“Mo Xuanli and Li Xiuran are the heroes of this incident. Not only did they destroy the Demon God Crystal, they also rescued the hostages and even retrieved the fragments. Their contribution to the cultivation world is truly immense. How could someone like that possibly… Dai’er, did you make a mistake?”
Baili Jingcheng held his daughter Zhenzhen in his arms, his expression solemn, especially as he looked at the small silver bracelet still worn on Zhenzhen’s wrist.
Pei Dai lowered her head. “I don’t know either, but judging by his current cultivation level and his prestige in the cultivation world, if it really is… what would happen? How about… testing it?”
Baili Jingcheng recalled his past suspicions toward Mo Xuanli and fell into deep thought.
Baili Jingcheng left the secluded place where his wife and daughter were recuperating, intending to go take a look at Gu Baiqing and the others.
Ever since Gu Baiqing woke up, he had taken Mo Xuanli from the place of medical treatment back to the small courtyard that had previously been prepared for them.
Although it was also a remote place, it was now frequently bustling with people coming and going, very lively.
This master and disciple pair already had extremely high prestige in the cultivation world.
Just as he was walking down the corridor and turned a corner, he heard people chattering as they discussed Mo Xuanli.
“The commotion from that spiritual power fluctuation just now was huge. Young Master Mo directly broke through successfully. Even though that courtyard has a barrier, everyone could feel it. It’s no worse than Young Master Li’s. These two are truly favored sons of heaven, way too powerful. I remember the last time I saw them, they were still just little kids at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now they’re both at the late Soul Transformation stage. Comparing people really makes one die of anger.”
“You should also look at who their master is. That’s the strongest person unanimously acknowledged by everyone after Immortal Baili Jin.”
“Gu Baiqing is indeed formidable, but he’s still not as good as Immortal Baili Jin back then. And I think his disciple will soon surpass him.”
“You’re not wrong, Young Master Mo really does have the bearing of Immortal Baili Jin back then. Although Immortal Baili Jin was good at the fire element, I remember he was actually dual-element fire and wind, just like Young Master Mo. When the two of them use fire techniques, they’re equally overpowering.”
“Right, right, right. I’ve actually seen Immortal Baili Jin. Speaking of it… the two really do look a bit alike. Maybe it’s reincarnation, hahaha.”
“That can’t be. The ages don’t line up. Didn’t they say Young Master Mo is an orphan? Maybe he’s Immortal Baili Jin’s illegitimate child who ended up in the mortal world.”
The two of them chatted and laughed, but upon turning their heads they encountered Baili Jingcheng’s gloomy expression. They were immediately frightened into offering salutations. After all, talking about someone’s deceased uncle behind their back was somewhat inappropriate.
Moreover, those a bit older all knew that back then this Baili Jingcheng had been Immortal Baili Jin’s little follower. Compared to his own father, his admiration for his little uncle bordered on blind worship, his uncle’s name was always on his lips, and in all matters he took his uncle’s words as the standard. Although he usually appeared gentle and amiable, under no circumstances should anyone show even the slightest disrespect toward Immortal Baili Jin in front of him, otherwise the outcome would be miserable.
However, it was obvious that the two of them were quite lucky today. Jingcheng merely passed by them with a gloomy face and a body full of baleful aura, heading straight toward the small courtyard where the spiritual power fluctuation was.
When Jingcheng arrived at the entrance of the small courtyard, he saw Fu Zhiyi about to go in, and stepped forward to greet him.
Fu Zhiyi smiled and said, “Just finished visiting the madam and your daughter?”
Jingcheng smiled and replied perfunctorily, “Yes. Then I felt the fluctuation, so I figured Xuanli should have successfully broken through.”
Fu Zhiyi nodded and said, “Yes. It wasn’t easy, after being unconscious for so many days.”
Jingcheng fell into silence.
Fu Zhiyi felt that everything had been a bit strange lately. Originally, he and Jingcheng could have had a lot to talk about.
But recently, Jingcheng seemed to have something on his mind. Although on the surface he was merely not as enthusiastic as before, Fu Zhiyi still keenly sensed that Jingcheng’s concerns were probably related to Zixiao Sect.
