Seeing this, Gu Youwei was so shocked she could hardly believe her eyes.
She had originally thought there would only be a small washbasin in the room, along with a somewhat rough rag.
Yet there was such an exquisite large wooden tub!
Gu Youwei walked forward two steps in a daze and discovered that the entire tub was made from precious sandalwood.
What was more, countless rose-red petals floated in the tub!
She merely fanned the air lightly with her hand, and a faint fragrance wafted into her nose.
It was the first time Gu Youwei had smelled such a scent. She found it unusual, yet after smelling it, her entire body felt light and airy.
Gu Youwei could not help recalling how, in her previous life, she had drifted from place to place with Gu Chen.
She often could not even get a full meal, and sometimes did not even have a shelter that kept out the wind.
As for a hot bath like this, it had been nothing more than a luxury beyond her reach.
Even after Gu Chen had earned a little money and their living conditions improved,
Gu Youwei still felt that Gu Chen had never treated her sincerely.
But now, she had only just arrived at the Cangshan Sword Sect, and her master had already prepared such a lavish hot bath for her.
It truly moved Gu Youwei deeply.
Yet Gu Youwei soon realized there was a problem.
She and He Changsong were neither kin nor friends. Even if the Cangshan Sword Sect had a custom of bathing before cultivation, there was absolutely no need for He Changsong to go to such lengths.
At this thought, Gu Youwei's brows furrowed even more tightly.
She stared at the steaming wooden tub before her and could not help falling into deep thought.
At last, Gu Youwei blurted out, "I know!"
"The reason He Changsong did this..."
"Was all because of Father."
Gu Youwei suddenly recalled that at the foot of the mountain earlier, her father, Gu Zhengchun, had whispered a few words to He Changsong.
There was no need to think too hard about it. What could a father say at a time like that?
He must have said some kind words and asked He Changsong to look after her.
Coupled with the fact that she truly had some talent, that was why He Changsong had prepared such a grand welcome for her.
With that thought in mind, Gu Youwei felt like the happiest little girl in the world.
She had the love of her parents and the care of her master.
She even had her older brother, Gu Feng, here in the Cangshan Sword Sect.
Thinking of all this, Gu Youwei felt that she had lived her previous life for nothing!
Not only had she never enjoyed a single day of comfort while following Gu Chen,
but once, while she was gravely injured, Gu Chen had even ripped the Heavenly Dao Bone from her body!
This matter was a thorn in Gu Youwei's heart.
Every time she recalled it, her hatred and loathing for Gu Chen deepened by another measure!
"Heh, Gu Chen, you never expected this, did you?"
"In this life, I will never let you manipulate me again!"
"Now I have a father who loves me, a mother who loves me, and a master who dotes on me."
"Just wait for me to raise my Cultivation Level in the Cangshan Sword Sect and grind you beneath my feet!"
"Don't you love digging out my Heavenly Dao Bone?"
"When the time comes, I will dig every bone out of your body, one by one, bloody and raw!"
At that moment, a fierce killing intent suddenly appeared in Gu Youwei's eyes.
It was the killing intent belonging solely to an Empress.
It was only because Gu Youwei's Cultivation Level had yet to fully break through.
Otherwise, once Gu Youwei, with the cultivation of an Empress, unleashed killing intent of such a level,
the entire Cangshan Sword Sect would likely have been razed to the ground!
"Father, Mother, I will never disappoint your expectations of me!"
Gu Youwei spoke with firm determination, then directly removed her outer robe.
Yet when she was about to begin undressing, Gu Youwei could not help becoming wary.
After all, this was her first time at the Cangshan Sword Sect. Was she really going to bathe so openly?
Were there any gaps in the windows? Would someone come and peep at her bathing?
Having once been harmed by Gu Chen, Gu Youwei had become exceedingly vigilant.
She carefully walked to the door and first made certain that it was locked.
Then she went to the window and confirmed that there were no cracks or holes in it.
But even after doing all that, Gu Youwei still did not feel entirely at ease.
She had originally wanted to sense whether there was some kind of barrier nearby capable of spying or eavesdropping.
But Gu Youwei was only at the Body Tempering Realm Tenth Level and could not yet sense the presence of barriers.
Then Gu Youwei wondered whether she was being a little too guarded.
Her parents loved her so much and had even found her such a kind, benevolent master.
Her master had even gone to such great lengths to prepare all this for her.
And yet she was actually going to suspect them?
Gu Youwei felt that not everyone in the world was as wicked as Gu Chen.
At the very least, her father, mother, and master would absolutely never be people like that.
At this thought, much of Gu Youwei's wariness immediately faded.
She returned to the edge of the wooden tub and began removing her clothes one piece at a time.
But what Gu Youwei did not know was this:
From the very moment she entered the room, through her inspection of every corner, and now as she undressed,
a pair of eyes had remained fixed upon Gu Youwei at every moment.
Beyond an invisible barrier, He Changsong had taken in every detail of the room!
"This little girl is quite vigilant."
"But what use is vigilance, no matter how strong it is?"
"You are already mine now..."
East Desolation Commandery, entrance to the Lingxu Secret Realm.
Gu Chen stared at the black-clothed figure lying before him like a dead dog, with almost no emotion stirring in his eyes.
He walked toward her step by step.
As Gu Chen drew nearer, the fear in the black-clothed woman's heart grew ever stronger.
Then, only when he had reached her did the black-clothed woman barely manage to prop herself against a broken tree stump and sit up.
"No... impossible..."
Gu Chen looked coldly at the black-clothed woman, his eyes brimming with icy chill.
With a light flick of his right foot, he sent the fallen flying sword on the ground spinning up from his toes.
Gu Chen extended his right hand, and the sword landed in his grasp in an instant.
Whoosh!
Gu Chen did not hesitate in the slightest. With a casual sweep of his right hand, the sword flashed across the black-clothed woman's face.
Yet the sword did not injure her; it merely tore apart her thick hood.
The instant the black hood shattered, a cascade of raven-black hair spilled out from beneath it.
By the mottled moonlight in the forest, so faint it was almost nonexistent,
Gu Chen saw the incomparably exquisite and beautiful face beneath that long hair, like a fairy descended into the mortal world.
"It has been several days since your rebirth, hasn't it?"
"You truly have not improved at all. You are still this useless."
Before you continue