Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Li Qingge stood in front of the pile of white bones, smiling brightly.

She reached out and patted the faceless man beside her on the shoulder, the gesture as familiar as if she were patting her own old servant.

The faceless man didn't dodge, letting her pat him, the still-dripping bone knife hanging at his side, looking somewhat comical.

"Lord Gu, Sister Su, you've wronged an innocent person."

Li Qingge lifted her skirt, walked lightly past the still bubbling blood pool, and came over.

She pointed at the faceless man and said, "This faceless master is a divine physician from the Western Regions. Although his cultivation method looks a bit frightening, requiring human blood as a catalyst and borrowing the earthly evil energy of Ghost Cry Valley, the effect is extremely good."

She twirled around, showing off her rosy complexion.

"Look, I was ambushed by those thieves on the road, and my body was filled with corpse poison. If it weren't for the master using this 'blood exchange and marrow cleansing' method to help me expel the poison, I'd probably be a zombie by now."

Li Qingge blinked, looking completely innocent. "As for tying me to the pillar, it was to prevent me from moving around and hurting myself when the poison takes effect. Master, this is a compassionate act. How did it become demonic and evil in your mouths?"

Su Qing floated in mid-air, the nine-tailed phantom behind her appearing and disappearing. She coldly looked at the eloquent "Li Qingge" below, a sneer curling at the corner of her lips.

Edited.

Continue writing.

This girl used to unconsciously twist the hem of her clothes when she lied. Now, she can lie without batting an eye, not even breaking a sweat.

Gu Xiang didn't say anything.

He simply watched Li Qingge quietly, his long sword still pointed at the ground, its tip pointing towards the ground, its righteous energy flowing through the blade, emitting a soft hum.

"A miracle doctor?" Gu Xiang finally spoke, his voice so calm that it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"That's right." Li Qingge nodded.

"If it's a miracle doctor saving people, then what about the rocky slope?" Gu Xiang took a step forward, his boots making a crisp cracking sound as they stepped on the gravel.

Li Qingge's expression remained unchanged: "That's where the thieves set up an ambush."

"An ambush?" Gu Xiang scoffed. "There was indeed an incident at Luanshi Slope. But I went to check, and it was spotless. There were no signs of a fight, no bloodstains, not even hoofprints."

Gu Xiang stared into Li Qingge's eyes and said, word by word, "The lowest-ranking retainers of the Great Zhou royal family are at the Casting Cauldron Realm. Three Casting Cauldron Realm cultivators, plus you, a princess possessing the aura of the imperial dragon, were kidnapped, yet not even a broken stone was left at the scene?"

"Unless, you followed along on your own."

Gu Xiang raised his sword and pointed the tip at the faceless man from a distance.

Li Qingge's smile froze.

She sighed and shrugged helplessly.

"Lord Gu, you're really boring."

Li Qingge dropped her innocent and carefree expression, and her eyes became somewhat playful.

She stopped pretending and plopped down on the steps of the altar, showing no trace of princess decorum.

"People who are too smart often don't live long and are unhappy," Li Qingge said, pursing her lips. "Can't you just pretend to be confused, so everyone can be nice to each other and let this go?"

Su Qing, who was listening nearby, became furious.

That tone, that expression—where is the obedient little girl who used to follow her around calling her "sister"? She's clearly a seasoned shrew!

"Those three good-for-nothings are indeed dead."

Li Qingge pointed to the white bones on the ground, speaking casually as if she were talking about three dead ants.

"However, Lord Gu is wrong about one thing. They are not the retainers of the Great Zhou, but spies planted in the capital by others. Along the way, they betrayed my whereabouts completely. If I hadn't been quick-witted, I would have been intercepted by those bastards in the north long ago."

Li Qingge swung her legs and continued, "Master Wumian helped me clean up my own sect, and incidentally, I used their flesh and blood to practice my skills. This is making the best use of them, so how can it be called murder?"

