《Junior Brother Always Wants to Bend Me》


 CH 1

    Out of thin air he condensed water to form a mirror, which showed the reflection of a teen about 17 or 18 years old, dressed all in white with a tall and upright stature. He had upward slanting brows, eyes that shone like stars, slightly thin lips, and a forehead that expressed youthful vigor, which together created a visage of true perfection.


    If anyone else had died and found themselves reborn as a beautiful young man, they might think it previously had all been just a dream, and awaken with a smile. Su Mujin, however, had a slightly melancholy expression.


    There was some good news and some bad.


    The good news was he had been reborn. No longer would he be a human shaped lingyao subject to torment.


    But perhaps the previous owner of his current shell had experienced an even more miserable life?


    Su Mujin recalled his previous incarnation¡¯s life. It was truly a spectacle too horrible to endure.


    He was adopted by a kind-hearted family after his parents abandoned him as a newborn. The year of his 10th birthday, there was a famine. His foster parents didn¡¯t even have enough to feed their own children, so how could they manage to help him? So as not to burden his foster family, one night he bowed thrice at the gate to pay his respects, then quietly departed . . .


    After leaving, he begged to survive until he turned 13. One day Gu Yunxi, the daughter of Taixu Sect¡¯s sect leader, passed by. She saw that his aptitude for cultivating his spirit roots was promising, and brought him back with her to the sect. Come to speak of it, Gu Yunxi is not the kind of person who willingly helps others. In fact, she¡¯s extremely cold blooded. Su Mujin had no inkling of the real reason why she took him in and cared for him.


    Su Mujin always repaid the kindness extended to him, so his previous incarnation always treated Gu Yunxi as though she was his blood relative, and had given her the respect he would have given an elder sister. If he encountered any precious lingyao, he would immediately give them to her. Later, when Gu Yunxi suffered a serious injury and was at death¡¯s door, he revealed his phoenix heritage without hesitation, and gave some of his blood to heal her. Gu Yunxi emphatically promised never to speak a word of it to another soul.


    Su Mujin never expected her to collude with dashixiong Mo Ran to use him as a human shaped lingyao, and imprison him for three hundred years. Strangely, his memory prior to being imprisoned was fragmented. Had such a long imprisonment made him forgetful?


    It was precisely during this time of imprisonment that he got to know the previous owner of his current shell ¡ª Gu Feng.


    Had they not suffered imprisonment together for three hundred years, he would never have known that the sect leader had a son. Although Gu Feng was Gu Yunxi¡¯s younger half-brother, she treated him with contempt. Su Mujin, at most, had his blood taken from time to time, but as for Gu Feng . . .


    Gu Yunxi originally tortured Gu Feng in a myriad of ways, but felt it wasn¡¯t nearly enough. Consequently, she announced a reward ¡ª so long as anyone could think up a new torture method, they would be rewarded with spirit stones in accordance with the level of cruelty. These punishments were inflicted one by one on Gu Feng¡¯s body. In order to guarantee that Gu Feng remained alive to be tortured, Gu Yunxi grabbed a bunch of heavenly treasures to prolong his life.


    Why would a person deal so cruelly with their own flesh and blood? Su Mujin was uncertain as to the reason. No, now it is he that should be called Gu Feng. His former incarnation had asked the original owner of this shell about it, and was told that his elder sister had no empathy for him, and that the situation was inevitable.


    Gu Feng¡¯s face was expressionless as he put away the water mirror. He contemplated ¡ª this body¡¯s current age is 17 years old. His rebirth placed him in the body of ¡®Gu Feng.¡¯


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    This body was of the exceedingly inferior five spiritual roots type ¡ª he was 17 years old, but had only reached the peak of qi refining stage of cultivation. Gu Yunxi had already reached the peak of the foundation building stage at age 15.


    Gu Feng: ¡°. . .¡±


    Had the heavens purposely set him up to fail? This aptitude was worthless compared to those of Gu Yunxi and Mo Ran. Even compared to his previous incarnation, this shell fell far short.


    Wait a second ¡ª recalling his previous shell, Gu Feng suddenly had a thought ¡ª he wasn¡¯t reborn in his own body, so did his previous incarnation¡¯s shell, Su Mujin, still exist? Given the age of his shell, he could extrapolate the current location of Su Mujin. At this time in his previous life, he should have just entered Taixu Sect. It was nearly time for that fateful event to occur.


    Recalling that event, it left a shadow his psyche that persisted even until this moment. It was practically the darkest day of his life, if you ignored his later days of imprisonment.


    Su Mujin had just entered Taixu Sect, but still wore the tattered clothing from when he was a beggar. The other disciples were haughty, constantly stared at him in derision, and pushed him out of their way. But that was nothing. He wasn¡¯t so weak as to be unable to withstand people rolling their eyes at him.


    He would never forget the day of the incident. It was the third day since Su Mujin had arrived at Taixu Sect, where the disciples for the most part abstained from eating, so naturally there is no dining hall. He hadn¡¯t eaten in days and his hunger was overwhelming. He was only able to find a few blades of grass to pluck and eat. He had no idea that the grass was a lingyao.


    As it turned out, some of the spoiled brats who despised him happened to see. They dragged Su Mujin to a deserted location with an icy pond and beat him. He thought they had finished with their abuse, and didn¡¯t anticipate they would suddenly throw him in the pond. At that time, he didn¡¯t know how to swim. Fortunately, the pond was not too deep ¡ª the water only reached up to his chest ¡ª but it was extremely cold, and each time he started to climb up onto the bank, they pushed him back in. Who knows how long this continued before he had completely frozen through and his skin had turned purple.


    Su Mujin was freezing to death, and had to pretend he was unable to stand up any longer. Only by playing dead he was able to deceive those people. They saw that he was no longer breathing, and without the slightest hesitation, they turned around and left him there. If he hadn¡¯t used gongfu to temporarily stop his breath, it seemed he really would have died.


    Even so, the severe cold left Su Mujin with an invisible chronic illness. For a long time afterwards, he didn¡¯t dare approach pools or puddles. While practicing cultivation, he often thought back to that time and his mind became uneasy. That event could be said to be responsible for causing repeated blocks in his cultivation progress.


    Thinking of all this, Gu Feng burned with impatience and couldn¡¯t sit still. What could he do if he accidentally arrived too late? Out of the question! In this second chance at life, he will absolutely not let this sort of thing reoccur.


    Based on his memory, Gu Feng came to a place not far from the cold pond, but before he could get close, he heard the unpleasant noise of vulgar insults mixed with the sound of violence.


    ¡°Little Beggar, Gu shijiewent out of her way to bring you back, but you¡¯re undeserving of her kindness!¡±


    ¡°You even dared to steal and eat some lingyao, you really are a disgusting thing. . .¡±


    Gu Feng felt all the blood in his body instantly turn to ice, and unconsciously clenched the corner of his robe. Had he arrived too late?


    ¡°Xiao Cheng shixiong, hello!¡±


    The youths who were beating up Su Mujin suddenly heard a nearby voice call out and they instantly jumped with fright. It should be known that Xiao Chen shixiong was the most feared representative of the Law Enforcement Hall, not because his cultivation was high, but rather because he was impartial and incorruptible. If he were to see this situation, he would have to discipline them. The youths didn¡¯t even take another glance at Su Mujin, who was lying on the ground, and quickly ran away.


    After making sure the youths would not return, Gu Feng cautiously came out of hiding. Fortunately they hadn¡¯t thrown Su Mujin into the pond yet; he made it just in time. Despite this, Gu Feng was still incredibly angry. Among those youths, one was in the foundation building period while the rest were at the summit of refining qi, so he was currently unable to deal with them in his state.


    In this second chance at life, Gu Feng didn¡¯t expect for his first encounter to make him feel so useless. He didn¡¯t even have the ability to teach those people a lesson. He could feel his breath catch in his throat ¡ª the frustration was difficult to bear!


    Taking a deep breath, he slowly headed for Su Mujin, who was huddled on the ground with his head lowered. His ragged clothing was covered in footprints and blood, and his hair was also bloodstained; he was a complete mess, filthy from head to toe.


    Gu Feng¡¯s mood at this moment was extremely complex ¡ª expressions of humiliation, resentment and self mockery all flashed across his face, before finally fixing an expression of faint concern. He sighed, bent down and lightly tapped Su Mujin¡¯s back, gently asking: ¡° Are you okay? Can you still walk?¡±


    Su Mujin shrank back, somewhat afraid, but slowly lifted his head. In front of him stood a man dressed in white robes. His long hair was tied up simply, and he was handsome.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thank you for just now.¡± Su Mujin spoke and struggled to stand up. When he limped away, it was clear his joints were dislocated.


    Gu Feng caught up to him: ¡°Your hip seems dislocated, why don¡¯t I carry you on my back?¡±


    ¡°No need, I can walk.¡± Su Mujin was somewhat surprised, his face was bruised and he had a bloody nose ¡ª the former combined with the later resulted in a comical expression.


    However, Gu Feng did not laugh. He just picked Su Mujin up, and cradled him in his arms. At first, Su Mujin was startled and grabbed his sleeve, but he quickly recovered and started to struggle with all his might.


    Gu Feng leaned down his head and softly said: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m taking you back to treat your injury. For now, nobody will be able to hurt you.¡±


    Su Mujin curled up in his arms, reluctant to trust him, but after a long time he whispered: ¡°I¡¯m covered in dirt, your clothes will be ruined, I . . . I can walk on my own.¡±


    Gu Feng was silent for a moment. How had he not known what a considerate person he previously was? This boy was obviously unused to physical contact, and didn¡¯t want to be carried, so he went to the effort to make up a dignified excuse.


    Gu Feng lightly kneaded Su Mujin¡¯s hip and heard a cry of pain. With exasperation, he replied: ¡°You can walk on your own? Yeah, right! Don¡¯t make a fuss. If my clothes get dirty, I¡¯ll just wash them, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    Su Mujin: ¡°. . .¡±


    Gu Feng carried Su Mujin the entire way back to his courtyard, then set him down gently.


    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll go get some water.¡±


    His shell¡¯s current cultivation was too low and Gu Feng couldn¡¯t use his normal methods to handle things, so he had to employ the most primitive means to carry water.


    Gu Feng brought back a basin of water. Looking at Su Mujin, who was completely filthy from head to toe, he didn¡¯t know where to start.


    ¡°Come closer, I¡¯ll wash your hair!¡± He sat on the bedside, set the basin on his thigh, and motioned to Su Mujin.


    Su Mujin sat motionless, then slowly shifted over and lowered his head, apparently still compliant.


    His head was covered in lumps from the beating. Gu Feng carefully cleaned his hair. After he¡¯d finished, the water had turned black, so he had to dump it out and refill the basin in order to continue.


    Su Mujin found it a little embarrassing, but fortunately his face was so bruised and swollen that it perfectly concealed his embarrassment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t . . . I¡¯ll wash myself.¡±


    Translator¡¯s Notes:


    On sect names: I¡¯ve left Taixu Sect untranslated, since it¡¯s a bit of an awkward name in English, but where reasonable, I¡¯ll translate the sect names as some of them sound pretty cool, and readers would have recognized their literal meanings in the original text. If I can figure out a decent translation for Taixu, I¡¯ll add it in later on.


    On cultivation stages: if you¡¯ve never read xianxia novels, this may be new to you, but in this novel the author doesn¡¯t get too deep into the stages, so I won¡¯t bother to write out a whole schema. For now, it¡¯s enough to know that the qi refining stage is the very beginning of a cultivator¡¯s career, and is nothing to brag about. Only once you advance to building your foundation can you start to actually do cool stuff. There are a ton more stages, but they really don¡¯t matter at this point. The author has a note in an upcoming chapter about cultivation levels and lifespans that I¡¯ll make sure to translate.

 CH 2

    Gu Feng had intended for Su Mujin to undress, but when he heard those words, he stopped and said: ¡°I¡¯ll be right outside. If you need help, just call for me.¡±


    Su Mujin instantly relaxed. He was not at all used to depending so much on a stranger. Even though he understood that this person held no malice, he was still extremely uneasy.


    He slowly removed his clothing, but when Su Mujin got to his right ankle, it became difficult. It had been dislocated, and merely touching it was painful. He stood silently for a moment, but finally steeled himself ¡ª putting one hand on his foot, and one hand on his ankle, he twisted and reset the joint with one swift movement.


    ¡°Hssssss!¡± The stabbing pain made Su Mujin unable to hold back his cry, and he broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gu Feng was guarding the door, but as soon as he heard the commotion, he turned to come in.


    ¡°. . . I¡¯m fine.¡± Su Mujin held up a piece of clothing to cover himself.


    ¡°We¡¯re both men, what is there to hide? It¡¯s really inconvenient for you, let me come help.¡±


    Gu Feng took Su Mujin¡¯s clothing. This body was his previous incarnation and he¡¯d seen it thousands of times, but it was important to avoid arousing suspicion.


    Su Mujin¡¯s jaw dropped, but he couldn¡¯t refuse. He really wasn¡¯t shy, rather he simply thought that his body¡¯s current condition was too unsightly, and was worried it would scare the other person.


    Now that he could clearly see the true state of Su Mujin¡¯s body, Gu Feng stood in silence.


    Thin! So extremely thin! Su Mujin¡¯s body had barely any meat on it, and in one glance it could be seen that he¡¯d been malnourished for a long time. The surface of his skin was dense with bruises, and not one spot was unblemished. The beating had been really severe. Gu Feng vowed to find an opportunity to teach those people a lesson.


    ¡°It really only looks frightening. Tomorrow it¡¯ll be fine. No need to worry.¡± Su Mujin explained awkwardly. Towards his benefactor, he couldn¡¯t help but act nonchalant.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Gu Feng gently wiped the other person¡¯s body clean. He was meticulous, and didn¡¯t leave a single speck of dirt.


    It was Su Mujin¡¯s first time relying on someone, not to mention while he was still undressed, and he was extremely uneasy. His counterpart¡¯s movements were gentle, and bore a hint of reverence; he was at a loss as to what to do, and his ears secretly reddened.


    ¡°Okay, go to sleep now. The next few days, you should stay here and recuperate. My place is safe.¡±


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    Su Mujin got off the bed in a fluster, saying: ¡°Offering to shelter me for a few days is already enough, why do you have to sleep on the floor? Sleep on the bed. I¡¯ll be fine sleeping on the floor.¡±


    ¡°The floor is too cold and will interfere with your injured hip. Do you want to slow down your healing to prolong your reliance on me?¡±


    Gu Feng knew that inconveniencing others was what Su Mujin feared most; hearing those words, Su Mujin said nothing more.


    After running around all day, Gu Feng was exhausted and quickly fell into a dream. The gentle rise and fall of breathing filled the room ¡ª it made one feel at ease.


    But Su Mujin couldn¡¯t relax, and lay awake for a long time. This was the first time in his 13 years of life that he¡¯d slept in a bed. It was soft, and the quilt was warm ¡ª so warm that he never wanted to leave ¡ª but he couldn¡¯t stay for too long. In the end it was unrealistic to expect such a good thing to last.


    When Gu Feng woke, it was already noon. He¡¯d slept well and felt refreshed. The days of being imprisoned were already dim and distant memories, and it was wonderful to freely breathe the fresh air. But he hadn¡¯t forgotten those evil two: Gu Yunxi and Mo Ran. So long as those two people remained, it was as though there was a fishbone stuck in his throat, and he was unable to feel at ease.


    Su Mujin had already risen from bed, and there wasn¡¯t a shadow to be seen of him, nor was there a trace of the bedding left. According to Gu Feng¡¯s calculations, his counterpart had probably . . .


    Pushing open the door, sure enough he saw Su Mujin airing out the quilt. The quilt and mattress had already been washed. Su Mujin¡¯s back was facing him, still wearing yesterday¡¯s tattered clothing. Only, the clothes had also been washed, and were still dripping with water.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake. I¡¯ve already washed the bedding, and my injury has nearly healed. I¡¯ll leave now. Thank you for yesterday.¡±


    Su Mujin turned to leave. His external injuries had mostly healed, and he had a just bit of a limp ¡ª Phoenix blood was truly incredible.


    Looking at that face once again, Gu Feng was distracted. Thirteen years old? It had truly been a long time since he looked like that.


    Even wearing tattered clothing, Su Mujin¡¯s eyes were deep black and shone as brilliantly as stars, his eyelashes were long and curled. Below the outer corner of his right eye, there was a teardrop shaped birthmark, and his pale skin looked transparent in the sunlight. Though he lacked a smile, the overall effect was still enough to fill one¡¯s heart with tenderness. If he were a girl, I¡¯m afraid that even a number one beauty like Gu Yunxi couldn¡¯t compare. What a pity he was a boy . . .


    Gu Feng felt aggrieved, but whether for himself or for Su Mujin, he was unsure.


    ¡®Gurgle,¡¯ a sound interrupted Gu Feng¡¯s self-pitying reverie. He looked in the direction of the sound, and suddenly recalled a serious problem.


    Shit! He had forgotten that Su Mujin had yet to begin fasting. He needed to eat, and probably hadn¡¯t eaten since noon yesterday. In fact, Gu Feng hadn¡¯t begun fasting either, but in the last few days he consumed a fasting pellet, so he had forgotten about this problem. For a moment, his heart was filled with remorse.


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry, so how about I treat you to eat something?¡± Gu Feng didn¡¯t want to let his counterpart go off alone. In case he ran into Gu Yunxi and was deceived again, it was better to deal with it himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not . . .¡±


    Su Mujin didn¡¯t have the chance to say ¡°hungry¡± before his stomach betrayed him and gurgled once more. He felt embarrassed, but abandoned his protest.


    ¡°Hold on tight.¡± Gu Feng wanted to laugh, but seeing that his counterpart was already embarrassed, he could only force down the smile. The force of holding it in almost caused an internal injury.


    Gu Feng reached out and his arm encircled Su Mujin¡¯s waist. Heading down the mountain, they flew in the direction of the market. Luckily, the skills of the qi refining period included the ability to manipulate wind, or else a trip down the mountain would have exhausted him to the bone. At first, Su Mujin was stiff as a board, but he slowly relaxed, and reached out his hand to grab onto Gu Feng¡¯s sleeve.


    Arriving at the market, Gu Feng led Su Mujin straight to the largest restaurant Zuixianglou ¡ª ah no, to the street stall right next to Zuixianglou, and ordered a bowl of noodles. He was a little regretful, but there was nothing to be done about it as he was too poor.


    Last night, he had examined the storage ring of his shell¡¯s original owner, and discovered there were only fifty middle grade spirit stones, one hundred low grade spirit stones, one piece of an unknown black mineral artifact, and many small cases of makeup.


    At the time, he was stunned; as the son of the sect leader, how useless could he be? And why did he have all those cases of makeup? At Zuixianglou, they used yaoshou meat. If you wanted to eat there, you needed a lot of middle grade spirit stones. Right now, he couldn¡¯t afford it.


    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s not much, but just bear with it for now. When we return tonight, I¡¯ll cook you something delicious.¡± Gu Feng felt a little guilty, but conveniently made up another reason to make Su Mujin stick around so he would eat. After dinner, he could take the opportunity to suggest his counterpart stay another night. Wasn¡¯t this a clever plan?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s plenty. This tastes far better than stale mantou.¡± Su Mujin was clearly appreciative. He was extremely hungry, and began to gulp it down while standing. Soon he finished eating, and gave a satisfied burp which was surprisingly adorable.


    Gu Feng was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling in his heart. Why did none of his three lifetimes (counting the present Su Mujin) ever have a good life? The heavens were truly unjust!


    Su Mujin finished eating and caught Gu Feng staring at him, lost in thought. Su Mujin didn¡¯t know why, but he felt this person before his eyes seemed to care about his hardships. Still, they had only met just yesterday, could he be mistaken? He gazed doubtfully at Gu Feng . . .


    If not for a passerby dropping a coin in front of Su Mujin, I¡¯m afraid these two would have kept staring distractedly at each other until the end of time.


    Su Mujin and Gu Feng simultaneously turned toward the sound of the dropped change. The scene was incredibly awkward . . .


    Gu Feng was furious. Do we look like beggars? Fuck off! Angrily, Gu Feng dragged Su Mujin along with him and charged into a clothing shop.


    The shopkeeper was a young married woman, and when she saw Gu Feng rush in with a murderous expression on his face, she jumped with fright. Thinking he was going to smash up her shop, she got ready to shout for help, but just then she heard a low voice say: ¡°Shopkeeper, give my companion five sets of clothing.¡±


    ¡°Which . . . which color does this little brother prefer?¡± The shopkeeper who was originally ready to shout ¡®help¡¯ immediately changed tack, unobtrusively glancing at Gu Feng.


    ¡°Give him five black sets.¡± Without waiting for Su Mujin to reply, Gu Feng promptly decided for him. His previous incarnation was ridiculed for his beautiful appearance. Naturally he should wear clothing with an assertive and masculine air, and Gu Feng considered black to be perfect in this regard.


    When Su Mujin saw Gu Feng spend a lot of money for his sake, he felt somewhat suspicious, but his heart also felt a bit warm.


    The shopkeeper grabbed five sets of clothing and hurried over. After paying, Gu Feng chose a set and handed it to Su Mujin, indicating he should enter the changing room and put it on. As for his old clothes, they were to be thrown out.


    Su Mujin quickly changed into the new clothes, only to reveal that not only did wearing entirely black not make him more imposing, it actually made his already pale skin look even whiter. He seemed a little flustered, and a slight blush colored his cheeks, adding to his ethereal appearance. He looked exceedingly captivating.


    For a second, Gu Feng¡¯s expression was gloomier than a thunderstorm in June.


    When Su Mujin saw Gu Feng staring at him in gloomy silence, he felt even more uneasy. This was the first time in his life he¡¯d worn a new set of clothing, and he was at a bit of a loss. He hesitated a moment, but still asked: ¡°If these clothes don¡¯t look good on me, why don¡¯t I wear my old clothes?¡±


    Gu Feng solemnly looked at Su Mujin. It was apparent that he was shy and felt inferior ¡ª after all, they were the same person, right?


    With a sigh, he composed his expression, and slowly looked over Su Mujin once again, finally deciding to tell him the truth: ¡°No, on the contrary, you look really good . . .¡±


    You look good, but not at all like a boy, Gu Feng thought to himself.


    Su Mujin was clearly happy to receive this first bit of praise in his life. His eyes were gleaming as he asked: ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll wear all black from now on.¡±


    Gu Feng felt he¡¯d taken an arrow to the knee. He grit his teeth and said: ¡°. . . Great . . .¡±


    After buying the clothes, Gu Fen took Su Mujin to buy some essential medicines and foodstuffs before returning home. Today he took a special shortcut on the return, but halfway along, seeing two furtive figures, he quickly grabbed Su Mujin and ducked behind a tree to hide.

 CH 3

    Wen Jiu? What was he up to, sneaking around like that? Wen Jiu was Mo Ran¡¯s number one lackey. When Gu Feng¡¯s previous incarnation was imprisoned, Wen Jiu took the opportunity to hurt him whenever he had the chance.


    ¡°Liu shixiong, the new disciple induction ceremony is in ten days. Have you finished the preparations?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let that guy know that I¡¯ll disregard the bone-age requirement, but the rest is up to him.¡±


    Listening to the voices from a distance, Gu Feng had an epiphany. His previous incarnation had always wondered how Mo Ran had managed to infiltrate Taixu Sect. It turns out he had gone so far as to bribe the person who measured bone age in order to sneak into the new disciple induction ceremony.


    These days, influence on the continent was divided between the immortal and demonic factions. The immortal faction consisted of four main powers ¡ª Taixu Sect, Sword Pavilion, Hundred Flowers Palace, and the Wandering Cultivators Union. Among these, Taixu Sect was the leader. In contrast, the demonic faction was ruled over by a single sect named Devil¡¯s Fortress.


    The previous Mo Ran appeared on the surface to be a Taixu Sect disciple, but in reality he belonged to Devil¡¯s Fortress. His true identity was the right hand of the guardian division. The Devil Emperor hadn¡¯t been seen for many years, and it could be said that the entire Devil¡¯s Fortress was currently under the control of the guardian division.


    The previous Gu Yunxi had been completely obsessed with Mo Ran. She had originally taken good care to not reveal herself, otherwise it would have been impossible to deceive Dan Qin. Afterwards, in order to gain Mo Ran¡¯s favor and secure her good standing, Gu Yunxi had no qualms about deceiving the sect, and was directly responsible for the downfall of Taixu Sect. Gu Feng¡¯s previous incarnation later heard about this from ¡°Gu Feng.¡± If the sect hadn¡¯t been overthrown, it would have been impossible for the other disciples to apprehend ¡°Gu Feng¡± because he was the sect leader¡¯s son.


    In any case, he needed to prevent Mo Ran from bringing disaster to the sect. As for the person who measured bone-age, he only had a vague impression ¡ª his name was Liu Yi, and his cultivation level was in the middle of the foundation building period. Gu Feng knew he didn¡¯t have the strength to confront him right now.


    Liu Yi was an inner gate disciple, and was rather infamous in Taixu Sect. The reason he was well known was because of his lecherous deeds. It was said that this person had molested many respectable women.


    Lecherous? Gu Feng suddenly recalled all the makeup in the storage ring. He gazed with profound significance at the lovely-as-a-flower Su Mujin standing beside him, as the perfect plan popped into his mind.


    Su Mujin suddenly felt a cold breeze and wondered, where did that come from? Today is very sunny.


    To enter the sect¡¯s inner gate, you needed to pass by a pavilion set up for people to sit down and rest. At that moment, Su Mujin was sitting beneath as Gu Feng painted the boy¡¯s face beyond all recognition. All the while, Gu Feng sported an eerie grin.


    Gu Feng first applied a flawless layer of powder foundation, but was dissatisfied with the result. He decided that Su Mujin¡¯s bare face was more beautiful than the foundation, and lifting up his sleeve, he scrubbed at Su Mujin¡¯s face with rough and careless movements.


    Su Mujin: ¡°. . .¡±


    Had this person finally gone off his rocker?


    As it turned out, Gu Feng was still all there. Though his manners were far from perfect, the result was exquisite.


    ¡°Okay, want to take a look?¡± Gu Feng appeared satisfied, condensing a water mirror as he spoke. Su Mujin peered in the mirror and was stunned.


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    Ve Zeplc: ¡°. . .¡±


    How mortifying. Just let me die!


    ¡°Sigh, did you take the antidote? All you need to do is convince him to drink from this flask of wine. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems, right?¡± Gu Feng spoke in a low tone to avoid being overheard.


    Ve Zeplc vlvc¡¯a kjca ab rqfjx. Llr fzqgfrrlbc kjr vjgx, jcv tf pera cbvvfv tlr tfjv. Pc ojma, lo tf vlvc¡¯a ralii bkf atf batfg wjc j ojnbg, tf cfnfg kbeiv tjnf jugffv ab atlr beagjufber vfwjcv.


    The sky was already completely dark when Liu Yi finally appeared. Nobody else was around.


    He saw a woman who seemed to be in distress sitting in the middle of the pavilion, drinking cup after cup of wine. Her appearance was absolutely enchanting. Under the moonlight, she appeared like a succubus who could bewitch a person and leave them drowning in an ocean of desire.


    Liu Yi leered ¡ª what a first rate beauty whose cultivation is still low. This is simply a heaven-sent opportunity.


    ¡°The moon is bright and the night is young, Jiaren. Why the frown? Why not share your troubles with me, and I¡¯ll lend an ear.¡± Liu Yi put on a smile he thought would make him appear elegant and intelligent as he spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone.


    Just as he finished speaking, he saw the beauty grow more melancholy, and even more adorable! But in fact, Su Mujin wanted to vomit.


    ¡°The moon is bright and the night is young, but I can only drink alone, is that not vexing enough?¡± Su Mujin held back the vomit and spoke in a quiet and feminine voice. He had decided to get this over with as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Shimei, how about me?¡± Liu Yi thought his interest was reciprocated, and grew more shameless with his leering.


    ¡°Shixiong, wait a moment . . .¡± Su Mujin¡¯s voice trailed off just as Liu Yi grabbed his hand that held the cup of wine, taking advantage of the occasion to caress it.


    ¡°No other wine can compare to the wine in Shimei¡¯s cup!¡± Liu Yi drank the cup in one gulp, but still felt unsatisfied, and stuck out his tongue to lick the last drops.


    The veins in Su Mujin¡¯s forehead popped. He had to work hard to keep from grimacing, and said: ¡°Shixiong is a talented drinker.¡±


    ¡°Shimei is too kind . . .¡± as Liu Yi spoke, his vision had begun to fill with flashes of light, and then went completely black.


    The deed done, Su Mujin flashed Gu Feng a relieved smile from behind the body of Liu Yi, and saw Gu Feng stare back at him as though struck by lightning.


    A little bewildered, Su Mujin was about to ask Gu Feng what was wrong when, out of nowhere, a deluge of cold water poured over his head and drenched him to the bone.


    Su Mujin: ¡°. . .¡± His face was expressionless as he looked in the direction of the culprit, Gu Feng.


    ¡°Cough, it wouldn¡¯t be good if someone walked by and saw you like this, I¡¯ll help you clean it off.¡±


    Gu Feng spoke teasingly while he toweled Su Mujin dry and tied up the boy¡¯s hair. This overly familiar behavior really made one bristle with rage.


    At this moment, Gu Feng¡¯s heart was crumbling. Who could blame him? After a few hundred years of a pure and chaste existence, to suddenly have a reaction to a man, wasn¡¯t that enough to frighten one out of their skin? Not to mention that man was his own previous incarnation.


    He finally realized that his previous incarnation had never actually understood what it was to fall in love. His excessively pretty appearance had been to blame, which put even female cultivators¡¯ looks to shame. But how could he be attracted to himself?


    Fortunately, in this lifetime he had a handsome and intelligent shell, exactly the type that women find attractive. It shouldn¡¯t be that difficult to find a wife this time, right? He looked at Su Mujin and gloated over the other¡¯s misfortune. This lifetime, it will be that boy¡¯s turn to not find a wife. Unable to help feeling pleased with himself, Gu Feng indeed was a god of prophecy.


    False alarm. Gu Feng stuffed Liu Yi into the storage ring. He won¡¯t die from being there for a bit. He gathered up Su Mujin, and hurried back to his small courtyard.


    Halfway there, Su Mujin suddenly called out a single word: ¡°Shixiong!¡±


    The tone of that cry was gentle and full of affection.


    Gu Feng staggered and nearly lost his footing, He remained silent and looked at Su Mujin. That kid was too naughty!


    Su Mujin revealed a crafty smile. Hmph, who let you take advantage of me . . .


    After returning, Gu Feng honored his promise, and made Su Mujin a giant table full of food. Su Mujin originally wanted to help out, but Gu Feng didn¡¯t allow him. Teasing aside, he nevertheless was an honest and trustworthy young man; if he said he would do something, then he did it.


    Anyway, Gu Feng¡¯s culinary skills weren¡¯t bad. There was an assortment of dishes, and every one of them smelled, looked, and tasted great! You can well imagine Su Mujin, as well as Gu Feng, were drooling.


    At the beginning, Su Mujin was embarrassed to begin eating, but seeing Gu Feng dig in with relish, he relaxed bit by bit and tasted dish after dish . . .


    Su Mujin: ¡°???¡±


    This flavor was exactly the same as that of his own cooking. Is our meeting really coincidence, or is it destiny?


    A second later, Su Mujin no longer had room for this thought, because Gu Feng lifted his sleeve to wipe the corners of Su Mujin¡¯s mouth.


    Su Mujin raised his head to see Gu Feng¡¯s gentle expression. In a flash, his heart grew warm and he was nearly moved to tears. Is there anyone else who has shown such concern for me?


    Caught in a trance, Su Mujin mused that this must be what it felt like to have a wife. In his life, moments of warmth were too few. Just a tiny bit of gentleness could cause his heart to begin cracking open.


    Despite that warmth, he had met that person before his eyes by chance, like patches of drifting duckweed. Su Mujin still didn¡¯t even know his benefactor¡¯s name. After having imposed on him so much already, he shouldn¡¯t brazenly continue to stay. Suppressing his yearning, Su Mujin said: ¡°The meal was delicious. The past couple days I¡¯ve imposed on you, but my wounds have completely healed now. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡°If you want to leave, go right ahead! I¡¯ve already calculated what you owe me. The five sets of clothing and two meals ¡ª all these are no problem. But yesterday I saved your life; do you plan to run away from that debt?¡±


    In order to convince the other person to stay, Gu Feng had racked his brain.


    Su Mujin suddenly choked, was silent for a long time, then honestly said: ¡°I have nothing of value,  just this life of mine.¡±


    Gu Feng looked at the other¡¯s naive appearance, and suddenly felt like teasing him: ¡°People say that when someone saves your life, you should repay that kindness by pledging your body, so I think you should pay with your body.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay to do the washing and cook for you. Right now, I can only manage these things. If one day you no longer need me, then you can just tell me.¡± When that time comes, I¡¯ll leave, but Su Mujin did not utter this final sentence. To be able to stay here temporarily, his heart was partly glad, but mostly uneasy.


    First thing the next morning, Gu Feng went to the Manuscript Pavilion. Taixu Sect¡¯s Manuscript Pavilion was said to be the most comprehensive collection of texts on the entire mainland. This was not merely empty talk; the tall shelves were tidily arranged by subject, and stretched out further than the eye could see. Gu Feng did not stay long. He borrowed a large pile of foundation-building cultivation manuals, and then returned home.


    After Gu Feng returned home, he found that Su Mujin had already cooked a meal. Not only that, but Su Mujin had even cleaned the room and wiped down the door. Gu Feng let out a sigh. In the home of his previous incarnation¡¯s foster parents, he had also performed those tasks, and that was the origin for his behavior. He had handled all the household duties himself in those days. Apparently, his self worth was reflected in his ability to do such things, and that little bit of worth brought him a sense of security. At this precise moment, Su Mujin was exactly the same . . .


    ¡°Thoroughly read these manuals before you do anything else. After mastering them, then you can begin cultivating according to the methods they describe. For the next ten days, I¡¯ll be in seclusion, so you¡¯ll have to make your own meals. Don¡¯t slack off.¡± Gu Feng spoke as he removed the pile of manuals from his storage ring and dumped them on the ground. The pile was as tall as the table beside it.


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re giving all these to me?¡± Su Mujin was startled. Although the other sect disciples didn¡¯t outright say it, they obviously still looked down on him. Yet this person right in front of him had just commanded Su Mujin to cultivate as though it was a foregone conclusion.


    Gu Feng: ¡°Yeah, since your spirit roots aren¡¯t bad to start with, cultivating them is both useful and necessary.¡± This sentence was his heartfelt truth.


    Su Mujin¡¯s expression was exceedingly complex, and he looked at the ground to hide his mood. Recovering, he lifted his gaze, his eyes expressing an eager light as he looked in the direction of those manuals.


    Cultivating day and night, ten days passed by in a flash. The big day of Taixu Sect¡¯s new disciple examination had finally arrived.


    Su Mujin sat in the courtyard, cultivating. He had already read all those manuals. Gu Feng gege had remained shut up in the room and Su Mujin was anxious for him to appear. Just as he had this thought in mind, the door swung open, but the person emerging from within was Liu Yi?

 CH 4

    Su Mujin: ¡°???¡±


    What¡¯s going on?


    ¡°What do you think; do I look like Liu Yi?¡± Gu Feng had not yet disguised his voice when he asked.


    Su Mujin: ¡°. . .¡±


    Turns out it¡¯s actually shixiong. What mischief is he up to now?


    ¡°You look exactly like him, even his own mother wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference,¡± Su Mujin assured him. He didn¡¯t even ask Gu Feng the reason why he was doing this, as he was well aware of the phrase ¡®curiosity killed the cat.¡¯


    Gu Feng swept a glance over Su Mujin, noticing he had already reached the first level of the qi-refining period. No surprise there, ¡®he¡¯ was always adept at comprehending the principles of cultivation.


    Gu Feng had used a face-changing pill to assume Liu Yi¡¯s appearance, and stole a talisman for disguising his cultivation level, so it would appear identical to Liu Yi¡¯s. After confirming there was no flaw with his disguise, Gu Feng reached out and wrapped his arm around Su Mujin¡¯s waist, lifting him up as he flew toward the sect entrance gate. The past few days, Su Mujin had slowly begun to accept physical contact.


    Just as they arrived at the entrance gate, they came face to face with Gu Yunxi . . .


    How rotten, why did we have to run into her? With Liu Yi¡¯s well known disposition, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to arrive alongside Su Mujin. Without much time to think, Gu Feng had only one solution. He turned around and hauled Su Mujin up, appearing to want to teach him a lesson.


    Su Mujin was really perceptive. He immediately cowered, covering his head with his hands to pretend he was being bullied.


    ¡°Hold it, Liu shidi! Even if you¡¯re angry, to go so far as to bully a child is too much!¡±


    Gu Feng internally sneered, this woman, still pretending to be caring and innocent! If his past existence had caught sight of that person¡¯s posturing, he would probably still feel a slight hint of familial affection. Seeing such a farce now, he only wanted to vomit.


    He held back the sneer to avoid exposing himself, and even pretended to lecherously leer at Gu Yunxi. Liu Yi¡¯s reputation was widely known, so Gu Feng can¡¯t act out of character.


