Ji Rong was stunned.
She wasn't even sure what she had figured out.
At this moment, as she looked at the coldness in Gu Baiyi's eyes, she recalled the game's setting, Gu Xueyi was the real killer, while Gu Baiyi took the blame.
No matter what Gu Xueyi had done, Gu Baiyi herself was unaware of it. Even if Ji Rong had started to piece together some clues, she could always feign ignorance.
After all, she had no interest in uncovering the heroine's secrets. The more she knew, the faster she'd die.
So Ji Rong wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, let out a cold laugh, and retorted, "What exactly do you think I know?"
Gu Baiyi: "..."
She froze.
She had already prepared herself to be exposed, but unexpectedly, Ji Rong turned the question back on her.
She had been under the control of her inner demon just moments ago—how could she know what it had done? How could she know what Ji Rong had seen?
On the other hand, Ji Rong had made up her mind. Even though she vaguely sensed that something was very wrong with the heroine, she had to play dumb to survive.
But just a single counter-question wasn't enough.
She still wore a cold sneer, but inside, she was panicking.
She had asked, she had laughed, what now?
Help!
Caught in this predicament, Ji Rong had no choice but to put on an act of her own.
She put on a defiant front, acting like she knew everything, and sneered, "What do you think I know? Gu Baiyi, how could you be this foolish?"
At this moment, Gu Baiyi's usual polite, insincere smile was nowhere to be seen.
She dug her nails into her palm and silently waited for Ji Rong to speak further.
She had already braced herself, Ji Rong would expose her secret, and then the Wanjian Sect would learn that she practiced both demonic and orthodox cultivation.
If it was only the Wanjian Sect, she might still have ways to handle it. After all, she had Bai Yushuang as a trump card. But if the truth about her Heavenly Demon bloodline was exposed…
She recalled the Divine Sect's High Priest's prophecy—"The world will unite to exterminate the heavenly demon seed." A bitter smile crossed her lips.
Ji Rong had no idea what a storm was raging inside Gu Baiyi's mind.
Her own brain was completely blank, and all she could do was force herself to appear composed. She deliberately asked, "What kind of cultivation technique are you practicing that led to an inner demon?"
Gu Baiyi's gaze darkened. After a moment, she chuckled softly and asked, "Senior Sister, do you really want to know?"
Ji Rong resisted with every fiber of her being.
No, no, no, please, don't say anything! I don't want to know!
Gu Baiyi's voice was light as she said, "Because—"
"Because you don't even know what kind of dangerous technique you're practicing, do you?"
Ji Rong ruthlessly cut her off.
Before Gu Baiyi could react, she pressed on with conviction, "No wonder your cultivation has been advancing so quickly. So it turns out you've been practicing the 'Huanhua Palace secret art—'Thousand Changes.'"
"Thousand Changes" was a forbidden technique created by the eleventh generation Palace Master of Huanhua Palace. It was strictly prohibited for disciples to cultivate.
While it could rapidly increase one's realm, the practitioner would be trapped in countless illusions. One misstep, and they would go astray, giving birth to an inner demon.
Ji Rong had racked her brain and found that this was the only explanation that could barely patch up the heroine's situation.
Of course, there were plenty of holes in her reasoning, how had the heroine obtained such a forbidden technique? Why had she started cultivating it in the first place?
But none of that mattered! As long as the heroine was willing to accept the excuse, it would all make sense!
Gu Baiyi remained silent.
She studied Ji Rong for a long time, saying nothing.
Ji Rong kept up her composed facade, but her nerves were stretched to the limit.
Life or death hinged on a single moment.
Then, Gu Baiyi's expression slowly shifted from calm to startled.
Her eyes flickered slightly, and she murmured in disbelief, "So I've been practicing 'Thousand Changes' all along? No… that person wouldn't have lied to me…"
Ji Rong: "..."
Damn, the heroine really was born to act. She got into character in an instant.
Even though she knew Gu Baiyi was pretending, Ji Rong didn't let her expression change. She furrowed her brows, playing along, and asked, "Who? Who told you about this technique?"
Gu Baiyi's face was dazed, as if lost in memory.
Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
Then, suddenly, she clutched her chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. In a soft voice, she said, "It must have been years ago… That person only passed this technique to me, but the rest… I…"
She trailed off, rubbing her temples, her face growing even paler. It seemed that merely thinking about the matter caused her unbearable pain.
Ji Rong had no intention of pushing further. She didn't want to know what kind of story Gu Baiyi was about to fabricate.
So she put on a thoughtful look and said slowly, "If you can't remember, then don't dwell on it. But from now on, you must never cultivate this technique again."
Gu Baiyi nodded. "I understand."
Whew—she survived.
Ji Rong let out a breath of relief.
Then, she calmly said to Gu Baiyi, "That's good. You're injured and can't move easily. I'll fetch some water from the pond."
Gu Baiyi nodded in response, smiling as she watched Ji Rong leave.
The matter was thus settled.
Neither of them mentioned the blood on their lips or the traces of battle all around them.
Ji Rong turned and walked slowly to the pond.
She appeared composed as she scooped up a handful of water to wash the blood from the corner of her mouth, but cold sweat was already running down her back.
Damn it. Gu Baiyi definitely knows the plot.
The Heavenly Demon Scroll and Yu Fei could still be explained as game mechanics breaking down, with the heroine acquiring Bai Yushuang's cultivation technique earlier than expected.
But the technique she had just used to smooth things over—Thousand Changes—was something only learned in the late-game main storyline. Not only did the heroine not question it, but she even accepted it, playing along with the setup Ji Rong had given her.
Ji Rong watched the red spreading in the pond, feeling an overwhelming sense of unease.
If this isn't acting, then what the hell is?
…
After Ji Rong left, the smile at the corner of Gu Baiyi's lips slowly faded. She looked at the wound bound in crimson and dark streaks, then touched the red lotus mark on her neck.
A layer of icy silk was wrapped around her back, cool and smooth.
Recalling Ji Rong's indifferent expression, she let out a quiet chuckle.
She didn't believe that her Senior Sister knew nothing.
But this was good. She had secrets, and Ji Rong had secrets. That was only fair.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a shadow suddenly appeared on the ground beside her.
She lifted her gaze and saw the hem of a deep cyan robe.
The woman's ink-black hair draped over her shoulders, and faint dark circles lingered under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days.
Qiu Sushuang frowned slightly at the sight of Gu Baiyi covered in blood. "You're injured."
Gu Baiyi nodded.
Qiu Sushuang said nothing. She unfastened a fragrant sachet from her waist, took out a Rejuvenation Pill, and handed it to Gu Baiyi.
For a moment, Gu Baiyi's expression wavered, and she didn't immediately accept it. After a long pause, she finally came back to herself, gently taking the pill and murmuring, "Thank you."
At that same moment, on the other side, Ji Rong was struggling to find a few withered lotus leaves in the pond.
She plucked them, scooped up some water with the leaves, and reluctantly, prepared to bring it back to Gu Baiyi.
After all, she had a cleanliness obsession and simply couldn't tolerate the heroine wandering around covered in blood right before her eyes.
To maintain the original Ji Rong's aloof persona, she held the lotus leaves in her hands and limped back slowly.
As she walked, she contemplated a thousand different ways to survive while mentally rehearsing the indifferent expression she would wear upon arrival.
But she wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her when she looked up.
Gu Baiyi, her purple robes stained with blood, sat quietly on a rock, gazing up at the woman in cyan.
The latter had a stern and icy demeanor, her fingers gripping a sachet close to her body as she spoke: "No need to thank me."
The lotus leaves in Ji Rong's hands slipped from her grasp, spilling water onto the ground.
Gu Baiyi turned at the sound and saw Ji Rong standing a few steps away.
Ji Rong's expression remained impassive as she bent down to pick up the fallen lotus leaves. Then, without hesitation, she turned and walked away.
For some reason, as Gu Baiyi watched that tattered hem of Ji Rong's silk robes flutter in the wind, the icy silk wrapped around her own wounds suddenly felt as though it were burning hot.
Her throat tightened, and she rasped, "Senior Sister, why are you leaving?"
In truth, what she had wanted to say was "Don't go." But at the last moment, she swallowed the words and changed them into something else.
Ji Rong's expression was calm, but her hands trembled slightly.
She struggled to suppress the corners of her lips from curling up too much, then said with an expressionless face, "I came at the wrong time."