Abandon Gu Youwei

Those outside saw it clearly.

But how could five-year-old Gu Changqing see through things so clearly?

He could only keep begging.

"Uncle, I can eat two meals a day."

"No, one meal a day."

"I can chop firewood. I can hunt in the mountains..."

"If nothing else, please take her in. As long as she can stay alive..."

As the Young Heavenly Emperor spoke those final words, he dropped to both knees. His pleading gaze remained fixed on the middle-aged man.

Yet the middle-aged man remained unmoved.

"I never imagined that the lofty Heavenly Emperor would kneel and beg..."

Someone murmured without realizing it.

This scene struck them far too deeply.

The Heavenly Emperor stood above all, ruling the Heavenly Palace and wielding supreme authority. All living beings submitted beneath his feet, and every race trembled beneath his heavenly might.

Yet now, he had actually knelt before a mortal and begged.

And yet, there was no mockery in many people's eyes.

To go this far for a younger sister unrelated by blood—one had to admit that the Young Heavenly Emperor truly treated his sister very well.

Ye Chen's gaze swept across the crowd, then across Gu Youwei.

When he noticed the pity in their eyes, his expression shifted slightly.

He immediately spoke. "When a person no longer wants even his dignity, he is not far from becoming an evil man."

"I said before that after enduring some hardship, the Young Heavenly Emperor would surely abandon Miss Youwei. And now, it has indeed come true."

"Perhaps, in his eyes at this moment, Miss Youwei could live a better life by leaving him. But in the end, he still abandoned her, didn't he?"

"Perhaps, deep down, he had always regarded Miss Youwei as a burden."

At Ye Chen's words, the pity in everyone's eyes vanished in a flash.

That was true.

His words were not without reason.

From an adult's perspective, the uncle's family were heartless people who would forget loyalty at the sight of profit.

For Miss Youwei to be taken in by that family was hardly a good outcome.

Looking at it this way, the Young Heavenly Emperor had clearly regarded Miss Youwei as a burden and thrown her to his uncle's family.

"As expected of Emperor Ye—he actually foresaw it."

"He could even guess that once the Young Heavenly Emperor realized he could barely survive on his own, he would abandon Miss Youwei."

"No wonder Emperor Ye was able to lead us in attacking the Heavenly Palace. Such vision is truly unmatched through the ages."

"Emperor Ye sees far ahead. We are filled with admiration."

The crowd's flattery made the corners of Ye Chen's mouth lift unconsciously.

He cast Gu Youwei a smug glance.

"Is that really what you thought?"

Gu Youwei's eyes were filled with sorrow.

Just moments ago, when Gu Changqing had knelt and begged for her sake, her heart had stirred after all, and a sliver of hope had risen within it.

But at this moment, nothing remained in her heart but desolation.

"So you only carried me out of the mountains before abandoning me..."

An incomparably bitter smile touched her lips.

"Dear, I think we should agree to Changqing's request."

The aunt seemed unable to bear watching any longer and softly urged him, "That little girl barely eats anything. Besides, when she grows up, she can marry Yi'er. That would save us a great deal of money. And she can help us with the work, too."

The middle-aged man remained silent, as though he were still considering it.

The young Heavenly Emperor did not know what a child bride was. He only knew that marriage was an especially intimate kind of relationship.

He grinned foolishly. "Yes, yes, marriage. She can marry Yi'er."

When they saw this scene, all the cultivators outside the mirror looked upon the Young Heavenly Emperor with disgust.

"Sure enough, he saw Miss Youwei as dead weight—he'd rather let Youwei become someone else's child bride!"

The corners of Ye Chen's mouth curled up even further. "What did I say? Perhaps from this very moment, a seed of evil was born in the Young Heavenly Emperor's heart."

Gu Youwei's expression turned icy to the extreme.

Especially when she saw the Young Heavenly Emperor's brilliant smile as he sent her off to become a child bride.

Frost seemed to gather in her eyes, while boundless hatred crashed and surged within her heart like towering waves.

The faint sliver of hope she had once held for the Young Heavenly Emperor was utterly extinguished at that moment.

"Changqing, we'll take this child in for you."

"Go quickly. If you keep crying and howling, and the neighbors hear it, they'll say we husband and wife are cold and heartless."

His aunt pulled Gu Changqing up and shoved his frail little body out the door.

The wooden door closed. Candlelight flickered inside the room. The baby wrapped in the quilt seemed to have cried herself out; with her tiny pink fist tucked into her mouth, she fell into a deep sleep.

After lingering for a moment, Gu Changqing left without looking back.

Like a lone wolf, he plunged into the mountains and forests.

At that moment, everyone outside the mirror revealed disappointed expressions.

Sure enough, a youth was still only a youth.

In barely a single day, he had forgotten Aunt Wu's dying instructions.

Not only had he failed to protect his younger sister properly, he had instead thrown Miss Youwei into a pit of fire.

Though they knew full well

that the later Gu Youwei had not truly become the child bride of her uncle's family. Rather, while still young, she had been taken in by an expert from an ancient sect.

After Mei Gongzi dissolved Cao Yuwei's attack this time, she did not rush to counterattack. She merely stood where she was.

Cao Yuwei frowned slightly. Was this little girl's perception truly so keen? After he had forged armor from flames, he still had other methods at his disposal. If Mei Gongzi had followed up with an attack, he was confident he could use that method to restrain her. But Mei Gongzi had not stepped forward, forcing the ability he had poised to unleash to break off.

The battle saber slashed out once more, its powerful saber intent several degrees stronger than before. Cao Yuwei moved with the saber, man and blade as one, charging straight at Mei Gongzi.

The Heavenly Secret Plume in Mei Gongzi's hand once again unleashed the Heavenly Mysterious Circle, and with an instantaneous shift, she changed her position. While dissolving her opponent's attack, she also broke his lock-on. The next instant, she was already on the other side. Golden-red light flashed across Cao Yuwei's body and vanished. Had she not evaded so quickly, another ability would undoubtedly have descended upon her.

A battle of attrition! It seemed she intended to wear Cao Yuwei down.

Yet no one doubted the origin of this ability. After all, the Peacock Demon Race's greatest innate talent was Stellar Transposition. Her technique had the same marvelous effect through a different path.

After Mei Gongzi dissolved Cao Yuwei's attack this time, she did not rush to counterattack. She merely stood where she was.

Cao Yuwei frowned slightly. Was this little girl's perception truly so keen? After he had forged armor from flames, he still had other methods at his disposal. If Mei Gongzi had followed up with an attack, he was confident he could use that method to restrain her. But Mei Gongzi had not stepped forward, forcing the ability he had poised to unleash to break off.

The battle saber slashed out once more, its powerful saber intent several degrees stronger than before. Cao Yuwei moved with the saber, man and blade as one, charging straight at Mei Gongzi.

The Heavenly Secret Plume in Mei Gongzi's hand once again unleashed the Heavenly Mysterious Circle, and with an instantaneous shift, she changed her position. While dissolving her opponent's attack, she also broke his lock-on. The next instant, she was already on the other side. Golden-red light flashed across Cao Yuwei's body and vanished. Had she not evaded so quickly, another ability would undoubtedly have descended upon her.

A battle of attrition! It seemed she intended to wear Cao Yuwei down.