The first thing Fu Zhiyi thought of was a struggle for power and profit, after all, people do change.
After Tianzhao Sect was suppressed last time, now it was basically the two of them calling the shots.
And now that Mo Xuanli had become so outstanding, Zixiao Sect showed a tendency to dominate alone. It was inevitable that one would have to be a bit more careful in how one conducted oneself.
He only hoped that nothing troublesome would arise.
The two pushed the door open and went in, only then discovering that there was a layer of barrier outside the courtyard, and another layer of barrier outside the buildings.
Why would someone setting up a normal breakthrough need to set up so many barriers?
Jingcheng suddenly shook his head. He felt that he had fallen into a blind alley, seeing problems in everything. In the end, if Mo Xuanli really had an issue, shouldn’t Gu Baiqing have been the first to discover it?
Gu Baiqing was the representative of the righteous path; he couldn’t possibly condone evil.
He understood Gu Baiqing. Gu Baiqing wouldn’t…
Jingcheng suddenly froze. Did he really understand the current Gu Baiqing?
Clearly, Gu Baiqing had already done too many things that were beyond his expectations.
And their current relationship was that of dao companions… Perhaps Gu Baiqing had been blinded by emotion. After all, hadn’t that person back then, despite being so powerful, been deceived all the same?
So everything was still worth suspecting.
Just as Fu Zhiyi and Jingcheng were about to step closer and knock, they heard a heavy thump from the door or window.
Then came suppressed sounds, but they were still clearly heard by the two outside.
“Master… I miss you…”
“In broad daylight, at night… talk about it at night. Your friends will definitely come looking for you in a bit.”
“But you just split me with lightning…”
“How is that my fault?”
“It’s your fault…”
Immediately after came some ambiguous, indistinct sounds.
Fu Zhiyi still wasn’t quite used to it; his face turned green, and he directly coughed a couple of times.
Instantly, the sounds inside quieted for a moment, and then someone quickly came to open the door.
Gu Baiqing rushed out. Seeing the two at the door, he smiled in a self-deceptive way. “Why are you here?”
Looking at the traces of moisture at the corner of Gu Baiqing’s lips that hadn’t yet been wiped away.
Fu Zhiyi rolled his eyes, pretending not to see.
Before long, Mo Xuanli also came out with a flushed face and saluted the two of them.
Seeing how awkward the two looked, it truly resembled the embarrassment of being caught being intimate by elders.
“We sensed Xuanli’s breakthrough and came to take a look. I ran into Jingcheng outside,” Fu Zhiyi said.
Jingcheng’s gaze darkened slightly as it swept over Gu Baiqing, then settled on Mo Xuanli. He didn’t know if it was psychological, but he always felt that the aura on Mo Xuanli’s body wasn’t quite right. Just now, did he see a flash of red pass through his eyes?
He discovered that Mo Xuanli’s appearance was subtly changing along with the increase in his cultivation.
Mo Xuanli looked very much like… even more and more like… like… that person.
Back then, they had mobilized the entire Tianyuan Sect to hunt down mixed-bloods… leaving no survivors… It was impossible that they were still alive…
Both siblings couldn’t possibly be alive.
Impossible…
“Jingcheng also came to take a look?” Gu Baiqing couldn’t help asking when he saw Jingcheng looking at Mo Xuanli.
“Yes, because we need to confirm whether Xuanli is well. Once he is, we can set the time for the celebration banquet,” Jingcheng said, turning to look at Fu Zhiyi.
Fu Zhiyi nodded. “Indeed. We’ve been waiting for Xuanli, this great contributor.”
“This matter isn’t over yet?” Gu Baiqing frowned.
“It’s a phased victory, and the demon race probably can’t stir up much trouble anymore. Naturally, we should give everyone a bit of encouragement.” Fu Zhiyi didn’t object to this point.
Jingcheng said, “Since you’re both fine now, how about tomorrow?”
Fu Zhiyi also felt that it would work, and looked at Mo Xuanli. “Your body, ”
Mo Xuanli was just about to say that he was fine.
