Chapter 1274, The Primary Hope Saintess’ Second Attempt; It Might Be a Trap?

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

A thin curtain surrounded the pavilion, swaying gently like a translucent veil. The alluring outline of the Primary Hope Saintess could faintly be seen behind the curtain, revealing her slender and graceful waist.

 

Only the Primary Hope Saintess and Gu Changge remained in the pavilion after Chu Xinyue left.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess had not expected Gu Changge to enter the pavilion without permission. It was as though she was nothing more than an insect in his eyes. However, she had come to understand something important from her previous experience: He was far stronger than her, so it was better not to disobey him directly.

 

Despite her disgruntlement, she did not show her emotions on her face. She quickly collected her thoughts and regained her composure. The curtain fluttered gently in the air. She remained seated behind the curtain, carelessly toying with the wine glass in her slender and delicate hands.

 

“Why did you come here today, Young Master Gu?” The Primary Hope Saintess asked nonchalantly.

 

“Can’t I come here without a reason?” Gu Changge smiled faintly and gently lifted the hem of his robes to sit down opposite her.

 

She looked up at him, unable to guess what he was thinking. The last time she tried to seduce him, she had ended up losing badly. It had been very frustrating for her.

 

She had ‘experienced countless battles’ through the Mirror of Reincarnation to understand his personality, character, and preferences. Be that as it may, the simulated future in the Mirror of Reincarnation turned out to be completely different from reality.

 

The deaths she experienced in the simulated future of the Mirror of Reincarnation would not affect her in reality, but that was not the case if she died here. Under these circumstances, it would really mean death for her. There was no other possible outcome. Not to mention, facing a terrifying and unknown existence like him made her overly cautious. She simply could not play to her true advantage.

 

Upon hearing Gu Changge’s answer, the Primary Hope Saintess fell silent for a moment. Her mind suddenly raced with various thoughts.

 

The last time they met, she had been overly eager for success. That was why he immediately saw through her crude seduction act, which ultimately led to the subsequent incidents. Although he later threatened and frightened her, he did not harm her in the end.

 

“Please speak frankly, Young Master Gu. In my opinion, people like you would never come here without a reason.” After gathering her thoughts, she stated calmly.

 

He shook his head lightly and said, “It seems that you are still on guard against me, Saintess. I thought you would have less prejudice against me after the last incident.”

 

Those words made her expression turn sour. At the same time, she substantially tightened her grip on her wine glass in anger. It would have been better if he had not mentioned the incident. She was instantly reminded of how miserable she looked when he threw her on the bed back then. Her appearance at the time was completely shameful, stripped completely of her usual transcendence and purity.

 

Naturally, the main reason was that she had been extremely frightened. She had honestly thought that she was going to be violated by him. Who could have known that he was only frightening her so that she would show such a panicked expression?

 

“You are such a kind and gentle person, Young Master Gu. How could I hold any prejudice against you?” The Primary Hope Saintess gritted her teeth for a moment. Then, she forced her voice to be friendly and natural.

 

Gu Changge chuckled. “I wonder who was it that refused to let me in just now?”

 

His words rendered her speechless for a moment. Hence, she decided to say nothing and leisurely sipped from her wine glass behind the curtain instead. She was not wearing a veil, and her drinking movements were not particularly elegant. On the contrary, she seemed to be using her movements to hide something.

 

He was not bothered by her reaction. The main reason he came here was to see whether the Land of Celestial Suffering planned to attack the Primary Hope Saintess and investigate what methods the Land of Celestial Suffering employed.

 

Before leaving the pavilion, Chu Xinyue had glared at him fiercely. It was clear that she was trying her best to endure something. Judging by her reaction, the Land of Celestial Suffering would probably turn their attention on him as soon as they finished dealing with the Primary Hope Saintess. Unfortunately, he could not confirm how she planned to attack him from the brief encounter earlier.

