Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan watched Ye Chen clutch the painting and say "Mm" with a blissful expression. Both of their foreheads twitched.
"Pathetic!"
Ye Jinglan rolled his eyes irritably, too lazy to bother with this fellow whose brain worked differently from ordinary people.
Gu Mo also shook his head speechlessly. Ye Chen's train of thought was sometimes so bizarre that no one could keep up. He stopped paying attention to him and returned his focus to searching for the restriction.
Ye Jinglan likewise composed himself and continued investigating.
Both were top experts of the age, and their senses were extraordinary.
Gu Mo calmed the mind. The moon-white true qi winding around his fingertips was like the most precise probe, sweeping carefully over every inch of the Underground Palace's stone walls and ground, even penetrating the rock strata below. Ye Jinglan, meanwhile, closed his eyes and sensed the extremely faint residual energy fluctuations in the air.
Time passed bit by bit. The only sound in the Underground Palace was Ye Chen's rustling as he rummaged through treasures.
Finally, Gu Mo stopped in an apparently ordinary corner of the Underground Palace. He crouched down, lightly pressing his palm against a cold white-jade floor tile, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Found it?" Ye Jinglan immediately approached.
"Mm, it's very well hidden," Gu Mo said gravely. "It isn't a restriction attached to the surface of the building. It is directly linked to an Earth Veins deep underground. This restriction... rather than protection, it is an elaborate trap. It is the most primitive kind of formation. Without special power, it is no wonder my Nascent Soul Power could not sense it."
As he spoke, true qi flowed from Gu Mo's fingertips, tracing complex patterns over the floor tile. "Look. The core nodes of this restriction reach deep underground and connect to the Undercurrent System beneath this lake bottom. Once it is triggered by force or dismantled incorrectly, it will instantly destroy the geological balance here, causing the water level across the entire lake to plunge abruptly and form enormous whirlpools and impacts.
"When that happens, not only will the Underground Palace be completely destroyed and buried, but the flood caused by the lake water rushing backward may even affect parts of Chang'an City. The consequences would be unimaginable. Forget taking away the valuables here—even surviving after entering would count as extraordinary luck!"
"It suits that old undead Qi Miaoxuan perfectly," Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice. "In his eyes, human lives are no different from ants. So if ordinary people broke in, even someone as lucky as Ye Chen, who could avoid the Poison Bead and not touch it, would still see the Poison Bead destroyed and erupt beneath this self-destructing formation, endangering Chang'an City."
Gu Mo nodded slightly.
"Brother Gu, can you resolve it?" Ye Jinglan asked.
"It is somewhat troublesome, but manageable," Gu Mo said. "This restriction is tightly fused with the Earth Veins. Breaking it with brute force carries too much risk. I need to use pure internal energy to reverse-analyze its energy patterns, find its most crucial 'anchor points,' then peel them away and erase them one by one without disturbing the Earth Veins' water flow. It will take some time."
For an ordinary person, even a formation Grandmaster would find this primitive self-destructing grand formation troublesome, because the slightest carelessness would set it into operation and cause it to self-destruct. But Gu Mo's true qi was vast, and he could first use it to forcibly stabilize every anchor point of the grand formation.
"Brother Gu, proceed without concern. I will guard you," Ye Jinglan immediately said.
Gu Mo said no more. He slowly crouched down with both palms facing the ground, and dense pale-golden true qi, almost tangible, gradually seeped into the floor. That true qi did not erupt with fierce force. Instead, it was like the most nimble carving knife and the toughest silk thread, cautiously probing underground, traveling along the restriction's invisible veins, analyzing and stripping them away. The entire Underground Palace seemed to tremble slightly, while an intangible pressure spread through the air.
Time passed as Gu Mo focused entirely on breaking the restriction.
About half an hour later, the light in Gu Mo's palms flared, then slowly subsided.
Gu Mo stood and said, "Done. The restriction has been completely erased, and its connection to the Earth Veins has been cut. This place is safe now. You can arrange for people to enter and remove the valuables at any time. Though they cannot compare to the wealth of the He Xu Ruins, using this money on the battlefield will let many more Soldiers survive."
