"Many thanks, Mistress, for fulfilling my wish."
As Gu Yue stepped out of Leng Yaozhu's bedroom, Leng Yulai hurriedly bowed. She had heard the entire conversation between Gu Yue and Leng Yaozhu loud and clear.
She had thought it would take a great deal of effort to persuade Gu Yue.
As long as Gu Yue and Xia Yi could accept Leng Yaozhu, she had even been prepared to commit suicide to atone for her actions.
But she never expected Gu Yue to agree so easily.
Of course, Leng Yulai was not naive enough to think that Gu Yue was someone easily taken advantage of.
"Hmph!" Gu Yue let out a cold snort and didn't acknowledge Leng Yulai at all, turning to leave.
Just because she could be kind to Leng Yaozhu didn't mean she would extend the same courtesy to Leng Yulai.
"Mistress, how much do you know about Xia Yi?" Leng Yulai suddenly called out to Gu Yue. With a wave of her hand, a spiritual barrier enveloped the two of them.
Leng Yaozhu's office was already designed to block all spiritual and soul power.
Now, in this office, only Leng Yulai and Gu Yue remained, with Leng Yaozhu still in the adjacent bedroom.
It was obvious that Leng Yulai was deliberately preventing Leng Yaozhu from overhearing their conversation.
Gu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "What do you want to say?"
"Mistress, has Xia Yi ever mentioned this to you?" Leng Yulai took out a piece of paper with a simple diagram of dots and circles drawn on it.
"Heh, are you trying to test my standing in Xia Yi's heart?" Gu Yue scoffed coldly.
She recognized it at a glance—Leng Yulai had drawn a simplified version of the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams.
This was currently the greatest treasure Xia Yi possessed.
If Gu Yue knew about it, it would mean that Xia Yi valued her highly and trusted her completely.
"Apologies, that was not my intention." Leng Yulai quickly shook her head and said, "I simply wanted to confirm whether Master had told Mistress about the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams. If Master had not informed Mistress about them, then I naturally wouldn't dare to take it upon myself to reveal them to you."
"Heh, turns out you do have some loyalty. At least you know not to overstep your bounds, huh?" Gu Yue sneered mockingly.
Leng Yulai knew Gu Yue was ridiculing her, but she didn't take offense. Instead, she respectfully handed a pen to Gu Yue and said, "Please, Mistress, complete these two diagrams."
Gu Yue pondered for a moment before picking up the pen and filling in the missing parts of the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams.
She knew Leng Yulai was trying to verify whether she truly possessed knowledge of the complete Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams.
"Master places great trust in Mistress, and I was wrong to doubt it." Seeing Gu Yue complete the diagrams without hesitation, Leng Yulai was slightly shocked.
The Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams were such crucial treasures, yet Xia Yi had directly entrusted Gu Yue with the full version.
Even between spouses, something like this would usually be kept a secret.
"Alright, if you have something to say, just say it." Gu Yue spoke indifferently.
"Since Master has given Mistress the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams, then you should also know that I have been comprehending them for four years, right? What is mine belongs to both Master and Mistress. I am willing to share everything I have learned from the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams with you." Leng Yulai said solemnly.
"You're giving it all to me?" Gu Yue was taken aback.
She had heard from Xia Yi that Leng Yulai had comprehended the Law of Time through the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams.
Time was even more difficult to control than space.
And Leng Yulai was actually willing to share it with her?
"Yes!" Leng Yulai nodded and took out two more diagrams—both were star maps.
"Mistress, please look. This is the starry sky of the Douluo Continent, and this is the starry sky of Master's spiritual world." Leng Yulai held up the two star maps and explained to Gu Yue, "Through my research, I have discovered that both these star maps contain patterns that can be found within the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams."
"What are you trying to say?" Gu Yue frowned slightly. She had thought Leng Yulai was going to pass on the Law of Time to her, but instead, she was talking about this.
"The Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams are so mysterious that calling them the 'Cosmic Cube' wouldn't be an exaggeration," Leng Yulai said in a deep voice. She seemed to sense Gu Yue's confusion and quickly clarified, "Since it is a Cosmic Cube, it must contain all the forces and laws of the universe. Everyone comprehends it differently. What I have grasped is merely a tiny fraction. If I forcefully pass it on to Mistress, it would only restrict your way of thinking. What I wish to share with you is the method of comprehending the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams, not the specific law I have grasped."
"That's more like it." Gu Yue nodded.
Seeing that Gu Yue understood, Leng Yulai let out a breath of relief. Her biggest fear was that Gu Yue's level of cultivation and knowledge were too low to grasp what she was saying.
If that happened, Gu Yue would only assume that she was withholding information.
