The disturbance outside the villa naturally had long since attracted the attention of many in the Heavenly Cold Sect.
Heads poked out from every villa, gate, or courtyard wall, all eager to witness Gu Changge being utterly beaten up!
As for the Heavenly Cold Sect Elders and Deacons, they adopted a "see no evil, hear no evil" approach. It was as if they had heard nothing, and they did not intervene in the slightest.
The commotion here also caught the attention of some Gu Family members nearby, but it was obvious they couldn't make it in time to help!
"Ah, why bother."
Gu Changge's face remained calm. Even though he was now only at the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, the attackers consisted of five Heavenly Cold Sect disciples, all at the seventh level or higher in the Qi Condensation Realm, with one Sky-controlling Realm Mid-Stage expert standing nearby, ready to step in at any moment.
Yet, he showed no signs of panic.
On the contrary, he suddenly stomped his foot fiercely, kicking up a cloud of dust to obscure their vision.
As the figures charged into the rising dust and struck toward the silhouette,
*Bang!*
"Bang!!"
"Bang!!!"
Heavy, muffled sounds resounded one after another, causing the ground itself to shudder violently several times!
Everyone watching frowned at the sight.
"Aren't they hitting a bit too hard? Can that useless wretch from the Gu Family withstand such a beating?"
"Be careful not to beat him to death. After all, this is still the Gu Family's territory. If someone dies, it'll be hard to resolve!"
The spectating Heavenly Cold Sect members felt a cathartic satisfaction but, hearing the heavy noises, began to grow a little worried.
"Help! Someone come quickly!"
"The Heavenly Cold Sect is going to kill Cousin Changge! Someone, hurry up!"
The Gu Family members who had arrived first turned red-eyed at the sight. They rushed forward, screaming for help and prepared to fight for their lives.
Suddenly, figures of Gu Family elders soared into the air, appearing instantly at the scene.
But before they could either rescue Gu Changge or confront the Heavenly Cold Sect, their steps came to an abrupt halt.
Something's off...
The five Heavenly Cold Sect Qi Condensation Realm disciples lay on the ground like dead dogs, vomiting blood, completely unconscious!
And Gu Changge? He sat atop the piled-up bodies of two disciples, arms propped lazily on his knees, holding his face with a bright smile as he looked at the lone-standing Sky-controlling Realm Liu Xin.
"Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you?" Gu Changge's grin widened as he raised an eyebrow, staring at Liu Xin.
"You..."
"This is impossible. What Realm are you actually in!?"
"Get off my junior brother right now!"
Liu Xin visibly panicked. The scene before him was completely beyond his imagination.
He had previously thought his junior brothers might have struck too hard and was about to intervene, but upon looking closer, all his junior brothers had been thoroughly battered!
This couldn't possibly have been done by someone at the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm. It would require someone at least at his own level—the Sky-controlling Realm!
But how is this possible?
Wasn't he a useless wretch who couldn't cultivate and had only just entered the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm thanks to his senior sister's Soul-Shaping Pill?!
Gu Changge shrugged and began walking toward Liu Xin step by step.
As he got closer and raised his hand, Liu Xin instinctively backed away, his body rising into the air defensively, his face full of wariness.
"..."
Their eyes met, and Liu Xin awkwardly descended to the ground. In that moment, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. After all, many of his senior brothers and junior brothers were watching—he had been startled by a useless wretch!
"Young man of the Gu Family, you've hidden your strength well."
"But your methods are far too ruthless!"
The Sixth Elder of the Heavenly Cold Sect finally emerged unhurriedly from the villa. With a wave of his hand, he sent spiritual energy to stabilize the injuries of the unconscious disciples while coldly staring at Gu Changge as he spoke.
"Elder, you've already said everything. What's left for me to say?"
"As all the elders here witnessed earlier, these individuals attempted to take my life, each attack aimed to kill. This Young Master nearly met his demise."
