That bizarre sensation of his thoughts being led along by invisible threads became incomparably clear at this moment! He abruptly raised his head, fury and alarm erupting in his eyes.
"Qi Diao Yaoyao?! She was the one who planted the Gu?!"
"Hmph, your reaction isn't too slow."
Gu Sheng's tone remained calm, though it carried a faint, barely perceptible warning.
"They were merely Heart-Gu that subtly amplified the hesitation and tendency toward compromise in your heart. They are formless and difficult to detect, but they are not truly lethal. If your mind had not already been shaken by outside pressure, her Gu insects would not have influenced you so easily."
Situ Qingfeng's face alternated between green and white. He felt lingering fear, along with the humiliation of having been played.
Recalling Qi Diao Yaoyao's seemingly clear yet unfathomably deep golden eyes, he felt a chill shoot up his spine. He had fallen for her scheme without even realizing it and had nearly affected Gu Sheng's judgment!
Still shaken, he looked at Gu Sheng and could not help blurting out.
"Brother Gu, then you... did you also...?"
Before he could finish, he lost his nerve. He did not dare ask the final words, "fall for it."
The Gu Sheng before him had an aura as deep as an abyss and as steady as a mountain, his gaze clear and sharp. How was there even the slightest sign that he had been affected by a Gu insect?
Gu Sheng merely gave him a faint glance. That gaze was calm and unruffled, yet it instantly silenced Situ Qingfeng, making him swallow every question in his stomach.
"Brother Gu, then... what should we do next?"
Situ Qingfeng suppressed his surging blood and qi, his tone becoming respectful and even carrying a trace of dependence.