Chapter 157: A Fluttering Heart

"Swear by your inner demons that you will never ruin the reputation of my little Jiu!"

Gu Qingzhou fixed his gaze firmly on Master Qianji, demanding in a cold voice.

Master Qianji's face instantly turned pitch black, and the salty taste of blood in his mouth could no longer be suppressed. With a loud gasp, he spat out a large mouthful of blood.

"You—you are simply going too far!"

"If you harbor no such despicable intentions, what harm is there in swearing an inner demon oath?"

Seeing Master Qianji's reaction, Gu Qingzhou sneered tauntingly.

He had to be on his guard. In the cultivation world, the master-disciple relationship was of paramount importance, and the master naturally held the upper hand.

If Master Qianji were to harbor resentment in the future and spread malicious gossip outside to ruin his little Jiu's reputation, and considering that little Jiu had indeed once entered the Joyful Sect—whose reputation was notoriously foul—then even with ten mouths, little Jiu would never be able to clear her name!

Fairy Yulan said softly, "Qianji, since it has come to this, just make the inner demon oath!"

Master Qianji clutched his chest, catching his breath. Barely managing to suppress his bitter hatred, he pointed to the heavens and swore:

"I, Qianji, swear here today that I shall never ruin Huan'er's reputation in the future! Should I violate this oath, may my cultivation never advance another inch for the rest of my life!"

An oath made by a cultivator was different from that of an ordinary mortal. Once a cultivator swore an oath, it would trigger a resonance with heaven and earth.

Therefore, the moment Master Qianji finished speaking, a mysterious force descended from the skies upon him, forming a moral restriction. Thus, the inner demon oath was successfully established.

"Immortal Qianji, are you satisfied now?" Master Qianji asked, casting a venomous glance at Gu Qingzhou.

Gu Qingzhou's lips curled slightly. The more uncomfortable Master Qianji appeared, the more nonchalant he felt.

As the saying goes, one's joy is always built upon the suffering of others.

Should others suffer, or should oneself suffer? A wise man naturally chooses to let others suffer!

"Old man Qianji, you still have some measure of sense," Gu Qingzhou said lightly. "From this day forth, the master-disciple bond between you and my little Jiu is hereby severed. From now on, you have nothing to do with each other!"

Thinking of the painstaking effort of three years that had vanished into thin air in a single moment, Master Qianji felt another surge of old blood rise to his throat, his face flushing a mottled purple.

He cast a cold glance at Gu Weihuan, who had remained silent throughout, let out a harsh snort through his nose, stepped onto his sword, and soared away.

"Does Immortal Gu have any other business?" As a Golden Core cultivator and the head of the Joyful Sect, Fairy Yulan naturally possessed her own pride.

Right now, she had no desire to lower herself to curry favor with someone who was cold to her. Seeing that Master Qianji had already left, and being in a foul mood herself, she simply said in a flat tone.

"Farewell!" Gu Qingzhou gave Fairy Yulan a crisp and decisive bow, taking his leave.

Having said that, he beckoned to Gu Weiyu and the others, "Ayu, Little Jiu, Little Si, let's go!"

Gu Weiyu and her party boarded the flying vessel one after another. The vessel quickly ascended into mid-air and departed from the Joyful Sect.

Fairy Yulan stood quietly in place, silently watching the vessel depart, until the other three elders walked up to her sides. " Sect Master, about today's events—"

"Today's events were entirely brought upon himself by Qianji," Fairy Yulan said with a calm expression and a gentle voice. "Very well, you may all disperse!"

With that, she suddenly raised her voice, swept her gaze across the surroundings, and a formidable aura surged from her body. Her voice was as cold as freezing ice:

"No one present today shall speak of these events to the outside world. Otherwise, you shall face the sect's laws!"

Those who had been quietly hiding in the shadows eavesdropping tightened their expressions upon hearing this, secretly warning themselves to keep the matter locked forever in the depths of their stomachs.

Fairy Yulan swept her divine sense across the surroundings once more, flicked her sleeve, and returned to her floating island.

The cultivators of the Joyful Sect were not adept at fighting, and most of them were content with the status quo, unwilling to stand out. Otherwise, today's affair might have taken a completely different turn!

—————

After Gu Weiyu and her party left the Joyful Sect, they did not return to Yun County. Instead, they steered the flying vessel directly northward toward Anlin County.

inside the flying vessel, Chu Liuxing inched closer to Gu Weihuan, who was sitting in a daze by the window, and smiled ingratiatingly, "I am Chu Liuxing. Can we be friends?"

Gu Weihuan remained lost in her own world, unable to pull herself out. After a long while, she slowly turned her head to look at Chu Liuxing.

A brilliant, radiant smile appeared before her eyes—a smile so bright and dazzling, pure and natural. For some unknown reason, it touched her heart.

"Okay." Gu Weihuan twitched the corners of her lips, forcing out a faint smile.

This subtle smile was like melting snow in early spring, gradually illuminating Gu Weihuan's peerless beauty, especially the faint dimples and clear, crystalline eyes that shone like bright pearls.

Chu Liuxing gazed intently at Gu Weihuan's face. *Thump, thump*—his heartbeat seemed to grow faster and faster, as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

His ears hummed with a buzzing sound. At that moment, he could hear nothing else, nor could he see anything else; his entire mind and soul were filled solely with Gu Weihuan's smile.

Chu Liuxing felt the blood in his body rushing upward uncontrollably, surging higher and higher, rushing on and on until his entire being was in a daze.

Gu Weihuan looked somewhat bewildered at Chu Liuxing, who suddenly seemed to have turned into a fool. Didn't he just say they would be friends? Why had he suddenly gone mute?

Moreover, Chu Liuxing's gaze was far too burning, causing her to lower her head in bashfulness and a trace of helplessness.

Gu Weiyu, glancing over by chance, suddenly widened her eyes and exclaimed in surprise:

"Brother Chu, why are your nosebleeds flowing?"

Startled, Gu Weihuan looked up at Chu Liuxing's nose and indeed saw blood welling out from it at some point.

She instinctively pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Chu Liuxing.

Stunned back to reality, Chu Liuxing saw everyone staring at his nose and finally raised a hand to touch it lightly.

At this touch, a warm, sticky liquid stained his fingertips.

He looked down, and a bright red met his eyes.

He was actually having a nosebleed?!

"Pfft—" Seeing him looking so foolish, Gu Weiyu couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Quickly wipe it away!"

A soft voice sounded. Chu Liuxing looked up and saw a plain handkerchief being handed toward him by Gu Weihuan.

Feeling somewhat flattered, he looked up at Gu Weihuan for a long moment before finally reaching out to take the handkerchief and pressing it against his nose.

A refreshing and subtle fragrance wafted over, creeping from his nasal cavity into his mouth and penetrating deep into every part of his body.

He closed his eyes in intoxicated bliss and took a deep breath.

The blood in his veins boiled once more. He felt his body growing hotter and hotter, and something else was about to flow from his nose.

No!

He couldn't keep thinking like this!

Chu Liuxing hurriedly reined in his wild imagination and reluctantly moved the handkerchief slightly away from his face.

Gu Weiyu leaned in close to Chu Liuxing, looking at him with a fascinated expression. "Brother Chu, is my ninth sister's handkerchief especially fragrant?"

Upon hearing this teasing remark, both Chu Liuxing and Gu Weihuan flushed crimson for reasons unknown.

"Eleventh Sister—" Gu Weihuan stamped her foot and scurried off to the other side.

Holding the handkerchief, Chu Liuxing began to chuckle foolishly.