What evil intentions could an evil god possibly have?

No one knew what Gu Yuqiu was thinking.

However, everyone present, including the Night King and other potential masterminds, felt that this answer was nothing short of mockery.

But when their gaze fell on Lin Mushi and they saw the complex emotions in her eyes, they realized that what Gu Yuqiu said was actually true.

The dimly lit room fell silent once more.

After an unknown amount of time, the Night King finally came to his senses and looked at Gu Yuqiu, saying, "You have already made one trip."

Gu Yuqiu said, "And then?"

Suddenly someone nearby said, "Now that you've already seen it and said all that, it would be impolite of us to just leave like this."

Gu Yuqiu smiled and said, "So?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a voice came from behind, reaching everyone's ears.

“Miss Huai and Miss Songtang are uninvited guests, which is fine under normal circumstances. We all like to make more friends.”

Cha Shao slowly walked into the crowd's view, then looked down at Gu Yuqiu and said seriously, "But tonight is different. Who can be sure that you are from the Special Affairs Bureau?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mushi finally tensed up again, thinking that the question had finally come.

"Although I never expected anything from you, this statement is indeed somewhat disappointing."

Gu Yuqiu's tone was somewhat wistful.

For some reason, even though she was tilting her head slightly upwards, it seemed as if she was looking down at Cha Shao from a superior position.

This feeling was very uncomfortable. Cha Shao's expression changed slightly, and he said, "I don't quite understand what you mean."

Gu Yuqiu patiently said, "Since you've decided to become a broker and insist on getting involved in the mess of Xin Chu, I thought you must have the ability to control the information that's exposed to the public."

Her tone was unusually normal, but the mockery didn't fade; on the contrary, it intensified.

Cha Shao laughed and said with emotion, "I should indeed remember someone like you, but I really shouldn't remember a mere second-tier transcendent."

Before Gu Yuqiu could speak, he continued, "In fact, these are all unimportant things. I only care about your background and whether it will affect my safety."

Lin Mushi thought this was utterly idiotic and couldn't help but say, "You've all come to Xin Chu, is there ever a time when you're truly safe?"

No one spoke, because the statement was irrefutable.

As an international modern metropolis, Xinchu has the highest level of safety standards from any perspective.

For those present, it was indeed a city fraught with danger.

Of course, most importantly, they all remembered how much effort they had put in to infiltrate Xin Chu, how many dangers they had faced, and how long they had been in darkness before tonight.

If they weren't truly left with no other choice, why would these people in the room set aside their prejudices and even past grudges and decide to temporarily join forces?

For this reason, the seven people present were not satisfied with Gu Yuqiu's answer.

The darkness surged once more, much more subdued than before, yet the aura it exuded was even more powerful.

Meanwhile, the remaining six people, including Cha Shao, quietly surrounded Gu Yuqiu's chair and Lin Mushi behind her.

"Oh?"

Gu Yuqiu's lips curled slightly as she said softly, "Is this a prelude to action?"

Cha Shao glanced at Ye Wang, waved his hand to signal him to be quiet, and said, "We just want peace of mind. If you are unwilling to give it to us, then we will have to take it ourselves."

Lin Mushi felt the powerful information around her. She wasn't afraid, but she was worried. She looked at Gu Yuqiu's profile and wondered how he planned to handle the situation.

Gu Yuqiu looked at the people in front of her with a half-smile and asked, "Do you really want to know my name?"

Cha Shao said expressionlessly, "Yes, or is it that Miss Huai has something to hide?"

Hearing this, Lin Mushi guessed that Cha Shao's ability must be related to his name, and perhaps she could trace it back to determine his origin.

Gu Yuqiu's smile widened, and she said, "I was just afraid you wouldn't dare to listen."

Cha Shao leaned down slightly, staring into her eyes, and said, "There are names in this world that I dare not hear, such as that one, or the seven supreme experts who are almost like gods, but you are clearly not among them."

To everyone's surprise, Gu Yuqiu responded without hesitation and simply hummed in agreement.

Then, she smiled and uttered the first word.

That character is 怀 (huái).

The moment the word "cherish" was uttered, the moonlight outside the window seemed to become even brighter.

The great river formed by the spiritual world of the extraordinary beings present suddenly began to surge, and the Fool's Ship sailing within it began to toss and turn, no longer stable.

The Night King's expression changed drastically. He subconsciously stood up and transformed into a patch of night to go to Gu Yuqiu.

But Gu Yuqiu had already uttered the second word.

For some reason, her voice was exceptionally beautiful at that moment, like a spring or a stringed instrument, without any vulgarity, exquisitely moving...

Cha Shao's body began to tremble, his face turned pale, and his eyes were filled with pain.

He felt as if a thunderclap had sounded in his ears, and information of unbearable weight poured into his mind with the second word in the most direct way.

It was like countless bolts of lightning striking at the same time, extremely terrifying.

Compared to that, the darkness of night and the oppressive aura that the Night King exuded when he was angry were like an adult robbing a bank with a kitchen knife—utterly ridiculous.

The mere second character of the name caused the entire dream to tremble, and even Cha Shao experienced unbearable pain, undoubtedly demonstrating that the name contained extremely powerful energy, far exceeding the capacity of the Fool's Ship.

