Chapter 1047, Appearances Can Be Deceiving, a Brocade Bag That Is Useful to Her

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

It was Mu Yan’s first time sharing her miserable past with someone else.

 

For some unknown reason, she trusted Gu Changge.

 

After pouring everything out, her mood improved. It felt as if she had released a burden that had been weighing her down for ages now.

 

“It’s all in the past. I know Mother never liked me very much either. Still, she did give birth to me, raise me, and chose not to abandon me.” Mu Yan smiled as she regained a look of exuberance.

 

Gu Changge glanced at her. After pausing briefly, he stroked her head and murmured, “You really are such a fool. You make it hard for others to not feel sorry for you.”

 

Mu Yan stared dazedly at him. Then, she lowered her eyes which seemed to be sparkling.

 

However, she soon realised this was the second time Gu Changge had done something so intimate with her.

 

She blushed scarlet and buried her head as she muttered, “Can I take that to mean… you care about me?”

 

Gu Changge withdrew his hand and responded with a silent smile.

 

“I’m sure you’ve been wondering why I want to help you.” Gu Changge changed the subject.

 

Mu Yan pouted at Gu Changge’s evasiveness, but the topic he brought up did interest her.

 

“I’m guessing it’s because I was so pathetic that you couldn’t resist pitying me. That’s why you helped me.” Mu Yan offered tentatively.

 

Gu Changge shook his head and said with a smile, “There are plenty of pitiful beings in the world. I don’t have the time to help everyone. I just don’t want to see you get bullied.”

 

Mu Yan froze. She stared unblinkingly at Gu Changge.

 

“Y-You’re not lying to me, right… Why are you suddenly talking about this…” She stammered as she did not know how to respond to his statement.

 

“What’s the matter? Don’t believe me?” Gu Changge queried with a chuckle.

 

As Mu Yan gazed at his face that was quite near to her, she felt her cheeks heating up. Her heart was beating a lot faster than usual.

 

She did not answer Gu Changge. Instead, she ran off feeling quite flustered.

 

In all her years of living, it was her first time hearing someone say that to her.

 

Mu Yan felt a warm feeling inside her, but at the same time, she felt confused and did not know what to do.

 

After she had run off, Gu Changge’s smile faded. He walked out of the palace and stared at the world beyond with a thoughtful expression. [Logically speaking, the aura that suddenly emerged the other day was unlikely to have been a coincidence. Perhaps it had been a purposeful attempt to draw my attention…]

 

[Seems to me that things are getting exciting.] Gu Changge chuckled.

 

…

 

In the following days, Mu Yan seemed to be hiding from Gu Changge.

 

After their conversation, she seemed too embarrassed to face him.

 

In Mu Yan’s heart, Gu Changge’s words meant more than what was said on the surface. Even though he had said those things rather casually, it had left Mu Yan mulling his words over for days.

 

Several days later, a man in a Daoist robe abruptly appeared with his disciples in tow. He asked to see Mu Yan.

 

The palaces here were grand and majestic. However, no being dared to ventured into this area. They knew Gu Changge stayed here and were afraid of disturbing him.

 

Mu Yan was startled to hear that someone had come to see her. She had her own private courtyard. After informing her of the situation, the servant waited respectfully for further instructions.

 

“I don’t know anyone in Breeze Ancient City. Who would come and look for me?” Though she was taken aback, she decided to meet whoever it was.

 

Soon, she arrived at the entrance and saw the group of cultivators from the Scavenger Sect.

 

The one in the lead was Wang He, the being who claimed to be her Father’s good friend.

 

Dressed in a Daoist robe, with symbols of the Scavenger Sect embroidered on the sleeves, Wang He looked like an otherworldly Sect Master.

 

“We meet again.” Wang He said with a faint smile as he cupped his hands.

 

Mu Yan was thunderstruck. She did not expect Wang He to take the initiative to come over. If he had not suddenly appeared, she would have almost forgotten about the encounter at the disciple initiation ceremony.

 

Out of politeness, Mu Yan invited Wang He and the others in before asking him, “Why… have you come to see me?”

 

She did not fully believe what Wang He said back then. That being said, he did appear before her and said he would save her from her perilous situation.

 

Mu Yan remembered that act of kindness.

 

Wang He bore a pleasant smile on his face as he trailed behind Mu Yan and led the Elders and disciples of the Scavenger Sect into one of the buildings.

 

Although he seemed calm, he was nervous on the inside. He only decided to take this risk after giving it a lot of careful consideration, as well as taking into account the advice given by the Artifact Spirit of the Scavenger Tome.

 

The Elders and disciples of the Scavenger Sect did not know what was going on with their Sect Master. However, they were dumbstruck to find that he was acquainted with Mu Yan, and seemed to have some kind of connection to her.

