Chapter 110: Trial (Part 1)

  Petals dancing in the air, fluttering out a gorgeous dance, Gu Huanli stretched out her hand to catch the petals and murmured, "There's actually still eight-layered cherry blossoms..."

  "Do you like it?" A low voice sounded in Gu Huanli's ear, like a magnet, making her feel numb from the roots of her ears to the tip of her heart. At the same time, a slender white hand gently picked up the flower petal from her palm.

  Gu Huanli turned around, and what entered her line of sight was half a handsome face that was unmatched in elegance, slightly pale, with eyes like stars, and thin lips that hung a chilling smile. However, she looked at the other half of his face without evasion, looking at the scars that brutally destroyed its beauty.

  "Night." Gu Huanli nodded slightly, neither too close nor too distant. He and she were in a master-disciple relationship to begin with, they just hadn't performed the ceremony of becoming master and disciple yet. After all, from an organizational perspective, she was his equal, if they became master and disciple, it would have ruined the hundred-year-old rules of the Li Tian organization.

  Now in his thirties, the cold aura on his body had long been replaced by a noble and elegant demeanor that could make many women infatuated. The purple sandalwood fan in his hand tapped gently against his palm as he suddenly said, "In this courtyard, your current attire is not suitable, come, help 'Mei' change clothes."

  As for her bad habit at night, Gu Huanli had no choice but to obey, after all, it was just a change of clothes, and she wasn't going to go without wearing anything. But when the maid led her into the room, looking at the intricate twelve-layered garment, Gu Huanli became thoroughly annoyed.

  A purple Tang suit with a soft sheen, embroidered with dark pink cherry blossoms. Underneath is a single-layer garment that transitions from pale white to tea-white and then to lotus green, gradually deepening to snow blue. Only a narrow strip of dark purple can be seen at the edge of the single layer, as if it were not another single layer but just a rolled hem. However, at the wide sleeves, a large section of cyan reveals itself. At the bottom is a crimson skirt, with a waistband made of cloud-white fabric embroidered with silver flowers, tied into a bow knot.

  Her skin was as smooth as jade, her black hair like a dark mist, her lips cherry red, and her fragrance wafted subtly. Her every move was elegant, reminiscent of the young Murasaki Shikibu from The Tale of Genji. Ye was very satisfied with Gu Huanli's outfit, which was luxurious yet not gaudy, noble with a hint of subtle elegance, transforming the sweet and lovely girl into an understated yet icy beauty.

  "Your Excellency, esteemed elders." Gu Huanli lowered her eyelids and elegantly bowed to Ye and the others.

  "Mei, this year's Firefly Blossom Dance is your final trial before taking over Qingjing Tian."

  Gu Huanli still had that calm and composed expression, "Understood."

  Looking at her solemn appearance, a hint of smile flashed in Ye Yin's cold eyes. The seemingly calm lake-like eyes had already been surging with undercurrents. However, the rare and exquisite elegance was breathtakingly beautiful.

  Gu Huanli felt the veins on her forehead were about to throb, what was the point of making her wear such complicated clothes in broad daylight just to say this? Was he bored out of his mind, eating too much salt, and getting anxious? Although she was secretly grumbling, Gu Huanli still spoke respectfully, "If Your Excellency has no other matters, I will take my leave first."

  "Hold on." Ye Xizhong raised his wine cup and took a light sip of the clear liquor, his thin lips spreading into an almost imperceptible smile. "And the first test I'll give you is... Yin Tian Gonglian."

  Gu Huanli seemed to have been cast with a freezing spell, staring blankly at the person in front of her. Is Ye Xingyu so confused that he thinks he's a ghost? If his brain hasn't been struck by lightning into eighteen pieces, why did he go to Yintian Palace after eating his fill?

  That is the political newcomer who has always been elusive to the organization.

  So many mature and charming women couldn't get their hands on him, how did a little yellow-haired girl manage to knock him out and carry him back? Mo Huan Li thought with gritted teeth, her face still wearing a sweet and elegant smile.

  Watching her frown for a moment, indignation for a moment, and light laughter for a moment, she slightly raised the corner of her mouth and hooked up a mysterious and profound smile.

  "Your Excellency, who has been suffering from delusional disorder for a long time, is it not only your EQ that has been declining year after year, but also your IQ?" A complex emotion flashed in Gu Huan's eyes, and then she turned around and left without hesitation.

  "Enchanting." The elder beside him furrowed his brow, feeling quite displeased in his heart. The new "Enchanting" was perfect in every way, but there was just one thing that didn't seem like the master of Qingjing Tian. "Are you afraid that Tiangong Lian will refuse you? Or do you simply not have the guts to accept this challenge?"

  No matter what he said, Gu Huanli continued to walk on, unmoved. The snow-covered twelve-story building emitted a faintly visible misty light, her long black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, as if it was a wispy cloud of smoke and water.

  "If you give up automatically, everything you have will be lost." Yè paused for a moment, but still smiled calmly, "Perhaps those things, those people, you no longer care about long ago."

  What a great and powerful threat

  Gu Huan Lian slowly turned around, her expression still calm and collected, but the straightness of her back and the sharpness in her eyes were a rare sight to behold. Moreover, it wasn't just an act, but a genuine aura of coldness and loneliness that emanated from within her bones.

  Lotus steps lightly, Gu Huanli slowly walked to the front of Ye, her cold as ice fingers unapologetically swept across the scars on his face. This time, not only the servants who followed him, but also the elders waiting to watch the show looked at Gu Huanli with some surprise - such arrogance and recklessness was truly unprecedented.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, a hint of displeasure flickered in his eyes, like the biting cold air that seemed to emanate from the icy peaks of the polar regions after being bathed in moonlight for thousands of years. However, a faint smile floated at the corner of his mouth. He was not eager to speak, nor did he hurry to brush away this impudent hand. On the contrary, he found such threats amusing, especially when they came from his "charm".