    ¡°Shijie, this kid trespassed the sect gate, so shidi acted on his own to teach him a little lesson.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t trespass, he¡¯s the boy I recently brought back. Let go of him!¡±


    ¡°Shijie¡¯s desire is this shidi¡¯s command, no matter what.¡± Gu Feng¡¯s expression became more and more sickening as he fawned over Gu Yunxi.


    ¡°Our sect leader entrusted me to come look and see if there are any promising new candidates.¡± Gu Yunxi looked at Liu Yi with disgust, but still spoke in an even tone.


    ¡°Shidi was just about to go measure applicants¡¯ bone ages, how about we go together?¡± Gu Feng suddenly remembered that Mo Ran would be present during the test. I absolutely must not allow those two to meet. The trouble of keeping Gu Yunxi¡¯s attention at his side was outweighed by the risk if he didn¡¯t.


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    Su Mujin glanced uncertainly at these two people. Although his shixiong¡¯s disguise was excellent, Su Mujin felt a little disgusted. He had inquired about Gu Feng over the past few days. Aren¡¯t the two of them blood siblings?


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    Gu Feng spotted Mo Ran. He was wearing an all-black outfit without any special identifying attributes, but his heroic bearing could not be concealed and made him stand out from the crowd. Despite his youth, he had already begun to take on the imposing manner of a king. Presumably, he had used a bone shrinking pill to disguise his true age. His looks were without equal, with his perfect face seemingly carved out of marble. Unconsciously, he exuded an oppressive air upon all those standing near him. Even in the midst of this gigantic mass of people, he was entirely conspicuous.


    Gu Feng felt his stomach drop. Just one glance at Mo Ran, and those painful memories resurfaced. His blood stopped pumping to his heart. With a feeling of ¡®here we go again¡¯, he clenched his fists tightly. It took nearly a lifetime¡¯s worth of willpower to restrain his impulse to step forward and start a fight.


    ¡°Hey! Now that the time for testing has arrived, you should start. Everyone is ready. What are you waiting for?¡± ¡ª the disciples saw Gu Feng wasn¡¯t moving, so pushed him forward.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s mind finally returned to the moment. There were three main tests: the first tested bone age, the second tested spiritual roots, and the third tested comprehension. A person¡¯s age could not exceed 15 years old, their spirit roots must be no greater than three, and their comprehension must be of intermediate rank higher.


    ¡°Hmm, your bone age is too old, next.¡±


    ¡°A trifling four spirit roots, yet you dare to enter Taixu Sect, beat it!¡±


    ¡°Your comprehension falls far short, be off with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, not too bad, go in and wait.¡±


    After most of the applicants had been eliminated, Mo Ran finally made his move. He loved to be the final one on stage. There¡¯s a phrase that describes someone who lives for the feeling of being so conspicuous ¡ª a pretentious prick.


    Gu Feng sneered internally and allowed that jerk to show off a little, anticipating the moment when he would be thoroughly discredited. Gu Feng could hardly wait to see Mo Ran¡¯s splendid expression.


    Mo Ran came forward, with everyone¡¯s attention focused on him. Gu Yunxi¡¯s gaze collided with his, and for a moment the spark of attraction flew between them.


    Alarm bells sounded in Gu Feng¡¯s mind. I absolutely can not allow Gu Yunxi to interfere. Without batting an eyelid, he moved his body to obstruct the two people¡¯s line of sight, while at the same time he gave Su Mujin a panicked wink. He was unsure, however, whether Su Mujin was able to understand his intention.


    Remaining silent and observing his surroundings, Su Mujin caught the signal. He had a complex expression and glanced back at Gu Feng a few times.


    But then he revealed a clever smile, turned to Gu Yunxi and innocently asked: ¡°Gu shijie, thank you for bringing me into the sect. You¡¯re a really good person. However, I¡¯m still unfamiliar with the sect. Gu shijie, could you explain some things to me?¡±


    Su Mujin radiated an air of complete naivete. Gu Yunxi looked down at this adorable kid and patted his head. She gave no further note to Mo Ran, and launched into a lecture on the sect.


    He understood! He unexpectedly understood! Gu Feng was simply shocked. What a good kid. He was even more convinced that he had made the right decision to shelter Su Mujin.


    Mo Ran walked up to them, giving Gu Feng a meaningful look. Wearing Liu Yi¡¯s shell, Gu Feng returned the look, and Mo Ran revealed a self-satisfied smile.


    ¡°Hey, your bone age is 16, you¡¯re disqualified! I say, how many scoundrels don¡¯t hope that they¡¯ll get by with a stroke of luck, but this here gongzi appears to be a dignified chap, and yet he still pulls such a stunt?¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s volume was at maximum, causing many in the crowd to look over, and point mockingly at Mo Ran.


    Mo Ran stood dumbfounded. He looked at Gu Feng in disbelief. Gu Feng didn¡¯t bat an eyelid and looked back at him calmly. However, Mo Ran was not your average guy. He was only dazed for an instant before he recovered and departed, showing an unperturbed smile. But before walking off he still managed to shoot a menacing look at Gu Feng.


    Gu Feng was completely unafraid. In any case, he was wearing the appearance of Liu Yi. If Mo Ran really dealt with that scum Liu Yi, it could be considered ridding the world of a scourge. Looking at Gu Yunxi, who was completely unaware of the situation and answering Su Mujin¡¯s questions, Gu Feng silently praised Su Mujin¡¯s adaptability. At the same time, Gu Feng flashed Su Mujin a look of approval.


    Receiving this glance, Su Mujin relaxed. Fortunately, it seemed that his intuition was accurate. Though he was puzzled as to what his counterpart was up to, he was delighted to discover he could actually be of assistance.


    After the induction ended, Gu Feng and Su Mujin headed outside to find a safe place to remove Liu Yi, who had already sobered up in the last few days, from the storage ring.


    Returning to the small courtyard, they had a bite to eat. Following their meal, Gu Feng called Su Mujin into his room. The preliminary issue of Mo Ran had been resolved. In recent years the cultivation world had been stable and uneventful. Now was an ideal time to find ways to increase their cultivation level.


    ¡°Continuing to stay here is useless, you should go and pack your things . . .¡± After those words, Gu Feng stopped speaking upon noticing Su Mujin¡¯s crestfallen expression, what was that about?


    ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll pack my things, then depart at once. Thank you for taking care of me for all this time.¡± Su Mujin forced himself to smile while speaking, but his face was even more unsightly than if he had been crying.


    Gu Feng: ¡°. . .¡±


    What is it that you understand?


    ¡°You think I brought you back only for the purpose of today¡¯s arrangement, and now that the goal has been achieved I intend to throw you out?¡± Gu Feng asked incredulously, but his face looked completely calm.


    Su Mujin didn¡¯t speak, but just gazed at Gu Feng calmly. These past few days he had been on edge. He believed that he didn¡¯t have any real worth to make Gu Feng treat him with such consideration. He had only assisted with the Liu Yi plan by distracting Gu Yunxi for a while. Though Gu Feng had invited him to stay the other day, Su Mujin naturally believed those words had been a joke. Deep within his heart, he subconsciously believed the time would come when Gu Feng would reveal his cards and finally tell Su Mujin to leave. He just never thought that moment would arrive so soon.


    Gu Feng couldn¡¯t decide whether to laugh or cry; this was definitely ¡®his¡¯ thought process.


    ¡°You should have heard about my situation?¡± Gu Feng still resolved to repair this kid¡¯s heart.


    Su Mujin nodded his head. After Gu Feng took him in, he had made some inquiries about Gu Feng so Su Mujin was now familiar with his counterpart¡¯s circumstances.


    ¡°. . . in that case you should be aware of my aptitude for cultivation. At this level of strength, it¡¯s really dangerous for me to leave the sect. But you¡¯re different. I secretly measured and found you have wind and fire dual spiritual roots. Additionally, your perception is top notch. I¡¯ll teach you everything you need to know to cultivate. All I ask is that you protect me in exchange. How about it?¡±


    Su Mujin quietly sized up his counterpart, looking him up and down several times. He had become savvy during his years in town ¡ª he was extremely adept at carefully weighing a person¡¯s words and closely watching their expression. Gu Feng did not show a single bit of falsity. It appeared that he planned to do exactly as he said.


    Comprehending this truth, Su Mujin felt a wave of surprise pleasantly wash over him. He no longer had to go it alone, living a floating life with nobody to depend on. Though long belated, at thirteen years old he finally had some stability.


    ¡°So? Are you willing? Or do I need to find another . . .¡± Gu Feng purposely let his words trail off. He didn¡¯t know why but each time he saw Su Mujin¡¯s blank face, he felt like teasing him a little. Gu Feng briefly repented in silence, but then firmly decided against feeling guilty.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m extremely honored!¡± Su Mujin quickly replied, stuttering.


    ¡°Oh right, there is bad blood between Gu Yunxi and me. If I come into conflict with her in the future, which of us will you help?¡± Gu Feng had a righteous expression, looking as serious as he could manage. This matter was incredibly important.


    The question of whose side to stand with, should things come to a life or death struggle, made Su Mujin break out in a cold sweat . . .


    ¡°Gu shijie brought me back, and did me a great kindness, which I want to repay as quickly as possible. But, regardless of when a conflict occurs, I will definitely stand by your side.¡± Su Mujin didn¡¯t bother with melodrama but instead calmly promised, letting his eyes convey his earnest feelings.


    The corners of Gu Feng¡¯s mouth twitched. Very good. I didn¡¯t misrepresent the situation, and yet Su Mujin answered exactly as expected . . .


    ¡°Wait! Why did you tell me to pack up my things just a moment ago?¡± Su Mujin was perplexed.


    ¡°Because you interrupted, I forgot to finish. Tomorrow I¡¯ll take you to a hidden terrain, where we¡¯ll stay for a while.¡±


    Su Mujin¡¯s wind and fire dual spiritual roots were only middle grade, but he possessed Phoenix Blood which raised his innate potential to first class. Compared with Gu Yunxi and Mo Ran, however, there was still a big gap in power.


    Gu Feng knew that in the vicinity of the sect there was a hidden terrain with a lingyao that could purify spiritual roots ¡ª he had accidentally discovered it in his previous incarnation. If Su Mujin used the lingyao, it would radically improve his cultivation potential. It was precisely Gu Feng¡¯s plan to take Su Mujin to that secret location this time.


    Bright and early the next morning, Gu Feng took Su Mujin out. But rather than head directly to the hidden terrain, they went to the market instead.

 CH 5

    Due to the influx of new disciples, the market was lively and bustling today. This market was under the jurisdiction of Taixu Sect, and besides the regular shops,  there was also an outdoor market in the north quarter where wandering cultivators and sect disciples could set up stalls.


    Gu Feng planned to buy a few things from the regular market before heading to the open air market to stroll around and see if they could collect some intel.


    These two first made a beeline for the Gathered Treasures Pavilion. It was said that the merchandise there was not only of high quality, but also reasonably priced. Just as the pair entered, they were greeted by a beautiful shop attendant.


    ¡°Welcome, how may I assist the two of you today?¡± The attendant had been specially trained to speak in such a manner as to set people at ease.


    ¡°Do you have any defense arrays for sale ¡ª the kind for safeguarding dongfu and that won¡¯t allow people outside the array to see within?¡± Gu Feng needed a defense array that could reliably seal off the hidden terrain.


    The attendant thought deeply for a moment, then replied: ¡°We don¡¯t often see this type of defense array, but you¡¯ve come at an opportune time. Just a few days ago we obtained one that exactly matches your requirements. This defense array is called the Sequence of Infinite Permutations. So long as it¡¯s deployed at the entrance to your dongfu, it will fuse with your immediate surroundings, and there is no way anyone will be able to perceive you. It can also block three strikes from a nascent soul stage cultivator.


    Seeing Gu Feng was listening attentively, the attendant continued: ¡°However, it¡¯s a little expensive ¡ª it costs 30 middle grade spirit stones. Are you still interested?¡±


    Gu Feng once again sighed at how poor he was, but gritted his teeth and paid for it. He needed this item.


    After purchasing the defensive array, Gu Feng didn¡¯t hang around. He took Su Mujin straight to the outdoor market. Since he was nearly out of spirit stones, it was better to head there and scout out some intel.


    The open air market was much larger than the regular market. The two of them walked along the aisles and looked around. You really could buy anything and everything: talismans, magical implements, rare books and obscure manuscripts as well as materials of all kinds ¡ª not to mention many other strange and fantastic things. If you could imagine it, you could buy it. However, the quality of goods was not guaranteed, so Gu Feng merely browsed, but didn¡¯t buy.


    Strolling along, Gu Feng became increasingly aware that something felt a little off. Following behind them were a few ¡®brothers¡¯ who had been tailing them for a while, starting from right after he purchased the defensive array. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re muggers? He observed them with his peripheral vision. Among the group, all but one were at the summit of the qi refining stage, and the remaining person had a level of cultivation he was unable to perceive. At this moment there was no guarantee that he could handle them.


    Forget about it. If push comes to shove, we can find an inn at the market and stay a few days before leaving. Those guys are too impatient to wait for that long.


    Stopping mid-step, Gu Feng¡¯s attention was caught by the sight of a black mineral relic. The original owner of his shell had an almost identical item in his storage ring. The only difference between the two fragments was that each had a curved edge oriented in the opposite direction.


    He walked over. The stall owner seemed to be a young alchemist about 20 years of age. Within the booth, the black relic aside, various kinds of pills were piled haphazardly.


    He worried that if he straightforwardly asked about the black relic, the proprietor would demand an outrageous price. So he first picked up a bottle of foundation-building pills to take a look. Thinking that Su Mujin would need them later anyway, he asked: ¡°How many pills are in here, and how much do they cost?¡±


    The young man lifted his eyes lazily to glance at him: ¡°In that bottle is a single pill. It costs one middle grade spirit stone, non-negotiable.¡±


    The price was reasonable, but it seemed a little high for the outdoor market. Gu Feng pondered how to persuade the stall owner to give him the black relic, when from behind him he heard scornful voice say: ¡°Laoban, I¡¯ll give you two middle grade spirit stones for each bottle. I want every single one of the foundation-building pills you have.¡±


    Gu Feng turned his head to look, and his expression instantly became chilly. The saying ¡®enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road¡¯ was true. This guy was precisely one of the thugs who had beat up Su Mujin and thrown him in the pond, causing him to almost freeze to death.


    The leader of the bullies was named Zhao Ying. These days he was in the initial stage of the foundation building period, and was fanatically trying to woo Gu Yunxi. It was a pity that Gu Yunxi never even gave this person a second glance. When he was rejected by Gu Yunxi, he immediately went off to cause trouble. Looking at his current attitude, he probably came to find ¡®Gu Feng¡¯ to pick a fight. The rest of the guys were his henchmen.


    Seeing Gu Feng turn his head, Zhao Ying looked over at Su Mujin, his expression growing ever more disdainful. He sneered: ¡°Huh, a loser and a beggar skulking around together. Not bad, not bad. You truly are made for one another. Some people are fated never to build their foundations, so I¡¯ll make sure these pills aren¡¯t wasted. How about it?¡±


    The goons who were following him immediately chimed in, ¡°What Shixiong says is correct. Some people need to be reminded of their place.¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s face went blank. In his eyes, these people were already corpses. There was no need to waste time arguing with dead people. But Su Mujin felt incredibly angry. His face clouded as he looked at the troublemakers. He could set aside his grievances with these people for beating him up, but to shame his shixiong was something he absolutely would not forgive. His anger flared, and he clenched his fists.


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    ¡°I can also pay two middle grade spirit stones. I just need two foundation-building pills.¡± Gu Feng¡¯s face was bright red and he spoke in a low voice, his gaze lightly sweeping over those evil doers as though they did not even exist.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, shopkeeper. Shixiong is just about to build his foundation. You should sell him a pill.¡± Su Mujin chimed in.


    Gu Feng pretended to panic and said: ¡°Why did you reveal that I¡¯m about to build my foundation?¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me, shixiong. I¡¯m anxious. The matter of you building your foundation cannot be put off.¡± Su Mujin pretended to be carelessly leaking confidential matters. After realizing his gaffe, he immediately turned and slapped his own face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay three middle grade spirit stones for each bottle. I want them all.¡± Zhao Ying heard that Gu Feng planned to build his foundation soon, and spoke immediately. You must know that delaying foundation building was a serious matter. When a person¡¯s comprehension and spiritual power accumulated in the body, their foundation automatically began to form. At that moment, if you didn¡¯t have a foundation building pill, it was nearly inevitable that you would fail.


    The shopkeeper heard Zhao Ying¡¯s words, and didn¡¯t hesitate. He picked up the foundation building pills and tossed them to Zhao Ying, fearing that he would change his mind.


    Zhao Ying settled the bill, provocatively sneered at the pair, and triumphantly walked off. Seeing his posture, he was probably off to tell Gu Yunxi about his victory.


    Gu Feng stared at those retreating figures coldly. Those hooligans who had tailed them really were Zhao Ying¡¯s followers. They were rich and arrogant, and now that the spoiled brat had achieved his objective in harassing them, he would silence any witnesses.


    ¡°Xiao xiongdi, although I¡¯m out of foundation building pills, I still have many other things. You might as well take a look.¡± The shopkeeper had just completed a big transaction, and felt Gu Feng and his companion were very pleasing to the eye.


    ¡°. . . unfortunately I only wanted a foundation-building pill.¡± Gu Feng pretended to be dejected, but gave the stall another glance before hesitantly continuing: ¡°But this pile of stuff looks interesting. I¡¯ll give you five low grade spirit stones for it.¡±


    The shopkeeper looked at the pile of junk and indifferently said: ¡°Take it all.¡±


    Not only had Gu Feng cheated Zhao Ying¡¯s gang and avoided being robbed, but he had also bought the very thing he wanted for a low price. Gu Feng could not have been more delighted.


    Since picking up Su Mujin, he felt that one good turn followed the next. Thinking of Su Mujin, his heart was a little cheerful. He had found the other person to be truly compatible, and the perfect partner to team up with when pulling a prank.


    Gu Feng hadn¡¯t even two seconds to feel elated when a woman¡¯s clear and melodious voice sounded from nearby.


    ¡°Feng gege, where did you go the past few days? Why didn¡¯t you come out and play with Yan¡¯er?¡±


    Gu Feng: ¡°???¡±


    What¡¯s going on? And who is this? It seemed he had gone out today without consulting an almanac . . .


    He turned around to see a fiery woman ¡ª her appearance was bright and colorful, with arched eyebrows, large eyes, and flame red lips. Gu Feng¡¯s face filled with pleasant surprise.


    He recognized this person ¡ª she was Hua Yan, the Tempering Talent Peak Leader¡¯s daughter. But Gu Feng wasn¡¯t acquainted with her, and that being the case it could only mean. . .


    ¡°Are you so muddleheaded that seeing me has shocked you silent? Feng gege, I already talked to Daddy about us. Daddy says that once you break through to the golden core stage, he¡¯ll give us his blessing. Aren¡¯t you delighted?¡± The more Hua Yan spoke, the happier she became. She completely embodied the phrase ¡®spring was in the air.¡¯


    Gu Feng was instantly petrified . . .


    I¡¯m not, I don¡¯t, this girl, don¡¯t blather on! Gu Feng simply wanted to disappear. How am I supposed to respond to this? I want to find that ¡®Feng gege¡¯ and apologize to him.


    ¡°. . . Hua Yan, calm down, I¡¯ve been thinking seriously about it. My talent falls far short, and I don¡¯t deserve you. With my natural capabilities, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll never reach the golden core stage in my entire lifetime. At this point, we should forget about it.¡± Gu Feng bitterly said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Feng gege. I can help you, don¡¯t worry.¡± Hua Yan paid no attention and continued: ¡°oh right, Feng gege, last time didn¡¯t you say you had a present for me? What is it?¡±


    Gu Feng was silent for a bit, then fished out those boxes of makeup from the storage ring to give her.


    Hua Yan was initially elated as she took them, but after opening one box, she revealed a dumbfounded expression ¡ª the makeup had already been used up.


    ¡°Feng gege, is this some kind of test?¡± Hua Yan asked probingly, her intuition acting up.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault . . .¡± Gu Feng assumed the appearance of an unfaithful lover who had been discovered and was now remorseful and uneasy.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Hua Yan¡¯s expression was incredulous.


    Gu Feng felt remorseful, but the original ¡®Gu Feng¡¯ had already died. Now he needed to convince Hua Yan to completely give up any hope. The betrayal would sadden her for a while, but if she knew the truth, she¡¯d be sad for the rest of her life. Forget it, I¡¯ll keep up the act.


    Gu Feng wore an unflinching expression as he embraced Su Mujin and kissed him on the cheek. Oh how soft.


    Su Mujin: ¡°???¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him, Hua Yan. I¡¯ve let you down, but I was unable to control myself. I¡¯m sorry. I like him.¡± Gu Feng went further and further down the road of being a scumbag.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re lying! Did my daddy threaten you? Also he¡¯s a man, how will that ever work out?¡± Hua Yan saw Su Mujin¡¯s beautiful appearance, and actually was mostly convinced already, but still held out a bit of hope.


    Gu Feng didn¡¯t directly answer her question. He just held Su Mujin tighter, gazed at him tenderly, and replied lovingly: ¡°We are each other¡¯s sunshine. Even if we aren¡¯t allowed to be happy in this lifetime, we still love each other, right, Xiao Jin?¡±


    The corners of Su Mujin¡¯s mouth twitched as he looked at Gu Feng, but he felt pressured to agree, so finally he nodded his head.


    Hua Yan couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. She took the makeup and threw it at their faces, then furiously ran off.


    Having lost face, Su Mujin and Gu Feng: ¡°. . .¡±


    Gu Feng released Su Mujin, picked up the makeup boxes and stood up. Regardless of what was said, the original owner had been well intentioned.


    Looking at Gu Feng¡¯s actions, Su Mujin restrained himself at first, but finally could not refrain from asking: ¡°Since it was painful just now, why did you do it?¡±


    Su Mujin felt this question was particularly important, even if he couldn¡¯t quite understand why he needed to hear the answer.


    ¡°My cultivation is too low. I don¡¯t want to delay other people.¡± Gu Feng threw out a reason without thinking the matter through.


    ¡°You¡¯re not that kind of person. That can¡¯t possibly be the reason.¡± Su Mujin adamantly disagreed.


    Gu Feng gave Su Mujin a strange glance. Sure enough, he really understood himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the person she likes. That person no longer exists.¡± Gu Feng settled for a truthful, but misleading answer.


    Su Mujin didn¡¯t continue to question him. He already had the answer he wanted, so he was satisfied. Wait a minute! Why am I so concerned with this question? Su Mujin rubbed his forehead. I was nearly dragged into the gutter by shixiong.


    After Hua Yan left, Gu Feng quickly slipped away with Su Mujin. If they remained at the market, he was worried they¡¯d have to deal with more unwelcome encounters. Today had been a truly frightening and startling experience.


    Stealing away with Su Mujin, Gu Feng brought the two of them to a place not far from Taixuan Sect, in the middle of a mountain forest. Going off of Gu Feng¡¯s memories, they walked over to the sunny side of a small hillside and headed toward a grove of trees.


    Behind the grove was a mountain, and it was there that Gu Feng intended to search for the hidden terrain.


    Unfortunately, today¡¯s good luck had been completely used up after buying the piece of black mineral relic. After searching for nearly two shichen they still came up empty handed. In my previous incarnation, I had casually strolled around and stumbled upon the secret territory, right?


    Gu Feng carefully observed the surrounding environment. There didn¡¯t seem to be any deviation from the previous incarnation¡¯s memory. The problem was where to look. Gu Feng leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and carefully reviewed his memories.


    Su Mujin saw that Gu Feng wasn¡¯t speaking and looked exhausted. He thought Gu Feng was hungry, and remembered they had just passed by a pool. Su Mujin pondered before speaking: ¡°Shixiong, if you¡¯re hungry, there¡¯s a pool over that way. Perhaps it has fish.¡±


    Gu Feng: ¡°???¡±


    What pool? Why hadn¡¯t he seen it?


    ¡°Where¡¯s the pool? Take me to it quickly.¡± Gu Feng urgently spoke, suddenly thinking of a possibility.


    Gu Feng followed Su Mujin the whole way to the ¡®pool¡¯. He could only see lush and verdant forest surrounding them on three sides, while the fourth side was a sheer drop. But nowhere was there a single drop of water.


    ¡°You¡¯re certain there¡¯s a pool here . . .¡± Gu Feng hadn¡¯t finished speaking before he saw Su Mujin walk over toward the precipice, about to drop off the edge. Gu Feng leapt in fright. Su Mujin hadn¡¯t learned to fly yet!


    I cannot allow this! Gu Feng instantly ran over, prepared to drag Su Mujin back from the edge. Unfortunately, he ran too fast. His momentum was too great, and caused the two of them to fall over the edge of the cliff.


    The expected sense of weightlessness did not appear, but the two of them tumbled directly into a pool and were separated. Gu Feng strove toward the surface and looked all around, but couldn¡¯t see a shadow of Su Mujin. What bad luck! Right now Su Mujin still didn¡¯t know how to swim, and hadn¡¯t even learned any spells for escaping water.


    Gu Feng took a deep breath and quickly dove back into the pool. He dared not delay; he must find Su Mujin as quickly as possible.


    Just as Su Mujin fell into the pool, he had an ominous premonition. The water was even deeper than he had imagined. He struggled all the way down, gradually losing strength as he slowly sank to the bottom of the pool . . .


    Water poured into his mouth and nose, ice cold and dark. It seemed he¡¯d never reach the light. Swallowed up by darkness, could it be that this would be his final resting place?


    But Su Mujin was unresigned. Finally having managed to hug the light, who would be willing to just die here? Moreover, he had promised to protect shixiong. He was incredibly unwilling!


    Breathing became more difficult as his consciousness gradually faded. Just before he was about to pass out, he seemed to sense someone in the distance swimming toward him. That person embraced him, pulling him toward the surface of the pool.

 CH 6

    A moment later, he felt a gentle warmth upon his lips and a breath of air passed into his mouth.


    That single breath brought Su Mujin back from the brink of drowning. His mind went blank for a second, and he froze. In front of his eyes loomed a familiar, handsome face, with closed eyes and long eyelashes, looking particularly bewitching underwater. It was his shixiong.


    After realizing what the other person was doing, Su Mujin¡¯s heart began to beat wildly. He felt he was going crazy. He had never been so intimate with anyone. Even more frightening, he discovered that he didn¡¯t want to struggle, but rather wanted the feeling to continue. What was going on with him?


    Just as Su Mujin was caught in a trance, Gu Feng suddenly opened his eyes. Su Mujin nearly choked, and quickly pretended to struggle free. Shixiong had been especially considerate toward him so far. He absolutely could not let Shixiong discover his abnormality.


    ¡°Stop flailing, you little rascal. I¡¯m not taking advantage of you!¡± Gu Feng released Su Mujin. He also felt incredibly wronged, okay? That was his first kiss. Just pretend it never happened.


    Su Mujin felt a little disappointed and frustrated at the loss. He looked around, taking stock of the situation only to discover they were inside an air bubble. Woah, how marvelous!


    Gu Feng observed Su Mujin¡¯s wide-eyed wonder, and proudly declared: ¡°This is the spell called ¡®Water Repulsion¡¯. Tomorrow I¡¯ll teach you, since without it, I¡¯ll have to keep rescuing you.¡±


    Su Mujin, ¡°. . .¡±


    Right, this was exactly shixiong¡¯s style. The situation just a moment ago was surely Su Mujin¡¯s misinterpretation, nothing more.


    The sky had already darkened by the time Su Mujin broke through the surface of the tarn. Gu Feng cautiously looked around. The deep pool was surrounded on three sides by a mountain peak, while the fourth side was the forest from which they had burst into the terrain.


    That¡¯s right! The secret terrain was here. In fact, it was not simply a pool of water ¡ª it was also fed by a spiritual spring. Time spent cultivating here was twice as effective as regular cultivation, and merely drinking the spiritual water could also boost a person¡¯s cultivation level. In addition to these magical properties, when the water was used in alchemy, the success rate of pill refining was significantly improved.


    Gu Feng had Su Mujin follow him out of the secret terrain. Sure enough, from outside, it once again appeared to be merely a precipice.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, look over there. What do you see?¡± Gu Feng pointed at the cliff and questioned Su Mujin.


    ¡°A pool. What else could there be?¡± Su Mujin was baffled and stole a glance at Gu Feng.


    Gu Feng: ¡°. . .¡±


    No wonder my previous incarnation could stumble upon the spiritual tarn while casually strolling around. When I was unable to locate it today, it turns out the problem was with my eyes. Come to think of it, wouldn¡¯t that boy Su Mujin have seen it earlier, yet never mentioned a thing? We wasted two shichen looking for it in vain. Thinking of that, Gu Feng balefully glared at Su Mujin.


    That intense stare made Su Mujin begin to feel restless. Only then did Gu Feng cheer up and retract his gaze. Sure enough, bullying Su Mujin was still entertaining.


    Ktf rqlglaeji ajgc cjaegjiis tjv j qgbafmalnf jggjs, yea Ve Zeplc¡¯r yibbv tfglajuf qgbyjyis jiibkfv tlw ab rff gluta atgbeut la. Pa kjr cb kbcvfg atja cb bcf tjv vlrmbnfgfv atlr njiejyif ibmjalbc qgfnlberis. Mbg fzagj lcregjcmf, Xe Mfcu vfqibsfv atf qgbafmalnf jggjs tf tjv qegmtjrfv jcv rfa la eq ab yifcv lc klat atf reggbecvlcu fcnlgbcwfca. Coafg jii, atf akb bo atfw qijccfv ab rajs tfgf obg delaf rbwf alwf jcv meialnjaf.


    Afterwards, Gu Feng was both mentally and physically exhausted. He had no energy left to cultivate, so he and Su Mujin laid down and slept out under the stars.


    Early the next morning, Su Mujin woke to the delicious aroma of roasting meat. Opening his eyes, he saw Gu Feng in the middle of cooking breakfast. Su Mujin felt a little ashamed. I shouldn¡¯t be so lazy.


    ¡°Awake? You¡¯re right on time. The meat is perfectly cooked. Come eat up.¡± Seeing that Su Mujin had woken, Gu Feng smiled and spoke with a laugh. This morning, he seemed to be especially gentle and caring.


    Su Mujin stared distractedly. He appeared a little embarrassed by the excessive indulgence from Gu Feng, and his ears turned slightly pink. Shixiong¡¯s smile is really handsome, Su Mujin thought.


    Unfortunately, as soon as Gu Feng finished speaking, he turned his attention back to cooking, and did not notice Su Mujin¡¯s abnormality.


    Gu Feng had been a bachelor for hundreds of years, and had perfected his barbecue technique to a considerable degree. The meat sizzled, with beads of hot oil dripping enticingly along the edges. Seeing that the meal was nearly done, Gu Feng used a branch to pierce several of the tenderest pieces, then handed the branch to Su Mujin.


    Su Mujin took a bite. Delectable! Simply delectable! The outside was crisp, while the inside was tender and not too greasy. Devouring bite after delicious bite, he was on cloud nine.


    ¡°Slow down, there¡¯s plenty more.¡± Gu Feng worriedly watched Su Mujin scarf it down, and felt he had to remind him or else he would choke.


    Su Mujin was expressionless, but his face flushed a suspicious shade of red. His pace greatly slowed and he began to take smaller bites.


    His blush is so intense, Gu Feng thought in bemusement, but he¡¯s still really adorable like this.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve eaten enough, it¡¯s time to start cultivating. Later we¡¯ll only consume fasting pills.¡± Gu Feng saw Su Mujin had nearly finished, so he began to explain.


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ve eaten my fill. Shixiong don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll work hard to cultivate so I can protect you.¡± Although he regretted that he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat meals prepared by his companion after this, Su Mujin understood that improving his cultivation was urgent.


    ¡°Very good. First I¡¯ll teach you ¡®Water Repulsion¡¯. Are you prepared?¡± With an upright attitude, Gu Feng strolled over to the spiritual tarn.


    What do I need to prepare? Su Mujin inspected himself, before suddenly realizing. Of course! That¡¯s what I need to prepare.


    Gu Feng waited half a day for Su Mujin to reply. Turning around, he saw Su Mujin starting to undress.


    Gu Feng: ¡°. . .¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just practicing ¡®Water Repulsion¡¯, not taking a bath. No need to disrobe.¡± Gu Feng said as his face darkened.


    ¡°Got it, shixiong.¡± Su Mujin tied his belt again and tidied up his clothes. He was silently critical. Shixiong really angers too easily. Whatever, I¡¯m too magnanimous to hold it against him.


    After Gu Feng explained the incantation to Su Mujin, he took the lead and jumped into the spiritual pool. A barrier of air about a foot thick formed between him and the surrounding water.


    ¡°Jump in! Just remember to recite the incantation while you leap, and circulate spiritual energy around your body.¡± Gu Feng turned to face Su Mujin as he spoke.


    Previously, Su Mujin would have leapt in without a second thought. But, after having nearly drowned yesterday, there was a shadow of fear in his heart. As he hesitated, his pulse sped up.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would protect me just now? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re too scared?¡± Gu Feng deliberately strung out the last couple syllables, his voice becoming magnetic, and channeling the spirit of that mythical skirt chaser Dengtu Zi.


    ¡°N-not afraid . . .¡± Su Mujin stutteringly spoke. His heart raced, but it wasn¡¯t due to fear that time.


    He jumped down while silently reciting the incantation and circulating his spiritual energy. As long as his shixiong was present, Su Mujin discovered he could access seemingly boundless strength and courage.


    Su Mujin succeeded without mishap. It was just a simple spell, after all. If he wanted to accomplish bigger things, he needed to master this first. Gu Feng would not have the time to personally teach Su Mujin everything he needed to know in life.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well, keep it up and follow me.¡± Gu Feng spoke and took Su Mujin¡¯s hand, leading him to the bottom of the pool.


    As soon as he had entered the water, Su Mujin discovered he and his shixiong were each surrounded by a bubble. But, between the two bubbles, there was a link where the two of them held hands. Realizing that, Su Mujin¡¯s recently calmed heartbeat once again picked up speed. Originating from shixiong¡¯s grip on his hand, a scalding heat slowly traveled across his body. Ever since yesterday when shixiong gave me air, I¡¯ve felt so strange. Could it be that shixiong poisoned me with that breath?


    Gu Feng felt Su Mujin¡¯s palm begin to sweat, and thought Su Mujin was frightened. Gu Feng paused and placatingly said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m taking you to the bottom of the pool to locate something. If you see anything that glows or sparkles, you must tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay . . .¡± Su Mujin sensed that they were sinking deeper and deeper into the tarn, but it felt different than yesterday. Today he wasn¡¯t scared at all. No, he actually felt joyful. I really must have been poisoned. I¡¯m certain of it!


    Gu Feng was oblivious to Su Mujin¡¯s mood. He wholeheartedly threw himself into looking for the lingyao at the bottom of the pool that could purify spiritual roots. His previous incarnation had used the lingyao as a gift to repay Gu Yunxi, but in this lifetime, he would never repeat that mistake. Gu Feng planned to have Su Mujin use it as soon as he found it. The tarn was abundant in spiritual qi, and it was the most suitable place to purify spirit roots.


    After who knows how long in those depths, he finally caught a glimpse of a distant glow. Gu Feng grew ecstatic, and pulled Su Mujin along to swim over to it.


    As they drew close, they saw a glowing plant, similar in appearance to a lotus. It glittered alluringly in the water. Finally found it. Gu Feng relaxed and finally let out the breath he¡¯d been holding in. It was exactly that ¡®marrow purifying lotus¡¯ that could wash away extra spirit roots.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, this lingyao can purify spirit roots. You can eat it and use it to wash away your fire root. Then the quality of your remaining wind root will be improved. Got it?¡± Gu Feng carefully plucked the flower and presented it to Su Mujin.


    Su Mujin was dumbfounded. He had no idea how to respond. There was only one lingyao here, and his shixiong didn¡¯t even hesitate when handing it over. Am I really deserving of this kindness?


    ¡°What? Do I need to feed you myself?¡± Gu Feng asked and reached out to lift Su Mujin¡¯s chin. It appeared he really would feed Su Mujin.


    ¡°. . . Didn¡¯t mean to inconvenience Shixiong. I¡¯ll eat it right away¡± Su Mujin¡¯s face was red as he took the lingyao. Downing it in a single gulp, he opened his mouth to show he¡¯d completely swallowed it.


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyes glinted, observing Su Mujin¡¯s response. Sure enough, every time I act overbearing and intimate, Su Mujin immediately does what he¡¯s told. This method isn¡¯t bad. Seems I can continue using it.


    ¡°The process will be long and painful, but you must persevere. Otherwise, all this effort will be wasted. Xiao Jin, you can do that, right?¡± Gu Feng deliberately leaned in close to Su Mujin, his lips brushing Su Mujin¡¯s ear as he uttered those words. In order to achieve his aim, Gu Feng had no choice but to abandon his moral integrity.


    ¡°Shixiong, don¡¯t worry. I will expend all my effort and not disappoint you.¡± Su Mujin was beet red. At that moment, he likely would have climbed a mountain of knives without the slightest hesitation, had Gu Feng asked it of him.

 CH 7

    Soon, the lingyao began to take effect . . .