 

Otherwise, no ordinary person would dare to venture into this territory.

 

None had the courage to even step near the place. They had simply come along with their Sect Master to gain some exposure.

 

“I’m truly glad to see that you have been freed from your dangerous situation. I’m sure your Father will be able to rest in peace too.” Wang He said with emotion as he shook his head.

 

“Thank you for the concern you showed for me the other day. Please wait. I’ll prepare some tea.” After leading them to the courtyard, Mu Yan wanted to be a courteous host, so she offered to prepare tea for them.

 

However, Wang He waved his hand and stopped her. “It won’t be necessary. I won’t stay long. I just wanted to drop in and see how you’re doing. Now that I know you’re not in any danger, I feel a lot more at ease.”

 

He had a kind smile. Though he had a youthful appearance, he exuded maturity.

 

Mu Yan felt sheepish. She figured Wang He seemed genuinely concerned about her safety. No ordinary being was bold enough to enter this territory, let alone this compound.

 

Yet, she still suspected Wang He of having ulterior motives.

 

“You need not worry. I just wanted to lend a hand to the Daughter of an old friend. I mean you no harm. The last time we met, I was in a hurry, so I couldn’t prepare a gift for you.”

 

“After divining for a few days, I found something that would be quite suitable for you, but it has not emerged yet…”

 

“Information regarding that item is inside this brocade bag. If you’re interested, you can open it up and take a look. If not, feel free to discard it.”

 

“I won’t keep you any longer. However, I’d like to give you a word of advice. Appearances can be deceiving. It is hard to know a being’s true intentions. Sometimes, what you see isn’t necessarily the truth.”

 

While speaking, Wang He brought out a brocade bag from his robe and left it on the stone table beside him.

 

He had spoken with a faint smile, and when he was done, he left with the Elders and disciples.

 

Mu Yan was a little dazed. She did not know the meaning of Wang He’s words and the brocade bag he left behind. [Had he come over just to say those things?]

 

Still, she did not try to keep him. She simply stared at the brocade bag with a distant look in her eyes. [Was he giving me a reminder just now? It is hard to know someone’s true intentions… but it seems like he was telling her to be wary of Gu Changge and not be fooled by his appearance…]

 

Mu Yan frowned.

 

Furthermore, Wang He took a huge risk by coming here and saying those things. Was he not afraid that Gu Changge would overhear him?

 

Meanwhile, after leaving the cluster of palaces with the Elders and disciples of his Sect, Wang He exhaled in relief.

 

<What a coward. I didn’t lie to you, right? It’s not the home of a ferocious beast. What’s there to be scared about?> A cool and taunting voice rang out in Wang He’s ears.

 

Upon hearing that, Wang He felt a lot less worried. “Your method worked.”

 

The Artifact Spirit of the Scavenger Tome had promised Wang He that it would help him to keep everything a secret. That was why he was not worried that others would hear what he said just now.

 

Initially, he did not consider trying to drive a wedge between Mu Yan and Gu Changge. It was the Artifact Spirit who suggested it.

 

After giving it some thought, Wang He figured it could work.

 

In terms of status, Mu Yan and Gu Changge were universes apart. Therefore, why was Gu Changge willing to help her? What did he want from her? Her beauty? Her cultivation? Her background?

 

Wang He knew that Mu Yan, the future Sovereign Empress, was not a fool. The words he said to her would plant seeds of doubt in her mind.

 

As long as she began to feel suspicious about Gu Changge’s motives, she would trust Wang He’s words even more. That way, even if Gu Changge did not want anything from Mu Yan, this incident would still drive them apart.

 

[Once there’s a rift between them, everything will work out. When the time comes, the brocade bag I left behind will come into play…] Wang He thought to himself.

 

…

 

Inside the palace, Gu Changge watched as Wang He and the others left. He did not try to keep them.

 

“That Daoist seems little mysterious…” the Spirit Empress remarked in startlement.

 

“Just a facade. What a laughable attempt to sow discord.” Gu Changge shook his head and smirked meaningfully.

 

He did not know what gave Wang He the nerve to do this. Still, for Mu Yan’s sake, Gu Changge did not plan on dealing with Wang He yet.

 

Gu Changge knew that Mu Yan was in possession of a great treasure. Wang He was either after Mu Yan herself, or the treasure she possessed.

 

Either way, it did not matter.

 

Instead, what Wang He was doing suited Gu Changge just fine.

 

Once Mu Yan experienced such things and overcame them, she would realise he was the only one she could truly trust.

 

Meanwhile, after giving it some thought, Mu Yan decided to head over to Gu Changge with the brocade bag and inform him of Wang He’s visit.

