Even though the Long family had already been suppressed, Gou Yu still harbored deep hostility toward them. The existence of that woman, Long Juxue, was an absolute thorn in Gou Yu's proud heart.
This thorn had always made her proud self-esteem feel incredibly uneasy.
Although Gou Yu had never said it aloud, she had always been unwilling to accept it—unwilling to accept that Long Juxue's so-called innate constitution was enough to make the sect look upon her with such favor.
Gou Yu wanted to prove that she was no worse!
She lacked monstrous talent, but Gou Yu had an even more resolute martial heart to compensate.
Jiang Chen looked at this earnest woman and suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. As a proper princess, she could have continued to enjoy her lofty royal status back in the Eastern Kingdom.
But she had followed him without hesitation, becoming his attendant.
What did she seek? Naturally, a breakthrough in the martial path.
Jiang Chen didn't deny that Gou Yu felt dependent on him, grateful, and perhaps even harbored some vague romantic feelings. But he had never wanted to steer things in that direction.
It wasn't that Jiang Chen disliked Gou Yu in any way, but because he knew that she and he, Jiang Chen, were ultimately not on the same path, destined never to fly wing to wing.
She was a woman he, Jiang Chen, was bound to disappoint. Therefore, seeing Gou Yu in this state, his heart softened.
"Even if she isn't to be my woman, at least I must ensure her life is more glorious, more brilliant, than she ever imagined."
This thought suddenly crossed Jiang Chen's mind, and he smiled. "You're right. Without the sect, you, Gou Yu, can still enter the Spirit Realm. Now, I'll give you a chance to enter the Spirit Realm."
"What did you say?" Surprised color shot into Gou Yu's beautiful eyes. She thought she must have misheard.
"Don't you want to enter the Spirit Realm?"
"Yes." Gou Yu nodded without hesitation.
Jiang Chen flicked his finger, and a mid-grade Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill landed in Gou Yu's hand. "This pill is called the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill. It will give you a ninety percent chance of entering the Spirit Realm. Moreover, the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill will shape your Spirit Sea, giving it limitless potential. Remember, I haven't even given this pill to Xue Tong yet. You must keep it secret."
Gou Yu's face was full of shock as she stared blankly at the pill in her hand. Suddenly, her eyes reddened.
This feeling of being helped by Jiang Chen, of being guided by him, of being looked after by him—suddenly, it sent her memory back several months, back to those days in the Eastern Kingdom.
"Jiang Chen, you..."
"Stop. I don't like a woman who gets all mushy. You are my attendant; it is only right and proper that I bestow a pill upon you." Jiang Chen couldn't stand seeing women cry.
Gou Yu wiped her eyes firmly. She now surprisingly realized that she had already grown accustomed to Jiang Chen's help, accustomed to being guided by him, accustomed to receiving benefits from him.
"This pill, once taken, will assault your physical body, reshape it, and form a Spirit Sea within you. The process is extremely painful. Remember, you must endure it. If you endure, the sea will become vast and the sky wide. You will step into the world of the Spirit Realm, and from then on, the sky will be the limit for you."
Gou Yu pressed her lips together, unable to find the right words to express her current feelings.
"Jiang Chen, it seems I, Gou Yu, am destined to owe you for this lifetime. Whenever you want me to repay you, I will give you my life."
"I don't need your life. I only hope that you will forever be that unyielding, martially-devoted Gou Yu of the East!"
Gou Yu froze. Jiang Chen had already brushed past her and walked out.
"Jiang Chen... you... you truly are a demon. You've made me, Gou Yu of the East, fall so helplessly into your abyss..." Gou Yu murmured. "Forget it, forget it. It's all my own choice. Jiang Chen, do you know? Your excellence has already ruined my standards. I am willing to fall in your abyss, rather than spend my life with the mediocre. I know... I am not worthy of you; the gap between us is vast. But I, Gou Yu, am willing to be your servant or slave for my entire life, to follow you forever. Do you know? Even the casual radiance you emit is enough to illuminate my entire world..."
Gou Yu stood in the secret chamber like she was speaking in a dream, lost in a daze, filled with both sorrow and joy.
"Young Master, First Prince Ye Dai requests an audience outside the gate." As soon as Jiang Chen walked out, a servant hurried over to report.
"Ye Dai?" Jiang Chen paused for a moment, then waved his hand. "Not seeing him!"
"Young Master, this Prince Ye Dai... he's shamelessly refusing to leave. He said if you don't see him, you will definitely regret it for the rest of your life."
"Regret? Based on what he can offer?" Jiang Chen sneered. Knowing these servants probably couldn't get rid of Ye Dai either, he said, "You don't need to bother with him. I'll go drive him away."
Arriving outside the gate, he indeed saw Ye Dai standing there. Tall and graceful, like a jade tree swaying in the wind, his bearing was elegant. Judging purely by appearance, he was indeed a fine specimen.
"Jiang Chen, if you don't come out, this prince plans to stand at your door and never leave." Ye Dai smiled faintly, as if they were not enemies who had clashed numerous times, but rather old friends.
Jiang Chen smiled lightly. "First Prince, it seems we aren't familiar enough to exchange such pointless jokes, are we?"
Ye Dai didn't mind, maintaining his composure. "Jiang Chen, on the day of the old master's birthday banquet, I admit, there was some unpleasantness—I was even a bit jealous of you. However, after thinking it over, I realized I was wrong. Truth be told, there's no irreconcilable enmity between you and me, is there? You are now the holder of the Tian Gui Knight Order, and I am the prince with the highest public support in the Tiangui Kingdom. Between us, why must there be confrontation, rather than cooperation?"