If You're Putting on a Show, You Go All the Way — Jiang Chuchu, Don't Tell Me You've Fallen in Love?
If You’re Putting on a Show, You Go All the Way — Jiang Chuchu, Don’t Tell Me You’ve Fallen in Love?
Atop the mountain peak, jagged rocks jutted out, ancient trees flourished, the moonlight was bleak and cold, and the mountain wind that blew through only made the place feel more secluded and serene.
Su Qingge stared blankly at Gu Changge’s arrival. Especially upon hearing his words, she felt her head buzz and go completely blank, not knowing what to say.
The moment Gu Changge arrived, she had actually already made up her mind to confess everything.
She was the true Successor of Demonic Arts, and her very reason for existing was to throw the world into chaos.
And Gu Changge, as the most dazzling and brilliant prodigy of the younger generation, was born to stand on the opposite side of her, destined to strike her down and destroy her.
But she had never, ever imagined that the words Gu Changge would speak would be telling her not to be afraid.
At this moment, even the second soul within her Knowledge Sea — the one that had always believed Gu Changge was cold-natured and no good match — couldn’t help but tremble slightly, unable to utter a word.
And as Gu Changge spoke those words, he even took half a step forward, imperceptibly placing Su Qingge behind himself.
“Could there be some misunderstanding here... Elder Mo, you’ve seized the wrong person.”
He looked at Elder Mo before him, whose expression was somewhat astonished and puzzled, and his voice was perfectly calm.
He wore every appearance of someone protecting Su Qingge.
“Young Master...”
Seeing Gu Changge’s action, Su Qingge froze even more in place, her voice trembling, her eyes instantly reddening.
She truly had never expected that at this moment, what Gu Changge would do was not to question her about what was going on.
Instead, he instinctively shielded her behind him.
Gu Changge trusted her this much, cared for her this much, even to the point of not hesitating to clash with an Elder of the True Immortal Academy right before him.
This moved her heart beyond measure, and she could not calm down for a long time.
By all reason, with Gu Changge arriving here and connecting it to the young prodigy who had just met with disaster, he would absolutely have suspected her.
After all, in the middle of the night, instead of cultivating in her own cave dwelling, what was she doing out here?
Gu Changge was so clever — was there anything in this world he couldn’t see through?
Su Qingge had even already imagined the tone and expression Gu Changge would use next, but she truly had not anticipated that his trust in her had already reached such a degree.
Perhaps in his eyes, she was just a harmless little maid he had brought up from the Overworld.
“Young Master Changge, what is the meaning of this?”
At this point, Elder Mo, after a brief moment of surprise, quickly grasped Gu Changge’s meaning and couldn’t help but ask in a slightly lowered voice.
He himself was a shrewd old fox, and he quickly understood why Gu Changge was reacting this way.
So this woman before him was actually Gu Changge’s person. The Successor of Demonic Arts he had been pursuing all along was right at his side.
And Gu Changge knew nothing of it, even stepping forward to protect this woman of his own accord.
This made Elder Mo sigh inwardly at how marvelous the situation was — no, “marvelous” alone couldn’t even begin to describe it.
Just moments ago he had even been somewhat worried, breaking out in a cold sweat, only for things to take such a dramatic turn.
A figure like Gu Changge actually had a day where he was kept completely in the dark by someone.
Truly, it proved that old saying — since ancient times, heroes have always stumbled at the beauty’s pass.
So now, what Elder Mo was considering in his heart was how to muddle through tonight’s affair.
Anyway, Gu Changge had never suspected in that direction at all.
Hearing this, Gu Changge’s expression remained calm, but his words had already taken on a forceful edge.
“And what does Elder Mo mean by this? Don’t tell me you think Qingge is the Successor of Demonic Arts, and that’s why you seized her and brought her here?”
He stared at Elder Mo before him, runes flickering in his eyes, strands of divine light gleaming, paying no mind whatsoever to the man’s status as an Elder, his attitude incomparably forceful and brooking no argument.
Hearing this, Elder Mo seemed slightly taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected Gu Changge to say such a thing.
Then, he couldn’t help but shake his head, sigh, and smile bitterly. “Young Master Changge, you’ve misunderstood. No matter how foolish this old man might be, I still know there is only one Successor of Demonic Arts, and that it’s that Prince Ying, Ying Shuang. How could I possibly go around seizing random people?”
“It’s just that in the middle of the night, I saw this young lady wandering about outside all alone and felt uneasy, so I came especially to warn her and tell her to hurry back to her cave dwelling.”
“Since this young lady is Young Master Changge’s person, all the better. Perhaps she saw you were missing in the middle of the night and came out looking for you — who can say?”