 

She knew that even if she did not say anything, Gu Changge would know about it anyway.

 

When Wang He and the others came, someone would have already reported the situation to Gu Changge. She knew he simply did not want to get involved in her private affairs.

 

Gu Changge was in a pavilion listening to music. He seemed to be quite at ease.

 

When Mu Yan informed him of the visit, he seemed taken aback.

 

“I never heard you mention that you were acquainted with someone like him,” Gu Changge remarked with a smile. He did not care about the brocade bag Mu Yan brought up.

 

Mu Yan was a little perplexed by this too, so she gave Gu Changge a summary of how she met Wang He before the disciple initiation ceremony. Even now, she did not quite believe that her Father had a friend like that.

 

As this was not a secret that needed to be hidden, Mu Yan was frank about it. She also told Gu Changge what Wang He said earlier.

 

“I see. Aren’t you curious to know what’s inside the brocade bag?” Gu Changge asked as he seemed to have a moment of realisation.

 

Mu Yan was somewhat curious. Now that Gu Changge had said so, after thinking about it, she opened the brocade bag in front of him.

 

If it contained some kind of strange or troublesome thing, she could at least be on guard.

 

“Azure Sky Realm?” Mu Yan was startled by what she found inside the brocade bag.

 

There was nothing but a piece of paper with the words ‘Azure Sky Realm’ written on it.

 

She had heard of that place before, but she did not remember much of it. All she could recall was that it seemed to be a mysterious domain beyond the Great Universe. No one knew when it came into existence.

 

The Azure Sky Realm would only appear after an extended period of time, and it did not have a fixed location.

 

It was said that the Azure Sky Realm was connected to the another realm, and many of the strange techniques and wonders from this other realm could be found there.

 

[Why did he give me a brocade bag with the words ‘Azure Sky Realm’ in it? What was the meaning of this? It has been many epochs since the last time the Azure Sky Realm emerged. Furthermore, Wang He had said there is something there that would be useful to me.]

 

It was a cryptic message, and Mu Yan could not figure out what it meant.

 

All of a sudden, Mu Yan recalled the Eternal Divine Furnace, and she could not help but feel alarmed.

 

[Could it be that he knows I have the Eternal Divine Furnace? That’s my biggest secret!]

 

Mu Yan’s Mother had said she was never to tell anyone else about it.

 

…

 

Meanwhile, at an area within Breeze Ancient City where the Divine Eternal Clan was residing, the Clan Elders, the Divine Son, Li Yang, and the Saintess, Luo Xiangjun were discussing the lost Eternal Divine Furnace.

 

Though it was a discussion, it was merely Li Yang and the Elders attempting to guess where the Eternal Divine Furnace could be.

 

Luo Xiangjun watched them without getting involved. She was as serene as a painting that was detached from the world.

 

“The Eternal Divine Artifacts can sense each other. If not for what happened earlier that led to the Clan keeping a close eye on the Eternal Divine Sword and forbidding everyone from taking it away, we could’ve used the Eternal Divine Sword to sense the location of the Eternal Divine Furnace.”

 

“Still, when the Eternal Divine Sword stirred inside the ancestral hall a while back, this was indeed the location it indicated.”

 

“If the Eternal Divine Furnace ends up in someone else’s hands, it’ll be even harder for us to find it.”

 

The Elders of the Divine Eternal Clan were frowning hard.

 

Though they were powerful beings, they could not determine where the Eternal Divine Furnace was. After all, a Divine Artifact came with a natural and mysterious ability to hide itself.

 

All along, Li Yang wanted to recover the lost Eternal Divine Furnace, but he had no means of doing so.

 

Apart from the Saintesses, no one had ever been in control of the Eternal Divine Furnace.

 

Li Yang could not do anything.

 

“Mother once had control over the Eternal Divine Furnace. She had to have known something…” Li Yang was also frowning as he subconsciously rubbed a rather old round jade pendant.

 

“Hm?” Luo Xiangjun seemed to have sensed something. Her gaze abruptly fell on Li Yang’s jade pendant.

 

“What’s the matter, Xiangjun?” Li Yang noticed her gaze, and when he saw her eyeing his jade pendant, he immediately took it and introduced it to her. “This was Mother’s… Before she died, she told me to keep it safe. I’ve been keeping it with me all these years.”

 

Luo Xiangjun smirked and said, “It seems like the previous Saintess was pretty good to you. How surprising.”

 

Li Yang was puzzled by her words.

 

Nevertheless, Luo Xiangjun had already withdrawn her gaze and left without saying anything else.

 

Startled, Li Yang and the other Elders exchanged looks among themselves. They did not know what Luo Xiangjun’s actions meant.