"This is already a great deal of money," Ye Jinglan said heavily. "By my rough estimate, it is worth no less than two hundred thousand taels. It can forge a great many weapons and suits of armor. Jiang Kingdom is cold. If these two hundred thousand taels were all exchanged for clothes, many Soldiers could survive the winter cold as well. Ah, war, war—what does war fight over, if not money and lives?"
At the side, Ye Chen hugged the painting and did not dare speak.
He feared that the two men from Gan Country would become righteously indignant while discussing affairs of state, then beat up this man from Chu Kingdom to vent their anger.
First of all, he could not defeat Gu Mo. As for Ye Jinglan, he did not know why, but although Ye Jinglan was currently only barely ranked tenth on Gan Country's Heavenly Ranking, this Chu Kingdom's Third Master always had the feeling that he could not defeat Ye Jinglan.
"Let's go."
Gu Mo waved his hand. "Brother Ye, I will not involve myself in transporting the valuables afterward. Be careful. The sealed boxes must be sturdy enough. Do not let the lake water corrode what is inside, especially the jewelry and silk."
"I know. I will personally keep watch!" Ye Jinglan thumped his chest in assurance.
The three immediately returned the way they came, passing through the underwater passage and emerging from the lake.
Outside, Su Ziyou had already waited anxiously for a long while. Upon seeing them emerge, he immediately sighed in relief.
Once he learned that the matter had been handled, the weight hanging over his heart finally fell away. All the worries of recent days vanished in an instant.
Afterward,
Gu Mo and Ye Chen left first.
Ye Jinglan immediately directed the Imperial City Division elites who had long been waiting. Carrying a large number of specially made sealed boxes, they began diving in a tense yet orderly manner to transport the Underground Palace's valuables.
The lake's surroundings had long drawn countless Chang'an citizens to watch because of the large numbers of troops being deployed and the blockade. The crowd surged and murmured, all guessing what major event had occurred beneath the calm lake surface.
Gu Mo and Ye Chen crossed the outer soldier cordon, blended into the bustling crowd, and headed toward Ye Manor.
Although Gu Mo had never been overly pressed for time, he had always been somewhat concerned about the Poison Bead. Though it certainly could not affect him, he did not wish to see all of Chang'an suffer such a tremendous calamity.
At this moment, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Just as he moved with the crowd and passed an intersection, an extremely faint yet exceptionally clear sensation suddenly stirred in his heart without warning. The feeling... was like a cold strand of Spider Silk lightly brushing over the lake of his heart, carrying an indescribable meaning.
Gu Mo abruptly stopped and spun around!
His gaze flashed like lightning, sweeping instantly over the bobbing heads behind him, the noisy vendors, the rows of shops... Everything appeared so normal and clamorous. That faint sensation had come quickly and vanished even faster, as though it had merely been an illusion. His sharp gaze carefully searched the crowd, yet he could no longer catch any abnormal aura.
"Big Brother, what is it?" Ye Chen asked doubtfully, hugging the painting as he noticed Gu Mo stop.
Gu Mo frowned tightly and sensed his surroundings for a while longer before finally shaking his head slowly.
He could not explain it. That feeling just now had seemed like a stir from biological instinct, yet it was neither attraction nor a summons. He simply felt that something unique had appeared for a moment.
It had merely vanished in a flash.
The two then continued onward, their figures quickly disappearing around the street corner.
And in the direction Gu Mo had just looked, at a quiet corner of a tea stall not far from the intersection, beside a crude wooden chessboard.
Liu Zhongfu, the white-haired "Chess Maniac" who was rather famous in the Capital City, was scratching his head in frustration before the board, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Across from him sat a young gentleman dressed in an elegant azure robe. His features were ordinary, yet his bearing carried an indescribable calmness and depth.
On the chessboard, Liu Zhongfu's black chess pieces were already surrounded on all sides, and defeat was certain. After racking his brains, he finally dropped a chess piece in resignation and conceded. Sighing in admiration, he said, "Young master, your skill at chess is divine. This old man... willingly admits defeat! May I ask your honored name? This old man has some modest reputation in the Capital City's chess circles, yet I have never heard of a figure such as yourself."
