Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

About a month later, news of the massacre of the entire Gu family finally reached Shen Wei's ears.

It wasn't that the government took the matter particularly seriously, posting notices everywhere to apprehend the culprit; it was merely idle gossip circulating among the common people.

Shen Wei heard about it from several well-traveled and knowledgeable rogue cultivators while drinking alone in a tavern on a street corner in the small town. They spoke casually, treating it as just another ordinary massacre of a wealthy family. Such things happened too often, and no one took it to heart.

Although it sounds counterintuitive, upon closer examination it makes perfect sense.

Gu Hanfeng had lived in seclusion for many years, deliberately concealing his past. Most people thought of him as a mysterious wealthy merchant living in seclusion here.

Such a low-profile person would never have guessed that he was the one who committed that shocking tragedy in the capital ten years ago.

Shen Wei had also secretly inquired about the reactions of various forces, such as the major sects, to the massacre of the Gu family, but the results were unusually calm.

This bloody incident seemed to have sunk without a trace, leaving no ripples, and it appeared to have truly come to an end, with no further entanglements.

With the hidden dangers gone, life slowed down.

Shen Wei devoted most of his free time to Gu Lengyue, guiding her in her cultivation.

The rest of the time, the two lived in this small courtyard and also kept a cat.

This creature is called a raccoon dog. It has brown and yellow fur, a gentle nature, and always loves to curl up at Gu Lengyue's feet, which she likes very much.

One person, one sword, one young girl, and a clingy raccoon dog—such an ordinary life, yet it happened to him.

When Shen Wei calms down occasionally, he thinks that this kind of life is too unreal.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and the small town where the two lived welcomed its first snowfall of the winter.

Fine snowflakes fluttered down, falling like willow catkins, whitening the eaves and streets of the entire town, and covering the bluestone slabs, sycamore branches, stone tables and benches in the courtyards. The world was a pure white, which Shen Wei liked very much.

Having spent several months together, Shen Wei and Gu Lengyue were already extremely familiar with each other's habits and temperaments.

Sometimes, however, when Shen Wei looked at Gu Lengyue, who was focused on practicing her sword in the courtyard, and at her white-clad figure wielding the sword with such skill, he would be slightly stunned. She was Gu Hanfeng's daughter, the daughter of his enemy.

To spend every day with the daughter of one's enemy, and even develop a strange familiarity with her—how absurd this is, yet reality unfolds just like that.

Gu Lengyue's talent in swordsmanship was far more outstanding than Shen Wei had expected, and her progress in cultivation was astonishingly fast.

In just a few months, she successfully condensed her own sword intent, her sword foundation became more and more solid, and her cultivation level improved steadily, stepping into the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Aside from giving Gu Lengyue some pointers, Shen Wei has also completely given up the idea of ​​investigating his own background in the past few months. He is no longer entangled by the mysteries and obsessions of the past, and his heart has become unusually calm.

Even the restless evil dragon within him calmed down considerably and no longer easily affected his mind.

However, he still had to meet the basic requirements of the Evil Dragon Fiend. Sometimes he would secretly take on a few bounties to hunt down demonic cultivators who were causing trouble in nearby towns and mountains.

Then, he used the essence blood of these demonic cultivators to nourish the monster in his chest, thereby stabilizing its ferocity and preventing it from turning against him and consuming his essence blood.

******

The heavy snow probably stopped late last night.

As dawn broke, Gu Lengyue walked through the long corridor and arrived at Shen Wei's door on time, raising her hand to gently knock on the door.

Shen Wei heard the knocking on the door from inside the house. He knew without a doubt that no one else but Gu Lengyue would come to see him so early.

He slowly got up, put on his thick winter clothes, and went out the door.

"Getting up so early."

Shen Wei spoke, his tone carrying a hint of languor from just waking up.

It was a bit cold, and he didn't immediately circulate his spiritual energy to ward off the cold. The cold wind blew straight in through his open collar, making him subconsciously shrink his neck and tighten his clothes.

He looked up at Gu Lengyue in front of him. The girl was dressed in a plain white winter outfit today. The fabric was thick and soft, and against the backdrop of the snow, she didn't seem to be very cold.

"You got up too late."

During snowy seasons or rainy days and other extreme weather, people tend to stay indoors in warm rooms and are reluctant to go out; it's an instinct ingrained in their bones.

If it were his previous life, he would definitely have stayed in his room with the heater on, filled his computer desk with snacks, wrapped himself in a blanket, and sat in front of the computer playing games.

But nowadays, without these worldly pastimes, all one can do is meditate and cultivate oneself, or simply cover one's head and sleep soundly until the world is dark.

If he were with Ji Lingyuan, in this kind of weather, that girl would most likely cling to him like an octopus and fall into a deep sleep.

In this way, the day is completely wasted, and nothing can be done.

She glanced at Shen Wei with a displeased look, but her expression didn't seem particularly angry.

"You haven't forgotten what you promised me, have you?"

"I dare not forget."

The promise Gu Lengyue mentioned was one that Shen Wei had made to her earlier, to forge a longsword just for her.

When he first started teaching her cultivation, he promised to find her a good sword that would suit her.

In fact, that's what he did, but she kept saying that the sword was not handy at all, and if she were to use it against him, she would probably make him laugh his head off.

Shen Wei felt that what she said made sense, but he had no obligation to forge a sword that was handy enough to take his life for someone who wanted to kill him.

So the matter was dropped.

The turning point came a few days ago.

That day, Shen Wei spent the whole day alone in the tavern, chatting with wandering cultivators and merchants who came and went, in order to find out news from the outside world.

He drank one glass of wine after another, and before he knew it, he was completely drunk. He only staggered back home when dusk had fallen.

He had just reached the courtyard gate when Gu Lengyue, who was waiting there, helped him up.

The girl looked at Shen Wei, who reeked of alcohol, and couldn't help but feel a little angry.

She had seen Shen Wei drink before, but this was the first time she had ever seen him so drunk that he was completely out of it and couldn't even use his spiritual energy to dispel the effects of the alcohol.

Gu Lengyue struggled to support the trembling Shen Wei, half-dragging and half-helping him back to his room.

Looking at the unconscious young man lying on the bed, Gu Lengyue spoke coldly:

"You dare drink so much while you're with me? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Shen Wei, who was thought to be completely drunk and unconscious, moved his lips slightly, his voice somewhat indistinct:

"I know you won't kill me..."

Gu Lengyue frowned, somewhat displeased:

How did you know?

Shen Wei's eyes were closed, and he was heavily intoxicated, but his words reached Gu Lengyue's ears clearly:

"...I know better than anyone what a person with hatred in their heart looks like."

"..."

"The person you hate is not me at all."