Chen Mo's "Feelings"?

Gu Manzhi sat there as if she were a statue.

Every point of confusion had now been answered.

So Chen Mo had come today to confess his feelings to her?

He had known everything, yet still chosen to break off the engagement, all just to be with her?

Their positions were like fire and water, irreconcilable. What he had done was no different from a moth flying into the flames—he had disregarded even his family fortune and his life!

Yet she had not even given him a chance to confess...

"Why?"

Gu Manzhi covered her chest, a flash of pain passing through her eyes.

Deceiving one another, plotting and scheming.

She had grown up in such an environment since childhood and had long become accustomed to it.

Trust no one. Never give anyone your true heart—this was the rule for survival her master had taught her, and she had always treated it as sacred law.

Yet when she recalled Chen Mo's cold gaze and that final sentence, "Our debts and grievances are settled," it felt as though a piece of her heart had been torn out alive.

The Grey-Robed Person failed to notice anything unusual about her and continued talking to himself. "Your identity has been exposed. Leave Heaven Capital City as soon as possible. I'll take over from here."

"And I still have to clean up your mess. It really isn't easy being me..."

Gu Manzhi came back to her senses and looked up at the Grey-Robed Person. "Why exactly did you come here?"

"I told you, I came to laugh at you..."

The Grey-Robed Person's voice suddenly halted.

Gu Manzhi was holding a jade talisman in her hand, her eyes brimming with killing intent.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get worked up."

"There's no harm in telling you. Master sent me."

The Grey-Robed Person took a wooden box from his robes.

When he opened the lid, a cloying, fishy-sweet stench wafted out.

Inside lay a thumb-sized crimson flesh worm. It had neither eyes nor nose, while its sharp teeth opened and closed endlessly like flower petals, sending chills down one's spine.

"This is... the Heart-Devouring Gu?!"

Gu Manzhi's heart jolted as she recalled what Chen Mo had said.

The Grey-Robed Person nodded. "Master got this from the Southern Wilderness. It was specially prepared for your little lover."

This creature was bred by the Gu God Sect and was incomparably sinister. It parasitized the heart of a living being, feeding on the blood in its heart meridians.

Once it grew to a certain point, it would devour the heart and replace it.

At that point, the host would become a puppet at another's mercy, their life and death resting on a single thought of the caster!

Gu Manzhi fell silent for a moment, her voice dry. "Didn't Master say I only needed to seduce him with my beauty? Why use something like this?"

"Hearts can change. Who can guarantee that he'll remain utterly devoted to you forever?"

"If we want to deal with Yu Youhan, the Chen Family is a crucial link in the chain. Nothing can go wrong."

"Only by completely controlling Chen Mo can we proceed with the next stage of the plan. Master feared you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to do it, so he arranged for me to plant the gu..."

Gu Manzhi could no longer hear what came after.

It was as though every bit of strength had been drained from her. She collapsed limply into her seat, her eyes lost and hollow.

"Our debts and grievances are settled?"

"Looking at it now, I owe him far too much..."

East of the city.

Mansions stood in orderly rows, their layered terraces and pavilions rising amid deep courtyards.

Most high officials and noble households were gathered here. Compared with the bustling prosperity of the outer city, this place was quiet and spacious.

Among them stood a residence with three successive courtyards. A plaque bearing the character "Chen" hung above its gates.

Several grandmaster chairs stood within the simply furnished, pristine, elegant main hall.

A man in purple robes sat in the seat of honor. He had a lean, blade-like face, a goatee, and sharp, profound eyes, carrying an imposing air even without anger.

One of the Censorate's three leading figures, a third-rank official of the current dynasty—Chen Zhuo.

Beside him sat a beautiful middle-aged woman. Full-figured and captivating, she carried herself with graceful dignity. The charm lingering in her brows and eyes made it obvious that she had been a peerless beauty in her youth.

A direct disciple of Misty Rain Pavilion and a martial arts grandmaster—He Yuzhi.

"That unfilial brat, did he go fool around at the Music Bureau again?"

"He even dared to tear up the marriage contract! When he comes back, I'll break his damned legs!"

Chen Zhuo said darkly.

"Matters of the heart cannot be forced. If Mo'er doesn't like her, then that contract is nothing but a scrap of paper. Tearing it up is no great matter."

He Yuzhi spoke calmly, her voice gentle and pleasing.

"This was an engagement arranged by our ancestors. How can it be treated so childishly?"

"The Chen Family and the Shen Family have been friends for generations. Now that brat has pulled this stunt—how am I supposed to face Brother Shen in the future?"

The more Chen Zhuo spoke, the angrier he became. He slammed his palm against the table. "You spoiled him rotten! Don't you understand that indulging a child is like killing him? A doting mother raises ruined sons..."

"Hm?"

He Yuzhi slightly raised her brow and cast him a sidelong glance.

Chen Zhuo shuddered, immediately changing his tune. "Ahem, of course, I too bear an inescapable responsibility."

He Yuzhi said faintly, "Speaking of which, didn't your father oppose us being together back then as well? He insisted that you marry the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, saying I was crude and uncouth, that all I knew was waving spears and swinging staffs... He forced the two of us to kneel before his door for a full day and night before he finally relented."

"Could it be that you wish to walk your father's old path?"

As she reached the painful part, her eyes reddened slightly, tears threatening to spill.

"Oh, come on, that was so many years ago. Why bring it up all of a sudden?"

Chen Zhuo flustered about in a panic, his imposing aura crumbling in an instant.

"You know your husband loves it most when you wave spears and swing staffs. I'd gladly have you do it every day..."

"Pah, you're spouting nonsense again."

He Yuzhi shot him a glare. Her coquettish charm made Chen Zhuo's heart pound wildly.

If it were not broad daylight, he truly would have wanted to indulge in a bout of "this old man's youthful passions surging anew"...

Chen Zhuo steadied himself and returned to the main subject. "The He Family is, at the very least, a prestigious clan of Qing Prefecture. But what about that Gu Manzhi? No matter how famous she is, she's merely a woman of the pleasure quarters."

"He broke off the engagement for a prostitute. Where does that leave the Shen Family's dignity?"

"Besides, Miss Shen is a disciple of Martial Saint Mountain. If word of this gets out, I'm afraid there may be trouble..."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhi's expression became serious as well.

As a martial artist, she understood perfectly what Martial Saint Mountain represented.

It was the inheritance ground of the Martial Saint, one of the Three Sages—a transcendent existence standing above mortal powers!

Its branches and leaves flourished, its roots ran deep, and it had countless threads of connection with many factions.

A saying was widely circulated: offend Martial Saint Mountain, and you offend half the martial world!

Though it was somewhat exaggerated, it still showed how illustrious its reputation was!

This was beneath the Son of Heaven's feet, so there was no need to worry about safety. But they could not stay in Heaven Capital City for the rest of their lives, could they?

"Martial Saint Mountain has ignored worldly affairs for many years. Such a small matter surely wouldn't..."

Before He Yuzhi could finish, the steward hurried in and bowed. "Master, Madam, Miss Shen has arrived."

Chen Zhuo and He Yuzhi exchanged a glance.

Just when they feared it most, it came knocking.

"Quickly, invite her in."

Chen Zhuo said, "Right, where is that unfilial brat? Hurry and bring him back to me!"

The steward shook his head. "There's no need to look for him. Young Master is in Miss Shen's hands."

Chen Zhuo asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

The steward's expression was strange as he said, "This old servant means exactly what he said. Young Master is being carried in Miss Shen's hand. From the looks of it, he should have fainted..."

Chen Zhuo: "..."

He Yuzhi: "..."