Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin Strong Space fluctuations spread through the air as several cultivators emerged from the doorway and announced the news. “Young Master Changge is coming?” “That’s great! With his power, we don’t have to worry when we encounter the real Successor of Demonic Arts.” The young cultivators already at the entrance were surprised by the news, then became excited and overjoyed. The atmosphere became animated since the news of Zhao Xiaoyao’s disappearance, suspected to be the Successor’s handiwork, had made many uneasy. Thus, all of them had come to see how the Confucian Saint School was going to deal with the woman in white. If she was truly connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts, they would all attack her, never allowing her to go unharmed. “Young Master Changge…” Jun Gou froze, then sneered coldly at Su Qingge. “Now, even Young Master Changge has been attracted by the news. If you don’t give us an explanation now, no one can save you. It doesn’t matter that you are backed by someone much stronger. You really won’t budge without seeing your imminent death, will you? Voluntarily open up your Knowledge Sea now, or are you waiting for the Successor of Demonic Arts to save you?” In his view, the reason she was still so calm was because she either still had an ace up her sleeve or had special background. However, the current situation was linked to the Successor of Demonic Arts, and had even moved Gu Changge himself, meaning it had progressed to a different level. Everyone knew Gu Changge was the best among the younger generation, and thus carried the burden of fending off the Successor of Demonic Arts. If he knew that this young woman was connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts, the consequences were clear to everyone. His methods were not exactly sadistic but they were definitely not gentle either. Jun Gou’s original plan had been to make her tell the truth, so he could report back to the Elders. If he ignored the entire issue, his reputation as the highest-ranking disciple would be jeopardised. Thus, he would have to resort to fighting if she refused to yield to him. “Young Master is coming…” However, the woman present was surprised by the news like the rest and showed delight instead of panic. The calmness in her eyes gave way to joy, yet she seemed more assured than before as she smiled. He frowned at this, not understanding her behaviour. [Shouldn’t she be panicking by now?] “Do you think he would take pity just because you are a woman?” He asked mildly. “If this is connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts, the methods he employs will be far more violent than mine.” “You don’t need to worry. I know Young Master much better than you do.” Su Qingge’s voice was still calm, now with a hint of mockery. “What do you mean by that? Young Master?” Jun Gou’s expression changed mildly at this. She seemed to know him well, not to mention she called him ‘Young Master’. He had the feeling that everything wasn’t going the way he expected. The crowd had probably noticed this change and looked intrigued and awkward. This woman in white seemed to know Gu Changge very well, which meant she had a unique background. People who knew him were those whose strengths were close to his, unlike the usual young prodigies like themselves. The way the Confucian Saint School had tried to force her into confessing was too excessive and domineering. It would be good for them if she really had a connection with the Successor of Demonic Arts, but otherwise? Many were worried and fearful about what would happen to the Confucian Saint School now. “Big Brother, you must give Brother Zhao some closure. We can’t even find his body when he had just recently disappeared,” the female disciple who had been scolding Su Qingge cried tearfully to Jun Gou, not noticing the change in the current situation. Brother Zhao had been so concerned about Su Qingge during their journey, yet she had been direct towards him about her feelings. This female disciple could not stand this and to her, everything that had happened to him was Su Qingge’s fault. “Shut up.” Jun Gou reprimanded her with a frown. “I know what to do better than you do.” His power had already dissipated, and the those from the School fell silent upon seeing his anger. They were still looking at Su Qingge with hatred, wishing to avenge Brother Zhao. Su Qingge was calm and quiet, thinking about how she was going to explain her presence in the Southern Flourishing Heaven to the Young Master. She had told his mother that she wanted to look for her biological mother when she left the Primal Celestial Temple; instead, she had gone to an auction to buy an artifact related to her. She had come here after hearing about the Eternal Overcast Battlegrounds, as one could gain a place in the Immortal Academy via killing the Eternal Overcast creatures. At that moment, vibrating energy came from the entrance, accompanied by bright divine light. A cultivator then walked out. “Someone is there.” Everyone looked towards the entrance, including Su Qingge. Her gaze was fixed unblinkingly upon the entrance in anticipation. “It’s Young Master Changge…” Several people exclaimed with reverent expressions. The young man who emerged was tall and slim built, clad in an ivory-white tunic. His face was handsome and flawless, with a certain charm. His movements were natural and looked like his body was at one with Dao. This was Gu Changge, who had come after hearing that a Successor of Demonic Arts was here. Many followers walked behind him, all more powerful and commanding than the young prodigies of the area. “Young Master Changge!” The crowd greeted him respectfully. Gu Changge nodded his head in reply, his tone natural as he answered, “No need to be so courteous. I heard there are signs of the Successor of Demonic Arts, so I came to look. Does this scene mean that you’ve gotten some clues?” His behaviour was neutral without any arrogance, yet everyone felt fear and respect towards him when he stood before them. This made their voices slightly panic when they tried to talk to him. “To answer your question, Young Master Gu, we have. This woman is related to the Successor of Demonic Arts!” A young being immediately said, pointing at Su Qingge who looked happy. “Young Master…” Su Qingge said anxiously, staring at Gu Changge. Her voice was filled with her joy at reuniting with him once again, as well as uneasiness and worry which she refused to acknowledge. It had been a while since they last met, and she was worried that he might have forgotten about her, something her other Soul constantly whispered into her ear. Even just a while ago. “Qingge? Why are you here?” Gu Changge heard it and turned to her with some surprise as if he had just noticed her. The expression was gone quickly, and he rubbed his brow helplessly. “Mother said you had left