Xuanji Daozu seemed to be speaking to Shen Zhaozhao, yet also to himself. His words were shrouded in mystery, not specifying what the "chess player" and "chessboard tremors" referred to. However, Shen Zhaozhao vaguely sensed that it was related to the struggle between Xie Linyuan and the Heavenly Dao.
After a moment, Xuanji gathered his wandering thoughts and looked at Shen Zhaozhao again, his face regaining that slightly roguish smile, but with a hint of seriousness in his eyes.
"Forget it, it's all old news, why bring it up?"
Let's go.
He shook the dust off his hands, as if shaking off the heavy past.
"In the end, it was my meddling that caused Qingxuan to suffer such a calamity for no reason."
"Go and get Qingxuan out of the water dungeon first. I want to see if that rebellious disciple Lingxiao still dares to be so insolent after seeing my soul!"
...
Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard of the Tianyan Sect.
Gu Xuanchen leaned against the window. His once handsome face was pale and haggard because his cultivation had been completely destroyed, and his once sharp eyes had dimmed considerably.
The commotion in the main hall was so great that even though he was now practically a cripple living on the edge of the sect, some fragmented words still clung to him like maggots.
Elder Qingxuan... intends to do something improper to Wan'er?
The news was like an ice pick, piercing Gu Xuanchen's heart and making him gasp for breath for a moment.
Qingxuan, that hypocritical old man!
How dare he?!
How dare he touch his Wan'er?!
He must have been thinking evil because he saw that he was now a cripple and unable to protect Wan'er at all times!
Gu Xuanchen cursed Qingxuan a thousand times in his heart, as if by doing so, he could tear apart the image of that thin and gentle elder.
But after he finished cursing, a deeper unease and longing seized him.
Wan'er... she must be terrified.
After what happened, she definitely needs someone to comfort her right now.
Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.
Despite... despite the fact that his cultivation was crippled after returning from Yuntai Immortal Market, and he had been lost and depressed in this small courtyard for so long like a cripple, Wan'er had never come to see him even once.
But he didn't believe it.
He couldn't believe that the gentle junior sister who had once softly called him "Senior Brother Gu" and whose eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight could be so heartless.
She must have been held back by something...
Perhaps, perhaps Master has given us some important task?
Or perhaps, she is diligently cultivating and traveling around in preparation for the upcoming sect competition?
After all, none of the sects gained anything from their trip to Yuntai Immortal Market. So, during the sect competition, only their Tianyan Sect can take advantage of the sect's foundation to regain its prestige. As the sect leader's personal disciple, it is only natural that Wan'er is busy.
Why would she deliberately not come to visit him?
No, it won't.
I must be overthinking it.
Holding onto this almost self-hypnotic expectation, Gu Xuanchen forced himself to straighten his slightly wrinkled robes and headed towards the alchemy room that Yun Wan'er usually frequented.
Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, but he actually saw that familiar figure at a corner of a corridor.
Yun Wan'er was walking alone, her profile, now completely healed, still looked beautiful in the dim light of the day.
Gu Xuanchen was overjoyed. The gloom of the past few days seemed to have been dispelled. Almost instinctively, as he had done countless times before, he quickened his pace, carrying a hint of eagerness and the joy of a long-awaited reunion, and went to greet him.
"Wan..."
However, just as he was about to approach her and instinctively wanted to walk alongside her as usual, Yun Wan'er paused slightly, then subtly turned her body to the side, just enough to widen the distance between them.
The movement was very small, even elegant, but all of Gu Xuanchen's actions and words froze on the spot.
He stared blankly at Yun Wan'er, at her still beautiful yet somewhat unfamiliar profile, at how she didn't even turn around completely, but merely glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
Gu Xuanchen opened his mouth, his throat dry and painful, and in the end, he could only call out in a slightly trembling voice, "Wan'er...?"
Yun Wan'er looked at Gu Xuanchen, who was blocking her way, and a barely perceptible hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes, but she still maintained her gentle and weak appearance, only her voice was a little quieter than usual.
"Senior Brother Gu."
She nodded slightly as a greeting, her tone distant, "The sect is busy with affairs, and Wan'er still needs to report to her master, so it's inconvenient for me to stay any longer."
Gu Xuanchen felt a pang of pain in his heart at her obvious perfunctory attitude. He couldn't help but take half a step forward, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Wan'er...when did we become so distant?"
"Are you blaming me...blaming me for being in this state now, unable to protect you?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Wan'er's annoyance deepened. She stepped back slightly, as if Gu Xuanchen carried something unclean: "Senior Brother Gu, you flatter me."
"But things are different now. Senior Brother should focus on recovering from his injuries. Why... come looking for Wan'er again and invite gossip for nothing?"
"Things are different now than they used to be?"
Gu Xuanchen seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "Wan'er, you're going to talk to me about the gap now?"
"Back then, I was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, enjoying immense prestige, while you were merely at the ninth level of Qi Refining, unable to even touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment. How many people in the sect gossiped behind my back that you were not good enough for me? Did I ever look down on you in the slightest?"
"How have I treated you?! I've given you all my resources and shielded you from countless attacks, both overt and covert!!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice rising several decibels: "And what about my cultivation! How did it all cripple me?! Wasn't it because I saw Shen Zhaozhao bullying you like that in Yuntai Immortal City, and I rushed to protect you, thus offending... Who did I do this for that?!"
Yun Wan'er frowned unhappily, as if her ears had been disturbed by his outburst, and her tone turned cold: "Senior Brother Gu, you can't say that."
"You were the one who took good care of Wan'er back then, do you expect her to be grateful for the rest of her life?"
"Furthermore, the reason your cultivation was destroyed was because you acted impulsively and didn't know the time, offending someone you couldn't afford to offend. What does it have to do with Wan'er? Did Wan'er force you to charge at me with a knife?"
Gu Xuanchen stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the woman before him who could utter the most heartless words with the most innocent expression, as if he had never known her before.
The man stood there stunned for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out an incredulous laugh: "Wan'er, what are you saying...? Why... why can't I understand?"
Yun Wan'er lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing all emotions within them. After a moment of silence, she spoke in a calm tone, almost as if stating a fact: "Senior Brother Gu, you yourself said that in Lingzhou, the strong are respected."
"Don't blame Wan'er, blame... blame only yourself, you are no longer the strong person that Wan'er would give everything for."
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