As he reached the end, he couldn’t help but chuckle, his expression turning somewhat suggestive.
Hearing this, Gu Changge’s expression eased slightly, and he nodded. “So that’s how it is. It seems I misunderstood Elder Mo’s kind intentions.”
“No harm done, no harm done. Since this young lady is Young Master Changge’s person, then naturally she has nothing whatsoever to do with the Successor of Demonic Arts.”
“On that point, this old man has full confidence.” Elder Mo hurriedly waved his hand with a smile.
Then, he glanced at Su Qingge again and said with a smile, “Young lady, you must be more careful from now on. Wandering about in the middle of the night makes it very easy to run into the Successor of Demonic Arts. Ai, yet another disciple has fallen victim tonight...”
By this time, Su Qingge had also calmed down.
She nodded. “This junior understands. Thank you for the reminder, Elder.”
She didn’t know why Elder Mo was proactively helping her, but her identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts had now been discovered by him.
Which was to say, he now held leverage over her.
So for now, it was best to play along with his words first, and then see what medicine he was selling in his gourd.
“In that case, this old man shall take his leave first. I’ll also go take a look at whether that disciple who fell victim left behind any clues or traces...”
With that, Elder Mo didn’t linger. His figure transformed into a divine rainbow and vanished from the mountain peak, leaving the place and heading toward the cave dwelling of the disciple Su Qingge had struck down earlier.
It looked as though he was going to investigate.
But if Su Qingge had carelessly left behind any evidence, he could conveniently dispose of it for her along the way, without arousing anyone else’s suspicion.
After witnessing Su Qingge’s methods with his own eyes tonight, Elder Mo had confirmed her identity.
Even a figure like Gu Changge had been kept in the dark by her — just how deep were Su Qingge’s schemes and shrewdness? It was enough to make one’s blood run cold.
But this was exactly what fit his long-held understanding of the Successor of Demonic Arts.
Ying Shuang, on the other hand — whether in temperament or methods — didn’t match the Successor of Demonic Arts in his view in many respects. Looking at it now, he seemed to be nothing more than an unlucky scapegoat.
“Tonight’s events truly exceeded all expectations...”
Elder Mo sighed with some emotion in his heart.
Atop the mountain peak, the moonlight remained as before, rosy clouds flowing and white mist swirling, making the place seem all the more secluded and serene.
After watching Elder Mo’s figure disappear, Gu Changge’s expression instead settled into calm, and he said nothing.
Inexplicably, Su Qingge felt that the way Gu Changge looked at her carried scrutiny and contemplation — and more than that, a coldness that frightened her.
“Young Master...”
Su Qingge called out softly, reaching to tug at Gu Changge’s sleeve, but he imperceptibly evaded her.
Gu Changge stared at her, still saying nothing, but Su Qingge understood what he meant.
If she didn’t give him a reasonable explanation that satisfied him, today’s matter likely wouldn’t be so easily put behind them.
This made Su Qingge sigh inwardly. If she made even the slightest misstep, from this day forward, Gu Changge would probably never trust her again.
This made her heart grow even more flustered and uneasy. If from now on Gu Changge treated her with this kind of attitude...
She would rather have her identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts exposed than let things become like this.
Those words Gu Changge had spoken in front of Elder Mo just now were to protect her, but once Elder Mo left, Gu Changge naturally had no need to keep treating her that way.
In Su Qingge’s eyes, Gu Changge’s opinion of her was actually far more important than whether her identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts was exposed or not.
“I’m sorry, Young Master. I shouldn’t have kept things from you...”
She composed her words, weighing them carefully, and spoke with some unease.
“Oh, so now you know to explain yourself. If I hadn’t come here just now, do you think Elder Mo would have let you off so easily?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge’s voice held little fluctuation.
Su Qingge’s bright eyes didn’t dare meet his, and her lustrous, jade-white face was full of guilt.
“I know I was wrong, Young Master. The truth is, the reason I left my cave dwelling in the middle of the night and came here was to search for something.”
“Previously, I won a mysterious jar at an auction house. That mysterious jar actually involves the Seven Tools of World Domination of the Beyond, but I never told you about this matter...”
“And that jar is one of the Seven Tools of World Domination. Within a certain distance, it can sense the whereabouts and presence of the other Tools of World Domination.”
“So the reason I came here tonight was actually to probe for the whereabouts of the Tools of World Domination, but I was accidentally discovered by that Elder Mo.”
Su Qingge explained. She wasn’t lying — this was indeed her other objective tonight.
She had merely concealed the fact that she was the Successor of Demonic Arts.
As she spoke, a flash of light gleamed in her palm, and an unremarkable-looking jade jar appeared, its surface carved with ancient patterns that looked as though they could be worn away at any moment.