    Su Mujin began to tremble gently. Gradually, the trembling grew more and more difficult to withstand. His face turned white, and his forehead broke out in a cold sweat as he seemed to endure an intense suffering. But Su Mujin was stubborn and didn¡¯t let a single whimper escape his lips. He merely clenched his jaw and bit his lip. Right now his only thought was, ¡®I absolutely cannot disappoint Shixiong . . .¡¯


    ¡°Here, don¡¯t bite your lip.¡± Gu Feng pressed his arm against Su Mujin¡¯s mouth. It vexed him to see Su Mujin in so much pain, but he could only try to ease some of the suffering in this manner.


    Su Mujin was unwilling and turned his head away. He would rather stubbornly bear the pain himself to the point of biting his lip bloody than ask Gu Feng to share the burden. Come to think of it, Su Mujin had always been strong. He just feigned timidity and weakness to camouflage this.


    Gu Feng suddenly laughed. His original purpose in bringing Su Mujin home had been to look after him, but Gu Feng had finally come to understand that he sincerely cared for that kid. The feeling of having family was truly wonderful. From now on, he would no longer be all alone in this world. For the first time since his rebirth, Gu Feng was elated and felt genuinely at ease.


    The spiritual qi at the bottom of the pond suddenly surged. Gu Feng finally stood on the cusp of building his foundation . . .


    Gu Feng gazed at Su Mujin, and saw his complexion slowly recover. Observing his companion¡¯s success, Gu Feng released the tension in his heart, took out a foundation building pill, and swallowed it. His attention was now focused entirely on building his foundation.


    The effects of the foundation pill kicked in almost immediately. Soon, Gu Feng felt a fire raging in his dantian, growing ever hotter and larger. Then, a warm current surged through his meridians and spread across his entire body, penetrating deep into the marrow of his bones. After that, it felt as though the streams of energy were cleansing his marrow, and the impurities within his body were continuously discharged.


    Upon seeing this, Gu Feng circulated his internal qi, and began to absorb the surrounding spiritual qi with increasing speed. Huge streams swirled around him to form a whirlpool. Within his dantian, the qi that was formerly viscous gradually began to liquefy. After a long while, all the spiritual qi in his dantian had become fluid. Now that his foundation had been built, Gu Feng no longer required meals to sustain himself, and his natural lifespan had increased to two hundred years.


    Successful at last, Gu Feng leisurely stretched and let out a deep sigh. Opening his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Su Mujin curiously observing him. Gu Feng sized up the other person. Unexpectedly, Su Mujin had already reached the fifth stage of the qi refining period. That marrow purifying lotus was really something incredible.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, have you finished washing your spiritual roots?¡± Even though he¡¯d already guessed the answer, Gu Feng still wanted to confirm it.


    ¡°Shixiong don¡¯t worry, I already succeeded. But . . .¡± Su Mujin had a subtle expression as he looked at Gu Feng, hesitating a moment before asking: ¡°Shixiong, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly covered in filth?¡±


    ¡°. . . Cough, Shixiong just built his foundation, so all his impurities were discharged.¡± Although Gu Feng ordinarily had a thick face, but at this moment he felt a little embarrassed. He used a cleansing art to tidy himself straightaway.


    ¡°Efjiis? Vtlzlbcu lr jkfrbwf!¡± Ve Zeplc ujhfv ja Xe Mfcu lc jvbgjalbc.


    Xe Mfcu, ¡°. . .¡±


    I¡¯m almost an adult and just now building my foundation. This little twerp has got to be making fun of me.


    ¡°Ofa¡¯r ub. Bffq eq.¡± Mffilcu tlr rfio-fraffw tjv rerajlcfv j ojaji lcreia, Xe Mfcu ogbralis rqbxf atbrf rtbga rfcafcmfr jcv rkjw jkjs.


    Su Mujin was speechless. Shixiong has really become ever more prickly and difficult to predict.


    ¡°Qlatlc atlr wjceji jgf rbwf mbwwbcis erfv rxliir. Zjrafg atfw jr delmxis jr qbrrlyif.¡± Cr rbbc jr atf akb bo atfw uba bea bo atf qbcv, Xe Mfcu tjcvfv Ve Zeplc j ybbx. Klwf kjr bo atf frrfcmf, jcv cba j wbwfca rtbeiv ub ab kjraf.


    ¡°Yes, Shixiong.¡± Su Mujin began to cultivate in earnest. He was genuinely interested in these skills.


    Seeing Su Mujin make progress, Gu Feng felt satisfied. He himself had no time to spare, so he opened his storage ring, removed the two black mineral artifacts, and began to study them.


    Those artifacts felt smooth to the touch, and had a rustic charm. Gu Feng tried to assemble them, and they did indeed fit together perfectly. Even though they appeared to be made to slot together, why weren¡¯t they merging into a single piece? Am I missing something important? Do I need to inject spiritual qi?


    Gu Feng began to pour spiritual qi into the artifacts. As soon as he did this, he felt the artifact hungrily suck up the energy, and his qi was soon drained dry.


    Gu Feng reacted after the fact. He hurriedly assured Su Mujin that there was no need for concern, and jumped into the spiritual pool. Circulating qi in a frenzy, he guided it into the artifact, but it absorbed the qi like it was a bottomless pit. The spiritual qi at the bottom of the tarn rushed over toward Gu Feng, dwarfing even the massive rush from when he had built his foundation.


    Some time passed as Gu Feng mechanically absorbed spiritual energy and passed it into the artifact. Without him being aware of it, half a month had passed. Just as Gu Feng felt he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer, the two halves of the artifact finally completely merged into one. Suddenly, it barged right into Gu Feng¡¯s spiritual consciousness and he immediately became aware of a wealth of information within his spiritual consciousness, and dramatically passed out in a blaze of glory.


    Meanwhile, Su Mujin had been sitting on tenterhooks by the side of the pond the whole time. Although his shixiong had told him there was no cause for concern, it had been half a month and there was neither hide nor hair of Gu Feng. Surely he hadn¡¯t met with an accident?


    Thinking of that possibility, Su Mujin couldn¡¯t sit by any longer, and decided to jump into the tarn to search for Gu Feng. It wasn¡¯t long before he saw Gu Feng lying still and silent on the bottom of the pool. Su Mujin was so frightened that his heart nearly stopped. He urgently rushed over, gathered up Gu Feng, and swam to the surface.


    Coming out of the water, Su Mujin checked for Gu Feng¡¯s breath. Still breathing, thankfully Shixiong is okay. After using an art to dry Gu Feng off, Su Mujin began to cultivate. Otherwise, he¡¯d remain too weak and be unable to assist his shixiong.


    When Gu Feng finally woke, three days had already passed. Just as he regained consciousness, he became aware of a person rushing toward him and throwing themselves into his arms. What the hell? Gu Feng was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Shixiong, the past few days you scared me nearly to death. I was so worried you¡¯d never wake up again.¡± Su Mujin nestled in Gu Feng¡¯s embrace, and his voice choked up as he began to cry.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Gu Feng silently despaired. Despite his past experience, today he was a domineering and tenacious man. What kind of demeanor was he supposed to show this loudly wailing child? After adopting Su Mujin, it seemed that Su Mujin¡¯s true disposition had veered toward that of a young girl. Where had Gu Feng gone wrong?


    Wait, how did this frightening sense of remorse suddenly arise?


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m alright. Don¡¯t waste time crying. You should be cultivating instead.¡± Gu Feng wiped away Su Mujin¡¯s tears, and patted his back.


    Regardless, he himself picked up this kid ¡ª who else was there to coax him? Such a clingy child. What a hassle!


    Su Mujin obediently released Gu Feng and went back to cultivating. He felt his face begin to flush anew, and his heart beat rapidly. It was true, Shixiong must have poisoned him once again. How rude!


    If Gu Feng knew Su Mujin¡¯s internal dialogue at this moment, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯d spit up blood in anger. But right now he had no time to spend understanding Su Mujin, because he was completely engrossed in digesting the information in his spiritual awareness.


    Gu Feng was delirious with delight. He had stumbled upon a Celestial grade cultivation manual, which was the highest classification for cultivation materials. He was extremely excited, for this cultivation technique required one to cultivate all five spiritual roots, and seemed to be custom made for Gu Feng!


    The cultivation manual was titled ¡®Spirit-Devouring Celestial Method.¡¯ Using this technique, all five types of spiritual qi could be absorbed without aftereffects. It was common knowledge that if a person wanted to make use of lingyao, they usually needed an alchemist to refine it into a pill before it could be consumed. However, after practicing the aforementioned technique, Gu Feng could now directly consume lingyao without experiencing adverse side-effects. There was just one downside to this cultivation method ¡ª when absorbing qi, one must carefully balance all five of the elements, or else risk a gruesome death.


    That wasn¡¯t even an issue for Gu Feng. He could use the abundant qi in the spiritual tarn to fuel his cultivation, as it already contained all five elements in equilibrium. At long last he could see his wish for revenge begin to come within reach.


    He had previously planned for the two of them to build their foundations first, and then he would take Su Mujin to a secret realm to gain experience. But now he could see there was no need. Based on his memories, a secret realm containing spiritual ruins would open up in five year¡¯s time.


    In ancient times, immortals had perished within those spiritual ruins, leaving behind their hermitage. Only cultivators who had yet to reach the nascent soul period were qualified to enter. His previous incarnation had been in closed door cultivation when the spiritual ruins had appeared, so he had missed out on the opportunity. It was rumored that within the ruins were myriad lingyao, cultivation manuals, and treasures of the highest rank. Of course, such incredible gains also came with great danger. Previously, nearly all the cultivators in the foundation building period who had entered the ruins failed to gain anything, and not a few golden core stage cultivators also perished. But, if a cultivator managed to obtain one of the treasures within and come out alive, then their future was boundless.


    Gu Feng hadn¡¯t originally planned to take Su Mujin to the spiritual ruins because he couldn¡¯t guarantee that he had the capability to achieve the cultivation stage of golden core within five years, and it was far too dangerous to allow Su Mujin to go alone. But with this cultivation method, it would be a piece of cake for him to reach the golden core stage within that limited time frame, so now they could proceed with entering the spiritual ruins.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, for the next five years, we¡¯ll stay here and cultivate. I¡¯m going to go out and buy some supplies. Now that your gege is rich, is there anything you¡¯d like me to get for you?¡± Gu Feng felt elated to the point that, as he was speaking, he began to float off the ground.


    ¡°Gege?¡± Su Mujin¡¯s attention was completely focused on this single word.


    ¡°What? Is there a problem? We¡¯re not strangers, so you should be calling me gege already!¡± Gu Feng dispensed with decorum in his excitement, his speech becoming more and more unrestrained.


    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not a problem . . . I don¡¯t need anything. Gege should leave now so you can return as soon as possible.¡± Su Mujin felt extremely vexed, as the impairment caused by his poisoning seemed to be hindering him more and more frequently.


    Gu Feng didn¡¯t insist. It was clear that Su Mujin would be fine on his own for a bit. In order to prevent the recurrence of last time¡¯s awkward incident, Gu Feng left in a rush, quickly purchasing what he needed before instantly returning. He didn¡¯t want to remain in the outside world a second longer than necessary.


    ¡°Here you go. Cultivation manuals, various pills ¡ª including a foundation building pill ¡ª are within. Gege treats you well, eh . . .¡± Gu Feng spoke as he tossed a storage ring to Su Mujin.


    ¡°Yeah . . . Gege treats me the best.¡± Su Mujin pounced on Gu Feng and hugged him. He spoke directly into Gu Feng¡¯s ear, deliberately emphasizing the word ¡®Gege.¡¯


    Gu Feng¡¯s face turned red. This kid! Why was he always pulling this sort of bathetic stunt?


    In a flash, five years passed by while they cultivated . . .

 CH 8

    The sunlight shone gently down. A man was bathing in the crystal clear water among glinting reflections of the sun. The brilliance of the reflections upon the pool¡¯s surface backlit him, obscuring his appearance, so only his silhouette was visible. But, judging by his bearing, he had to be astonishingly beautiful.


    Despite his stunningly gorgeous appearance, the man¡¯s heart was in turmoil. He was precisely Su Mujin, and he was thinking about an incident that had occurred a year ago.


    One year prior, feeling that the the poison had been acting up more and more frequently, Su Mujin had begun to panic. He was terrified that if this continued to develop, one day the poison would kill him. As a result, he hid from Gu Feng and snuck out to see a doctor. Listening to Su Mujin detail all his symptoms, the doctor¡¯s expression grew subtle. Ultimately, he didn¡¯t prescribe any medication, but only suggested that it would be a good idea for Su Mujin to go purchase some volumes of ¡®Caizi-Jiaren¡¯ romance novels.


    Su Mujin followed the recommendation without delay, and purchased quite a few of those books to study. He read and read, and came to understand that he had never been poisoned at all, but rather he was in love with his gege? Su Mujin was definitely not brave enough to just come out and confess to Gu Feng. He feared that Gu Feng would slap him.


    He resolved to slowly seduce Gege until Gege liked him back. So, he summed up the methods deployed in the novels and determined that there were eighteen main strategies for catching a man. If he tried each of them in succession, inevitably one would prove successful! However . . .


    ¡°Gege, would you like Xiao Jin to cook for you every day?¡± The books had written that the way to a man¡¯s heart was through his stomach. This approach was estimated to be about 70 percent effective.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to eat. What about your cultivation? Do you even have time to spend cooking instead of cultivating?¡± As he replied, Gu Feng¡¯s expression showed his impatience for Su Mujin¡¯s indulgence in distractions.


    ¡°Gege, tonight let¡¯s live and sleep together, okay?¡± According to the books, a man and woman staying together in the depth of night would inevitably lead to something occurring. The success rate of this scheme was seventy five percent. With two men, it should surely be the same, right?


    ¡°Do you still have time to sleep? Have you already comprehended the theory I imparted to you the day before yesterday?¡± Gu Feng was completely bewildered.


    ¡°Gege, the moon is beautiful tonight. Why don¡¯t we sit under the moonlight and chat?¡± In the books, a beautiful environment of the kind that inspired poetry and song would set the mood for a tryst. The success rate of this arrangement was eighty percent effective.


    ¡°Now there¡¯s no moonlight. You should cultivate.¡± Gu Feng was unperturbed as he deployed an art to block out the moonlight.


    ¡°Gege, Xiao Jin has some good wine today. Let¡¯s drink ¡®till it¡¯s gone, okay?¡± According to the novels, when a man became tipsy, it was easier to do ¡®something¡¯. This tactic was eighty five percent effective.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, you have wine? Alright!¡± Drinking through a whole barrel of wine with no problem, Gu Feng looked over to see Su Mujin, who was dead drunk and felt incomparably melancholy, letting out a deep sigh.


    . . .


    In short, having already attempted seventeen approaches, with each ending in exactly the same tragic failure, there was just one final approach left ¡ª seduction. Allegedly, if you were beautiful enough, this method alone was one hundred percent effective. I¡¯m quite beautiful, right? This time will definitely be a success! Su Mujin silently repeated that last sentence as a mantra to convince himself.


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    As soon as he exited the dongfu, Gu Feng saw the soul-stirringly beautiful Su Mujin in the middle of bathing in the spiritual pool.


    After coming of age, Su Mujin had already left behind his adolescent androgynous beauty. A single glance revealed his peerless grace and elegance. He had a pair of peach blossom eyes you could lose your soul by looking into, and the teardrop mole beneath the corner of his right eye had grown redder and lovelier, giving him a perilous beauty reminiscent of the sirens who had lured men to their doom.


    But, still too immature, Gu Feng silently commented. He honestly couldn¡¯t make sense of the other person. When a simple spell would take care of a task, why did he always fool around and make things complex? Certainly it was because he was too lazy to cultivate. Sigh. The more that kid loafed around, the more spoiled he got. It seemed that the matter of revenge would still have to be handled by Gu Feng himself. That¡¯s right. Gu Feng had already completely given up on his hopes and plans for Su Mujin, since he himself was able to accomplish what he had set out to do.  Better to let Su Mujin be responsible for living a carefree life. Gu Feng was already at the late stage of golden core and had again begun to hover above the ground as he cultivated.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, finish quickly. Today we¡¯re returning to the sect.¡± Gu Feng¡¯s face remained expressionless as he spoke.


    Su Mujin: ¡°. . .¡±


    How can he still be so unperturbed? Am I not beautiful enough? Impossible! Today I must succeed . . .


    Suddenly a gale arose, and blew fiercely past Gu Feng, completely covering him in a layer of grime.


    ¡°Gege, you got dirty, wouldn¡¯t you like to come join Xiao Jin . . .¡± The latter part of the sentence stuck in Su Mujin¡¯s throat, because Gu Feng had already used a cleansing art to make himself neat and tidy.


    Su Mujin looked at Gu Feng, his gaze momentarily seething with hidden bitterness. . .


    At this exact moment, Gu Feng suddenly smirked, causing Su Mujin to stare at him, completely taken aback. Compared with five years prior, Gu Feng had matured a great deal, and his face had become even more perfect, taking on the appearance of white jade ¡ª exactly the countenance that would make women blush as soon as they saw him. The corners of his mouth slightly turned up, his masculine aura was overwhelming. As a matter of fact, he was an outstandingly handsome specimen of a man.


    A second later, Su Mujin nearly cried out in alarm when Gu Feng suddenly jumped down into the spiritual pool. Shockingly, Gu Feng didn¡¯t even use Water Repulsion as he made his way toward Su Mujin.


    Was this final method actually a success? Seeing Gu Feng draw closer and closer, Su Mujin grew more and more anxious. What? Was? He? Going? To? Do?


    Before Su Mujin had the chance to react, Gu Feng had already pulled him into his arms and dragged him onto the shore. Gu Feng rapidly cast an art to dress him, and after that, he released him. Performing this sequence of events, Gu Feng was unhurried but constantly in motion, like the movement of clouds or flow of a river.


    ¡°Okay, We can set off now.¡± Gu Feng was silently bemused. This kid thought he didn¡¯t know that the wind just now was his doing? He¡¯s just like a spoiled toddler begging to be picked up and carried. Nonetheless, as a responsible elder brother, Gu ¡°unromantic straight guy¡± Feng still felt he should satisfy the minor requests his didiasked of him.


    Su Mujin: ¡°. . .¡±


    Hmph! I refuse to admit defeat. If these eighteen methods have failed, I¡¯ll just try one hundred methods . . .


    Gu Feng chose to return to the sect via a shortcut. Unfortunately, the saying is true that an upright person must not be lazy. As they drew near the road, it was inevitable that they would encounter a tragedy about to occur.


    In the distance ahead, he caught sight of several people engaged in a battle of magic. Among them, two wore the robes of the Taixu Sect disciples, while the rest of the group seemed to show the faint fluctuations indicative of demonic qi, and were probably people from Devil¡¯s Fortress. Gu Feng¡¯s gaze swept over them ¡ª of the Taixu disciples, one was a man whose cultivation level Gu Feng could not determine, likely because he was at the peak of the late stage of golden core. In contrast, the other much less advanced disciple was a woman in the late stage of the foundation building period.


    Devil¡¯s Fortress had a group of ten people all at the summit of the late stage of the foundation building period. The two sides were actually well balanced in terms of real power, but the man from Taixu Sect was not only fighting for himself, but trying to protect his companion, and had to constantly be on guard. Little by little, they were clearly more and more at a disadvantage. If this continued, that pair of disciples would probably be in peril.


    To rescue? Or not to rescue?


    Gu Feng didn¡¯t hesitate for long before choosing to help. Since deciding to take revenge, it was inevitable he would come into contact with Mo Ran and the Devil¡¯s Fortress. Even if he and Su Mujin had impressive cultivation, they were still just two people. It was impossible to ignore the reality of what would occur should they confront the Devil¡¯s Fortress alone. Therefore, they needed to befriend other cultivators.


    The previously mentioned pair were already in a desperate situation ¡ª the woman¡¯s heart was about to be hit with a piercing blow by a Devil¡¯s Fortress adherent. She had already resigned herself, when all of a sudden a leaf flew by. That leaf first took down a sword, then changed its trajectory to fly up into the sky and disappear. With that, the Devil¡¯s Fortress disciple was taken care of. Seeing this, the woman¡¯s companion took the opportunity to finish off the remaining Devil¡¯s Fortress members.


    After Chu Feng took care of the rest of the people, he caught sight of a man standing to the side with his back turned. Though that person merely stood there motionless, he still gave off a cool and confident aura. Chu Feng silently questioned, who is that? He never expected there was still someone who was more of an ostentatious ass than himself.


    ¡°Thank you, brother, for your kindness in rescuing us. May I ask for your honorable name?¡±


    ¡°No need for this brother to be so polite ¡ª we¡¯re fellow disciples, after all. How could I see you in distress without. . .¡± Gu Feng spoke with a hint of a smile as he slowly turned around. Mid-turn, he was able to clearly distinguish the face of that guy, and the corners of Gu Feng¡¯s mouth briefly twitched before he completed his sentence, ¡°coming to assist?¡±


    This person in front of him had skin the color of wheat, and a finely chiseled face. His disposition was tough and manly, appearing to be a person who would respond with violence no matter the circumstances. He was altogether masculine. Gu Feng knew this guy, Chu Feng, was his cheap father¡¯s personal disciple, and Gu Yunxi¡¯s second shixiong. Gu Feng had mixed feelings about this guy from his past, and time had yet to erase the psychological shadow of that incident.


    In the past, the first time he ran into Chu Feng, Gu Feng had been only fourteen years old, and his looks were that of an androgynous adolescent. Chu Feng had a woman on each arm, but as soon as he caught a glimpse of Su Mujin he pushed the two women aside, and in an attempt to win him over, said the following:


    ¡°Xiao meimei, I¡¯ve never seen a woman more beautiful than you in my entire life. From today on out, I¡¯ll protect your honor and wait for you to grow up.¡±


    At that moment, Gu Feng had nearly died of anger. On the spot, he punched the guy, after which the other party realized that he was a man. But Gu Feng had gone out of his way to avoid Chu Feng from thereafter, as the situation had given rise to a forever unresolved psychological shadow.


    Chu Feng saw Gu Feng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in consternation. This guy was his xiao shimei¡¯s little brother who was said to be lacking potential, but Chu Feng could see that he had already reached the late period of golden core cultivation. Clearly the rumors were not to be believed!


    In this manner, with secret worries weighing on their hearts, the two men stared at each other for a time, unsure how to proceed, and the scene sank into an uneasy silence.


    ¡°Gege, where did you run off to in such a hurry? Xiao Jin was nearly unable to catch up.¡± Su Mujin appeared at just the right moment, and broke up the awkward scene.


    Gu Feng suddenly had an ominous premonition.

 CH 9

    When Chu Feng saw Su Mujin, his eyes gleamed. ¡°What a peerless beauty! Look at that face, that figure! An absolutely first rate combination, but I never expected it to belong to a man. What a pity! Truly a great pity!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s mine. Brother, you really need to watch your words.¡±


    Gu Feng felt irritable, watching Su Mujin being harassed, and spoke without thinking things through carefully.


    The sudden silence was deafening and Chu Feng and his companion had horrified expressions on their faces. Gu Feng belatedly realized that what he had just said was too easily misunderstood, so he explained: ¡°Cough, he is my didi, and hates people describing his appearance in feminine terms, right Xiao Jin?¡±


    ¡°. . . mmm.¡± Su Mujin felt a faint disappointment. Just now he almost believed that gege had at long last become enlightened as to his feelings.


    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s like that! Shixiong, good-looking people can also be male, so you should know that those kinds of words are really inappropriate. Next time, I think you¡¯d better not speak so impulsively.¡±


    The disciple who was still in her foundation building stage advised Chu Feng tartly.


    ¡°What strong vinegar! Don¡¯t be jealous, Lin Yue, I¡¯m still awfully fond of you.¡±


    Chu Feng turned his gaze upon Lin Yue and smiled, pulled her into his arms, Lin Yue¡¯s face immediately turned red.


    Su Mujin, Gu Feng: ¡°. . .¡±


    These two are shameless!


    ¡°Oh by the way, did you know your jiejie has a Dao companion?¡± Chu Feng unexpectedly opened his mouth to inquire as they returned to the road.


    ¡°Who is it? I¡¯ve been away the past few years, cultivating, so I didn¡¯t know about this.¡± Gu Feng was alarmed. Gu Yunxi had unexpectedly gained a Dao companion.


    ¡°The other party is a Sword Pavilion inner disciple, it¡¯s said he¡¯s extremely talented. He¡¯s already reached the summit of the golden core period despite being so young. He¡¯s absolutely qualified to be her match. But how can you be so ignorant of such an important matter as your jiejie looking for a Dao companion? Where have you been these last couple years?¡±


    Gu Feng relaxed and let out the breath he¡¯d been holding. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t Mo Ran. However, Chu Feng was probably trying to feel out the state of Gu Feng¡¯s cultivation by talking in circles.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been away for several years cultivating within a hidden realm I accidentally stumbled upon. Now I¡¯ve come back, but to avoid trouble, when I return to the sect I intend to cultivate to the early stage of golden core. I hope Brother Chu can help me keep this under wraps.¡± Gu Feng spoke with deliberation, trying to make it seem as though encountering the hidden realm was a fortuitous event he only mentioned reluctantly.


    ¡°Rest assured! Today you saved us, so I owe you a favor. I¡¯ll keep your secret. Lin Yue and I are busy, so we¡¯ll head out first.¡±


    Jte Mfcu ecvfgrabbv atja atf batfg qfgrbc kjcafv ab fcv atflg mbcnfgrjalbc, rb tf vlvc¡¯a lcrlra bc qgbibculcu atf lcafgjmalbc.


    Returning to the sect, Gu Feng and Su Mujin concealed their cultivation level, appearing to be in the early stage of the golden core period, and then went to register with a peak. Within the sect were five peaks. Taixu Peak, Battle Spirit Peak, Sword Soul Peak, Healing Heart Peak, and Tempering Talent Peak.


    Battle Spirit Peak specialized in combat capability; Sword Soul Peak specialized in sword cultivation; Healing Heart Peak specialized in refining pills; Tempering Talent Peak specialized in refining weapons and magical implements; and Taixu Peak was originally named Ten Thousand Arts Peak, specializing in the magical arts. Later, because the first sect leader was produced by Ten Thousand Arts Peak, it was renamed Taixu Peak. Any disciples studying under a peak leader were known as ¡®true legacy disciples.¡¯


    Xe Mfcu mtbrf Kjlze Ufjx obg mbcnfclfcmf. Llr meggfca rajaer kjr rqfmlji, jcv lo tf mtbrf j vloofgfca qfjx atfs kbeiv qgbyjyis cba jmmfqa tlw. Coafg gfulrafglcu, Xe Mfcu jcv Ve Zeplc iflregfis rfifmafv j mbegasjgv ab yfulc meialnjalcu. Ktf rqlglaeji gelcr kbeiv bqfc jcs vjs cbk. Ktfs pera tjv ab ylvf atflg alwf.


    Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded. Taixu Sect only used this alert system for serious matters to signal people to assemble. Gu Feng¡¯s face lit up with joy ¡ª the awaited time had finally arrived!


    The martial arts training arena was usually full of disciples facing off against each other, but when major events took place, the stage was used to deliver the news.


    ¡°There really are a lot of people.¡± Gu Feng brought Su Mujin to the training arena. Those already gathered in the arena were as thick as stalks in a field of flax. They numbered several thousands of people, with still more arriving in the distance, blackening the sky like bees swarming from a hive, all heading toward the training arena.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? There are so many people.¡±


    ¡°Even Gu shijie has shown up, looking ever more enigmatic!¡±


    ¡°Not just Gu shijie, there are a lot of bigwigs here. It seems that something major has occurred.¡±


    Surrounded by noise as the disciples whispered among themselves, Gu Feng cast his sight all around. Gu Yunxi, Xiao Chen, Hua Yan, Chu Feng and more had all actually shown up. Behind each of them stood their crowds of supporters as numerous as the stars surrounding the moon. Among them, Gu Yunxi¡¯s supporters were the greatest in number.


    Gu Feng evaluated their cultivation levels, but was unable to register any of them? Apparently all of them had at least reached the peak of late stage golden core. Gu Feng¡¯s expression dimmed. He was still too far behind.


    Everyone suddenly quieted down. Gu Feng perked up, and caught sight of a man arriving through a parting of the sea of disciples. His face was obscured, but his silhouette alone was enough to cause fear, and his aura was absolutely terrifying. All the qi refining period disciples in the vicinity felt like they would pass out. Without question, this person was precisely the leader of Taixu Sect, Gu Hanshan. He was at the summit of the ascension period of cultivation, and merely one step away from becoming as immortal as heaven and earth.


    ¡°Greetings, Sect Leader.¡±


    Several thousand disciples all saluted as one, and the sound was deafening, reverberating across the land and up to the heavens. This cheap dad still had power and prestige, Gu Feng internally commented.


    ¡°Rise!¡± The sect leader did not shout, but miraculously his voice sounded within the minds of everyone present.


    ¡°In the wastelands there has arisen a mansion of Celestials. Only those below the nascent soul period are permitted to enter, but to ensure safety, disciples must be above the late stage of the foundation building period. Furthermore, thirty percent of any gains must be handed over to the sect. All interested disciples must go to their peak leader to sign up to be included. Tomorrow we set out.¡± Gu Hanshan¡¯s speech was very simple, and even a little sloppy.


    Below, the disciples immediately erupted with excitement. You should be aware that these days the spiritual resources of the continent were in short supply, and Celestials had already become a legend. It had been ten thousand years since anyone had ascended to that level of immortality, but miraculously a Celestial mansion had now appeared. Perhaps one might be fortunate enough to gain a Celestial inheritance. To find such a thing would be a major turning point in one¡¯s cultivation path.


    Each and every one of the disciples who had reached the required cultivation level were itching to have a go and sign up their name, while those who didn¡¯t qualify could only hang their heads in disappointment and withdraw. Quickly, the arena emptied and only a few thousand remained.


    Those who signed up were many. Gu Feng and Su Mujin stood in line for ages before their turn finally came. Unfortunately, in this world there will inevitably be those who love to obstruct your path. They¡¯re just as irritating as bedbugs.


    ¡°Hold it! Didi, you still want to recklessly go to the celestial mountain even though your abilities are a joke? How repulsive have you become? Not only do you not qualify to go, Jiejie advises you to not get involved, lest you suffer the consequences of your foolish choices.¡± Gu Yunxi spoke scornfully, and all the nearby disciples burst into uproarious laughter.


    This woman is truly awe-inspiring. Each of my lifetimes she always makes things difficult. Gu Feng turned, gently smiled, and said: ¡°I am well aware of my situation, no need for jiejie to trouble herself over it.¡±


    While speaking, he placed his palm on the testing column, the color of which rapidly changed to yellow. Indeed, he really had already reached the golden core period, and the disciples all around gasped in shock. Who among them didn¡¯t know that Gu Feng was a failure at cultivation, and couldn¡¯t even build his foundation? But now after just a few years, he had already reached the golden core period?


    ¡°Now may I sign up?¡± Gu Feng cooly asked.


    Gu Yunxi¡¯s face shifted, but she stuck with her decision to obstruct Gu Feng, and coldly spoke, ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re clear on Didi¡¯s capabilities, He can¡¯t possibly have achieved this level of cultivation in such a short time period. He must have used some unscrupulous method of cultivation. Perhaps he colluded with Devil¡¯s Castle. Nu¡¯er thinks he should be handed over to the Judicial Hall to be investigated.¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyes flashed, but he didn¡¯t speak. He wanted to sound out what weight this son held in the heart of his cheap dad.


    Gu HanShan quietly sized up Gu Feng, before briefly saying this one sentence to Gu Yunxi, ¡°Do as you see fit.¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyes grew a bit hazy, the past flashing before him. The previous ¡®Gu Feng¡¯ had adored this dad very much, but he didn¡¯t expect Gu Hanshan would be so callous. Gu Feng internally sneered at him and had planned to open his mouth to defend himself at that point, when suddenly a hand reached over and squeezed his own. That person¡¯s strength was quite strong, as if he wanted to transfer fortitude through their tightly clasped hands.


    Gu Feng turned his head to look, just to see Su Mujin give him a meaningful look. Su Mujin released his hand and moved to stand in front of Gu Feng, who had fallen into a trance. Though Su Mujin¡¯s figure was slight, his courage had an indescribably reassuring power. The magnitude of what he had already accomplished for the sake of Gu Feng made him stand tall in Gu Feng¡¯s eyes.


    Su Mujin pulled out a red colored stone, and slowly began to speak, ¡°The reason why Gu Feng Shixiong was able to cultivate so quickly is due to collecting spirit stones. This was a fortuitous event for Shixiong. The past few years, Shixiong has continuously put in great effort to cultivate, and has never indulged in any untoward methods.


    As soon as this stone was brought out, everyone could feel that the concentration of spiritual energy in this location had become richer by many fold; this was a truly spiritual stone. This cultivation technique of collecting spiritual stones was just what it sounds like. When the spiritual essence of the surroundings was intensified, cultivation became twice as efficient; spiritual stones are a really rare treasure.


    Su Mujin spoke neither fast nor slow. This, in combination with his charisma, convinced quite a few people to accept his explanation without question.


    ¡°Regarding this matter¡ªwhile returning, I and Lin Yue ran into some Devil¡¯s Castle disciples, and Gu Shidi bravely put himself in harm¡¯s way to save us. Shidi is the kind of person who sacrifices himself for the sake of others. There¡¯s no way I could imagine him colluding with Devil¡¯s Castle people.¡± Chu Feng delivered an impassioned speech, exaggerating a few details.


    Hearing this speech, all traces of doubt were wiped from the faces of the surrounding disciples. On the contrary, their expressions even showed a bit of admiration. Furthermore, many of the female disciples blushed pink with love as they ogled Gu Feng.


    The corners of Gu Feng¡¯s lips twitched. Merely stating the facts would have been fine, but Chu Feng exaggerated too much. If the situation had really put Gu Feng¡¯s life in danger, he never would have taken the risk to save them, okay?


    Catching sight of those women¡¯s gazes, Su Mujin¡¯s expression turned completely dark.


    Gu Yunxi was unwilling to give up and still wanted to continue arguing, but was checked by the look in Gu Hanshan¡¯s eyes. He opened his mouth and mildly commented: ¡°Let¡¯s drop this matter. Feng¡¯er, now that you¡¯ve grown up, I¡¯m very gratified. Please be cautious when exploring the spiritual ruins.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Sect Leader.¡± Gu Feng forced a smile as he replied, taking pains to emphasize the pair of words ¡®Sect Leader.¡¯


    The Author has something to say:


    Simple explanation of lifespan for each level


    Qi Refining ¡ª ordinary


    Foundation Building ¡ª 200 years


    Golden Core ¡ª 500 years


    Nascent Soul ¡ª1000 years


    Demigod ¡ª 5000 years


    Ascension ¡ª 10000 years


    Celestials are as immortal as the heavens and earth


    Past the Celestial stage is one further stage involving spoilers so I won¡¯t mention it.

 CH 10

    Gu Hanshan was not upset. He faintly smiled, then left with Gu Yunxi.


    Bright and early the next day, there appeared in the sky over Taixu Sect, a phoenix tail warship. The vessel was gigantic, stretching 100 zhang long, and looked terrifically impressive.


    Gu Feng was struck speechless. Truly tyrannical! On the warship, many people had already gathered. Each and every one of the disciples sat on the ground: some fooling around and flirting, some drinking wine and gossiping, and some even playing mahjong. It was quite lively!


    Gu Feng¡¯s unperturbed expression developed a few cracks. Come on, can¡¯t you people put at least a little effort toward improving yourselves?


    Remaining silent, Gu Feng took Su Mujin to search for a corner they could sit in while quietly meditating and cultivating. The hidden realm was far away and it would take at least ten days for this warship to reach it.


    Not long after, the warship soared straight up into the sky. Gu Feng opened his eyes to gaze down below, and could see the faint rise and fall of mountain ranges mingled with the gleam of dueling spells between disciples. Slowly, Taixu Sect transformed into a distant black dot and disappeared from sight.


    How many people would return home safely from this trip? Gu Feng looked at the expanse of lively faces all around him, and felt an indescribable melancholy.


    ¡°Gege, what¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve flown on a ship, are you uncomfortable?¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s spirit returned. He saw Su Mujin looking at him with worry written across his face. His heart stirred, and he suddenly opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Will you leave me?¡±


    Su Mujin didn¡¯t immediately answer, as he looked at Gu Feng with an unclear import.


    Gu Feng actually regretted asking as soon as he had said it. Why did I ask that? These melancholy thoughts were really unlike him. His mood lifted a little, and he started to say, ¡°Just now, I . . .¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Gege previously said that I was brought back to protect him. Xiao Jin will always remember that.¡± Su Mujin abruptly spoke, cutting Gu Feng¡¯s words short. Finishing his speech, he looked like he was recalling something, and he suddenly laughed.


    Gu Feng knew with a glance what Su Mujin had remembered. Recollecting he himself had told Su Mujin to protect him, Gu Feng found it a bit humorous. Teased like this by Su Mujin, his mood recovered.


    ¡°Lfs! Pa¡¯r yffc obgfnfg rlcmf P ijra rjk sbe, yea atf akb bo sbe ibbx jr joofmalbcjaf jr fnfg. Kgeis j ofja kbgats bo mfifygjalbc.¡± Lej Tjc rja cfjgys, klat j rmbki bc tfg ojmf jr rtf rqbxf. Vtf tjv kjamtfv atf fcalgf lcafgjmalbc yfakffc atf akb pera cbk.


