"Seeing Off Guests" (Bonus Update)

To this question, Gu Chengyin revealed a gentle smile.

Then he repeated what he had said not long ago:

"Whether it is you, or her."

"As long as it is Lin Qingyan, I like you."

Lin Qingyan was stunned. Even though she had already heard these two sentences once.

But the feeling before and after was completely different.

Because previously, he was speaking to the inner demon, and this time, he was speaking to Lin Qingyan.

To different forms, it carried different meanings.

But it was the exact same affection.

Even when Gu Chengyin stood up, Lin Qingyan had not yet recovered her senses.

Looking at Lin Qingyan's dazed appearance, Gu Chengyin reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head.

"Auntie, hold off on your breakthrough for now. Wait for me to go make some arrangements."

After saying that, Gu Chengyin turned and walked toward the stairs.

His footsteps gradually faded away, disappearing at the end of the staircase.

Lin Qingyan remained sitting by the window, motionless.

Moonlight spilled in through the carved window frames, falling on her and casting her shadow on the ground.

She just sat there, staring blankly in the direction Gu Chengyin had left.

On her breathtakingly beautiful face, there was not a trace of her usual aloofness.

There was only gentleness.

After a long time, Lin Qingyan finally came back to her senses.

She lowered her head and gently touched her chest.

Her heart was beating fast, so fast it felt like a little deer was bumping against it.

Lin Qingyan bit her lower lip, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help turning up:

"As long as it's me, he likes it!"

After saying this, the smile on Lin Qingyan's face grew even more tender.

Gu Chengyin walked down the mountain under the moonlight, his mind calculating rapidly.

Lin Qingyan was about to break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

This was a major event.

It wasn't something where they could just find a random place and he could simply stand guard beside her.

Lin Qingyan was the Celestial Master Mansion's Jingzhe. She was the strongest killing force of the Celestial Master Mansion's current generation.

Her breakthrough concerned the face of the Celestial Master Mansion, its foundation, and its status across the entire Great Luo.

Did Lin Qingyan have enemies?

Of course she did.

The title of Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion wasn't boasted about; it was forged through slaughter.

The people she had slain, the factions she had suppressed, the scoundrels who dared not make a move because of her existence.

Were they truly resigned?

Would they really let this opportunity slip by?

No matter the cultivation realm, the moment of breakthrough was always when a cultivator was at their most vulnerable.

If someone came to cause trouble at this time...

Gu Chengyin narrowed his eyes, a flash of killing intent passing through them.

Therefore, this was not just Lin Qingyan's matter.

It was not just his, Gu Chengyin's, matter either.

It was a matter for the Celestial Master Mansion, and a matter for the entirety of Great Luo.

What Gu Chengyin needed to arrange was exactly this.

At the end of the mountain path, a patch of lights gradually appeared.

That was the plaza of the Azure Sword Sect. Gu Chengyin quickened his pace and soon arrived at the plaza.

The plaza was brightly lit.

Countless torches were planted all around, illuminating the entire square as bright as day.

Chen Busha was standing in the center of the plaza, directing a group of people to do something.

Around him were gathered the experts of the Sect Inspection Group, each wearing a solemn expression and standing ready for battle.

Jiang Qingshan stood to the side, watching coldly.

The aura he exuded no longer held its previous humble restraint.

Instead, it was replaced by uncontainable killing intent.

That killing intent was almost tangible.

Gu Chengyin took this in and nodded slightly in his heart.

This was what a Golden Core realm expert should look like.

Having been marginalized for so many years, enduring for so many years, holding it in for so many years.

Now, he could finally unleash it.

"Young Preceptor Gu!"

Noticing Gu Chengyin's arrival, Chen Busha hurriedly came forward to greet him, and the crowd also bowed in succession.

Gu Chengyin gave a hum of acknowledgment, his gaze passing over them to look toward the center of the plaza.

There were five people there.

They were precisely the five managing elders from the banquet table earlier.

At this moment, they were in a miserable state, their clothes in tatters and heavily bloodstained.

A single glance was enough to tell they had just been through a bloody battle.

Now, they were bound tightly, their mouths stuffed with white cloth, slumped on the ground like five dead dogs.

When they saw Gu Chengyin appear, the eyes of those five people suddenly lit up.

It was the light of pleasant surprise.

The light of begging for help.

The light of seeking salvation.

They made muffled whimpering sounds, their bodies twisting incessantly on the ground, desperately trying to catch Gu Chengyin's attention.

But Gu Chengyin merely glanced at them.

Then he withdrew his gaze, acting as if he had seen nothing at all.

He looked at Jiang Qingshan, his tone carrying a hint of blame.

"Sect Master Jiang, didn't I tell you to 'see the guests out'? Why haven't they been sent off yet?"

His tone was airy, as if he were talking about a trivial, insignificant matter.

But the implication behind those words made the five elders freeze instantly.

'See the guests out'?

This was 'seeing the guests out'?

They looked at Gu Chengyin, their eyes full of disbelief.

Yet Gu Chengyin did not even look at them.

Hearing this, Jiang Qingshan retracted all of his killing intent.

He bowed his head slightly toward Gu Chengyin and said respectfully, "Please forgive me, Young Preceptor Gu. It is my sect's incompetence."

His voice was very calm, so calm it sounded like a genuine apology.

But when he spoke his next words, his tone abruptly changed.

"They will be sent off immediately!"

His voice brimmed with killing intent.

Seeing this, Chen Busha immediately signaled several peak Foundation Establishment realm experts to step forward.

Dragging and pulling, they took away the five tightly bound managing elders.

The five struggled desperately, making frantic muffled noises, but to no avail.

Soon, their figures vanished into the night.

Gu Chengyin swept his gaze over the people in the plaza.

Most of them were experts from the Sect Inspection Group, each with a steady aura and sharp eyes.

However, there were still some people wearing the attire of the Azure Sword Sect.

Among them was Jiang Qingzheng, whom he had met earlier.

It seemed these were the people directly under Jiang Qingshan.

Even though he had been marginalized for so many years, he still had a few trusted aides.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze and looked at Jiang Qingshan.

"Two things."

Jiang Qingshan's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly focused his attention to listen.

Gu Chengyin said, "First thing, a sudden emergency has arisen."

"Therefore, the Sect Inspection Group will stay at the Azure Sword Sect for a few more days."

Jiang Qingshan blanked slightly.

Stay for a few more days?

Jiang Qingshan looked at Gu Chengyin, complex emotions revealing themselves in his eyes.

Of course he understood Gu Chengyin's meaning.

This was to hold the fort.

The five managing elders who held real power had all been 'sent off'.

As long as the Sect Inspection Group remained for a day, as long as Gu Chengyin remained for a day.

The backers behind these five people wouldn't dare to reach their hands in.

Then the Azure Sword Sect wouldn't descend into chaos.

This was also the absolute best time to purge the sect from top to bottom.

Jiang Qingshan didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately agreeing: "This Sect Master understands."

Gu Chengyin nodded and didn't say anything more.

His gaze turned to the side, finally landing on a person.

That person was wearing the Daoist robes of the Celestial Master Mansion, had a steady aura, and looked to be in his forties.

He was the leading enshrinee of the Luodu Celestial Master Mansion.

He was also the disciple of Elder Qiu.

Gu Chengyin looked at him, and when he opened his mouth, his words were earth-shattering.

"The second thing, an emergency."

"Lady Jingzhe is about to break through. I request the Celestial Master Mansion to immediately dispatch people to protect her."