“The Seven Tools of World Domination?”
Gu Changge asked back, unable to keep from laughing — only, to Su Qingge, that laughter carried a faint mockery.
“Before this, you never mentioned a word of it to me.”
Gu Changge naturally knew of the legends of the Seven Tools of World Domination; he simply had never gone out of his way to track them down or collect them.
Because he knew that things like these, given the slightest sign of their emergence, would always end up in the hands of those with great Fortuity.
He only needed to wait to pluck the fruit at the very end.
That Su Qingge actually had the Jar of World Domination in her hands — honestly, it surprised him somewhat.
“I’m sorry, Young Master. Qingge shouldn’t have hidden these things from you...” Su Qingge said guiltily.
But Gu Changge waved a hand to cut her off, his expression indifferent. “Enough. I won’t press you further. After all, this is your private affair.”
“But some things happen again and again, and I don’t know how many more times there will be. A person’s patience has its limits, after all. I don’t know what else you’re hiding from me, but I no longer wish to ask.”
“Su Qingge, you’d best conduct yourself well.”
With that, Gu Changge’s figure shifted, and he turned to leave.
However, the instant he turned, Su Qingge threw herself against his chest, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Young Master, I’m sorry. Qingge won’t hide anything from you ever again.”
She held Gu Changge tightly, her voice trembling, as if terrified that he would turn and leave, never to care about her again.
She was truly afraid. But her identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts was something she truly could never tell Gu Changge.
The moment she spoke of it, the two of them would inevitably end up on opposing sides.
So she could only hope that this matter could be kept from Gu Changge for a lifetime.
Hearing this, Gu Changge fell silent. Finally, he sighed and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Let us hope so.”
His tone was complicated.
At this moment, Su Qingge couldn’t guess what Gu Changge was thinking either, and her heart was filled with apprehension.
Afterward, the two of them left the mountain peak.
Along the way, Gu Changge said nothing more. Everything that had happened tonight was within his expectations — if you’re putting on a show, you go all the way — so he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Whether it was Su Qingge or Elder Mo, neither of them knew Gu Changge’s true purpose. To him, both were nothing more than chess pieces.
Just as Su Qingge had said long ago, in Gu Changge’s eyes, her status was at most that of a little maid at his side.
When he was in a good mood, he’d tease and toy with her a bit. Ordinarily, she was simply left off to the side.
Her identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts was utterly insignificant in Gu Changge’s eyes.
Of course, her beauty and intelligence were her greatest assets — at the very least, she was pleasing to the eye.
Afterward, various thoughts flashed through Gu Changge’s mind, and in the end he began considering whether to conveniently dispose of Ying Shuang.
For the time being, Su Qingge had made contact with the Organisation of Demonic Arts, and next, Elder Mo would inevitably reach out to her in secret.
As long as Gu Changge kept an eye on Su Qingge’s whereabouts and movements at all times, he could learn and grasp the various circumstances of this organisation.
Apart from Elder Mo, no one currently knew of Ying Shuang’s identity, and Elder Mo would very likely believe Ying Shuang was a scapegoat tool arranged and set up by Su Qingge.
Su Qingge herself didn’t know where Ying Shuang was. That way, even if Ying Shuang mysteriously disappeared in the shadows, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir.
Elder Mo would presumably assume it was Su Qingge’s doing.
And very quickly, a detailed plan formed in Gu Changge’s mind.
“Before that, Ying Shuang still has another use. I can make use of him a while longer.”
“And while I’m at it, I can set something up for Heavenly Monarch Ziyang too. That fellow has been pestering that girl Gu Xianer lately — it’s about time he was taught a lesson.”
...
The news that yet another young prodigy had been secretly harmed quickly spread once more, causing even greater panic and unease.
No one had expected that only a few days after the last incident, another disciple would fall victim to the Successor of Demonic Arts’ vicious hand.
Especially since it happened right under the noses of Gu Changge and Elder Mo while they were investigating. Once this occurred, it made even more disciples restless and terrified.
Even those Unranked Disciples were thrown into a panic.
From this incident alone, one could see just how rampant and arrogant the Successor of Demonic Arts was, caring not at all that this was the territory of the True Immortal Academy.
Even the whole host of Elders was helpless against him — what could ordinary young prodigies possibly do?
For a time, the True Immortal Academy was shrouded in a heavy, uneasy atmosphere, and every disciple grew all the more cautious and vigilant.
“This Successor of Demonic Arts is really too arrogant, poisoning two prodigies one after another...”
