Chapter 497: Crumbling Persona

Note: Author stopped quoting Qingcheng’s name from here.

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What should have been a normal situation became slightly awkward. Liu Churan’s movements earlier had shifted the bag of holding into a delicate spot.

Gu Qingcheng reached out her hand, intending to remove the bag. However, Liu Churan seemed to have some awareness and tightened her grip, trapping Gu Qingcheng’s hand along with it.

Gu Qingcheng cringed and then nervously observed Liu Churan’s condition, only to see Liu Churan still asleep and making strange noises in her dreams.

With her movements, the bag of holding became even more tightly gripped. This suggestive scene, combined with Liu Churan’s breathtaking appearance, made Gu Qingcheng feel increasingly flustered.

Even though Liu Churan used to be just a little girl, now she had ascended to the pinnacle of the Unparalleled Beauty List. What made her even more precious was that, despite her alluring appearance, Liu Churan remained untouched.

This contrast only intensified the desire to destroy that purity.

Gu Qingcheng gently touched the area around the bag of holding, trying to get Liu Churan to release it.

Slowly, the tightly closed ‘door’ opened up, freeing the bag, and it fell. Just as Gu Qingcheng reached out to pick it up, the ‘door’ suddenly slammed shut, trapping her hand once more.

For a brief moment, Gu Qingcheng suspected that Liu Churan was doing it intentionally. Gu Qingcheng looked at her, trying to discern any changes in her expression or breathing that might reveal she was faking it.

But it seemed that Liu Churan was truly asleep. She subconsciously treated Gu Qingcheng’s hand like a blanket, instinctively seeking comfort she couldn’t otherwise attain.

While Madam Yu had been so forward, Liu Churan’s demeanor seemed the opposite. Beneath her licentious surface, she maintained a complete innocence. Gu Qingcheng didn’t know what to think of Liu Churan’s reserved attitude.

Still, she instinctively withdrew her hand. Immediately, Liu Churan’s brows furrowed as if she were about to wake.

“Master, you’re truly out of your mind,” Ghost Mother observed, watching the scene unfold and thinking Gu Qingcheng was hopeless.

Liu Churan would have been more than happy to offer herself, yet here Gu Qingcheng was, doing something inappropriate while Liu Churan was drunk.

“Don’t talk nonsense, hurry and find a quilt… even a blanket would do. This is one of Ran’er’s sleeping habits. If she doesn’t have something to hold onto while sleeping, she gets restless,” Gu Qingcheng hurriedly explained.

She had discovered this when she used to sleep with the young Liu Churan, and apparently, the grown-up Liu Churan still had the same habit. However, it seemed that grown-up Liu Churan had an even greater need for security than her child self.

Ghost Mother listened with clear dissatisfaction, but recalled the consequences of not cooperating with Gu Qingcheng. She directed her umbrella to fly through the air and quickly found a thin blanket, which she delivered to Gu Qingcheng.

Gu Qingcheng gently draped the blanket over Liu Churan, and Liu Churan instinctively rolled herself up in it, hugging the blanket tightly. The longer Gu Qingcheng looked at the blanket, the more familiar it seemed. It was the very blanket she had lost some time ago. This realization left Gu Qingcheng with mixed feelings.

With the bag of holding in her hand, Gu Qingcheng collected a few of her spoils but felt a bit sheepish. She left a note, informing Liu Churan that she had taken some spirit wine to bring back.

After finishing all this, Gu Qingcheng turned to check, only to see that Fairy Fengya had drunk herself silly. Next to her were several empty wine bottles. She had managed to drink no less than five.

Gu Qingcheng gave a bitter smile. “I really didn’t expect this. Behind that persona, you turn out to be a drunkard.”

She leaned closer to the almost limp Fairy Fengya, catching a whiff of her delicate fragrance. There was a subtle change in Fairy Fengya’s expression. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her entire body exuded the aroma of spirit wine. It seemed she was genuinely drunk.

Hearing Gu Qingcheng’s comment, she opened her mouth to ask, “What do you mean by ‘persona’?”

Fairy Fengya’s voice had also changed at this point. She leaned into Gu Qingcheng’s embrace, struggling to maintain her last shred of rationality. Her current expression was far more endearing than the one she usually wore.

Gu Qingcheng chuckled. “Number one on the Unparalleled Beauty List, admired by all—that’s Fairy Fengya.”

Fairy Fengya shook her head. “I… don’t need such superficial things.”

“But that’s your persona—the impression you’ve given everyone.”

Fairy Fengya nodded. She always seemed to grasp Gu Qingcheng’s words in the quickest time. Looking at Gu Qingcheng, she asked, “What about your persona?”

Gu Qingcheng gave a bitter smile. She had ended up like this thanks to Fairy Fengya’s influence. As she thought that, she still held Fairy Fengya in her arms and answered, “My persona is ‘the strongest in the world’, but in reality, I’m only second.”

Fairy Fengya, seemingly intrigued by matters of cultivation, clumsily asked, “Then… who is… the true strongest?”

“Someone called Fairy Fengya.”

Fairy Fengya seemed completely confused. “Why does that person’s name sound so familiar?”

“Because that person is you! So, please, ascend already, so that we ‘small’ people still have some hope.”

Gu Qingcheng couldn’t help but think of the insurmountable wall that was Fairy Fengya. As long as she was around, Gu Qingcheng, the so-called ‘strongest in the world’, would always be held back. Even though the whole realm believed that Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng was invincible, as long as Fairy Fengya remained, she would inevitably be exposed one day.

Losing the title of ‘strongest’ wasn’t the scary part—it was the fall from the throne she had sat in for decades. As Gu Qingcheng contemplated this small fear, she saw Fairy Fengya shake her head firmly.

“No, can’t leave yet,” she said.

Drunk Fairy Fengya seemed to be more talkative. Curious, Gu Qingcheng inquired, “Haven’t you always wanted to see the new realm?”

Fairy Fengya’s voice grew fainter, as if she were about to doze off. She snuggled further into Gu Qingcheng’s embrace and whispered, “You… haven’t left yet.”

This casual statement filled Gu Qingcheng with more joy than anything else happening lately. She couldn’t quite explain why, but just as she was about to respond, Fairy Fengya fell asleep.

The strongest in the world looked so defenseless, as if a single move could end her life.

Yet Gu Qingcheng didn’t dare. She held Fairy Fengya in her arms and called for Sword Ghost to open the door.

They were about to leave through the main entrance. Even though Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng had retired from the limelight, she still carried herself with style. She wanted Liu Churan to know she had been here, but Gu Qingcheng would never stay for anyone.

Ghost Mother stood watching nearby, her eyes filled with longing. She cared deeply, but pretended she didn’t.

Gu Qingcheng noticed Ghost Mother’s look, smiled, and asked again, “You sure you’re not coming with me?”

Ghost Mother stubbornly shook her head. “No way, you hopeless womanizer!”