Suddenly, Gu Baiqing spoke up. “I’m afraid that won’t do. Our spirit beasts were severely injured, and we were originally planning that once Xuanli woke up, we would immediately rush to find them. So we won’t be attending the celebration banquet.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Gu Baiqing in surprise.
Gu Baiqing himself was also surprised, but instinctively he felt something was off, it felt too formulaic. Holding a celebration banquet in this kind of situation felt like something was bound to go wrong. As long as it wasn’t a system task requiring participation, it would be better for him to take Mo Xuanli and avoid it.
Moreover, he was genuinely worried about the message sent by Junhua, not knowing what exactly had happened.
However, aside from Mo Xuanli, who didn’t really mind, the other two were extremely opposed to Gu Baiqing’s stance.
At this point, Jingcheng didn’t even need to speak, Fu Zhiyi directly said, “As the absolute protagonists of the celebration banquet, you must attend. Otherwise, others will think you’re arrogant and disdainful of celebrating together with everyone.” If they didn’t attend, their good reputation would instantly be saddled with the label of arrogance. That was absolutely not acceptable.
Gu Baiqing frowned slightly.
Jingcheng also spoke up. “It’s just one day. It won’t delay anything. After all, there are still other fragments that haven’t been found. It’s impossible to waste time on celebrations. The day after tomorrow, you can set out.”
With both of them saying so, Gu Baiqing really couldn’t find a suitable excuse. Everything was probably just his own psychological effect. After thinking it over, in the end he could only agree.
After giving their instructions, Fu Zhiyi and Jingcheng left to get busy.
“Master…” Mo Xuanli stepped forward in confusion and said, “What’s wrong with you?”
Gu Baiqing frowned slightly, turned back, and pulled Mo Xuanli along, saying, “I just feel a bit uneasy. Am I overthinking it?”
Mo Xuanli couldn’t help but hug Gu Baiqing. From the moment he woke up, he had noticed that Master had been guarding his side the whole time. After experiencing the trip to the demon realm, seeing his older sister, being forced to face past memories and the disgrace of his origins, this person was still by his side as always. He felt a peace he had never known before, how could he possibly feel uneasy?
“Master must be feeling sorry for me and worrying about me. Master, don’t worry. I’ve controlled the demonic nature very well. Didn’t it recover just now with Master giving me a little jolt of lightning?” Mo Xuanli said as he hugged him and rubbed against him. “I feel my cultivation is fine too. I’ll be able to catch up to Master very soon. Once I reach the Tribulation stage and the eight fragments are gathered, I can become an ordinary person again. Then Master can be at ease.”
Seeing that Mo Xuanli was in a good mood and full of hope, not needing him to do any more mental reassurance, Gu Baiqing still felt somewhat relieved.
Moreover, Mo Xuanli could now be considered someone who had rendered great service to the entire cultivation world. There really shouldn’t be any more problems.
Just as he was thinking this, Mo Xuanli suddenly spoke up and asked, “Master, Senior Sister Nan Zhi…”
Gu Baiqing smiled and said, “Worried?”
Mo Xuanli lowered his eyes and said, “I’m afraid I’ve disappointed her.” To Mo Xuanli, Senior Sister Nan Zhi was also like an Older Sister. Although this Older Sister wasn’t talkative or smiling, she had still given Mo Xuanli a lot of help during his early cultivation.
Gu Baiqing patted Mo Xuanli’s head and smiled. “No. She didn’t say anything. It was probably Yun Yue’s matter that affected her mood. After her injuries recovered, she went straight back to Zixiao Sect, saying she wanted to go into closed-door cultivation. Before leaving, she even came to visit you.”
“Really?” Mo Xuanli said in surprise.
Seeing him still smiling so innocently over such matters, Gu Baiqing’s mood also improved. “Mm. See? Everyone can see your efforts. Those who truly acknowledge you won’t care about your past.”
Mo Xuanli’s gaze couldn’t help but soften as he wrapped an arm around Gu Baiqing. “Thank you, Master…”
The atmosphere was just right. As soon as their gazes met, they couldn’t help but draw close to each other, sharing a lingering kiss in the quiet little courtyard.
But it was soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps.
