"Hoo..."
Finally, Lin Zhao let out a sigh of relief, preventing the military qi from completely consuming his mind. Otherwise, he would have broken through with military qi just now and become a genuine ten-realm military swordsman. While it might not seem like much, this was not the outcome Lin Zhao desired. The military path emphasized decisive action. If Lin Zhao had truly broken through with military qi, it would have inevitably undermined his Confucian foundation. In Lin Zhao's heart, he still hoped to break through as a Confucian.
After all, breaking through at this moment was essentially triggered by Gu Yan Shu's provocation, not because Lin Zhao's state of mind had truly opened. Such a breakthrough would inevitably be inferior.
...
He let out a sigh, turned around, and looked at the teary-eyed foolish boy in the bamboo forest.
"Master, is what he said true?"
Zhang Luo Bai's voice was choked with sobs, "You only took me as a disciple because I am the reincarnation of Zhang Liu Cheng? If I weren't, you would definitely not have taken me as a disciple, would you?"
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao nodded.
Instantly, the brat wailed, his heart shattered.
"What are you crying about?"
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, rubbed the brat's little head, spun around, and sat on the stone where Gu Yan Shu had just sat. He said sternly, "Stand up straight, wipe your tears, and look at me."
"Yes, Master!"
The brat reflexively straightened his body and wiped away his tears.
Lin Zhao said, "Your master treats you well, and it is indeed because you are the reincarnation of Zhang Liu Cheng. Zhang Liu Cheng was my best friend and my best brother back then. It's a pity I couldn't protect him, so I've always felt guilty towards Zhang Liu Cheng. You don't need to feel like your master doesn't truly care about you because of Gu Yan Shu's words. Luo Bai, you need to think about this. This is your fortune. Why is it that no one else is the reincarnation of Zhang Liu Cheng, but only you are? Fate decreed that you are Zhang Liu Cheng's reincarnation, and fate also decreed that you are Lin Zhao's disciple. Things that are fated cannot be taken away by others, and you must cherish them yourself."
"Yes!"
The young boy's eyes lit up. "Then Gu Yan Shu... is he trying to harm my Dao heart, Master?"
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Of course, he wants to harm my Dao heart even more."
"Then this person is truly detestable."
Zhang Luo Bai's eyes rolled, and a plan formed in his mind. "I want to harm his Dao heart too!"
"..."
Lin Zhao frowned, sensing that something bad was about to happen.
Suddenly, the young boy darted towards the pavilion with incredible agility. With a swish, he reached the top of the pavilion, then crouched, pulled down his pants, grasped the edge of the pavilion, took a deep breath, and in one fluid motion, let out a loud roar: "You villain, Gu Yan Shu, eat this young master's youtiao!"
"???"
The moment Gu Yan Shu looked up, a steaming hot "youtiao" landed squarely on his head, with one end even dangling over his forehead, emitting heat.
"..."
Lu Qi, Xu Shuo, Can Zhi, Liu Li Ying, Dong Cang, and the others were all stunned.
Indeed, worthy of being the Mountain Lord's disciple; their family traditions are truly pure.
...
White Emperor City.
In the evening, in a villa within the Embroidered Uniform Guard's compound, plum blossoms stood tall. It was precisely the season for plum blossoms to bloom. A figure was practicing swordplay in the courtyard. "Swish, swish, swish," sword lights whirled incessantly. Amidst the sword light, the figure was Su Xing He.
His master had instructed him to practice his swordplay ten thousand times, and Su Xing He was practicing with great diligence.
This set of sword techniques was a basic introductory technique, relatively simple, and took less than half a minute to complete. Yet, Su Xing He practiced each repetition with utmost seriousness. He was simply too envious. He had witnessed Lin Zhao's duels more than once. With five mid-grade flying swords and twelve low-grade flying swords, if Su Xing He were to enter the Star River realm, he too could wield so many flying swords. Would he still fear Passerby Wu Ming, Ding Chun Qiu, and the others?
"How many times now?"
Su Xing He finished another round and took a swig from the teacup handed to him by an Embroidered Uniform Guard maid.
"Let me see."
Not far away, sitting on a stone stool was a beautiful female mage, Su Xing He's trusted aide and Vice Alliance Leader, Yun Mi Wu Suo.
"Hmm, a total of..."
Yun Mi Wu Suo squinted her eyes and smiled, "Just two hundred more repetitions and it will be twenty thousand. Your progress isn't slow; keep up the good work."
"Alright."
Su Xing He took a deep breath and continued practicing his sword.
Yun Mi Wu Suo, on the other hand, rested her chin on her hands, watching him with a smile. The more she watched, the more she felt her Alliance Leader was full of manliness, far superior to the guys who pursued her in the guild.
As for Su Xing He, his heart was also complex. Yun Mi Wu Suo was indeed sweet and cute, but ultimately, she was not Shen Xing Chen. He wished that the person sitting on the stone stool accompanying him in his sword practice was Shen Xing Chen. Alas, Shen Xing Chen's personality was completely different from Yun Mi Wu Suo's. Her thoughts were too independent. Even if she were still in the Star River realm, she wouldn't waste her time practicing swords with him. Yun Mi Wu Suo was like a well-behaved little rabbit, but Shen Xing Chen was different. Despite her cute exterior, she was like a wild little cat; she wouldn't be tamed by ordinary men.
...
The next day, early morning.
Before dawn, Dong Cang was already awake, fetching water to wash dishes and also rinsing the peanuts she had dug up yesterday. These peanuts were still plump and would be very fragrant and glutinous when cooked. Such peanuts were the best accompaniment with wine. The young master loved them, and Old Huang, Su Shan Jun, Old Sword Immortal Han, and the others also particularly enjoyed them, so she wanted to make more.
