Hun Changqing looked dissatisfiedly at Gu Xun'er, wondering if perhaps he had still been too soft-handed. Just doing her best? Did she really think that he, Hun Changqing, could no longer lift his blade and wouldn't dare touch that Xiao Yan?
Well, fine. Right now he truly didn't dare touch him. Despite how fiercely he spoke, of the two people, Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yan, he currently didn't dare touch either of them.
Because the Gu Clan and Gu Xun'er could not be touched, and Xiao Yan still needed to be used to threaten Gu Xun'er, so he couldn't be touched either.
However, not daring to touch him was one thing, but Hun Changqing still had to give Gu Xun'er a taste of his methods so she knew this matter couldn't just be a matter of trying her best. She had to give it everything she had, and even if she couldn't pull it off, she had to force it.
Hun Changqing stood up, and spatial ripples suddenly surged across his hand as a small mirror slowly materialized. Then it became covered in cracks, and the entire small mirror shattered into pieces.
Dozens of mirror shards reflected Gu Xun'er at the exact same time. Gu Xun'er's soul instantly convulsed, her consciousness plunged into chaos, her thoughts blurred, and her mind turned to mush as her body trembled incessantly.
Hun Changqing pointed a finger once more, and a wisp of Supreme Yin True Qi flew into Gu Xun'er's physical body, frantically stimulating her physique and brain. Her five senses blurred and scrambled, and her body fell into disarray.
For a moment, Gu Xun'er's body began to tremble wildly. Tears fell unceasingly, mucus poured from her nose, and saliva flew everywhere.
Seeing that the timing was about right, Hun Changqing restored Gu Xun'er's sanity, and then a thin stream of water shot into Gu Xun'er's mind.
The moment Gu Xun'er recovered her wits, an image surfaced in her mind of Xiao Yan being detonated by Hun Changqing with the Supreme Yin True Water.
Terrifying chill burst forth from within his body, frantically devouring Xiao Yan's blood, meridians, and bones. Xiao Yan's entire face twisted in terror.
His entire body's skin turned a bluish-purple, and his teeth and hair fell out one after another, instantly turning into a puddle of black water upon hitting the ground.
His face began to rot, his limbs began to melt, and not a single drop of blood remained in his body, until finally, Xiao Yan completely dissolved into a pool of black corpse-fluid.
Because this image was projected into Gu Xun'er's mind, Hun Changqing also tampered with it slightly.
He made Gu Xun'er viscerally experience the twisted despair within Xiao Yan's heart when the chill erupted in the vision.
The terrifying cold seemed to assail Gu Xun'er at the exact same time as well-gloomy and terrifying, without a shred of hope...
"No... No, no!"
Tears flew wildly from Gu Xun'er's eyes as a desperate, mournful wail escaped her lips.
Seeing this, Hun Changqing dismissed the Mirror Flower, Water Moon, squatted down in front of Gu Xun'er, and spoke.
"Well then, Miss Xun'er, I'd like to hear your answer once more. A friendly reminder: I don't want to hear the words 'do my best'~"
Following the dismissal of the Mirror Flower, Water Moon, Gu Xun'er also regained her senses. Upon seeing her current wretched plight, her mind instantly went blank.
She never expected this person to possess such unfathomably bizarre methods that could cause her to lose her composure so completely. Just the thought of presenting such a posture before this person-
Gu Xun'er almost failed to catch her breath, narrowly avoiding vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood on the spot. At that moment, she even had the notion that dying right here and now would be just fine.
Yet the moment she thought of Xiao Yan's wretched death in the visions of her mind, she scrambled to her feet, dropped to her knees beside Hun Changqing, and clutched his robes. With tears dripping endlessly, she begged tearfully,
"That image is fake! Right? Don't do this to Brother Xiao Yan!
I beg you, no... no! I really will help you with all my might! I beg you!
I truly don't know to what extent I can manage this! I don't know to what extent those elders and my father will go for my sake, but I will truly try my absolute hardest!
Believe me! You truly must believe me! I beg you... don't do this to Brother Xiao Yan! Sob... sob..."
At this moment, Gu Xun'er's originally flawless, exquisitely delicate pretty face was drenched in flying tears on account of Hun Changqing. Kneeling by his feet, she pleaded bitterly.
