Chapter 128: Catastrophe

Ye Jin and Gu Qingyu crossed the street and walked for a bit more before she stopped in front of a wonton stall. She sat down at one of the tables, "Two bowls of wontons please!"

"Coming right up!" The waiter answered.

Ye Jin gently gathered the hem of his robe and sat down next to her. "Xiao Yu'er, do you like food like this?"

"Well, it's nice to change things up every now and then." Gu Qingyu nodded. "Street food is great too, you should try some."

Ye Jin nodded. The waiter had just placed their order on the table. "Enjoy!"

Ye Chong gently threw a silver piece into the waiter's hand. He answered with pleasant shock, "Thank you, mister!"

Ye Jin then picked up a spoon, slowly scooped up a wonton, and gently blew it a few times before holding it near her lips. "Xiao Yu'er, here."

Gu Qingyu just stared at him, but in moments, she felt stares from everyone around them, but she could not push him away or he would get angry again. She sighed internally, dignity does not exist for her anymore. She then opened her mouth and ate that wonton. "Yum! It tastes good!"

Ye Jin seemed very satisfied with her cooperation and withdrew the spoon. Then she began to eat and smiled. "Well, it's really good." The two of them soon finished the two bowls of wonton that way.

"Let's go, it's about time we head back." Gu Qingyu stood up and looked at Ye Jin. Suddenly, a torrent of crackling blasted from behind her, and she covered her ears immediately.

Ye Jin's eyes sank, and she immediately came over, held her in his arms and covered her ears. "Don't worry, it's the sound of firecrackers."

Gu Qingyu nodded and curled up quietly in his arms. The sound finally quelled after a long time. The New Year was just around the corner, the festive mood was reflected in their surroundings, with red decorations everywhere.

"Xiao Yu'er, are you okay?" The moment the sound subsided, Ye Jin looked down to check on her. He turned her face from left to right in his hands, fearing if anything had happened to her.

She didn't know if she should cry or laugh as he fussed over her. "I'm fine, Xiao Zhezhe." And from the corner of her eye, she spotted someone selling candied hawthorns and her eyes lit up.

"Oh, do you want some?" Ye Jin followed her gaze and smiled.

Gu Qingyu nodded. "Yes! Very much!"

"Okay, say something nice." Ye Jin stroked her head.

Something nice?

"Xiao Zhezhe~" Gu Qingyu cooed sweetly and tugged his sleeve.

"Oh, and?" Ye Jin raised his eyebrow and stared at her.

She closed her eyes for a while, steeled her nerves, and went all out for the sake of her favourite snack. "Husband~ Please buy some sweets for me~"

Ye Jin immediately smiled with satisfaction, and patted her head. "Just wait here, don't go anywhere." Then, he strode towards the candied- hawthorns-seller.

Gu Qingyu watched his back with a smile. However, it didn't take long for her to feel a sudden sense of vertigo, Ye Jin's back began to turn upside down, and the world seemed to rotate.

"Xiao Zhe... Zhe..." Gu Qingyu said with a frown and tried to reach out to him, then she collapsed.

The bright sunlight stung Gu Qingyu's eyes when she came to. She squinted against the light and it took a long time for her vision to focus on her surroundings. She was in a forest, with a stream before her.

"You're awake?" A nice female voice came, but with a different kind of familiarity.

Gu Qingyu looked up and saw a woman wearing a pink dress, with a silver mask on her face. She did not recognise anyone with a silver mask, and the only other person who wore pink dresses was dead a long time ago.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. Gu, Qing, yu." The woman laughed as she removed her mask.

Gu Qingyu was shell shocked. "Gu Yan?"

Yes, Gu Yan, the second miss of the Gu family, her "sister"! Why is she here? Isn't she already dead?

"Yes, it's me." Gu Yan nodded and returned the mask to her face. "Gu Qingyu, thanks to you, my face is now completely destroyed. "

"Shame, you're not dead." Gu Qingyu sighed and shook her head, she would shrug too, if she hadn't been tied so tightly to a tree. "Ah, great, here we go again." Gu Yan frowned slightly, it was a lament, but it somehow grated against her ears.

"So, sister, what will Hero Jia do for you?" Gu Yan said while she looked at the stream.

Gu Qingyu froze and stared at her intently. "What do you say?"

Gu Yan seemed to be musing, "Would he give up his powers? Or would he destroy his reputation as Hero Jia? Maybe he would break his own wings."

"Oh, he's not coming." Gu Qingyu narrowed her eyes slightly and something was looming out of her. Gu Yan dare to come and use her to threaten her Ye Jin?

"Why? Not convinced?" Gu Yan looked at Gu Qingyu and sneered. "It's better if he doesn't show up, then I can play with you for as long as I want to."

