As a heroine meant to stand side-by-side with a Favored Son of Heaven, it was indeed hard to find any flaw in Su Qingge's unblemished appearance.
She had delicate and exquisitely carved features. Her eyes rippled like spring water in autumn, and her willow-like eyebrows appeared to be drawn by the hands of a divine artist.
Her supple black hair and delightful, lily-white visage appeared ethereal as they radiated a fascinating charm. She wore an alluring, green dress that fluttered with her every gesture, and made her look like a fairy untouched by the dust of the corrupted world around her.
Her tranquil, holy temperament couldn't be put into words. She was like an immortal maiden who accidentally fell into the mortal world from the highest Heaven.
But today, some worry could be seen adorning her lovely face.
After all, she had requested an audience with Gu Changge multiple times over the last three days, and only now did he deign to let her in front of him. His indifference made it really hard for her to guess Gu Changge's true intentions.
The men she met in the past were similar to Ye Chen, who admired her from the bottom of their hearts. They treated her like a Goddess, and made sure to only watch her from afar, never daring to get close to her.
It was the first time she had met someone like Gu Changge who ignored her existence. His lack of interest worried Su Qingge, and she feared that she might end up ramming into an immovable wall even if she could meet him.
Still, her heart couldn't waver.
"I wonder what matter Holy Maiden Qingge might want to discuss with this Gu?"
Gu Changge opened his eyes and asked with a low voice. The look in his eyes was deep and unconcerned, as if a God overlooking everything underneath him. He naturally knew what Su Qingge wanted, but there was no way he would say it out first.
He had to let Su Qingge say it herself; one couldn't be gentle with their prey, after all!
After his analysis, Gu Changge concluded that Su Qingge's status as the heroine was the source of the great Fortune around her. And that realization made him wonder: ‘What happens if the heroine "willingly" surrenders to the villain?'
Gu Changge couldn't help but feel his curiosity soar as that question popped up in his mind.
And different from Ye Chen, Su Qingge was someone whose weakness was completely grasped by him, so it was much easier to win her over.
"Qingge came here to apologize to Young Lord Gu for what happened three days ago!"
Su Qingge looked at Gu Changge and spoke with great resolve. She had wanted to do this since day one, but Gu Changge hadn't given her a single chance.
"Oh? Why would Holy Maiden Qingge need to apologize to this Gu?"
Without a change in his expression, Gu Changge responded to her with a question of his own.
"The incident with Ye Chen happened because of me, but I didn't explain myself to Young Lord Gu. It was all Qingge's fault…"
It had to be said that Su Qingge was a clever woman who knew what words to say where. Since hiding the truth from Gu Changge wasn't possible, the best option was to be straightforward and explain the truth with her own mouth.
She explained to Gu Changge how she got acquainted with Ye Chen, how Ye Chen never concealed his admiration for her, and whatever other whatnot.
She had no choice but to confess everything before Gu Changge to show her sincerity.
‘This woman is somewhat interesting.'
Gu Changge couldn't help but show some interest in her.
To be honest, he was a little surprised by her actions. Even Ye Chen couldn't have expected Su Qingge would go ahead and tell all of this to Gu Changge!
Only a woman this clever could be said to be a true heroine. She was completely different from those ornamental vases who only had pretty faces and slutty bodies to their names.
She knew how and when to avoid misfortune!
Now that her Sect's in trouble, there's no way she would do something stupid — she could see the correct path and knew what to do.
Gu Changge was the Taixuan Holy Land's greatest hope. There was no way she would offend Gu Changge for Ye Chen. After all, desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.
Gu Changge couldn't help but admire her.
Of course, it was pure appreciation, and not ravenous lust.
[Ding! Su Qingge's temperament has changed. Ye Chen's Fortune decreased by 40 Points. Host's Destiny Points increased by 200 Points.]
A System prompt suddenly sounded.
Gu Changge couldn't help but squint his eyes with interest. It appeared that changing the hearts of the characters related to the Favored Son of Heaven could, indeed, shave off their Fortune and give him Destiny Points.
With this, many of his considerations were simplified.
"Why are you telling me all this? Do you think I have any interest in your life story? Or, do you want to take this opportunity to make me let go of that Ye Chen?"
Still, Gu Changge's merciless words held no pity, and a faint smirk could be seen adorning his visage.
Although Su Qingge had anticipated such a result already, her face still paled, and she explained herself in a hurry, "I dare not! Qingge knows the difference between herself and Young Lord, and understands that it's not possible for her to enter the eyes of Young Lord Gu. Qingge said all that to show her sincerity before Young Lord, and Qingge hopes that Young Lord won't mind the events that transpired that day."
"As for Ye Chen, Qingge has no intention of interfering in that matter. Young Lord Gu needn't worry."
"Oh! Ye Chen is infatuated with you to the point that he even went against the Taixuan Holy Land for you, yet this is how you decide to answer his actions?"
Gu Changge asked with a playful smile and watched on.
Su Qingge couldn't help but show a momentary grimace after hearing his words, but she had already resolved herself.
"Everything I do is for the Sect. Nothing is more important than the Sect that was painstakingly developed by my Father."
Su Qingge's eyes dimmed as she spoke those words.
Gu Changge, on the other hand, still had an indifferent expression and didn't speak anything in response. Inside his heart, however, he was roaring with laughter.
Attacking the heart was, indeed, a wonderful method.
"Young Lord Gu, there's actually one more thing Qingge has to tell you…Qingge has the [Mysterious Nine Yin Maiden Physique]! No one knows this except for Qingge."
After seeing no change in Gu Changge's expression even after everything she said, she decided to reveal this secret to him.
She had revealed her greatest secret before him just to show him her sincerity!
‘[Mysterious Nine Yin Maiden Physique]?'
‘The Physique that's said to make the best Human Cauldron?'[^1]
There was naturally a record about the [Mysterious Nine Yin Maiden Physique] in Gu Changge's memories. It surprised him when Su Qingge suddenly revealed such a secret before him.
But soon, Gu Changge understood her considerations behind such a desperate step.
This secret could be regarded as Su Qingge's trump card. And with her proactively revealing her secret , it could be seen that she had been completely sincere with her apology just now.
Couldn't this be considered as the heroine's first step towards surrendering to the villain?
[Ding! Su Qingge's heart has begun to surrender. Ye Chen's Fortune decreased by 40 Points. Host's Destiny Points increased by 200 Points.]
At the same time, the System's prompt rang once more.
Gu Changge never expected that the process of making Su Qingge surrender before him would be so smooth-sailing.
With this blow, Ye Chen's Fortune Value had easily dropped to almost 300 Points.
[^1]: A human cauldron is pretty much a slave that's used to improve the cultivation of their captor through sexual cultivation techniques.