Bao Gu sat for half a day but couldn’t calm her mind. She simply got up and returned to her room to find Zi Yunshu, who was sitting by the window, enjoying her Monkey Wine with a contented expression. She called out, ” Little Martial Aunt,” and said, “Sister just went to send off the elders from Qingfeng Pavilion and to attend the alliance ceremony. Why hasn’t she returned after so long?”
Zi Yunshu glanced at Bao Gu and said, “The alliance ceremony requires the presence of important figures from both sects. Before the alliance, there are rituals to worship and report to the heavens. Do you think it’s like making a brotherhood among martial artists, where you just light three sticks of incense, bow, and say something like ‘not born on the same day of the same month of the same year but wish to die on the same day of the same month of the same year’ and it’s done?
Moreover, with the Taiyin Sect besieging us, even if Xuantian Sect and Qingfeng Pavilion join forces, the Taiyin Sect might not stop. If things go wrong, the Taiyin Sect might also invite other forces to join them in annihilating Xuantian Sect.” She glanced at Bao Gu and said, “The treasures on you, just taking out one could bring a disaster that could annihilate our sect.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and asked, “If Nanshan Yijian were to guard Xuantian Sect, would they dare to attack us again?”
Zi Yunshu was so shocked she almost fell from the window. She exclaimed, “Are you crazy? Haven’t you seen what Nanshan Yijian is like when he goes mad? And you still dare to invite him to guard Xuantian Sect! The Taiyin Sect was just probing and was easily annihilated by him, killing three Nascent Soul cultivators… You… are incredibly bold!”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “Maybe I can cure his madness.”
Zi Yunshu looked at Bao Gu as if she were insane.
Bao Gu said, “Little Martial Aunt, take me to Xuan Yue Ancient City.”
Zi Yunshu ignored Bao Gu.
Bao Gu knew that at this critical moment, Zi Yunshu would not let her go out. If she did, it would mean that Xuantian Sect was truly in danger. She thought for a moment and decided to call for Duobao Spirit Monkey. She called out seven or eight times before she saw Duobao Spirit Monkey poke half of its body out from the ground, staring at her with wide eyes. She said to Duobao Spirit Monkey, “Little monkey, please bring Nanshan Yijian to me.”
Zi Yunshu jumped down from the window and shouted, “Don’t go!”
Duobao Spirit Monkey looked at Zi Yunshu with its big, round eyes, then back at Bao Gu.
Bao Gu took out a pile of spiritual fruits and medicines from her storage bag and placed them in front of Duobao Spirit Monkey, saying, “The wine you gave me earlier, I sold a very small part of it. These are the spiritual fruits and medicines for the wine I sold, calculated at a price of one to five. Additionally, I gave some wine away as gifts, and I’ll also pay you at a one to five ratio for those, as if I bought them.” After saying that, she offered another pile of spiritual fruits and medicines.
Duobao Spirit Monkey happily accepted the pile of spiritual fruits and medicines that looked like a small hill, squeaked joyfully, and disappeared.
Zi Yunshu stared at Bao Gu and said, “Are you so confident? Aren’t you afraid of bringing a disaster that could annihilate Xuantian Sect?”
Bao Gu said, “Nanshan Yijian isn’t mad. He just couldn’t bear the blow of reality.”
Zi Yunshu angrily exclaimed, “Isn’t that still madness?”
Bao Gu said, “Little Martial Aunt, trust me. I wouldn’t risk my life and our foundation.”
Seeing Bao Gu’s confidence and recalling the discussions about Bao Gu she had heard in the sect, and also unable to chase after the elusive Duobao Spirit Monkey, Zi Yunshu chose to tentatively believe in Bao Gu.
Bao Gu’s eyes flickered, and she asked, “Little Martial Aunt, how did you know about Nanshan Yijian’s madness before? Weren’t you in seclusion?”
Zi Yunshu chuckled and said, “One of the reasons the Taiyin Sect attacked Xuantian Sect is because you used the mad Nanshan Yijian to plot against and kill three of Taiyin Sect’s Nascent Soul cultivators.”
The Taiyin Sect lost three Nascent Soul cultivators to Nanshan Yijian, and another was killed by her several senior brothers. Losing four Nascent Soul cultivators in one day is a huge loss for any sect. It’s no wonder the Taiyin Sect went mad!
Bao Gu guiltily shrank her neck and sat silently in the guest hall, waiting for Duobao Spirit Monkey to bring Nanshan Yijian.
Zi Yunshu had a thought and asked, “You’re not really…”
Bao Gu honestly replied, “I wanted the Taiyin Sect to suffer and know our strength, but I didn’t expect Nanshan Yijian to be so powerful.”
