Chapter 153: Lightning Speed

So, has Ninth Sister been living like this all these years? A pang of heartache pierced through Gu Weiyu's mind.

After bidding farewell to Luyi, Gu Weiyu returned to the Ascendant Inn with a heavy heart, sitting by the window and staring blankly at the bustling pedestrians on the street.

In her mind, scene after scene flashed continuously like a revolving lantern:

Inside the Yanhui Hall, when she was being unreasonably picked on by her Fifth Sister, Gu Weifang.

"Fifth Sister, Third Brother has always been generous; he certainly won't mind."

Ninth Sister's soft, timid voice sounded beside her ear, even though she was utterly terrified of Fifth Sister in her heart.

...

Among the peach and plum trees, a girl of about seven or eight dressed in pink appeared before her. Her hair was tied into two small buns, and her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with watery light.

Looking at them with a hint of trepidation, she whispered softly, "I am Little Jiu. Can I come with you?"

"Of course you can!" she had replied, and the young girl's eyes instantly lit up brilliantly, as she walked slowly toward her.

...

In the Peach Blossom Dock, Gu We欢 stood gracefully under a peach tree, holding a peach in her hand, and smiled sweetly, "Fourth Sister, how did you know I was craving the peaches from your courtyard?"

...

In the Emerald Bamboo Courtyard, Gu Weihuan cast a meaningful glance at Gu Qingyun:

"Who says otherwise? The Gu family is originally one; when one prospers, all prosper, and when one suffers, all suffer! Fourth Sister has made a breakthrough, aren't we also sharing in the honor?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyun was enlightened as if struck by a sudden realization, seeing that he had been trapping himself in a dead end.

...

"Ninth Young Miss possesses extraordinary grace at such a tender age, and she will surely grow into a breathtaking beauty capable of toppling cities!" The matchmaker, who had seen countless people, could not help but praise upon beholding Gu Weihuan's appearance.

Teased and praised by everyone in the room, Gu Weihuan blushed furiously.

...

Whether brave, mischievous and cute, discerning and proper, or charming and lovely... Gu Weiyu for a moment struggled to pull herself back to reality.

"Little Eleventh, what did Little Jiu say?"

A cold, clear voice sounded from behind her, interrupting Gu Weiyu's reminiscence.

Turning around, she saw Gu Weilan standing beside her, her expression still calm, yet her eyes filled with deep concern.

"Fourth Sister, Ninth Sister, she—" Gu Weiyu's eyes reddened, and tears almost fell as she recounted what had happened at the Joyful Valley.

"Ninth Sister must have some unspeakable hardship; otherwise, she wouldn't act like this..."

A strange look crossed Gu Weilan's eyes, and suddenly her gaze locked firmly onto Gu Weiyu's shoulder.

Taking a step closer, she drew a pale yellow note from the collar of Gu Weiyu's robe.

"This is..." Gu Weiyu widened her eyes in shock. When was this note slipped into her collar? Was it Ninth Sister who tucked it into her clothes?

Carefully unfolding the note, Gu Weilan scanned it in ten lines before handing it to Gu Weiyu with a darkened expression.

Gu Weiyu silently accepted the note and read it. Faint tear stains were visible upon the paper, and every single word was steeped in sorrow and distress.

"Eleventh Sister, what Ninth Sister said and did today was not her true desire. Alas, Ninth Sister is currently helpless against her circumstances, so please do not truly be angry with Ninth Sister...

Furthermore, Master will certainly not permit it. Do not waste your efforts further and squander your fine youth..."

"Fourth Sister, this True Monarch Qianji is simply going too far!"

Upon finishing the letter, Gu Weiyu could not help but crumple the note into a ball. "No, I am going to send a transmission talisman to Great-Great-Grandfather right now!"

True Monarch Qianji had indeed saved her Ninth Sister, but that did not give him the right to trap her in a cage without an ounce of freedom!

Her Ninth Sister was a living, breathing human being, not a caged bird or finch!