 

If Chu Xinyue was simply planning to approach the Primary Hope Saintess and deepen their relationship, then wouldn’t that mean the Land of Celestial Suffering was seriously underestimating the Primary Hope Saintess’ determination? After all, the Primary Hope Saintess was a smart woman. She definitely had her own plans in mind, so it was impossible for her to lean towards the Land of Celestial Suffering.

 

“I heard that the Land of Celestial Suffering might take action against you in the near future, Saintess.” Glancing at the woman behind the curtain who was silently drinking with her eyes lowered, Gu Changge gave a small smile.

 

His statement made the Primary Hope Saintess freeze mid-motion of bringing her crystal wine glass to her mouth. The truth was that she did not believe the Land of Celestial Suffering would take such measures, and her belief stemmed from the fact that she deemed the Land of Celestial Suffering too cowardly to take action.

 

However, he had taken the initiative to tell her about this matter. Was he asking her to be wary of the Land of Celestial Suffering?

 

In any case, both Gu Changge and the Land of Celestial Suffering were no different in her eyes. Who could say whether he was deliberately deceiving her?

 

“Oh?” At that thought, the Primary Hope Saintess suddenly pursed her lips. Placing her wine glass beside her, she stretched lazily in a relaxed manner. Then, she added with a smile, “I can’t believe you took the initiative to tell me about the matter, Young Master Gu. It seems that you care for me after all.”

 

“Perhaps. I just don’t want to see you suffering at the hands of the Land of Celestial Suffering. If you were defeated by the Land of Celestial Suffering, it would somewhat affect my upcoming plans after all.” Gu Changge answered with a similar smile.

 

She stood up and parted the thin curtain. Walking over gracefully, she laughed and asked, “But, how do I know you are not also targeting me, Young Master Gu?”

 

He looked at her and replied with some amusement, “You don’t need to know whether or not I am targeting you. You only need to know that I would not have let you go during our last encounter if I had plans for you in the first place.”

 

Her bright eyes glittered as though there were thousands of lights flowing through them. She pushed back a strand of hair that dangled near her ear and glanced at him with a look of affection. “Young Master Gu, your words are very hurtful. This is the first time I’ve been so affectionate towards anybody, but you are so cruel to me.”

 

His expression did not change at the sight of her pitiful appearance, and he continued to speak with amusement in his voice.” I warned you the last time, Saintess. If you can’t bring yourself to seduce another man, then don’t try to target me again. Because I won’t let you off so easily twice. Are you testing me now to see whether I was only trying to scare you?”

 

The void in front of him seemed to become blurry. As soon as the words left his mouth, his hand reached out towards her. Two hazy lines of patterns spread throughout the pavilion, and Spacetime seemed to freeze in place once more.

 

Although she was smiling, she seemed to have anticipated his move. She raised her slender and flawless hands to protect her face. To her surprise, his target was not her neck. The hazy Grand Runes abruptly condensed and closed around her tender wrist.

 

“What is the meaning of this, Young Master Gu?”

 

She might seem to be standing there without moving, but the truth was that she had already moved to stand in front of him. With a smile on her face, she raised her wrist that was caught in his grasp and leaned forward with a burning gaze in her eyes at the same time.

 

“You don’t need to keep testing me. To be honest, you are not suitable to play the role of a seductress. If you were more domineering, then I might have gotten interested in you.” Smiling slightly, Gu Changge released his grip around her wrist without warning and returned to his seat.

 

He was actually quite surprised that she suddenly tested him again. That was because he thought that she would have learned that such methods were useless against him and restrained herself after he threatened and frightened her the other day.

 

He did not know what she saw in the Mirror of Reincarnation for her to come up with such a ‘naïve’ seduction trick to charm him. An ordinary man might have fallen for her little game. Be that as it may, beauty was only skin deep to him. One’s essence was the most important.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess was not surprised. Returning to her usual cold and aloof demeanour, she said, “It seems that my beauty is not enough to catch your eye, Young Master Gu. That’s why you remain so indifferent.”