Zi Yunshu was speechless and became even more anxious. Bao Gu had just entered the world of cultivation and was inexperienced. It was extremely difficult for her to grasp the severity of situations, and a slight carelessness could lead to disaster. Zi Yunshu thought for a moment, took out a communication talisman, and secretly sent a message to her father, suggesting that Xuantian Sect should be prepared.
About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, Zi Yunshu suddenly received a message from her father: “Bring Bao Gu to the sect gate, fast! Immediately!”
Hearing her father’s urgent tone, Zi Yunshu knew something significant had happened. She said to Bao Gu, “Let’s go to the sect gate immediately.” As soon as she finished speaking, Duobao Spirit Monkey emerged from the ground and landed on Bao Gu’s shoulder . She asked, “Where’s Nanshan Yijian?”
Connecting it to her father’s message, she immediately understood and said to Bao Gu, “Follow me right now!” She grabbed Bao Gu’s waist, stepped on the defensive formation, and rushed out of Lingyun Peak, launching from the teleportation platform, instantly teleporting to the sect gate.
As soon as Bao Gu stepped out of the teleportation platform from the void with Zi Yunshu, she was startled by the scene in front of her. The first thing she saw was Nanshan Yijian in white clothes and white hair standing in front of the sect gate . Behind her were the masters of Xuantian Sect’s peaks, the Sect Master, the Acting Sect Master, Feng Shibo, her senior sister Yu Mi, the Acting Sect Master’s true disciple Nan Yi, and many other fellow disciples she had not seen before.
The Sect Master were the Pavilion Master of Qingfeng Pavilion, the left and right elders, and more than a dozen disciples of Qingfeng Pavilion. Not far behind Nanshan Yijian were many people dressed in Taiyin Sect’s attire, some riding demonic beasts or birds, some standing on flying swords or riding the wind, all floating in the air, forming a dense crowd that she could hardly count.
Seeing Yu Mi also there, Bao Gu’s nervousness inexplicably eased a lot. She turned to face Zitian Jun and said, “Bao Gu pays respects to the Sect Master, the Acting Sect Master, Feng Shibo, Pavilion Master Lu…” After paying her respects, she turned to face Nanshan Yijian. She took a deep breath, looked up at Nanshan Yijian who was staring intently at her, and said, “I have three things to show you. One is related to Su Yunxi, one is related to you, and one is related to me.”
Nanshan Yijian’s white clothes were stained with blood, like plum blossoms blooming during a grand festival. His casually flowing long hair moved with the wind, silver strands flying. He looked at Bao Gu expressionlessly, even his eyes seemed to be frozen.
Bao Gu looked into Nanshan Yijian’s eyes, thinking of her senior sister watching her from behind, and suddenly felt neither nervous nor afraid. She said, “Follow me! I’ll take you to a place.”
Without waiting for everyone’s reaction, she turned and walked towards Xuantian Sect. After walking a few steps, not hearing Nanshan Yijian’s footsteps following, she looked back and saw Nanshan Yijian following her with an indifferent expression.
She then looked back at the Taiyin Sect members in the air and noticed they seemed to be subdued by Nanshan Yijian. At that moment, she suddenly saw her Sect Master roar with great momentum, “Scram!” The roar, like thunder, made her ears buzz, her vision blur, and she almost lost her balance. Her ears rang continuously, and suddenly she couldn’t hear anything.
Bao Gu rubbed her ears, rubbed her eyes, shook her head, and after a while, she recovered. She quickly took out some Monkey Wine, took a sip to calm her nerves, and patted her chest, quickening her pace to leave.
Nanshan Yijian suddenly asked, “What wine is this?” As soon as he finished speaking, the gourd of Monkey Wine fell into Nanshan Yijian’s hands.
Bao Gu saw Nanshan Yijian staring at the gourd of Monkey Wine in a daze. She called out several times before Nanshan Yijian came back to his senses and threw the wine back to her.
A voice rang out from the direction of the Taiyin Sect members in the air, “Zi Tianjun, you’ve just stepped into the early stage of the Divine Transformation. What’s there to be arrogant about? Even if Xuantian Sect had three or five cultivators at your level, we wouldn’t be afraid! Today, since Nanshan Yijian is standing up for you, we’ll give him face!”
He coldly glanced at Zi Tianjun and said, “You’d better pray that Nanshan Yijian always protects you! Hmph, such arrogance relying on others! Let’s go!”
The imposing Taiyin Sect members in the air, like a cloud meeting a strong wind, were blown away.
