"Yunlan, did you come all this way just to watch me make a fool of myself?"
Tang Lingyu noticed Chu Yunlan's gaze. Her willow brows furrowed, and a hint of awkwardness flashed across her pretty face as she chided her:
"Why don't you try being my sparring partner? I can't take down Chief Gu, but surely I can handle you."
At that, Chu Yunlan hurriedly waved her hands and backed away, her face wreathed in an ingratiating smile:
"No, no, no! With my tiny arms and legs, how could I dare fight you? Sister Lingyu, I only came to help you relax."
Seeing Tang Lingyu's expression soften a little, Chu Yunlan's eyes darted about. Still smiling, she continued:
"Crimson Rock City was built against the mountains, so there's plenty of geothermal activity. There are lots of natural hot springs outside the city.
"My family happens to have a fine spring out there. Soaking in it after cultivation not only eases your fatigue, but also does wonders for your complexion! Sister Lingyu, want to go try it together?"
As she spoke, her eyes shimmered. She turned her gaze lightly toward Gu Cheng and warmly invited him:
"Big Brother Gu, would you like to come too? The three of us could soak in the same pool."
"Third Sister!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Chu Yuntian and Chu Yunhai's faces darkened like the bottom of a pot. They rebuked her in unison, clearly displeased by their younger sister's shameless suggestion.
Tang Lingyu's cheeks grew hot. She bit down on her pearly teeth, strode forward, and raised a hand as if to hit her.
"Ah! Don't hit me, don't hit me! Sister Lingyu, I'm only helping you create an opportunity! I..."
Chu Yunlan yelped and took off running. Tang Lingyu chased right after her.
The two raced after each other like gusts of wind across the training grounds, disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
"When did those two get so close?"
Chu Yuntian stared after them and muttered to himself, his mind full of questions.
In his impression, Tang Lingyu had always been serious, earnest, and reserved, showing a touch of tenderness only occasionally when she was with Gu Cheng.
Yet now she was acting so familiar with Chu Yunlan, laughing and playfully chasing her like an ordinary young woman. It was quite a surprise.
"Heh, perhaps your third sister's lively personality reminds her of the little sister she left back home."
Gu Cheng chuckled, then turned to the Chu brothers and got down to business:
"So, has anything gone wrong in Crimson Rock City over the past couple of days?"
"Things have been much quieter in the city these past few days."
Chu Yunhai nodded, sounding quite relaxed:
"The Demon Transformation Sect used to pick fights and stir up trouble every few days, throwing the whole city into chaos. But ever since you crippled their leader, Chu Xiongying, they've settled down considerably.
"There are still a few hotheads who want to save face, but the Sixth Elder has kept them in check."
Chu Yuntian picked up the thread, his expression grave:
"But Father once said that Sixth Elder Chu Xuan is an extremely patient and ruthless man. He may have the least seniority, but he's deep-minded and full of dirty tricks.
"Now that he's keeping still, he's probably hatching some plan in secret, hoping to overthrow the Demon Taming Sect's rule in one fell swoop."
"Mm. A dog that bites never barks."
Gu Cheng nodded slightly and looked into the distance.
The sky had been clear and bright, yet somehow it gave the impression that a storm was about to break.
The old and new factions at Hundred Beasts Villa had long been at odds. The demonic turmoil in the Crimson Rock Mountain Range was merely a spark that had come at just the right time.
Both sides were quietly gathering strength, preparing to deal the other a fatal blow. At such a critical moment, neither wanted to invite further complications.
That was precisely why he and Tang Lingyu had traveled thousands of miles to reinforce them, only to find themselves with little to do now.
"By the way, Chief Gu..."
Chu Yuntian suddenly spoke, interrupting Gu Cheng's thoughts.
He took three scrolls from his storage pouch and respectfully handed them over:
"These are the original works by Ancestor Cloud Ink you mentioned. I went out of my way to find them in Father's collection. If you get bored during your stay, you can pass the time by admiring the paintings."
Seeing this, Chu Yunhai's expression shifted. He hurriedly warned him:
"Lord Gu, are you interested in the 'Hundred Beasts Painting' too? Then you'll have to be careful."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Gu Cheng accepted the scrolls and looked at Chu Yunhai with curiosity.
The latter swallowed and quietly explained:
"Just three months ago, a newly advanced Innate Grandmaster under the Sixth Elder suddenly went mad during cultivation. He turned into a half-human, half-demon Martial Maniac and killed everyone he saw!
"An investigation afterward revealed that it was because he had spent too long studying Ancestor Cloud Ink's paintings that his mind had become unhinged.
"If you're interested in these paintings too, make sure you don't look at them for too long."
"Mm, I'll be careful."
Gu Cheng nodded, outwardly calm, though his curiosity only grew.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting mottled shadows across the room.
After parting from the Chu brothers, Gu Cheng hurried back to his lodgings.
He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion with his eyes half-closed, then stirred his thoughts.
Bzz—
The three paintings borrowed from Chu Yuntian, along with the Hundred Beasts Painting gifted by Lady Tianyin, seemed drawn by an invisible hand. One by one, they flew out of his storage pouch and slowly unfurled before him.
The four paintings hung suspended in the air, glowing with a faint spiritual light.
The demonic beasts in them were depicted in all kinds of poses, some baring their fangs and claws, others roaring furiously. They looked so lifelike that it seemed they might break free of the paintings at any moment and pounce on whoever was looking at them!
The strokes of the four paintings were both delicate and wild. Every line seemed to bear the artist's poured-out emotions, carrying an ineffable quality.
Gu Cheng studied the four paintings, narrowing his eyes as his divine sense surged into them like a tide, taking in every delicate brushstroke and nuance.
He knew nothing about painting, much less how to appreciate it, and couldn't fathom the artist's intentions from an artistic perspective.
But his divine sense, powerful enough to rival a Spirit Sea Venerable's, keenly picked up on the strange aura hidden within the paintings.
Although the paintings had all been done by the same person and seemed consistent in style at first glance, their underlying moods were worlds apart. If they hadn't been laid side by side, it would have been impossible to tell them apart.
The last painting in particular seemed to twist its demonic beast under some invisible force. Its form was horrifyingly grotesque, and its fierce, baleful aura seemed ready to burst through the painting and strike straight at the heart!
"Something's not right..."
A glint flickered in Gu Cheng's eyes as a powerful sense of dissonance welled up within him.
His divine sense roamed through the paintings, as if he could feel just how unstable Cloud Ink Venerable's mental state had been while creating them.
The division and confusion were almost like a split personality, full of contradiction and suffering. It sent a chill down his spine.
"Could he already have been on the verge of going mad when he broke through back then?"
Gu Cheng murmured, his doubts deepening.
If that was true, what had Cloud Ink Venerable seen while he was secluded in the forbidden grounds of the Crimson Rock Mountain Range?
What manner of terrifying thing could have damaged the mind of a Spirit Sea Venerable and driven him to the brink of madness?
Before you continue