Chapter 9: The Wicked Side Of Human Nature

But to everyone’s surprise.

Gu Changqing, whose figure had just vanished into the woods, unexpectedly reappeared on the other side of the grove.

He crept silently through the trees and slid down to the windowsill of his uncle’s house.

He hugged his knees and remained motionless, as if merged with the darkness.

“This is…”

Outside the mirror, everyone was stunned.

Anyone could see that the young Heavenly Emperor had returned because he was worried about Gu Youwei, secretly checking the sounds inside the house.

But who would have thought that a five-year-old boy could have such cunning?

“In that case, he didn’t regard Gu Youwei as a burden and really wanted her to survive. If he truly abandoned her, why would he come back and secretly check on her?” another cultivator commented.

Gu Youwei’s eyelashes trembled slightly. The image of the boy curled in the dark corner in the scene struck too hard at her heart in that moment.

Ye Chen’s expression was somewhat awkward.

After all, he had previously declared with great confidence that the young Heavenly Emperor had treated Gu Youwei as a burden and abandoned her.

He glanced at everyone and said, “Perhaps his conscience hasn’t completely died yet. But abandoned is abandoned—that’s a fact. He can’t possibly guard Miss Youwei day and night, checking whether his uncle’s family will treat her well.”

“It’s autumn now, plus he’s thinly clothed and starving. I dare say he will leave after a little while.”

Everyone suddenly realized that Ye Chen was right.

Only then did they belatedly feel that they had placed too much hope in the young Heavenly Emperor.

At best this act showed a lingering conscience, but it could not hide the fact of abandonment.

But this time, it was clearly beyond Ye Chen’s judgment.

The cold wind wailed.

Curled up in the corner behind the house, the hungry young Heavenly Emperor stayed put for three days.

She slept inside the house.

He curled up outside.

With only a wall between them, whenever the baby’s cry sounded, the young Heavenly Emperor would immediately open his black, bright eyes.

Three days.

After those three days, even the people outside the mirror altered their view of the young Heavenly Emperor somewhat.

“Perhaps he truly only wanted Gu Youwei to live well.”

“Yes—an ignorant little child, starving, silently guarding for three cold nights. Even an adult might find that hard to do.”

“A child doing this for a girl who is not his sibling is already as much as one could expect.”

Everyone sighed.

For the first time, Ye Chen did not make any comment.

He did not know how to refute this.

Night fell again.

Gu Changqing felt a weariness, his eyelids heavy.

He planned to endure tonight and then leave.

Over the last three days, the uncle’s family had, on the whole, treated the child reasonably well.

While his mind was foggy.

He heard the middle-aged woman’s complaints and the boy’s cries from inside the house.

“That wench, now when she eats she has to pick out the best pieces.”

“Mama, I want to eat too, I’m hungry…”

“My husband, you ought to go to the mountains and bring back some game. Besides this bowl of porridge there’s nothing else at home.”

“Are you tired of living? This is the time of the year when both humans and beasts are starving! Who would dare go up there?”

“Mama, meat— I want meat.”

After a long silence, the middle-aged woman suddenly spoke up, “Father, why not use that wench as food? We can’t let Yi’er starve, can we?”

Abruptly.

The boy outside the window, who had fallen from either falling asleep or fainting from hunger, suddenly snapped his eyes wide open.

At that moment.

All the powerful beings beyond the mirror inexplicably felt a shiver in their hearts.

Because in that glance there was a cold gleam.

It made everyone see a shadow of the former Heavenly Emperor.

In that instant, the boy’s gaze seemed to overlap with the Heavenly Emperor’s gaze.

“Eat the baby? I didn’t expect this couple to be so inhumane.”

Everyone was stunned by the middle-aged woman’s suggestion.

After all, it was a complete violation of humanity.

Jiang Minghuang said calmly at this moment, “In ancient times, such things were not uncommon. In autumn and winter, mountain animals hibernate. Hunters can’t get game, and when starving, they naturally think of extreme measures.”

“Was that really the case?!”

For the lofty figures present, it was the first time they felt human nature could be terrifying to such an extent.

In fact.

That Jiang Minghuang knew of mortals’ vicious side was inseparable from his travels back then.

He was born into an ancient noble family with deep roots. In order to train him as the future head of the family, his father cast him into the mortal world to experience earthly life.

And it was at that time that he met Gu Changqing.

Most of the great powers present were peerless warriors and naturally had no concern for the perils of the mortal world.

“So what will he do now?” someone spoke, refocusing everyone’s gaze back onto the young Heavenly Emperor.

Eating fellow humans.

This thought made even the most valiant of warriors reel in shock.

Moreover, this boy?

Would he flee in fear? Or would he, ignoring the risk of being treated as food, take Gu Youwei away?