Bao Gu scratched her head and muttered softly, “I feel embarrassed for them.” If Nanshan Yijian hadn’t appeared suddenly, given the Taiyin Sect’s formidable presence, the situation would have been very dangerous for Xuantian Sect. She said to Nanshan Yijian, “Follow me.”
Nanshan Yijian followed Bao Gu at a slow pace, lamenting, “You indeed have the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, but it’s too late, too late.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “As long as one hasn’t cultivated into an immortal, everyone will die one day. My father also loved my mother very much. My mother died when I was born, and my father was very sad. He never remarried in his life. He played both the roles of father and mother to raise me.”
Seeing Nanshan Yijian listening to her, she walked towards Lingyun Peak. She thought for a moment and said softly, “My father is similar to you, but because he had to raise me, he didn’t even have the chance to give up and go mad. But because he had me, he had the courage and hope to live on. The scariest thing for a person is to have no hope, no expectations.”
After finishing, she turned her head to look at Nanshan Yijian, who was following her at a slow pace, and said, “After my mother passed away, my father always kept her in his heart. He did everything my mother couldn’t do while alive… ”
She paused for a moment, looked back at Nanshan Yijian, and said, “Although I grew up without a mother, my father took very good care of me. He played both the roles of father and mother, giving me the love of both parents. I always feel like my mother is still alive, living in my father’s heart, always by his side, because my father is still alive, still remembers her, and does everything with her in mind.”
Nanshan Yijian remained silent.
Bao Gu saw that he had no reaction and didn’t know if he had listened. She continued along the main path of Xuantian Sect, the widest and broadest staircase. She said, “Everyone will die. Competing with fate often ends in defeat. A person’s life is so short. As long as you do everything you want to do while alive, you’ll die without regrets. Nanshan Yijian, I also thought about not wanting to be separated from my loved one by death in the future, leaving one person alone in the world to grieve. But fortune and misfortune are unpredictable, and the world is ever-changing. I really can’t guarantee that my loved one and I can cultivate into immortals and stay together forever. Later, I thought, if one day my loved one dies, I will live on for her, like my father did. I’ll do the things she couldn’t do, let people remember me and also remember her, remember that she is my beloved, and I am like this because of her. If my loved one dies before me, I only hope she can live well, cultivate into an immortal, and roam freely without worries.”
She said this with a happy smile on her face, “You know? I’m very useless, a Five Elements Root, always looked down upon by others. Everyone thinks my cultivation is a waste of resources. If it weren’t for the little monkey, I would have no hope of cultivating. Everyone protects me because the little monkey only wants to follow me, to help me. My loved one definitely won’t be as useless as me, definitely stronger than me. Thinking that she’s better than me makes me happy.”
Bao Gu suddenly realized that while saying these words, she was thinking of Yu Mi, unconsciously placing Yu Mi in the position of her loved one. She was so shocked that she shivered and silently chanted three times, “I don’t love my senior sister, I don’t love my senior sister, I don’t love my senior sister!”
How could it be my senior sister? My senior sister is so good to me, how could it not be her? My senior sister is a woman, how could it be her? Amitabha!
Bao Gu silently recited the Clear Mind Mantra and continued climbing the mountain. When she reached a place with a pavilion and a large fat eagle next to it, she took the small path next to the pavilion. She said to Nanshan Yijian, “This path leads to Xuantian Sect’s forbidden area. It used to be forbidden, but it seems not anymore.”
Nanshan Yijian still followed Bao Gu like a wooden person.
Bao Gu said, “Nanshan Yijian, I know you’re not mad. You must know what I’m going to do.”
Nanshan Yijian ignored Bao Gu and continued to follow her silently.
Yu Mi followed Bao Gu from a distance, watching Bao Gu lead Nanshan Yijian up the path to the site of Lingyun Peak, cursing in her heart, “This reckless little brat!”
She didn’t dare to get close to Nanshan Yijian, fearing that if Nanshan Yijian went mad, he would split her in half with a single sword strike! Even Nascent Soul cultivators with protective treasures were easily cut in half by him, and she was only at the early stage of the Golden Core. How could she be his opponent?
At most, at most, at most, out of the obligation of being a senior sister, she would risk her life to rescue her precious junior sister Bao Gu in case Nanshan Yijian suddenly went mad! Yu Mi knew that if Nanshan Yijian went mad and attacked her and Bao Gu, she would surely die. But she couldn’t just watch Bao Gu die! For the sake of the ancestral teachings, for the sake of Duobao Spirit Monkey, Bao Gu couldn’t die, right?