 

Her second attempt at testing him confirmed her previous speculation. She had made the wrong move in their last encounter. He was completely unmoved by her actions. At the same time, she was confused. Why did the Mirror of Reincarnation make so many mistakes? Could it be that she understood the situation wrongly? After all, he was much more ruthless and indifferent in the Mirror of Reincarnation. His temper was extremely unpredictable, so he would often decide on her life and death based on his mood at the time.

 

As things stood, the current situation indicated that there was no direct conflict of interests between the Primary Hope Holy Church and the Heavenslayers Alliance established by Gu Changge. If that were the case, then how did the simulated future shown in the Mirror of Reincarnation came to be? More importantly, how could she stop the disaster that would befall her?

 

At this moment, she suddenly wished she could return to the Primary Hope Holy Church and activate the Mirror of Reincarnation to deduce the future again.

 

“This is a page from the Golden Book, which contains traces of my Dao Symbol. Feel free to activate the Dao Symbol if you ever find yourself in a critical situation, Saintess. As long as you remain within the territory of the Land of Celestial Suffering, I will be able to come and help you.”

 

Gu Changge looked at the Primary Hope Saintess with a strange look in his eye, then he smiled and waved his hand before him. A piece of golden paper shimmering with brilliant Divine Light suddenly appeared in the air.

 

Dense patterns continually spread across the paper. Furthermore, each pattern seemed to contain immense power. He placed the golden paper on his seat and departed without another word.

 

When the Primary Hope Saintess recovered from her astonishment, she opened her mouth to speak only to discover that Gu Changge’s figure was long gone. “Why did he give me a piece of golden paper? Does he know something?”

 

Studying the piece of golden paper, she became confused. She did not understand why Gu Changge was suddenly being so kind to her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help being concerned about an item that he had left behind. She was worried that he might have prepared hidden scheme in the item.

 

Hence, she picked up the golden paper that was as long as a goldfish and as thin as a cicada’s wings. It was very mysterious indeed. The golden paper was made from unknown materials, and the patterns covering the surface were ancient. The patterns were not words but a type of totem drawing that was often offered to the Heavens by the ancient people.

 

She investigated the golden paper and immediately perceived a horrifying power contained within. The power was so overwhelming that she herself was a little scared. It was indeed an impressive protective item. Even Ancestral Dao Realm experts would have a hard time withstanding a blow from it. However, she could simply rely on her own strength. After all, ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm experts were nothing to her.

 

The golden paper was certainly very valuable and difficult to refine. For ordinary Dao Realm experts, it might be extremely precious as an item to protect their lives during a critical situation. Unfortunately, it was pretty much useless to her.

 

“Is he looking down on me? Is that why he gave me this piece of golden paper? He wants me to ask him for help during a critical situation? That’s just too insulting!”

 

In the end, she could not figure out the reason why Gu Changge had given her the golden paper despite pondering for a long time. She eventually concluded that he was looking down on her, which angered her so much that she gritted her teeth in rage.

 

However, she could not guarantee that he did not have any other hidden motives either. It might be just that she could not detect them. Just to be safe, she personally constructed several Protective Arrays to seal the golden paper and threw the item deep into her private Sub-Space. She also brought out various ancient Artifacts to suppress the golden paper. It was only after she took those additional measures that she felt more reassured.

 

…

 

Two days later, Chu Xinyue came to visit the Primary Hope Saintess as promised to inquire about various difficulties and confusion in cultivation.

 

Because of Gu Changge’s words, the Primary Hope Saintess could not help being wary of the Land of Celestial Suffering. She also wondered if Chu Xinyue had other motives behind the visit.

 

However, Chu Xinyue remained seated on the other side of the curtain without causing any trouble throughout the visit. She would often leave immediately without delay as soon as she finished asking about her cultivation problems. Furthermore, she never mentioned anything about the affairs of the Land of Celestial Suffering either, seemingly focused only on her cultivation.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess became even more confused as a result, but she thought that the incident would pass quickly.

