He was curious, though, so he pestered Ling Luoyi, following her wherever she went.
It was less pestering and more like trailing, because for the first year or so, Ling Luoyi completely ignored him, as if he didn't exist. If he interfered with her, Ling Luoyi would even attack him without any mercy.
He was still a 'cripple' back then, without spiritual energy, and his combat skills were inferior to a ten-year-old girl. He could only endure by relying on his millennia of combat experience and the robust physical constitution of the demon race.
Thinking of this, Gu Yuncheng couldn't help but shed a tear of self-pity. Who knew what kind of miserable days he had lived through in that year or so!
In their subsequent interactions, Gu Yuncheng witnessed Ling Luoyi's suicidal fighting methods and finally understood how she had achieved her current accomplishments at such a young age.
The way she treated others' lives as worthless, and her own life as well, made Gu Yuncheng's heart ache every time he thought about it.
Ling Luoyi was a Spirit King at the time, but Spirit Kings ranked only in the lower to middle tier on the Ancient Profound Continent. There were many stronger than her. Moreover, Ling Luoyi's personality was such that she easily offended people. She basically offended someone wherever she went, then started fighting. If she couldn't win, she would run, and her wounds would accumulate new ones before the old ones had even healed.
While her cultivation and strength advanced rapidly this way, the pools of blood and the injuries she sustained were real, yet she completely disregarded them.
Back then, she seemed to care about nothing. She didn't care about the rare treasures others coveted, nor the jewelry and ornaments they liked. She cared even less about power and status, and even less about her own life.
Gu Yuncheng wanted to know what this human girl cared about, so he kept following her. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the answer. This little girl, who came from who knows where, didn't care about anything in this world. Nothing could evoke an emotional response from her. Except for red!
Initially, even a hint of red would send her into a frenzy. After losing control, she could unleash power far exceeding her current limits, vowing to annihilate the red before her eyes before returning to normal.
Later, it gradually changed to how it is now, where she could accept red of other shades, but blood red remained unacceptable. Even if it was only slightly lighter than blood red, it could still stimulate her if she wasn't careful.
Gu Yuncheng didn't know why, but her uncontrolled state truly worried him.
Ling Luoyi, not hearing Gu Yuncheng speak for a while and instead hearing his slightly rapid breathing, looked at him in confusion. Seeing his pale complexion, she asked with concern, "A'Su, what's wrong? Why is your face so pale?"
As she spoke, Ling Luoyi reached out for Gu Yuncheng's wrist, but he caught her hand.
Ling Luoyi looked at Gu Yuncheng in confusion. Seeing him pause, he gave her a faint smile and said, "Luoluo, I'm fine. I just suddenly remembered when we first met, and I was a little startled."
Upon hearing this, Ling Luoyi froze, as if remembering something. She guiltily withdrew her hand and chuckled sheepishly, "We had just met back then, you were just a stranger. How could you expect me to be nice to a stranger?"
Speaking of her first meeting with Gu Yuncheng, the memory was indeed not very pleasant.
The restriction on the Ancient Spirit Continent was the Spirit King realm. Upon reaching the Spirit King realm, one would be guided to the upper realm, the Ancient Profound Continent, by the power of the Heavenly Dao.
However, Ling Luoyi broke through to the Spirit King realm in a secret realm. The power of the Heavenly Dao in the secret realm was weak, not enough to guide Ling Luoyi to the upper realm. Therefore, when Ling Luoyi broke through to the Spirit King realm, she was not sent to the Ancient Profound Continent. Instead, shortly after breaking through to a third-tier Spirit King, she accidentally triggered a teleportation array within the secret realm and was transported to the Ancient Profound Continent.
Arriving at the Ancient Profound Continent via a teleportation array was not unusual in itself, but the teleportation array on the Ancient Profound Continent connected to the one Ling Luoyi accidentally triggered in the secret realm was in mid-air!
As soon as Ling Luoyi was teleported over, it was her first time using a teleportation array, and she knew nothing. Her head was spinning, and before she could even ascertain her location, she felt a sense of weightlessness and began to fall.
Ling Luoyi's reaction was quick. She immediately imbued her body with spiritual energy to prevent herself from dying from the fall.
The descent was rapid, and she was soon nearing the ground. Just as Ling Luoyi thought she would be severely injured from the fall, she suddenly heard a muffled groan, very close, directly above her.
Ling Luoyi quickly got up, rubbed her dizzy head, and realized she had fallen onto a man, who had also suffered two broken ribs from her impact.
Considering that this man had, in a way, saved her life, Ling Luoyi showed her first act of kindness since becoming an assassin and checked his pulse.
The man had fainted. Whether she had caused his condition was debatable, as he was also poisoned with multiple potent toxins, any one of which was enough to kill many people.
After checking the man's pulse, Ling Luoyi left him alone and began to observe her surroundings. Everything around her was unfamiliar. Ling Luoyi didn't know where she was, nor did she need to. She could survive anywhere.
However, she wondered if the man had seen her. Judging by the noble aura in his eyes, he was likely no ordinary person. If he had seen her, it would probably cause trouble. Perhaps she should kill him directly to avoid future problems.
Acting on her thought, Ling Luoyi took out a dagger and strode towards the man, her steps unhesitating, completely forgetting that this man had inadvertently saved her life not long ago.
Just as Ling Luoyi was about to plunge the dagger into the man's heart, he woke up.
Ling Luoyi swore that if Gu Yuncheng hadn't woken up in time, the demon realm could have had a new Demon Emperor!
Even after Gu Yuncheng woke up, Ling Luoyi did not retract the dagger she held against his heart.
Meeting Gu Yuncheng's bewildered gaze, Ling Luoyi felt no embarrassment. The dagger remained dangerously positioned against Gu Yuncheng's heart. It wasn't that she didn't want to stab deeper, but her dagger was ordinary, and Gu Yuncheng's body was much harder than her dagger; it couldn't pierce it.
Ling Luoyi found this strange. Later, Gu Yuncheng told her that it was due to his physical resilience; an ordinary dagger couldn't harm him at all.
Since the dagger couldn't harm him, Ling Luoyi became angry. With a forceful push, she heard a few 'cracking' sounds. The dagger shattered, leaving only the handle in her hand.
Seeing this, Gu Yuncheng also became angry. However, his spiritual energy was sealed, and his body was corroded by toxins, rendering him unable to exert even a tenth of his strength. Otherwise, Ling Luoyi wouldn't have survived.
Thinking of this, a hint of relief flashed in both their eyes. Fortunately, they hadn't acted rashly then, otherwise such a good person would have been lost.
Gu Yuncheng couldn't help but steal a glance at Ling Luoyi, and Ling Luoyi also stole a glance at Gu Yuncheng. Their gazes suddenly met. They both froze, then burst into laughter.
"Speaking of which, did you really want to kill me back then?" Gu Yuncheng suddenly brought up old grievances.
Hearing this, Ling Luoyi blinked innocently and said, "Yes, isn't it obvious from what happened later?"
Ling Luoyi was referring to how Gu Yuncheng repeatedly interfered with her later when he followed her, and how she repeatedly beat him to death. Her demeanor suggested she wished she could kill him.
Upon hearing Ling Luoyi's words, Gu Yuncheng helplessly rubbed his forehead. He sometimes truly had no patience for Ling Luoyi's directness.