"That place is the best choice for her. Whatever her future looks like should be decided by her alone."
An elder approached and informed Gu Yanxue about an important event in the city center. She nodded in response.
"Xuan Yi Sect is holding a core disciple tournament. They've invited the Gu Clan to send a representative."
"I already promised them I would attend, so I have to leave now," Gu Yanxue explained.
Gu Qinghe nodded. He had no issue with Gu Yanxue leaving to handle other matters.
Besides, he already had other plans after arriving at the Gu Clan Mansion. The matter of clan resources had been settled.
Now, his focus was pill refinement.
It had been a full year since Gu Qinghe last stayed by Wang Yunxi's side. He suspected that her supply of Yin-Yang Balancing Pills had already run out.
Without those pills, Wang Yunxi's condition would continue to worsen, potentially shortening her lifespan.
Gu Qinghe's greatest fear was being too late to lift her curse.
He refused to let that happen.
Gu Qinghe left the garden and entered the Gu Clan Mansion. He needed a cauldron and several key materials to refine the Yin-Yang Balancing Pill.
Back then, when he was only at the Foundation Establishment realm, he could barely refine five pills at most.
Now, things were different.
His soul strength had increased, his physical endurance was stronger, the amount of qi in his body had grown significantly, and his cultivation had reached Early Core Formation.
Naturally, he could refine far more Yin-Yang Balancing Pills than before.
When he arrived at the Gu Clan warehouse, he immediately asked them to prepare everything—the Red Lotus Cauldron, the necessary materials, and the Muyan Demon Flame.
The elders there were visibly surprised by his appearance at the clan mansion after a year away at Yin-Yang Sect.
What shocked them most was his cultivation level. Without relying on clan resources, Gu Qinghe had leaped from Mid Foundation Establishment to Early Core Formation in just one year.
That alone proved he was far more talented than they had imagined.
With all the materials in hand, Gu Qinghe began refining pills beneath the tree near Xiao Mei's wooden house.
He controlled the Muyan Demon Flame with his qi, placing the ingredients into the cauldron one by one.
The flames surged, refining the materials and fusing them into a pill.
His qi control was far more efficient now. His body no longer suffered violent backlash from the Muyan Demon Flame. Gu Qinghe maintained that momentum for hours on end.
One pill was completed. He moved on to the next.
When his body began to feel the strain of pill refinement, he consumed an essence recovery pill to restore himself.
Several elders passed by from time to time. When they saw Gu Qinghe refining pills the moment he returned to the clan mansion, many of them were stunned.
The qi aura radiating from Gu Qinghe was strong—on par with theirs.
They guessed that his cultivation had indeed reached Early Core Formation.
A powerful surge of qi erupted, signaling the completion of the final pill.
In total, twelve Yin-Yang Balancing Pills.
Far more than before.
This should be enough to keep Wang Yunxi stable.
Gu Qinghe stored the Red Lotus Cauldron back into his bag of holding.
He had successfully suppressed the lingering effects of the Muyan Demon Flame using his qi and primordial soul strength.
Gu Yanxue had not returned yet, and Gu Qinghe had no intention of lingering at the Gu Clan Mansion.
He needed to go to the Wang Clan Mansion as soon as possible. Though it was some distance from Gu Sheng City, that wasn't an issue for him.
Gu Qinghe quickly mounted his flying sword and left Gu Sheng City.
The Wang Clan Mansion was located in Hongsu City, which was governed by the Su Clan.
As he flew, Gu Qinghe remained vigilant. Nighttime travel between cities was dangerous. Cultivator bandits often lurked in the skies.
If he were still at Foundation Establishment, he might have been cautious.
But no bandit cultivator had reached Core Formation.
And if one did appear, they would be a bandit leader—and Gu Qinghe wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
After five hours of flying above dense forest, the towering walls of Hongsu City finally came into view, heavily guarded by city soldiers.
Gu Qinghe landed and entered through the city gate on foot.
In Gu Sheng City, he could freely fly in and out.
But in other cities, only certain individuals were permitted to fly overhead.
And the Gu Clan did not possess that privilege.
Gu Qinghe presented his identity token to the guards. Upon learning that he was from the Gu Clan, they immediately asked his purpose for visiting.
"The Wang Clan. I need to meet someone there," Gu Qinghe said.
They allowed him to pass. Gu Qinghe put away his token and walked alongside other city visitors.
No one paid attention to his identity. No one stared at him.
They were clearly too busy with their own affairs to care about others.
Gu Qinghe turned westward. There were fewer sect cultivators on this road. Most of the people here were mortals and members of the Wang Clan.
The gray-white robes they wore clearly marked their clan identity.
"Look! Isn't that someone from the Gu Clan?"
"He looks like one of their elders. After sending Lady Yunxi back, what are they trying to do now?"
"The Gu Clan… they're nothing but a bunch of arrogant people!"
Gu Qinghe heard their whispers, but they didn't anger him.
Although he belonged to the Gu Clan, he didn't feel particularly attached to them.
Wang Yunxi was different.
For some reason, Gu Qinghe felt an unshakable obligation to heal her.
He stopped in front of the Wang Clan Mansion gate. Two guards stood there, glaring at him.
"Who are you? What business do you have here?"
"I am Gu Qinghe. I came to see Miss Wang Yunxi."
"Gu Qinghe? You're Wang Yunxi's son?"
"That's right."
"Get out of here! You're the reason Wang Yunxi is suffering!"
Gu Qinghe froze for a moment, unable to understand what they meant.
"What do you mean?"
"Because of your foolishness and selfishness, Miss Yunxi had to bear all that shame and suffering!"
I don't remember anything like that.
As Gu Qinghe was arguing with them, the gates opened.
A middle-aged man in gray-white robes stepped out.
His eyes sharpened when he saw Gu Qinghe. He immediately recognized his Gu Clan origins.
"The Gu Clan… have you come to take our Yunxi away again?"
"Greetings, Elder Wang. I am Gu Qinghe. I didn't come to take Miss Yunxi away."
"Qinghe? Miss Yunxi often spoke about you, especially about how you've changed," the man said. "It seems she wasn't lying. You're far more civilized than before."
Gu Qinghe looked at him seriously.
"May I see my mother?"
The man fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
The Wang Clan Head and elders were deeply disappointed by the Gu Clan's refusal to treat Wang Yunxi.
The clan head had issued an order to drive away anyone from the Gu Clan—even Gu Qinghe or Gu Qingyin.
Gu Qinghe stood there in shock, then nodded several times.
He couldn't fully blame the Wang Clan Head. The rift between the two clans was caused by Gu Zhen's foolish decision.
"I understand. I have no intention of offending the Wang Clan."
Gu Qinghe patted his bag of holding and produced a cloth pouch containing twelve Yin-Yang Balancing Pills.
He handed it to the elder, who accepted it.
"Give these to Miss Yunxi. These pills will help keep her stable."
The elder opened the pouch and took one pill into his hand.
"What pill is this?"
"When you give it to Miss Yunxi, she'll know what it is."
"Please pass on my message to her. I want her to stay healthy until I find a way to cure her."
"I, Gu Qinghe, will not stop until Wang Yunxi has fully recovered."