The corridor stretched long before them, unnaturally silent, as if the very masonry leaned in to eavesdrop on their rhythmic footfalls. Gu Changge led the way with a measured stride, neither hurrying nor lingering, while Cheng Han followed a short distance behind. He moved with a grace that suggested neither a mere subordinate nor a defiant equal.
But Cheng Han's eyes had undergone a metamorphosis. The fleeting spark that once resided there had deepened into a frigid clarity—a hidden sharpness that no longer merely skimmed the surface of reality but pierced through its veil.
Without turning, Gu Changge's voice drifted back, cold and resonant:
"To ensure no misunderstandings arise… and to prevent you from being accidentally struck down by a Sect Elder," he paused, as if the notion itself carried a dark irony, "I shall present you to my father."
Cheng Han's brows lifted slightly, and he exhaled a brief breath—less out of shock and more like a man receiving news he had long anticipated.
"The Patriarch?" he murmured, tilting his head with a serene, curious smile. "It would be an honor to meet him."
A ghost of a smirk touched Gu Changge's lips before he resumed his pace. "My father may not object; he usually grants me autonomy in my choices. However," his tone softened, yet took on a more ominous weight, "before the Elders… or the Ancestors—"
He let out a short, detached laugh. "In their presence, your life and death will no longer be in my hands. They will rest solely upon their mercy… should any exist."
Cheng Han narrowed his eyes, his expression flickering with a hint of mockery rather than dread, as if acknowledging a self-evident truth.
"There is no need to tell me," he said simply, his gaze sweeping over the endless pillars as if seeing through time. "I know precisely how terrifying they are. Their power… it defies the natural order."
This time, Gu Changge's pace faltered—not a full stop, but a subtle break in the cadence of his walk.
"You know?" he asked without looking back. "Sometimes, I feel as though you speak from more than just hearsay."
"Knowledge is simply knowledge," Cheng Han whispered, continuing with a slow, languid gait. They walked in silence until they reached a suspended courtyard, an ethereal space that seemed to float amidst a dreamscape of impossible architecture.
Gu Changge stepped forward, offering a formal salutation. "Gu Changge greets the Patriarch. Father, I have matters to discuss..."
Before he could finish, he noted the figures behind his father: several Sect Elders, and among them, a woman who was not an Elder but Gu Changge's aunt and protector. He bowed to them as well.
"Ho? Aunt is here too? It has been quite some time."
The woman regarded him with a gaze devoid of warmth, radiating a chilling authority. "Indeed, it has been long since you last sought me out. Tell me, Changge, have you forgotten I am your guardian?"
Gu Changge stammered with playful feigning. "How could I? I merely loathe bothering you with trifles. Unless I face a Quasi-Immortal, I can manage. Besides, I carry the blade you bestowed upon me at all times."
Cutting his chatter short as if remembering his purpose, he stepped back to stand beside Cheng Han, presenting him with a theatrical flourish.
"I bring a new companion! I found him wandering nearby, haha! He possesses decent strength and even managed to insult a few Elders at the weekly assembly. I've begun to suspect he is a mirror image of myself."
Cheng Han bowed with visible trepidation. "I… I am Cheng Han, follower of Senior Brother Gu Changge. Standing before you is a supreme honor… I am… at your mercy."
Beads of sweat formed on his brow, his voice trembling under the immense pressure of their collective gaze.
The Patriarch spoke for the first time. His voice was unexpectedly calm, even tinged with a strange levity.
"Ho? A youth who has captured Changge's interest? That is a rare occurrence indeed." He approached Cheng Han, scrutinizing him with a comically intense focus. "Hmm, he seems unremarkable. An ordinary boy. I wonder… what secrets do you hide?"
The Patriarch placed a hand on his shoulder, bidding him to look up. Cheng Han complied slowly, his gaze steady yet carefully avoiding direct eye contact with the assembly.
One of the Elders crossed his arms, his voice sharp. "Intriguing. For Changge to bring someone into the Sect and directly to the Patriarch… what devilry are you plotting this time, Gu Changge?"
Another Elder shifted slightly, his voice a low rumble. "You have given your name, youth. But what of your origins? To which sect did you belong?"
Cheng Han swayed slightly, his eyes fixed on the floor. "I… I belong to no sect. I have never had one. I am a child of the void, so to speak."
A mocking grin spread across the Elder's face. "A child of the void? Bold words for such a small insect. Either you are truly nothing, or you are a master of deception."
Cheng Han waved his hands in nervous protest. "No, no! I did not mean to imply strength. I only meant that I have no sect, no lineage… or even a family. That is why I called myself a child of the void. Please, Great Elder, do not mistake my words for arrogance."
The Patriarch chuckled at the boy's distress, but then the Aunt spoke. Her voice was velvet-soft and warm, yet it carried an underlying steel.
"A youth with no background or family, earning the favor of the mischievous Gu Changge? Do you expect us to believe that?" She stepped closer. "I know my nephew better than anyone. He moves only when it serves his own ends."
Cheng Han's shoulders trembled as she neared, but in a sudden flash of defiance, he looked her in the eyes.
"I won't deny your knowledge of him. But… I know more. Not just of him, but of many things. Perhaps that is why he finds me of use."
The Aunt narrowed her eyes, but Cheng Han pressed on before anyone could intervene.
"I claim no superiority, nor do I say I am the strongest. I am merely justifying my presence. I only hope I do not find myself perished by the flick of a finger."
His words were sharp and resolute, yet Gu Changge noticed a detail the others missed: every time Cheng Han glanced at the Aunt—a woman of peerless, youthful beauty—he quickly looked away, his cheeks flushing a faint crimson.
The tension was broken by a messenger who arrived in haste, kneeling low.
"Young Master! An urgent missive. Junior Sister Chan'er has been detained by a sect in the Central Continent following a dispute over treasures!"
Gu Changge's eyes narrowed with weary annoyance. "That girl is a magnet for calamity. What in the depths of hell was she doing in the Central Continent? Does she wish to see me raze entire sects on her account?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Forgive me, Father. I must retrieve her."
"I am coming with you," Cheng Han declared.
Gu Changge stopped, eyeing him. "I know you are knowledgeable and eager to prove your loyalty, but this is not an affair where your current strength will suffice."
"I will go," Cheng Han interrupted firmly. "I told you—my strength, my knowledge, even my life belong to the Gu family. If Junior Sister Chan'er is in peril, do you expect me to sit idly by?"
Gu Changge stared at him for a long moment before sighing. "Fine, fine. Do as you wish. Just see to it that you do not die."
A rift, akin to a gateway, fractured the space beside Gu Changge. He stepped through with quiet composure, vanishing into the void, and Cheng Han followed in his wake. Within moments, they materialized in the Central Continent. While the terrain bore a familiar resemblance to the realm they had departed, the cultural tapestry and architectural nuances were starkly distinct.
They hovered aloft in the firmament, gazing down upon the target sect below. Gu Changge spoke, his voice maintaining its calm, yet the previous veneer of levity had completely evaporated, supplanted by an aura of crushing authority.
"Let us descend," he uttered, "and discover what these wretches intend by daring to detain Chan'er."
Cheng Han echoed the sentiment, his own voice resonating with equal measures of iron-clad resolve and latent power.
"Indeed," he replied. "Let us see who truly harbors the audacity to oppose the Gu family."