Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

Inside an elegant hall, the calming scent of sandalwood burns.

But at this moment, the sandalwood incense did nothing to soothe the young man's uneasy mind.

He sat at one side of the table, while on the other side sat an elderly man with gray hair and beard, but whose back was still straight.

"......"

"Why are we still hesitating? We can't wait any longer!"

The old man looked up, his gaze falling on the young man, his tone carrying a hint of reproach:

"Hanfeng, isn't this all your fault? If you hadn't failed to keep a close eye on that girl, we wouldn't be in this predicament now."

Gu Hanfeng's Adam's apple bobbed, a hint of guilt and regret flashed in his eyes, and his tone was somber:

"...This is truly my fault. I was unaware that Leng Yue's bloodline could suppress the monster's malevolent aura."

"Heh, otherwise how do you think those ancient dragons went extinct?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Gu Hanfeng's eyes as he asked:

"Since the ancient dragon race has long been extinct, where did the monster residing in that kid come from?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Gu Hanfeng grunted, not asking any further questions, but his tone remained unfriendly, carrying a hint of sarcasm:

"But don't forget, the resentment that nourishes that monster is fueled by the lives of my entire family! By my family members whom I've spent so many years with!"

The old man's gaze darkened slightly, and his tone turned colder: "From what you're saying, you regret it? Regret joining forces with me?"

"regret?"

Gu Hanfeng suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with hatred, and he let out a cold laugh.

"From the moment I slaughtered everyone in the Weishui Sect and everyone thought I was insane, I've experienced enough regret in my life!"

He recalled the past events of the Weishui Sect and the tragic deaths of the entire Gu family. His chest heaved violently, and his breathing became heavy.

Seeing that he was losing control of his emotions, the old man suddenly raised his hand and shouted sternly:

"Calm down! Gu Hanfeng, things have come to this point, what good will anger do! You'll only lose your composure and ruin our grand plan!"

Hearing the words "grand plan," Gu Hanfeng calmed down a little.

Seeing that Gu Hanfeng had calmed down, the old man softened his tone slightly and then added:

"It's not that there's no way to salvage the situation; I have another trick to get out of this predicament."

Upon hearing this, Gu Hanfeng revealed a bitter, cold smile.

"Speak... Now that things have come to this, how can I possibly refuse you?"

"Do you still remember where you found that girl Gu Lengyue back then?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Hanfeng frowned, pondered for a moment, and then replied vaguely:

"It was just a remote rural place, and after so many years, I don't remember much about it anymore."

The old man's eyes lit up shrewdly, then he laughed heartily:

"Hehe, are you sure it's the countryside... You may not remember, but I certainly do."

Gu Hanfeng froze, abruptly raising his eyes to look at the old man, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief:

"You...you investigated this secretly?"

The old man chuckled softly, stroked his beard, and spoke with a hint of amusement:

"How could I miss something so interesting? Do you really think I would let you do whatever you want and know nothing about your past?"

"I never expected you to be even more devoted than I imagined!"

Upon hearing the word "devoted love," Gu Hanfeng became somewhat annoyed. "Don't mention this again!"

Seeing that the old man remained silent, Gu Hanfeng asked impatiently and stiffly:

"Tell me, what exactly do you need me to do?"

Upon hearing this, a smile reappeared on the old man's lips.

"It's very simple. Just do as I say—show yourself in front of that kid again. Given his previous hatred for you, he will definitely not let you go. After that, just lure him to that place."

"...Hmph, that's indeed simple, but I'm afraid that if I see him again, I won't be able to resist killing him...!"

"Heh, spare his life for now. Sometimes, dying rashly is not the greatest cruelty to a person."

******

Ever since she acquired that spirit sword, Gu Lengyue has been inseparable from it.

Every day at the crack of dawn, the clear sound of swords ringing out can be heard in the open space of the small courtyard.

She would practice swordsmanship until her clothes were completely soaked with sweat and she could no longer lift her arms, before taking a short break.

During the day, apart from necessary rest and meals, she spent almost all her time practicing swordsmanship, refining her moves over and over, familiarizing herself with the sword's aura, and feeling the spiritual power flowing through its blade, as if she wanted to integrate the spiritual sword into her own bones and blood.

At night, she was even more reluctant to put down her sword. Even when she fell asleep, she would hold the sword tightly in her arms, as if only in this way could she feel a little at ease.

This dedication is somewhat similar to the sword fanatics and martial arts fanatics that Shen Wei encountered when he traveled the martial world.

Shen Wei would occasionally stand aside, quietly watching her practice swordsmanship and offering some pointers.

He could understand the girl's persistence; he used to be just as tireless as her.

Living together day and night, even though Gu Lengyue never explicitly said it, Shen Wei could vaguely sense the secret hidden in her heart.

Perhaps she never truly hated herself, the man who killed her father.

Every time she practiced her sword, a peculiar light would flash in her eyes. Shen Wei was quite familiar with that light; it was a light tainted by hatred. But whenever she looked at him unintentionally, that intense hatred would instantly fade away.

perhaps......

Gu Lengyue carries just as much of a burden as I do.

In short, the girl was like an unsolvable mystery to Shen Wei.