"According to the rules of the Gu Family..."
"They should pay with their lives."
Gu Changge spread his hands, speaking with an air of helplessness.
Although he clearly hadn't suffered a single scratch moments ago, he now claimed he had barely survived. The Sixth Elder was so angry his teeth began to itch.
However, the Gu Family elders who had rushed over upon hearing the calls, now stood behind Gu Changge. Their faces had darkened as they folded their arms across their chests, nodding as they said,
"Changge speaks the truth. We witnessed it with our own eyes—Heavenly Cold Sect disciples attempting to murder a direct member of our family."
"Is this an act of war against the Gu Family?"
The Gu Family elders were no fools. They could easily deduce that the Heavenly Cold Sect's elder had orchestrated this.
Thus, they showed no courtesy.
"Forget it. For Qingqing's sake, this Young Master will spare their lives."
Gu Changge waved his hand dramatically, speaking with righteous conviction.
"..."
The Sixth Elder gritted his teeth in frustration but had no choice but to grit and bear it. He couldn't use the severe injuries of those disciples as a pretext to escalate the situation; the Gu Family had beaten them to the punch vocally, and both sides tacitly agreed to let the matter slide.
The uproar outside the villa woke Liu Qingqing from her cultivation.
As she stepped out, her gaze landed on the Heavenly Cold Sect Outer Sect disciples, lying sprawled on the ground, coughing blood and heavily injured. She couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise.
Her eyes then fell on Gu Changge not far away—only to see him suddenly roll his eyes and collapse stiffly to the ground.
The Gu Family elders nearby instinctively moved to catch him, puzzled, when a graceful figure appeared like a blur and steadied him in their arms first.
"Are you alright?" Liu Qingqing asked quickly, placing her hand on his wrist to check his condition.
"Cough... After all, facing five Qi Condensation Realm opponents joining forces, I only barely escaped with my life."
*...* As her hand examined him, Liu Qingqing already detected his internal condition. Gu Changge didn't resist and allowed her to inspect his Realm. The moment she sensed his enormous meridians and realized he had reached the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, her face froze in shock. *For an instant, she even forgot to be annoyed that he was clearly toying with her!*
The ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm?
What happened during these past two days? What miraculous change had taken place in him?
"I know a small restaurant in the city, perfect for recovering from my injuries. I wonder, would my dear wife care to join me?"
Gu Changge grinned broadly, every trace of weakness gone.
"Alright." Liu Qingqing nodded decisively under the watchful eyes of the many Heavenly Cold Sect disciples.
*Her curiosity peaked—what had Gu Changge been up to in these two days to reach the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm?*
However, to the disciples and elders of the Heavenly Cold Sect watching from the sidelines, the scene took on a different interpretation entirely.
"No way. Senior Sister, you don't actually believe his nonsense, do you?!"
"He wasn't even hurt just now!"
"The injured ones are our junior brothers!"
"And what kind of restaurant could possibly help with injuries?!"
"He's totally scamming you!"
The Heavenly Cold Sect disciples beat their chests in frustration as they watched their senior sister help Gu Changge away. They shouted helplessly, trying to stop her.
During this, Gu Changge even turned back to wink at them.
"Aaaaghhh!!!" The disciples collectively screamed in frustration, swearing they would never forgive the shameless scoundrel.
Why had their senior sister believed him so easily?!
"Uh..."
"Since there's no issue, let's all go about our business."
"Oh, and one last thing: don't disturb my family's juniors. Behave yourselves while staying in the Gu Family's territory."
The Gu Family elders gave the Heavenly Cold Sect Elders and Deacons a cold, sideways glance as they spoke before sweeping away without a backward glance.
As they left, one elder mumbled under his breath, "Who knew Changge had such tricks up his sleeve?"
It was unclear whether he referred to Gu Changge's swift defeat of the Qi Condensation disciples or... his apparent knack for wooing Liu Qingqing.