“Chuchu, this is your best chance to drag him out into the open. If I remember correctly, isn’t your talent able to retrace the traces of what happened at the time? If you could find even a single clue, you might be able to uncover the Successor of Demonic Arts’ hidden identity.”
Inside a cave dwelling nestled within a secluded forest, misty haze drifted about, dazzling and resplendent.
Wang Zijin rested her chin on her hand, staring at Jiang Chuchu, who was meditating in cultivation before her, her expression somewhat listless, as if she found everything terribly boring.
“You’ve suddenly taken such a great interest in the Successor of Demonic Arts? Seems to me you’re just too idle.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chuchu opened her eyes and spoke with a calm expression.
Ordinarily, given Wang Zijin’s personality, she wouldn’t meddle in anything to do with the Successor of Demonic Arts, even if she was the Successor of Mortal Palace.
The last time she had acted, deep in the Eternal Overcast Battlefield, was only because back at the Longevity Gu Family, she had been assassinated by people sent by the Successor of Demonic Arts — a debt she had kept on the books ever since.
The reason she was saying this now was purely because she was too bored and wanted to find something to do.
“What do you mean, I’m too idle? The Successor of Demonic Arts is running so rampant — as the Successor of Mortal Palace, if I ferret him out and carry out heaven’s justice, restoring peace to all living beings under heaven, is that wrong?”
Wang Zijin retorted. “Jiang Chuchu, since when did you learn to mock people?”
“Then go ahead. Anyway, I can’t find him.” Jiang Chuchu shook her head, her expression still calm and untroubled. “Even the Elders at the Sacred Emperor Realm are helpless. What could I possibly do?”
Besides, even if she did discover some clue, what then?
Go expose Gu Changge?
Jiang Chuchu sighed inwardly, her thoughts incomparably complicated. During this period at the True Immortal Academy, she had actually been secretly paying attention to Gu Changge the whole time.
She didn’t know whether Gu Changge had noticed. Or perhaps he had noticed but simply didn’t care, too indifferent to bother with her.
The events that had taken place deep within the Eternal Overcast Battlefield surfaced in her mind from time to time these days, utterly impossible to shake off.
Jiang Chuchu’s heart could not find peace.
If Gu Changge had no place for her in his heart, then why had he appeared to save her back then, and why had he gone to resolve the Eternal Overcast Crisis within the Eternal Overcast?
Yet afterward, Gu Changge paid her no attention at all, treating her like a stranger, which made her heart ache terribly.
“This isn’t how you used to be.”
“Back then, you hated evil like a mortal enemy. The moment you heard anything about the Successor of Demonic Arts, you’d practically be raising your willow brows in fury and drawing your sword to kill. How could you be sitting here chatting with me so calmly like this?”
Hearing this, Wang Zijin’s face filled with suspicion as she leaned in close to Jiang Chuchu’s side.
Her clear, luminous eyes — eyes that seemed capable of speech — fixed intently on her.
Jiang Chuchu remained calm as she replied, “Why would I dwell on something I cannot accomplish?”
“You really have changed. You’re no longer the Jiang Chuchu I know... The current you neither searches for the Reincarnation of the Mortal One, nor concerns yourself with the calamity of the Absolute Yin Heaven’s descent, and you adopt a bystander’s attitude toward the Successor of Demonic Arts too...”
“All day long it’s cultivate, cultivate, cultivate — or else just spacing out.”
Wang Zijin’s voice was laced with deep suspicion. “Jiang Chuchu, don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love?”
Jiang Chuchu’s expression stiffened slightly, turning a bit unnatural, but she quickly recovered.
She asked indifferently, “What nonsense are you spouting? With our current strength, if we don’t cultivate, what will we do when we truly encounter the Successor of Demonic Arts someday?”
“Oh, keep spinning your tales. Jiang Chuchu, something definitely happened between you and Gu Changge. Fine, don’t admit it — but now you’re even trying to change the subject...”
“Let me tell you, that Gu Changge is a total playboy. He looks like a decent person, but he’s rotten to the core. When the time comes and he’s had his fill of you and wipes his mouth clean with nothing left, don’t you go regretting it.”
Wang Zijin wore an expression of “I’ve long since seen through all your little tricks” as she offered her advice.
“You...”
Hearing this, anger finally showed on Jiang Chuchu’s face — the feeling of having her hidden thoughts seen through.
Weng!!
The next moment, rosy light swirled in her palm, runes interweaving, a terrifying aura about to condense into a divine sword.
She was just about to make a move to teach this Wang Zijin a lesson when suddenly, from outside the cave dwelling, a man’s voice — gentle as jade — rang out.
“Might Saintess Zijin be present?”
That familiar voice made both Jiang Chuchu and Wang Zijin freeze in unison.