But on second thought, wasn't he also a mystery to the girl?

Time flies, another month has passed, the end of the year is approaching, and the chill is getting stronger.

A snowfall unlike any before swept across the entire Central Continent without warning, turning the world completely white.

Gu Lengyue stood under the eaves, looking up at the snowflakes falling all around her, her brows furrowing slightly.

She looked down again. The night was deepening, and the cool moonlight shone on the thick snow, giving off a silvery glow. It was beautiful.

She slowly stretched out her hand, palm up, silently feeling the chill of the snowflakes as they fell on her palm and took away her warmth. At the same time, her mind went blank for a moment.

She should be very familiar with this feeling, but why can't she help but want to pull her hand away?

She was almost forgetting this chill.

She shouldn't have forgotten.

She turned her head and saw a man standing to the side, leaning against a pillar.

He was dressed in a long black robe, with a few snowflakes falling from his trousers. He held a flask of wine in his hand, sipping it slowly as he watched with interest as Rongrong carefully strolled through the snow.

A moment later, seemingly sensing Gu Lengyue's direct gaze, Shen Wei turned to look at her and asked:

"What's wrong?"

Gu Lengyue looked at the wine pot in Shen Wei's hand.

"I want to drink too."

Shen Wei frowned and looked at Gu Lengyue with some curiosity. She didn't seem like the type to be interested in alcohol.

Except for that one time when he was completely drunk, she would frown and walk away in disgust if he even smelled of alcohol.

So he refused.

"This is not something children should touch."

"According to the Great Zhou Calendar, I am already an adult, not a child."

Why do you suddenly want to drink?

"You're a really strange person. If you want to drink, you just want to drink. Why make so many 'whys'?"

Shen Wei glanced at the serious-looking girl, but didn't try to stop her. He casually tossed the wine pot to her.

"Alright, this is a top-quality craft beer, rich in spiritual energy. You can't buy it in this small town. Drink less."

After Gu Lengyue took the wine pot, she didn't hesitate. She uncorked the wine, raised her head, and gulped down the wine along the girl's slender, fair neck. Soon, the girl had finished more than half of the wine pot.

Shen Wei was taken aback by Gu Lengyue's bold action and quickly stepped forward, snatching the wine pot from the girl's hand.

"Drinking so much, do you think this is water?"

"Cough, cough..."

A moment later, the pungent aftertaste of the alcohol surged up her throat, and Gu Lengyue couldn't help but cough, her cheeks slightly flushed. It took her a while to calm down before she uttered two words:

"It tastes awful."

Seeing the girl's uncomfortable expression, Shen Wei couldn't help but laugh, his tone slightly teasing:

"What do you think? I told you a long time ago, drink less."

"..."

I'm drunk.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei turned around and looked at Gu Lengyue with some surprise—the girl's breathing was steady, her eyes were clear, and her complexion was normal; there was no sign of drunkenness at all.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but sneer:

"Stop lying through your teeth, okay?"

"I...I'm not lying."

Gu Lengyue pursed her lips, seemingly somewhat indignant at Shen Wei's reaction.

Shen Wei felt that Gu Lengyue was acting very strangely today.

So he turned around, determined to ignore her, then picked up the wine jug, took another big gulp, and turned his gaze back to the snowy landscape, lost in thought.

"I'm sleepy."

"Then go back to your room and sleep."

"But I'm drunk."

"..."

"Shen Wei, I'm drunk."

Shen Wei turned around helplessly and asked, "Miss Gu, what exactly do you want?"

Gu Lengyue looked up at him, her eyes hazy, her tone unusually soft:

"I'm drunk and want to sleep... You should help me back to my room. Last time you were drunk, I was the one who helped you back."

Seeing that the girl's cheeks were indeed a little flushed, he didn't say anything more, but just sighed and replied:

"Okay, okay, it's what I owe you."

After speaking, Shen Wei stepped forward and gently supported Gu Lengyue's arm. The moment they made contact, he could feel how light the girl's body was.

He held her, not daring to use too much force, for fear that she would dissipate in his hands like snowflakes falling from the sky with the slightest touch.

On the way back to his room, Shen Wei glanced at Gu Lengyue, who was leaning on his shoulder.

The girl's eyes were slightly closed, her long eyelashes drooping, her breath sweet and fragrant, the warm breath brushing against his wrist, tickling him.

He carefully escorted the girl back to her room, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the room:

Compared to when we first moved in, there haven't been many changes. It's simple and clean, without any unnecessary decorations, and you wouldn't guess it's a girl's room at all.

Shen Wei shook his head, dismissing his aimless, random thoughts.

He helped Gu Lengyue to the bedside, then gently laid the girl down on the bed with tender movements.

After doing all this, looking at the girl who was not quite conscious, he leaned down and whispered in her ear:

"Don't drink recklessly next time... at least don't drink this much at once."

After saying that, he turned to leave, his steps very light.

But after taking only two steps, he was stopped by the girl's voice, along with a rustling sound.

"You're not allowed to leave..."

"Shen, Wei".

Shen Wei stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to look—

Gu Lengyue had already sat up. Her clothes had been removed at some point, and her naked, white, and perfect body was once again presented before his eyes.