From this moment on, the once lofty, dazzling Gu Xun'er-viewed by all as sacred and inviolable, resembling a pure and elegant snow lotus atop a snowy mountain,
The proud daughter of heaven of the Gu Clan-
Had fallen from the mortal realm, prostrating herself at the feet of Hun Changqing, who seemed like a devil incarnate.
Looking at Gu Xun'er maintaining such a posture by his feet, Hun Changqing felt a surge of turbulent emotion for a moment. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind that really shouldn't have appeared at this time, and on an inexplicable impulse...
Hun Changqing suddenly squatted down. A handkerchief appeared in his hand, and he gently wiped the tears from Gu Xun'er's face, once again restoring that face to flawless perfection.
He gently spoke, "Alright, I believe you."
"Re... really?"
Seeing Hun Changqing-whom she had viewed as a demon-suddenly squat down, produce a handkerchief, and gently wipe her cheeks while claiming to believe her, caused an uncontrollable trace of a blush to appear on her face.
After being treated with extreme brutality, one will always feel at a loss because of the trace of gentleness emitted by that same person, and will inevitably give rise to a trace of lingering emotion. This was human instinct, something one could not control oneself.
Moreover, being close to Hun Changqing, Gu Xun'er was actually surprised to find that beneath his gloomy and evil aura, there was also a faint, peculiar, lingering fragrance.
That scent was involuntarily drawn into her nose, and the icy, refreshing sensation instantly allowed her fear-shaken body to calm down.
Her chaotic mind finally quieted somewhat, making Gu Xun'er feel somewhat incredulous for a moment, as though she were currently trapped inside a dream.
The Supreme Yin True Body naturally carried a wisp of lingering fragrance; it was very peculiar. Although Hun Changqing sometimes felt that this was rather strange, after all, it wasn't anything important, so he hadn't paid it too much attention.
After wiping Gu Xun'er's face clean, a single finger hooked up Gu Xun'er's chin. Because her thoughts had been in disarray earlier and her heart filled with worry for Xiao Yan, Gu Xun'er hadn't paid attention to Hun Changqing's hand when he grabbed her chin before.
At this moment, having calmed down thanks to the unique fragrance on Hun Changqing's body, she saw Hun Changqing's hand once again and was surprised to discover that every single one of his fingers was slender and tapered, as white as mutton-fat jade, perfect without a single flaw, and compared to her own hands they were even superior.
An absurd thought surfaced in Gu Xun'er's mind: could he actually be a woman?
However, before Gu Xun'er could dwell on it further, Hun Changqing's voice-still hoarse like an old man's-reached her ears.
"I believe you will surely do your utmost to handle this matter for me, but having taken such huge risks to bring you here, I would still feel somewhat unsatisfied without sufficient compensation. How about you give me a bit of compensation instead?"
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Gu Xun'er was somewhat baffled.
"What compensation? My Storage Ring has already been taken by you; there's nothing left on me anymore."
"Hehe, Miss Xun'er, you only need to... do thus and so."
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Gu Xun'er instantly turned as pale as a sheet. Without even thinking, she shook her head repeatedly, her mouth trembling as she spoke.
"No... not that. Anything but that. I'm begging you, let me go."
Hun Changqing did not care about Gu Xun'er's refusal, continuing to speak.
"Miss Xun'er had better think this through. Doing this won't affect you continuing to be with Xiao Yan in the slightest, nor will he notice a thing, and it won't impact your God-Grade Bloodline either.
As long as you do this, you won't have to struggle so much over those three conditions. Isn't this an exceptionally good deal? Besides, Miss Xun'er... surely you wouldn't want to watch Young Lord Xiao Yan meet with disaster, would you?"
Hearing Hun Changqing's voice, which sounded like a demon from the abyss, Gu Xun'er's complexion paled by another shade.
After a long while, a melodious and enchanting voice drifted out from the dark secret chamber.
"Alright..."
A rustling sound subsequently echoed from within the secret chamber.
"Slap."
The other side of Gu Xun'er's face swelled up as well, making both sides somewhat symmetrical.
"How did I teach you? If you still can't learn this, your Brother Xiao Yan is going to die immediately!"
In the end, Hun Changqing, whose raging flames had been thoroughly fanned, ultimately failed to control himself and committed a grave mistake!
Spring had arrived, and once again...