Gu Ningyun stood motionless and silent, her eyes slightly lowered. Her long, beautiful lashes trembled gently, and her thin pink lips were pressed tightly together. Her thoughts were visibly in turmoil, as though she were struggling with indecision.
Strictly speaking, she had not been the one to capture Liu Min. Su Jiu had every right to bypass her and bargain with Liu Min directly, yet she had chosen not to. Even now, she was still willing to leave Liu Min in her hands and let her make the final decision. That showed how much Su Jiu valued and trusted her. This was the bond between friends. Was she really going to betray that trust now?
Gu Ningyun's mind was a tangled mess. For her sect's sake, she ought to be selfish just this once, but to honor their friendship, she also knew she could not do that.
While she was still lost in her thoughts, a beautiful, slender hand, smooth as jade, suddenly settled on her.
"Follow your heart. There's no need to force yourself. Even without the Yin-Devouring Butterfly, I can always find another way." Those words were clearly cool and detached, yet they unexpectedly put Gu Ningyun at ease.
Seeing this, Liu Min grew anxious. "Strictly speaking, there's no enmity between us. If we really settle this account, Su Jiu was the one who ruined my plans first. I'm already at a disadvantage now. Even if you spare my life, what harm could I possibly do to you?"
Liu Min had never expected that, even after swallowing her pride and revealing everything she could, she might still be unable to escape being escorted back to the sect. Agitation rose within her, and her tone naturally grew a little harsher.
Yun Huanling added, "So you think being weak makes