eyes filled with a protective killing intent.
What Great Qian Princess? Putting on airs in front of the Wenjian Sect? My Senior Sister has beaten up a Great Qian Prince before!
"Second Highness, this way?"
Yu Wenqiu stepped in front of Ji Yixi. The sharp aura of a third realm peak sword cultivator unceremoniously locked onto her.
"My little Gu is timid and can't handle being startled. If Your Highness doesn't want me to personally 'escort' you out, it would be more dignified to leave on your own."
"After all..."
Yu Wenqiu glanced at the guard behind the carriage. "The alleys of Jishan Neighborhood are narrow. If we really start fighting and Your Highness gets hurt, that wouldn't be good."
Ultimately, the most powerful princess of Great Qian could only squeeze out three words.
"...I apologize for the intrusion."
Before she could even say anything to salvage the situation, she was 'invited' out of the small courtyard's gate, half-monitored and half-driven away by Yu Wenqiu.
Bang!
The mottled wooden door slammed shut mercilessly in front of her, shaking loose several flakes of dust from the frame.
Ji Yixi stood outside the closed door, looking dazed.
The carriage slowly departed from Jishan Neighborhood.
Inside the carriage, there was a deathly silence.
Ji Yixi sat before the ancient bronze mirror. Her originally cold face was now filled with frustration and bewilderment. She reached out a finger and lightly touched the mirror's surface.
In an instant, countless voices exploded in her mind.
"You said to display strength first... so I brought Commander Wang," Ji Yixi asked in a low voice within her heart.
"You said to let him know I have no malice, so I mentioned the dragon qi."
"You said that as long as the benefits are sufficient, he wouldn't be able to refuse, so I promised any condition."
"Weren't these... the 'optimal solutions' you taught me?"
The noise in her head suddenly fell into silence.
After a long while, Ji Yixi looked at her expressionless reflection in the mirror. A rare trace of dejection appeared in her eyes—the grievance of a top student who followed the standard answers but received a score of zero.
"What you taught... was the worst way."
She murmured softly.
"I messed it up..."
Ji Yixi lowered her gaze, her fingers tightly clutching her sleeves. After a long time, she took a deep breath.
"I must make amends."
Inside the courtyard at Jishan Neighborhood.
Having sent the princess away, Yu Wenqiu looked quite happy, as if she had won a great victory. She grabbed a handful of melon seeds and began cracking them.
However, Gu Chengming's expression was not as relaxed. He sat in the wicker hammock, fiddling with a jade slip, his brow furrowed. He was clearly reflecting on what had just happened and the potential consequences.
"Elder Yu," Gu Chengming suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?" Yu Wenqiu spat out a seed shell and responded casually.
"If that princess flies into a rage out of humiliation and actually leaks the matter of the dragon qi, or sends experts to surround and kill us... what should we do?"
Hearing this, Hundred Bones Resonating seemed to suddenly realize that the woman had been threatening the Emperor Gu?
【Hundred Bones Resonating is furious! We must slaughter the entire Imperial Family!】
Compared to the extreme Emperor Bai, Little Elder Yu was much more realistic.
"What else can we do?"
Yu Wenqiu patted the dust off her hands and said as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "We run."
"Run?"
"Yeah, at worst we just head back to the Wenjian Sect." Yu Wenqiu patted her chest. "Little Gu, don't look at how I usually don't cultivate. My life-saving methods are top-notch."
"I have a trump card movement technique called Ten Thousand Miles Without a Trace. Once activated, even if a fifth realm expert personally makes a move, they won't even catch a corner of our clothes. As long as we get out of the capital, we'll hop on a flying boat and head straight back to the sect."
"Once we're at the Wenjian Sect, even if she had ten times the courage, would she dare go up the mountain to demand someone?"
Gu Chengming was stunned. He looked at his master with some suspicion. "Elder Yu... why does your movement technique sound so much more powerful than your sword art?"
Hearing this, Yu Wenqiu's face turned slightly red. She lectured, "This is called being cautious! Think about it, how dangerous is the cultivation world? Demons, ghosts, and insidious people... if you just charge forward like a hothead, the grass on your grave would be three feet high by now! Only those who survive have the right to discuss the Dao of the sword!"
Seeing Elder Yu's 'experienced' look, the tension in Gu Chengming's heart eased considerably.
True. At worst, he could just leave. He was originally down the mountain for tempering; the politics of Great Qian and the secrets of the Imperial Family were merely passing clouds to him. If it really came to a life-or-death situation, he would just flip the table and leave.
"Since you say so, Elder, then I'm relieved."
However, what Gu Chengming didn't expect was that the Second Imperial Princess seemed to have returned the next day.
Just as Gu Chengming opened the courtyard gate to buy breakfast, he saw her figure standing at the mouth of the alley.