    ¡°Naturally, we xiongdi are fond of one another!¡± Gu Feng looked proud of himself as he spoke. It was obvious that he had completely forgotten his excuse for rejecting Hua Yan five years ago.


    Hua Yen¡¯s face grew dark. She found Gu Feng¡¯s smiling face completely infuriating.


    Su Mujin blushed in embarrassment. Gege is really obtuse about this kind of thing. My path to courting a husband will surely continue to be impossible for the foreseeable future.


    Hua Yan¡¯s attention shifted, and she suddenly cried out in a loud voice: ¡°Everyone come quickly, Gu Shixiong is over here!¡±


    After Hua Yan shouted that sentence, Su Mujin secretly said what a mess, the ¡®chivalrous and daring¡¯ Gu Feng now has a heap of female fans. Sure enough, a wave of pretty lady cultivators surged over.


    Gu Feng was somewhat baffled. What are so many people coming over here for?


    ¡°Shixiong, can you explain to us how to form a core?


    ¡°Shixiong, during a fight, what are some essential skills to conserve one¡¯s spiritual force?


    ¡°Shixiong, I ran into some difficult problems with cultivating, can you help me solve them?¡±


    Surrounded by the women who were all talking at once, Gu Feng found himself wanting to resolve their questions, and explain things. The sudden attention was a bit bewildering, however, everybody wass capable of making great efforts to progress! Gu Feng felt very gratified.


    Gu Feng began to smile as he answered everyone¡¯s questions. As he answered and answered, Gu Feng¡¯s smiling expression began to collapse.


    No matter how obtuse he was, he still began to feel something was amiss. How was it possible for golden core stage cultivators not to have learned the knack for controlling their internal fire? I fear they have ulterior motives!


    Gu Feng stroked his chin, looking around at the smiling and graceful women cultivators. He suddenly felt that he was like a little sheep, and the women with gleaming eyes all around him were a pack of hungry wolves. Heavens, who would come save him?


    Clearly it was impossible for the heavens to hear Gu Feng¡¯s silent cry, but Su Mujin heard it.


    ¡°Gege, I¡¯m hungry, can you go get Xiao Jin something to eat?¡± Su Mujin deliberately leaned in and spoke next to Gu Feng¡¯s ear, his lips nearly glued to Gu Feng¡¯s earlobe. This action was entirely ambiguous.


    ¡°No problem! Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, my didi is hungry and I must go grab him something to eat.¡± Gu Feng immediately stood up and ran off. At this critical moment, his didi was still so reliable. Gu Feng was so affected he shed tears within his heart.


    ¡°Have you not begun bigu? You don¡¯t actually need to eat, do you?¡± One of the women asked, perplexed.


    Su Mujin¡¯s eyes shone. Fellow Daoist, I¡¯m so glad you asked.


    A blush slowly climbed up Su Mujin¡¯s cheeks, and he seemed abashed as he said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just selfish and want to eat Gege¡¯s home cooking. Gege always spoils me.¡±


    After speaking, Su Mujin smiled sweetly, looking exactly like a little wife being doted on by her husband.


    ¡°Could it be you two are¡­that?¡± One of the women felt something was off, and showed an incredulous expression.


    Those words uttered, the crowd of women began to catch on, confusion and incredulity showing on their faces. Reluctantly, a few hearts still held out, only for Su Mujin to completely smash all their hopes the next moment.


    Su Mujin  looked entirely bashful at first, nodding with his head lowered. But then, as if recalling something, he took on a melancholy look and said,  ¡°Yes, we¡¯re exactly like that. But, Gege doesn¡¯t want too many people to know about it. He¡¯s worried I¡¯ll be censured. I hope everyone can keep our secret.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, now all you women can join me in being heartbroken. You can¡¯t get what you want, and you can¡¯t say anything, so everyone disperse!¡± As the chief culprit, Hua Yan¡¯s mood had considerably improved. The result was very good ¡ª being heartbroken by oneself was not as good as multitudes being heartbroken along with you.


    The women¡¯s faces looked utterly wretched as they departed. In one fell swoop they had lost two handsome men. Who would fail to understand the heartache?


    When Gu Feng returned, he saw the area had already been vacated of those women, leaving only Su Mujin who looked at him with his limpid gaze. Did he want to be praised for doing Gu Feng a favor?


    ¡°Xiao Jin, you are truly amazing. Fortunately I have you, otherwise Gege wouldn¡¯t have any idea of how to escape from that predicament.¡± Gu Feng¡¯s face held traces of fear from the previous event as he spoke, earnestly praising Su Mujin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping you out, but Gege really is too popular!¡± Su Mujin fluttered his eyes, with a totally innocent expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring it up, I never imagined women could be so terrifying. That said, how did you manage to get rid of them?¡± Gu Feng was a little curious so he asked.


    ¡°Sigh, as soon as they saw Gege leave, they scattered.¡± Su Mujin had a stiff smile, and suddenly felt a little bit guilty.


    Gu Feng looked at Su Mujin dubiously, but didn¡¯t say anything in the end. Didi is an adult, he¡¯s starting to have his own secrets. This awareness of Gu Feng¡¯s was quite accurate. However, even if I am the elder brother, I have no right to pry. Thinking this, Gu Feng¡¯s mood fell. Forget it, it¡¯s not important. Cultivate!


    The following days were tranquil. The giant phoenix tail ship flew through the sky for more than ten days, before slowly descending at last. Gu Feng¡¯s spirits rose, and he stood up to look down over the landscape.


    Below, yellow sand stretched to the horizon. It was a barren landscape as far as the eye could see, except for a rift suspended in the air. This rift was covered in a layer of white light which maintained a perimeter of several hundred thousand zhang. Inside the rift, mountain peaks and exquisite buildings could be faintly made out. This micro world was presumably the hidden realm of spiritual ruins.


    The ship finally landed near a gap in the white light, where four impressive demigod stage cultivators were standing guard. Each of them possessed incredible power. The gap in the light barrier only existed because of the combined efforts of these top cultivators to open it, but they were able to keep it open for just a year. In other words, if one couldn¡¯t make it out within a year¡¯s time, one would be stuck inside forever.


    For this trip to the spiritual ruins, besides Healing Heart Peak which did not come along, all the remaining peak leaders were present. Sword Soul Peak was led by precisely that remarkable person who five years prior had entered the limelight during the new disciple acceptance ceremony ¡ª Xiao Chen. As always, he carried a single sword. From head to toe, he emanated a frighteningly imposing aura, so much so that nobody dared to approach him. His sword qi emanated a threat of being sliced to death, leading to a radius of three zhang being maintained around his person.


    Outstanding people come not alone but in pairs. Another person also stood isolated in a three zhang bubble ¡ª Ling YunXuan ¡ª the leader of Battle Spirit Peak. He was dressed entirely in snowy white, and the atmosphere surrounding him was even chillier. If one approached him, one feared they would immediately be frozen into ice cubes.


    Those two are truly well matched, Gu Feng silently mused.

 CH 11

    A third handsome man stood in stark contrast to that initial pair. His masculine charms had attracted a crowd of young and naive female disciples. He even held one in each of his arms, drinking and carousing. <sarcasm> How utterly delightful! </sarcasm> He was precisely that Chu Feng who was taking the lead for Taixu Peak. Gu Feng¡¯s eyebrows rose higher and higher. This guy is disgustingly romantic.


    One final lead disciple was left, that woman with fiery red robes, her whole appearance bright and colorful. She was force of nature, with her every frown and smile currying favor among the many male disciples and capturing their hearts. She was Tempering Talents Peak¡¯s lead disciple, Hua Yan.


    As for the other stunningly gorgeous woman, Gu Yunxi, Gu Feng purposely skipped over and did not mention her.


    Presently, everyone remained on the ship. Gu Feng realized they were waiting for the three other sects to arrive. Taixu Sect was the closest to the hidden realm, so it stood to reason they had arrived first.


    The next to arrive was Hundred Flowers Palace. The name was obviously because the sect was comprised entirely of women. Their magical flying vessel was an enormous pink lily. Each and every petal was piled with flowers and silks, alongside pink clad beauties dancing gracefully. From the center of the pink lily something that looked like a pistil emerged and flew blazing into the air. A loud bang echoed, and countless petals burst out to flutter down, filling the sky as far as the eye could see. Then, each of the giant lily¡¯s petals slowly descended to the ground. There really could be nothing more excessively beautiful.


    Wiping his forehead where a falling petal had stuck, the corners of Gu Feng¡¯s mouth twitched. He was reduced to silent ridicule. We¡¯re here to seize treasures, not to compete in a beauty pageant, dears! Thinking of the beauty beside him, Gu Feng coincidentally looked over at Su Mujin, but didn¡¯t anticipate that Su Mujin would look at him at just that moment, his eyes seeming to glisten with starlight.


    Caught red-handed in the act of peeping, Su Mujin felt extremely awkward and planned to nonchalantly look away after a moment, but just then Gu Feng leaned in close to him, and Su Mujin was stunned by the sudden proximity.


    While he was still caught in a daze, he felt Gu Feng¡¯s hand seeming to stroke his hair. As quickly as the motion had begun, it had already stopped, and Gu Feng had once more moved away.


    ¡°There was a petal in your hair, so I took care of it for you.¡± Gu Feng¡¯s face was unperturbed as he spoke, and he opened his hand to drop the petal.


    Was it really necessary to lean so close just to pluck a petal? Su Mujin looked at Gu Feng in doubt, but saw that Gu Feng¡¯s expression was honest and unguarded¡ªhe didn¡¯t seem to be lying. Su Mujin once again was forced to let it go.


    Gu Feng let out a breath. That was a close call! He was nearly exposed. He didn¡¯t know why he wanted to caress his companion¡¯s face just a moment ago, but fortunately he was able to stop himself in the nick of time and switch to plucking the flower petal. Otherwise, his companion would have misunderstood his actions as being perverted, and the results would have been disastrous.


    But back to the completely bewildering Hundred Flowers Palace. Did they have nothing better to do than create this impractically romantic scene? After barely avoiding an egregious mistake, he completely passed the blame to Hundred Flowers Palace. Then Gu ¡®Refuses to engage in introspection¡¯ Feng secretly congratulated himself.


    The Wandering Cultivators Union and Sword Pavilion Sect arrived at the same time.


    The magic vessel belonging to the Wandering Cultivators Union was entirely unremarkable, and appeared to be an ordinary warship. This was to be expected. After all, the Wandering Cultivators Union¡¯s rules and regulations were laid back. It had been established simply for the sake of providing protection for non-affiliated cultivators. Therefore, the economic resources and social cohesion of the union were nothing compared to a traditional sect.


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    Xe Mfcu kjr jirb rtjxfc. Pa kjrc¡¯a atf rkbgv atja rtbbx tlw, yea gjatfg atf qfgrbc ktb rabbv bc atf tjcvif bo atf rkbgv.


    Standing there, dressed all in black, and enveloped by an imperious air, his handsome face held an expression of peerless intellect, and he looked as if he could stand alone against the force of an army of thousands. Who else could it be, but Mo Ran?


    It turned out that the rumors that Gu Yunxi¡¯s fianc¨¦ was a Sword Pavilion disciple were correct, but it was also a fact that he was Mo Ran.


    Gu Feng felt as though he had been struck by a bolt from the blue.


    He was impressed with the sheer tenacity of those two. They had to be predestined by heaven with a love as inviolable as gold. Regardless of how the world had changed, they had already drawn together to conspire.


    He let out a long exhale. Forget it. It seems I can¡¯t prevent them from collaborating in this lifetime. Since prevention is impossible, I can only prepare for battle!


    ¡°Welcome. All you ladies and gentlemen may now enter. Once again I remind you that in a year¡¯s time, you must promptly exit. Good luck, everyone!¡± A demigod stage cultivator gave the crowd an appraising look over as he imparted those instructions.


    As soon as he fell silent, everyone discussed their plans within their groups, then raced toward the entrance to the spiritual ruins. Afterall, if they were too slow, perhaps all the good items would be taken by others. Then what could they do?


    ¡°Xiao Jin, when we enter, you must remember to hold onto me and don¡¯t let go for any reason.¡± Gu Feng also set out for the entrance. He recalled hearing in his previous incarnation that when one entered the spiritual ruins, they were sent to a random location within. If two people wanted to stay together when they entered, they had to hold fast to each other and not let go for even a second.


    ¡°Be at ease, Gege, I¡¯ll hold on tight.¡± Su Mujin listened to what he was told, grabbed hold of Gu Feng¡¯s arm and held on securely. Immediately after, they went through the entrance together.


    The light curtain had the limpid appearance of a lake¡¯s surface. When Gu Feng pierced through, the light curtain suddenly began to distort, ripples quickly covering the surface like waves on water, while a tendril emerged and sucked the two within.


    As soon as they entered, before they even had come to a stop, Gu Feng sensed a surprise attack arriving from all directions. Fuck, a sneak attack this early was too insidious.


    Gu Feng evaded and dispersed the attack in a single move. After quickly coming to a halt, he finally had a chance to get a good look at the people who attacked them. He and Su Mujin seemed to have drawn the short straw when entering the secret realm. Their attackers were a group of wooden puppets. Though there were only about a dozen, each and every one of them had the aura of a middle stage golden core cultivator. Without waiting for Gu  Feng to counter attack, the puppets launched another assault.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Damned cheating Heavens! Do you dare to challenge me?


    ¡°Xiao Jin, although these puppets are in the middle of the golden core stage, their attacks are clumsy. For the time being, it¡¯s not difficult to deal with them. But we must find their weakness as quickly as possible. Otherwise, with this many puppets, they¡¯ll wear us down and kill us.¡± Gu Feng kept fighting the puppets as he shouted the warning.


    ¡°No problem, Gege. We¡¯ll first try attacking their heads and hearts. You take the head, I¡¯ll take the heart?¡± Su Mujin asked while panting.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Hardly had he finished speaking, when the two of them simultaneously launched their attacks at their targets. The two puppets merely paused before once again resuming their assault.


    ¡°No good, let¡¯s try another spot.¡±


    The two of them tried numerous targets, but all of them were wrong. The puppets seemed to lack a single weak point. No matter how strongly they were hit, they showed no sign of damage. The two humans were already dripping with sweat, and the situation looked anything but reassuring.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t working. Try using your ¡®Wind Blade¡®!¡± Gu Feng repelled the puppets once more with his palm, managing to spare the energy to instruct Su Mujin.


    ¡°But my ¡®Wind Blade¡¯ doesn¡¯t discriminate between friend and foe. What if I accidentally injure you?¡± Su Mujin looked a little hesitant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my ways. Feel free to go all out.¡± After finishing his words, Gu Feng formed his spiritual qi into a shield around his body.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Su Mujin silently recited the spell. Countless wind blades appeared all around, and began attacking in all directions. Cracks started to appear on the surface of the wooden puppets, quickly multiplying. But still, they ferociously and without fear of death kept rushing forward . . .


    Finally, one of the puppets came to a stop. Gu Feng and Su Mujin looked in the direction of that puppet, glanced back at each other, and having come to a silent agreement, they attacked that puppet together. Gu Feng aimed at the head while Su Mujin took care of the heart. That puppet truly had ceased.


    After that, the duo used the same method to swiftly defeat the remaining puppets.


    ¡°It seems our guess was correct. These puppets have two control centers ¡ª one in the brain and the other in the heart. If you just attack one or the other, they can rapidly repair themselves, so you must attack both at the same time. Xiao Jin, how do you always understand what I¡¯m thinking? Could it be you¡¯re the roundworm in my stomach?¡± Gu Feng collected the damaged puppets, but didn¡¯t forget to tease Su Mujin while he was at it.


    ¡°Gege, have you ever seen a roundworm that looks as handsome as me?¡± Su Mujin asked in dead earnest.


    ¡°Since when did you become so . . .¡± Gu Feng originally intended to mock him, but upon seeing how Su Mujin looked at that moment, he was stunned. His vision was fixated, his throat turned dry, and he swallowed his final word, ¡°sappy.¡±


    Su Mujin¡¯s current appearance had a much greater impact on Gu Feng than normal. His cultivation was a little lower than Gu Feng¡¯s, and while in the middle of the battle just now, his black clothing had been ripped in many places, revealing bits of his fair skin beneath. His cheeks were flushed faintly red from the exertion of the fight, and together with his messy hair, he looked utterly ravishing.


    Succubus! Gu Feng cursed in his heart, feeling himself once again tempted to commit an indiscretion. Impossible, I am a man of unbending will. I absolutely must not be lured by beauty. After silently reciting this mantra several times, Gu Feng forced himself to look away.


    They were surrounded on all sides by mountain peaks, and they stood at the entrance to a valley filled with a white mist that obscured what lay within. Since they had already eliminated the puppets guarding it, they knew treasures must lay within.


    ¡°. . . Xiao Jin, let¡¯s go in and take a look. This valley should have some good stuff.¡± Gu Feng said as he strictly controlled his expression. His heart was in turmoil, but he had decided not to tell Su Mujin about his ripped clothing. That is also ¡®my¡¯ body. There¡¯s nothing wrong with looking at ¡®myself¡¯. Gu Feng rationalized with himself.


    Su Mijin silently nodded. He had a strange feeling about the cold wind emanating from this valley. It was unnaturally chilly!


    As soon as they entered the valley, the layer of mist suddenly dissipated, and they could see clearly. A fresh medicinal scent wafted over. This was the elixir garden of an immortal cultivator. Because nobody had come to pluck materials from it for countless years, it was abundant with spiritual plants.


    ¡°Amazing! Gege, these lingyao can increase your power. You should quickly absorb them while I¡¯ll watch over you,¡± Su Mujin exclaimed in delight. He was happier about this than had these treasures been something he could use himself.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Gu Feng didn¡¯t demur, and began absorbing the energy from the plants on the spot. He really did need to absorb lingyao in order to advance. Compared with collecting them bit by bit, directly absorbing the lot was more expedient.


    The vast expanse of the field of elixir began to wither. Having absorbed nearly all the lingyao, Gu Feng had already begun to break through the boundary of the summit of late stage golden core. The remaining plants he hadn¡¯t yet absorbed were covered in a glittering light, and he was about to study those plants when he heard the footfalls of someone entering the valley.

 CH 12

    ¡°Xiao Jin, change quickly. Your clothing is torn.¡± Gu Feng took a new set of clothes from his spatial ring and handed them to Su Mujin, urging him to get dressed without delay. Not wanting Su Mujin to be seen by others, Gu Feng stood in front of him to block their view.


    Su Mujin, ¡°. . .¡±


    He silently swapped his outfit. No wonder he had felt the valley was particularly chilly. It turned out his clothing had been shredded, but . . .


    ¡°Gege, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Su Mujin asked, somewhat flabbergasted.


    ¡°We¡¯re both men. Torn clothes are just a trivial matter ¡ª nothing to take to heart!¡± Gu Feng had a guilty conscience for a second, but quickly recovered his cool exterior as he spoke.


    ¡°. . . then why did you insist I change?¡± Su Mujin circled Gu Feng to look him in the eye, but saw only calmness.


    That question stumped Gu Feng. That¡¯s right, why am I more worried that other people will see him than I am about people coming to snatch the lingyao? The ancients were right. Beauty will lead you to ruin!


    Under the pressure of Su Mujin¡¯s stare, Gu Feng thought fast. Such a pointed question, how am I supposed to answer it?


    ¡°What if the cultivators are women? Men still need to be careful and protect themselves. Gege was looking out for you.¡± Gu Feng miraculously came up with an excuse that even convinced him, and silently admired his own quick wit.


    ¡°They¡¯re at the mouth of the valley. Let¡¯s go see who it is.¡± Su Mujin blinked, then took the lead toward the valley entrance. He didn¡¯t know whether or not to trust Gu Feng¡¯s words.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Why did it seem like he¡¯d already been seen through?


    Before they reached the valley¡¯s mouth, Gu Feng sensed a burst of chilliness, accompanied by a feeling of a sharp blade. With those sensations, he didn¡¯t even need to see the people to know who they were.


    Sure enough, just a second later, Xiao Chen and Ling Yunxuan appeared within Gu Feng¡¯s line of sight. Unexpectedly they¡¯ve joined forces.


    Both of them had an aura that made people wish to avoid them, and when they stood together, this effect was greatly amplified.


    This feeling of being pierced through the heart by a sword of ice is nearly unbearable. Gu Feng, who was standing off to one side, let out a profound sigh.


    Neither Gu Feng nor Su Mujin knew what to say to break the silence, and that previous pair of aloof prodigies also refused to utter a single word. The four of them stood in a silent stalemate, staring at each other in blank dismay.


    ¡°Hey, what are you all standing around for? Are you waiting to welcome this sister? I¡¯m so honored. You shouldn¡¯t have!¡± Hua Yan appeared at the right moment, breaking up the standoff.


    Why did it have to be her again? Gu Feng and Su Mujin groaned inwardly, their thoughts in sync. The previous matter on the boat weighed heavily on both their minds.


    ¡°Yt, kf pera jgglnfv. Vlcmf kf jii gjc lcab fjmt batfg, tbk jybea kf mtfmx bea atf qijmf abufatfg?¡± Xe Mfcu jrxfv.


    ¡°Cugffv.¡± Wljb Jtfc kjr atf olgra ab rqfjx, yea wjlcajlcfv tlr jibbo jaalaevf, gfqislcu klat j rlcuif ygfjat jr atbeut tf mtfglrtfv tlr kbgvr wbgf atjc ubiv.


    Olcu Teczejc kjr fnfc wbgf ajmlaegc, gfoerlcu ab fnfc rqjgf j rlcuif eaafgjcmf. Lf wfgfis cbvvfv tlr tfjv.


    ¡°Sounds good, but I¡¯m all alone . . .¡± Hua Yan spoke, and turned her head to look behind her. Beckoning toward the space outside the valley, she shouted, ¡°Hey, hurry up and get over here! Don¡¯t stand there in a daze.¡±


    A man wearing a sea green outfit entered the valley. He had a beautiful face, and looked as tender as jade. Though his appearance ought to make people feel as though they were being caressed by a spring breeze, instead he was surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere. Only when he caught sight of Hua Yen did the gloom dissipate slightly. His personality was completely contradictory to his image.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Gu Feng felt that he was strangely familiar with that brother, though the person was glaring at him with eyes that seemed to want to burn him alive.


    ¡°This is my good friend Ye Mochen. He¡¯s from Healing Hearts Peak, and secretly followed along. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Hua Yen furtively spoke.


    After those words were voiced, everyone looked at Hua Yan with complicated expressions. Sister, you should keep tabs on your own mouth!


    ¡°Since everyone is here, let¡¯s go in.¡± Gu Feng was still thinking about those last few lingyao, not expecting to waste time with them at the valley¡¯s mouth.


    After everyone entered, they saw a vast plain, but it was completely barren. Only ten plants covered in light remained, shining and glittering. Those ten plants were rich with the spiritual qi of a celestial master and they were obviously rare treasures.


    ¡°Why are there only ten plants? Where are the rest of the lingyao?¡± Hua Yan asked in bewilderment.


    ¡°Perhaps someone already came and dug up all the others?¡± Though Ye Mochen didn¡¯t mention any names, it was clear he suspected Gu Feng.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Even if I rejected the woman you have a crush on, do you really have to go so far as to target me?


    Xiao Chen also showed his doubts on his face, but Lin Yunxuan didn¡¯t respond in the slightest, looking as though he was above all earthly matters.


    ¡°You all think too highly of us. Could we really dig up such a vast plain of lingyao in such a short period of time? I¡¯ve heard that some lingyao can absorb the spiritual qi of other lingyao. Those ten plants over there are incredibly rich in qi, so perhaps they¡¯ve absorbed all the rest.¡± Su Mujin conspiratorially shared this tidbit, then shot Ye Mochen a provocative look, his smugness nearly angering Ye Mochen to death.


    ¡°. . . I believe them. The soil is undisturbed.¡± These words sounded within everyone¡¯s heads, and the speaker was surprisingly that iceberg Ling Yunxuan.


    Everyone, ¡°. . .¡±


    Even at this close range you transmit your voice?


    ¡°Anyway, one¡¯s ability determines the treasures one acquires, so don¡¯t waste time . . .¡± Xiao Chen said with indifference. He hadn¡¯t even finished speaking before he grabbed one of the remaining plants.


    ¡°Fuck, too sinister!¡± Not to be outdone, the others all displayed their skills.


    ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you say you were going to begin? Is this any way to treat a delicate girl? You all have no shame!¡± Hua Yan¡¯s face was filled with shock at the actions of her male comrades.


    The ten plants were quickly claimed. Gu Feng, Su Mujin, Ling Yunxuan, and Xiao Chen all had two each, while Ye Mochen and Hua Yan each had one. Hua Yan had missed out on the opportunity due to reacting too slowly.


    ¡°Shijie . . . I¡¯ll give you . . . this one.¡± When facing Hua Yen, Ye Mochen instantly became as meek as a sheep, and his speech turned awkward.


    ¡°No need, I don¡¯t have any use for it. You keep it for yourself.¡± Hua Yan refused with a mocking laugh.


    At Hua Yan¡¯s laugh, Ye Mochen¡¯s neck immediately turned red. Truly useless! In his heart, Gu Feng ruthlessly despised people like Ye Mochen.


    ¡°This secret realm is full of peril. Since we¡¯ve all gathered, we might as well stick together!¡± Keeping in mind his recollection from the past, Gu Feng felt it was better to act in concert, though he couldn¡¯t say why these people engendered in him an indescribable feeling of trust and confidence.


    ¡°I have no problem with sticking together. How should we divide the treasures we find?¡± Hua Yan fluttered her eyes.


    ¡°Naturally they should belong to whoever grabs them first, and once a treasure has been picked up, there should be no fighting over it. How does that sound to everyone?¡± Gu Feng raised his eyebrows as he proposed a solution.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Xiao Chen was as precious with his words as before, and Ling Yunxuan once more nodded his head without speaking.


    ¡°I . . . I¡¯ll go along with whatever Shijie decides.¡± Ye Mochen blushed yet again.


    The matter decided amicably, the party left the valley. Outside, the landscape was blanketed in a lush and verdant forest, and the sky had already begun to darken, making it difficult to see very far.


    ¡°There are five paths before us.¡± Gu Feng suddenly came to a halt, ¡°Which one do all of you think we should take?¡±


    Hua Yan took out a compass-like device that could forecast the fortune of the journey ahead. Worthy of being from Tempering Talents Peak, she carried many such treasures, but the compass¡¯ needle only swayed back and forth without settling.


    ¡°None of these roads lead to sure disaster, and neither will any of them guarantee our survival. It¡¯s difficult to guess the probability of their outcomes. What do you think we should do?¡± Hua Yen spread her hands in helplessness and deferred the decision.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s take the middle road.¡± Gu Feng made the call, with none of the others voicing opposition. Su Mujin would follow along with whatever decision he made, and it seemed like he was going to have to take the lead for this group.


    As they walked along the road, they became aware that something was fishy. It was too quiet. There wasn¡¯t even a single ant crawling along the ground, and after walking for such a long time, they had yet to reach the end of the forest. Though going by foot was naturally slower than other forms of locomotion, even so, this forest really seemed to be too large.


    ¡°Gege, this tree looks just like one we passed by a bit ago. The mark I made is still present.¡± Su Mujin walked over to the tree and carefully inspected it.


    Everyone stopped walking, and came over to look. Although the sky was now completely dark, it was not difficult to see that this tree really did have a small slash mark, and their expressions turned ugly.


    ¡°Apparently we¡¯ve walked all this time and gone absolutely nowhere. Did we walk into an illusion array?¡± Gu Feng voiced his guess.


    ¡°I¡¯ve studied arrays, and there¡¯s no fluctuation signature here belonging to an array.¡± Ling Yunxuan again used sound transmission instead of speaking.


    Gu Feng glanced at Ling Yunxuan with consternation. This person always uses sound transmission, but before he could think of the reason why, Ye Mochen¡¯s screams cut off his musing.


    ¡°Th-th-th-there is . . . a pair of gigantic eyes.¡± Ye Mochen pointed in a direction, terrified and barely able to spit out his words.


    Gu Feng didn¡¯t see anything in the direction that Ye Mochen was pointing. But just then, he felt as though the earth was spinning, and the ground suddenly burst asunder, toppling countless trees all around them.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, come here!¡± Shaken, he grabbed Su Mujin and flew up into the air. Stabilizing his body with difficulty, he looked down at where they had stood, and saw the forest in shambles.


    On the ground, a ginormous yellow python reared its head, while leaves flew haphazardly around its massive body, creating a frightful scene.


    ¡°It seems we weren¡¯t walking on the road, but rather on the back of this python. While we walked forward, it moved backward. No wonder we never got anywhere despite always walking straight ahead.¡± Gu Feng said seriously.


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s launching an attack at us, and this python has reached the nascent soul stage of cultivation! Everyone, quickly choose a part of it to attack, and use your full power. Otherwise we¡¯ll never get out of here!¡± Su Mujin¡¯s expression was particularly unsightly.


    ¡°The destructive power of my sword is high, I¡¯ll attack the head.¡± Xiao Chen called first dibs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the tail.¡± Ling Yunxuan transmitted.


    ¡°Su Mujin and I will take the body!¡± Gu Feng nodded and spoke, then looked over at Hua Yan and Ye Mochen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll secure the perimeter with concealed weapons. Mochen . . . you should find a safe place to hide out.¡± Hua Yan hesitated, as Ye Mochen was only in the foundation building period, and it was too dangerous for him to stay close by.


    ¡°In this packet is a poison I developed. As long as it enters one¡¯s mouth, even if a demonic beast is in the nascent soul period, it will still be affected. Shijie, take it.¡± Ye Mochen threw the packet to Hua Yan, then flew off to a safe place to hide. With his level of cultivation, to remain would be foolish and only drag down the rest of the party.


    This dialogue might seem long, but in reality, it passed in the blink of an eye. Everyone locked eyes briefly, and then turned to attack the python in tandem.

 CH 13

    Xiao Chen unsheathed the spiritual sword he carried on his back, and attacked the snake¡¯s head.


    The sword moved so rapidly that it couldn¡¯t be seen clearly, leaving only a blur where the blade had passed. It was obvious that his true strength was terrifying.


    Ling Yunxuan silently recited a spell, and the temperature of the surrounding air dropped by several degrees. The python¡¯s tail was frozen solid, rendering the beast unable to move.


    Gu Feng issued numerous palm strikes from both his hands. Wherever the wind from his palms hit, the python¡¯s flesh and blood eroded. This was the technique he had mastered while in seclusion at the spiritual pool, and was named ¡®Spirit Devouring Palm¡¯ because it could devour any being that had accumulated spiritual qi.


    Su Mujin unleashed an endless stream of wind blades, wounding the python all over.


    Hua Yan was completely OP. Each and every one of the objects she flung at the python was a priceless treasure. Throwing an object here, assisting over there, she seemed to be playing and having the time of her life? !


    But the power gap was not easy to overcome. Even with all of them joining together and using their full strength, they still failed to cause substantial damage to the giant python. Instead, they triggered the python¡¯s vicious nature. With a ¡®hiss¡¯, it threw off the ice that had imprisoned its tail and thrashed around, sending the group flying into the air, covered in blood.


    ¡°Quickly! Use the poison!¡± Ye Mochen anxiously yelled from a distance.


    Everyone stopped to catch their breaths, then once more faced the python and attacked. Hua Yan took advantage of the python¡¯s yawn to toss the packet of poison in its mouth. Moments later, more than half the python¡¯s strength had drained away, and its movement was no longer as nimble.


    Gu Feng and the others simultaneously looked in the direction of Ye Mochen, their expressions containing countless unspoken words. If your poison was so damned effective, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?


    ¡°. . . this is my first time testing it. I had no idea the result would be so good.¡± The expressions on everyone¡¯s faces were all too clear, and Ye Mochen feebly tried to explain.


    The python¡¯s life force grew weaker and weaker, and the group sped up their offensive. Not long after, they finally beheaded it. They all let out a big sigh, then started laughing. Having passed through a battle together, they had grown closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s already dark, and this secret realm is filled with hidden perils. It would be best to station ourselves here, and wait for dawn before continuing on.¡± Xiao Chen saw the state of Ling Yunxuan¡¯s injuries, and then did something truly rare. He uttered an unprecedentedly long speech.


    Xiao Chen¡¯s proposal was entirely rational, and nobody had any objections. Immortal cultivators were used to looking at things from a broad perspective, and they didn¡¯t think it was beneath them to sit on the ground.


    ¡°I refined this medicinal powder myself. You can apply it to your wounds, and in a quarter hour, they¡¯ll have healed.¡± Ye Mochen tossed out four packets of the powder; one for each of the other guys. Then, at a glacial pace, he turned to face Hua Yan and spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Shijie, I refined a Return-of-Spring pill. Eat it, and all your injuries will immediately vanish.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks!¡± Hua Yan smiled, then swallowed the pill in a single gulp. Sure enough, her injuries disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    Those other guys, ¡°. . .¡±


    Could the difference in treatment be any more obvious?


    ¡°Qtja jgf sbe akb rajcvlcu lc j vjhf obg? Kjxf boo sbeg mibatfr jcv jqqis atf wfvlmlcf! Gbc¡¯a kbggs jybea atf rlvf foofmar. Zs mgfjalbcr jgf jyrbieafis abq cbamt.¡± Tf Zbmtfc rjk Xe Mfcu jcv Ve Zeplc tjvc¡¯a wbnfv j wermif, rb tf egufv atfw bc.


    ¡°Pwqbrrlyif . . .¡± Xe Mfcu jcv Ve Zeplc rjlv qgjmalmjiis ja atf rjwf wbwfca. Coafg rqfjxlcu, atfs uijcmfv ja fjmt batfg, jcv atf jawbrqtfgf ugfk reyais jkxkjgv.


    Except for Hua Yan, everyone else stared at them in bemusement.


    ¡°Cough, Men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving things. Hua Yan is still here, so for us to undress isn¡¯t very suitable.¡± Gu Feng chided.


    Xiao Chen and Ling Yunxuan who had already disrobed, ¡°. . .¡±


    ¡°Gege, let¡¯s go over there to use the medicine.¡± Su Mujin pointed to the distance, where there was a tree to hide them from prying eyes.


    Gu Feng and Su Mujin went off into the forest together. Each was wrapped up in their own thoughts, and neither spoke for some time.


    ¡°This secret realm is even more dangerous than I had imagined. Right now we appear to be cultivators in the initial stage of golden core, but the meat of that nascent soul python is very beneficial. After this, I¡¯ll go roast some, and then we can pretend to break through to the middle stage of golden core. Got it?¡± Gu Feng finally broke the silence after thinking through the scenario.


    ¡°Got it, Gege.¡± Su Mujin said glumly.


    Gu Feng looked at Su Mujin who was down in the dumps, and thought he was frightened. He thought for a moment and then comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I won¡¯t let you run into trouble. We¡¯ll get out of here safe and sound!¡± After speaking he paused, then added, ¡°After we get out, I¡¯ll make you some barbeque.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. Gege, do you like Hua Shijie?¡± Su Mujin nonchalantly asked as they walked, unconsciously clenching his hand.


    ¡°What makes you ask that?¡± Gu Feng was too bewildered to immediately answer Su Mujin¡¯s question. What have I done to bring about this misunderstanding?


    ¡°Gege never sweats the small stuff, but you were worried that applying medicine in front of Hua Shijie would offend such a beauty. Aren¡¯t you interested in her?¡± Though Su Mujin used a teasing tone, his hands clenched even tighter, his nails about to draw blood.


    I¡¯ve been maligned! For the sake of your own purity I came up with that shoddy excuse, but you jumped to conclusions and misunderstood my good intentions. Gu Feng was silently aggrieved.


    ¡°. . . that was just a random excuse. I don¡¯t like undressing in front of unfamiliar people!¡± Gu Feng finally burst out with a far-fetched justification.


    ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Su Mujin blinked a few times, and a brilliant smile lit up his face.


    Gu Feng grumpily looked at Su Mujin. Hmph! Don¡¯t think that just by smiling at me I¡¯ll forgive you.


    . . .


    ¡°Oh, our pair of ¡®delicate flowers¡¯ finally has returned. You sure wasted enough time, and I¡¯ve already taken care of the python. These two portions are for you.¡± Besides Hua Yan, who else but Ye Mochen would speak to them so rudely. That he¡¯d been able to stay alive to this day was really nothing short of a miracle.


    ¡°Uhhh, is that . . . barbeque?¡± Gu Feng ignored Ye Mochen and looked at the pile of unrecognizable black objects lying on the ground, and hesitantly asked.


    Hua Yan and the others conspicuously remained silent, pretending to meditate. If they refused to admit anything, how could they lose face?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cook. If you need help, you can hand over your own portions.¡± Gu Feng smiled broadly. This was certainly a lucky break. It seemed none of them were able to handle these kinds of mundane chores, and would owe him a favor.


    ¡°Many thanks, Gu Shixiong.¡± Xiao Chen tossed over his portion of the python meat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also have to trouble Gu Shixiong.¡± Ling Yunxuan transmitted with some embarrassment.


    ¡°Eh? I remember that you previously didn¡¯t know how to cook.  Did you recently learn? Here¡¯s my and Mochen¡¯s portions. Thanks a bunch!¡± Hua Yan looked at Gu Feng in surprise.


