Inside the Bronze Ancient Mirror.

Gu Changqing slowly roused.

The dirty boy broke into a bright smile. “Hey, do you remember me? In the woods, I was surrounded by wolves—you saved my life…”

Jiang Minghuang’s words trailed off when he saw the boy before him close his eyes once more.

It was unclear whether he had fainted or died.

In a haze, Gu Changqing could only hear the boy murmuring.

“I thought I was already miserable, but I didn’t expect you to be worse…your spiritual veins and Dao Palace have been destroyed…”

Gu Changqing’s consciousness sank back into sleep.

His condition was exactly as Gu Youwei’s master had described before leaving.

His Dao Palace and spiritual veins had nearly collapsed and the power inside him had drained like a flood—now he was not even as strong as an ordinary mortal.

On top of that, his Immortal Root had been removed and his body was bleeding.

Without the world’s finest spiritual materials and miraculous medicines, he likely had no chance of recovery.

Many months passed quickly.

Gu Changqing woke many times, but each time was only for a moment before falling back into sleep.

Yet even so, the young Jiang Minghuang did not give up on him.

Not because Jiang Minghuang felt he owed Gu Changqing for saving his life, though.

He had long since repaid that favor.

He only thought that since he had carried this guy back with so much effort and cared for him for so long, Gu Changqing ought to repay him.

He had invested so much, so he couldn’t let this guy just die. After all, Jiang Minghuang was the young heir of an eminent upper-realm clan. He refused to do anything that would make him suffer losses.

Besides, as a proud upper-realm heir and the eldest son of the Jiang family, he would surely require a subordinate to tend to his daily needs as he traveled the lower realm, right?

The tasks he was ashamed to do himself, the petty schemes and cons unbecoming of his status—someone had to do them.

Otherwise, what would this noble eat every day?

With that attitude, the caregiving lasted ten months.

Simply put.

Gu Changqing did not disappoint Jiang Minghuang: aside from the destroyed dao foundation, his wounds slowly began to heal.

If there was anything that puzzled Jiang Minghuang during that time, it was only that Gu Changqing continually clutched the wordless Heavenly Book in his arms, whispering Gu Youwei’s name.

Outside the mirror.

The gathered cultivators fell silent.

They had originally imagined that the young Heavenly Emperor had run into Jiang Minghuang again by chance and was saved because Jiang Minghuang had access to high quality items that could treat the young boy.

But no one expected that a year later Jiang Minghuang would be reduced to such a sorry state in the lower realm.

He was now at a stage where he might have food for one meal, and none for the next three.

On top of that, he couldn’t swallow his pride to beg or scam others for money or food.

His survival ability was virtually negative.

And Gu Changqing had somehow endured for ten months and survived.

“With his veins severed, the constant agony lasting ten months would be even more intense than having one’s Immortal Root torn out.”

“How on earth did he manage to wake up?”

The cultivators were somewhat moved.

Such a will to survive was terrifying. Even they couldn’t say they’d endure ten months under those conditions—perhaps they’d give up after only a few days.

How did a child endure it?

“It must be because of his sister, and that blood feud for their parents,” someone murmured.

The cultivators had watched Gu Changqing mutter Gu Youwei’s name in his dreams and clutch the Heavenly Book tightly for months within the mirror.

So beyond that explanation, they couldn’t think of any other reason that would make the boy persist.

“The reason why he was able to become the Heavenly Emperor must be tied to this kind of will…” someone sighed softly.

Ye Chen’s expression had been gloomy from beginning to end.

Especially upon hearing the group’s praise of Gu Changqing, he couldn’t help but speak, “It is precisely this strong will of his that later turned him into a calamity to the world, an unadulterated great demon!”

The expressions among the crowd wavered a little.

“Yes, if the Heavenly Emperor had died back then, none of the later events would have happened.”

Jiang Minghuang’s expression also shifted. “If I hadn’t brought him back and had let him die there, my sister would not have…”

Six months later.

Gu Changqing could finally be considered healed. His wounds remained, but his waking intervals had greatly lengthened.

At that moment Jiang Minghuang was even more excited than Gu Changqing himself, nearly in tears.

As if he had saved not someone else, but himself.

Then Gu Changqing heard the first words this fellow said when he awoke.

“I, Jiang Minghuang, have never liked to owe anyone, nor have I liked others to owe me.”

“Previously you saved my life and I gave you a cultivation technique manual. Now I saved your life—return the technique to me.”

Gu Changqing recognized Jiang Minghuang and knew he was the one who had cared for him for ten months.

He merely shook his head indifferently and barely managed to say two words, “Lost it.”

At that moment, the future Emperor Jiang—the one who would stride the rivers of time and make heaven and earth tremble—this foremost son of the great Jiang family wept uncontrollably.

The reason he had cared for Gu Changqing for ten months was for the sake of a single obsession.

He wanted to get that cultivation manual back and exchange it for money in the lower realm.

Buy a comfortable house, hire a few maids befitting his status, and eat some hot meals.

But now.

The dream was shattered!

Jiang Minghuang’s expression gradually turned nasty.