A Way to Save Gu Changge — If That Day Comes, I'd Rather Die Myself
A Way to Save Gu Changge — If That Day Comes, I’d Rather Die Myself
Suddenly, the Peach Tree began to sway, and boundless divine radiance filled the sky, blooming like flowers, surging up to blanket the heavens, accompanied by the sounds of the Dao.
Everyone at the entrance of Peach Village was stunned.
Even the few old fellows of extremely ancient origins looked completely baffled.
They had all heard what Tao Yao had just said, which was exactly why they were so shocked.
She had actually taken the initiative to speak to a young man in such a manner.
Before this, they had never seen Tao Yao adopt such an attitude.
“Just what is so peculiar about this Gu Changge fellow?”
“Why is even Tao Yao-daren acting like this?”
“It seems our prejudice against Gu Changge ran a bit too deep. If even Tao Yao-daren is like this, then it means there shouldn’t be anything wrong with him...”
The few old fellows who had still been doubtful and skeptical of Gu Xianer’s earlier explanation now couldn’t help but breathe sighs of relief and set their minds at ease.
They had great faith in Tao Yao’s judgment.
Since even she had praised Gu Changge as passable, that meant there was no problem with him.
Thinking it over carefully, they even began to develop quite a bit of goodwill toward Gu Changge.
After all, judging from Gu Xianer’s words, Gu Changge had indeed done quite a lot for her in secret.
It was no surprise that Gu Xianer would have such an attitude toward him.
With this in mind, the gazes they directed at Gu Changge softened considerably.
Soon, vast white mist rose up all around, growing even denser, shrouding everything before the gates of Peach Village.
Flower petals, crystalline and dazzlingly brilliant, drifted down with a delicate fragrance, making the scene look like a veritable paradise.
Strands of divine chains of rules and order hung down, as if composed of the light of the Great Dao itself, mysterious and vast.
However, except for Gu Changge, everyone else—including Gu Xianer—could not see what was happening within.
They couldn’t even hear the sounds coming from inside.
“What exactly is wrong with Sister Tao Yao today?”
“Why is she acting like this toward Gu Changge, whom she’s meeting for the first time?”
Gu Xianer watched this scene, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, somewhat puzzled.
In her view, although Yao Yao had many connections with Sister Tao Yao, she had no relationship with Gu Changge whatsoever—so why would Sister Tao Yao speak to him like this?
Could it be because Gu Changge was Yao Yao’s shifu? Making Sister Tao Yao develop goodwill toward him?
Based on Gu Xianer’s familiarity with Sister Tao Yao, if it wasn’t someone she knew well, she would never adopt such an attitude.
Let alone the fact that today was her first time meeting Gu Changge.
Could there be some unknown secret behind this?
Or had Sister Tao Yao also noticed Gu Changge’s Innate Demonic Nature, and thus made a move to probe him?
For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Gu Xianer’s mind, and she felt a trace of anticipation, hoping that Sister Tao Yao could find a way to help Gu Changge.
If the Innate Demonic Nature could truly be resolved, that would be even better.
Meanwhile, Gu Changge’s eyes carried a strange gleam as he looked at that devastatingly beautiful figure within the Peach Tree, various thoughts flashing through his mind.
He sensed a probing fluctuation, like rules and order, yet not quite.
It was a supreme power, distinct from rules and order, touching upon the very Source of the Great Dao.
Beings of a lower level simply could not resist it.
However, Gu Changge felt that the Grand Flask deep within his Spiritual Sea seemed to have been disturbed by this power, emitting a faint tremor.
This probing power quickly dissipated into nothingness, unable to affect him in the slightest.
Thinking this, Gu Changge’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His Demonic Heart, long dormant, now, with the beating of his heart, once again seeped out wisps of demonic qi.
“It’s actually a Demonic Heart.”
“How can this be...”
“So... so that’s how it is.”
The figure within the Peach Tree let out a greatly startled cry, her voice trembling slightly, stunned.
Then she fell silent.