    Listening to Hua Yan¡¯s words, Ye Mochen fell into a trance, seeming to recall events from the ancient past.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Gu Feng only gave a simple one word reply, and began to focus on cooking the meat. He was entirely unfamiliar with matters between Hua Yan and the original owner. Speaking too freely would lead to mistakes.


    ¡°Gege, I¡¯ll assist you.¡± Su Mujin became overly helpful, grabbing more than half of the meat and beginning to heat it.


    Gu Feng wasn¡¯t concerned as they could now use their abilities to separately manipulate the meat as it cooked. One piece took exactly the same amount of time to cook as many pieces.


    ¡°Okay, here you are.¡± Su Mujin rushed to toss the four finished pieces to Xiao Chen and the others before Gu Feng had the chance. Gege¡¯s barbeque should naturally be only for me to eat. Nobody else had better even think about it!


    ¡°Xiao Jin, for you. After I disturb the spiritual qi of the surroundings, and pretend to break through, come close and remember to promptly remove the talismans concealing our cultivation.¡± Gu Feng didn¡¯t pay any notice to Su Mujin¡¯s petty actions. He took the grilled meat in his hands and gave half to Su Mujin, while transmitting his instructions instead of speaking aloud.


    Su Mujin stayed at Gu Feng¡¯s side, taking a bite as he was handed the meat of the nascent soul beast. It was truly out of the ordinary. After just one bite, he was filled with an overwhelming spiritual qi, and immediately directed the qi toward his dantian. When he had finished eating, he began to feel his cultivation leveling up and that the barrier of the late stage of golden core had become a bit more permeable than before.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, now, come quickly.¡± Gu Feng spoke and began to operate his Spirit-Devouring Celestial Technique. The spiritual qi that blanketed the environment suddenly rushed toward the two of them. It was so rich it was almost tactile, and the two of them were completely cocooned within it. Those without were unable to spy on the circumstances within.


    ¡°They made a sudden breakthrough after eating the roasted meat, but I didn¡¯t have that kind of reaction to it.¡± Ye Mochen gloomily spoke. Wasn¡¯t he the one who was in greater need of a breakthrough?


    ¡°The threshold between foundation building and golden core is big, and it¡¯s difficult to break through. Mochen, you and Gu Feng used to be similar, but now he¡¯s completely changed, and not even a shadow of his past self remains!¡± Hua Yan spoke with some regret. Afterall, that person was once someone she wanted to spend a lifetime together with, but suddenly he had changed into someone completely unrecognizable.


    ¡°Similar? Perhaps I can also change?¡± Ye Mochen suddenly said in earnest.


    ¡°Pfft! Don¡¯t joke! Mochen, how are you so adorable?¡± Hua Yan immediately teased Ye Mochen. She always felt that being around the awkward Ye Mochen felt awfully familiar.


    Ye Mochen¡¯s lips moved, but he didn¡¯t speak in the end.


    The movement around Gu Feng continued for an hour before gradually tapering off. When the spiritual qi dissipated, the pair of them both had increased their cultivation level to the middle stage of the golden core period. Everyone congratulated the two, and then they all sat down to silently cultivate.


    The next half month was exceedingly tranquil. The group discovered several more elixir gardens and gathered more lingyao, but those gardens were quite small in scale, and the lingyao they contained were ordinary. Naturally, there were no puppets guarding them.


    Everyone was searching the secret realm the same as usual, when suddenly in front to the left of them there arose a giant fluctuation of spiritual power.


    ¡°Up ahead to the left is a spiritual power fluctuation. Let¡¯s go take a look?¡± Gu Feng proposed. Perhaps we can fish in troubled waters while we¡¯re at it?


    Everyone agreed, and they all  took flight toward the fluctuation.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? Since when have I treated you unfairly?¡±


    ¡°Shixiong, I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t mean to . . .¡±


    From afar could faintly be heard the sound of a man questioning and a woman weeping.


    ¡°It sounds like Chu Feng is in trouble. We should hurry up.¡± Hua Yan¡¯s expression shifted and she spoke in a rush.

 CH 14

    A vast peach orchard appeared. In the center of the grove was an enormous peach tree, and the surrounding trees almost seemed to pay deference to it. At this moment, the peach blossoms were already in full bloom, and petals danced in the air, but this beautiful sight couldn¡¯t override the uncanny feeling that arose within each of them.


    Under that most gorgeous and gigantic tree, a woman sat weeping and a man was bound up in peach branches. It appeared that the man, who was held down by a second, extremely beautiful woman, had been caught misbehaving.


    ¡°Shixiongdi, you came at just the right moment! Quickly, rescue me!¡± Catching sight of Gu Feng and the others, Chu Feng joyfully shouted.


    Gu Feng¡¯s group decidedly refrained from assisting, crossing their arms and standing around as if watching a good show.


    ¡°Chu Xiong, you¡¯re usually the one rescuing the beauty. Why is it that now you¡¯re crying for help and want to be rescued from a beauty?¡± Xiao Chen gloated. It appeared his friendship with Chu Feng was only so-so.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s such a beautiful day and you have a nice atmosphere going on there. We shouldn¡¯t disturb you.¡± Hua Yan also had no qualms about piling on the taunts.


    Chu Feng was so angry he almost spat blood. His face darkened and he said, ¡°This is Tao Yao, and she wants to absorb my cultivation. If you won¡¯t help me, then forget it. Hitting a man while he¡¯s down, what kind of fellow disciples are you?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what nonsense are you spouting? Your qi is impure and filthy, I definitely don¡¯t want to absorb your cultivation!¡± That beautiful Tao Yao glared cooly at Chu Feng.


    ¡°Then why did you tie me up?¡± Chu Feng raged.


    ¡°That woman said you and she were already man and wife. She wanted to forge a lifelong peach blossom contract with you, so I observed your qi and saw she hadn¡¯t lied. I wanted to help you two get closer, but you treated my good intentions like they were donkey guts.¡± The little Tao Yao was offended.


    ¡°Lin Yue, didn¡¯t you say you were tricked by her and she only wanted to suck away my cultivation?¡± Chu Feng turned toward the weeping woman and loudly inquired.


    Lin Yue looked at Chu Feng with poise and charm, weakly protesting, ¡°Shixiong, don¡¯t blame me. I want us to be together for a lifetime, and she can help me.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget we have a deal? You provide affection, and I provide resources. Why change your mind at this point?¡± Chu Feng bitterly laughed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to admit it?¡± The little Tao Yao suddenly developed a frightful aura, only slightly less overpowering than that of the mighty python.


    ¡°Ft bt, atja ajb sjb lr jybea ab jaajmx, kf tjnf ab jma delmx.¡± Xe Mfcu¡¯r  fzqgfrrlbc rtloafv jcv tf tegglfvis rqbxf.


    Snfgsbcf jlwfv atflg jaajmxr ja Kjb Tjb, ktfc revvfcis jc ffglf rwlif ragfamtfv jmgbrr tfg ojmf.


    ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy fighting, but you humans are so violent. Have a taste of my ¡®Seven Emotions and Six Desires Array¡®. You can leave if you can eliminate your emotions and desires, but if no one can break this array, then you¡¯ll become fertilizer for my flowers. Ha ha ha . . .¡± Tao Yao cast her spell and vanished with Lin Yue as soon as she finished speaking.


    Ljgvis tjv tfg nblmf ojvfv jkjs, ktfc atflg reggbecvlcur yfujc ab mtjcuf jcv atf fcalgf qfjmt ugbnf kjr fcnfibqfv ys j ijsfg bo qlcx wlra. Ktf qfjmt agffr tjv jii mtjcufv ab ibbx lvfcalmji jcv bgvlcjgs.


    Gu Feng observed for a bit, and discovered the mist was so thick it only allowed him to see one zhang in any direction. Inside the illusion array, the group had already been separated, and nobody else was nearby.


    He first waved his palm to disperse the mist, but it didn¡¯t have any effect, and there was no difference in the density of the mist. He then used his ¡®Spirit Devouring Palm¡¯, but it was also completely ineffective against the mist.


    ¡°Ha ha, what a waste of energy. The ¡®Seven Emotions and Six Desires Array¡¯ is like being in dreamland. Spiritual qi attacks are useless.¡± Hidden within the mist, Tao Yao gave a loud laugh, but was inwardly astonished. This person could still retain his sanity even within this array? What innocence. Still, who was without emotions or desires?


    Gu Feng was unable to discover how to break the array or damage the peach trees. Nor was he able to locate Tao Yao and attack her. He could only wander around in search of the others.


    The first person he came across was Chu Feng who was no longer tied up by peach branches. He had an expression of delight on his face, giggling and boorishly speaking, ¡°Ladies, don¡¯t fight. Gege will accept each of you . . .¡±


    Gu Feng listened with black lines running down his face. This guy deserves to be made into fertilizer for flowers. After hitting Chu Feng several times and finding him unable to awaken, Gu Feng could only break off some branches to tie up Chu Feng and drag him along.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, don¡¯t worry . . . Devil¡¯s Fortress won¡¯t get away with this . . . I¡¯ll practice the sword . . . and avenge you.¡± Ahead of them, intermittently could be heard a man¡¯s sobbing voice.


    Gu Feng rushed forward and discovered Xiao Chen, with tears streaming down his cheeks, repeating ¡®avenge¡¯ and ¡®Devil¡¯s Fortress¡¯ over and over.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Have I seen too much?


    Gu Feng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that if he continued along, he¡¯d come to know everyone¡¯s deepest darkest secrets. Knowing too much wasn¡¯t a good thing. He wanted to weep tears of regret, but his eyes remained dry, and he used the same method as before to tie up Xiao Chen before he moved along.


    One after the other, he came across Hua Yan and Ling Yunxuan, but those two merely stood and stared blankly into space, obviously lost in some kind of depression. At this point, Gu Feng was already a bit anxious. Why had he yet to find Xiao Jin? Had he run into trouble?


    The next person he chanced upon still wasn¡¯t Su Mujin, but instead was Ye Mochen.


    ¡°Su Mujin, didn¡¯t you say that one day the two of us would escape? I hate it! Why is it that she treats me and my father like this? Is the bond of flesh and blood utterly meaningless in her eyes?¡± Ye Mochen spoke with utter desperation, as though he was suffering agonizing torment.


    Wait, it¡¯s him? Gu Feng stood transfixed by Ye Mochen¡¯s words. No wonder Ye Mochen was always so hostile toward me. I took his body, why wouldn¡¯t he be angry? Gu Feng finally understood where the niggling familiarity he felt toward Ye Mochen came from. After being locked up together for three hundred years, who wouldn¡¯t know their companion well?


    That¡¯s right. Ye Mochen was the previous life¡¯s ¡®Gu Feng,¡¯ and had also been reborn. Today is really too eventful, Gu Feng thought. Fortunately, the only person left was Su Mujin. He and Su Mujin were originally the same person, so there ought not to be any secrets, right?!


    Thinking of Su Mujin, Gu Feng burned with impatience, and sped up his pace. He had no idea that this life¡¯s most ¡®pleasant surprise¡¯ was waiting ahead of him.


    Two flowers blossomed, each upon its own branch.


    When Tao Yao had finished speaking earlier, Su Mujin¡¯s surroundings had begun to shift, and a multitude of beauties appeared. Each had their own distinct charm, and every type of beautiful woman was represented. Any preference you could imagine was present in that illusion, but Su Mujin remained unmoved. He silently recited the wind blade incantation, and the beauties were immediately dissipated by the turbulence.


    But that was not the end of it. Next, a wave of beautiful men and women appeared in every provocative posture imaginable. Su Mujin scanned over them. This time, each of them held a shade of resemblance to Gu Feng. But . . . compared to Gege, they¡¯re all inferior. Su Mujin sneered and used the wind blade to destroy this illusion, too.


    After those people disappeared, another group arose. When this batch appeared, Su Mujin caught his breath. Each of them looked identical to Gu Feng. They had even nearly captured his temperament and bearing. Su Mujin was tempted, but . . . if it¡¯s not Gege, what good is this appearance? Su Mujin straightaway prepared to eliminate them with his wind blade, when he suddenly heard the sound of Gu Feng¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, I¡¯ve finally found you. Come quickly.¡± Gu Feng was alone and he smiled and waved at Su Mujin.


    Su Mujin didn¡¯t budge. Although this person looked and acted exactly like Gu Feng, he felt there was something off about him. As he was hesitating, Gu Feng¡¯s voice rang once again, but from a new location.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, I¡¯ve finally found you. Come quickly.¡± Once more, Gu Feng waved at him, but drug behind him a crowd of people tied up with branches.


    Almost immediately, Su Mujin confirmed the identity of the person standing before him. There was no specific reason for it, but he just knew it was definitely Gege.


    Su Mujin smiled at Gu Feng and destroyed the fake Gu Fengs with his wind blade. The mist suddenly cleared up and once again the beautiful peach grove appeared. The illusion array was . . . broken.


    ¡°What a touching reunion! But it¡¯s boring to go it alone! It would be better to let me lend you a helping hand.¡± Tao Yao used sound transmission so that only Su Mujin could hear her.


    Gu Feng had been staring at Su Mujin and only now realized the array had been broken. When did that happen? Before he had the chance to wake from his reverie, he saw a rosy stream of light fly toward Su Mujin and enter the space between his brows. Gu Feng¡¯s expression changed, and he flew over to Su Mujin. It¡¯s a pity he was too slow to stop that ray of rosy light from entering Su Mujin¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Are you alright? Do you feel pain any-¡± Gu Feng¡¯s sentence was cut off halfway through because his lips were sealed. The other person impatiently pressed close and insatiably sucked on his lips.


    Seeing his companion¡¯s face, Gu Feng was stunned. As a result of his shock, he forgot to push the other away, because that person was Xiao Jin. How can this be happening? Am I still stuck in the illusion? That must be it. This has to be a hallucination . . .


    He suddenly felt a stab of pain. Su Mujin seemed to be annoyed by his absentmindedness, and had bitten his lip in retaliation. If there¡¯s pain, does that mean this isn¡¯t an illusion? Gu Feng only now realized this, just as he made an enormous mistake. His reaction upon being bitten had been to cry out in pain.


    A single step off the path of righteousness leads to a life of regret and ruin!


    Su Mujin took advantage of the opportunity, his warm tongue entering Gu Feng¡¯s mouth. Gu Feng was caught up in this sensual dance. His partner¡¯s movements were clumsy, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to sense the true affection within them.


    ¡°Congratulations! That¡¯s exactly how it¡¯s done!¡± Tao Yao took on human form and stood on the sidelines, shouting with excitement and obviously satisfied with her achievement.


    The sudden sound of her voice awoke Gu Feng¡¯s rational mind. Right, I saw that pink thing fly toward Xiao Jin¡¯s face. So, all of this was Tao Yao¡¯s machinations, and obviously not Xiao Jin¡¯s idea. Gu Feng was able to silently convince himself.

 CH 15

    Finally clear-headed, Gu Feng pushed Su Mujin away. Su Mujin, who was pushed away, was a bit muddled, but his gaze immediately locked on to Gu Feng.


    He licked his lips, showing only the tip of his dark red tongue, and said, as though he needed to fully express himself, ¡°I¡¯ve long wanted to know how Gege tastes. Hmm, not bad . . .¡±


    Not bad? Not bad!? Your mom¡¯s not bad! Veins popped on Gu Feng¡¯s forehead, and his hand felt itchy, like it wanted to hit someone. But now was not the time to argue over this sort of thing. His face was stormy as he turned to Tao Yao, and his voice dropped dangerously low, ¡°What did you do to him? Quickly release him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing harmful. It merely arouses one¡¯s innermost desire, that¡¯s all.¡± Tao Yao¡¯s face was playful as she spoke.


    A single stone cast gives rise to many waves. Within Gu Feng¡¯s heart arose a stormy sea. He incredulously asked, ¡°You mean to say that he . . . has those sorts of feelings for me?¡±


    ¡°How else do you think my array would have affected him? He won¡¯t stop being attracted to you. His feelings are deeply rooted.¡± Tao Yao looked at Gu Feng, completely baffled. She failed to understand why the other party was questioning her about a matter so incredibly obvious.


    Impossible! But what if it¡¯s true? Gu Feng felt shocked and uneasy. He didn¡¯t actually doubt Tao Yao¡¯s words, because he had long seen the signs. But he never dared to think along those lines. Now, since he knew, what ought he to do?


    They were originally the same person. How could it be possible to develop this kind of sentiment? If such an earth shattering matter was announced, I¡¯m afraid nobody would believe it. He ought to have been disgusted by his emotions, but his heart was not repelled in the least. He even felt a bit of secret delight. This is actually . . . scaring me a little. Su Mujin doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s weird, but I know!


    His heart couldn¡¯t bear to reject, but it was unable to calmly accept. It was truly contradictory. Still, without waiting for him to figure it out, Su Mujin came over and once more held onto him, rubbing against him as if he wanted to try once more. Gu Feng helplessly said to Tao Yao, ¡°Quickly release him . . .¡±


    Initially, Tao Yao wanted to refuse, but then she had an epiphany, and unexpectedly nodded her head, saying, ¡°I can agree to release him, only you must promise to help me look for someone.¡±


    ¡° . . . okay, I promise. Release him first.¡± Gu Feng was in a difficult situation as Su Mujin¡¯s movements grew more and more unbridled. Gu Feng didn¡¯t want to injure his companion and could only passively defend himself. It was both mentally and physically exhausting.


    With just a wave of Tao Yao¡¯s hand, the rosy ray of light dissipated. And Su Mujin . . . fainted in a glorious heap.


    Gu Feng let out a sigh of relief. He really didn¡¯t know how to face his companion at this moment. Coming to a silent decision, he asked Tao Yao, ¡°When a person who was affected by that thing awakes, do they remember what happened when they were under its influence?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll remember,¡± Tao Yao lied without batting an eyelid. Actually, it was possible to remember a bit, but given the circumstances, she was pretty sure that Su Mujin would think it had been all part of his illusion. Tao Yao didn¡¯t think the details were worth mentioning.


    ¡° . . . atfc afii wf, ktb vb sbe kjca wf ab rfjgmt obg?¡± Xe Mfcu rabqqfv tlr agjlc bo atbeuta atbeut tf ofia j yla vlrjqqblcafv, jcv rqbxf lc jc eqgluta wjccfg.


    ¡°Jbwf klat wf.¡± Kjb Tjb¡¯r fsfr oijrtfv. Ktf gfjrbc rtf tjv mtjcufv tfg wlcv kjr yfmjerf rtf vlrmbnfgfv atf gfjrbc atja Xe Mfcu kjr jyif ab vlrqfi atf jggjs. Pa kjrc¡¯a atja tf kjr qegftfjgafv jcv cjlnf, cbg kjr tf klatbea fwbalbcr jcv vfrlgfr. Dea gjatfg, atlr qfgrbc tjv bcmf yffc cfjgis lwwbgaji. Pa¡¯r pera atja la kjr ecmifjg jr ab kts tlr rbei tjv wbra ilxfis yffc rfjifv. Lfcmf, tlr qgfnlber meialnjalbc beuta ab tjnf yffc fzagfwfis qgbobecv. Vtf atbeuta atja qfgtjqr tf mbeiv vlrmbnfg cfkr bo atja qfgrbc rtf kjr ibbxlcu obg.


    ¡°What about them?¡± Gu Feng cast an uneasy glance at his teammates who were still passed out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already concealed this place. It¡¯s very safe. They won¡¯t wake up for the time being.¡± Tao Yao spoke while encircling the peach grove with a boundary. Then she took the lead to walk toward that place she had mentioned previously.


    Gu Feng set aside his worries, and kept pace with Tao Yao.


    He followed her beneath the giant peach tree, then she used some unknown magic method, and the surroundings abruptly moved and rippled. By the time Gu Feng realized what was happening, they were in a completely new location.


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyebrows slightly rose when he saw the scene of a ruined log cabin, and a lone ancient tree, the trunk of which was larger than Tao Yao¡¯s tree by manyfold. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine it had once sported luxuriant foliage, but unfortunately it had long since withered and died. Under the tree sat a table with two chairs, made entirely from wood, but they had rotted after all this time. The air here was deathly still and filled with a bleak aura.


    ¡°This is where Lingsu Jiejie lived. She always yearned for a human life. She built this house one log at a time.¡± Tao Yao walked over to the giant tree, and caressed its trunk, her tone sentimental.


    ¡°Is the person you want me to look for is related to that?¡± Gu Feng pointed to the wizened tree and asked.


    Tao Yao didn¡¯t speak, as if immersed in some sort of depression she was unable to free herself from. She silently walked to the cabin and pushed open the dilapidated door.


    Contrary to expectations, the inside of the cabin was neat and tidy. It seemed that someone often cleaned and maintained it. Except for Tao Yao, he couldn¡¯t think of who else it could have been. The interior was simple with only a desk, a bed, and a chair. Upon the desk were stacked many papers. Gu Feng picked up those papers to have a look, only to discover that each of the papers held the painting of a man. Sometimes drunk, sometimes practicing the sword, sometimes sitting in meditation ¡ª the man¡¯s appearance was handsome and bright, with a hint of mystery. The paintings were extremely lifelike, and it was hard not to be affected by the emotions of the one who had painted them.


    ¡°That is an immortal master, and also . . . the one Lingsu held in her heart.¡± Tao Yao seemed to know what Gu Feng was going to ask, and opened her mouth to explain, then paused, picking up one of the paintings before she continued, ¡°I want you to find the woman depicted in this painting.¡±


    As soon as he saw the woman in the painting, Gu Feng was shaken. She was at least ninety percent similar in appearance to Gu Yunxi. What was going on?


    ¡°Tell me more about her situation. People sometimes look alike, and I want to avoid recognizing the wrong person.¡± Gu Feng collected himself, and maintained his composure as he asked.


    Tao Yao blanked out for a bit, then suddenly showed a nostalgic smile. She gently said, ¡°Naturally I¡¯m only just a little peach tree. But Lingsu can already transform her appearance. She always took good care of me. Lingsu wasn¡¯t originally called by that name . . .¡±


    . . .


    Lingsu was originally called Lingshu, as she started out life as a tree. When she was ignorant, with only a bit of spiritual understanding, she grew in an ordinary hamlet. Because her leaves could save people, the people there called her Lingshu. In those days, she innocently thought her name was Lingshu.


    Later, she was discovered by cultivators, and a battle among them broke out over her. The cultivators¡¯ warfare was disruptive, and caused the buildings in the hamlet to collapse. The mortals who lived there were frightened out of their wits and fled. Lingshu was very sad, feeling those mortals probably met a grim end. At that time, a man appeared, stepping down from the Heavens with the setting sun illuminating his body. He was handsome to the extreme. Lingsu practically stared at him. She had never seen such a gorgeous man before.


    The man looked gentle, but was surrounded by a mysterious and unpredictable aura. When he showed up, the other cultivators were unable to make a move. He swept his glance around, and released a bit of his impressive force upon them, then derisively said, ¡°Get out of here!¡±


    ¡°I-its . . . His Excellency Yan Jun, let¡¯s leave immediately!¡± The group of cultivators were full of trepidation and fear, and quickly dispersed entirely. For this reason, the remaining mortals were able to keep their lives.


    ¡°If you continue to stay here, you¡¯ll bring calamity upon them. It would be better to come with me.¡± The man called Yan Jun stood before Lingshu, and smiled as he spoke.


    Lingshu saw that kindhearted and good looking man, and felt an unspeakable delight within her heart. With that delight, her leaves began to tremble. Yan Jun smiled, and took Lingshu back to the celestial mansion.


    This was how Lingshu and Yan Jun met for the first time . . .


    Yan Jun searched the celestial mansion for a place to plant Lingshu. He seemed quite fond of this tree, always taking some time each day to come and spend with her.


    He sometimes practiced his sword beneath the tree, sometimes had tea, and sometimes sat in contemplation, but what he did the most was to move the black and white pieces of his chessboard back and forth. This chessboard was extremely simple, half white, half black. A single glance would reveal it was nothing precious.


    In a flash, one hundred years passed by. In this time, Yan Jun almost entirely occupied Lingshu¡¯s life. Every day, Lingshu silently observed Yan Jun. As long as she could see him, she was happy. Lingshu naively thought these kinds of days could continue until the end of time.


    Until one day . . .


    That day, Lingshu waited from sunrise ¡®til sunset, and from moonrise ¡®til moonset. But Yan Jun never appeared. That was merely the beginning. The following month, Yan Jun also failed to appear.


    Lingshu was anxious. She urgently wanted to see Yan Jun. What would it take to see him? If only she could move, then she could go search for Yan Jun.


    With the impetus of this obsession, Lingshu was able to change into human form for the first time.


    ¡°So it turns out this is a human form? Wonderful! Now I can go look for Yan Jun.¡± Lingshu looked at her human appearance in amazement. With a hop and a skip, she set off to look for Yan Jun.


    Lingshu wandered around the celestial mansion for many days, until at long last she ran into Yan Jun who had just returned.


    ¡°Yan Jun, where did you go? I¡¯ve been looking for you for days.¡± Lingshu caught sight of him and her face filled with surprised delight as she ran up to question him.


    Not recognizing the pretty young girl who was looking for him in the immortal mansion, the mighty cultivator was somewhat at a loss. His expression subtle, he suspiciously asked, ¡°Young Lady, might I inquire as to who you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lingshu.¡± Lingshu resolutely believed that was her name.


    Who is Lingshu? Yan Jun remained silent, and didn¡¯t continue to question Lingshu. Rather, he took out the chessboard he always carried with him, and began to fiddle with it.


    The Author has something to say:


    Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not cruel. The process of confirming intentions still needs to continue. Furthermore, Yan Jun and Lingsu will be written about later, so they need a special introduction.

 CH 16

    So it¡¯s her? Yan Jun looked at his chessboard, and realized who Lingshu was. He paused and said, ¡°Leaving your main body for too long will harm you. You should go back.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go back. I came to find you, and I want to stay with you.¡± Lingshu¡¯s tone was firm.


    Yan Jan wore a bemused expression. With a wave of his hand he sent Lingshu back, leaving her with these words, ¡°Tomorrow I can come visit you. Don¡¯t wander around.¡±


    The next day was spent as in previous times, the only difference being that Lingshu took on human form to accompany Yan Jun.


    ¡°You¡¯re named Lingshu? Did you choose it?¡± Yan Jun now spoke a little with Lingshu.


    ¡°No, everyone in the village called me that. I thought it was my name.¡± Lingshu had an earnestly innocent expression.


    Yan Jun smiled, and contemplated a bit before saying, ¡°The name Lingshu is a bit strange. It would be better to change it to Lingsu!¡± He wrote out the two characters for ¡®Lingsu¡¯ on the ground.


    Lingsu gazed at those two characters making up her new name, giggling foolishly and nodding her head. From then on, she was known as Lingsu.


    Yan Jun taught Lingsu how to write mortal language, and when he didn¡¯t have time to visit, he left some of the mortal world¡¯s storybooks to entertain Lingsu. After reading many stories, Lingsu began to have thoughts of longing for love. She became discontent with Yan Jun regarding her only as a tree. She even had the delusion she could become his companion.


    Accordingly, she constructed a house for herself, and began to live in the fashion of humankind. For the sake of gaining Yan Jun¡¯s love, she even used her main body to build a table and two chairs.


    Yan Jun merely greeted Lingsu¡¯s changes with a faint smile, but didn¡¯t comment on them.


    Later, Yan Jun taught Lingsu to paint. In order to teach her, he painted a portrait of her as an example, which Lingsu treated as a rare and valuable treasure.


    It¡¯s unknown when Yan Jun began to be busy, and often failed to come to see Lingsu for a few months at a time. Lingsu missed him terribly. To relieve her longing, she painted nonstop, and the content of those paintings was always Yan Jun.


    Because she missed Yan Jun too greatly, she went to find the saplings that had just begun to develop spiritual awareness and chatted with them about her and Yan Jun. Tao Yao was one of those saplings.


    ¡°Lingsu, in the future you can¡¯t come visit me. The abode of the immortals has encountered great troubles, so I¡¯m going to seal off the celestial mansion, and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to return. There are many spirits within this celestial mansion with whom you can spend your life together.¡± Yan Jun, who had been absent for ages, finally appeared, looking completely exhausted.


    ¡°No . . . I won¡¯t stay. Wherever you go, I¡¯ll go too. I¡¯m fond of you, Yan Jun. I can¡¯t accept a life without you!¡± Lingsu spoke in a panic.


    Tjc Aec kjr rlifca. Lf tjv ibcu yffc jkjgf bo Olcure¡¯r offilcur yea kjr ecjyif ab gfrqbcv ab atfw. Pa kjrc¡¯a atja tf vlvc¡¯a kjca ab, yea atja tf mbeivc¡¯a. Lf jigfjvs xcfk tlr ojaf kjr ab qfglrt; kts rtbeiv tf yegvfc jcbatfg?


    ¡°Po sbe vbc¡¯a ajxf wf klat sbe, P¡¯ii vfabcjaf ws mbgf.¡± Olcure kjr gfrbieaf.


    Moved by Lingsu¡¯s determination, Yan Jun¡¯s expression shifted, and he slowly spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll deploy an array called ¡®The Seven Emotions and Six Desires¡®. If you can break out of the illusion, I¡¯ll think of a way to take you along.¡±


    Of course she broke out of the illusion, and Yan Jun stood by his promise. Using a Celestial spell, he transferred Lingsu¡¯s spiritual essence from original body of the tree into her human form. Then the tree which she had spent most of her life as shriveled up. Finally, Yan Jun sealed the Celestial mansion and Lingsu traveled with him.


    ¡°. . . Yan Jun and Lingsu left, never to return. Only, one day, Yan Jun¡¯s chessboard flew back, but there was no news of the two of them.¡± Tao Yao finished her recounting and was lost in memory, unable to calm down for a while after.


    ¡°Yan Jun is the master of this celestial mansion?¡± Gu Feng caught on to the essential point. He had a feeling that the name was incredibly familiar.


    ¡°Yes, his full title is Da Yan Xian Jun, but everyone calls him Yan Jun. If you have news of the two of them, please inform me immediately. I only want to know if Lingsu Jiejie is alright.¡± Tao Yao returned to the present and gave Gu Feng a peach petal taken from her own tree. With it, Gu Feng could contact her no matter his location.


    ¡°Okay, after I leave, I¡¯ll investigate, and if I find anything I¡¯ll let you know. Do you know where the chessboard is at this time?¡± Since Tao Yao was one of the permanent residents of the celestial manor, Gu Feng wanted to mine her for clues, but he also subconsciously felt that the chessboard was significant.


    Tao Yao knit her brow in concentration, then shared her conjecture, ¡°It probably flew over to Yan Jun¡¯s residence. Right here, we¡¯re on the outskirts of the celestial mansion, a long distance from there.¡±


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Indeed, they had wandered around for so long, but still remained in the periphery of the hidden realm?


    Returning to the space beneath the giant peach tree, he found his teammates still passed out. Gu Feng gave Tao Yao a look, with an obvious implication.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll release them. Hurry and go, so as not to disturb my peace. Don¡¯t forget what I asked you about.¡± Tao Yao once more reminded Gu Feng, then revived Su Mujin and the rest before she faded from sight.


    ¡°Ye Mochen, come over here. I want to discuss something with you.¡± Seeing that everyone had regained consciousness, Gu Feng called to Ye Mochen, taking pains to avoid meeting Su Mujin¡¯s scorching hot gaze. He was unable to face Su Mujin for the time being.


    Ye Mochen looked at Gu Feng with a complicated expression, but stood up and followed him.


    ¡°Gu Feng?¡± The two of them had just come to a stop, when Gu Feng suddenly threw out those words.


    ¡°Are you messing with me? You called me over just to say your own name?¡± Ye Mochen looked disgusted. He was still affected by the torment and treachery he experienced in the illusion.


    ¡°I was talking to you, Gu Feng.¡± This time Gu Feng spoke assuredly.


    Ye Mochen was astonished, his eyes opened wide in shock, he said, ¡°You-how did you know? Who . . .  are you?¡±


    ¡°Locked up for three hundred years together, and you ask who I am?¡± Gu Feng asked a question in reply, his tone rather emotional.


    ¡°Then . . . who is the Su Mujin over there?¡± Ye Mochen calmed down a little, and slowly found his voice.


    ¡°Also ¡®me¡¯, but without my later memories.¡± Mentioning Su Mujin, Gu Feng had a bit of a headache.


    Hardly had he finished speaking, when he saw Ye Mochen looking even more shocked, this time his mouth formed the shape of an ¡®O¡¯ and he said, ¡°but I heard from Hua Yan that the two of you are a couple. Your taste is . . . really that extreme?¡±


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Annoyed by the mention of his sore spot, wait no, Hua Yan knows about it? He himself had only just realized. Gu Feng thought long and hard, and only then remembered that at the beginning, in order to dump Hua Yan, he had made it seem as though he and Su Mujin were together.


    If Ye Mochen had asked him yesterday, he would have resolutely refuted it. But today, he was incapable of immediately denying it, because his heart had been moved.


    ¡°Cough, I¡¯ve already forgotten much of the past. Regarding this hidden realm, I know nothing. I was already locked up at that time in my previous life. What do you remember?¡± Gu Feng let out a guilty cough, and changed the topic.


    ¡°. . . I actually don¡¯t remember much about last life¡¯s imprisonment. I only remember Hua Yan.¡± Ye Mochen was embarrassed to admit this.


    Gu Feng¡¯s face clearly showed what he was thinking as he looked at Ye Mochen. Why are you so useless?


    ¡°But I remember that Gu Yunxi seems to have obtained a Tianji disc from this secret realm. That object was vitally important to her, and in fact, she came here solely for the purpose of getting it.¡± Mentioning Gu Yunxi, Ye Mochen¡¯s face turned sombre.


    Tianji disc? Could it be Yan Jun¡¯s chessboard? Originally I merely suspected that Gu Yunxi and Lingsu were related, but now I¡¯m certain. Otherwise, it would be impossible for Gu Yunxi to know that there was a Tainji disc here. Judging by her appearance, Gu Yunxi is most likely Lingsu¡¯s daughter. With Lingsu¡¯s deep seated affection, it would have been impossible for her to give birth to another¡¯s child, is it possible that Lingsu and Yan Jun are still alive?


    But is Gu Yunxi not the  sect leader¡¯s daughter? She was brought back when the sect leader¡¯s wife passed away. Allegedly, when the sect leader was a youth, he was utterly obsessed with a mortal woman and fathered a daughter. By the time the sect leader found out about the child, the mother had already died. The sect leader then brought the child back to the sect. Did Gu Yunxi pretend to be that child?


    Things just keep getting more and more complicated. It seemed that after leaving this place, he would have to go find Wuying Pavillion and ask them to investigate Gu Yunxi¡¯s life before she entered Taixu sect. Wuying Pavillion was a neutral force solely devoted to intelligence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention our business to anyone else. Presently, we must do all we can to prevent Gu Yunxi from obtaining that Tianji disc.¡± Gu Feng had developed a headache, and rubbed his temples.


    Ye Mochen nodded solemnly.


    ¡°Gege, we discovered that the array had already been broken when we regained consciousness. What happened?¡± Just as Gu Feng returned, Su Mujin asked him, with a free and easy attitude. It seemed as though he really didn¡¯t remember anything that had happened after the illusion ended.


    ¡°I found Tao Yao¡¯s main body, and after attacking it, the array broke. Then I discovered all of you, but you all were unconscious.¡± Gu Feng spouted rubbish without batting an eyelid.


    ¡°. . . Oh, so that¡¯s what happened. Gege is truly awesome!¡± Su Mujin seemed to be caught in a daze for a moment, but quickly covered it up as though nothing was wrong.


    Actually, he still retained the memory of what happened after the illusion array broke, but he was certain it was a hallucination. How could Gege just stand there and let me kiss him? However, he just now had observed that Gege¡¯s lips appeared a bit red and swollen. Additionally, Gege seemed to be avoiding him. He suddenly felt a bit uncertain.


    ¡°Yeah. So I¡¯ve checked this place already, and found there¡¯s nothing special here. We shouldn¡¯t delay any longer.¡± Gu Feng answered Su Mujin in a single word then quickly looked away. Right now, he needed to find the Tianji disc as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Chu Feng, this secret realm is dangerous. Why don¡¯t you come with us?¡± Hua Yan looked at Chu Feng with a bit of concern. Afterall, Chu Feng¡¯s woman had betrayed him, and he might feel depressed.


    ¡°Certainly I¡¯ll join you. It¡¯s senseless to go alone.¡± Chu Feng answered without a care in the world. He even seemed quite elated?!


    Gu Feng couldn¡¯t look Chu Feng in the eye. Nobody else was as clear as he was about the reason for Chu Feng¡¯s happy attitude. If Tao Yao once again set up the illusion array, Chu Feng would happily lose himself within it.


    As soon as they exited the peach grove, everyone¡¯s expression changed. Within Tao Yao¡¯s territory, they couldn¡¯t sense anything happening without. But once outside, they saw multitudes of cultivators rushing past, all of them with panic stricken expressions. The cultivators gave Gu Feng¡¯s group strange looks, clearly surprised to see them standing still.


    Gu Feng looked in the direction that the cultivators were fleeing from, and suddenly his heart trembled. This is bad. It¡¯s a beast stampede . . .