Gu Qingyu smirked and strained against her restraints. The ropes on her body snapped apart and she slowly strode towards Gu Yan under her terrified gaze. "No, he's not coming because I would be more than qualified to take you down myself."

Gu Yan quickly composed herself and a whip appeared in her hand. "Looks like you have some skill after all, Gu Qingyu. The rumours were true, you're really that Gu Qingyu who only knew how to fight with her fists."

"You're the one that spread that rumour, right?" Gu Qingyu retorted harshly. "And, you must be the one that killed my mother."

"So what? Both of you should have died a long time ago!" Gu Yan exclaimed, but she took a few steps back and her back bumped against a tree behind her. She glanced back nervously, then turned back to Gu Qingyu and swung her whip. "I, Gu Yan, am not someone you should mess with either!"

Gu Qingyu simply caught the whip with one hand. And then she tapped into Yan Zun's strength and pulled the whip.

"Ah!" Gu Yan jerked forward, then an enormous pressure came over her and she stumbled to the ground. In her panic, she raised her head to look at Gu Qingyu. Her hair scattered and danced in the air, and the ends were bright red, and her pupils had turned into the shade of blood. Her aura was tremendously powerful and the pressure that pressed onto Gu Yan, none of that matched her impression of Gu Qingyu.

"You... what kind of monster are you..." Gu Yan immediately backed away, backing against the tree, "Go away! Stay away from me!"

"Didn't you say that you wanted to play with me? Yes, I will play with you." Gu Qingyu raised her lips and smiled at Gu Yan, but her body exuded an inexplicable coldness.

"No...no...please...please let me go..." Gu Yan trembled unceasingly, "let me go..."

She suddenly stood up and ran into the woods. Gu Qingyu sneered, she suddenly flew forward and her hand pierced through Gu Yan's chest! Her hand came out from behind Gu Yan, her nails were as sharp as claws. It was as if her hand had turned into a blade, as thick blood covered it and dripped to the grass below. Someone came from behind her, Gu Qingyu immediately pulled her hand out and turned around.

"Brother...Zhu..." Qi Yichen stood ten meters away from Gu Qingyu and stared blankly at her. Fiery red hair, blood-red eyes. She was truly the incarnation of a divine beast. Her expression was bloodthirsty and cold, and blood splattered on her face, yet there was beauty in her cruelty.

The two stared at each other for a while as Gu Qingyu blinked and blinked, then the scarlet in her hair and eyes scattered. "What's wrong?"

"No, as soon as I heard that you and Brother Jia went out, I knew that something bad would happen so I rushed out to find you. I asked around and got here." Qi Yichen stepped forward, "Now it's all right, Brother Zhu. Let's go."

"Where's Ye Jin?" Gu Qingyu realised that he left out someone.

Suddenly, a black fog crept towards them. And the plants that surrounded them began to wilt and die.

"What is going on?" Gu Qingyu frowned.

"It's the Frost Poison" Qi Yichen looked into the distance. "Something powerful triggered it."

"Boss!" Qi Wan's voice came, and he ran out of the woods. "Bad news, Ye Jin's gone rogue!"

"What?" Gu Qingyu grabbed him. "Quickly, take me to him!"

"It's dangerous, you'll be swallowed by the darkness if you don't have enough power. " Qi Wan frowned, and twisted his arm to hold her hand instead. "Brother Murong and Xie Zang are trying their best to suppress it, you need to get somewhere safe."

"No! I can't just leave him like this! This must have happened because of me..."

"Boss, there is no time! Come with me!" Qi Wan grew increasingly anxious. "Please, or I'll knock you out and drag you back."

"I dare you." Gu Qingyu glared.

"This time is really dangerous. The Frost Poison, when released, is extremely powerful, it sucks the life out everything around it. It's even gotten here!" Qi Wan pressed on. "Boss, please listen to me once!"

"Let her go." Qi Yichen sighed suddenly. "She's the only one that can stop this catastrophe.

Qi Wan's eyes were a little red, and he looked at Gu Qingyu. Then, he held out his arm in front of her., blocking her path. "No, I'm not letting you go."

"Sorry, Qi Wan, I have to." Gu Qingyu suddenly calmed down.

Qi Wan moved his lips and wanted to say something more, but his eyes rolled into his skull and he slumped forward. Qi Yichen caught his fan that flew back, stepped forward, and caught Qi Wan before he fell face-first into the ground. "Qingyu, be careful."

That was surprisingly direct. Gu Qingyu nodded and ran towards the source of the black fog. As she ran through the woods, the fog grew thicker and thicker.

Ye Jin, wait for me!

Finally, she saw the heart of the black fog. She couldn't even see Ye Jin's face. A cloud of dark energy surrounded him, engulfing him. But within the layers of darkness, amidst the fog, was bright red and purple light. The two lights were shields, it was Xie Zang and Murong Zuoyu.