Gu Changqing was stunned to hear this, and shook his head with a bitter smile, "You've asked that question several times already."
"I also wish my parents had left me some treasure, but the truth is, they didn't."
"If they really had, I wouldn't still be stuck at Qi Condensation Stage Level Two, unable to Breakthrough even now."
Upon hearing Gu Changqing's words, a trace of almost imperceptible disappointment flashed in the girl's eyes.
She huffed lightly, feigning grievance and complaining, "Who would believe you? You're probably still treating me like an outsider and don't want to tell me, right?"
"How could that be?"
Seeing the girl get angry, Gu Changqing quickly explained, "Over the years, only you and Uncle Sun have been kindest to me. How could I not trust you?"
"Alright, I know you wouldn't lie to me. I was just joking with you. Look at how anxious you are."
The girl suddenly chuckled, shoved a package wrapped in kraft paper into Gu Changqing's arms, and said softly,
"I knew you wouldn't have eaten enough on the mountain. This half of a roasted chicken is for you. Eat it and then rest early. I'm heading back now~"
After speaking, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gu Changqing on the cheek.
Letting out a peal of bell-like laughter, she walked away with light steps.
Gu Changqing stood rooted to the spot, somewhat dazed.
Feeling the lingering warmth from the half roasted chicken in his arms and touching his still-damp cheek, a wave of warmth filled his heart.
Ever since his parents passed away, in Gu Changqing's eyes, the entire Sect seemed to have changed overnight.
Those once kind and caring elders and Disciples who had shown him so much affection had all become incredibly indifferent.
They treated him with various forms of disdain, ridicule, and even increasingly severe bullying and humiliation.
Only the Sun Family father and daughter had consistently looked after him over the years.
They were the only source of warmth he felt in this incredibly cold Cultivation Sect.
Gu Changqing sat down at the table and quickly finished the half roasted chicken Sun Tingting had left for him.
Then he climbed onto the simple wooden bed and sat down cross-legged.
He calmed his breath and focused his mind, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic breathing pattern, inhaling and exhaling, Cultivating.
As he Cultivated, wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, imperceptible to the naked eye, gathered around him from the Void Realm.
They were drawn in through his nose, settled into his Dantian Qi Sea, and transformed into his Cultivation.
This was the Songyun Sect's introductory Cultivation Technique, the Azure Wood Longevity Skill.
It involved absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi through breathing and Cultivation methods to enhance one's Cultivation.
However, the efficiency of this basic Cultivation Technique's absorption was closely related to a Cultivator's Spiritual Root Aptitude.
Gu Changqing's Aptitude was already poor, being only the most common miscellaneous Spiritual Root, making his Cultivation efforts twice as hard for half the results.
During the day, he also had to work as a handyman, at everyone's beck and call.
Only in the evenings could he squeeze out a little time to Cultivate.
Because of this, despite Cultivating for a full decade, he had been unable to Breakthrough to Qi Condensation Stage Level Two.
If it were anyone else, they would probably have given up long ago.
They would have left the Sect and gone to the Mortal world below the mountain, finding a wealthy family to serve as a retainer and enjoying life.
But Gu Changqing was born in the Songyun Sect, and this mountain held childhood memories left by his parents.
So, even though he had endured too many hardships, bullying, and bitterness over the past decade, he had never once thought of leaving.
No matter how tired he was from work during the day or how much injustice he suffered.
Every evening when he returned to his room, he would still diligently Cultivate.
What Gu Changqing didn't know was this.
Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, there existed an extremely mysterious azure Seal.
Every time he Cultivated, wisps of pure Spiritual Qi would be drawn into his Sea of Consciousness, causing the Seal to gradually loosen.
By today, the surface of the Seal was already covered with countless intricate, crisscrossing cracks, capable of shattering at any moment.
At the same time, in another room several miles away.
Sun Tingting held a handkerchief, wiping her mouth repeatedly, her face full of disdain, as she complained to a middle-aged man with slightly frosted temples:
"Dad? How long do I have to keep up this act with that brat?"
"I've asked him eight hundred times! His parents died suddenly and didn't have time to make arrangements for him, let alone leave him anything."
"Even some treasures in their Immortal Cave were reclaimed by the Sect. He's just a poor kid with nothing."
"I feel sick just looking at his face now."
"What do you know?"
The middle-aged man snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "That year, his father and I entered the Sect in the same year, becoming Outer Sect Disciples. Our Aptitudes were both unremarkable."
"After several years of arduous Cultivation, we barely managed to become Outer Sect Disciples."
"However, after one outing, he suddenly began to rise rapidly."
"In just a few years, he made swift progress, his Cultivation reached the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation, and he even became a high and mighty Foundation Establishment expert!"
"There is definitely a significant secret about him that is unknown!"
"He was so severely injured before his death, yet he still held on to his last breath to return. I don't believe it was just to see Gu Changqing one last time."
"He must have left him something!"
"Perhaps a treasure, perhaps a Cultivation Technique, or perhaps just an unintentional remark."
"As long as we can coax it out, you and I, father and daughter, will have a long life ahead and hope for the Great Dao!"
After speaking, the middle-aged man sighed, looked at his daughter, and earnestly advised,
"Dad knows that making you face that boy every day is a bit too much for you."
"But this is a major Opportunity that can change our father and daughter's lives forever. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up; we must seize it firmly!"
"Worst case, after it's done, we'll capture that kid, cut him into a thousand pieces, and let you vent your anger."
"I understand."
Sun Tingting nodded somewhat unwillingly, then spoke again,
"But he's going to Qingyun Slope soon. We might not see each other for ten days or half a month after that. What else can I do?"
"His going to Qingyun Slope might not necessarily be a bad thing."
Sun Xiaochuan's eyes showed a thoughtful glint as he murmured,
"Perhaps it's because we've been too close to him and too kind to him all these years, making the boy wary, which is why he has always refused to reveal his secret."
"Going to a deserted place, being alone, makes it easier to relax one's guard."
"Given time, I'll find a way to make him show his true colors."
As he pondered, a sinister cold light flashed deep within his eyes.
At the same time, Gu Changqing was still intensely focused on sitting cross-legged, Cultivating, and operating his Cultivation Technique.
He was completely unaware of the Sun Family father and daughter's schemes behind his back.
After an unknown amount of time, a sound like shattering ice crystals suddenly came from within his mind.
A pale green, irregularly shaped stone appeared deep within his Sea of Consciousness.
At the same time, an incredibly familiar male voice echoed in Gu Changqing's mind:
"Changqing, do not be agitated when you hear this voice."
"When no one is around and it is safe, use your Divine Sense to examine this stone!"