When everyone came over noisily, they saw Gu Baiqing pushing Mo Xuanli away, and everyone hurriedly pretended that they hadn’t seen anything.
Gu Baiqing coughed lightly, thinking of making room for the youngsters, but Mo Xuanli grabbed Gu Baiqing and wouldn’t let him leave.
The others had also gotten used to naturally facing this immortal senior who had no airs about him.
Ji Chuling even stepped forward with a grin and said, “Big Brother Gu, hurry and tell me about what happened afterward. I heard from Xiuran that everyone split up to act? Nan Zhi left before I woke up, there was no one to ask at all.”
Jingzhan also said excitedly, “Yeah, you ran into that Saintess, right? How was it exactly? Was she strong? I heard she’s a super great beauty?”
Everyone sat around in the courtyard, talking about what happened afterward.
Of course, the Saintess’s identity couldn’t possibly be revealed. Even Yun Yue was only said to be an ordinary demon race spy, so she wasn’t brought back, otherwise things would have become troublesome.
Ji Chuling’s expression turned ugly as she said, “I remember now. Back when we were with the Hidden Gods Clan… so she was a spy.”
Li Xiuran held Ji Chuling’s hand to comfort her.
“I’m fine. I’m worried about Nan Zhi. Nan Zhi was so close with her back then,” Ji Chuling said, shaking her head with a sigh.
“No wonder Nan Zhi looked so bad before,” Si Chun frowned and said. “Fortunately, you’re all fine. It’s all thanks to Big Brother Gu.”
“Oh right, did Qian Yue come looking for you?” Xie Qingrong asked.
Gu Baiqing shook his head and said, “I haven’t seen him. What’s wrong with him?”
Jingzhan shrugged. “He disappeared without a word. Since when did that monk become so unsociable?”
Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli exchanged a glance, understanding in their hearts.
After that, Li Xiuran invited Mo Xuanli to spar again. Two cultivators at the late Soul Transformation stage forcibly fought with the might of the Immortalization stage. With that kind of momentum, probably the entire Tianyuan Sect could see it.
“Do these two really not know what rest is?” Jingzhan sat below, drinking small wine and complaining.
“This is the difference between them already being at the Soul Transformation stage and you still being at the Core Formation stage,” Si Chun raised an eyebrow, lifting her hand as she admired the battle above.
“Tch, one must enjoy life while one can. If I learned from those two, I’d exhaust myself to death,” Jingzhan said.
“Xiuran is more hardworking than before. His cultivation hasn’t stopped at all lately,” Ji Chuling couldn’t help but complain as well. “Even though the crisis has clearly been resolved.”
“This is called preparing for a rainy day. After this time, I’ve also realized that if you’re not strong enough, you can’t protect anything. So diligent cultivation is still very necessary,” Xie Qingrong said with a smile.
Actually, Gu Baiqing could tell that Li Xiuran had some things he wanted to teach Mo Xuanli, probably some techniques regarding the God-Slaying Sword that the Hidden Gods Clan had taught him.
Afterward, several people who couldn’t sit still joined the fight one after another. Friends mixed together in a chaotic battle, some fighting, some coming down to drink, occasionally asking Gu Baiqing for a bit of guidance, or else chatting about outside gossip. It was extremely carefree and satisfying, truly resembling a real celebration banquet.
In the end, after drinking quite a lot, Mo Xuanli grinned and handed Gu Baiqing a cup of wine. Gu Baiqing hadn’t wanted to drink it, but with everyone around cheering him on, and Mo Xuanli’s eyes seeming to be filled with stars and irresistibly captivating, Gu Baiqing drank the wine without any resistance.
The moment it entered his mouth, sweet and mellow, he suddenly realized, wasn’t this Little Mo Dog’s cup? This kid was always playing these little tricks. After that, he lost all awareness.
Everyone discovered that Gu Baiqing seemed to be drunk, already asleep with his head resting on the table. Looking again at the sky, they realized they had been playing around for an entire day, and one by one they headed back.
They agreed to attend the celebration banquet together the next day and have a good time again.
Mo Xuanli saw everyone off.
Li Xiuran was the last to leave.
“There’s still one fragment,” Li Xiuran said.
Mo Xuanli nodded.