When the echo of that word faded and the thunder subsided, Cha Shao finally got a chance to catch his breath, and the collapse of the whole world slowed down.

Then, people heard painful coughs and saw blood vomited up and falling to the ground.

These all come from tea leaves, and they are all minor details.

There is only one truly important thing: the Fool's Ship on which they are sitting has begun to capsize and collapse, as if it had struck an unchanging iceberg.

Suddenly, the sky and earth shook, and everything in the dream began to crumble.

Whether in the hall or this room, everyone was silent, staring blankly at the past before them, their hearts filled with nothing but confusion.

Cha Shao was the first to regain consciousness.

He knelt on one knee, clutching his chest with his right hand, coughing up blood in pain. He looked up at Gu Yuqiu and asked in a trembling voice, "Who exactly are you?"

Gu Yuqiu sighed and said, "I've already warned you, you're not entitled to hear this answer yet."

Chapter 52: Of course it's you.

The sky and earth spun, and the river rose and fell.

The Fool's Ship, a sacred artifact made from the remains of a gray-robed bishop of the Church of the Sleeping Souls, who was also a fourth-tier powerhouse, began its irreversible disintegration as Gu Yuqiu uttered the second word that no one could hear.

As the owner of this sacred object, Cha Shao naturally suffered a backlash, which is why he vomited blood, knelt on the ground, and was in unbearable pain.

Countless snowflake-like fragments appeared as he knelt on one knee, fluttering haphazardly in the dream world that had been as beautiful as a painting just seconds before. It was an extremely unpleasant sight, making one almost cough.

However, the people in this dark room were eerily silent, all staring at Gu Yuqiu, their silence born of shock.

The next second, almost subconsciously, they looked at Cha Shao and fell into a silent, hesitant silence.

The reason these people were willing to hold tonight's gathering was not only because of their own interests, but more importantly because they believed in Cha Shao's strength and felt that their safety was fully guaranteed.

In fact, Cha Shao, a powerful figure who is only one step away from the fourth rank, is the second strongest person in this gathering tonight, thanks to the sacred artifact he possesses called the Fool's Ship, which allows him to even face the Night King directly when he is on home turf.

Even a powerful individual like him, focused solely on the spiritual realm, found himself in such a miserable state simply because he heard the second word…

The others present, including Night King, dared not take any risks without reason, except to watch Gu Yuqiu pretend to be dead.

So the night stopped, no longer surging forward.

The Night King's figure emerged from within, placing his hand on Cha Shao's shoulder to help stabilize his crumbling dream.

Gu Yuqiu rested her left hand on the armrest of the chair, casually propping up her cheek, and said with a smile, "Do you have any other questions?"

The Night King slowly raised his head, looked into her eyes, and asked, "You directly destroyed this dream. Aren't you afraid the Special Affairs Bureau will come knocking on your door?"

Gu Yuqiu hummed in agreement.

That's the truth.

She used to have the right to be fearless and even ignore things, but now that she's a member of the Special Affairs Bureau, what reason is there for her to be afraid?

The Night King naturally thought of the first meaning. After a moment of silence, he asked, "So, are you interested... in cooperating with us?"

As he spoke, the layer of darkness that shrouded his face faded somewhat, becoming less mysterious and unpredictable, and a corner of it could be vaguely seen.

It's unclear whether he expended too much energy helping Cha Shao stabilize his dream, or if he was trying to show sincerity in his words.

Gu Yuqiu didn't care about him. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Who's behind you?"

From the moment the dream began to crumble, none of those present were qualified to cooperate with her. The Night King must have understood this, but he still said it, which only shows that there was someone else standing behind him.

"There is indeed someone standing behind me."

The Night King said seriously, "However, I cannot tell you who that person is, because I do not know who you are."

Gu Yuqiu raised an eyebrow slightly and said mockingly, "There are three types of people I hate in my life, and one of them is someone like you who likes to tell riddles."

The Night King shook his head and said, "This is not a riddle, but a very real concern. But since I have said this, I can make sure he will meet with you."

Gu Yuqiu asked, "Why should I see her?"

The Night King looked into her eyes and suddenly lowered his voice: "Because I can see that you are indeed only a second-tier cultivator. Even if there are secrets behind you that I cannot understand, you are still only a second-tier cultivator, not strong enough."

Gu Yuqiu said calmly, "So?"

"You have come to Xin Chu, surely to obtain that person's relics."

The Night King said in a deep voice, "Blackrock, the Will Walkers, and the Church of the Sleeping Spirit are all behemoths, not to mention the Special Affairs Bureau. We can only succeed by joining forces."

Gu Yuqiu said with a smile, "That sentence sounds familiar. I heard it outside not long ago."

She had heard these words from Cha Shao before, and she had explained them to Lin Mushi—the mastermind behind this meeting only wanted the lives of the people tonight.

The Night King remained silent.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly said, "We share the same ideals as you, so meeting won't be a bad thing. I'm willing to show my sincerity."

Gu Yuqiu nodded curiously.

The Night King offered no explanation, but reached into his bag, took out a coin with an indistinct design, and handed it over.

Gu Yuqiu took the coin, and with a slight twist of her wrist, she hid it somewhere.