The gaze that had been examining Gu Changge was also quietly withdrawn, as if without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Gu Changge’s expression remained composed, his eyes still appraising the Peach Tree before him.
The existence of the Demonic Heart was naturally something he had deliberately exposed. By now, he had firmly secured his position as the Young Master of the Gu Family, which no one could shake in the slightest; moreover, his status as a True Disciple of Skyward Schloss would not be affected in any way either.
So he wasn’t worried that the existence of the Demonic Heart would bring him any trouble.
After all, the Innate Demonic Heart was merely a Talent, not something like the Taboo Demonic Arts that would make him the enemy of the entire world.
At most, it would make people feel he bore Miasma and avoid him like a venomous snake.
“Qianbei saw it just now, didn’t you?”
At this moment, Gu Changge spoke, his expression calm, asking despite already knowing the answer.
“I saw it.”
Tao Yao’s figure appeared very blurry; through the vast divine light of rules, one could faintly make out her devastatingly beautiful divine bearing.
Hearing this, she answered, her demeanor quite natural, which also served as an explanation: “Xianer is, after all, half a disciple of mine. Her affairs—I naturally have to keep an eye on them.”
“I was just afraid that she’s young and naive, and might be deceived by you.”
“What? Now that I’ve discovered the secret of your Demonic Heart, are you unhappy?”
Her voice was exceedingly gentle and pleasant, making one think she could never grow angry.
“There’s nothing to be unhappy about. Qianbei’s divine abilities are vast; this junior is full of admiration.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge spoke with a very calm expression, though inwardly he let out a dismissive sneer.
If he hadn’t deliberately let the Demonic Heart seep out demonic qi, what could the Tao Yao before him possibly have discovered?
She had greatly underestimated his capabilities—did she really think a casual probe would reveal anything?
Did she truly think the Grand Flask could only devour Source?
Though on the surface, he still had to put on an appearance of daring to be angry but not daring to speak.
“You don’t mean what you say.”
Hearing Gu Changge’s words, Tao Yao suddenly burst into giggles.
Her voice was still as gentle as heavenly music, but it now carried a certain bewitching quality.
If the villagers of Peach Village heard this, their eyes would absolutely go wide, their jaws dropping in shock.
Was this still the Tao Yao-daren they had always known?
Usually she was as solemn and dignified as a deity, exuding a lofty, awe-inspiring sacred majesty.
How could she possibly be like this now, brimming with such bewitching charm?
But this was indeed Tao Yao’s true nature.
Because of Yao Yao, she could sense every bit of the time Yao Yao had spent with Gu Changge, and she knew that although Gu Changge seemed rather unreliable, as a shifu, he was actually quite competent and responsible.
So Tao Yao held some goodwill toward Gu Changge; otherwise, she wouldn’t speak to him this way.
Besides, she had already learned what she wanted to know just now.
The Innate Demonic Nature Gu Xianer had mentioned earlier was not baseless.
Gu Changge did indeed have a problem. One with an Innate Demonic Heart is born accompanied by Miasma—since ancient times, none who possessed a Demonic Heart ever met a good end.
The existence of the Demonic Heart was exceedingly rare.
Throughout the ages, only a mere handful of people had ever appeared with one.
Among those who possessed such a Talent, the weak were buried in the torrent of history, swept away by the rolling river of time without raising so much as a ripple.
Even the strong merely left behind a name, letting later generations know of their tragic lives.
Even that one figure—who bore a Demonic Heart, whose very name was the greatest taboo in the world, of whom only a few scattered words remained in ancient texts—was no exception, meeting no good end either.
That Gu Changge could be born with such a Talent—apart from her initial shock, she could only call it rotten luck.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t know what else to say.
However, since Gu Changge could suppress the Demonic Nature, it showed that his willpower was extremely strong.
On this point, Tao Yao rather admired him.
“Why does qianbei laugh?”
Hearing this laughter, a strange gleam flashed through Gu Changge’s expression before he asked with perfect composure.
Was her name Tao Yao, or Tao Yao the peach demon?
This bewitching quality of hers surprised him somewhat.
