Gu Qingshan felt he had chosen correctly.
As a divine being of Yellow Springs, choosing the Yellow Springs World and weathering his tribulation on the River of Forgetfulness made perfect sense.
It was hardly a trick.
He stood before the old man and smiled. "Elder, look, can we turn our hostility into friendship?"
The old man stared at him.
Gu Qingshan gave the Hell-Suppressing Ghost King Scepter in his hand a little shake.
A breath of silence passed.
"Hahahaha!" The old man suddenly threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Look at that, look at that! It's just like floodwaters washing into the Dragon King's temple! I only wanted to test your character in the face of hardship."
"And then?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"You are a gentleman, pure as jade and steadfast as pine, refined and elegant, upright and openhearted, possessed of profound virtue, above vulgar conventions, and as spotless as ice and snow."
The old man rocked his head back and forth with the scepter, rattling off a long string of words.
"Mm, I see." Gu Qingshan nodded with satisfaction.
Inside his Sea of Consciousness, Earth Sword quietly said, "Mountain Girl, Tide-Sound, you might not know this, but after all those compliments, the old man only got one of them right."
Mountain Girl couldn't help asking, "Which one?"
Earth Sword was about to answer when another sword smacked him flying.
"Don't listen to his nonsense."
Luo Bingli yawned and spoke lazily.
She had woken up.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"It's a long story..." Mountain Girl began explaining slowly.
Up in the tree, Gu Qingshan naturally knew what was happening in his Sea of Consciousness, but he couldn't be bothered with Earth Sword just then.
Gu Qingshan looked at the old man and said, "Tell me about your