Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

With his final glance before leaving this world, Gu Hanfeng's gaze fell upon a tombstone in the distance, engraved with the three words of his heart's longing—

Chen Qiuyu.

Whenever Gu Hanfeng thinks of that name, his thoughts drift back to when he was fifteen, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and her gentle smile under the tree.

The world back then always seemed to be full of beauty.

But before Gu Hanfeng turned fifteen, the world was quite cruel.

He was orphaned at a young age and lived alone, often going hungry and homeless.

So he knew from a very young age that the world is a dog-eat-dog world.

As he grew a little older, Gu Hanfeng was fortunate enough to glimpse the path to immortality and embarked on the road of cultivation.

However, he had neither a master to rely on nor any magical treasures to inherit, making everything he did extremely difficult.

Without the protection of a master or the protection of any inherited treasures, his path of cultivation was naturally fraught with difficulties.

In addition, he was naturally aloof and not good at socializing, so he was often ostracized by independent cultivators and sect disciples.

I can only walk alone in this cruel world.

But he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

He always felt that interpersonal relationships would inevitably hurt the other party, and that avoiding contact with others would bring him ease and comfort.

This fostered in him a ruthless style of doing things, and he completely disregarded any criticism of his actions.

Until one day, Gu Hanfeng failed to break through his cultivation, suffered a backlash from his cultivation, was seriously injured, and was hunted down by his enemies.

He fled for his life, exhausting his spiritual energy, and finally collapsed from exhaustion due to severe injuries in the flower forest on the border of the Weishui Sect.

At that time, the spring scenery along the Wei River was in full bloom, with fallen petals covering the ground and a gentle breeze blowing.

Despite the beautiful scenery, Gu Hanfeng had no mood to appreciate it. After all, no matter how beautiful a place is, it would not make people feel better if it were a cemetery.

His last thought before his consciousness faded was:

Could it be that today he too will end up like those who died by his sword, wretched and left to rot in the wilderness?

In the end, all that remained was a sigh. Such an ending is truly unpleasant!

Gu Hanfeng, covered in blood and wounds, stood out starkly against the beautiful scenery around him.

The disciples of the Weishui Sect who came and went in the forest saw that he was of unknown origin and had a cold demeanor, and none of them dared to step forward to help him. Some even said that his appearance must be that of an evil cultivator who had entered the country, and they wished they could get rid of him as soon as possible.

Only one person stopped and offered assistance.

Chen Qiuyu is the daughter of the sect leader of the Weishui Sect.

She was exceptionally gifted, gentle and pure in nature, and insightful and compassionate in heart.

She didn't care that Gu Hanfeng was covered in wounds and had an unknown origin. She walked up to him alone and bent down to check his injuries.

Ignoring the advice of her fellow disciples and disregarding the potential consequences from her elders, she insisted on bringing the unconscious Gu Hanfeng back to the Weishui Sect.

During Gu Hanfeng's coma, she personally treated his injuries and relieved his pain, prepared medicine to stabilize his condition, and also prepared a quiet secluded courtyard for him to recuperate in peace.

Three days later, Gu Hanfeng awoke to the refreshing scent of medicine.

When he opened his eyes, the spring breeze was blowing through the corridor outside the window, petals were falling softly, and the green bamboo in front of the courtyard was swaying gently.

"There are still such beautiful places in this world."

Upon discovering that he was still alive, Gu Hanfeng felt a sense of wonder. Then he turned his head and noticed that Chen Qiuyu was sitting by the window at the table, quietly and elegantly organizing the sect's pill formulas.

"There are still such beautiful women in this world..."

This was the second thought that crossed his mind.

Hearing the movement on the bed, she looked up and said gently, "You're awake? Your injuries are just healing, don't rush to get up."

This was the first time in Gu Hanfeng's life that he had been treated with kindness.

Over the years, no one had shown him any kindness, so he was at a loss in the face of this situation and subconsciously tensed up.

Chen Qiuyu didn't care about his resistance. She simply handed him the prepared medicine and then carefully instructed him to take good care of his injuries in the coming days.

"Why...why did you save me?"

Gu Hanfeng asked cautiously.

Chen Qiuyu smiled and said, "Because your cultivation level is very high, and your age is just right. Father is worried sick about the Hundred Sects Alliance."

Hearing that he was saved because of his high level of cultivation, Gu Hanfeng felt slightly relieved, even though he didn't understand what the Hundred Sects Alliance was.

But this at least proves that he has value, which is consistent with his view of the world: anyone who contacts him is only doing so for personal gain.

After that, Gu Hanfeng recuperated and healed his injuries in a secluded courtyard of the Weishui Sect.

Within the sect, most disciples still couldn't let go of him, and privately discussed his unknown origins and aloof nature. Some disciples even secretly ostracized and made things difficult for him.

In short, no one was willing to associate with him except Chen Qiuyu, who came to take care of him every day without fail.

Knowing that his foundation in cultivation was weak, she compiled the most reliable basic techniques and broke down the obscure and difficult points for him word by word.

Knowing that his injuries were recurring, she regularly sent him medicine and tonics, carefully tending to his condition.

Knowing that he was aloof and disliked crowds, she never said anything to disturb him, but simply stayed quietly by his side, either sitting and reading or sweeping fallen flowers in the courtyard.

As they spent more time together, Gu Hanfeng's feelings changed. He went from feeling at ease being used to...

However, he couldn't bring himself to ask. After arriving at the Weishui Sect, he remained taciturn and inarticulate, focusing solely on his daily arduous cultivation, fearing he might disappoint Chen Qiuyu's expectations of him.

Chen Qiuyu is insightful and naturally understands the situation.

When she first met him, she felt pity for his miserable situation and thus helped him. As for valuing his talent for cultivation, that was just an excuse.

But as she spent more time with him, she gradually realized that this seemingly cold person was actually very simple-minded.

He simply lived a life of hardship, with no one to love him or treat him kindly, which is why he used indifference to disguise himself.

......

In the twilight of spring, there is often a scene of two people alone in the courtyard.

A gentle evening breeze blew, petals fluttered down, no one spoke, yet there was no awkwardness whatsoever.

Gu Hanfeng would listen quietly as she recounted interesting stories about the sect; he would simply listen silently and remember them.

Chen Qiuyu gradually got used to having him by her side.

Feelings quietly grew in the daily companionship and care.

His original intention for spiritual practice was completely changed from that moment on.

He became stronger not just to survive in a chaotic world or to protect himself.

He continued to study diligently day and night, but all his efforts took on a completely new meaning.

He began to look forward to the coming of spring each year. Spring was the season when his parents passed away, but it was also the only time in his life when a glimmer of light appeared.

He hoped that the flowers in the courtyard would never fade, and that the person beside him would stay with him year after year.

******

Not long after, the gathering of all sects under heaven arrived as scheduled.

Gu Hanfeng, as a disciple of the Weishui Sect, took to the stage to compete. He overcame all obstacles and defeated all the geniuses from various sides, ultimately winning the first place in the Hundred Sects Alliance.

After the alliance meeting concluded, the sect leader of the Weishui Sect and Chen Qiuyu's father immediately decided to accept him as his personal disciple.

Because Gu Hanfeng was a little older, he became Chen Qiuyu's senior brother.