Li Xiuran extended his fist, and Mo Xuanli directly bumped it.
“At that time we’ll drink your wedding wine.”
“Who knows whether it’ll be you and Chuling first,” Mo Xuanli said with a smile.
In the distance, Ji Chuling and Si Chun supported each other as they walked. Seeing that Li Xiuran hadn’t caught up, they called out to him.
Only then did Li Xiuran leave.
The young companions followed the long corridor as it extended toward different courtyards, gradually dispersing.
Si Chun returned alone to Chuixue Pavilion courtyard. Listening to the sisters inside chattering about Li Xiuran and Mo Xuanli, she smiled faintly. She had drunk too much, didn’t join in the talk with everyone, and went back to rest.
Just as she stepped through the door, a black shadow appeared behind Si Chun, and by the time she noticed it, it was already too late.
At the same time, Jingzhan was kicked out of the room by Xie Qingrong.
“What are you doing!” Jingzhan made a drunken fuss.
Xie Qingrong directly said to the people outside, “Send Young Master Baili back.” This kid was extremely annoying when drunk; even Xie Qingrong, with his good temper, didn’t want to sleep together with Jingzhan.
“Hey, let’s chat. Aren’t we brothers!” Jingzhan slapped the door, making a drunken fuss, but before long he fell asleep at the doorway and was carried back.
Inside, Xie Qingrong, who was sitting in meditation cultivating, helplessly shook his head with a light laugh. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly sensed something wrong inside the room. The instant he opened his eyes, everything was already too late.
On the other side, Tianzhao Sect’s courtyard was extremely lively, because the eldest young master He Zixiao, who had been punished to kneel, was caught red-handed while secretly trying to escape.
“You good-for-nothing.” He Jingyuan beat He Zixiao up, and He Zixiao was once again punished and locked back in his room.
Recently, Li Xiuran’s and Mo Xuanli’s excellence had made He Jingyuan jealous to the point of red eyes, especially since Li Xiuran showed even greater closeness toward the Hidden Gods Clan, basically following Ji Chuling around. This made Tianzhao Sect a laughingstock, their only genius was going to marry into the Hidden Gods Clan. How could he not be furious?
But speaking of Li Xiuran’s relationship with Tianzhao Sect, back then only the eldest miss He Zixuan had regarded Li Xiuran highly; the others all…
His useless daughter couldn’t snatch a man back, his useless son’s cultivation wasn’t good and he had no ambition. It was truly infuriating.
“Go, find someone to call Li Xiuran over for me.”
“Father, what do you want with him?” He Zixuan couldn’t help frowning.
He Jingyuan said harshly, “I want to ask him whether he’s going to be the Hidden Gods Clan’s son-in-law, or my son-in-law.”
He Zixuan’s face changed drastically. “If you want to discipline your son, then discipline your son. Don’t meddle in my affairs, alright?”
“No!” He Jingyuan was determined to go his own way. He Zixuan was so angry that she turned and left.
Li Xiuran did indeed come over afterward, but after hearing He Jingyuan’s words, he refused on the spot.
He Jingyuan was so angry that he directly found all sorts of excuses and used his position as sect master to pressure him, punishing Li Xiuran to kneel.
Li Xiuran didn’t really mind. He just felt that once this matter was over, he and Tianzhao Sect probably wouldn’t have any further ties.
As the sky gradually brightened, He Zixuan appeared in front of Li Xiuran. “You can go.”
Li Xiuran didn’t lift his head and said, “Senior Sister, you’ve treated me very well, but I’m sorry.”
“I know.” He Zixuan gave a desolate smile. “I originally thought… you’d be willing to have both, but… it seems I was mistaken.”
Li Xiuran’s heart stirred. “I’ve seen what a beautiful relationship looks like. There’s no such thing as having the best of both worlds.”
He Zixuan said no more and urged Li Xiuran to leave. She didn’t want to see Li Xiuran anymore either.
And just at this moment, cries came from He Zixiao’s room, it was the servants shouting.
Li Xiuran and He Zixuan immediately rushed over, only to see a servant collapse to the ground, shouting that He Zixiao had been kidnapped.
