It Really Feels Like a Dream — Repaying Even a Little Counts
It Really Feels Like a Dream — Repaying Even a Little Counts
Ah Qing was still dressed the same as when she had first been captured.
Her coarse hemp clothes were worn and tattered, stained with mud and blood. Head lowered, she followed behind Gu Changge all the way into this place, seemingly blind to everything around her.
Although she had settled down these past few days and no longer needed to keep fleeing, she had not cleaned the grime and bloodstains from her face.
Because for her, this was also a good means of concealment — she needn’t worry about others seeing her true appearance clearly and inviting unnecessary trouble.
Gu Changge showed no disdain or concern over her appearance either.
“A pitiful soul I came across during this hunt. My heart couldn’t bear it, so I rescued her.”
Gu Changge wore a faint smile as he spoke casually.
“So that’s how it is.”
Everyone suddenly understood, not doubting his words in the slightest — they only felt some envy toward Ah Qing.
By that account, she had turned misfortune into blessing, transforming from a captive in the blink of an eye.
If she followed at Gu Changge’s side, even her former hostile power, the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, wouldn’t dare utter a single word.
Of course, none of them knew Ah Qing’s identity — even Yu Lie and the others were completely in the dark.
They purely took her for an ordinary captive, just like the rest, escorted here after being defeated at the borderlands.
Ah Qing stood quietly behind Gu Changge, watching him chat casually with the many young prodigies before him, every single one of them showing him reverence and fawning deference.
Even the one who had arranged this hunting game — the future heir of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty — treated him with utmost respect.
It all felt dreamlike to her, impossible to tell real from false, and her heart could not settle.
Just what was the origin and identity of this Gu Changge who had saved her?
These past few days, Gu Changge had never taken the initiative to ask about her origins and such matters, only occasionally showing a look of interest.
She held a wary attitude toward everything around her, so she had kept silent all along, never speaking of her world’s affairs.
Gu Changge, for his part, seemed in no hurry at all.
But this only made him harder for her to fathom — she didn’t know how she could ever repay the debt she owed him.
She was someone who disliked owing favors, yet Gu Changge had effectively saved her life twice. A debt like that — even serving him as an ox or horse would not be excessive in the slightest.
“Several prodigies of the Red Chain Sect have gone missing.”
A young prodigy suddenly noticed that some people were absent among those who had returned, his gaze trembling slightly.
How could anyone meet with mishap in a hunting game like this? And a whole group of them, no less?
Beneath her sleeves, Ah Qing’s hands tightened slightly, breaking out in a cold sweat. The people who had hunted her down earlier seemed to have been from the Red Chain Sect.
If the other side later investigated and found that the group’s disappearance was connected to Gu Changge, she would step forward without hesitation and take it all upon herself.
“The hunting grounds are fraught with peril. Sometimes running into danger and meeting with accidents is perfectly normal.”
Hearing this, the Second Prince Yu Lie seemed unsurprised. He waved his hand with a smile, telling everyone not to mind it.
Naturally, he had long since received word — after all, there were experts standing watch near the hunting grounds, closely monitoring the situation within.
The moment Gu Changge struck down that group, that expert had sensed it, but dared not make a sound and could only pretend not to have seen.
“Indeed, it truly is perilous in there. Even we ran into no small amount of danger and nearly lost our lives. Brother Zhao Kang and the others really were unlucky.”
Those present were no fools. They understood the Second Prince’s words carried a hidden meaning — he was telling them to leave the matter alone and treat it as an accident. At once, they all chimed in agreement.
Even the Second Prince needed to cover it up — did how that group disappeared really require any more thought?
Ah Qing stared blankly at all of this, nearly unable to react.
What she had thought would become an enormous trouble... was resolved just like that?
She wasn’t stupid — she could tell this Second Prince was telling everyone to leave the matter be.
“Men, remove this young lady’s shackles.”
Just as Ah Qing’s emotions churned in complexity, Second Prince Yu Lie suddenly glanced in her direction and spoke with a smile.
These were Forbidden Weapons specially crafted by the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, inscribed with special Array Patterns and Restrictions.
If anyone tried to force them open with external power, they would simply explode with a bang, taking the captive along with them into utter annihilation of body and soul.
So ordinary people wouldn’t even touch them, let alone try to undo them.
Soon, with a clang, the heavy shackles crashed to the ground, and long-lost magical power once again circulated through her body.
Ah Qing sensed all of this in a daze, feeling ever more that everything was simply too dreamlike.
Not only had this future heir of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty’s attitude toward her undergone an enormous transformation, even the surrounding crowd now cast envious looks at her.
Envying her — a captive?
Although she hadn’t been in this world long, Ah Qing still understood what the future heir of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty represented.
To put it bluntly, with a single word, the other party could dispatch those terrifying armies from before to launch a massive invasion of the world she came from, conquering and occupying it.