Gu Xiang frowned.

Tu Ling, who had been hiding behind Gu Xiang, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

It covered its head with both paws and cried out incoherently, "It's all over! I knew this place was weird! This woman isn't a good person! That's human blood! It's even darker than me!"

Tu Ling was so frightened that he trembled all over and wished he could immediately crawl into a crack in the ground.

Although it was a spirit and usually engaged in petty theft, it had never seen such ruthlessness in treating human lives like dirt.

"Shut up!"

Su Qing and Li Qingge shouted at the same time.

Tu Ling was startled and immediately covered its mouth with its paws, only its beady green eyes showing as it stared at the two women in terror.

Su Qing's red clothes fluttered even without wind, a sign that she was furious to the extreme.

She didn't care who was inside this body, nor did she care whether the three worshippers were spies.

All she knew was that this thing in front of her had taken over Li Qingge's body and was spouting nonsense.

"Get out of her body."

Su Qing's voice was as cold as ice shards.

She raised her hand, and the Soul-Gathering Flower in her palm instantly bloomed, with a ball of crimson foxfire dancing at her fingertips.

That is the primordial fire formed by the fusion of Phoenix True Fire and Heavenly Fox Demon Fire, which is specifically designed to burn the soul.

"If you don't come out, I'll burn you out."

Su Qing floated forward, and the nine-tailed phantom behind her opened its mouth and let out a silent roar.

The faceless man seemed to sense the threat and took a step forward, blocking Li Qingge's path.

He raised the bone knife in his hand, and a chilling aura emanated from it, rivaling Su Qing's foxfire.

"Hey! Don't do it! Don't do it!"

Li Qingge, who had been so arrogant, instantly cowered when she saw that Su Qing was really going to make a move.

She shoved aside the faceless man blocking her way, covered her head with her hands, and squatted down on the ground. Her movements were so practiced that they were heartbreaking.

"Sister Su! Let's talk this out! Don't burn it! Please don't burn it!"

Li Qingge peeked out from between her fingers, looking pitifully at Su Qing.

"This body is real! It's the real deal! If you were to set it on fire and burn this delicate skin and flesh, wouldn't the real Li Qingge be devastated when she returns?"

Su Qing paused in her movements.

She was indeed hesitant to act rashly.

This body belongs to Li Qingge. If the primordial fire is used to burn it, the thing possessing it will certainly die, but Li Qingge's physical body will definitely not be preserved.

"Who exactly are you?" Gu Xiangzhang pointed his sword forward, the tip of which was only three inches away from Li Qingge's brow.

"I'm a good person!"

Li Qingge cried out in grievance.

She stood up, dusted off her skirt, and resumed her playful demeanor, only this time with a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

"I really meant no harm to this little girl. Not only did I mean no harm, I even saved her life."

Li Qingge pointed to her chest.

"This girl's imperial dragon energy was too strong, and she was also attacked in the dark. The dragon energy backfired and almost broke her heart meridian. If I hadn't borrowed this body to help her regulate her meridians, she would have exploded and died long ago."

Gu Xiang narrowed his eyes, his righteous aura swirling within them, activating his "Insightful Observation" supernatural power.

In Gu Xiang's view, there was indeed a golden dragon aura circulating within Li Qingge's body, and within that dragon aura, there was also a faint trace of black aura.

Although the black aura was faint, it exuded an ancient and weathered aura. It was not evil, but rather had a feeling of... origin.

"Who exactly are you?" Gu Xiang asked again, this time with a much more serious tone.

Li Qingge sighed and scratched her head helplessly.

"Lord Gu, you really need to change your habit of asking questions."

She glanced at the faceless man beside her, who nodded slightly, seemingly tacitly agreeing to something.

Li Qingge then turned her head to look at Gu Xiang and Su Qing, her expression becoming more serious.

"My name doesn't matter, I'm just a gofer anyway."

