Hun Changqing looked at the frantic Gu Xun'er before him, knowing in his heart that the heat was already sufficient and Gu Xun'er should temporarily not seek to end her life again.
Gu Xun'er was currently a bit abnormal, having been stimulated to that state by him, and Hun Changqing did not know what might happen if he kept provoking her.
However, he simply could not let Gu Xun'er go back now; the present Gu Xun'er hated him to the extreme.
If her hatred for him were to exceed her love for Xiao Yan, and she returned only to drag Xiao Yan along with her to perish together with him, then he would truly be in a fix.
He could only lock Gu Xun'er away first, taking things one step at a time regarding what to do next.
Besides, the sensation Gu Xun'er had given him yesterday was utterly exquisite.
It made Hun Changqing somewhat reluctant to just let her go back like this. Anyway, the effect of Mirror Flower, Water Moon could still last for about two months, so Hun Changqing was not in a rush; they could talk after two months.
A month later, over this past month, Hun Changqing drilled into the small dark room where Gu Xun'er was detained every three days or two.
Every time he went in, it would be for the entire day. Had cultivation matters not been far more important, Hun Changqing would have gladly gone in once a day, seeking out Gu Xun'er the moment his physical strength recovered.
As for Gu Xun'er, her journey in the small dark room at the very start had her crying, making a ruckus, shouting, and cursing at Hun Changqing.
After a few days, Gu Xun'er grew completely silent, refusing to make a sound no matter how Hun Changqing tormented her.
Then later, she suddenly began to speak again bit by bit, even showing a slight tendency to become a chatterbox.
When they were getting things done, she also showed somewhat of a cooperative intent toward Hun Changqing.
Every time he pushed open the door to the small dark room, Gu Xun'er would stare at him with a strange gaze, staring at him to the point where Hun Changqing felt rather strangely uncomfortable.
Yet Hun Changqing did not dwell on it much; after all, people who had been locked in a small dark room for too long would inevitably carry a bit of neurosis, which was understandable.
Among those prisoners locked away in the Soul Palace, which of them hadn't gone mad by the end?
Gu Xun'er merely having a slight tendency to be a chatterbox was still considered fine, and it was likely because she had grown bored inside the small dark room that she had become so talkative.
Still, Hun Changqing went out of his way to avoid picking up on Gu Xun'er's words; generally, it was Gu Xun'er talking continuously over there while Hun Changqing occasionally responded to her with a remark or two.
Are you kidding me? Hun Changqing could be certain that Gu Xun'er's hatred for him had already broken through the heavens.
What business did he have picking up her conversation for nothing? To nurture feelings? Don't make him laugh.
Hun Changqing dared to affirm that if Gu Xun'er had the strength, she would surely seize him at the very first moment and use every single one of those punishments previously inflicted upon her on him all over again.
Yet, was it really like that?
At this moment, Gu Xun'er was lying on a soft little bed, draped with a small blanket that barely covered her petite, exquisite, and beautifully curved figure, carrying a hazy sense of beauty.
The secret chamber was pitch-black at this moment, without a shred of light, and Gu Xun'er's cultivation base was entirely sealed, leaving her with no way to cultivate at all.
The cramped secret chamber made people feel extremely oppressive, and all Gu Xun'er could do was lie quietly here and wait for Hun Changqing's next arrival.
When she was first locked away, Gu Xun'er had been somewhat hysterical, hovering on the verge of collapse at any moment, and the moment she saw Hun Changqing, she would roar and vent frantically!
And the aftermath of that outburst was the arrival of silence. She hated Hun Changqing, and she could tell that Hun Changqing liked to torment her.
Therefore, for a period of time, she would neither move nor utter a single word, refusing to let Hun Changqing enjoy himself to the fullest as a way to express her hatred toward Hun Changqing.
Hun Changqing hadn't said much either; you protest your way, I'll torment my way.
This undoubtedly added yet another layer to Gu Xun'er's hatred for Hun Changqing.
Yet in the end, she still could not endure the endless darkness of this secret chamber and the stillness without a single sound; she could no longer remain tight-lipped.
She began attempting to talk to herself within the secret chamber, because otherwise, she felt she truly would go mad.
And when Hun Changqing saw that Gu Xun'er had suddenly started speaking again, he felt a bit of irrepressible curiosity.
"Oh, you're talking? Is your mood a bit better lately?"
This caused a strange notion to sprout in Gu Xun'er's heart at the time. This sentence had originally been merely an offhand remark born of Hun Changqing's curiosity.
Yet in Gu Xun'er's eyes, Hun Changqing was actually showing concern for her-a demon who only knew how to torment and toy with her was actually showing concern for her simply because she started speaking!
In her eyes, this sentence of concern was a life-saving straw. She needed someone's care far too desperately at this moment, no matter who it was! She had already endured far too much during this period! Far too much!
Every person immersed in the darkness would frantically yearn to grasp that tiny bit of light tightly the moment they caught sight of a shred of it.
Gu Xun'er was immersed in the darkness of this cramped secret chamber, and this phrase of non-concern that Hun Changqing uttered was the light she desperately wanted to clutch at!
He showed concern for me because I spoke. If I speak a bit more, will he care about me a little more?
This thought kept repeating in Gu Xun'er's mind.
She began to speak, saying many words, and she began to anticipate Hun Changqing's arrival.
She began to anticipate the creaking sound transmitted when that cold iron door opened.
That sound felt so pleasant to her ears at that moment.
Every time Hun Changqing pushed open the iron door and the light from outside streamed in, it not only illuminated the secret chamber but also lit up her dark and lonely inner self.
The moment Hun Changqing stepped inside, Gu Xun'er's gaze, dimmed to the extreme by the darkness, would brighten once more.
Staring fixedly at him, her eyes filled with yearning-yearning for Hun Changqing to show her a bit more care, even if it were only a little!
From the moment Hun Changqing opened the door and entered until the time he left, Gu Xun'er talked to him without ever stopping.
Midway through getting things done, when Hun Changqing responded to her with a remark or two, Gu Xun'er's entire face would flush crimson, unable to control herself.
Once, Hun Changqing did not come to find her for five days, and she became somewhat hysterical again.
She continuously pounded against that cold iron door, calling out for Hun Changqing.
She was afraid; she was afraid that the sliver of light that had so difficulty appeared in her heart would vanish again, plunging her once more into this endless darkness.
Fortunately, Hun Changqing eventually appeared. The moment Hun Changqing appeared, Gu Xun'er immediately rushed forward to grab his robes, then wept unceasingly.
That day, Gu Xun'er clung to Hun Changqing for dear life, as if terrified that he would disappear once more.
That day, Hun Changqing felt that Gu Xun'er was a bit off, but he did not think much of it, simply assuming she was having another episode of her condition.
Yet seeing Gu Xun'er's appearance, Hun Changqing still instinctively spoke a few words of concern to her.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you alright?"
"Are you doing okay?"
These words were among the ones Hun Changqing said most frequently during his romantic past life, as he held a great interest in caring for beautiful women.
He simply had no interest in caring for Gu Xun'er, nor could he have known that Gu Xun'er had already awakened a certain special attribute because of him.
In his understanding, not a single thing he had done to Gu Xun'er could be considered a human act, and she should undoubtedly have wished to grind his bones to dust-how could he possibly have been idle enough to care about Gu Xun'er?
Those few words of concern had merely slipped out due to the instincts of his past life.
Yet upon hearing them, Gu Xun'er's face flushed completely red, and she gazed dazedly at Hun Changqing, unable to control herself.
(End of chapter)