Are you certain it’s okay?
To Barbara’s amazent, Gu Changge, absent for several days, suddenly appeared in her courtyard. Seated beneath a sowhat withered old tree, he wore a gracefully simple long dress and had loose black hair, giving off an immortal glow.
He looked exceptional, toying with a delicate jade wine glass between his slender fingers. Gu Changge gazed at Barbara, his eyes hinting at a mysterious thought.
I won’t claim it’s entirely safe, but I am completely confident in eliminating my master.
Senior, rest assured.
Barbara was montarily surprised, not grasping the depth of Gu Changge’s words, but she expressed confidence nonetheless.
Gu Changge chuckled, stood, and approached Barbara. “You’re quite sure of yourself,” he remarked, shaking his head.
Barbara, puzzled by his comnt, wondered if sothing was amiss. Yet, Gu Changge didn’t elaborate. He advised, “Stick to your plan, and don’t disappoint .”
A sense of foreboding crept over Barbara like Gu Changge had foreseen sothing. She suddenly wavered confidently and whispered, “Senior, am I overlooking sothing?”
Gu Changge smiled, focused on her, and said, “Since you’ve discovered that your grandfather orchestrated the massacre of your tribe, consider how he arranged for you to join the Barbarian God Sect.”
Hearing this, Barbara was stunned, realizing her oversight. Cold sweat broke out on her back.
She had indeed forgotten or dismissed the fact. Initially thinking that by discreetly poisoning and eliminating her master, the Barbarian God Sect wouldn’t trace her, she neglected that her grandfather, by secretly contacting the sect, was entangled in the disappearance of the Barbarian God.
His background was undoubtedly complex. Therefore, when her master succumbed to poison, her grandfather might use cunning tactics to incite suspicion from the Barbarian God Sect. Ironically, her grandfather had beco her foremost adversary.
“Grandfather intends to manipulate the Barbarian God Sect to annihilate the tribe. But why would he do such a thing?” Barbara couldn’t fathom his motives.
“He doesn’t want the Barbarian God Sect to slaughter the tribe behind your back; he wants to use you,” Gu Changge explained with a sowhat pitying gaze. “It’s all laid out; can’t you see it?”
“Use ?” Barbara furrowed her brow, a smug expression suddenly appearing on her pretty face.
He wants to bear the guilt and pain, making believe that the tribe was destroyed because of ?
She couldn’t comprehend why her once kind and amiable grandfather would commit such a heinous act.
“Because you’re inherently a devil. Your grandpa is rely forcing you into this path,” Gu Changge remarked casually.
So, he’s doing all this just to ensnare in a web of despair?
Barbara’s expression turned pained. mories of carefree childhood days clashed with the grim future she envisioned.
Everything in this world is most taboo. I thought you wouldn’t make such a mistake.
Gu Changge shook his head. Not everyone could consider all possibilities and ensure nothing leaked. Yet, he attributed Barbara’s error to her youth and the need for growth. It wasn’t a fatal mistake.
“Senior, what should I do?” Barbara’s expression conveyed deep anguish, with hostility and coldness brewing in her eyes, like a fierce beast on the brink of breaking free from its cage.
“It’s admirable to harbor kind thoughts, but sotis it’s wise to keep them to yourself,” Gu Changge advised, extending his hand to rest on Barbara’s head, his tone steady.
His gaze fixed on Barbara’s heart, where tendrils of black light emanated, twisting like mist, seemingly carrying an evil curse that gradually eclipsed so of the remaining light.
Even when witnessing the future firsthand, a glimr of fantasy and hope for others persists…
That’s unnecessary.
Sleep, wake up, and leave behind the bygone days, those epheral, bubble-like illusions.
The next morning, sunlight stread through the window, bringing warmth. Barbara’s long lashes closed, and when she opened her eyes, a slightly bewildered expression crossed her face as if she hadn’t fully erged from a hallucinatory dream.
“Did I fall asleep yesterday?”
Barbara wondered aloud, realizing she was now lying in bed, covered by a quilt.
The warm sunlight made her squint involuntarily.
What happened yesterday?
Her mory felt hazy, recalling that the senior had spoken to her and conveyed sothing important.
In a daze, she had succumbed to the splitting headache and pain, ultimately being carried back to the house by her senior.
So, the senior covered with the quilt?
Barbara mused, a bit dizzy. Then, a recollection struck her, and she pulled out the moon-white coat Gu Changge hand tossed to her earlier.
Much like the quilt, it carries the predecessor’s aura, providing reassurance.
Barbara buried her head in the coat and started murmuring.
As anticipated by Barbara, seven days later, her master fell victim to poisoning.
After consuming the carefully crafted elixir with great enthusiasm, he crumpled to the ground instantly, blood oozing from all seven orifices. His eyes bulged, presenting a dreadful and terrifying appearance akin to a vengeful spirit.
Beneath his skin, blood vessels seed to burst, and blackened blood spewed continuously from his mouth. Barbara observed the scene impassively from outside the cave, her small face devoid of emotion.
How can this be…
How could the potion go awry?
The middle-aged man, now vomiting blood, stared in disbelief. Crawling desperately on the ground, he fumbled for an antidote among the bottles and jars scattered around him.
Barbara entered the cave, indifferent as ever, and gazed down at him. Like a drowning man grasping at the last straw, the middle-aged man let out a desperate roar.
“Barbara… Barbara, save , please…”
“Help … help find an antidote.”
Save you?
Barbara rely shook her head, her indifference terrifying the middle-aged man. It was a stark contrast to the once obedient apprentice he knew.
“I spared you the direct act of my hands; that’s kindness enough. Right now, I’d like nothing more than to end you with a sword, but that would be too rciful. To die slowly and painfully may be a more fitting fate for you.”
Barbara spoke with softness, but her eyes remained devoid of emotion.
You, you…
Terror filled the middle-aged man’s eyes as a realization dawned on him. He understood why the refined elixirs had gone awry.
It dawned on Barbara that she had been aware of his intentions to harm her, but he had been foolishly oblivious.
“So, it turns out… you already knew.”
His voice, a mix of desperation and regret, conveyed his realization. However, his guilt wasn’t for poisoning the elixir but for allowing Barbara to catch on beforehand.
At this mont, Barbara no longer acknowledged him. Her gaze focused outside the cave, seemingly awaiting sothing. Gu Changge’s figure erged, calmly observing Barbara.
“Have you made your choice?” he inquired.
Barbara nodded and replied, “I’ve made my choice. Since it was destined to be unsolvable from the very beginning, why bother worrying?”
“From the start, I never really had a chance to turn things around.”
These past days, she had co to terms with the harsh reality. Strategies were futile against absolute power. Even if she eliminated her current master and mitigated the threats from the Barbarian God Sect, she couldn’t escape her grandfather’s manipulations.
Everything was destined, and she felt like a struggling fish in the river of fate, destined to return to her original path.
Gu Changge chuckled suddenly, reaching out to touch her head. He spoke softly, “No, who said you have no chance of turning things around. I ca to this world to help you do just that.”
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