The young gentleman smiled faintly. His smile was gentle, but beneath his eyes seemed to lie ten thousand years of ice. He slowly gathered the Chess Pieces, his movements elegant.
Upon hearing the old man's question, his hands paused slightly, as though he were considering it. Only then did he raise his eyes and softly say in a somewhat playful tone, yet one that seemed to state the most ordinary fact in the world:
"My name... is still... Qi Miaoxuan."
As soon as the words fell, he rose leisurely, straightened his robe, which had not a single crease, and turned to blend into the clamorous crowd behind him. Like a drop of water melting into the sea, he vanished without a trace in an instant.
Only Liu Zhongfu remained at the tea stall, still staring blankly at the unfinished game.
This Qi Miaoxuan was precisely the old undead Qi Miaoxuan whom Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan had mentioned.
However, after the battle in Mobei last year, Qi Miaoxuan had never expected Gu Mo to be the world's third dragon. This caused the Azure Dragon Soul within the Reverse Scale Blade to awaken early. With one hand suppressing the Dragon Soul and the other fighting Gu Mo, he had been beaten bruised and swollen before fleeing in disgrace.
Afterward,
He absorbed the Fire Kirin's physical body to strengthen himself, then used himself as a formation to fuse with the Fire Kirin's Origin Qi and Ancestral Fire. He suppressed the Dragon Soul and fulfilled his scheme of a slave devouring his master. By now, he had successfully sealed the Dragon Soul within the Reverse Scale Blade, where it burned without rest or sleep.
As he walked, Qi Miaoxuan entered a domain state. Though he still walked down the street, no one could see him.
He said softly, "Azure Dragon, that little action of yours just now was rather embarrassing. Back then, you wanted to seize the third dragon's physical body for your own use. Yet now, you actually asked him for help. Before, you treated him as your container, and now you want him to be your kind? You really look like a dog now!"
Qi Miaoxuan's chest rose and fell faintly. Then Azure Dragon's voice sounded beside his ear. "Lowly slave, do not be so smug. I may die, but Origin Qi will not disperse. Once you die, I will still have a chance to reappear in this world!"
Qi Miaoxuan said, "I may have to disappoint you. I will not die. I will even become the Heavenly Dao that you can only dream of reaching."
"Delusional ravings. The God in Beyond the Heavens was the first living being in the world to awaken intelligence, yet even It could not become the Heavenly Dao. You... are merely dreaming. An ant spying the heavens from a well. In the past, I blocked you from Its sight. Now, do you think you can still hide?" Azure Dragon mocked.
Qi Miaoxuan chuckled. "Azure Dragon, do you know what you beasts are most inferior to humans in?"
"What? You are the beast!" Azure Dragon roared.
"Humans use their brains, but you do not," Qi Miaoxuan said. "Think about it. How many ages have you existed? How long have humans existed? Not even a fraction of your time. Yet you still lose to humans.
"Does the God in Beyond the Heavens not merely rely on a Heavenly Gate and an Inner Demon to watch the human world? As long as someone deals with those two things, God will be unable to see the affairs of the human world for a short time. Then I will have time to do everything I need to do.
"One day in heaven, one year on earth. By the time Beyond the Heavens watches the human world again, I will have grasped every powerful force in this world. That will already be enough for me to fight my way into Beyond the Heavens. What is a God then?"
Azure Dragon sneered. "Merely the words of one who views the sky from the bottom of a well!"
Qi Miaoxuan said disdainfully, "I am an Innate Sage to begin with. Add your Azure Dragon spatial power, the invincible killing might of the Reverse Scale Blade, and the inexhaustible energy of the Fire Kirin. Once I kill the Seven-Colored Peacock and gain its Undying and Unperishing ability, will that still not be enough to kill a God?
"If that is still not enough, it does not matter. I will kill the Mysterious Turtle and fuse with its invincible defensive ability, then control the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror. If that is still not enough, I will borrow Human World Power. What is a God?"