Such a figure now stood before her, speaking kindly to her — a complete contrast to his previous cold indifference.
Ah Qing instinctively lifted her eyes to look at Gu Changge.
But he merely sat at the head seat, the corners of his mouth still bearing that usual gentle smile, unhurriedly sipping his tea, eyes lightly lowered — as if all of this were only natural and proper.
Only at this moment did Ah Qing notice that everything within this realm revolved around him as its center.
In her heart, she suddenly understood somewhat why Gu Changge had been able to kill those people so casually back then — even the experts behind the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, upon learning of it, could only pretend not to know.
After leaving that place, Ah Qing’s mood remained deeply dazed. The long-lost peace gave rise to a faint sense of unreality in her.
The palace where Gu Changge temporarily resided was located in the northeast of the imperial palace. The place was exceptionally spirit-rich, with immortal mist drifting about, all manner of rare and wondrous immortal flowers in bloom, rockeries and pavilions stretching on and on — incomparably grand and tranquil, far from the clamor.
After Ah Qing was brought here, she didn’t see Gu Changge again. A maidservant took her to change and wash, to clean away the grime and bloodstains.
She didn’t resist. She lay in a bath carved from bluestone, steam rising from its surface, gorgeous petals drifting down, her dark hair spreading out like a mass of floating seaweed.
Ever since the Otherworldly Sky Demons invaded and her father went missing, she hadn’t relaxed like this in a long time. Her heart grew slack to the extreme.
Her mind was empty; she didn’t want to think about anything.
Since coming to this world, she had become a captive, a prisoner, living days without light.
Every day she thought about how to survive, how to find her father, and then go home.
Clean water, food, spirit fruits, and beautiful clothes — these things had long been far out of her reach, yet now they were suddenly laid out before her.
It really is like a dream.
Ah Qing murmured softly, not closing her eyes. If this was a dream, then when she opened her eyes, would everything shatter like bubbles?
“These are all top-grade healing sacred medicines. They’re very effective for the scars on your arms.”
At that moment, the maidservant came over holding a medicine box and set it down beside the bath.
“Thank you.”
Ah Qing accepted the ointment the maidservant handed over and thanked her politely, looking it over and planning to apply it to her arms and such.
Although her wounds had healed, faint scars still lingered in some places, which would take considerable time to fade.
“N-no need to thank me. This is what we ought to do — and besides, this was all instructed by Young Master Changge.”
The maidservant was clearly somewhat overwhelmed by Ah Qing’s thanks, shaking her head with a flustered expression.
In her view, since this girl had been brought back by Gu Changge, then no matter what her origins were before, she and the girl were now people of different worlds — the order of seniority and status could not be disrupted.
Ah Qing fell silent for a moment, then murmured under her breath, “Young Master Changge...”
Is that his name?
“You... you don’t even know Young Master Changge’s name?”
Hearing this, the maidservant’s eyes went wide in disbelief, as if she had witnessed something inconceivable.
A feeling she couldn’t put into words welled up in her heart — both sour and envious.
The girl before her didn’t even know who Young Master Changge was! By what virtue or ability had she been brought back by him?
Ah Qing nodded, not explaining her circumstances any further.
“Can you tell me about him? I know he’s a good person. I owe him an enormous debt,” Ah Qing said.
The maidservant came back to her senses with difficulty, her gaze complicated.
But the fact that she had been chosen to serve as a maidservant here naturally meant she was no ordinary person.
Soon, she recovered, her tone carrying reverence and admiration. “If you want to hear about Young Master Changge’s deeds, I’m afraid you could listen forever and never hear them all. But you only need to remember one thing.”
“One thing? What?” Ah Qing asked with curiosity.
“Whether in cultivation or in power, Young Master Changge stands at the very pinnacle of the Beyond.”
“In the Beyond today, you need only mention before others that you are Young Master Changge’s person, and even the leaders of supreme sects and immortal orthodoxies wouldn’t dare make things difficult for you. I won’t say you could walk sideways through the world, but absolutely, absolutely no one would dare provoke you.” The maidservant’s eyes shone with longing.
The very pinnacle of the Beyond?
Ah Qing was utterly astonished, then fell silent once more, digesting this enormous amount of information.
She had still greatly underestimated Gu Changge’s identity and origins. She had assumed his status was roughly on par with that heir of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty.
But now it seemed that even the true master of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty would have to treat him as an equal.
And such a figure had actually stepped in to save her?
No wonder so many people envied her so.
“A debt this great — I’m afraid I couldn’t repay it in this lifetime.” A wry smile surfaced at the corners of Ah Qing’s mouth.
“Young Master, the information is completely accurate. A stable Space Rift has indeed appeared at the border of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, and it has persisted for nearly a year since its appearance.”
