An Unnecessary Gesture
Sang Zheng once had a very good impression of Gu Huaiwei, and at one point even considered having his daughter become his student and be taught by him.
He believed that a powerful and diligent cultivator like Gu Huaiwei would surely be able to teach outstanding disciples.
Sang Zheng never expected that his daughter would actually be taken as a disciple by Gu Huaiwei, and that she would be the one who was abandoned and mistreated among the two disciples!
Each cell in the water dungeon was not very spacious. Gu Huaiwei was huddled in her cell, her hands and feet tightly chained. This must have been a very uncomfortable experience. But when Sang Zheng saw this scene, he felt a sense of relief, because his daughter Sang Ying had also experienced the same suffering they had endured.
"Senior Sang..." Qi Yaoji's eyes had just lit up, and she had only uttered the first three words of what she had prepared when Sang Zheng directly raised his hand to cover her throat and hearing.
Seeing the panicked look on Qi Yaoji's face, Sang Zheng then spoke to Gu Huaiwei, "I heard from Sang Ying that your memories have returned."
Gu Huaiwei's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly dimmed again. He nodded, emanating an aura of deathly stillness.
"Then you should still remember Sect Master Zhou, right? He was injured by you before, and he died a few days ago," Sang Zheng continued.
Gu Huaiwei's expression suddenly changed; her eyes, which had shown no emotion in front of others, suddenly erupted with intense feelings.
"You feel guilty? You should feel guilty! Do you know how many people have died in the Twin Orchid Realm because of you? You destroyed seventeen sects and thirty-six cities!" Sang Zheng's tone grew increasingly stern. "Do you remember what you said when you ascended to this position of Immortal Venerable? 'To take it upon yourself to protect all living beings.' Is this what you call protecting all living beings?!"
The light in Gu Huaiwei's eyes dimmed inch by inch, and at this moment he completely lost the last bit of life he had left.
"It's all my fault, just kill me." Gu Huaiwei her eyes, seemingly prepared to face death.
Sang Zheng sneered, "You make it sound so easy. If you die, do you think those you harmed will ever come back? Tell me, who turned you into this? What happened to you that caused you to lose your memory? And who sent you to attack the Twin Orchid Realm?"
This is the real reason why Sang Zheng chose to see him today. Gu Huaiwei or dies is not important to him. What he really cares about is finding out who is behind this.
"I... I don't know." Gu Huaiwei finally spoke under Sang Zheng's persistent questioning, but his answer did not satisfy Sang Zheng.
Upon hearing this answer, Sang Zheng frowned. "Are you still going to protect the person who framed you and brought you to this point?!"
Gu Huaiwei shook his head, his tone full of dejection. "I didn't mean to protect that person, it's just that he was too powerful. You might not believe it, but now I don't even remember what that person looks like. Not only that, I've completely forgotten how I met him and what we said to each other."
"He seemed to have erased himself from my memory; I've even begun to doubt whether such a person ever existed."
Every word Gu Huaiwei uttered filled Sang Zheng with apprehension.
It should be noted that Gu Huaiwei's cultivation level was extraordinary before his disappearance. Even though Sang Ying had pierced his Dantian, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Although his cultivation level was damaged, his Divine Sense was not. The Divine Sense of a high-level cultivator is extraordinary and cannot be easily deceived.
But that person not only sealed his memories, but also disrupted his consciousness.
Such methods can truly be described as "unpredictable and beyond human comprehension".
Sang Zheng, still not entirely convinced, asked again, "Are you sure you don't remember anything? You should at least have some recollection of where you were before, right?"
His only response was a silent shake of the Gu Huaiwei.
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Gu Huaiwei, Sang Zheng had no choice but to block Gu Huaiwei's sight and hearing, and then turned his attention to Qi Yaoji was standing to the side.
The other person still had Sang Ying's face, but their expression was completely different from Sang Ying's.
Almost immediately after the seal was broken, Qi Yaoji fawned over Sang Zheng, saying, "Senior Sang, I'm willing to tell you anything you want to know, please spare my life!"
"Whether you can save your life depends on the value of the information you provide," Sang Zheng gave an ambiguous answer.
Qi Yaoji's eyes flickered for a moment, then she quickly put on a smile, "Senior Sang, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. That person isn't in the five small worlds; he's very well hidden. He's extremely capable; he even taught me this transformation skill. This time, I'm here on his orders to assist Fusheng in conquering the Twin Orchid Realm."
She seemed to be cooperating, constantly revealing information she knew, but a closer listen revealed that apart from the initial statement about not being in the five small worlds, the rest was just nonsense.
Sang Zheng frowned, realizing that this person was simply playing him. "Looks like you're planning to continue pretending to be crazy with me?"
Qi Yaoji chuckled, "Why are you so serious, Senior Sang? I was just joking with you. I will definitely tell you the secret, but you have to agree to one condition first."
"What are the conditions?" Sang Zheng asked instinctively.
Qi Yaoji blinked. "I want to see your daughter, Sang Ying!"
Sang Zheng was initially reluctant to agree to this request, because Qi Yaoji clearly wasn't a kind person. What if she had some hidden tricks up her sleeve and wanted to harm Sang Ying?
Of the two who knew the inside story of this calamity, one had a disordered memory, and the other refused to speak. Even though the people of the Flowing Light Sword Sect had exhausted all their methods, they still couldn't pry open Qi Yaoji's mouth.
In the end, Sang Ying took the initiative to agree after learning about the matter. Before Sang Zheng could stop her, she took several high-level talismans from Elder Yanhua and went to the water dungeon herself.
Almost as soon as she stepped into the water prison, that familiar, chilling aura enveloped Sang Ying.
She gazed at a corner of the water dungeon, where her past despair and resentment seemed to linger.
After a brief moment of distraction, Sang Ying quickened her pace and headed deeper into the water prison. Not long after, two somewhat familiar figures came into view.
Qi Yaoji immediately captured most of Sang Ying's attention, not for any other reason than that the other's face looked so much like hers.
Gu Huaiwei seemed quite surprised by Sang Ying's appearance. Even though he had been rejected many times before, his eyes were still full of hope when he looked at her again.
Sang Ying completely ignored him, only looking at Qi Yaoji and coldly saying, "I heard you wanted to see me. Now that I'm here, say what you have to say quickly."
Upon hearing this, the woman locked in the dungeon immediately smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you've arrived just in time. I suppose you're eager for me to send you to your death!"
Click!
The chains binding Qi Yaoji shattered instantly, and even the dozens of railings blocking her way twisted and broke in that instant.
Before Sang Ying could even draw her sword, Qi Yaoji's killing move had already landed in front of her.
The next second, a drop of warm blood landed on Sang Ying's cheek. The protective talisman she tore open sent Qi Yaoji flying far away, while Gu Huaiwei had somehow appeared in front of her, lost all color in her face once again.
"Cough!" A few more drops of blood splattered onto Sang Ying 'Sang Ying clothes, but his relieved and at ease gaze was jarring to her.
"It seems I went to unnecessary lengths. You won't get hurt at all."
He slowly fell to the ground as Sang Ying pushed him away, a Gu Huaiwei's body in his right chest. This blow was supposed to land on him, but Gu Huaiwei rushed out and blocked it for her.
Sang Ying wiped the blood from her face, her gaze towards the person at her feet filled with an indescribable complexity.
A note from the author:
Sigh, I'm still a bit busy today...
See you tomorrow~