Azure Dragon said gravely, "The moment you kill the Inner Demon and eliminate the Heavenly Gate, God will definitely see you. By then, you will have no chance to carry out any of your later plans."
Qi Miaoxuan chuckled. "I have already said it. I will not kill it personally. Were you not just asking your kin—that Gu Mo—for help? Is he not the most suitable candidate to kill the Inner Demon?"
"You came here to draw him into a battle with the Inner Demon?" Azure Dragon asked in confusion.
"What else did you think?" Qi Miaoxuan said. "If I wanted to stop them from finding the Poison Bead, I could have remotely controlled it and detonated it directly, plunging all of Chang'an City into plague. Why would I make this trip?
"The Inner Demon invades anyone in the world who touches the barrier of the Ascension Realm. Though among a hundred such people, perhaps not even one can successfully ascend, the Inner Demon will invade them beforehand to prepare.
"By Gu Mo's side, there are now two people who have theoretically reached that threshold. One is Ye Jinglan, and the other is Ye Chen.
"Three hundred years ago, when the Inner Demon found Yu Shier, I fought him in secret and intercepted a trace of the Inner Demon's power. It is now in the Cold Mountain Treasury. Ye Jinglan's mind is strong, and that trace of Inner Demon power cannot shake him. I deliberately laid out a scheme targeting Ye Chen's mental weakness—lust. That boy will definitely catch the Inner Demon's eye.
"Once something abnormal happens on Ye Chen's side, Gu Mo will discover it. Gu Mo also happens to possess a trace of the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror's Origin Qi. With his talent, he should discover that he can use reincarnation Origin Qi to restrain the Inner Demon.
"Even if Gu Mo lacks the ability to kill the Inner Demon, he can certainly wound it heavily. Conveniently, there is currently a heaven-blessed prodigy named Jiang Ruoxu in the human world. He can deliver the finishing blow. He is the most talented person in the human world in more than a thousand years, having touched the realm Above Ascension with a purely human body.
"Gu Mo has also touched Above Ascension, but he is a dragon after all. Hmm, speaking of which, you did not leave behind dragon eggs or anything back then. By rights, apart from dragon veins, there should not be any more dragons, should there?"
Azure Dragon fell silent. Clearly, even it did not know why.
Moonlight lay like silver, pouring through the carved window lattice into Ye Chen's room at Honglu Temple and spreading a layer of cold frost-like radiance across the floor.
In stark contrast to that tranquil night was Ye Chen's agitated heart.
He had not slept, nor had he meditated and regulated his breathing as usual. He merely sat foolishly beside the table. The Oil Lamp had long gone out, leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the painting he held carefully in his hands.
The woman in the painting, wearing a Seven-Colored Dress and possessing picturesque brows and eyes, seemed to have drawn away his entire soul.
Her smiling face seemed even more vivid beneath the moonlight. Those affectionate eyes left Ye Chen utterly entranced. From time to time, he made appreciative clicking sounds, while his fingers unconsciously stroked the cold paper as if touching the skin of his dream lover.
In a daze,
The cold moonlight falling upon the painting seemed to be drawn by an invisible force. It abruptly gathered and flowed, seeping into the painting in strands. A soft yet eerie seven-colored glow emerged across the painting's surface, rippling outward like water.
Such a bizarre scene was appearing upon a painting, yet Ye Chen did not seem to find it strange. He continued staring at it foolishly.
Then the eyelashes of the peerless woman in the painting actually trembled lightly like butterfly wings!
Immediately afterward, her eyes—which had originally only been painted, and contained shattered reflections of a galaxy—suddenly became lively and profound. It was as though they had crossed the boundaries of time and space to look directly into Ye Chen's heart.
Her vermilion lips parted, and a voice gentle as water, carrying endless tenderness and sorrow, said:
"Husband... I have finally waited for you..."
Ye Chen's entire body trembled. A wave of dizziness instantly swallowed him. Though the Person in Painting speaking was so strange, he did not feel frightened at all. Instead, he asked in delighted surprise, "You were waiting for me?"
"It is me, Husband... I am your Qiu Niang..." The woman in the painting's gaze rippled, holding a thousand years of longing and deep affection. "We have finally... met again."