She pointed to the sky, then to the ground beneath her feet.

"My father sent me."

"Your father?" Su Qing frowned. "Who is your father?"

Li Qingge chuckled, revealing a set of small white teeth.

"My father said that you two are variables. One is a Confucian sage who can rival the gods with a mortal body, and the other is a nine-tailed celestial fox who defied fate and was resurrected. The game of the Great Zhou was about to end, but you two have managed to turn it around."

She walked around Gu Xiang with her hands behind her back, as if she were examining a rare treasure.

"My father is very interested in you. He foresaw that you would come to Ghost Cry Valley, so he specially asked me to wait here, guide you, and also give you a great fortune."

"Lead the way?" Gu Xiang sneered. "Where to? The road to the underworld?"

"No, no."

Li Qingge shook her finger.

"It's to see the truth of this world."

She suddenly leaned closer to Gu Xiang, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously:

"Lord Gu, don't you want to know why the Great Zhou Dynasty is harvested every three hundred years? Why does that old codger from the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect insist on keeping his eyes on this land? And..."

She glanced at Su Qing.

"Why does the sycamore tree on Luofeng Slope treat Sister Su like its own daughter?"

Su Qing's heart skipped a beat.

This person actually knows about the sycamore tree!

It should be noted that apart from Gu Xiang and the Imperial Advisor, no one else knew about her rebirth.

This person not only knew, but knew so clearly that he even knew the reaction of the sycamore tree.

"Who exactly is your father?" Su Qing asked sharply.

Li Qingge shrugged and pointed to the faceless man who had remained silent.

"Look, this is one of my father's... clone puppets."

Gu Xiang and Su Qing both looked at the faceless man.

The faceless man still had no features, but at this moment, Gu Xiang felt a gaze silently watching him through that blank face.

There was no malice in that gaze, only a superior indifference, like the gaze of someone who had been there all along.

"Let's go."

Li Qingge clapped her hands, and the faceless man suddenly moved.

He swung the bone knife downwards with a sudden movement, not at anyone, but at the boiling pool of blood.

"boom!"

The pool of blood exploded, splattering blood everywhere.

But after the bloodstains cleared, what was revealed was not soil, but a dark and deep cave entrance. There was no eerie wind from the cave entrance; instead, a faint fragrance wafted out—the scent of soil and vegetation.

"Please, gentlemen."

Li Qingge made a "please" gesture, with an enigmatic smile on her face.

"My father said that some things need to be said in a different place. The atmosphere here is too bloody; it's not suitable for discussing romance, nor is it suitable for discussing...the world."

Gu Xiang looked at the dark cave entrance, then at Su Qing.

Su Qing nodded.

Since the other party knows so many secrets and has put on such a grand show, there's no way to avoid it.

Moreover, she also wanted to know who this so-called "father" really was.

"lead the way."

Gu Xiang sheathed his sword, picked up the earth spirit that was still pretending to be dead on the ground, took Su Qing's hand, and strode towards the cave entrance.

Li Qingge watched the two figures disappear into the distance, her smile widening.

"Tsk tsk, they really are a loving couple. Father was right, the most difficult thing to fathom in this world is indeed the human heart."

She muttered something to herself and skipped after him, while the faceless man walked silently at the back, like a loyal gravedigger.

As the figures of the group disappeared from the cave entrance, the white bones around the blood pool suddenly turned into dust and scattered in the wind.

The wind in Ghost Cry Valley was still blowing, but there seemed to be an inexplicable sigh in its mournful sound.

"To the Tune of Dianjiangchun: The Mystery of Guiguzi"

Blood stained the desolate platform, and the withered bones stood starkly, terrifying the soul.

The laughter and conversation are as vivid as yesterday, but it was someone else's doing.

It's hard to tell what's real and what's fake; the mystery is shrouded in fog.

The wind howls, the mystery is revealed, and we fall into the abyss.