 CH 17

    Though it appeared merely as a black dot on the horizon, it was in fact a stampede of yao beasts. Not only did they blanket the ground, but innumerable flying beasts filled up the sky as they rushed and surged fiercely toward this place.


    If someone were to look down at the spiritual ruins from on high at this very moment, they would find that the entire periphery of the hidden realm was experiencing the same catastrophe. The beasts were in a frenzy, all rushing toward the center of the secret realm. They blotted out the sun, and covered the earth, alarming the cultivators who were fleeing for their lives. This scene could have easily been mistaken for a depiction of hell.


    ¡°Yao beasts are coming, quickly head to the center of the celestial mansion.¡± With no time to wait for a response, Gu Feng grabbed Su Mujin¡¯s arm and joined the mass of fleeing cultivators.


    Su Mujin¡¯s eyebrows jumped, then he pulled his arm through Gu Feng¡¯s grip so that he was holding Gu Feng¡¯s hand, and grasped it tightly.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Is it really necessary for two grown men to be so nauseatingly lovey dovey? Gu Feng¡¯s other hand twitched, but he decided not to make a fuss as holding hands did indeed make them less likely to be separated. He could only concede that Su Mujin had made good use of this opportunity.


    Ling Yunxuan and the others also reacted promptly, each of them swiftly running alongside the other cultivators in the direction of the celestial mansion.


    All too soon, some of the speedier beasts had already caught up with the cultivators. Those beasts didn¡¯t have high cultivation levels, having only reached the refining qi period, and were fairly easy to deal with. The cultivators showed off their skills, and continued to rush forward while eliminating the beasts without breaking a sweat.


    In this same manner, three days and three nights passed by. But even the mere shadow of a celestial building failed to appear. Fighting a battle of attrition, some among the foundation building period cultivators had already begun to be injured and killed.


    Gu Feng¡¯s heart was heavy. This is only the periphery, and people are already dying. If ahead . . . he didn¡¯t have the chance to finish that thought before something even more terrible occurred.


    In front of them appeared more beasts. Though their number was half as many as were behind them, their cultivation level had already reached the foundation building period.


    Lfgf kjr atf qgbbo bo tlr rfmgfa regwlrf. Pa rffwfv jr atbeut atf qgfnlber qsatbc jcv Kjb Tjb kfgf bcis bc atf qfglqtfgs bklcu ab atflg vlrlcmilcjalbc ab wbnf lckjgv. Dea atf yfjrar klatlc atf rfmgfa gfjiw kfgf vlraglyeafv jmmbgvlcu ab atflg ifnfi. Ktf mibrfg atfs uba ab atf mfcafg, atf tlutfg atf meialnjalbc bo atf yfjrar. Rb kbcvfg lc tlr qgfnlber ilof atf obecvjalbc yelivlcu meialnjabgr kfgf jiwbra fcalgfis xliifv lc atf rqlglaeji gelcr. Pa kjr ageis vloolmeia obg meialnjabgr ja atja ifnfi ab regnlnf j yfjra rajwqfvf.


    Gu Feng thought for a moment, then spoke to the surrounding cultivators in a loud voice, ¡°Everyone take note ¡ª the yao beasts ahead have higher and higher cultivation. Foundation building cultivators should look for a place to hide and wait it out. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to continue to move forward.¡± Whether they listened or not, Gu Feng couldn¡¯t make the decision for them.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, hold tight to my hem, and save your strength. I¡¯ll fight them off.¡± After speaking to the crowd, Gu Feng transmitted this message to Su Mujin, then let go of his hand. Activating the Spirit Devouring Celestial Technique, he was able to fight while he could absorb the cultivation of the surrounding beasts at the same time, which could help raise his own cultivation. But he didn¡¯t allow Su Mujin to take part. If his physical strength was consumed in this struggle, what then when they encountered golden core level beasts?


    ¡°I understand, Gege.¡± Su Mujin obediently held fast to the hem of Gu Feng¡¯s robe.


    Another six days and six nights passed. While Gu Feng continuously used the ¡®Spirit Devouring Palm¡¯ to harvest life, Xiao Chen and the others also deployed their magic powers. Because of their high cultivation level, they were in good health for the time being, but among those who were at the foundation building level and didn¡¯t take the advice to hide themselves, a great many were injured or killed. The cultivation realm could be brutal.


    During this time, Gu Feng didn¡¯t conceal his cultivation, and it became apparent to the others that his cultivation level was at the late stage summit of golden core. They were battling a flood of beasts after all, so if he had said that he had gained new comprehension and broken through in the middle of battle, nobody would have found it unbelievable.


    At last, they faced the golden core yao beasts, of which there were about a hundred. Behind those golden core beasts, the shadow of a giant complex could be seen in the distance. Surely they weren¡¯t too far from Yan Jun¡¯s dwelling. Gu Feng felt invigorated.


    ¡°Gege, the yao beasts have already grown fierce. How about I join you and we fight back to back?¡± Su Mujin looked at Gu Feng¡¯s exhausted face, and his voice was tinged with distress and tenderness.


    ¡°Okay . . .¡± Gu Feng smiled slightly. This person was truly devoted to him, and the feeling of always being cared for made Gu Feng feel happy.


    The tender leaves of a new emotion began to sprout.


    Gu Feng battled the yao beasts in front while paying attention to Su Mujin who used his wind blades to attack those behind. All of a sudden, he was overcome by emotion and let out a heartfelt sigh. This feeling of being able to entrust your back to someone was truly too good.


    Dealing with the golden core yao beasts was difficult and took forever. It had already been half a month and nobody had gotten much closer to the goal. But Gu Feng felt the qi within his body fluctuate a bit and had a disquieting premonition. After absorbing so much spiritual qi, it seemed like he might be about to break through?


    Everyone knows that to break through to nascent soul period, you must undergo a heavenly tribulation. But now was not a great time for that. Gu Feng had no other option but to suppress his qi, and he could no longer use the ¡®Spirit Devouring Palm¡¯. Rather, he had to use other methods and try his utmost to bleed off his spiritual qi.


    After another half month had passed, the crowd of cultivators could finally see the halls and pavilions. They had arrived at long last, but this place was not to be trifled with. Gu Yunxi, Mo Ran, and others appeared. Some who had listened to Gu Feng advise them to give up the journey had managed to survive, while those who didn¡¯t take his advice would be eternally unable to return home . . .


    Before their eyes stood four gigantic palaces, so tall they pierced the clouds, with each occupying one of the cardinal directions ¡ª north, east, south, and west. Within each of these palaces were innumerable smaller pavilions. Those small structures must have been where Yan Jun¡¯s people lived. Most likely the Tianji disc should lie within one of those four palaces.


    Although there were treasures ahead, nobody made a move, as each of the four palaces was its own territory and had a defensive boundary. Of course, this was not the most important thing. More significantly, upon each of the four palace garrets perched a nascent soul level yao beast keeping guard. In order to enter the secret realm, none of the cultivators could be above the pinnacle of golden core, so the problem of breaking this battle formation of the yao beasts was the biggest conundrum they had faced up to this point.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, each of these palaces is guarded by a yao beast. If we attack individually, we¡¯ll all be destroyed. But if we work together and attack a single beast at a time, we can all explore the pavilions one after another. What do you all think?¡± This speech came from a cultivator of the Hundred Flowers Palace, who had many disciples following along behind her. She was a central figure in the Hundred Flowers Palace, and her name was Die Wu. Her face was like a peach blossom, and she always smiled as she spoke. One glance and it was clear she was a person well used to schmoozing and socializing.


    In Gu Feng¡¯s impression, this woman secretly had an affair with Mo Ran in his past life. Gu Yunxi and Die Wu overtly or secretly, were love rivals and fought over Mo Ran endlessly. It could only be said that Mo Ran was good at flirting and many young women were happy to offer themselves up as tribute. But Gu Feng¡¯s impression of Die Wu stopped at that point. There was more, but he couldn¡¯t recall anything further. His head starting to ache, Gu Feng rubbed his forehead. Recently, his headaches were growing more and more frequent.


    ¡°Gege, are you . . . okay?¡± As he was always observing Gu Feng, Su Mujin immediately discovered Gu Feng¡¯s abnormality. He moved Gu Feng¡¯s hands aside, and with a gentle but firm pressure, he massaged Gu Feng¡¯s temples. The two of them were more or less the same height, so with this posture it appeared that Su Mujin held Gu Feng encircled in his embrace.


    Enveloped in the scent of the person behind him, Gu Feng¡¯s face started to heat up. Previously, he was fine being oblivious, but now that he knows, he feels that Su Mujin¡¯s every gesture contains profound meaning. But at this moment, he couldn¡¯t bear to push him away. Perhaps because his massage skills really do alleviate my headache?! Gu Feng was convinced that if he continued in this manner . . . he might be finished.


    ¡°This humble one agrees with Immortal Die Wu¡¯s words and also thinks everyone acting together is for the best.¡± Mo Ran handsomely and suavely spoke. Gazing toward Die Wu, his eyes contained a hint of adoration.


    Gu Feng glanced out of the corner of his eyes, to observe Gu Yunxi¡¯s expression. Just as expected, Gu Yunxi¡¯s face was indeed ghastly. Only, this ugly expression seemed to be directed at him. Could it be that her hatred of ¡®me¡¯ has already surpassed her love for Mo Ran?


    ¡°Gege, what are you thinking about?¡± Su Mujin suddenly drew closer and spoke softly beside Gu Feng¡¯s ear. His distance was certainly perfectly ambiguous. He had exactly stopped at the point where it was unlikely to cause one to push him away but one could still indulge in fantasy a little. After speaking, he even exhaled a gentle breath upon Gu Feng¡¯s ear. But his tone of speech truly had the appearance of an innocent question, and one could not find a single fault with it.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, you . . . next time if you need to whisper, you can just use voice transmission.¡± Gu Feng¡¯s body was half numb, perhaps due to the secret hidden in his heart. He felt that ever since emerging from the peach grove, Su Mujin had become less and less reserved. His every movement was guileless yet carried a casual hint of seduction.


    ¡°Ok . . . I¡¯ll listen to whatever Gege says.¡± Su Mujin pulled back a small distance, the corners of his mouth slightly curving into a sly grin. If one were to say that that day in the peach grove he merely had doubts, then these following days he had sounded out Gu Feng and determined it had not been an illusion, it really was Gege. In other words, Gege already knew what was in his heart and had not rejected him, nor turned distant. So then . . . could he take another step closer?


    ¡°I agree with you both that it¡¯s safer to act together. But, not everyone is able to participate. What about those who don¡¯t understand battle tactics?¡± After ferociously glaring at Gu Feng, Gu Yunxi looked away, her face indifferent as she opened her mouth.


    She silently stood there, looking elegant and refined, like an otherworldly being unaffected by mundane affairs, as beautiful as Xuan Nu descended to earth. It wasn¡¯t necessary for her to make any gestures to attract the adoration of her male fans, and Mo Ran was no exception. His gaze was heated and mixed with a hint of obsession as he stared at Gu Yunxi.


    Die Wu saw this and was irritated. Not to be outdone, she opened her mouth and said, ¡°Okay, those of you who understand tactical deployments, please step forward. When the time comes, you will break the battle formation and nobody else shall scramble about. How does that sound to everyone?¡± Die Wu¡¯s voice coquettishly turned up at the end.


    But against the polished elegance of Gu Yunxi, everyone felt that Die Wu¡¯s manner was a bit gauche. Even Mo Ran was slightly repulsed. Die Wu was still a useful beauty, however, and Mo Ran decided to to placatingly say, ¡°The words of these two immortal beauties are reasonable. What do the rest of you ladies and gentlemen think?¡±


    Truly insatiable, Mo Ran wants both the white moonlight and the cinnabar mole. Gu Feng rolled his eyes in ridicule.


    ¡°Gege can¡¯t bear the sight of this toady who tries to have it both ways? Neither can I. If I like a person, my eyes will look at them alone and only they will reside in my heart. How about Gege?¡± Su Mujin remembered to use sound transmission this time, but the gentle look in his eyes and the sentimental tone of his voice could still drown a person.

 CH 18

    Note from translator:


    There¡¯s some transphobic and homophobic stuff in this part of the novel, but don¡¯t read it as an author endorsement, rather as a portrayal of a bigoted world where those who don¡¯t fit into the heteronormative mold are excluded and reviled. It¡¯s always written as coming from a character point of view.


    Also, Gu Feng and Su Mujin are not the only gay pairing in this novel, but all the gay pairings are secretive about their relationships. Only Gu Feng is brazen enough to announce it to his ¡®ex girlfriend.¡¯


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. If you have something to say, just spit it out. Saying that while staring at me in that manner, what kind of thoughts do you have in mind? Gu Feng resented his sensitivity, and recalling Su Mujin¡¯s behavior in the peach grove, he grew even more indignant. Never before had anyone made him feel so trapped and exposed.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad, to have a beauty on each arm is a wonderful kind of life, in my opinion.¡± Gu Feng raised his eyebrows and smiled as he spoke. He felt that it was necessary to let that instigator Su Mujin experience some suffering of his own this time.


    Who would have thought that hardly had his voice faded away, but Su Mujin¡¯s smile grew even more brilliant. Gu Feng¡¯s words just now were actually within his expectations. Only someone with something to hide would have flown into a rage out of shame. It seems that Gege already harbors doubts about the innocence of my feelings regarding him. Now that a seed of uncertainty has been planted, all that remains is to wait for it to germinate and mature into a towering tree. There¡¯s nothing more for me to do but to water it liberally.


    Seeing his words result in the opposite effect than he intended, Gu Feng nearly spit up blood in frustration. He took a few deep breaths and resolved to not get tangled up by this matter. Just let it go . . .


    Among the crowd of cultivators, those few who were trained in the tactical deployment of troops quickly stood up. Die Wu¡¯s words truly gave them a bit of assurance. Who wants to work for free after all? Those cultivators discussed among themselves, and decided to start with the eastern quadrant of this territory. But due to the high complexity of the job, they estimated it would take half a month to break through. This amount of time was sufficient to allow everyone to recuperate and regain their peak performance once again. After having battled the yao beasts for so long, everyone was exhausted.


    The day they broke through, Gu Feng was sitting in meditation when suddenly he saw a brilliant flash of light accompanied by the roar of a yao beast. His conditioned reflex was to shut his eyes against the light.


    ¡°The territory is breached!¡±


    ¡°Yao beasts have emerged! Quickly, fight!¡±


    All around could be heard the shouts of cultivators. Gu Feng opened his eyes to look. Sure enough, the territory had already been breached. The four nascent soul stage yao beasts were just as fierce as expected, but the remaining golden core cultivators still numbered in the several hundreds. Moreover, those who had made it this far were no ordinary people. Just as ants can bite an elephant to death, so too, the four yao beast guardians were soon defeated.


    ¡°This wall plaque says this is the ¡®Hidden Treasures Pavillion¡¯!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s got to be a ton of good stuff here. Everyone, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Gu Feng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡®Hidden Treasures Pavillion¡¯ sounded like just the place where precious items such as cultivation pills and spiritual implements should be stored. Did the Tianji disc lie within?


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    Since when did he begin to already understand me so thoroughly? A warm feeling invaded his heart, and Gu Feng unconsciously softened his voice in response, ¡°Okay, but if you come across a chessboard-like spiritual implement, you must grab it. And . . . stay safe.¡±


    ¡°P¡¯ii mbwwla Xfuf¡¯r fnfgs kbgv ab tfjga. P¡¯ii ub lc olgra.¡± Ve Zeplc rwlifv, jcv la kjr jr lo j tecvgfv oibkfgr tjv yibbwfv jcv tlr jcvgbuscber yfjeas tjv gfjmtfv atf qfjx bo qfgofmalbc.


    Staring in a daze, Gu Feng groped at his wildly racing heart, and came to a vague understanding of why Gu Yunxi was so crazy for Mo Ran. He had a premonition that if Su Mujin had made a request of him just a moment ago, he would have agreed to . . . pretty much anything.


    With a wry smile, and a shake of his head, he moved on from his momentary lapse and collected himself before charging into the ¡®Hidden Treasures Pavilion¡¯.


    Inside the pavilion were numerous rooms, but the layout was evenly divided between left and right. Su Mujin had already taken off for the right side, so Gu Feng chose the left.


    Each room was plundered along the way. Some contained pills, some contained spiritual implements, some contained the highest quality elixirs. Gu Feng didn¡¯t even stop to look before indiscriminately grabbing it all and dumping it in his spacial ring.


    Everyone else behaved in the same manner as Gu Feng. Nobody fought, as the ¡®Hidden Treasures Pavilion¡¯ was much too large, and to do so would cause them to delay. After a day and night had passed, the pavilion had basically been swept clean by the crowd of cultivators. Gu Feng had yet to come across the Tianji disc, but had managed to pick up a ton of other treasures. No wonder it was emphasized that this secret realm was vital to conquer. This was simply becoming a millionaire overnight.


    But why didn¡¯t he see Xiao Jin? Gu Feng¡¯s brow wrinkled as he frowned, starting to search within the crowd. Finding him, Gu Feng initially felt elated, but soon afterward, his expression grew darker and darker by the second.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, I only practiced outside the sect for a few years.¡± Su Mujin absentmindedly answered Gu Yunxi¡¯s questions. She had brought him into Taixu Sect, so he couldn¡¯t be too rude.


    ¡°All those years I was really worried about you. Why don¡¯t we exchange voice transmission codes?¡± Gu Yunxi outwardly still presented the attitude of a poised celestial maiden, but the slight quiver of her sleeve revealed that she was far from calm.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to exchange transmission codes, Jiejie. You should be worrying about your own fianc¨¦ instead.¡± Gu Feng pulled Su Mujin away, his tone mocking.


    ¡°Hmph. Was I asking you? Do you always feel the need to swoop in and answer for him in such a domineering manner without ever asking what he wants?¡± Gu Yunxi glared at Gu Feng frostily, trying to drive a wedge between them with her words.


    ¡°Shijie, I thank you for your kindness all these years. Here¡¯s a bottle of top ranked nascent soul pills to repay the favor.¡± Su Mujin took out a bottle of pills and tossed it to her, paused, then continued, ¡°Gege¡¯s opinions are my opinions. Shijie need not bother to find me in the future; asking Gege will do.¡±


    Gu Yunxi¡¯s retort was nullified by Su Mujin. Her face turned pale and distorted for a moment, then she hurriedly left.


    ¡°You . . .¡± Both men spoke at the same time.


    ¡°You go first.¡± Again, they spoke simultaneously, causing them both to laugh.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll speak first. What you said just now I won¡¯t forget. Even if you later decide to look for a Dao companion . . . you have to ask for my blessings.¡± Gu Feng spoke with a faint smile.


    ¡°Who else could I turn to for such a matter as a Dao companion, except for Gege?¡± Because the one I like is you.


    The corners of Gu Feng¡¯s mouth turned up. The sapling in his heart seemed to grow a bit taller. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t far from being full grown already.


    After another half month or so, the defenses of the second hall were finally broken by the same group as before and the yao guardians once again had the misfortune of dying at their post. As this hall was the ¡®Library Pavilion¡¯, Gu Feng thought the Tianji disc was probably not hidden within, so there was no need to split up and search separately from Su Mujin.


    The Library Pavilion¡¯s collection was exactly as one would expect. It contained some rare books for cultivation techniques, and so on. Gu Feng already had a celestial level technique, and didn¡¯t need anything else. As for Su Mujin, Gu Feng recalled that as soon as he broke through to nascent soul, the cultivation technique ¡®Nirvana¡¯, inherited from the Phoenix Clan, would automatically appear within his mind. So neither of them needed any of the cultivation manuals.


    With this thought, Gu Feng wasn¡¯t invested in exploring, but then decided to pick up some manuals, so he could hand them over to the sect for merits. The library was immense, and after two days of exploring, the two of them failed to come across any trace of the Tianji disc.


    The third hall was the ¡®Palace of Oration¡¯. The barrier to this hall was much more complicated than the previous two halls, and took a full month to break through.


    Hey, why is the hall¡¯s yao guardian still sitting in place? Gu Feng was inwardly immersed in astonished confusion when he realized that he himself was unable to move, and furthermore, everyone around was frozen in place. What had happened?


    To his amazement, he saw a lone figure lazily strolling through the hall, turning to look at the cultivators as they stood motionless. Naturally, that person was a gorgeous woman, with long silvery white hair, eyes like shining gems, lips red as cherries, and skin as white as snow. Their every move was alarmingly seductive, and many of the male cultivators reacted, their faces blushing bright red.


    In contrast, Gu Feng stood there calm and collected. He had to withstand the temptation of Su Mujin¡¯s good looks daily, so he had developed a sort of immunity to beauty. But despite that, Gu Feng couldn¡¯t help but admit that this person¡¯s appearance was equal to that of Su Mujin. However this person¡¯s ability to suppress everyone was terrifying. Their cultivation was likely on par with the sect leader¡¯s, which was enough of a development to shock anyone.


    ¡°Ugh! Today¡¯s male cultivators are too weak. If their hearts are so easily swayed, how can they hope to cultivate the path of immortality?¡± The beauty¡¯s eyes were filled with derision, then the sound of their magnetic voice revealed a deep, masculine tone.


    A man¡¯s voice? The cultivators were astounded. Such a peerless beauty was a man? The male cultivators were distraught, the Heavens were cruel. The female cultivators were envious and jealous. Why couldn¡¯t they have been endowed with such divine looks?


    That man brandished his hand, and numerous rays of white light poured forth, rushing about before finally alighting upon the few men with irreproachable conduct. Gu Feng and Su Mujin were included within that number. Both of them pinched a ray to take a look and saw it was . . . a bit of animal fur?


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    Su Mujin, ¡°. . .¡±


    They were in agreement upon this expert¡¯s ¡®unique¡¯ demeanor.


    ¡°Now, all those who were selected by the rays of white light can come with me to undergo the trial of the Celestial Sovereign.¡± The man spoke with an aloof expression, his entire disposition instantly undergoing an about turn. If he had been a seductive siren previously, now he was as chilly as an immortal in exile.


    ¡°What? What were the selection criteria?


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they randomly selected?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this method is unfair!¡±


    Many male cultivators began to raise a fuss, and among them was Chu Feng. To be honest, he was the only one of his aptitude that wasn¡¯t selected, but who made him be so partial to a beautiful face? Meanwhile each of the female cultivators had been selected.


    ¡°Why? You ask me why? Just think of how you behaved when I appeared a few moments ago!¡± The man coldly snorted.


    In response to those words, many of the male cultivators looked ashamed. Only Chu Feng recklessly insisted, ¡°What your gorgeous self said is naturally correct, but isn¡¯t this test only unfair to the male cultivators? Afterall, to start with everyone thought that you were . . . a peerless beauty.¡± After finishing his words, he still eyed the man up and down a few times with a heated gaze.


    Gu Feng resolutely tried not to smile though the corners of his mouth twitched. Such lewd behavior would lead to a tragic end. One day that dude would get his comeuppance.


    The person who Chu Feng was undressing with his eyes felt completely exposed, but couldn¡¯t deny the rationale of the other¡¯s words. His expression abruptly turned gloomy as he icily asked, ¡°Then what, pray tell, do you think should be done?¡±


    ¡°I can test the women¡¯s resolve myself, to assure they¡¯re qualified. I am willing to take on such a task so that those beauties can show their ability.¡± Chu Feng¡¯s face was as thick as a city wall, to say such words without a trace of shame.


    The man bowed his head in contemplation for a bit, then nodded and said, ¡°Your words are reasonable, but I think your charm falls short. In my opinion, he is the best choice.¡±


    Keenly watching the farce from the sidelines, Gu Feng¡¯s expression suddenly grew dark. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the person the man had pointed to was himself. Why was his life so difficult? Why did he keep getting pushed into the fire?

 CH 19

    Everyone turned to see who the man had pointed at, one after another nodding their heads in agreement. That person¡¯s appearance really was top notch among the male cultivators and easily set all the women¡¯s hearts aflutter.


    A white jade face with features finely carved as by a knife, his was a perfection that could only have been bestowed by the Heavens, yet it wasn¡¯t the slightest bit unmanly. Even though his expression was currently gloomy, it didn¡¯t diminish his charm one bit and his domineering aura had already caused many of the female cultivators to blush.


    ¡°To tell you the truth, my experience with women is lacking as I haven¡¯t had close contact with them. In my opinion, Brother Chu¡¯s rich experience makes him the best candidate for this task.¡± Gu Feng spoke and cupped his hands in a salute to the other man.


    ¡°Brother Gu is too modest. When it comes to charm I am inadequate, wouldn¡¯t the rest of you agree?¡± Chu Feng gloated. Just a moment ago he was purely preoccupied with trying to flirt with a beauty. As for the matter of testing the daoxin of a crowd of female cultivators, he was happy to pass on the opportunity.


    Although the female cultivators didn¡¯t directly reply, many of them nodded. Afterall, compared with the suave and romantic Chu Feng, they still preferred the simple and upright Gu Feng a bit more. All in all, though a beautiful man is nice, how can it be more tempting than the inheritance of a Celestial Monarch?


    ¡°Excellent, then it¡¯s decided. I have an artifact named Mother and Child. When the Mubao is worn on one¡¯s person, they can pass information to their partner who wears the Zibao, and who will experience everything as though they were present in person.¡± He tossed the artifact to Gu Feng, and in a tone that brooked no argument, commanded, ¡°Choose someone to wear the Mubao.¡±


    Gu Feng silently accepted the Mubao. Its appearance was similar to an octopus sucker. He hesitated a moment but in the end put it on Su Mujin¡¯s head.


    Su Mujin¡¯s eyebrows rose and he smiled at Gu Feng.


    Everyone stared at the two of them in horror while Chu Feng¡¯s expression was subtle. Chu Feng had only hit on that man because his face was as beautiful as a woman¡¯s, but it was impossible for him to actually take ambiguous action toward him. Gu Xiong was a truly courageous man! Chu Feng regretfully admitted that he was not his equal.


    That man¡¯s gaze showed surprise, but he wasn¡¯t too concerned. Selecting a male cultivator was truly benevolent toward the female cultivators. With a wave of his hand, all the female cultivators donned a Zibao. Then, he turned to Chu Feng and said, ¡°With your rich experience, you should give him some advice!¡±


    Chu Feng was immediately giddy with delight. This was exactly his intention. He made a beeline for Gu Feng with a vulgar grin on his face, deliberately ignoring the fact that the other was looking daggers at him.


    ¡°Brother Gu, don¡¯t be so ferocious. You must treat ladies gently. Come on you two, follow what I tell you.¡± Chu Feng looked around, his gaze brightening as he called Gu Feng and Su Mujin over to a tree . . .


    Su Mujin leaned against a large tree, while Gu Feng stood with one hand propped against the tree and one tree on his waist, seeming to hold him in an embrace. The two of them weren¡¯t yet pressed close, but the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to rise.


    ¡°Brother Gu, you¡¯re too stiff. How many times do I have to tell you before you get it ¡ª you must smile as you gently approach.¡± Gu Feng was undaunted as he gave instructions.


    Ktf yief nflcr bc Xe Mfcu¡¯r obgftfjv qbqqfv jr tf rtba j wegvfgber uijgf ja Jte Mfcu.


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    It felt as though a feather was lightly brushing his heart. The itchy feeling slowly spread to cover his entire body and without realizing it, Gu Feng¡¯s expression grew gentle as his lips raised in an unconscious smile that eventually reached his eyes. It was as though spring had come and begun to melt the winter ice, resulting in a breathtaking contrast.


    Su Mujin was awestruck, and stood motionless as though he¡¯d been caught by an immobilizing spell. He¡¯d never seen this side of his ge. From the corners of his eyes to the tips of his eyebrows, his expression seemed full of . . . affection? Yes, if he wasn¡¯t mistaken, it was indeed affectionate.


    With that gentle gaze directed at him, it seemed as though he was the only person that existed in those eyes. His heart started galloping, and the voices of the surrounding crowd faded into the background. For a moment, Su Mujin felt he had left his body. His eyelashes quivered and gradually his cheeks were covered by a blush.


    Gu Feng¡¯s heart slightly moved. He hooked his partner¡¯s chin with a single finger and slowly approached the other¡¯s slightly parted lips. Su Mujin became increasingly nervous as his eyes opened wide to stare at Gu Feng and he slightly trembled. But just as their lips were about to meet, he turned his head to the side.


    ¡°Does this suffice?¡± Gu Feng asked. In a split second he constrained his smiling expression and returned to normal.


    ¡°Absolutely! Gu Xiong, be honest with me. You¡¯ve flirted with countless women, haven¡¯t you? That expression, the perfect timing! Even I¡¯m not as practiced as you. To reach this level, you must have had at least fifty girlfriends.¡± Chu Feng clapped his hands in appreciation as he looked at Gu Feng with a face full of curiosity.


    Gu Feng spared him a haughty glance and laconicly replied, ¡°Natural talent.¡±


    Chu Feng was speechless.


    Not until Gu Feng removed the Mubao did Su Mujin return to his senses. Gu Feng¡¯s teasing had caught his heart and immersed him in a feeling of anticipation, but now he just felt a crushing sense of shame, and wished he could find a hole to bury himself in. He dejectedly turned his head away as he didn¡¯t have the courage to face his gege.


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyes flashed a trace of a mischievous smile. Even though the relationship between the two of them had grown a bit subtle, it was still as enjoyable as ever to tease his companion.


    ¡°You did very well, and shall receive an extra reward from the Celestial Monarch.¡± The man praised him, obviously pleased by Gu Feng¡¯s performance.


    ¡°Many thanks to qianbei,¡± Gu Feng put on a false smile as he replied. He was still feeling resentful about the man¡¯s arbitrary demands.


    More than half of the female cultivators were eliminated by the test just now, and lost the chance to obtain an inheritance from the Celestial Monarch. The pain of this failure was truly hard to bear! Under the bitter stares of the crowd, Gu Feng entered the audience hall.


    The audience hall was even grander than he had imagined. There were numerous floating cushions for sitting on. Each cushion emitted a holy glow, and at the far end of the hall one cushion emitted the most brilliant glow of all. Presumably that cushion was where Yan Jun himself had usually sat in the past.


    Observing the hall, it was possible to imagine the past when Yan Jun sat there, delivering his teachings to the vast hall. It must have been a sight to behold. But even someone as impressive as he had long since fallen from power and disappeared, like a meteor streaking across the heavens. Thinking of this, the mood was somber, though everyone was still curious. What could have possibly happened that such an awesome figure was unable to escape calamity?


    ¡°The Celestial Monarch¡¯s test is starting. Each of you shall choose a cushion to sit upon. Only one of you can receive his true legacy, but the rest of you need not despair. The Celestial Monarch has prepared many treasures, and as long as you pass the test, you may select one,¡± that man informed them in his clear voice.


    Gu Feng didn¡¯t dally, and immediately chose a cushion to sit on. Originally, he was going to drag Su Mujin to sit beside him, but Su Mujin refused to look him in the eye, and chose to sit behind him.


    ¡°Close!¡± With the sound of the man¡¯s voice, the doors of the great hall slowly began to shut, and the light grew dim.


    As it grew darker and darker, Gu Feng became aware of his consciousness separating itself from his body and arriving in a new location that was entirely empty of matter and uncannily silent.


    ¡°Open!¡± Accompanying this command, Gu Feng saw his surroundings undergo a dramatic transformation. Innumerable stars floated within his reach, slowly moving in accordance with some unknown algorithm. This was . . . a clue to divining the Dao?


    It seemed as though Yan Jun had entered the Dao through deduction, so no wonder he was always carrying around that divination disc with him. Unfortunately, Gu Feng had no understanding of divination, so could only just sit there and helplessly watch the stars.


    But as time slowly slipped by, Gu Feng began to feel short of breath and his chest began to ache. Within his daoxin a crack started to form, and from the darkness came a voice urging him to give up, as the path to immortality was already closed off . . .


    He immediately sealed up his five senses and the feeling of suffocation disappeared. But he was still highly suspicious. Was this part of Yan Jun¡¯s daoxin evaluation, or a final message from Yan Jun?


    If the latter, why should Yan Jun choose this method? Gu Feng couldn¡¯t help feeling that a massive plot was slowly being revealed, with just the tip of the iceberg visible for now.


    After a long while, Gu Feng felt his consciousness slowly return to his body, and he surreptitiously took a look at the people surrounding him, but saw only calm expressions. Could it just have been him overthinking things?


    ¡°Xiao Jin, during the test, did you feel anything . . . strange?¡± Gu Feng transmitted his query.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t feel anything, Gege.¡± Su Mujin answered a bit evasively.


    Gu Feng set aside his misgivings. It seemed it really was just him overthinking.


    Su Mujin quietly sighed. Because of his overwhelming shame, he had completely missed out on receiving the Celestial Monarch¡¯s inheritance. But could he admit such a thing to his gege? Of course not.


    ¡°The Celestial Monarch¡¯s inheritance has been passed on, and the successor is . . .¡± the man¡¯s eyes twitched as he forced himself to complete his announcement, ¡°Chu Feng.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Previously, Chu Feng had brazenly insisted upon implementing his ¡®sage¡¯ advice for ensuring the fairness of the test in exchange for securing a chance at obtaining the inheritance. Because the man didn¡¯t think he was qualified to start with, he didn¡¯t prevent him from trying.


    Everyone was speechless.


    The others stared at Chu Feng in disbelief, while Chu Feng himself was taken aback. How did he not have any clue as to how he obtained the Celestial Monarch¡¯s inheritance? But since Qianbei had spoken, it must be so. It seems he would have to take some time to carefully review what he¡¯d experienced.


    ¡°Much obliged,¡± Chu Feng¡¯s revealed a bit of a gloat as he cupped his hands in salute to the crowd.


    But nobody offered him a salute in return. Everyone was exerting themselves to remain calm and resist the impulse to give him a wallop.


    That man¡¯s mood was low as he weakly said, ¡°Everyone else, follow me to select a treasure.¡±


    Gu Feng and the others followed that man toward a hidden corner of the room. Pushing open the door, on the other side was a whole other realm.


    The space was a void, and in the darkness hung a multitude of floating glowing orbs. No wonder the Hidden Treasures Pavilion had only been full of ordinary artifacts. All the good stuff was actually hidden here.


    ¡°The treasures have consciousness and must agree to be chosen. You cannot force them. Aside from Gu Feng, who may choose two, the rest of you may only choose a single item.¡±


    Su Mujin planned to take advantage of Gu Feng¡¯s distraction to quietly sneak off, but his hand was grasped by that person, who then interlaced their fingers securely.

 CH 20

    Su Mujin turned his head in a daze, and saw Gu Feng smiling at him.


    ¡°Stick with me and you won¡¯t lose your way.¡± Gu Feng leaned close and his mellow voice tickled Su Mujin¡¯s eardrum.


    Su Mujin bowed his head, the roots of his ears starting to turn red, and transmitted his words, ¡°Gege, you previously said we should just use voice transmission to talk about private matters. There¡¯s no need to be . . . in such close proximity.¡± Like this, I won¡¯t be able to calm down and regain my composure.


    Gu Feng arched an eyebrow, and just as before, leaned in close to say, ¡°Really? My bad, I had forgotten. Next time I¡¯ll remember.¡± He was entirely unrepentant.


    Su Mujin silently turned around, and pulled Gu Feng to enter the doorway. He tried to stop the smile that grew to cover his whole face, but failed. There was no way he¡¯d allow Gege to see his foolish expression.


    Gu Feng obligingly did not expose Su Mujin¡¯s hidden thoughts, but began to carefully observe their surroundings. The treasures were completely hidden within the glowing orbs. It seemed that their choice was up to fate.


    He tried reaching out his hand to take one of the glowing orbs, but halfway there, he encountered resistance, and couldn¡¯t reach any further. It appeared he had no destiny with this one.


    The pair wandered around aimlessly like this for a while, their hands entwined, meandering among the twinkling lights as though they were on a date.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Gu Feng suddenly felt a strong pull from an orb to the left in front of him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Gege?¡± Su Mujin sensed Gu Feng¡¯s sudden change in mood.


    ¡°Ahead of us, something is calling to me. Let¡¯s go take a look?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    It was a black orb, smooth with no seams. If one wasn¡¯t paying careful attention, it would be easy to overlook.


    Gu Feng reached out, and there was no obstruction this time. He grasped the object, which was also pitch black and appeared to be a disc. It looked as though someone had thoroughly scorched a plate.


    Gu Feng, ¡°. . .¡±


    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s kind of ugly. Gege, why not try injecting some spiritual power and see what happens?¡± Su Mujin barely suppressed his giggles.


    Gu Feng did just that, and in his mind there appeared a message.


    ¡®Celestial Spirit-devouring Disc. When it matures, it will be the highest grade of spiritual artifact, and can absorb spiritual power from any kind of spiritual matter before transmitting it to its master.¡¯


    This was exactly what he needed! Gu Feng¡¯s face lit up. Up ¡®till now, he had never found a treasure that had seemed so predestined. This ¡®Celestial Spirit-devouring Disc¡¯ was still in its initial form, but as Gu Feng cultivation increased, so too would the level of the disc increase. It was extremely suitable to be his natal weapon.


    ¡°Lfgfjoafg, atlr klii yf ws cjaji kfjqbc. Ktf agfjregfr tfgf jgf ageis bea bo atf bgvlcjgs, rb ifa¡¯r xffq ibbxlcu jgbecv.¡± Xe Mfcu fzmlafvis qeiifv Ve Zeplc obgkjgv.