Amid the intertwining moonlight and seven-colored glow, her figure began to become three-dimensional and clear. She stepped out of the painting and sat beside Ye Chen.
"Qiu Niang? We... know each other?"
Ye Chen's voice was somewhat numb. He suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the woman before him.
"More than merely knowing each other..." Qiu Niang's voice choked slightly as she said, "Three hundred years ago... you and I were a match made in heaven, an Immortal couple whose love was beyond compare. Yet fate toyed with us. At the crucial moment when we joined hands to break through onto the Immortal Path of ascension, we encountered disaster... To save me, you willingly burned your Divine Soul and pushed me through the Immortal Gate, while you yourself... had your Dao Foundation destroyed and fell into the endless cycle of reincarnation in this mortal world... Husband, for three hundred years, Qiu Niang has missed you every moment..."
Ye Chen felt that something was not quite right, but the moment he met Qiu Niang's eyes, that feeling vanished without a trace. An inexplicable grief and sense of destiny surged into his heart, as though those distant Past Life Memories had truly been stirred in the depths of his soul.
Seeing Qiu Niang's face streaked with tears like pear blossoms in rain, her feelings so sincere, he slowly took her hand and said softly, "So... so that is how it was! Qiu Niang, you have suffered! I... I actually remember nothing..."
"It does not matter, Husband!"
Qiu Niang broke into a smile through her tears, her smile blooming like spring flowers and carrying incomparable temptation. "I am now of the Immortal Realm. Though my true body cannot descend into this world, a strand of Divine Sense attached to this ancient painting exists solely to seek you. Heaven has eyes; I have finally found your Reincarnated Body!"
Her tone became eager and filled with hope. "Husband, you sacrificed yourself for me in your past life. In this life, let Qiu Niang help you ascend the Immortal Path again! You and I, husband and wife, can once more become an Immortal couple, carefree and at ease, enjoying Eternal Life. Would that not be good?"
"An Immortal couple... Eternal Life..." Ye Chen's mind was entirely captured by that wonderful prospect. A light of incomparable longing burst from his eyes. "Good! Qiu Niang, what should I do? As long as I can be with you, I am willing to do anything!"
"Do not be hasty, Husband." Qiu Niang's voice was gentle as water and carried a soothing power. "To ascend the Immortal Path, one's foundation is most important. Husband, tell me in detail about the Cultivation Technique you currently practice. Though I am not of this world, my Immortal realm remains. Perhaps I can examine it for you, remove Hidden Dangers, and point you in the right direction."
"Qiu Niang, you are so good to me!"
Ye Chen was moved nearly to tears. He immediately sat cross-legged, cleared his throat, and began reciting the formula of the Great Sun Demonic Art he practiced without holding anything back. "Qian Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Kun Hou De Zai Wu, Yin Yang Xiang Dang Zhi Chu, Zheng Zang Zhuan Huan Zhi Ji..."
Seeing Ye Chen fall for it so easily, a flash of delight passed through Qiu Niang's eyes.
As power spread through the human world by the Inner Demon, she could theoretically be considered one of the Inner Demon's incarnations. She possessed consciousness, yet the meaning of her existence was to invade Cultivators' Martial Dao Will through all kinds of methods—through Greed, Anger, Ignorance, through Love and Parting, hatred, pain, and so on!
That was why powerful Cultivators in the world could never defeat the Inner Demon after ascending: because the Inner Demon had planted a backup plan within them long ago.
And the most common method was precisely this one. After shaking a Cultivator's mind, it would alter their martial arts in various forms. This could both greatly increase their cultivation and allow their progress to advance a thousand miles in a day, quickly achieving breakthroughs, while also burying disaster beneath the surface.
Originally,
In this "Qiu Niang's" estimation, for Ye Chen to reach a level where he could touch the Ascension Realm threshold at such a young age, he must certainly have been a dragon among men with an extraordinarily firm will. She had prepared a whole series of Backup Plans,
Yet none of them were needed,
Ye Chen's will was so weak that he was inferior even to an ordinary person with a little more resolve. She was beginning to wonder where this man's martial arts had even come from!
