After several days of flying through the air, Gu Changqing had nearly exhausted the spiritual energy in his body.
He found a sea vessel heading toward Haiyue Island and descended directly onto it. Since it was late at night and there weren’t many people on deck, his arrival didn’t draw any attention.
The ship was massive, able to carry nearly ten thousand people. It was fully equipped with all kinds of facilities: inns, tea houses, gambling halls, brothels, and more.
Gu Changqing booked a top-tier room and decided to stay temporarily, planning to depart once most of his spiritual energy had recovered.
By the evening of the next day, Gu Changqing slowly opened his eyes and finished his cultivation.
After taking two Grade-3 Spirit Recovery Pills, most of his spiritual energy had been replenished. In a day or two, he would be able to resume his journey.
To someone used to flying, the ship’s speed felt painfully slow.
As evening fell, the setting sun painted the sky red.
The ship began to liven up—songs and dances filled the air, and the deck was crowded with people.
Gu Changqing also found a good spot and ordered a table full of food and wine.
He hadn’t eaten in days, having been constantly on the move. While he wasn’t starving, he was definitely craving some flavors.
With nothing better to do, he sat and listened to music from the nearby pavilion.
Gu Changqing suddenly started to miss his past life.
On the second floor of a nearby tea house, over twenty people—both men and women, mostly young—were seated.
They all wore clothes embroidered with the same symbol, clearly from the same sect or faction.
Many onlookers kept glancing up at them with eyes full of admiration and envy.
These people were disciples of Dustheart Pavilion!
Dustheart Pavilion was one of the top-tier sects in this sea region and had a prestigious reputation. No matter where their disciples went, they were treated with respect.
Among the twenty-some people was a young girl who seemed to be the center of attention. She appeared only fifteen or sixteen years old, but the others clearly saw her as their leader—her status seemed extraordinary.
“Junior Sister Gu, you killed twenty-three sea monsters this time, including two at the fifth level of the True Spirit Realm. I think it’s safe to say you’re guaranteed first place—no one else even comes close.”
“Exactly. When the Vice Pavilion Master hears about this, he’ll be thrilled.”
The surrounding praise made the girl feel quite pleased with herself. Even though some of the flattery was a bit forced, she didn’t mind—she thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention.
The girl’s name was Gu Yuexuan, a core disciple of Dustheart Pavilion.
If that were all, it still wouldn’t be enough to make everyone around her go out of their way to flatter her like this. Gu Yuexuan held another identity—she was the daughter of the Vice Pavilion Master of Dustheart Pavilion. The Vice Master had no sons, only this precious daughter, who had been doted on since birth. She had always been surrounded by sycophants and bootlickers.
This had also fostered a somewhat spoiled and domineering personality.
She glanced around and, noticing a certain “junior sister” was missing, Gu Yuexuan frowned slightly, her voice laced with displeasure:
“Where’s Gu Qing’er? Why isn’t she back yet?”
“That little wench… Have I been treating her too well lately?”
Just as she said that, a plainly dressed girl came walking up the stairs.
Though her clothes were simple, they couldn’t hide her breathtaking beauty.
“Speak of the devil. You’re back? Gu Qing’er, how did the sales go?” Gu Yuexuan looked at the slowly approaching Gu Qing’er, a flicker of jealousy flashing in her eyes as she sneered coldly.
Gu Qing’er was a bit intimidated by Gu Yuexuan’s attitude. She pulled out a storage pouch from her arms and handed it over with a timid voice:
“I’m sorry, Senior Sister Gu… I only sold about a third…”
Slap—
Gu Yuexuan slapped Gu Qing’er hard across her beautiful face.
“You can’t even handle such a simple task. What good are you? Maybe you should just leave the sect. When I return, I’ll tell my father that keeping trash like you in Dustheart Pavilion is a waste of resources.”
“That’s right. Senior Sister Gu gave you three whole days, and you only sold a third?”
“To think Senior Sister trusted you enough to hand this task to you.”
Voices of agreement rang out from the people nearby. A few male disciples looked at Gu Qing’er, who had just been slapped, with some sympathy in their eyes, but none dared to speak up for her. Instead, they echoed Gu Yuexuan’s criticism.
Three days ago, Gu Yuexuan had given Gu Qing’er a batch of materials harvested from slain sea beasts and told her to sell them at the ship’s trading market. But the quantity had been excessive—selling them all in just three days was nearly impossible.
It was clearly a setup meant to make things difficult for Gu Qing’er.
Everyone knew it, but no one dared say a word.
They could only silently lament that Gu Qing’er had such bad luck to end up in this group.
After all, Gu Qing’er was just an outer disciple, while Gu Yuexuan was the daughter of the Vice Pavilion Master.
And everyone knew perfectly well why Gu Yuexuan was targeting her.
It was nothing more than…
Jealousy—because she was prettier than Gu Yuexuan.
On top of that, Gu Yuexuan had recently developed feelings for a senior brother in the sect—but that senior was actually pursuing Gu Qing’er.
That only made Gu Yuexuan even more annoyed.
“I’m sorry, Senior Sister Gu…”
Holding her slapped cheek, tears shimmered in Gu Qing’er’s eyes.
She felt so wronged. Of course, she knew Gu Yuexuan was targeting her, but she had no way to fight back.
She even had to apologize.
Her family had gone through great hardship to get her into Dustheart Pavilion.
If she were expelled, how could she face her family? How could she face her father?
So, all she could do was endure.
“Huh? What a handsome young man.”
Gu Yuexuan had been planning to torment Gu Qing’er a bit more, but suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Gu Changqing’s figure—and her eyes lit up.
Gu Changqing, sitting alone, sipping wine and listening to music, had already drawn the attention of quite a few women.
As soon as Gu Yuexuan saw him, her heart fluttered.
She was a face fanatic—a major one. The senior brother she liked in the sect? She was interested in him mostly because he was good-looking.
But compared to Gu Changqing…
This was the first time she had seen a man this handsome.
She stood up immediately and headed downstairs.
The disciples of Dustheart Pavilion looked at each other in surprise.
Gu Qing’er also let out a small sigh of relief.
She glanced down at Gu Changqing, her eyes reflecting a hint of gratitude.
If Gu Yuexuan hadn’t suddenly shifted her attention, she would’ve likely been tormented even further.
“Hm?”
Gu Qing’er let out a soft sound of surprise.
Not because of how handsome Gu Changqing was—though he certainly was very attractive—but unlike Gu Yuexuan, she wasn’t obsessed with appearances. What caught her attention was…
There was a strange sense of familiarity about him.
Was it just her imagination?
She stared at Gu Changqing for a few moments. She was certain she didn’t know him and this was the first time she’d seen him, so why did he feel… familiar?
So strange.
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