But on the other hand, it was just as he had guessed—Tao Yao bore no malice whatsoever toward Yao Yao herself.
Right now, she was even using various laws of the Great Dao to comb through and sort out Yao Yao’s body.
As for Yao Yao herself, she had fallen into a deep slumber.
If she were to wake up, Gu Changge estimated it would take quite a long time.
Everything he had done before had not been useless—judging from Tao Yao’s current attitude toward him, it had played a significant role.
“All these years, apart from Xianer, you’re the first interesting person I’ve met. I just found it amusing, that’s all.”
Tao Yao’s voice gradually calmed as she answered thus.
Gu Changge gave a noncommittal “oh,” then looked toward Yao Yao, who was surrounded by countless wisps of celestial Dao charm and in an unconscious state, and asked, “What does qianbei intend to do to Yao Yao?”
Although he knew Tao Yao would not harm Yao Yao, at a time like this, as her shifu, he naturally had to display concern and wariness.
Tao Yao wasn’t particularly surprised by Gu Changge’s question.
She answered,
“I’m helping her wash away some Great Dao injuries.”
“So Yao Yao will sleep for a while. But you can rest assured—I won’t harm her.”
“To me, her existence is no different from that of family, of a little sister.”
“I hope so.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge nodded noncommittally.
“You still don’t believe me?”
Seeing his demeanor, Tao Yao couldn’t help laughing again. “I will return Yao Yao to you safe and sound. As for you—if you dare bully her, I won’t let you off.”
Gu Changge said dismissively, “Bullying the small with the big—that’s something this junior could never do.”
“Oh? Are you mocking me?”
Tao Yao’s voice turned intrigued, full of bewitching charm.
“Since qianbei could hear it, that’s good enough.”
Hearing this question, Gu Changge finally gave her a serious look.
“Interesting. It’s been a long time since I met someone unafraid of me like you. If this had happened earlier, my days wouldn’t have been so dull and boring...”
Tao Yao was taken aback for a moment.
Then she couldn’t help but laugh, not minding Gu Changge’s biting sarcasm in the least.
She suddenly let out a sigh.
And in that instant, a figure hazily surfaced before Gu Changge’s eyes.
It was not a human, but a sprite.
She sat hugging her knees upon a boundless wilderness, behind her a peach tree that had long since withered and died.
She was exceedingly beautiful.
Her dark teal hair was like a bright mirror, so glossy it could reflect one’s image.
She gazed far into the sea of clouds, her pupils reflecting the clear sky and mountains, yet her expression held loneliness, as if she were waiting for someone.
“Is this a memory? Or a scene she’s deliberately showing me?”
At this moment, Gu Changge was also slightly dazed, unable to tell whether this scene was something he saw on his own, or something Tao Yao deliberately let him see.
However, what he could be certain of was that Tao Yao’s current existence was fundamentally different from that Mysterious Peach Tree in the scene the System had shown him.
Tao Yao and Yao Yao.
They were like an older sister and a younger sister.
Only when the two fused could they become that Peach Tree rising and sinking within the sea of Chaos Lightning.
But at that time, would the two of them still be their former selves?
Perhaps Tao Yao already knew the answer to this question very well—which was why she felt such familial affection toward Yao Yao.
That being the case, Gu Changge no longer needed to worry about what came after.
“Regarding the Innate Demonic Nature, I can’t help you right now. But take this and go find an old fellow—he once owed me a favor. If he isn’t dead, perhaps he can help you.”
At this moment, Tao Yao spoke again.
At the same time, a crystalline, radiant peach leaf drifted down from the air, Grand Runes condensed upon it, appearing extraordinarily mystical.
“Consider it my thanks for taking care of Yao Yao all this time.”
As soon as these words were spoken, her figure gradually faded from within the Peach Tree.
Then not a trace of her could be seen anymore.
It was as if everything just now had been an illusion.
Even the white mist nearby vanished along with her.
The scenery around Peach Village gradually became clear once more.
Only Yao Yao remained, sleeping peacefully beneath the Peach Tree, wisps of Dao charm and celestial essence descending in illusionary streams, with no one to disturb her.