Still, that was a good thing for her,
After just a few words, he had begun revealing his martial arts.
However, the smile on "Qiu Niang's" face did not last long.
As Ye Chen explained, it gradually froze and stiffened.
A trace of utter confusion first flashed through her galaxy-filled eyes, as though she were listening to a heavenly book.
Then the confusion turned to astonishment, and the astonishment swiftly became an indescribable... dumbfounded bewilderment!
What... what was all this nonsense?
At first hearing, Ye Chen's formula seemed to have a little substance to it... But upon closer listening, it was utter gibberish! The beginning did not match the end!
She did not even know how to alter it!
After all, the prerequisite for altering something was that there had to be a manual. Even a trash manual would do!
"Husband..." Qiu Niang's voice carried a trace of dryness that was difficult to detect, while she forcibly maintained her gentleness. "Your technique... hmm... is rather... unique." She racked her brains before barely finding a relatively neutral word.
"Unique?" Ye Chen's eyes lit up. "Qiu Niang, you think it is extraordinary too, right? This martial art is the legendary Great Sun Demonic Art. Hurry and help me see where it needs changing. How can I break through faster?"
Qiu Niang: "..."
A pile of shit remained shit even if it was served on a golden platter!
She did not know what seasoning could possibly make it edible.
After a brief silence, Qiu Niang decisively abandoned that path.
A bewitching smile capable of toppling all living beings bloomed once more on her face. Her eyes rippled with seductive charm:
"Husband~"
Her voice suddenly became soft enough to melt bone, carrying a soul-hooking, spirit-snaring power. "Though the matter of cultivation techniques is foundational, it cannot be rushed. You and I have been separated for hundreds of years, our longing gnawing at our bones... With such a beautiful night and beautiful scene before us, why cling to those dry formulas?"
Qiu Niang extended her slender jade fingers and touched Ye Chen's cheeks, her movements full of provocation.
"Immortals and mortals are different. Though I cannot embrace you with my true body, Husband... we still have a Dual Cultivation Method to join our hearts and share the pleasures of cloud and rain."
Qiu Niang's voice was like feathers scratching Ye Chen's heart. "This method is secretly passed down in the Immortal Realm. Yin and yang complement each other, blending like water and milk. I can pass a strand of pure Immortal Essence into Husband's body. It will not only nourish Husband's physical body and cleanse his meridians, but also help Husband comprehend the Principles of Heaven and Earth, make up for his foundation, and allow future cultivation to yield twice the result with half the effort, advancing a thousand miles in a day... Far better than painstakingly cultivating that... hmm, unique technique. Husband, are you... willing to explore this wondrous method with Qiu Niang?"
As she spoke, Qiu Niang loosened her robes halfway, revealing her fragrant shoulder. Her faintly visible graceful curves and passionate gaze were enough to make the blood of any normal man boil.
Looking at the seductive Qiu Niang, Ye Chen found himself unable to restrain his feelings. Even his breathing grew heavy. Then he directly embraced Qiu Niang.
"Quick! Qiu Niang, we..."
Unable to wait any longer, he reached to untie his own belt.
Qiu Niang covered her mouth and giggled. Her eyes rippled with endless anticipation and a trace of coldness difficult to notice—the coldness of prey about to enter the net.
The pleasure of fish and water was also the Inner Demon's most direct method. No matter who it was, they were at their weakest while doing such things, and that was also when their minds were easiest to attack.
Ye Chen took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly pounding heart as he prepared to welcome this "sacred" moment spanning past and present lives.
However, just as his mind surged and his desire climbed to its peak, just as he was about to act—
Without warning, the terrifying experience from that day in the brothel flashed through his mind with perfect clarity!
That nauseating smell, that extreme contrast between sight and touch, that bone-deep disgust... like the coldest tide, instantly drenching him to the core!
His body's most honest reaction betrayed every ounce of his will and desire.
Under the crushing impact of that psychological shadow, he instantly lowered his flag and beat his drums, becoming... utterly unresponsive, his heart still as water.