    ¡°Xfuf, kjla. P offi kf rtbeiv tfjv lc atja vlgfmalbc.¡± Ve Zeplc revvfcis tjiafv jcv qblcafv tlr olcufg abkjgv j gfv yjii bo iluta, lar mbibg rlwlijg ab atja bo yibbv.


    Su Mujin reached out and smoothly retrieved the object within. It looked to be a medicine bottle. Pouring out the contents, there was a single tiny pellet. Gu Feng leaned in to inspect it, and approvingly said, ¡°This is a Shengmai pill, and can increase the force of blood circulation. It¡¯s suitable for your needs.¡±


    ¡°Gege is truly learned and well-informed. I¡¯ll put it away for now, but after we leave I¡¯ll look for an opportunity to put it to use.¡± Su Mujin smiled broadly.


    ¡°Sounds good!¡± Gu Feng nodded his approval. In his previous incarnation he had always been searching for exactly this item but never found it. This life, Su Mujin¡¯s fortune was already better, and his achievements could only improve from here.


    The two of them continued to roam around, and Gu Feng retrieved his second treasure without a hitch. It was a suit of armor, with the obvious name of ¡®Golden Thread Soft Armor¡¯. When donning it, the wearer could resist three strikes from a Demigod level cultivator. It was a rare lifesaving treasure.


    ¡°For you.¡± Gu Feng didn¡¯t even think about it before handing it to Su Mujin. Afterall, the person before him was in greater need of it than he was.


    Su Mujin took it with his face blushed red. Rounding up, this gift could be considered a marriage token right? (lol no) His heart secretly went into a frenzy, beating like wild. Today had been full of too many pleasant surprises.


    It took about two days for everyone to select their treasures, but a hall still remained ¨C Yan Jun¡¯s personal residence. Gu Feng¡¯s instinct told him that the Tianji Disc must be there.


    ¡°Chu Feng, halt!¡± Just as everyone was preparing to go directly to the next hall, that man suddenly called out.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Chu Feng was flummoxed.


    The man¡¯s lips moved, seemingly too embarrassed to speak, but he finally said, ¡°The master decreed that the person who receives his inheritance will be my new master. My name is Feng Hu.¡±


    As soon as his finished speaking, Feng Hu turned into a snow-white fox, about the same size as an ordinary fox, but with eight tails. He jumped into Chu Feng¡¯s arms and refused to budge.


    Chu Feng deflated, but how could he dare refuse? He could be squeezed to death with just one of Feng Hu¡¯s fingers. Did he really become the master of a spiritual pet or was it the master instead?


    As they were about to enter the last hall, Gu Feng glanced at Gu Yunxi and realized that there seemed to be excitement in her eyes. He was even more certain about his guess ¨C the Tianji Disc must be here.


    With Feng Hu present, the enchanted barrier fell away with ease. The yao beasts did not dare to act rashly, so the cultivators made entry without a hitch.


    Compared to the first three halls, the last hall was quite plain. The entrance led directly into the hall, which was filled with the most ordinary wooden tables and chairs, and the place gave off a rustic feeling. There was obviously nothing special here.


    ¡°Feng Hu, um . . . which direction should we go now?¡± With such a terrifying powerful individual around, who dared to act without permission? Under great duress, Chu Feng had no choice but to ask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, you all can move freely.¡± Feng Hu said lightly without even opening his eyes.


    Receiving amnesty, everyone else immediately slipped away. Only Chu Feng was left, his face pale with rage. He carried the fox, while full of anger at the lack of conscientiousness among his fellow cultivators.


    Gu Feng, who had been keeping a constant eye on Gu Yunxi, pulled Su Mujin to follow her as soon as she made a move. Before leaving, he gave Chu Feng an apologetic glance, though it was also a bit gloating, making Chu Feng grind his teeth in anger.


    Gu Yunxi definitely seemed familiar with this place. She quickly walked through several corridors to reach her destination, stopping before a stone wall.


    Without giving Gu Feng a chance to come to his senses, the other person had already disappeared. He pondered inwardly for a while, dragged Su Mujin over to the wall, and knocked on the stones one by one. Sure enough, one of the stones was loose ¨C it was here. After pressing the stone, in the blink of an eye they had arrived in a completely unfamiliar place.


    It was an independent territory, and looked similar to the place they had been sent during the test in the audience hall, except that it was full of life.


    The stars shone as brightly as the Milky Way. There were more than just trees, flowers, and grasses growing ¨C there was also a cacophony of frogs and birds. It was a cheerful and relaxing place, a real Utopia.


    ¡°The two of you have been rudely stalking me this whole time.¡± Gu Yunxi suddenly appeared behind them, holding a chessboard while she played with it.


    The Tianji Disc! Gu Feng flinched, but immediately recovered, saying, ¡°Oh really? The Celestial Mansion doesn¡¯t belong to you, so why shouldn¡¯t we wander around as we please?¡±


    ¡°Su Mujin, I¡¯ll ask you once more, will you give me your voice transmission password?¡± Gu Yunxi ignored Gu Feng, and stared directly at Su Mujin. She appeared to be fixated on gaining this password.


    Su Mujin smiled but didn¡¯t speak, looking instead to Gu Feng.


    It was naturally impossible for Gu Feng to reply. Quick as lightning, he reached out to grab the Tianji Disc, but just as he was about to touch it, Gu Yunxi disappeared, leaving behind these words, ¡°Anyone can enter here, but if you want to leave, you¡¯ll need the Tianji Disc. Su Mujin, I had intended to take you with me, but your little performance just now . . . truly disappointed me.¡±


    What a dirty trick. Gu Feng¡¯s expression was gloomy. She had planned to trap him in the Celestial Mansion for eternity. It reminded him of the dark times when he had been imprisoned by her in his past life. Those were his most dreaded and disgusting memories. Could it be that this new life would follow that same old routine?


    ¡°Gege, she may not have been telling the truth.¡± Furthermore, I¡¯ll always accompany you no matter the situation.


    Gu Feng calmly gazed at Su Mujin for several seconds, then suddenly reached out and embraced him tightly, as though he wished to fuse their two bodies into one.


    Su Mujin was caught off guard. For a moment he could only hear the deafening roar of a heartbeat, but couldn¡¯t tell if it belonged to his companion or himself.


    After a long while Gu Feng released Su Mujin, and said with a laugh, ¡°You spoke well. We¡¯ll have a look around to see if there¡¯s an exit.¡± Then he casually grabbed Su Mujin¡¯s hand and began walking around.


    Su Mujin¡¯s eyelashes quivered, and he squeezed Gu Feng¡¯s hand in return.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± Gu Feng suddenly recalled that long ago Su Mujin had invited him to admire the moonlight together. Was it possible that at that time he had already . . .


    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Mujin was startled. Gege suddenly took time to notice whether the landscape was beautiful or not? This was a historic moment. Alert the presses!


    ¡°I can accompany you later to do that thing you asked about.¡± Although he felt somewhat silly, if the other party enjoyed it, he would still be willing to accompany him.


    Su Mujin was silently confused. What are you even talking about?


    ¡°Hey, doesn¡¯t it look like there¡¯s a building ahead?¡± Gu Feng was a bit perplexed. Then was this Yan Jun¡¯s true residence? Speaking of that, Gu YunXi had probably grabbed the Tianji Disc from over there. Unfortunately they were a step too late.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look and see if there are any clues.¡±


    When they entered the building it gave them a similar vibe to the earlier grand halls, but it was much smaller. Main hall, bedroom, they looked through room after room and finally arrived at the final room.


    ¡°Gege, take a look over there.¡± Su Mujin said as he pointed to a mural.


    The mural depicted a multitude of people, capturing a moment in time during a banquet. There were four seats of honor in the middle of the painting, and the status of those persons was obviously quite high. Below them, countless people ran around serving them and carrying out orders.


    Among those four, one was Yan Jun. Since the other three were of equal status, they must also be Celestial beings. But why had nobody in the cultivation world ever heard of them, or left records of them?


    Gu Feng carefully took note of the four individuals, and discovered that each of them held an object. Yan Jun held the Tianji Disc, the next person held a qin, which Gu Feng felt looked awfully familiar. But where had he seen it?


    There was a sudden splitting pain in his head. Memories that had long been buried began to surface at long last.

 CH 21

    That familiar instrument was . . . the Fengming Qin. It was made from the bone left behind when a phoenix died and fell from the heavens. It was a supplementary type of celestial implement, and could amplify one¡¯s strength and morale. However, this was not its most remarkable function.


    The Fengming Qin had the ability to confuse the senses. As long as a cultivator¡¯s level was sufficiently high, they could make full use of the Fengming Qin to implant an idea in someone else¡¯s brain, and that person would not only not reject it, but they would believe it had been their own idea all along. Most people were totally unaware of this function. Gu Feng himself had no knowledge of it until the years when he had been imprisoned.


    In his past life, the Hundred Flowers Festival convened a year after the spiritual realm had closed. The festival was put on by the Hundred Flowers Palace, and they held it every fifty years. It was such a large event that naturally the entire cultivation world would participate in the gathering, and all the heroic youth would attend, partly to find a marriage partner.


    Of course this was not the main purpose of the event. The Hundred Flowers Festival was secretly the cultivation world¡¯s version of the civil service examinations. The younger generation would all participate, and whoever won the top position at the event would be the cultivation world¡¯s number one young talent. The winner would also be awarded a special prize by the Hundred Flowers Palace.


    In the previous life, Mo Ran had taken the top position at the Hundred Flowers Festival, and the grand prize was precisely that Fengming Qin.


    The Fengming Qin was originally the Hundred Flowers Palace¡¯s treasure for defending the sect. Gu Feng¡¯s previous self was shocked that the sect was willing to take it out, but now he had an inkling as to why. He guessed that Gu Yunxi and Mo Ran had picked up the Tianji Disc in the spiritual ruins realm. After using the Tianji Disc to obscure the reading of the future, they then compelled Hundred Flowers Palace to believe in a false foretelling which convinced the sect to get rid of the still useful Fengming Qin. Truth be told, although Gu Feng¡¯s guess wasn¡¯t entirely correct, it was about 85 percent on the mark.


    After Mo Ran had won the Fengming Qin, he immediately used it to spread an idea to the brains of all the cultivators present at the festival, that idea being ¡®The immortal road is already closed off, give up.¡¯ It was identical to the message that Gu Feng had encountered during Yan Jun¡¯s evaluation.


    Just like that, the many tens of thousands years of peace maintained by the cultivation realm ended. Cultivators trained themselves from childhood for the purpose of becoming immortal, but now someone had abruptly announced that the way to immortality was blocked. Their many years of faith that had fed their persistence in such a difficult task were destroyed, how could they not be devastated? Many who could not accept it exploded themselves right then and there.


    ¡°Evil cultivators!¡± It was unknown who in the crowd started shouting this, but others joined in immediately, quickly growing in strength. At that moment, one fourth of the cultivators defected to the school of evil cultivation. And of this group, the greater part of them had participated in exploring the realm of spiritual ruins.


    Mo Ran also took this opportunity to turn traitor. Obviously, he was merely returning to his original affiliation, but Gu Yunxi had not yet defected to follow him. At that time, there were many of her fellow apprentice brothers and sisters who did their best to console her. It seemed that she did not intend to turn traitor herself at that time, but only thought of collaborating with Mo Ran while remaining part of her sect.


    After those cultivators defected to the path of vice, they were just as unbridled and havoc wreaking as they had previously been chaste and rule-abiding. They began to wantonly slaughter mortals mercilessly and cruelly, trying to progress along the path of evil. It was effective, and those cultivators really did make a great advance in their cultivation. Many cultivators who had been undecided saw this and joined in. And those who had remained steadfast and upright began to waver.


    The situation steadily worsened with more and more cultivators defecting with each passing day. Already more than half had. The immortal sects had lost their dominance. After such a large number of cultivators had mutinied, of course the land fell into chaos. Except for those mortals sheltering within the four major sects, the remainder of mortals were pretty much wiped out as the evil cultivators slaughtered their way to power. The entire continent was overrun by evil, and the spiritual qi turned muddy as the human world became a purgatory on Earth.


    *****


    ¡°Young man, nowadays the world outside is in turmoil. I only have this bite to eat, so you¡¯ll have to make do with it.¡± An elderly man, his hair white with age, and hands shaking, handed the bowl in his hands containing a few drops of porridge to Gu Feng. He was unaware that Gu Feng didn¡¯t need to eat to sustain himself.


    Gu Feng had been besieged by numerous followers of the evil way before he finally was able to escape, but he had not gone far before he passed out from exhaustion. When he awoke, he saw it was this elderly person who had saved him. The old gentleman¡¯s family had all been killed during the neverending turmoil. But even so, this man still preserved kindness and charity within his heart. He would often recount to Gu Feng the former, happy memories of the family.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Gu Feng spoke with a smile and accepted the bowl. The warmth of the hot gruel warmed not just his belly, but also his heart.


    Coafgkjgv, tf kbeiv boafc ifjnf j yla bo obbv cfjg/jgbecv atf tberf obg atf fivfgis wjc ab vlrmbnfg.


    Xe Mfcu¡¯r lcpegs fnfcaejiis tfjifv jcv tf qijccfv ab ajxf tlr ifjnf. Yc atja ojafoei vjs tf kjr kjlalcu ja atf tberf obg atf wjc ab gfaegc. Dfobgf tf ifoa tf kjcafv ab jrx atf biv wjc lo tf kjr kliilcu ab mbwf jibcu. Coafgjii, la kjr abb qfgliber obg wbgajir ab ilnf lc atf meialnjalbc gfjiw atfrf vjsr.


    He waited for ages, and the old man still didn¡¯t come back, so Gu Feng decided to go out and search. As a result, he had barely gone far when he saw a sight that made him so angry he tore the perpetrators to pieces.


    ¡°Run!¡± the old man shouted with his last breath, and then his ordinary and tragic life ended.


    After disposing of that evil cultivation trash, Gu Feng no longer could recall what mood he¡¯d been in when he¡¯d buried the old man¡¯s emaciated body.


    He only recalled that from that day forward, he felt a deep conviction that it was necessary to return the continent to its original peaceful and beautiful state.


    Here, the memory ended, but it was plenty. Those events had not occurred yet in this life, and there was still the chance to avert such a crisis.


    Gu Feng had just closed his eyes, but when he reopened them, his entire aura had transformed. It was as though an ancient and dusty sword had finally been unsheathed to reveal its sharp edged glory.


    ¡°Gege?¡± Su Mujin was hesitant.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, how long have we been in these spiritual ruins?¡± Gu Feng returned to his senses.


    Su Mujin pondered before answering, ¡°Roughly four months.¡±


    That meant there was exactly one year and eight months before the Hundred Flowers Sect held the festival. Gu Feng thought a bit and muttered to himself, ¡°Even though this is Yan Jun¡¯s independent realm, the boundary is not impenetrable. If our cultivation can break through to nascent soul, and invoke the tribulation thunder, then when the Celestial Lightning strikes down, it¡¯ll open a gap that we can escape through.¡±


    ¡°Gege, that¡¯s exactly what I was thinking, too. It should be possible.¡± Su Mujin nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°Can you do it within a year and a half?¡±


    Su Mujin was currently only in the middle stage of golden core, and it would be difficult to achieve nascent soul in just eighteen months.


    ¡°If Gege desires it, I can do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you a reward if you can.¡± He reckoned that the Fengming Qin would perfectly suit Su Mujin.


    ¡°Oh right, take out the Shengmai Pill and use it.¡± Gu Feng just then recalled that Su Mujin had acquired that treasure. After taking the pill, Su Mujin¡¯s circulation would increase, and it would elevate his cultivation ability.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Mujin wasted no words, taking out the pill and swallowing it.


    So painful! That was Su Mujin¡¯s immediate thought. The intensity of this pain was a hundred fold greater than when he had previously taken the pill for washing his spiritual roots.


    Heart-rendingly painful!


    Bone-piercingly painful!


    Unspeakably painful!


    His entire body felt as though it had been dissected and rearranged. The torment was great enough to destroy a person¡¯s will. Su Mujin¡¯s face turned white from the agony, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and blood seeped through his skin. But he refused to show his suffering in his facial expression, because he didn¡¯t want his gege to once again . . . worry about him.


    Gu Feng was already concerned when he saw Su Mujin¡¯s skin begin to bleed. He had never obtained the Shengmai pill in his previous life, and hadn¡¯t expected it to be so painful. Although he knew that Su Mujin was okay, he still felt overwhelmingly distressed.


    Su Mujin¡¯s consciousness grew hazy. His fingers twitched and he began to scratch at and rend his own flesh as it continually repaired itself. It was both painful and itchy!


    ¡°Don¡¯t scratch! If you leave scars, I¡¯ll . . . no longer like you!!¡± Gu Feng stepped forward and wrapped Su Mujin in his embrace. Both his hands gripped his companion¡¯s to keep him from scratching at himself any longer.


    His companion was in intense agony, something Gu Feng felt he never should have to experience. Gu Feng was anxious to do something to fix it..


    ¡°Itchy? Let me help you.¡± Gu Feng softly lapped at Su Mujin¡¯s face, licking away the drops of blood and beads of sweat. He showed no disgust, only caring about whether or not Su Mujin¡¯s discomfort was relieved.


    Su Mujin was horrified. He must be hallucinating from the pain. Not only did Gege say he liked him, he also rubbed his lips all over his face.


    After a long while, Su Mujin finally calmed down. Gu Feng let out a quiet sigh. He had been terrified that Su Mujin might not be able to hold out. After casting a cleaning art on both of them, Gu Feng began to ponder how the two of them should interact after this. During all the excitement, he had an unstoppable urge, and in a moment of carelessness . . . he had confessed his feelings.


    Three days passed before Su Mujin awoke. As he came to consciousness, he noticed that his body felt relaxed and healthy. His whole being was imbued with inexhaustible strength, and he discovered his cultivation had raised to the summit of the late stage of golden core. He was now at the same level as Gege.


    Oh right, Gege? Su Mujin blushed. Was what happened that day real or his hallucination?


    ¡°Awake?¡± Without giving Su Mujin the time to ponder over the incident, Gu Feng called out to him, appearing as cool as a cucumber, if you overlooked the fact that his trembling sleeve betrayed his true emotions.


    ¡°Um, Gege, did anything unusual happen when I took the Shengmai pill?¡± Seeing Gu Feng look so  unperturbed, Su Mujin began to think it really had been just a hallucination, but he wanted to make sure.


    Gu Feng raised an eyebrow. So . . . did he forget? Well that works, too. All that I did and all that I said that day was for the purpose of easing his suffering.


    He had already decided. He was definitely interested in his companion, but now was not the time. Such a careless and casual confession was disrespectful to the other party. He wanted to give him something better.


    ¡°Nope, nothing. Let¡¯s get started cultivating.¡± Gu Feng breezily replied, while also thinking about how best to confess his feelings.


    In the blink of an eye, a year and a half passed by.


    ¡°Okay, is there anyone else who still wants to sign up? If not, I¡¯ll go turn in the list.¡± Xu Li was exhausted. The Hundred Flowers Festival that occurred only once every fifty years was about to commence. She had been registering entrants for days on end, but fortunately she was just about done.


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡± A pleasant male voice sounded in the distance.


    Note from the Translator:


    I want to thank the kind person who sent me a Kofi last week! <3


    I hope you all continue to enjoy this novel. It¡¯s a quarter of the way done, with a lot more action and reveals coming up.

 CH 22

    Note from Translator: The lantern festival is popular with couples. The title refers to the fact that they¡¯re going on a date.


    Xu Li was pissed off. Why didn¡¯t these people pay attention to deadlines? Couldn¡¯t they see that she was already dead tired?


    ¡°If you still want to sign up, you¡¯d better hurry. There are only fifteen minutes left before the deadline.¡± Xu Li informed them with a bit of impatience.


    ¡°Pardon us, write down Gu Feng and Su Mujin for the competition.¡±


    Xu Li raised her head in shock, her eyes open wide as she stammered: ¡°Y-y-you aren¡¯t dead?¡±


    When the realm of spiritual ruins had closed, Gu Feng and Su Mujin failed to appear, and everyone assumed they had already perished. News of who hadn¡¯t survived the ruins was dramatic enough that it had spread wide and far so most people had heard about it.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been practicing for more than half a year in retreat. Who was it that announced our premature deaths?¡± Gu Feng¡¯s tone was grumpy, but who would be in a good mood after being told they were supposed to be dead?


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what happened.¡± Xu Li was still a bit caught up in her disbelief.


    ¡°Right. Are we registered yet?¡± Gu Feng was getting irritated. He only had patience for those he cared about.


    The two of them had actually attained the rank of nascent soul a year ago. But considering that it would not be easy to win first place at the festival, Gu Feng took Su Mujin to a few hidden realms he remembered from his previous life to temper their cultivation. Now, he and Su Mujin were at the peak of the late stage of nascent soul.


    He had decided. This time the Fengming Qin would be his.


    ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re still alive. But as I¡¯ve been saying all along, that last hall wasn¡¯t dangerous at all. How could anything have happened to you there?¡± Upon their return to Taixu Sect, the first person to greet them was Ye Mochen. After all, he and Gu Feng had a bond forged through three hundred years of shared misery. That brotherhood was too strong to be shaken by rumor.


    ¡°Did anything happen while we were away?¡± Gu Feng felt the warmth of their friendship.


    ¡°Nothing special. Just the same old quarrel between you-know-who and Mo Ran has gotten a bit uglier. Die Wu is pregnant with Mo Ran¡¯s child, and she-who-shall-not-be-named is totally embarrassed.¡± Ye Mochen¡¯s delight showed in his words. Ever since Gu Yunxi suffered the humiliation of defeat, he couldn¡¯t have been happier.


    ¡°Those two are still dao companions?¡± Gu Feng was startled. In his previous life, Mo Ran and Die Wu had not progressed so quickly. It seemed that because Mo Ran was unable to enter Taixu Sect, the ripple effect had altered many events.


    ¡°If Mo Ran can seize the top position at the Hundred Flowers Festival, they agreed to stay together. Oh, speaking of the festival, when do you plan to head over?¡±


    ¡°In a few days.¡± Before the festival, there would be various gatherings, and the majority of people would arrive early to attend them. Leaving now would make them arrive just in time.


    ¡°Sounds good to me. Chu Feng¡¯s group also plans to set off in the next couple days. We should travel together.¡± The gloomy aura on Ye Mochen¡¯s body had lightened up and it looked like he had been doing quite well recently.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, what do you think?¡± Gu Feng preferred to go as a group, as it was safer to travel in numbers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go along with whatever Gege decides..¡± Su Mujin winked, his face full of adoration and flattery.


    ¡°Szmfiifca. Ktfc ifa¡¯r ub abufatfg. Qtfc vb kf ifjnf?¡± Xe Mfcu ibbxfv ja Ve Zeplc¡¯r jvbgjyif jqqfjgjcmf, jcv ilxf jikjsr, ofia j ilaaif pbia lc tlr tfjga.


    ¡°Ktfc la¡¯r vfmlvfv. Xe zlbcu, ifa¡¯r fzmtjcuf agjcrwlrrlbc mbvfr. P¡¯ii cbalos sbe ktfc kf¡¯nf vfmlvfv atf vfqjgaegf alwf.¡± Tf Zbmtfc kgbaf vbkc Xe Mfcu¡¯r agjcrwlrrlbc mbvf, atfc tegglfv boo ab mbbgvlcjaf agjnfi qijcr.


    . . . . . .


    ¡°Gu xiong, prepare to leave tomorrow morning. We¡¯ll meet at the sect gate.¡± Not long after Ye Mochen had departed, he transmitted this message.


    Gu Feng answered concisely, ¡°Ok.¡±


    Bright and early the next morning, Gu Feng and Su Mujin arrived at the sect gate.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Gu xiong. Glad to see you looking well.¡± Chu Feng greeted him with emotion while he still held Feng Hu in his arms.


    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Chu xiong. Are you traveling by your lonesome today?¡± Gu Feng found it a bit odd that the ever romantic Chu Feng didn¡¯t have a female companion to accompany him. It was truly strange.


    Cough ¡°Isn¡¯t there a big competition to prepare for? I¡¯ve been practicing diligently and don¡¯t have time for such things.¡± Chu Feng¡¯s smile grew stiff as he reassuringly patted the fox in his arms.


    ¡°Ohhhh . . .¡± Gu Feng directed a meaningful look at the fox that Chu Feng held in his hand. It seemed as though he¡¯d had a difficult time recently.


    Besides Chu Feng, Hua Yan and Ye Mochen had also arrived. Gu Feng gave them a nod in greeting.


    After discussing, the group decided not to ride a flying vessel but to travel under their own power. In this way, they could gain real world experience and practice frugality.


    *****


    ¡°There¡¯s a city ahead. Let¡¯s take a rest there tonight.¡± Hua Yan suddenly spoke. The group had already roughed it for a few days. The men were still okay, but a woman like herself eventually came to feel it was a little inconvenient.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Feng and Su Mujin spoke at the same time. That city was the place where they had grown up.


    The city was bustling with excitement. Gu Feng looked all around and saw that many things had changed. He could recognize almost nothing of the original appearance.


    ¡°Do you want to go have a look around?¡± Gu Feng suddenly transmitted the question to Su Mujin.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Mujin was lost in thought, and didn¡¯t process Gu Feng¡¯s abrupt question at first.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with Xiao Jin to take care of some business. We¡¯ll head off to find an inn for the night, and come find you all later.¡± Gu Feng grabbed Su Mujin¡¯s hand and pulled him along.


    Bewildered, Su Mujin was dragged to a place he was all too familiar with. It was . . . his adoptive parent¡¯s home. But how did Gege know?


    ¡°I know all about your troubles.¡± As if reading Su Mujin¡¯s mind, Gu Feng calmly stated.


    ¡°Gege, I¡¯m . . .¡± incredibly happy. Su Mujin assumed that because Gu Feng cared about him, he had investigated his background.


    ¡°Want to go in and see? We can make ourselves invisible and no one will discover us.¡± Gu Feng reached out his hand and tousled Su Mujin¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Thank you.


    *****


    ¡°Wife, the grandson is crying again. Be quick and look after him.¡± A burly man was cutting wood for the fire while he called out to the woman preparing a meal.


    ¡°On it.¡± The woman hurriedly ran over and picked up the infant, and patiently coaxed him until he was happy and giggling again.


    ¡°It seems as though they¡¯re doing quite well. I can feel at ease.¡± Su Mujin smiled, with a hint of tears in his eyes.


    Gu Feng actually wasn¡¯t any better off than Su Mujin. Some things can¡¯t be forced, afterall. Neither he nor Su Mujin were fated to have parental love, but in this life the two of them had each other.


    ¡°This is the Flower of Long Life, which can extend longevity by twenty years.¡± Gu Feng threw a handful of flowers into the pot that the woman had been tending. It should suffice as compensation for the thirteen years of life they had given him.


    ¡°Gege, sometimes I feel that you understand me better than I understand myself.¡± How can I help but fall in love with you?


    ¡°Hm, I certainly understand you. Let¡¯s move along.¡± Gu Feng softly spoke, paused, then added, ¡°You . . . still have me.¡±


    Returning to the main street, the sky had already grown dark, but the number of people out and about had grown more numerous than during the daytime. The young men and women had all come out, each and every one with a face full of joy. Lanterns and colored streamers were hung all around, creating a festive atmosphere. There were riddle guessing lanterns, dragon dancers, and stalls for every kind of festival attraction. The city was full of fireworks and lanterns, and buzzing with excitement!


    ¡°Today is the Lantern Festival, one of the mortal realm¡¯s most important holidays. Gege, you must never have seen it before.¡± Su Mujin watched the interactions between the townspeople with interest as he explained the situation.


    Gu Feng smiled, but did not refute him. According to ¡®Gu Feng¡¯s¡¯ experience, he really hadn¡¯t encountered this event before.


    The pair wandered aimlessly along with the crowd. The lanterns were picturesque, flickering like stars. Under the lamplight a young man with a smiling face guessed a riddle on a hanging lantern and won a prize lantern to gift to his companion. She received it with a beautiful blush on her face, which was enhanced by the warm lantern light.


    Somewhere along the way, our pair unconsciously began to hold hands, while passersby gave them sidelong glances. Reaching the bank of the river, the surface rippled gently while countless lanterns floated along. This was the spot for releasing lanterns. Lotus shaped lanterns with a small candle in the center floated into the distance, creating a beautiful sight.


    ¡°Do you two gongzi want lanterns? If you can guess the corresponding answer to the poem written on the lanterns, you can win a lantern.¡± A young girl selling festival lanterns called out in a loud voice toward the pair.


    ¡°Gege, let¡¯s have a go. Releasing a lantern can make a wish for peace and stability.¡± It can also be used to wish for fate to tie two lovers together. But Su Mujin didn¡¯t dare to utter that second sentence.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Feng grinned back at him.


    ¡°I sail alone beside the sun. One word answer.¡± Gu Feng picked up a slip of paper attached to a festival lantern and read it aloud.


    ¡°I know this one. It¡¯s ¡®friendship¡¯ right?¡± Su Mujin blurted out the answer before Gu Feng even had a chance. He seemed to be a bit wound up.


    ¡°This gongzi guessed correctly. This lantern is for you.¡± The girl¡¯s pair of eyes sparkled. A young man as handsome and charming as Su Mujin was rare, afterall.


    Su Mujin smiled widely. He pretended to forget that Gu Feng held the lantern he¡¯d won, and he picked up another lantern riddle slip, on which was written, ¡°Assistant to the Board of Revenue with a face like Guan Yunchang. When I take office, peach blossoms emerge, and when I resign, chrysanthemums wither. Guess what I am.¡±


    ¡°A fan.¡± Gu Feng answered with a smile. At this point, if he couldn¡¯t figure out what the other party was up to, he would be a fool.


    ¡°Gongzi, you also answered correctly. Here¡¯s a pair of lanterns for you two. Take this brush and write your fervent wish on the lanterns, then go release them. Good luck!¡± The girl handed them the brush while instructing them.


    Picking up the brush, Su Mujin earnestly wrote Gu Feng¡¯s name on the lantern. At the same time, he explained, ¡°I wish for Gege to enjoy peace and health.¡± And also to hold my heart forever.


    ¡°Likewise, I also wish for Xiao Jin to enjoy peace and health.¡± Gu Feng took the brush Su Mujin handed him, and stroke by stroke wrote Su Mujin¡¯s name carefully and neatly upon the lantern. He played along with the other party and wrote his sweetheart¡¯s name on the lantern while feigning ignorance.


    Su Mujin watched Gu Feng write his name on the lantern and his heart overflowed with warmth and joy.


    After they finished writing, they lit the candles in the center of the lanterns. The flames shone brightly through the thin walls of the lanterns. The two little lanterns glowed side by side, creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony.


    The two walked shoulder to shoulder down to the riverbank, bent down, and set the lanterns afloat. Though they launched the lanterns adrift at the same time, the river ran fairly fast and the little lanterns got stuck among the multitudes of others, floating further and further away from each other.


    Su Mujin felt a bit anxious, while Gu Feng tried not to smile. With a subtle flick of a finger, the two lanterns came back together and floated off into the distance.


    ¡°Gege, you . . .¡± Su Mujin turned his head and his words were broken off as his lips were sealed. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

 CH 23

    ¡°A thank you gift for the kiss in the Peach Blossom Orchard.¡± As soon as their lips parted, Gu Feng showed a slight smile. The night was so dark it was impossible to make out his face clearly, but his eyes reflected all the twinkling stars in the sky.


    ¡°This thank you seems a bit . . . too perfunctory.¡± Su Mujin¡¯s brain still hadn¡¯t kicked in after what had happened, and he accidentally said exactly what he was thinking.


    Suddenly there was a loud ¡®bang¡¯, and countless fireworks bloomed in the air, throwing sparks like meteor showers into the sky. The horizon was completely full of them as they illuminated the people on the riverbank.


    ¡°Then how about . . .¡± The sentence cut off as their lips once again met.


    Gu Feng pressed him against a tree, one arm wrapped around Su Mujin¡¯s waist and the other hand supported his chin. The tip of his tongue traced the crease between Su Mujin¡¯s lips.


    Just like that time in the realm of spiritual ruins, which had eventually led up to this moment, the feeling was just as wonderful as he had imagined it would be.


    What¡¯s happening? Who am I? Where am I? Su Mujin was entirely befuddled. His body had gone soft and he couldn¡¯t move a muscle, so he had to let Gu Feng make all the moves.


    ¡°Do you not want to accept this gift? Open your mouth.¡± Gu Feng spoke against Su Mujin¡¯s lips, his voice seductively hoarse.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Su Mujin finally regained the ability to speak. He recognized each word that had been said to him, but the way they were strung into sentences, he could not understand them.


    Just at this moment, Ge Feng gently but skillfully lifted Su Mujin¡¯s chin at an angle that compelled his lips to slightly part.


    His adam¡¯s apple slightly bobbed. He bestowed a reverent and gentle kiss upon his partner¡¯s lips before the tip of his tongue dove in and entwined the other¡¯s in a dance.


    Finally having the chance to taste the saliva of his other half, he felt it was very sweet and refreshing.


    Su Mujin silently pondered whether Gu Feng might be someone else in disguise. His appearance was correct, his cultivation level was correct, and most importantly his personality was also correct. This is really Gege? Then what is this situation?


    Without giving him time to continue pondering, his eyes were suddenly covered by a pair of hands, followed by a gently whispered command, ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    Shrouded in darkness, his other senses grew more sensitive. The noise from their surroundings had long ago faded into the background. All he could feel was the warmth of his partner¡¯s breath as it gently breezed across his face, and the passionate entanglement of their tongues. Su Mujin¡¯s unresponsive brain finally woke up.


    Of its own accord, his hand wrapped around his partner¡¯s waist. Su Mujin¡¯s tongue coiled up and then struck, invading the attacking mouth with fervor. What had originally been a gentle embrace turned into a wanton make-out.


    Fortunately the pair was concealed under the shadow of a tree, and few people paid attention to the frenzied scene. It was impossible to hide from the superior vision of a cultivator, however.


    ¡°Gu xiong, you . . . you two are actually really truly . . . ?¡±


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    Gu Feng was speechless.


    ¡°Ahem, he¡¯s already run off, stop looking for him. When did you two get together?¡± Chu Feng lightly coughed while embracing Fu Heng. The person and the fox both had eyes full of curiosity.


    ¡°Just now, as you¡¯ve well seen. Unfortunately, you interrupted us.¡± Gu Feng expressionlessly swept his gaze over Chu Feng.


    Chu Feng was a bit embarrassed, and began to spout a load of nonsense, ¡°Gu xiong, although I¡¯ve never had the experience of coaxing a man, I still know a bit about communicating with one¡¯s sweetheart. That person is probably shy. At this moment, it¡¯s good to give him a bit of space. Later you can use an intermediary to coax him for you, and the matter should be easily dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Is what you say true?¡± Gu Feng looked at Chu Feng with suspicion. He knew he had acted impulsively and scared away his person, and now he was at a loss as to how to make things right.


    ¡°Of course. With our friendship, it¡¯s only right for me to be the go between. Leave everything to me.¡± Chu Feng patted his chest with pride.


    ¡°I¡¯ll trouble you, then.¡± Gu Feng cupped his fist in a salute.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. Gu xiong, you should return to the hotel first and wait for my news.¡± Chu Feng had the appearance of an enthusiastic older brother, but as soon as he turned around, his expression changed entirely. Heavens help me, last time in the spiritual ruins realm, Gu Feng visibly gloated over my misfortune and I remember that look in his eyes with crystal clarity. Now is my chance to get him back.


    Gu Feng said nothing but wondered to himself. Why do I feel that he¡¯s not actually reliable?


    ******


    ¡°Xiao Jin, why don¡¯t we share a room tonight?¡± Gu Feng¡¯s tone carried a hint of expectation.


    ¡°Uh, Gege, this inn has plenty of rooms and I can have a room to myself.¡± After speaking, Su Mujin opened the door to his room and slipped inside, refusing to come out again.


    Gu Feng¡¯s mind was filled with resentment as he stared at that closed door. For the half month since the Lantern Festival, this person kept hiding from him. Does he like me or not?


    ¡°Chu xiong, what did he say?¡± Gu Feng¡¯s expression was ghastly.


    ¡°Gu xiong, has the other party not already been persuaded? Listen to me, during this time you need to put more effort into coaxing. You need to use double the sincerity to move him. Take the initiative and hold the beauty in your embrace!¡± Chu Feng looked completely sincere as he offered his advice.


    ¡°He always hides from me. How can I take the initiative?¡± Gu Feng was willing to listen.


    ¡°Now is the time for an opportune encounter. This evening you can quietly enter his room, hold him in your arms, and it should be no problem to coax him.¡±


    ¡°Is that really possible?¡± Gu Feng looked incredulous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Trust me.¡± Chu Feng vowed solemnly.


    Gu Feng did not look at all convinced. But this proposal really did move him. Ever since last time, he was unable to spend time alone with Su Mujin, and it was almost more than he could bear. Acknowledging this point, he nodded his head.


    After arranging things with Gu Feng, Chu Feng went over to Su Mujin¡¯s room, playing his part as a double agent completely and thoroughly.


    ¡°Is Gege . . . angry?¡± Su Mujin asked with concern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Not only is he not angry, he¡¯s even more obsessed with you. I¡¯ll bet he¡¯s so impatient that tonight he¡¯ll come find you.¡± Chu Feng announced with confidence.