Today, Ji Yixi hadn't brought that annoying guard, nor did she have a carriage. She stood there alone, dressed in plain civilian clothes. Seeing Gu Chengming come out, she was about to step forward and speak.
Bang.
Gu Chengming closed the door and turned back into the house.
Ji Yixi's hand froze in mid-air. She pursed her lips but did not leave, continuing to stand there.
The second day, the wind and sand whipped about, yet she remained standing there, her hair slightly disheveled...
The third day, Gu Chengming looked at the figure who had been standing in the rain for two hours. He finally sighed helplessly and decided to hear what she had to say.
On one hand, Ji Yixi coming here too often would inevitably arouse suspicion. On the other hand, just as she said, she hadn't leaked the matter of the dragon qi even though their talks had failed.
"Come in."
Ji Yixi looked up. A faint, almost imperceptible joy flashed across her pale face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her throat was dry, and she only managed a soft "Mhm."
Inside the courtyard.
Yu Wenqiu didn't come out. She just watched from the main house, clearly leaving the space to them.
Gu Chengming didn't invite her to sit, nor did he pour tea. He simply stood under the osmanthus tree in the yard.
"What is the meaning of this, Your Highness? Bitter tricks won't work on me."
"It's not that."
Ji Yixi spoke with some urgency. Standing before Gu Chengming, her hands were awkwardly clasped together, completely lacking the high-and-mighty composure she had when they first met.
"I'm here to apologize. Last time I came, I was self-righteous and did many annoying things. I don't know how to ask for help, nor do I know how to interact with people. I only knew how to use those methods."
"Your Highness overstates it. It's just that the matter of the dragon qi is like a thorn in my throat; I truly cannot feel at ease. Who knows if Your Highness apologizes today, only to sell me out again tomorrow for the sake of profit?"
Ji Yixi seemed to have expected this question from Gu Chengming.
Without any hesitation, she suddenly raised her right hand, pressing three fingers together toward the sky. The spiritual energy within her surged, and a profound, obscure fluctuation emanated from her body.
"I, Ji Yixi, today swear upon my dao foundation!"
"No matter the time or place, no matter what happens, I shall never reveal the secret of Gu Chengming's dragon qi to a third party! If I violate this oath, let my dao foundation shatter, my body perish, my dao dissipate, and my soul be extinguished, never to enter reincarnation!"
Immediately after, Ji Yixi's face turned deathly pale. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. She looked at Gu Chengming with anticipation and asked, "Now... will you believe me?"
Gu Chengming didn't know what a Dao Oath was and was a bit puzzled. You think making a vow will make me believe you?
Seeing this, Yu Wenqiu sent a secret transmission: "A Dao Oath is a vow that directly communicates with the Heavenly Dao. It's a gamble using the rest of one's cultivation future. At the moment of the oath, a portion of the dao foundation must be sacrificed as collateral. That sentence just now cost her at least five years of cultivation. Furthermore, if she violates the oath, she will immediately die, and her dao will vanish; she won't even be able to reincarnate."
Gu Chengming felt a bit awkward; he really hadn't known that.
But this was clearly illogical. What on earth did he have that was worth the princess going to such lengths?
If he didn't figure out her true motive, Gu Chengming would never be at peace.
Receiving no response, a flash of helplessness appeared in Ji Yixi's eyes. She took an anxious step forward, seemingly wanting to grab Gu Chengming's sleeve, but stopped her hand in mid-air.
"I absolutely have no malice. I didn't come for the matter of the Azure Lotus Sword Realm either..."
"For certain reasons, I cannot tell you everything."
"But for me, you are indeed the only 'turning point'."
"So no matter what, I will never do anything disadvantageous to you."
Gu Chengming's Yin Yang Creation Strategy circulated, sensing the sincerity in those words.
"Since Your Highness has gone to such lengths, you have indeed shown your sincerity. I am impressed."
Though Gu Chengming said this, he did not mention the Azure Lotus Sword Realm.
Hearing this, Ji Yixi let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu."
She didn't linger or push her luck. She sensibly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and bowed again to Gu Chengming and Yu Wenqiu.
"Then I shall not disturb you further. Farewell."
Until the courtyard gate closed again.
【The Yin Yang Creation Strategy is full of confusion and shock】
【Did he just tame the Imperial Princess as a pet so easily?】
【To think it was considering agreeing to her before, then suggesting dual cultivation when she made her request. Dammit, was it being too shallow?!】
【The Yin Yang Creation Strategy looks at Gu Chengming and makes another note in its little mental notebook】
【This child is truly terrifying; I must never teach him how to be a simp】
【Yin Yang Creation Strategy Favorability +5】
【Current Favorability: 20】
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