Then,
Ye Chen looked at Qiu Niang on the bed and said with grave sincerity, "Well... Qiu Niang, I think that although we were husband and wife in our past lives and loved each other deeply... I think we should get to know each other first. The moonlight is lovely tonight. We could sit down and talk about life, discuss philosophy, speak of ideals..."
Qiu Niang: "??"
We're already like this, and now you want to discuss life, philosophy, and ideals? Are you sick in the head?!
Ye Chen slowly put his pants back on and said, "Let's talk about something sensitive. What do you think about the current war situation between the Gan and Chu Kingdoms over in Jiang Kingdom?"
Qiu Niang: "...Useless." Then she added, "So useless that you are beyond reproach."
Ye Chen was deeply provoked.
At that instant, a nameless fire suddenly surged up.
That momentary upheaval of his mind actually jolted him awake. Looking at Qiu Niang before him, his entire body instantly turned icy cold. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head. He immediately circulated his inner power and barked, "What kind of monster are you?"
Qiu Niang said evenly, "A useless man with a very strong sense of self-respect."
Ye Chen: "I..."
Before Ye Chen could argue, his mind grew even clearer.
In a daze,
Ye Chen suddenly straightened up and discovered that he had somehow fallen asleep face-down on the table. Everything just now had only been a dream.
He slowly rolled up the painting and put it away, saying softly, "Good thing it was just a dream... I should be fine... I'm definitely fine!"
Then he abruptly stood, walked to the door, and called out, "Hey, A Qi, where did you say you met that divine doctor a few days ago? I just feel a little unwell and want him to give me a couple of needles. There's no other problem! What problem could I possibly have? Hahaha..."
The next day, Chang'an City was under martial law.
The Succession Ceremony officially began.
Gu Mo was naturally invited and was brought to the imperial city early in the morning.
However, the procedures for the Succession Ceremony were exceedingly complicated and tedious. Gu Mo was merely giving Emperor Gan face, so he made a token appearance at the beginning before leaving directly.
Gu Chundong followed Li Li around the palace, freeloading food and drink. Ye Jinglan, Su Ziyou, and Zhuo Qingfeng, who had only returned yesterday, were all high-ranking court officials and had to remain at the ceremony.
Thus, Gu Mo left the imperial city alone.
However, he had not seen Ye Chen at the ceremony today. Upon asking around, he learned that Ye Chen was resting because he felt a little unwell. Therefore, Gu Mo decided to stop by the Honglu Temple and visit Ye Chen on the way.
Yet the moment he arrived at the entrance of the Honglu Temple, he saw Ye Chen furtively clutching a bundle, looking around with the guilty air of a thief.
Gu Mo was somewhat curious. He immediately stepped out of his carriage and, in a single stride, appeared behind Ye Chen. He said softly, "What are you doing, stealing something?"
"No, my health is great..." Ye Chen abruptly stood straight.
Gu Mo: "..."
"Oh, big brother, why are you here? Didn't you go to the Succession Ceremony?" Ye Chen asked.
"I did. It was boring, so I came back," Gu Mo explained. Pointing at the huge bundle Ye Chen carried, he asked, "What's that? Why do you look like you've stolen a dog?"
"No," Ye Chen hurriedly said. "I just went shopping and casually bought a few things!"
Gu Mo eyed him suspiciously and said, "What decent person casually buying things would buy cinnamon bark, deer antler, Cynomorium... hmm, and Cistanche, Epimedium? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Ye Chen, what a coincidence that these are the things you casually bought!"
Ye Chen stared blankly. "No, big brother, you could tell all that?"
Gu Mo said, "I'm a physician, and my medical skill is the kind that stands alone beneath the heavens. I could smell these medicines from far away. But if you need something to invigorate yang and nourish the kidneys, you should come to me. I'll prepare a Ten Complete Great Tonic Pill for you. I guarantee it'll be a hundred times better than anything you find on the marketplace!"
Ye Chen grabbed Gu Mo's hand and said, "Big brother, from now on, you're my real big brother. A big brother for one day, a big brother for life. In the future, you'll be the big one and I'll be the little one..."
"Cut it out!" Gu Mo chuckled. "Still, by all rights, with your martial arts and internal strength, and at only twenty-something, it shouldn't be like this..."