    ¡°Really?¡± Su Mujin was a bit flummoxed.


    ¡°Rest easy. Remember what I taught you. If you keep him at bay now and let his desire consume him by playing hard to get, he¡¯ll be more attentive when you finally meet up. If you want to forever hold onto Gu xiong¡¯s heart, you must pay careful attention to your behavior today.¡± Hardly had Chu Feng¡¯s words been spoken when Feng Hu¡¯s tail slapped him in the face a few times. He awkwardly held the fox as he retreated.


    After Chu Feng left, Su Mujin sat lost in his thoughts, nervously awaiting. Last time Gu Feng kissed him, he was unprepared and ran away because he was so embarrassed.


    But after slipping away, he immediately regretted it. On the one hand he thought that Gege really liked him, but on the other hand he thought maybe it really was just reciprocation for the earlier kiss.


    Later, Chu Feng had found him and given him an idea to conduct an experiment, of which the results seemed to be okay? Would Gege really come meet him tonight?


    The clock struck midnight.


    Knock knock knock. Gu Feng hesitated in front of Su Mujin¡¯s door for a long time, thinking that it was not proper to just enter silently. After considering it, he finally knocked on the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Su Mujin¡¯s voice trembled.


    ¡°Xiao Jin, it¡¯s me.¡± Gu Feng felt a bit agitated.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± I must remain reserved. Stay reserved.


    ¡°My bed is broken, and the inn has no more rooms. Can I squeeze in with you?¡± Gu Feng didn¡¯t lie. His bed really was broken, and he¡¯d gone and made sure the rest of the beds were also unusable, after compensating the inn, of course.


    With a creak, the door opened. Su Mujin appeared cool as a cucumber. After opening the door, he turned and went back into the room.


    Gu Feng followed him in. After closing the door, the room was frightfully quiet, and an ambiguous atmosphere began to arise.


    Now what should he do? Gu Feng racked his brains to think of something, but couldn¡¯t manage it. Should he have a go and make use of Chu Feng¡¯s method?


    His hand lightly encircled his partner¡¯s waist, and his lips approached the other¡¯s ear, ¡°Have I done something wrong? Just say the word and I¡¯ll change.¡± According to Chu Feng, no matter the problem, admitting one¡¯s mistakes was always the way forward.


    ¡°Gege, can you first . . . let go of me?¡±


    Chu Feng had said that if the other party embraced you and admitted their mistake, then you definitely could not give them an immediate answer. First, you must refuse their intimate touch. This was essential to allow the other party to feel that it wasn¡¯t easy to placate you, and would stir up a man¡¯s desire for conquest.


    Gu Feng¡¯s eyes narrowed. Strange, very strange. He followed his partner¡¯s request and let go of him, then moved around to face Su Mujin head on, saying, ¡°Are you willing to tell me now?¡±


    ¡°Gege has done nothing wrong. I just needed to take some time to think. The Peach Blossom Orchard was an obstacle set up to confuse the heart. Gege need not take my feelings to heart and do something you are unwilling to do. I release you from such an obligation, all right?¡± Su Mujin braced himself and hoped his words were aloof enough to work.


    Gu Feng was speechless. How could I be unwilling? Are you playing with me?


    ¡°All right. I understand.¡± Gu Feng looked as though he had really accepted Su Mujin¡¯s proposal, and nodded his head.


    With these words, does Gege mean he really doesn¡¯t like me? Su Mujin trembled and almost couldn¡¯t remain standing. Putting on a false cheer, he said, ¡°Gege, you can stay here and rest. I¡¯ll . . . go out and practice.¡±


    Within Gu Feng¡¯s eyes flashed a secret sharpness. He really is up to another trick. Look at this little liar. If I really let him leave the room, he¡¯ll run off and find a place to cry for a whole day. Since he¡¯s so fond of acting like a baby, what¡¯s to be done with him?


    ¡°Wait a second. Come over here.¡± Gu Feng pulled out a chair and sat down, beckoning Su Mujin over.


    ¡°Gege, you really don¡¯t have to force yourself. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Su Mujin was naturally unwilling to give up, but it didn¡¯t stop him from wanting to find somewhere to go and have a good cry.


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t force it. I¡¯m willing to kiss you freely. How about it?¡± Gu Feng stretched out his arms and drew the other party in close to his chest. It was truly unexpected how he used such a stereotypical tone to say such sleazy words.

 CH 24

    When Gu Feng pulled Su Mujin, it made his center of gravity unstable, and he stumbled into the other person. What was this situation? Why does Gege always act so suddenly?


    After having fallen into hell for a bit, his heart had suddenly taken flight and entered paradise. His whole person was dizzy and he had long forgotten any of the schemes he was supposed to maintain.


    Gazing into each other¡¯s eyes, the temperature of their surroundings was steadily rising. Gu Feng looked at his partner with a smile on his face as he slowly observed his features, starting with the brows, moving to the eyes, the nose, and finally resting on the lips. Obviously it was the same face he knew so well from his previous life, but yet it wasn¡¯t the same at all. Now that he was older, the face looked completely different. He only felt that he loved each feature exactly as it was. His partner¡¯s lips were thin and soft, and just by looking at them he could imagine how wonderful they felt.


    Slowly leaning in, just on the verge of meeting, Su Mujin suddenly placed a finger on his lips.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ge Feng tenderly inquired.


    Su Mujin¡¯s lips moved, as though he was anxious to speak, but was too embarrassed.


    ¡°Hush, don¡¯t overthink it. I¡¯ll confess my feelings for you in a moment.¡± Gu Feng moved the finger aside. Su Mujin had only wanted to ask his intentions. He already had thought through how he would confess, but it wasn¡¯t yet the perfect moment.


    ¡°Mmm, then I also have . . . something to confess to Gege.¡± Su Mujin¡¯s eyelashes quivered as he slowly closed his eyes.


    Gu Feng¡¯s lips curved into a smile. He was about to take the next step when outside the inn there was a sudden racket. Immediately following that, a loud knock on the door and a shout.


    ¡°Gu xiong, something terrible has happened. Come out quickly!¡± Ye Mochen called out anxiously as he pounded on the door.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gu Feng cursed under his breath. He was resentful at being interrupted at such a delicate moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He opened the door with a gloomy expression, causing Ye Mochen to leap back in fright.


    Ye Mochen saw Su Mujin sitting in the room, his face red with a blush, and realized he¡¯d come by at a bad time. But the incident was of grave importance, and he could only brace himself and continue, saying, ¡°Hua Yan and I were just out and about, strolling around, when we ran into a man who suddenly came up and said he wanted to make Hua Yan his woman. Of course she didn¡¯t agree, and we both tried to beat up that man, but he was too strong and neither of us were his match and he kidnapped her. What should I do?¡±


    Gu Feng was speechless. This guy was really reborn in vain. He couldn¡¯t even protect his own wife.


    ¡°Where are they now?¡± Ye Mochen is in the initial stage of golden core and Hua Yan is in the initial stage of nascent soul. So that man¡¯s cultivation must be at least above the initial stage of golden core.


    ¡°After being abducted, Hua Yan transmitted a message to me. It seems as though they¡¯re at a place called Wuying Pavilion?¡± Ye Mochen spoke with uncertainty.


    Wuying Pavilion? Gu Feng¡¯s heart leapt. He had planned to head to Wuying Pavilion on the way, so he might as well take this opportunity.


    ¡°I know of that place. It¡¯s at the foot of Hundred Flowers Palace. Go call Chu Feng and we¡¯ll head out.¡± Gu Feng pondered over who might have abducted Hua Yan; he already had an inkling as to who it was.


    He should be Wuying, the master of Wuying Pavilion. His cultivation was at the out of body level of cultivation and he liked to kidnap women, specifically married women. Whenever he abducted a person, he would spare no effort to treat them well. But if that person showed the slightest bit of interest in him, he would send them packing. It was useless to try to change his mind. After losing his companion, he would ruthlessly search for a new target.


    Why go to all that trouble? Gu Feng couldn¡¯t understand Wuying¡¯s strange way of thinking at all. But at the moment, Hua Yan should be completely safe, and probably enjoying a delicious meal.


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    ¡°He left. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m happy to be free of that burden.¡± Chu Feng bitterly answered.


    ¡°He left?¡± Gu Feng subtly glanced behind Chu Feng.


    ¡°Yes. Mr. Venerable Curmudgeon has finally left. I can now relax. Tomorrow I¡¯ll go find ten or so beauties¨COy, Gu Feng, why is your eye twitching?¡±


    Gu Feng couldn¡¯t bear to directly look at Chu Feng¡¯s face. Silently, he pointed his finger behind him.


    Chu Feng turned his head in befuddlement, then stood as still as though he¡¯d been turned to stone.


    Feng Hu had taken human form, and stood there in all his glorious beauty, expressionlessly staring at Chu Feng. His eyes seethed with anger and a trace of indignance.


    ¡°Guys, Hua Yan is still waiting for us to rescue her. We¡¯ve got to get moving!¡± The situation was too tense, so Gu Feng tried to divert the topic.


    Feng Hu nodded, and turned back into a fox. Under Chu Feng¡¯s expectant gaze, he leapt in the arms of . . . Ye Mochen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ye Mochen turned to leave, pretending not to notice Chu Feng¡¯s murderous gaze. He wanted to cry, but had no tears. In his embrace he held someone who could not be offended. He was just an innocent bystander. Why was he always injured in other people¡¯s personal affairs?


    In this strange mood, they got on the road. Traveling quickly, it would take about a day to reach Wuying Pavilion.


    ¡°Gu xiong, are you sure we¡¯re at the right place?¡± Ye Mochen pushed aside the gauze clad woman, his face full of doubt. The building before them bore a plaque on which three giant characters were inscribed, reading ¡°Spring Breeze Manor¡±.


    A woman whose head was covered in jewels and pearls and exuded a strong fragrance greeted them, ¡°Gongzi, which girls strike your fancy?¡±


    All the women had exquisitely madeup faces. Each and every one of them was fair and blushing. They were thinking that these several newly arrived gongzi were all handsome and talented, and if they could manage to bed one of them, they wouldn¡¯t even care if they were paid or not.


    ¡°Coming and going with nary a shadow, where is the master of Wuying Pavilion?¡± Gu Feng casually uttered the secret phrase. Wuying Pavilion¡¯s influence was spread across the entire continent, and brothels were their point of contact. They would convey messages directly to Wuying Pavilion.


    Last life, he had been traveling with Mo Ran and Gu Yunxi to the Hundred Flowers Festival when Gu Yunxi was abducted along the way. He and Mo Ran spent a great deal of effort to find her, and he became familiar with Wuying Pavilion¡¯s workings at that time.


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re guests. Come with me.¡±


    They followed the matron along a path that twisted and turned, finally arriving at a rock garden. The matron must have activated some lever, causing the scenery to suddenly change.


    Exquisite buildings, flowing water, the area occupied was vast, looking just like the scenery of a sect, but on a smaller scale.


    ¡°Wait here, honored guests. The pavilion master will be right with you.¡± The matron led them to a hall and then retreated.


    Not a moment later, a red clothed man appeared. He had a prominent nose and his lips were somewhat upturned. His peach blossom eyes held a fake smile. His appearance was elegant and romantic, but the expression in his eyes was desolate. He was clearly a ruthless man.


    ¡°Hua Yan!¡± As soon as the man appeared, Ye Mochen was unable to hold back because he saw Hua Yan standing behind the man.


    ¡°Beauty, aren¡¯t you going to answer your lover? Should I withdraw to give you some space?¡± Wu Ying¡¯s elegance was really on show as he treated the woman he fancied with such gentleness.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happier if you just let me go free.¡± Hua Yan was flabbergasted by this man, and was pretty sure his brain wasn¡¯t firing on all cylinders.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work.¡± Wu Ying rejected Hua Yan¡¯s request with a gentle expression on his face.


    ¡°It appears that the Pavilion Master doesn¡¯t intend to do business today. In that case, I can only come back another day.¡± Gu Feng saw the time was almost right, and spoke in an unhurried manner.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve come to discuss exchanging this beauty for another, I apologize. It¡¯s not possible.¡± Wu Ying seemed to just have noticed Gu Feng, and observed how Gu Feng and Su Mujin¡¯s hands were clasped, his eyes brightening for a second.


    ¡°Who said anything about a substitute? I have some business to discuss with the Pavilion Master. Let me invite you to dinner and we can converse about it,¡± Gu Feng suggested.


    ¡°Come, take guest¡¯s friends to refresh themselves.¡± As soon as Wu Ying called out, several black clad men appeared and escorted Su Mujin and his companions away.


    Wu Ying looked in the direction they had left and didn¡¯t come back to his senses for a long time.


    ¡°Cough, the people have left. Don¡¯t look any longer. I¡¯ve come to ask the pavilion master to buy some news.¡± Gu Feng cleared his throat, thinking that Wu Ying was watching Hua Yan.


    I want to check on Taixu Sect Master¡¯s daughter, Gu Yunxi, before she entered the sect. I also want to know about the tools that the people at the top of this mural are holding.¡± Gu Feng spoke and transferred an image of the section of the mural directly to Wu Ying¡¯s mind.


    Wu Ying looked and pondered for a while, then spoke ¡°This information will be difficult to obtain and requires a lot of manpower . . .¡±


    ¡°As long as it can be uncovered, the price is no problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure doing business with you!¡±


    After settling on the specifics, Gu Feng handed over a deposit. Wu Ying assured him that as soon as there was any news, he¡¯d contact him.


    ¡°Is your group heading to the Hundred Flowers Festival¡± Wu Yin inquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You must be weary from the trip. Why don¡¯t you stay at my place to rest and refresh yourselves before heading out.¡±


    ¡°In that case, how can I refuse?¡± Gu Feng hadn¡¯t forgotten that the purpose of this trip was also to rescue someone.


    Two flowers bloomed on the same branch.


    Su Mujin had just left the great hall when he transmitted a message, ¡°Hua Yan, for the next couple of days, do your best to show your interest in Wu Ying. If you want to leave him you must do as I say. Don¡¯t ask why.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Although she was confused, if she could escape by flirting with Wu Ying, she was game.


    That evening Wu Ying held an impromptu banquet to welcome the guests. Gu Feng was suspicious. In his past life he had never seen the man act so enthusiastic. Could it be that he treated his guests better?


    ¡°Pavilion Master, I offer you a toast.¡± Hua Yan gazed at Wu Ying with eyes as soft as water, taking what Su Mujin had advised and running with it.


    ¡°Hua Yan, what are you doing? Am I dead to you?¡± Ye Mochen indignantly slapped the table, playing along with the charade.


    ¡°Mochen, don¡¯t be angry. The pavilion master has treated me well the past couple days. We ought to show our gratitude.¡± After saying this, Hua Yan shot a shy glance over toward Wu Ying.


    Wu Ying¡¯s eyes were full of mockery but he still responded with grace. ¡°If you like it, that¡¯s good. I heard Gu xiong say that you¡¯re headed to the Hundred Flowers Festival. I won¡¯t keep you. In two days time, you can all go together.¡±


    If it was before, he might still be interested in Hua Yan, but now he had a new target.

 CH 25

    ¡°W-why?¡± Hua Yan looked like she was about to cry, but Wu Ying turned his head and no longer looked her way.


    Unable to bear it any longer, she stood up and ran away in tears. To keep up the pretense of being her partner, Ye Mochen rushed out to console her.


    ¡°Aiya. I can¡¯t hold it in. I¡¯m going to die of laughter.¡± As soon as Hua Yan left the banquet hall, she broke out in uncontrollable laughter to the point where she could barely catch her breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that Gu xiong¡¯s suggestion actually worked. Shijie, how have you been holding up?¡± Ye Mochen softly gazed at Hua Yan.


    ¡°Cough, I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. Thanks for the help this time, Mochen. Cough, cough . . .¡± Hua Yan¡¯s joy turned to pain as her fit of laughter caused her side to cramp, and turned into a fit of coughing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be polite. Whatever concerns you concerns me. I¡¯m willing to do anything for you.¡± Ye Mochen blushed a little and his voice grew smaller and smaller until his last sentence was inaudible to human ears.


    . . . . .


    ¡°She ran away. Pavilion Master, shouldn¡¯t you go talk to her?¡± Chu Feng had been fidgety and irritable the past couple days and was desperate for something to divert his attention. After all the excitement just now, how could he resist butting in?


    Wu Ying¡¯s smile was still perfect, and didn¡¯t change in the slightest. He politely replied, ¡°Please don¡¯t joke. My relationship with Miss Hua Yan is innocent, and she has a lover to comfort her. No need for anyone else to get in the way.¡±


    Chu Feng was speechless. He had never seen a man so shameless that even he himself was outshone.


    ¡°Gu xiong, why don¡¯t you introduce me to your companion?¡± Wu Ying grew bigger as he inquired with genuine interest.


    Gu Feng¡¯s heart thumped. This Wu Ying is really suspect. His vigilance raised, he was about to spout some nonsense when the ever helpful Chu Feng once again betrayed him.


    ¡°The two of them are a couple. Isn¡¯t it surprising? I was shocked when I found out, and couldn¡¯t understand it. Girls are so nice, don¡¯t you agree, Pavilion Master?¡± Chu Feng babbled at Wu Ying, thinking that the two of them would have the same attitude about these things.


    Gu Feng silently despaired. Why was there always this backstabber hanging around?


    ¡°Actually, I think they have a lot of affection for each other, and am a bit envious.¡± Wu Ying¡¯s facial expression and tone of voice were totally normal, and it really seemed as though he was just expressing his opinion.


    Chu Feng was at a loss for words. He had originally thought he¡¯d found a soulmate at long last. Who would have imagined that the other party would immediately betray him. Once again his thoughts returned to Feng Hu, who continued to ignore him. Chu Feng¡¯s mood hit rock bottom and he dejectedly began to drink.


    ¡°Many thanks to the Pavilion Master for your hospitality. We¡¯re a little tired, and will take our leave to go rest. The two of you can take your time and keep chatting.¡± Gu Feng mused that that man¡¯s unique mentality was really impenetrable by logic. Not only was Wu Ying interested in married women, but even married men were not safe from him either. He made an impromptu decision to leave immediately with Su Mujin. As for Chu Feng, it was better to leave him here and let nature run its course.


    ¡°Ktf akb bo sbe wjs vb jr sbe qifjrf.¡± Qe Tlcu ibbxfv mjiw jcv gfrfgnfv, yea ktb xcfk ktja klmxfv qijc tf kjr delfais tjamtlcu.


    Cr rbbc jr atfs ifoa, Ve Zeplc jrxfv, ¡°Xfuf, jgf sbe jcugs?¡±


    Gu Feng looked at Su Mujin. Yep, he truly is as pretty as a flower. He extended a hand to pinch his companion¡¯s face, and said with a smile, ¡°Originally I was angry, but one look at you and my anger vanished.¡±


    ¡°Xfuf, P¡¯w jogjlv atja atja ues tjr rbwf ecabkjgv atbeutar jybea sbe.¡± Cr rbbc jr tf atbeuta jybea atlr qbrrlylilas, Ve Zeplc¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc aegcfv vjgx jcv mibevs. Coafg j wbwfca, tf ugfk reccs jujlc jcv mbcalcefv, ¡°Xfuf, vbc¡¯a kbggs. P mjc qgbafma sbe. Po tf vjgfr ab ags jcsatlcu, P¡¯ii wjxf regf ab ulnf tlw ktja obg.¡±


    Gu Feng was silently bemused. Little scoundrel, you stole my line.


    Gu Feng¡¯s expression was conflicted as he tentatively asked Su Mujin, ¡°Do you think that Wu Ying¡¯s next target is me?¡± Gu Feng had already explained Wu Ying¡¯s modus operandi to Su Mujin, so he would be aware.


    ¡°Definitely. But fear not, Gege. I won¡¯t let him succeed.¡± Su Mujin maintained eye contact with Gu Feng as he solemnly vowed.


    ¡°But what if his next target is you?¡± Gu Feng had sudden, unsettling suspicion.


    ¡°Impossible. Gege, you said he only captures married women. Even if he switches to capturing men, his next target should definitely be Gege.¡± Su Mujin spoke with the utmost confidence.


    Cough, cough, cough . . . Gu Feng suddenly broke into a fit of coughs, and nearly lost his balance from their severity. The sheer volume of information contained in his companion¡¯s words was staggering.


    Thinking back, Su Mujin always took the initiative, and the past few days he had been caught unprepared and seemed a bit passive. In that case, does he think that I¡¯m actually . . . his wife? Coming to this realization, Gu Feng paled for a moment.


    Su Mujin was still pondering over the issue of Wu Ying when he found himself pressed up against the wall. With his partner¡¯s overwhelming strength, Su Mujin¡¯s head would have hit the wall if Gu Feng hadn¡¯t used his hand to cushion the blow. Even so, stars still swam before his eyes.


    Before he could react, his chin was grasped and the other person¡¯s lips ferociously crashed against his. Unlike their first kiss, which had been gentle and soft, this time Gu Feng¡¯s kiss was stormy and passionate.


    When Gu Feng heard Su Mujin¡¯s opinion just a moment ago, he was frightened. Can I really let this continue? He felt that he must secure his position as the husband as quickly as possible and so took action.


    Su Mujin was initially caught by surprise but quickly responded. He was not satisfied with his performance last time. He obviously should be the one in control, but what was this position he was in?


    Using both hands, he tried to throw off the hold that Gu Feng had on him. The two of them had about the same cultivation, but Su Mujin had missed the opportunity to gain the dominant position, and was unsuccessful.


    Finally successful at subduing his opponent, Gu Feng relaxed. He allowed himself to slowly sample his prey. Needless to say, Su Mujin¡¯s current appearance aroused him even more and made his heart race.


    Su Mujin¡¯s original intention to awaken the other¡¯s desire for conquest was thusly accomplished, but not in the way he had expected.


    Lips and tongues intertwined, and a tingly sensation began to course through his body and accumulate in his brain. Su Mujin grew woozy and once more lost the chance to take action. After that, it was definitely because his brain lacked enough oxygen that he failed to put up any resistance.


    Their lips parted after a long while and the two of them were breathing heavily. They gazed into each other¡¯s eyes and saw the flames of desire.


    ¡°Now do you still think you¡¯re the husband?¡± Gu Feng seized the opportunity to ask this key question.


    ¡°Gege. . .¡± Su Mujin was still dizzy, and subconsciously finished the sentence without actually speaking before suddenly realizing, and quickly continuing to say, ¡°you sneak attacked me. It doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    Gu Feng thought to himself, what a pity. I didn¡¯t expect him to have such a quick reply. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°We can discuss it later.¡± It seems as though he must earnestly practice how to gain an upper hand.


    ¡°Yeah, we can talk about it later.¡± He must prepare so as not to be caught off guard next time and be so passive.


    The pair of them, each with their sinister thoughts, looked at each other and smiled. The atmosphere was strangely harmonious.


    ¡°Cough, if you two are finished.¡± Ye Mochen had come up behind the two of them and had been observing the whole time. Afterall, that body had been his, and the present situation made him want to stab his eyes out.


    ¡°We¡¯re done. Where¡¯s Hua Yan?¡± Gu Feng was slightly put out by being caught in the act, but recovered after a second. Su Mujin likewise appeared calm and collected.


    Too shameless! Ye Mochen was simply astounded by the two of them. He had felt ill at ease for a long time, but those two appeared not to have a care in the world.


    ¡°She¡¯s waiting for us out front. What about Chu Feng?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s drinking to his heart¡¯s content. Let¡¯s leave first, no need to bother him.¡± Gu Fen really didn¡¯t want to hear that name right now. He wanted to be far from that fair weather friend.


    Hardly had he finished speaking when Feng Hu, sitting in Ye Mochen¡¯s arms, opened his eyes. He moved his little snout, but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Do you want to send him a voice transmission?¡± Ye Mochen still thought that abandoning Chu Feng here wasn¡¯t very kind.


    ¡°No need. He and Wu Ying have a lot to chat about. After we leave, we can send him a transmission to inform him, and that should suffice.¡± They can entertain themselves to death without involving poor little me. Chu Feng was more useful remaining here to help them distract Wu Ying.


    . . . . . .


    Wu Ying silently watched Chu Feng pour cup after cup of alcohol down his throat, but his cultured upbringing wouldn¡¯t allow him to shoo away a guest. Why couldn¡¯t he have a little more awareness?


    ¡°Chu xiong, it¡¯s getting late . . .¡± Wu Ying was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.


    ¡°Cultivators . . . who is concerned with what hour it is? Let me tell you, that Feng Hu doesn¡¯t know how to repay kindness. After he came, I¡¯m not allowed to be close to women, but now he¡¯s left, and I¡¯m glad. It¡¯d be great if¨C¡± He broke into sobs and then continued, ¡°let¡¯s keep drinking.¡± Chu Feng was already a drunken mess.


    Wu Ying¡¯s smile turned stiff. He still managed to maintain his cordiality and lifted a cup to toast.


    A man dressed in black arrived and whispered a few words in Wu Ying¡¯s ear. Hearing them, Wu Ying¡¯s eyebrows raised. That couple is very interesting. In any case, I¡¯ll see them again in a few days, so let them leave!


    ¡°Chu xiong, your companions have all left. Do you still want to keep drinking?¡± The implication is that you should leave.


    ¡°They can do as they please. I won¡¯t go. I still want to drink. Let¡¯s continue . . .¡±


    ¡°Come!¡± The veins on Wu Ying¡¯s forehead bulged as he finally lost his composure and called for his subordinate.


    ¡°What do you require?¡±


    ¡°Throw him out.¡± Wu Ying¡¯s external tone of voice finally matched his internal thoughts. Chu Feng had thoroughly used up his patience.


    ¡°As you command.¡± Receiving the order, the black clad man was prepared to toss Chu Feng out, but froze when he saw the following scene unfold.


    ¡°No need to trouble yourself. I¡¯ll take him away.¡± Feng Hu once again had transformed into that first class beauty with a head of long silvery hair, and eyes that glittered like gemstones.


    ¡°When did you arrive? Did you actually change form just to take him away? That¡¯s not like you. Don¡¯t tell me you truly regard him as your new master?¡± Wu Ying asked, his face full of curiosity. From his words it was clear that Feng Hu was an old acquaintance.


    I¡¯ll upload Chapter 26 by this weekend, to make up for missing last week. Just dealing with some stuff that makes me slower to translate, but gonna do my best to get back to the regular schedule.

 CH 26

    ¡°You need not worry about it. I came here at the command of my master. He asked me to tell you, ¡®What should be said and what shouldn¡¯t be said, he leaves to your discretion.¡¯ I¡¯ve delivered his message, so I¡¯m leaving.¡± Feng Hu picked Chu Feng up by his collar then vanished.


    At the inn, Chu Feng was flung to the floor. Now that his face was in close contact with the ground, the ice cold temperature finally sobered him up a little.


    ¡°Feng Hu? You¡¯re in human form? I must be dreaming. Your face is so beautiful, what a waste for you to be a man!¡± Chu Feng spoke with bitterness at first, but then his words grew lewd, ¡°I am in charge of my own dream. I order you to change into a woman for me, right now! Come here and let me kiss you . . .¡±


    ¡°Chu Feng!¡± An earth-shattering roar erupted from within the inn, followed by a heavy thud.


    . . . . . .


    They stood before a palatial hall. Its grand reception area and magnificent gate were befitting of such an elegant and stately building. The ceiling beams were carved with fine patterns, and luminous pearls were embedded at regular intervals. The floor was also decorated in the same style making the hall look like a fairyland.


    Pretty waitresses wove among the crowd, presenting delicacies to the guests who had come from afar. In the center of the hall, beautiful women danced gracefully, accompanied by musicians playing a variety of musical instruments. The melodious sound spread throughout the entire hall, creating an atmosphere of relaxation.


    ¡°The Hundred Flowers Tower is truly extraordinary. To be able to dine here is a real treat!¡± Hua Yan exclaimed with a look of wonder.


    ¡°It truly is.¡± Ye Mochen agreed.


    This was the largest inn operated by the Hundred Flowers Sect, named Hundred Flowers Tower. Due to the upcoming festival, there were no vacancies. Anyone who was anyone would choose to stay here, surrounded by cultivators with power and status.


    ¡°Esteemed guests, can I get you anything?¡± The waitress was professionally trained and spoke in a pleasant and refreshing tone.


    Gu Feng smiled. Previously, he had been poor and could only take Su Mujin to eat at roadside stalls. Now that he had money, he couldn¡¯t let his partner suffer. He took the menu from the waitress¡¯s hand, and while gazing at Su Mujin with adoration, he lovingly asked, ¡°Xiao Jin, what would you like to eat? You order first.¡± As a good husband, he knew that being gentle and considerate was a must.


    Su Mujin¡¯s smile stiffen. Oh great, I¡¯m one step too late and let him take the initiative. Things can¡¯t go on like this. With this in mind, he pushed the menu back over and used the softest tone he had ever used in his life: ¡°Gege, you can order first, anything is fine as long as you like it.¡± His expression was so sweet it was practically dripping with honey.


    Gu Feng was once again rendered speechless.


    His companion failed to fall for his trick, and instead became more and more difficult to deal with!


    ¡°Eww, stop showing off, I¡¯m getting goosebumps.¡± Ye Mochen snatched the menu and delicately handed it to Hua Yan. ¡°Ladies first! Shijie, y-you can order.¡±


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    Ktfs pera lucbgfv tlw. Qtb cffvr ab jguef klat rbwfbcf ktb¡¯r pera yffc yfjafc eq?


    Uijaf joafg qijaf bo ubegwfa obbv kjr ygbeuta ab atf ajyif. Cii bo atf vfilmjmlfr kfgf fzdelrlafis qgfrfcafv rb jr ab ktfa bcf¡¯r jqqfalaf. Rba bcis kfgf atfs qgfqjgfv erlcu atf wfja bo tlut ifnfi sjb yfjrar, atfs kfgf jirb mbbxfv erlcu rqfmlji afmtcldefr rb jr ab filwlcjaf lwqeglalfr jcv yfcfola bcf¡¯r meialnjalbc.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, can you guess which sect¡¯s disciple will be able to take first place this time?¡± A man with a rugged appearance asked aloud.


    ¡°Without a doubt, it¡¯s gotta be Taixu Sect. As the premier cultivation sect, they have an abundance of talent!¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. In my opinion, Sword Pavilion¡¯s Mo Ran has good potential. At his young age, he¡¯s already reached the summit of the late stage of Nascent Soul. And to be able to become Dao companions with the Taixu sect master¡¯s daughter, he¡¯s surely worthy.¡±


    ¡°My bet is on the Wandering Cultivators Union¡¯s Tu Su. His blade skills have reached the pinnacle of perfection!¡±


    ¡°All of you are missing some vital intel. I heard that the reward for first place is Hundred Flowers Palace¡¯s top treasure ¨C the Fengming Qin. It¡¯s rumored that old powerhouses who haven¡¯t come out of seclusion to join the festival for many years will join the competition this time.  Compared to them, the rookies you mention are far too inexperienced.¡±


    ¡°Is that for real? If so, the competition this time will be fiercer than in the past, and we don¡¯t stand a chance. But the festival is still a good excuse to flirt with the disciples from Hundred Flowers Palace.¡±


    ¡°Oh, definitely! One of the aims of the Hundred Flowers Palace in holding this event is to choose promising young heroes to form marriage alliances with. Even if we can¡¯t hope to hook up with a high class cultivator, it¡¯s enough to find a woman who is gentle and understanding.¡±


    . . . . . .


    A lively discussion ensued and Gu Feng was able to pick up a lot of information just by listening in. His last life, he had wholeheartedly practiced cultivation and seldom paid attention to these things. After the festival¡¯s competition award had been presented, he had been locked up, never to see the light of day. This time he would not make the same mistake.


    ¡°Right, I heard that very soon there¡¯s going to be an auction held within the market. Xiao Jin and I plan to go have a look. Do you want to come with us?¡± Seeing that everyone had pretty much finished eating, Gu Feng invited them along.


    ¡°We had the same plan. Let¡¯s go together!¡± Ye Mochen and Hua Yan nodded.


    Chu Feng¡¯s expression was still foul, but he eventually nodded. Feng Hu was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Chu xiong, how did you get back last night? Where¡¯s Feng Hu?¡± Gu Feng was in a mood for gossip. He had heard the commotion last night, but seeing the other¡¯s bad mood he was a bit hesitant to inquire. Still, curiosity got the better of him.


    Su Mujin looked over at Chu Feng with great interest, obviously wanting to know as well.


    His sore spot had been poked, and Chu Feng exploded with anger, saying, ¡°Last night I accidentally thought Feng Hu was a woman, so I kissed him and he punched me in the face. Are you happy? Are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, Chu xiong, don¡¯t be angry. Gege was just asking. We still have to hurry over to the auction.¡± Su Mujin saw Gu Feng trying to stifle his laughter, and had no choice but to try to smooth things over.


    Although the Hundred Flowers Festival was still a month away, plenty of cultivators had arrived in advance. The streets were bustling, and not only had crowds of people headed to the markets, many cultivators had themselves set up stalls to do business.


    ¡°Hey, why are there so many people over there?¡± They were surprised to see a throng of people had gathered not far away, nearly blocking off the street entrance and making it difficult to see what was going on.


    ¡°Gu xiong, don¡¯t you know what the main objective of the Hundred Flowers Festival is?¡± Chu Feng suddenly beamed with delight. Combined with his bruised face, it was a tragic sight.


    ¡°The cultivation world¡¯s competition to be number one!¡± Gu Feng unhesitatingly answered.


    ¡°Not so! The festival¡¯s most important purpose is for matchmaking! The competition is just to determine who is most worthy of resources. All the businesses on this street belong to the Hundred Flowers Sect, and when the festival starts, the majority of their cultivators will gather here. Ahem, you ought to understand the reason, follow me.¡± While he spoke, Chu Feng took out a pill and swallowed it. His facial injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. He dusted himself off and donned a smile. Having put himself in order, he walked off to join the crowd.


    Gu Feng and Su Mujin were nonplussed.


    ¡°Gege, do you understand?¡± Su Mujin asked in bewilderment.


    As for Gu Feng, he actually didn¡¯t understand, but in front of his beloved he couldn¡¯t lose face! With a gentle smile he said, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s that during the Hundred Flowers Festival, because of the increase in people, there¡¯s also an increase in business.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Su Mujin suddenly realized.


    ¡°Cough, let¡¯s go see what¡¯s up. There are so many people, there ought to be something good.¡± Gu Feng was a bit awkward and coughed in order to shift the topic.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    . . . . . .


    ¡°Sigh, the quality of male cultivators this time is disappointing. If their cultivation is okay, they¡¯re ugly, and if they look good, their abilities aren¡¯t up to par. If I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have come.¡± Zhu Lan was just your average disciple from Hundred Flowers Palace, and possessed both good looks and charm. She had come to see if she could scout out any male cultivators to have a go with.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Why would any of the famous ones come to this location? The senior sisters are keeping a close eye, so let¡¯s head back, shijie.¡± Hong Yan chimed in with her own complaint. After waiting ages for a reply, she was somewhat puzzled, and called out, ¡°Shijie?¡±


    ¡°Hong Yan, don¡¯t leave yet. Look over there!¡± Zhu Lan eagerly urged.


    Hong Yan looked. There was indeed a gorgeous man. His skin was the color of wheat and his facial features were distinctly carved. He looked wild and unrestrained and completely masculine. His aura was manly and his cultivation was probably not low.


    But the two of them had heard about this person. He was unlikely to stir up her shijie¡¯s emotions so vividly, so she asked in bewilderment, ¡° Shijie, that man isn¡¯t bad, but I heard that he has a vicious spiritual pet. If you get too close, you¡¯ll be injured. It¡¯s not worth the risk of disfigurement.¡±


    ¡°Oy, who said it was him? Look behind him at those other two. They¡¯re actually top quality goods.¡± Zhu Lan¡¯s eyes were fixed on a pair of men, and it took her a long time to reply to Hong Yan¡¯s question.


    Hong Yan squeezed forward, looked in the direction that Zhu Lan pointed, and was stunned.


    She saw two men, walking shoulder to shoulder head toward them. One dressed in black and the other in white, looking exceedingly harmonious.


    The black clad man was extremely beautiful but not effeminate. His skin was fair and he had a pair of eyes that were extremely bewitching, with a red mole beneath the right eye. His looks were seductive and combined with his pure and clean gaze, the result was striking.


    But compared to him, his companion in white made the women¡¯s hearts race even faster. Although the two men¡¯s looks were evenly matched, the man in black was just too beautiful and if a woman were to stand beside him, she would feel ashamed that her appearance wasn¡¯t up to snuff.


    The man in white was extremely handsome, with skin like white jade, and perfect facial features. Even though he was currently expressionless, the women still felt their hearts race. If he had even the slightest hint of a smile, perhaps no woman would be able to escape his charm.


    Peonies, magnolias, lotuses, lilies . . . various fresh flowers rained down on those below, but even more numerous were the embroidered handkerchiefs belonging to various young ladies of good repute. The sky was filled with flowers and handkerchiefs thrown at both Su Mujin and Gu Feng, and they were assaulted by the overwhelming fragrance.


    This chapter was co-translated with Fedentler


    I have to say, seeing Chu Feng finally experiencing the consequences of his previous actions is a bit delicious.