“The Great Yu Celestial Dynasty has stationed numerous armies around it, publicly claiming they’re guarding against hostile forces, but in truth they’re concealing the entrance to that ancient world.”
Deep within the palace, Gu Changge casually flipped through a Jade Tablet in his hand while a confidant respectfully reported at his side.
“The Great Yu Celestial Dynasty is hiding this with all its might — it seems they’ve long since infiltrated that world. There must be some secret hidden within.”
“These waters aren’t muddy enough yet. Go spread this news and draw the attention of the other powers.”
Gu Changge nodded, pondered for a moment, then spoke again.
The Great Yu Celestial Dynasty wanted to swallow this ancient great world all for itself — Gu Changge certainly wouldn’t agree to that. He just happened to be looking for a suitable spot to fish with baited enforcement.
This suddenly appeared world seemed quite suitable by any measure.
“Yes, Young Master.” The confidant nodded, then thought of something and asked, “Oh right, Young Master — that Fourth Miss of the Tuo Ba household has been clamoring these past days to see you, and she says she knows you’re the one behind it all. Should we dispose of her?”
Gu Changge set down the Jade Tablet in his hand and said casually, “Then let her clamor. She can’t be killed yet. We still need to keep her around for a while longer.”
“This subordinate understands.”
Soon, the space there blurred, and the confidant departed as a wisp of smoke.
Gu Changge’s gaze turned contemplative. He had given Tuo Ba Xiaoyao half a month, but a full half of that time had already passed.
Seven days from now, if Tuo Ba Xiaoyao still couldn’t hand over the Sword of World Domination, then Gu Changge would have no choice but to find another way.
Still, he remained curious — where had Tuo Ba Xiaoyao learned that secret technique?
These past days he had been combing through all manner of ancient texts and had ordered people to investigate, but there wasn’t the slightest clue.
It was as if it truly was as Tuo Ba Xiaoyao had said — the Beyond had no solution.
Could it be a secret technique from some other world?
Gu Changge thought of another possibility — could it be that before his rebirth, Tuo Ba Xiaoyao had been to other worlds and obtained the technique in one of them?
Forget it.
Gu Changge stopped dwelling on the matter and ordered someone to bring Ah Qing over.
He still had quite a few things to ask her.
“Benefactor.”
Soon, led by the maidservant, a freshly washed and dressed Ah Qing appeared before Gu Changge.
Compared to the disheveled, dirt-streaked girl in coarse hemp clothes from when he first saw her, she was now like a pristine lotus in bloom.
She wore a simple, pale-colored dress, her eyes dark as kohl, her dark hair draped loose, her small face proper and pretty, her features like a meticulously sculpted work of art, her skin fine and fair — and the slight lift of her brows carried a sharp edge.
Anyone who saw such a sharp, beautiful girl would feel their eyes light up.
Although she now knew Gu Changge’s identity, she showed none of the stiff unease of ordinary people, appearing quite natural and composed.
“Sit.”
Gu Changge smiled faintly and gestured for her to take a seat.
Ah Qing didn’t stand on ceremony either. She sat down across from Gu Changge, gazing at the many delicacies and spirit fruits on the table, along with various meats radiating glowing light. Forcibly suppressing the daze in her heart, she quickly returned to composure.
How long had it been since she’d seen such rare delicacies?
Every single portion of meat among them emanated a blood-qi force that made her heart tremble.
“There’s only the two of us in this hall. You can set aside the wariness in your heart,” Gu Changge said with a smile.
“I’m just used to it. I don’t mean to doubt your kind intentions, Benefactor.”
Ah Qing nodded, then, seemingly worried Gu Changge might misunderstand, couldn’t help but explain.
“Being wary is a good thing. In this world, if you’re not careful, you won’t live long.”
Gu Changge smiled, raised his cup to drink, and gestured for her to pick up her chopsticks.
“Thank you, Benefactor. Then I won’t hold back.”
Ah Qing didn’t stand on ceremony or fuss over niceties. She began eating as well. Her cultivation hadn’t fully recovered, and these spirit fruits and meats before her were exactly what she needed.
First the ointment, and now these meats to restore her cultivation — Gu Changge’s level of attentiveness surprised even Ah Qing.
Clearly, with his status and position, there was no need for him to consider such things at all, yet he had thought of everything with impeccable thoroughness.
Did someone this perfect truly exist in the world?
“You should know why I had someone call you here,” Gu Changge said.
“Benefactor mentioned before that you wanted to know about the world I live in,” Ah Qing nodded.
Taking this opportunity, she told Gu Changge some information about her world.
This wasn’t some secret that couldn’t be shared with others anyway.
She was, by nature, someone who disliked owing anything — especially a life-saving debt. Of course, she didn’t think that telling Gu Changge this information could cancel out his kindness.
But repaying even a little counted for something.