"As expected of Xia Yi's girlfriend. Despite only having a four-ring cultivation, you have such remarkable insight." Leng Yulai couldn't help but look at Gu Yue with newfound respect. "When comprehending the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams, one's thoughts must not be confined by the matters at hand. One must look at the entire universe as a whole."
Gu Yue nodded. She had already realized this the moment she saw the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams. They bore a certain resemblance to the Divine Realm Hub.
If the Divine Realm Hub connected a single star system, then the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams were capable of linking the entire universe.
However, no one had ever been able to fully understand the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams.
Everyone could only comprehend a small portion of their laws.
And everyone's understanding differed.
Leng Yulai's words proved that she was not trying to deceive Gu Yue.
Leng Yulai was indeed being sincere. She knew that her previous actions had already angered both Gu Yue and Xia Yi.
At this point, if she still harbored ulterior motives, Xia Yi and Gu Yue would never accept her, and they might even take out their anger on Leng Yaozhu.
So, she shared all of her insights regarding the Hetu and Luoshu Diagrams with Gu Yue.
After all, with four years of study and guidance from Xia Yi's past-life residual soul, much of what she said gave Gu Yue newfound clarity.
Especially some of the things Xia Yi's past-life soul had said—Leng Yaozhu might not fully grasp them, but to Gu Yue, they were illuminating.
"One more thing—Mistress, do you know about Zi Ji, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Forest?" Leng Yulai suddenly asked.
"You're referring to the time four years ago when you attempted to assassinate Xia Yi and were stopped by Zi Ji, aren't you? Leave that matter alone." Gu Yue said coolly, glancing at Leng Yulai. "You are very smart, but I hope you don't let your intelligence work against you."
Gu Yue understood that Leng Yulai was showing her loyalty.
But at the same time, she was also demonstrating her loyalty to Xia Yi.
A clever move.
"Rest assured, Mistress. Unless Master himself speaks, I will never utter a word to anyone—not even my sister." Leng Yulai quickly reassured her.
"Alright, I'm leaving. Remember what I told your sister." Gu Yue snorted, standing up to leave.
"Don't worry, Mistress. I already dislike Yali, so there's no way I'll let her share in Master's fortune like my sister." Leng Yulai immediately assured her as she removed the spiritual barrier.
"I hope you truly mean that." Gu Yue said coldly before turning and leaving.
After Gu Yue left, Leng Yaozhu finally emerged from the bedroom, looking somewhat nervous as she asked, "What did you and Yue'er talk about?"
She had waited until Gu Yue left before coming out, as she wasn't sure how to address Gu Yue in front of Leng Yulai.
Now, she suddenly felt a bit afraid—afraid that Gu Yue might go back on her word.
"Gu Yue-jie said that from now on, we are one family and should love and support each other. She told me to persuade you not to overthink things," Leng Yulai said with a playful grin.
"Really?" A glimmer of light flashed in Leng Yaozhu's beautiful eyes.
"Really," Leng Yulai assured her.
— — —
Dong… dong… dong…
Just as Xia Yi was fully immersed in forging, Gu Yue had already returned. "At a time like this, you're still here forging? Do you think that's appropriate?"
"You've broken through to the fourth ring, so you can equip more pieces of your battle armor now. I'll forge them for you first—the rest can wait," Xia Yi said in a steady tone.
"This is not the time for forging! How could you sleep with someone and then just leave them behind to hide in here and work?" Gu Yue glared at Xia Yi and continued, "You should know how much emotional burden Teacher is carrying right now. Instead of comforting her, you're here forging? Do you still consider yourself a man?"
"Yue'er—"
"Stop right there—I already know what you're going to say." Gu Yue interrupted before Xia Yi could continue. She let out a soft sigh and said, "You and I are both soul beasts. Compared to humans, we don't have so many rules and restrictions. I've figured it out now—what I can't let go of is only my identity as the Soul Beast Sovereign. If it weren't for that title, I probably wouldn't even feel the slightest grievance."
"The more you say things like that, the more I feel like I've let you down," Xia Yi said in a low voice.
"Go find Teacher. She needs you the most right now," Gu Yue shook her head and said, "Next, I'm going to enter seclusion with all the fierce beasts to thoroughly comprehend the He Tu and Luo Shu. Leave the Ice God's Heart behind—it will accompany us in our cultivation. I hope that by the time I emerge from seclusion, you will have already settled this matter."
"Seclusion? How long do you plan to stay in seclusion?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
"I don't know." Gu Yue stepped forward and gently hugged Xia Yi. "Go now, and don't carry too much emotional burden. Won't you eventually merge with the memories of your past life one day? Before that happens, live this life to the fullest—don't leave yourself with regrets."
With that, Gu Yue picked up the battle armor piece that Xia Yi had just finished forging and said, "I'll take this. You, do your best."
Silver light flickered, and Gu Yue disappeared from Xia Yi's sight once more.
(End of Chapter)
(End of Chapter)