  Looking only at Ye, Gu Huanli suddenly switched to Japanese, her clear and cold words more sarcastic than angry, "What the superior values must be what I value too? Moreover, even if Tian Gonglian is willing to let me win, does he have anything that's worth my...”

  The corners of his mouth rose in a gentle smile, and Gu Huanli suddenly lowered his head, whispering in Ye's ear, "Hua Xinsi?"

  Listening to the soft whispers in his ear, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed in the eyes of the night, but soon came back to himself. He raised the corners of his mouth and revealed a smile with profound meaning, without answering her question.

  "Let go, turn around, leave. All that's left in the ears of the crowd is Gu Huanli's voice as melodious as pearls falling onto a plate: 'Prove it to me, in the way I like, otherwise, you can find someone else to play with.'"

  The eyes of the night never left Gu Huanli, and the characteristic gloom in his eyes was gradually replaced by another gaze that couldn't be described, as if he had fallen into deep thought, yet also seemed to be warning everyone not to ruin the game that had finally piqued his interest.

  Gu Huanli walked while secretly seething with anger.

  Although she had to get up early every day to run, it was to temper her willpower, and she accepted it; although she had to undergo various secret training for at least four days a week, but in order to be able to protect herself and not drag her brother down, she accepted it; although she thought that firearms and ammunition were invented to make killing and evil easier, she still mastered the use of multiple firearms, even learning how to assemble and disassemble bombs, because this was a survival skill, so she accepted it; although she was often sent clothes by the night shift people, which piled up to the point where she had no place to put them, under the guise of good intentions, she also accepted it. After all, they were people who cared about her and took care of her, and for most things, she could tolerate them. But today's events were truly "what can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated".

  The more I think about it, the angrier I get. The more I think about it, the more I feel that Uncle can tolerate it, but Auntie can't. Just for this trivial matter, she has to wear the extremely formal twelve singles. Heaven knows how complicated and heavy they are. She also has to have a natural and dignified demeanor, with light and steady footsteps...

  Gu Huanli muttered to herself as she walked.

  Anyway, the exhaust pipe thing is probably not found, it's better to go to the sword room and cut a few thousand swords, no one will care. Thinking of this, she slightly lifted the hem of her twelve single dress and turned towards her exclusive practice room. However, she didn't notice that the man following closely behind her had a faintly sinister smile in his eyes.

  Suppressing the urge to kick in the door, Gu Huanli slowly opened the sliding paper door and carefully closed it. Until this moment, she had completely put down her disguise as "Mei" and existed only as Gu Huanli.

  She muttered to herself, feeling quite pleased, but the person standing outside the door couldn't help but stifle a smile. Just as he walked into the practice room and closed the door behind him, Gu Huanli was still unaware that someone had entered, even though she was pacing back and forth in the dim moonlight.

  "Why should I be gloomy on a sunny day? Am I not tired of having good days?"

  "Besides, what's so great about a man with a 'high' taste in the entertainment circle? This Tian Gonglian might be a hypocrite with a smiling face, who knows?"

  "Besides, I'm a good kid, obedient and well-behaved. My brother doesn't allow me to have a romantic relationship before college, so I've been diligently keeping my promise, making studying hard and striving upwards as my life goal."

  "Could it be that last time I joked that Ye was a Martian who didn't like using QQ to chat, so he's intentionally taking revenge on me?"

  "Oh God, it doesn't make sense for an underage girl to seduce a physically and mentally healthy man"

  "What if I'm completely drained? Where can I even cry about it? What kind of test is this, to see if I'm the most unlucky one? Fine, fine, I admit it, I am the most unlucky one, okay?"

  "Alas, Confucius said 'to fulfill benevolence', Mencius said 'to obtain righteousness'. Should I hold on to the spirit of selfless sacrifice and consider it a sacrifice for the organization? After all, the organization has nurtured me for so many years... Never mind, never mind. If they asked me to blow up the Yasukuni Shrine, that would be somewhat justifiable. Is such a big deal worth using the spirit of selfless sacrifice?"

  "But the problem is, without going through trials, I won't be able to inherit the Pure Sky; if I don't inherit the Pure Sky, I won't be able to challenge Ye, and if I don't challenge Ye, I won't be able to entrust... Heaven, what if I accidentally offend Tian Gong Lian, and that madman Ye tells me to go and offend Da Shen instead? Ugh... I reckon even if I vomit for ten thousand years, I still won't get used to it."

  "Thinking from another angle, the organization's development in Japan has always been hindered by the Nomoto group. From the beginning to now, it's been a series of ups and downs. Moreover, most members of the organization are Chinese, so the Japanese underworld must be dissatisfied. I heard that Tenno Ran is from a prestigious family, his main house being the first among the outer seven families. No matter how you think about it, he's someone the organization needs to win over. The problem is, even if we do win him over, why did they have to make me take action? And what's with this so-called trial by fire? I've already agreed to his request to fight him earlier, but can't he see that this demand is completely beyond my abilities?"

  "Alas..." Suddenly, Gu Huanli let out a soft sigh, "Brother, is it really so hard to find a balance between letting go and holding on? Is it really so difficult for me to stay by your side and be a well-behaved and understanding little sister?"

  "Moreover, since I was never meant to be in this world, how can there be gains or losses?" Gu Huanli shook her head with a hint of melancholy and loneliness in her voice, "Perhaps that's just life, having to choose between living for others or living for oneself. And as for me, I've even lost myself, so how can I live for my own sake?"