Gu Changge caught the peach leaf, and his eyes couldn’t help but narrow.
Tao Yao’s words had told him quite a bit of information.
An old fellow?
It seemed to be a figure from the same era as Tao Yao.
Only, his Demonic Nature had long since been resolved and could be controlled at will—whether he sought this person out or not made no difference.
That said, the value of this peach leaf far exceeded imagination—it was equivalent to a favor from an old fellow of the same era as Tao Yao.
Thinking this, Gu Changge couldn’t help but reveal a trace of a smile.
All the objectives of this trip had more or less been accomplished.
The attitude of Tao Yao and the group of old fellows in Peach Village toward him determined how many Fortuity Points Gu Changge could obtain from Gu Xianer.
With this, the grudge of the dug-out bone could finally be brought to a close.
“What did Sister Tao Yao say to you?”
At this moment, seeing Gu Changge’s somewhat dazed expression, Gu Xianer couldn’t help asking curiously.
“Nothing much.”
Gu Changge glanced at her, put away the peach leaf, and said nothing more.
“Fine, don’t tell me then. I’ll go ask Sister Tao Yao myself.”
Gu Xianer huffed—she had known Gu Changge wouldn’t easily tell her these things.
Soon, she ran over to the Peach Tree and began secretly asking questions.
Although Tao Yao did not appear again, hearing Gu Xianer’s questions, she still told her everything, one by one.
She hid nothing.
“When Gu Changge was born, he was actually accompanied by this...”
Hearing all this, Gu Xianer’s beautiful eyes instantly went wide.
She was incomparably shocked. When Tao Yao mentioned that Gu Changge possessed an Innate Demonic Heart, she simply couldn’t believe it.
All this time, she had been investigating this matter.
But she never imagined it would be an Innate Demonic Heart—throughout the ages, only a mere handful of people had been born accompanied by a Demonic Heart, representing Miasma and misfortune.
No wonder Gu Changge’s branch of the family had gone to such lengths to conceal these matters.
If the rest of the clan found out, the consequences would be unthinkable!
Especially given Gu Changge’s status as the Young Master of the Gu Family, representing the Gu Family’s future.
At this moment, she had already imagined all the various troubles that would erupt once Gu Changge’s Innate Demonic Heart became known to the clan.
Even though Gu Changge now possessed terrifying might, facing such troubles would still be extremely thorny for him.
Gu Xianer suddenly felt a bit of regret and guilt—why had she been so reckless, scheming to bring Gu Changge to Peach Village and exposing his secret of bearing an Innate Demonic Heart?
Though, the various shifu of Peach Village and Sister Tao Yao presumably wouldn’t take the initiative to expose this matter.
Thinking this, Gu Xianer couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Sister Tao Yao, is there any way to solve the problem of the Demonic Heart?”
At this moment, Gu Xianer remembered the most important matter.
Hearing this, Tao Yao was actually somewhat taken aback.
To be honest, she truly had no way right now—otherwise she wouldn’t have given that peach leaf to Gu Changge.
Because the Demonic Heart resided in a cultivator’s heart, which was no simple location.
Although cultivators at a certain realm could regenerate from a single drop of blood, that was only when their Blood Essence had not yet dried up.
In a case like Gu Changge’s, the Demonic Nature had already taken deep root—even if the Demonic Heart were removed, it would be of no use.
Seeing Tao Yao fall silent, Gu Xianer grew somewhat anxious. She knew Tao Yao’s personality well—sometimes, silence meant tacit confirmation.
“Sister Tao Yao, you know there’s a way, don’t you? It’s okay—no matter how difficult it is, I’m willing to try.”
“Gu Changge has done so much for me. I want to help him too.”
“Xianer, if you insist on this...”
Tao Yao was now somewhat conflicted. Seeing Gu Xianer’s persistent expression, she couldn’t help but sigh and slowly said, “Gu Changge bears an Innate Demonic Heart and must suppress the Demonic Nature to maintain his clarity of mind. Just like when he dug out your Great Dao Bone back then—although the Demonic Nature was in control, it was actually something he did subconsciously of his own accord...”
