Ouyang Qinglin was a bit bewildered, unable to fathom Gu Qianying's intentions. He tentatively asked, "Is it about that Prince Qimu from earlier?"
Gu Qianying remained silent but did not refute, currently preparing what she needed to leave.
Her attitude led Ouyang Qinglin to believe he had guessed correctly.
"Does he have a grudge against you?"
Gu Qianying still didn't speak.
Ouyang Qinglin continued to probe, "So, you're not friends but enemies? Then..." He seemed to recall something, abruptly grabbing Gu Qianying's wrist and looking at her as he asked, "Could it be that what you were given to drink wasn't medicine to cure illness, but poison?"
Ouyang Qinglin's anger surged. Before Gu Qianying could finish speaking, as he released her, he turned with a cold face, his devilishly charming eyes filled with killing intent. "This Highness will kill him!"
"Don't go!"
Gu Qianying tried to stop Ouyang Qinglin when the door was suddenly pushed open.
Qimu De entered with three small children.
Ouyang Qinglin's gaze turned icy. Beneath his red sleeve, he raised his palm, preparing to strike.
"Kneel! Call me Mother!"
The three children knelt blankly before Gu Qianying and obediently called out, "Mother!"
Gu Qianying's face was a mask of exasperation.
Ouyang Qinglin, who had gathered his internal energy in his palm, froze. He immediately retracted his power, utterly confused.
When did Gu Qianying acquire three children?
Did she have a special relationship with this Prince Qimu?
Looking up at Qimu De again, Ouyang Qinglin's eyes flashed with cold light, filled with the desire to fight Qimu De!
Gu Qianying, however, appeared to have expected this. She took a deep breath and spoke to Qimu De, "Actually, you don't need to do this. My grandfather saved you out of kindness and sought no reward. Therefore... Prince Qimu, it's impossible between us. Also, please do not corrupt the children."
With that,
Gu Qianying helped up the three children kneeling at her feet and explained to them, "Don't listen to your father's nonsense. I am not your mother. Your mother is the one who gave birth to you and raised you, not me. Do you understand?"
She thought that children, being innocent and kind, could be corrected if they misunderstood something.
But who knew... the three children glanced back at their father, then turned back in unison towards Gu Qianying and called out again, "Mother, you are so beautiful..."
Gu Qianying: "..."
Her heart occupied by someone else, and currently heartbroken from losing that person, she had no energy to smile at these ignorant children.
"Prince Qimu, I think we need to have a serious talk."
Gu Qianying spoke very earnestly.
Qimu De glanced at the three children and nodded, "Alright."
The three children held hands and walked out, looking back at Gu Qianying every few steps.
Ouyang Qinglin stood rooted to the spot.
Gu Qianying glanced at him, "Your Highness Third Prince, please leave as well."
Ouyang Qinglin frowned, "Is there something this Highness cannot know?"
"There are many things. Can Qianying choose not to tell Your Highness Third Prince?" Gu Qianying sat before the desk, her expression indifferent.
Ouyang Qinglin's body trembled. He turned to look at Gu Qianying, who was also looking at him, her cold eyes devoid of any warmth.
Ouyang Qinglin remained silent and left.
Once Gu Qianying and Qimu De were alone in the room, Gu Qianying got straight to the point, "I will not marry you. If you wish to repay my grandfather's kindness from back then, there is another path you can take."
Qimu De looked at Gu Qianying. From her attitude, he knew Gu Qianying could never be his wife. However, being persistent, he desperately wanted to know why.
"Why won't you marry me? Do you already have a husband?"
"Yes, I do."
A figure appeared in Gu Qianying's mind. The corners of her lips curved upwards.
"Who is he? Where is he?" Qimu De asked, unwilling to give up.
"He is dead!" Gu Qianying's voice was cold, but Qimu De caught the sorrow in her eyes.
"You loved him very much?"
"Yes, so I will not accept anyone else besides him. Even if he is dead, I will not!" Gu Qianying answered with firm conviction.
At this moment, standing outside the door, the figure in red swayed.
Qimu De opened his mouth, but the words remained unspoken. He sighed and could only ask, "What is this other path?"
Gu Qianying came back to her senses, looked at him, and a sinister smile played on her lips. She walked to the desk, picked up a brush, and wrote a line of text on a blank sheet of paper. Qimu De walked over and looked at the line of text on the paper. His pupils contracted violently, and he remained unsettled for a long time. His shocked gaze shifted from the table to Gu Qianying's face, and he asked, "Do you truly intend to do this?"
"Yes!"
A single word, yet it conveyed firm resolve and decision.
"Alright, I'll do it!"
"Okay, you can leave now. I need to change." After her conversation with Qimu De, Gu Qianying asked him to leave first.
Using the excuse of changing her clothes, she stayed alone in the room for a while, doing what she did, no one knew.
A moment later, the door opened. The woman standing outside had shed her ordinary attire. Now, she wore a dark purple robe. Her three thousand strands of black hair were tied with a single purple ribbon, and there were no ornaments on her head. Though her face was bare of makeup, her peerlessly beautiful face possessed a soul-stirring charm.
Her icy eyes held only boundless ferocity and nothing else. Even the three little ones behind Qimu De, who had wanted to rush forward and hug Gu Qianying, were intimidated by her chilling gaze and hid behind Qimu De, no longer daring to show themselves.
At the same time, a hundred men in green, following the secret signals Gu Qianying had sent out, arrived and knelt at her feet in unison, "Sect Leader!"
Gu Qianying swept her gaze over the men in green and coldly commanded, "Tonight, we infiltrate the Summer Kingdom's imperial palace, take the head of the Summer Kingdom's Emperor, and bloodbath the Summer Kingdom's imperial palace!"
Ouyang Qinglin looked at Gu Qianying in utter shock, "Little thing, you..."
"Yes, Sect Leader!" the men in green responded in unison.
No one was surprised, no one was timid; they only obeyed. Even though their numbers were not large, they were fearless.
With the order given, Gu Qianying looked at Qimu De, "The Imperial Guards within the Summer Kingdom's palace are yours."
Looking at Qimu De, Gu Qianying glanced at the three children behind him, then suggested, "Let them stay. Find two trustworthy subordinates to guard them closely. Children should not witness scenes of bloodshed."
Qimu De nodded, agreeing with Gu Qianying's suggestion.
Before leaving the hunter's house, Ouyang Qinglin stopped Gu Qianying, "Once you take this step, there will be no turning back. Moreover, Ouyang Ting is a formidable opponent. He colludes with Nan Rongqi. Your move will involve two countries. Have you thought this through?"
Gu Qianying turned to look at Ouyang Qinglin, a wicked glint in the corner of her lips. Her voice was icy, "So what if it's two countries? So what if he's formidable? We'll just destroy and kill him. Although I only have a seventy percent chance of success, with you, it becomes a hundred percent."
"What do you mean?" Ouyang Qinglin stared at Gu Qianying and asked.
"Cooperation. You be king, I seek revenge!"