 

Contrary to expectations, Chu Xinyue finally brought up something else on the third day. She mentioned that her Father, Chu Gucheng, had prepared a banquet tonight when she finished asking about her cultivation.

 

It seemed that Chu Gucheng had invited both Elder Jin and the Primary Hope Saintess. Believing that the conflict had occurred because of him, he wanted to help them resolve the conflict that occurred during his birthday banquet the other day so that they could reconcile once more.

 

Moreover, Elder Jin was a respected Senior in the Boundless Expanse and a close associate of the Primary Hope Saintess’ Master. As the beloved Disciple of her Master, the Primary Hope Saintess should not be at odds with Elder Jin just because of that incident.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess had no interest in attending the banquet. Nonetheless, she had to take into account the fact that Chu Gucheng had invited Elder Jin. If she did not attend the banquet, her absence would be considered very rude to Elder Jin. It would mean completely burning her bridges with the respected Senior.

 

Regardless of her opinion, the other party held an extremely high seniority in the Boundless Expanse. He was also a close associate of her Master. Despite his standing in society, she contradicted him in front of the distinguished guests during Chu Gucheng’s birthday banquet.

 

Now that he was willing to reconcile quietly, how could she persistently refuse to step down from the conflict? That was why she nodded and accepted Chu Xinyue’s invitation to the banquet after a moment of thought.

 

“Alright. I will return and inform my Father. I’m sure he will be very happy to see the reconciliation between you and Elder Jin.” After Chu Xinyue responded with a smile, she hurriedly left the pavilion.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess watched Chu Xinyue’s happy expression with a grim one. There was a constant niggling feeling in her heart that something was wrong, but she was not sure what exactly was wrong.

 

[Could this be a trap? Would Chu Gucheng really dare to attack me?] She did not think the Land of Celestial Suffering had such courage. If anything were to happen to her, the retaliation would not stop with the Primary Hope Holy Church alone. The rest of the Forces in the Primary Hope Civilisation would not forgive the Land of Celestial Suffering either.

 

In the blink of an eye, it was night. Among the deserted mountains near the capital, several people were quietly hiding behind a huge rock. They were carefully concealing their aura. The void surrounding them was blurry, and their figures seemed to blend together with the void.

 

“Brother Chu Bai, do you really think Brother Han Feng will be ambushed? He is Master Hou’s trusted confidante after all. Who in the Land of Celestial Suffering would dare to offend Master Hou (Champion General)?”

 

The person who spoke was a tall and broad-shouldered man with dark skin. He was equipped with a Purple Gold Warhammer that was as tall as a person. Moreover, he was surrounded by purple lightning that emitted a world-destroying aura.

 

The companions around him had different but similarly powerful auras. There were both men and women, and they possessed terrifying strength. In fact, one of them was a Dao Realm expert with a boundless and unfathomable aura.

 

“My guess won’t be too far from the truth. Master Hou is fighting the Beast Court at the front lines when the incident occurred. It is impossible for him to return in person, so he will definitely send a trusted confidante to investigate the cause of death and the culprit in his stead.”

 

Chu Bai’s figure was also hidden in the void. The look in his eyes was grim as he whispered to his companions.

 

These people were from the House of Talents of the Land of Celestial Suffering. They could be considered his peers and colleagues. In addition, there were several Fortuitous Ones and existences with outstanding talents among them. Every one of them once served the Champion General for a period of time, vanquishing enemies and strengthening themselves under his command at various places. More importantly, they also received his help at some point in time.

 

The fact that the Champion General’s Wive had been humiliated so badly to choose suicide had greatly enraged them. Therefore, they vowed to help the Champion General investigate the truth through any means possible.

 

Unfortunately, nobody could find any clues despite investigating for so many days. Even Ancestral Dao Realm experts, who possessed a vast array of skills and methods, could not deduce the situation at the time, much less discover the identity of the culprit.