“So you’re saying the Great Dao Bone can help him suppress the Demonic Nature, right?”
With Tao Yao putting it this way, Gu Xianer understood—because she had thought of this before.
It was precisely because Gu Changge had returned the Great Dao Bone to her that he had fallen into demonic madness in the Nirvana Pool that day, unable to suppress the Demonic Nature.
She knew Gu Changge surely understood all this too.
Yet he had still insisted on returning the Great Dao Bone to her, to settle the debt of that year.
Completely disregarding the terrifying situation he would face afterward.
Tao Yao said, “That’s part of the reason.”
“Then if I give him the Great Dao Bone now and let him fuse with it again, will it work?” Gu Xianer asked.
Tao Yao was silent for a moment before saying,
“Negligible. The existence of the Demonic Nature is not fixed and unchanging. At this moment, the demon wanes and the Dao waxes; at another moment, the Dao wanes and the demon waxes.”
“Xianer, have you thought this through? Are you certain?”
After hearing all this, Gu Xianer already knew what she had to do.
No wonder Sister Tao Yao had told her these things—now it was up to her to choose.
Thinking this, she suddenly looked toward Gu Changge not far away, her expression somewhat angry and furious.
But her eyes held more tenderness, and she couldn’t help shouting,
“Gu Changge, you’re clearly such a smart person—why did you have to be so stupid back then?!”
Gu Changge was in the middle of discussing some matters with the Peach Village chief and the others.
Hearing Gu Xianer’s words out of nowhere, he turned back to look at her in some bafflement. “Is your skin itching again? Was the lesson from a few days ago not enough?”
But quickly, Gu Changge noticed Gu Xianer’s expression and movements, and inwardly cursed her as an idiot.
With a hum, spatial fluctuations spread out.
His figure vanished into thin air, appearing before her in an instant.
Then he gripped both of Gu Xianer’s wrists tightly, stopping her actions.
This fool had actually pulled out a divine weapon, intending to dig out her own Celestial Bone.
From beginning to end, Gu Changge had never intended to take that Celestial Bone of hers.
His face instantly turned cold as ice, like ten-thousand-year-old frost, exuding a bone-chilling aura.
“Gu Xianer, what do you think you’re doing, you idiot?”
“Gu Changge, let go of me! You’re the idiot—I’m obviously trying to save you!”
Gu Xianer glared at him, but her strength was no match for Gu Changge’s; she couldn’t break free no matter how she struggled.
“As long as I dig out the Celestial Bone for you, it can suppress your Demonic Nature, and things like what happened at the Nirvana Pool last time won’t happen again.”
“For me, the Celestial Bone might even undergo nirvana again—I’ll be fine, wuwuwu...”
“Shut your mouth.”
Hearing these words, Gu Changge’s face turned dark and ugly, and he quickly covered her mouth.
“Listen well. You keep that Celestial Bone safe for me. When I want it someday, I’ll come take it from you myself.”
“If you dare act on your own and dig it out, Gu Xianer, I’ll show you what it means to wish you were dead.”
“Wuwuwu...”
Hearing this, Gu Xianer was utterly unwilling to accept it, still glaring at him like a bristling little kitten.
Only, with Gu Changge tightly covering her mouth, she couldn’t make a single sound.
She was so angry her lungs were about to explode.
She had acted with the best of intentions.
Yet Gu Changge showed not the slightest appreciation, and even put on such a terrifying demeanor.
“I would never fall to the point of needing you to save me with a Celestial Bone.”
At this moment, looking at Gu Xianer’s expression, Gu Changge sighed.
His tone gradually softened.
“Why are you so foolish?”
“If that day ever truly comes, I’d rather die myself than let you get hurt like this.”
Hearing these words, Gu Xianer’s eyes suddenly went wide.
Then her mind went blank with a buzz.
She froze completely.
...
PS: I’ve been stuck with writer’s block lately and it’s miserable—I owe you all one chapter.
I’ll sort out the plot tonight and make it up tomorrow.