Not far away, on the roof of the kitchen, sat a young sword cultivator in a deep purple long robe, carrying the unsheathed Xun Lu Sword on his back. It was Gu Yan Shu. He smiled faintly, "Miss Dong Cang, you're up so early?"
"Mmm."
Dong Cang was reluctant to speak with this Gu Yan Shu. Although he was nominally a guest of the young master, the young master had never been polite to him, constantly beating him until he vomited blood. Therefore, Dong Cang deduced that this Gu Yan Shu might not be a good person. From the words of Can Zhi, Lu Qi, and the others, it was also evident that Gu Yan Shu was likely a heinous criminal. The young master bringing him back to the mountain was probably just to give him a chance to repent.
Gu Yan Shu hugged the Xun Lu Sword and said lazily with a smile, "I heard that there were ten prodigies of the Great Chen Dynasty in the Mountain Peak Villa back then, and Lin Zhao was the head of those ten, right?"
"Yes."
Dong Cang continued to wash peanuts.
Gu Yan Shu squinted his eyes and chuckled, "Back then, when Lin Zhao practiced boxing with Chu Huai Xi and Chen Wan Li, he was covered in bruises from head to toe. You prepared the medicinal baths for him, didn't you? It's quite a karmic connection. It's a pity that after Lin Zhao killed the thirteen-realm Bai Lan with his sword, he died. He couldn't take better care of you. Otherwise, he should have sent you to a safe place like he did with Su Qing Jiu and Shi Hu. To put it bluntly, Lin Zhao didn't place you, Dong Cang, in that important a position."
Dong Cang frowned and said, "Dong Cang is just a maid. I never dared to overstep my bounds. Gu Yan Shu, you don't need to sow discord here; it's utterly pointless. Whether the young master treats Dong Cang well or not, Dong Cang knows best. Dong Cang is quite content to be herself in the Mountain Peak Villa now and has no further aspirations."
"Really not?"
Gu Yan Shu squinted his eyes and smiled. "To be honest, if you were to die again, or if you had the chance to reincarnate, would you rather be Su Qing Jiu or Dong Cang?"
"You!"
Dong Cang gritted her teeth and stood up, looking at Gu Yan Shu furiously. Such words were truly beyond the pale.
Gu Yan Shu laughed heartily, "If you become Su Qing Jiu, you will truly become Lin Zhao's darling, receiving his best and most abundant affection. That life-saving peach wood hairpin will be adorned in your hair, Dong Cang. Don't you want it?"
Saying this, Gu Yan Shu squinted his eyes, patted the Xun Lu Sword in his arms, and said with a smile, "I can show you a way. Besides killing and absorbing the essence, my Xun Lu Sword has another divine ability: it can find a person's Heavenly Fortune and destiny. Heavenly Fortune and destiny determine a person's cultivation, blessings, calamities, and so on throughout their life. And since you are familiar with Su Qing Jiu, you can find an opportunity to approach Su Qing Jiu and silently sever her Heavenly Fortune and destiny. I will then help you connect your Apricot Girl destiny. Afterwards, I will kill you with one sword, and it will be said that Dong Cang died an unnatural death. In more than ten years, with her Heavenly Fortune and destiny severed, Su Qing Jiu will inevitably die within ten years. Lin Zhao will also inevitably search for Su Qing Jiu's reincarnation. But he will never expect that her destiny has been altered, and the person who eventually reincarnates as Su Qing Jiu will be you, Dong Cang. Then you can truly become Su Qing Jiu, possessing her extraordinary cultivation, and receiving all of Lin Zhao's care."
Gu Yan Shu's gaze gradually turned cold, and he said with a smile, "If you are unwilling to do this, it's fine. Although my current realm is low, with the Xun Lu Sword in hand, it won't be too difficult to kill a middle five-realm Apricot Girl. I hope you will carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages."
"..."
Dong Cang frowned, gritted her teeth, and wished she were an eleven-realm spirit and could kill this villain with a single apricot branch.
Just then, a figure gracefully descended from the second floor of the Tian Ran Ju. It was Lin Zhao, a faint smile on his face. At this moment, his state of mind had finally opened. He had given Gu Yan Shu too many chances, but the other party refused to accept them. Since that was the case, wasn't fulfillment also a form of Confucian gentleness, benevolence, diligence, and frugality?
"Gu Yan Shu, that's enough."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled. "Let's go, come with me to the mountain peak. The grievances between you and I must be settled."
...
The two walked along the mountain path, ascending the stone steps slowly, without haste.
"Actually, since you arrived, the mountain path in the Mountain Peak Villa has become much cleaner. Sometimes Dong Cang is too busy to clean up in time, and leaves fall in abundance," Lin Zhao said.
"I know."
Gu Yan Shu smiled indifferently. "The road can be covered in dust, and so can the human heart."
"No regrets?"
Lin Zhao asked with a smile.
"No regrets."
Gu Yan Shu shook his head. "I have already reached this point. The human world's fireworks that you, Lin Zhao, wanted to show me, I have seen. To be honest, I yearned for it, and I liked it very much. I wished I could become someone by your side, even a lackey. But if I were to truly change my mind and become a scholar, to be a good person, and if you gave me that opportunity, Heaven and Earth would not give me that chance. Otherwise, wouldn't Xiao Cong, Liu Xing Shu, He Shu Fan, and the others have died in vain? Rather than that, as friends, I might as well help you one last time and assist you in breaking through."