“Did you see clearly who it was?” Li Xiuran pressed.
“It was… I don’t know if I saw wrong, but… but that person’s brows and eyes looked like… like Young Master Mo.”
Li Xiuran’s first reaction was: how could that be possible.
Even He Zixuan spoke up. “Don’t talk nonsense. Wasn’t he acting again and escaping? You can’t casually slander others. Forget it, don’t bother with him.”
The servant was instantly aggrieved, wanting to say that this wasn’t an act at all, he had really been taken away.
But clearly, He Zixiao’s dark history was far too extensive. No one would believe it.
He Zixuan directly told Li Xiuran to leave. As for her useless younger brother, she would look for him herself.
Li Xiuran also didn’t take it seriously, but before leaving, seeing the servant’s agitated appearance, he felt a vague sense of unease.
He hurried back to find the drunken, unconscious Ji Chuling.
After knocking, he heard Ji Chuling’s voice, as if she had just woken up.
“Wait a moment, I’ll get dressed.”
Li Xiuran stood guard at the door, listening to the rustling sounds of her getting dressed inside.
Suddenly, the sounds inside went still.
Immediately after, he heard Ji Chuling cry out in alarm, “Xuanli?!”
When Li Xiuran rushed in, he only saw a shadow flash past. He immediately chased after it.
At the same time, in the maple tree courtyard, Gu Baiqing was awakened by the morning light outside the window.
His memories gradually recovered bit by bit. In a daze, he only saw the swaying world, Mo Xuanli’s constantly heaving shoulders, and the rising and falling of a solid chest.
In his ears there were only Mo Xuanli’s gradually hoarse, intoxicating sweet words.
From one “Master” after another to one “Baiqing” after another.
The skin all over his body went from sweat-soaked to numb and itchy with slight pain, then to strange sensations, until everything finally returned to clarity.
And now Gu Baiqing only felt himself naked, tightly held in another solid body. Not to mention that a certain place was still displaying its owner’s morning vigor between his legs, extremely decadent and improper.
Gu Baiqing’s waist was sore and his back ached, and his legs were so numb he couldn’t feel them.
But Mo Xuanli was still restrained, so in the end he hadn’t crossed the boundary.
Gu Baiqing inexplicably felt a bit regretful. After all, they had drunk alcohol, he had essentially let Little Mo Dog do as he pleased, yet this kid still… Actually, a little bit should have been fine, right?
Gu Baiqing thought about it and still felt a bit shy, wanting to lift his leg and move away.
As a result, the person behind him instantly woke up, the embrace tightening at once, and dense, lingering light kisses came again by the root of his ear.
“Master……” The coquettish voice foreshadowed something.
Behind him also began to move restlessly.
Gu Baiqing’s eyes gradually became hazy; the bamboo bed, lacking last night’s barrier, became unstable.
Inside the room, a cheerful melody gradually sounded.
If it weren’t for the time of the celebration banquet arriving, they probably wouldn’t even go out during the day.
Gu Baiqing stopped Mo Xuanli, who was unwilling to stop, coaxing him as he said, “After the celebration banquet ends……”
He truly was becoming more and more lacking in principles; he really should have put a stop to this utterly unrestrained activity.
But looking at Mo Xuanli’s face, he could only compromise to this extent.
Mo Xuanli gently bit Gu Baiqing’s nose tip and said hoarsely, “Okay.”
When the two appeared at the celebration banquet, many people had already arrived. The banquet was arranged around the Skyfire rankings in the plaza.
Upon seeing the two appear, everyone voiced congratulations and exchanged pleasantries, but not a single person familiar to Mo Xuanli was present. Could it be that everyone was drunk and hadn’t gotten up yet?
Mo Xuanli clung to Gu Baiqing as they walked to their seats and sat down, obediently arranging food for Gu Baiqing, while Gu Baiqing chatted with Fu Zhiyi.
Suddenly, someone hurried over to report to Fu Zhiyi: “Zixiao Sect sent word, Nan Zhi didn’t return, seems to have gone missing halfway, and also… the disciple previously taken in, Lou Zixiao, has also suddenly disappeared.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli’s expressions both changed.
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