Shen Gui slowly opened his eyes.
Returning to human form, he leaped out of the pool, rubbed his eyes, and yawned.
Come to think of it, it seemed he had fallen asleep again—ptui, gone into seclusion—for quite a long time?
As he thought this, Shen Gui quietly deduced the heavenly secrets. Then his mouth slowly fell open—he had slept for several thousand years?
Hongjun's second lecture had already passed!
Fortunately, his cultivation was not that high yet. Otherwise, if he slept for tens of thousands of years, everything would be too late.
Shen Gui comforted himself.
Besides, looking on the bright side, after so much time had passed, no matter how angry Nuwa had been, she should have calmed down by now, right?
After reassuring himself, Shen Gui left his cave abode.
The weather was quite nice today.
After thinking it over, Shen Gui remembered the lesson from his first day here and decided he should not wander around recklessly.
After all, he had only just arrived here back then when he had gone into seclusion for several thousand years to lie low. He knew absolutely nothing about the valley where Nuwa's cave abode was located. It would be bad if he accidentally violated some taboo again.
Fortunately, he could sense Qingluan's aura within the valley, so he decided to find her first.
After all, Qingluan was probably the person he knew best in this valley.
With that in mind, Shen Gui followed Qingluan's aura.
Before long, Shen Gui arrived outside another cave abode in the valley.
This was not the cave abode where Qingluan had first brought him and where he had encountered Nuwa. It was also rather secluded, and Qingluan's was the only aura inside. It was probably Qingluan's own cave abode within the valley.
Arriving outside, Shen Gui cleared his throat and sent his voice inside. "Is Fellow Daoist Qing Luan here?"
Not long after, Qingluan emerged from the cave abode in a set of azure robes.
Seeing Shen Gui standing outside, Qingluan looked astonished. "Oh? You actually came out of seclusion? I have to hand it to you. Even if you were afraid the Empress would settle accounts with you, there was no need to go into seclusion for several thousand years, was there?"
Shen Gui awkwardly rubbed his nose. I can't exactly say I overslept, can I?
However, before Shen Gui could come up with an excuse, Qingluan stared at him as though she had seen a ghost. Her gaze made the hairs on Shen Gui's body stand on end.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Luan, what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Qingluan looked Shen Gui up and down several more times before asking in disbelief, "Am I seeing this right? You're at the late Golden Immortal stage?"
"Huh?" Shen Gui froze slightly at her words, then hurriedly checked his cultivation. "It seems so!"
Seeing Shen Gui's baffled expression of How did I end up at the late Golden Immortal stage?, Qingluan nearly went crazy. "You reached the late Golden Immortal stage and you didn't know? Then how did you break through? I remember you were only at the early Golden Immortal stage before you went into seclusion, weren't you? How long has it even been, and you're already at the late Golden Immortal stage? How exactly do you cultivate?"
Questions poured from Qingluan's mouth like a barrage of cannon fire. Shen Gui gave a few awkward laughs, utterly at a loss for how to answer.
Would I get beaten up if I said I broke through after taking a nap?
That feels really dangerous!
When Shen Gui did not answer, Qingluan eyed him suspiciously. "Say, you didn't cultivate some kind of forbidden art, did you? That sort of thing can advance your cultivation quickly for a while, but the consequences are endless. Don't go down the wrong path."
Shen Gui blinked.
Does leveling up through sleep count as a forbidden art?
Probably... maybe... not?
Seeing Shen Gui remain silent, Qingluan assumed she had guessed correctly.
With a sigh, Qingluan spoke in an old-fashioned tone. "Listen, even if you're eager to cultivate, you can't practice forbidden arts. Good thing I found out early. Otherwise, if you ended up with some irreversible hidden danger, it would be too late for regrets! All right, it isn't too late to turn back. No matter what forbidden art you cultivated, don't practice it again. When the Empress returns, I'll ask her to examine you and see whether there are any hidden dangers. After all, you're one of the Empress's people now, so she can't just ignore you."
Shen Gui watched Qingluan talk to herself with a helpless expression.
I know you mean well, but why does that sound so weird?
Still, Shen Gui keenly caught the important point in Qingluan's words—Nuwa was not here?
Although Shen Gui knew perfectly well that the current Nuwa could not possibly know what would happen between her and the Mystic Tortoise in the future, and that even if she did know, she would not know the Mystic Tortoise was his incarnation, he could not help feeling guilty whenever he faced Nuwa.
Especially since he had made a huge blunder when he had first arrived here.
Therefore, hearing that Nuwa was absent, Shen Gui still heaved a sigh of relief.
After some thought, Shen Gui said, "It's only a minor matter. I don't think we should trouble the Empress with it. I know my own condition well enough. There shouldn't be any problem."
However, Qingluan glared at him again. "You know your own condition? If you did, why would you rush for quick results and cultivate forbidden arts? Don't worry, don't be embarrassed. The Empress treats her own people quite well. As long as you don't cultivate forbidden arts again, she won't blame you. You'll understand once you get more familiar with the Empress."
Shen Gui nodded helplessly, but a thought still surfaced in his mind.
Could it be that Nuwa only acts so goofy around people she knows?
Shaking his head, Shen Gui hurriedly cast the terrifying thought from his mind.
If I see Nuwa acting goofy one more time, she'll definitely silence me for good, won't she?
Before you continue