Hearing this, Gu Weilan did not object. Her own impression of True Monarch Qianji was extremely poor, and she wished she could draw her sword and storm the Joyful Sect to demand justice for Little Jiu.

Yet, True Monarch Qianji was a Core Formation cultivator. Although she was only an elder of a minor branch of the Joyful Sect and not a combat-focused sword cultivator, her strength...

Had Chu Xingyun not been severely injured earlier, causing his cultivation to drop to the Foundation Establishment stage and preventing him from exerting his full power, the combined efforts of herself and Xu Weizhou would likely have been in vain.

After all, the gap between the Foundation Establishment stage and the Core Formation stage was as vast as earth and heaven. Since they were merely in the early Foundation Establishment stage, how could they dare to harbor delusions of matching a Core Formation cultivator unless blessed with heaven-defying fortune?

Taking out a pale green transmission talisman, Gu Weiyu swiftly penned hundreds of words in a matter of dozen seconds.

After filling the entire talisman with her writing, she flicked it out the window, watching it fly out of Yun County and head straight north.

————

In Anlin County, the Hu family estate.

Gu Qingzhou was leisurely seated in the main hall of the Hu family, while the rest of the Hu family members respectfully accompanied him on the side, exchanging pleasantries with Gu Qun.

As they were conversing animatedly, a pale green transmission talisman fluttered through the window into the room, flying straight toward Gu Qingzhou and spinning around him.

The people in the hall glanced unostentatiously in Gu Qingzhou's direction, only to see him raise a hand and catch the talisman in his palm.

A gentle breeze swept past, and when everyone looked again, Gu Qingzhou's figure had already vanished without a trace.

"Third Brother, I shall return shortly."

A divine sense transmission echoed in Gu Qun's sea of consciousness, leaving behind a profoundly resentful Gu Qun: "..."

Elder Brother, did you forget something? Why did you leave him behind again!

Meanwhile, after leaving the Hu family estate alone, Gu Qingzhou utilized his Gale Step to flash past the city gates of Anlin County.

Once outside the city, he summoned his flying ship, shooting forward like a meteor toward Yun County.

After dispatching the transmission talisman, Gu Weiyu slumped listlessly by the window. "This is so boring..."

Gu Weilan glanced out the window and returned to the quiet room to cultivate without a word.

Seeing this, Gu Weiyu also stood up. Realizing she had indeed grown somewhat lax in her cultivation recently, she walked toward the quiet room, forcing herself to calm down and plunge into meditation.

In the adjacent room, Chu Liuxing was lying on the bed, tossing and turning while muttering complaints.

"Aiyah, I'm dying of boredom! One is an iceberg, the other is a piece of wood, and Feather Brother, the only person I could actually chat with, went out..."

Gu Weiyu had returned in low spirits and kept a low profile, so Chu Liuxing had no idea she was already back; otherwise, Gu Weiyu probably wouldn't have been able to focus on her cultivation anyway.

After grumbling for a good while, he slowly dragged himself up from the bed, walked over to the window, and pushed it open.

As the window swung open, the sound-isolation array in the room automatically deactivated, and the bustling noises of the street instantly flooded in.

It was currently the hour of Chen, and the marketplace was extremely lively. Endless streams of vendors hawking their wares, children shouting and playing, and adults bargaining filled the air...

Chu Liuxing was watching two people in a street corner with great amusement.

Suddenly, a flash of scarlet caught the corner of his eye. Subconsciously raising his head, he watched that streak of red vanish into the window of the adjacent room.

That was...

Chu Liuxing slapped his thigh abruptly, spun around excitedly, and ran out of the room.

Both Gu Weiyu and Gu Weilan were meditating in their quiet room when a lazy voice suddenly broke the silence: "Feather Lass?"

Gu Weiyu, sitting cross-legged in meditation, snapped her eyes open and looked toward the outer room in pleasant surprise. "Great-Great-Grandfather?"

How long had it been since she sent the transmission talisman, and yet Great-Great-Grandfather had already arrived?

At this speed, he was truly as swift as lightning!