The Golden Dragon King Origin was sealed layer upon layer inside Tang Wulin. It could be said that the Golden Dragon King Origin and Tang Wulin, its vessel, had long since shared the same fate—if one prospered, so did the other; if one suffered, so did the other.
With her current strength, the best course would be to destroy the vessel that was Tang Wulin and directly refine the Golden Dragon King Origin within.
But the presence of that fatal threat meant she could only keep looking for an opportunity.
"Since you're willing to stay in the East Sea, then we'll go with your wishes. Three years from now, I'll personally recommend you to the headquarters. If anything comes up during those three years, you can go to Vice Pagoda Master Liu, or contact me directly."
Hearing Gu Yue's choice, Leng Yaozhu raised her delicate brows slightly. She had wanted to take Gu Yue with her, but after thinking it over, she decided to let Gu Yue choose for herself.
After all, she merely valued Gu Yue's talent; she had no intention of controlling her or dictating her thoughts.
Besides, it was a good thing for Gu Yue to have ideas of her own. The fire in one's heart during youth was something that could never be rekindled once lost.
"Oh? What a sudden surprise!"
At the side, Na'er's joy burst forth the moment she heard this. Without Gu Yue in the way, she could return to her peaceful life with Jiang Xiu.
How could life with one person possibly be the same as life with another?
"Thank you, Tower Master."
Gu Yue bowed slightly, then looked at Na'er, who could barely suppress the smile tugging at her lips. She gave a soft snort in her heart.
Though she wasn't going to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, she had her own rhythm.
"It's nothing. We'll all be family in the future."
Leng Yaozhu waved a hand lightly. Looking at the three getting along so harmoniously before her, she couldn't help making a joke. These three little ones would all be her confidence in the future.
"All right, Xiao Xiu and Na'er, go get ready. We'll head back to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters after dinner. Gu Yue, you stay and eat with us too."
At Leng Yaozhu's words, Jiang Xiu and the others nodded and prepared to leave the office to get their things in order.
Gu Yue, meanwhile, gave Na'er a meaningful smile before heading out of the Spirit Pagoda.
When the door closed, Leng Yaozhu crossed her legs again. A trace of reminiscence flickered in her dark red phoenix eyes, and her red lips curved slightly, but a bitter smile touched their corners.
Back then, she and her younger sister had been just like Jiang Xiu and the other two. But in the end, neither she nor her sister had gotten that man, and her sister had even fallen into the path of evil because of it.
Looking back now, she realized she had been completely blinded by love back then.
"Yulai, where are you now..."
A sigh rang through the room, as if she were regretting the past, or perhaps asking herself.
Time passed. The sun sank below the horizon, stirring up swathes of fiery red evening clouds that shone through the Spirit Pagoda's glass and spilled across the floor.
"Jiang Xiu, does this dress look nice? And this necklace..."
In the luxurious room, Na'er kept adjusting her appearance, asking Jiang Xiu from time to time.
Na'er wore a long white dress, its hem embroidered with golden patterns that flowed like drifting clouds. One of her jade-white legs, smooth as a lotus root, was exposed, gleaming faintly.
Her silvery-white hair fell over her shoulders. A dark green necklace rested against her fair neck, setting off her peerless beauty. She radiated a fresh, refined air, along with a touch of youthful vitality.
"They all look good, and they all suit you."
Jiang Xiu glanced at the picture his second master, Mu Ye, had just sent him on his Communication Soul Tool and replied offhandedly.
At this time, Soul Guidance Technology on the Douluo Continent had developed to the point where it closely resembled the modern world of Jiang Xiu's past life. It had just about everything you could ask for.
The photo on the Soul Tool showed an ancient forest, where towering old trees rose one after another. A few ten-year Soul Beasts were faintly visible, hiding among them. In the air not far away, a haze even lingered. It was an exceptionally strange mist: green on the outside, with seven-colored light shimmering within.
"Where did Master go?"
Jiang Xiu frowned slightly. Forests like this were rare in this era, and there were even Soul Beasts living inside.
As he studied the haze, Jiang Xiu suddenly froze. A glimmer flashed through his mind, as if he had realized something, and his violet eyes widened.
"Why does this look like Sunset Forest? Could that poisonous fog be the miasma released by the Seven-Colored Jade Phosphorus Flower? Did Master go to the area around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?!"
Jiang Xiu was startled, unable to believe it. A while ago, his master had said he had something to take care of and then disappeared from the sect.
Now it seemed his master was planning to raid the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, which was under the Tang Sect's control, for free? But how had his master found its location? And how had he gotten past the Tang Sect's tight security?
Jiang Xiu was puzzled, but at the same time, a warm feeling welled up inside him. His master's purpose in going to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was obvious: he had to be searching for Immortal Herbs for him and his senior brother.
"Ding-dong!"
Just as Jiang Xiu was touched, his Soul Tool chimed again, and a message appeared beneath the photo.
Second Master: Nephew, I dug a tunnel and made it in! I haven't let our ancestral skill go to waste.
Jiang Xiu stared in confusion. What nephew?
"Dong! Dong!"
Two soft chimes sounded. Just as Jiang Xiu was trying to make sense of it, Mu Ye recalled both messages.
Jiang Xiu understood, then: his master had sent them to the wrong person. His master seemed embarrassed on the other end, too. A moment later, another message arrived.
Second Master: My precious disciple, you didn't see anything just now, right? [smile][smile][smile]
Jiang Xiu clicked his tongue. He knew it—there was no way his master would tell him about doing something like that.
Jiang Xiu immediately put away his Soul Tool. If he replied now, he'd be the one ruining everything.
Still, Jiang Xiu wasn't too optimistic about his master's operation. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well wasn't just guarded by the Tang Sect; the Immortal Herbs inside had also reached the level of two-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beasts, and they had the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's power to bolster them.
The slightest disturbance would surely draw the attention of both sides.
However, Jiang Xiu wasn't worried about his master's safety. As long as there wasn't a Limit Douluo there, his master could get away whenever he wanted.
But when Jiang Xiu lifted his eyes, he found that Na'er had somehow come right up in front of him. Her beautiful eyes were wide and round.
"Jiang Xiu, you didn't even look up just now. How do you know whether I look good? Are you just humoring me? Look me in the eyes and answer!"
Na'er raised her delicate hands, cupped Jiang Xiu's head, and stared seriously into his eyes with her violet ones.
After Gu Yue had left the office that afternoon, she had gone straight off. Na'er didn't know what she had gone to do, but she suspected Gu Yue would cause trouble at the banquet. She had to dress up properly. There was no way she could lose face at this farewell banquet.
But Jiang Xiu was obviously just brushing her off!
"I don't even need to look. Whatever you wear, Na'er, I think you look beautiful."
"After all, it's not that you look beautiful because you're wearing those clothes. You're beautiful to begin with; they're just a little decoration."
The corners of Jiang Xiu's mouth lifted slightly, and he spoke with complete sincerity.
"Is... is that so..."
At his words, Na'er lowered her hands slightly. A flush appeared on her lovely face, redder still than the evening clouds outside the window.
"Of course. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
Jiang Xiu said it as a matter of course. In the four years they'd known each other, he had become an expert at coaxing Na'er.
But just then, the door opened from the outside.
Then, a pair of beautiful legs clad in black stockings entered the room first...
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