Ye Chen looked troubled and said, "I don't want this either. If I hadn't had that dream last night, I wouldn't have known that what happened to me at the brothel had affected me so badly..."
Afterward, Ye Chen roughly recounted what had happened in his dream the previous night. When he finished, he looked utterly grief-stricken and said, "Big brother, can I still be saved? Am I just too sensitive..."
Gu Mo chuckled. "Let's set aside whether you're too sensitive for now. First, let's discuss how you actually developed such filthy thoughts toward a painting. Eugh, you..."
Ye Chen hastily said, "Big brother, it really isn't my fault! You didn't look closely at that painting yesterday. It was truly painted too well, just like it was real. The moment I saw it, I felt like I had fallen in love. Really, I could even feel her smiling at me... Eh, no, she really seemed to have smiled at me!"
Gu Mo: "??"
Ye Chen's eyes suddenly widened. "That's right, big brother! Yesterday in the Underground Palace, that painting smiled at me. But I don't know what happened. My mind suddenly turned muddled, and then I completely overlooked it!"
Gu Mo's heart immediately tightened. He realized that there might truly be a problem. After all, Ye Chen's current fate carried at least a hint of the destiny to step on every landmine.
"Where's the painting?"
"In my room!"
At once, the two quickly entered the Honglu Temple and arrived at Ye Chen's quarters.
Ye Chen hurried inside and handed the painting to Gu Mo.
Gu Mo slowly unrolled the painting and examined it carefully. It had to be said that the girl in the painting truly was beautiful. Not the kind of stunning beauty that left people utterly dazzled, but the delicate, small-family type who made people feel comfortable. At a glance, she seemed pure and innocent.
But there was nothing wrong with the painting.
"Big brother, did you find the problem?" Ye Chen asked.
Gu Mo frowned. He sensed no issue whatsoever. This painting was merely an ordinary portrait.
"I'm afraid the painting itself isn't the problem," Gu Mo said. "Rather, there was something on the painting before. Since it appeared in your dream, I'll go take a look inside your dream!"
Ye Chen asked doubtfully, "How?"
"You just need to sleep."
"I can't fall asleep right now. It's broad daylight..."
Before Ye Chen could finish, Gu Mo directly chopped the side of Ye Chen's head with his hand. Ye Chen's eyes instantly rolled white, and he collapsed to the ground.
Then,
Gu Mo pointed a finger at Ye Chen. A stream of Nascent Soul Power instantly entered Ye Chen's Divine Sense.
Ye Chen was indeed dreaming.
In the dream, Ye Chen had returned to his childhood. He had a happy and complete family, as well as a childhood sweetheart he clung to every day. They were innocent childhood companions with deep feelings, promising to marry once they grew up.
But good times did not last.
One day, a band of bandits suddenly appeared and pillaged the village.
Ye Chen and his childhood sweetheart fled, but the bandit leader caught up with them. Laughing cruelly, the bandit leader raised his great saber and slashed it toward the childhood sweetheart.
Ye Chen cried out in agony. That savage smile was the nightmare he least wished to mention from the depths of his heart.
He was furious and hateful, but he could not muster his courage, could not face his fear.
Just then, a figure in white descended from the sky like an Immortal. With a single kick, he sent the bandit leader flying into a tree, killing him on the spot.
Then, the man in white drifted down before Ye Chen and smiled faintly.
It was Gu Mo.
Seeing that his childhood sweetheart had been saved, Ye Chen immediately let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly shouted, "Thank you, Immortal..."
However,
Before he could finish speaking,
He saw Gu Mo slap the childhood sweetheart across the head.
Then,
The childhood sweetheart's head twisted all the way around before springing back. Her head dangled and swayed atop her neck, yet her face revealed confusion as she said, "Shouldn't you have helped him break through his fear? Why did you become that fear yourself?"
Gu Mo gave a light laugh and said, "If I become the fear, doesn't that mean this dream becomes my home ground? Who gets to leave and who should stay will all be decided by me. You can't leave either, am I right—Inner Demon?"
Before you continue