the Primal Celestial Temple to find me. I was wondering when you would come… Why did you come to the Eternal Overcast Battlefield alone? Don’t you know how dangerous it is here?” His tone was reprimanding yet concerned. “Young Master, I—” Su Qingge could not find an answer to that and her eyes became damp with tears. She had thought he would ask why it had happened but instead, he had saved her from this quandary without asking that question. Her worry was clearly unwarranted. Besides, Gu Changge might have already deduced what had happened from start to finish, yet he chose to believe her unconditionally. This touched her so much that she couldn’t feel anything else. Even her other Soul was speechless and silent. “Young Master Changge, do you know Lady Su?” Jun Gou, who had turned pale when he heard their conversation, asked carefully. Everyone behind him had turned pale as well after sensing something was going wrong. From Gu Changge’s worried tone of voice, any person would know she was no mere acquaintance of his. [She’s from the Primal Celestial Temple? And this concerned Gu Changge’s mother too?] The disciples who scolded Su Qingge had all gone extremely pale. The ground seemed to crumble from beneath their feet as they became faint. They might have crumpled to the ground if the people beside them hadn’t supported them quickly. “What is it? She’s my personal maid. Did she do anything?” Gu Changge frowned at the question. “Are you saying that the clues you have regarding the Successor of Demonic Arts are connected to her?” He looked like he had just realised what was going on. Hearing his words, the young prodigies immediately looked stricken. This woman might only be a servant of his, but her status was still far higher than theirs. Many prodigal damsels wouldn’t have the chance to talk to him, let alone become his maid. Not to mention, he had talked about his mother who belonged to the Primal Celestial Temple. Many people in the crowd quickly assumed that she had been trained since young to serve him. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence among the formidable factions and Immortal Families. A personal maid might become one’s wife or concubine in the future as well. Many young prodigies started looking at Su Qingge differently, their gazes much more respectful. “Young Master Gu, this is what happened. I think this may be a misunderstanding…” Jun Gou’s forehead was damp with perspiration as he quickly explained, “We didn’t know that you and Lady Su have such a relationship before this. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have offended her like this.” It was better to claim ignorance as that meant the School shouldn’t be blamed for this. Only a person with mental issues would remain stubborn about the situation. Besides, he had wanted to investigate her Knowledge Sea; if that had happened, both he and the School would have to pay a great price. By now, Jun Gou’s expression was no longer cold and cruel. Instead, he looked pale and sweaty as he regretted what he had done, even sending her a pleading look in order to seek forgiveness. This drastic change in behaviour was no surprise to the audience. [Why didn’t she tell us about her identity much earlier?] Many young prodigies who hadn’t voiced their opinions sighed silently in relief. “A misunderstanding? You haven’t explained anything yet; how could you say it’s just a misunderstanding? Do you think I would maintain a bias?” Gu Changge was still frowning as he looked at Jun Gou. “I’m confident in my ability to be fair and honest. If Qingge had done anything wrong, I would not pity her even if she is my personal maid.” Jun Gou’s smile was more bitter as he felt that this issue might not be resolved so easily. “Qingge, why are you here?” Gu Changge turned to her with a stern look. “You know the consequences if you try to hide anything.” Su Qingge answered quickly, knowing he was giving her a way out. She related the entire story from start to end without leaving out any details. “I would never dare, Young Master. After coming here, my original decision was to rely on my abilities instead of you, killing Eternal Overcast creatures in order to gain my place in the Immortals Academy. I met a group from the Confucian Saint School at the entrance, and Zhao Xiaoyao invited me to accompany them. I agreed to it as I thought it might be safer for me…” She mentioned everything, including meeting the disciples of the Confucian Saint School and killing Eternal Overcast creatures with them. She had chosen to leave afterwards, but Zhao Xiaoyao tried coming after her but lost her along the way. No details were left out, and the disciples who had been on the journey with her could not sense anything suspicious. Everyone even began to consider Zhao Xiaoyao to be a simp. Su Qingge had been cool towards him as she was one of Gu Changge’s maids. So, it was now more obvious that he was trying extremely hard to get with her. Many prodigies began scoffing condescendingly inside their minds. Zhao Xiaoyao had been the second-highest ranking disciple, with a just and chivalric character. However, he had fallen for Gu Changge’s maid and ended up doing that. Even if anything hadn’t happened to him, he would have to face terrible consequences. Everyone began to think that he had been asking for it. He had gone after Su Qingge alone, so it was reasonable for her to throw him off. In the end, he had gotten unlucky and encountered the Successor of Demonic Arts. The School had put all responsibility on her so they could just get a simple explanation. Besides, she knew that she would be the greatest suspect if she killed him; she wouldn’t be stupid enough to do so. No one had expected her to be backed by Gu Changge, and anyone suspecting her would be placing suspicion on him as well. Su Qingge was still speaking in a calm voice. “After his sudden disappearance, the disciples of the School felt that I had killed him and stopped me at the entrance. They wanted me to open up my mind and let them investigate my Knowledge Sea…” Everyone belonging to the Confucian Saint School, including Jun Gou, became deathly pale upon hearing that. Some of them had collapsed to the ground due to their shaky legs. If she mentioned them wanting to investigate her Knowledge Sea, that meant she wasn’t going to let them off so easily. “Oh? Investigating your Knowledge Sea?” Gu Changge’s gaze became deeper as he muttered to himself. Then, he turned to Su Gingge mildly. “Qingge, since Confucian Saint School suspects you are related to the Successor of Demonic Arts, then you should open it up and let them see.” His voice was neutral. “Oh, yes. Qingge is one of mine too, so if she’s related to the Successor, it means that I am as well, right? The Successor had eluded me far too many times; does your School suspect me too and want to investigate my Knowledge Sea?” His final words were directed to Jun Gou.