Guang Chengzi's Guardedness

"Dao Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Guang Chengzi, who had returned after leaving, was now looking at him with an extremely complicated gaze.

Seeing that gaze, three parts suspicion, one part vigilance, and six parts entanglement, Bai Ze was deeply puzzled.

"Dao Brother, could it be that the Venerable refused to lend you the Spirit Treasures?"

Guang Chengzi gently shook his head, then took out three Spirit Treasures, seeming to want to speak yet hesitating.

Duobao's eyes immediately went wide at the sight of those three Spirit Treasures!

"Violet-Gold Hammer, Fishing Drum, and... a top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Soul-Severing Bell!"

Duobao swallowed. The top-grade Innate Soul-Severing Bell was Venerable Yuanshi's personal magic treasure!

Moreover, this one was actually the original body!

"Senior Brother, Second Martial Uncle... is he really this generous? He actually gave you the original body of a top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure!"

Guang Chengzi shook his head at those words. "It was not lent. It was given!

"Master has already bestowed this top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Soul-Severing Bell, upon me."

Duobao was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. With a face full of envy, he hurried forward, wanting to inspect it. Guang Chengzi was not stingy either and handed it over for Duobao to examine.

After looking at it for quite a while, Duobao wiped the corner of his mouth and passed it to Bai Ze. "Little Brother, touch it too. Let some treasure aura rub off on you."

Bai Ze accepted it and activated his Insight Divine Ability, examining it closely.

In an instant, streams of information surfaced in his mind.

The Soul-Severing Bell was a top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, only a hair's breadth away from becoming an ultimate-grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

This bell was neither copper nor iron. It had been forged from the essence of the Nine Heavens' stars, supplemented by the first wisp of clear wind from the primordial era and the soul of ten-thousand-year cold ice.

Its form was ancient and unadorned, faint blue light flowing between its patterns as though endless stars lay hidden within. Every light ring could stir the resonance of heaven and earth, making all things tremble.

Legend had it that a gentle shake alone could shake the minds of the Three Realms!

During the later Investiture of the Gods Calamity, it would shine all the more brilliantly!

Yet now, Venerable Yuanshi had actually bestowed this item upon Guang Chengzi!

Venerable Yuanshi truly was extraordinarily generous!

Bai Ze steadied his mind. It was not greed; he simply felt somewhat envious and shaken by Venerable Yuanshi's grand gesture!

After examining it for a while, he returned it to Guang Chengzi. "Dao Brother, with this item, our chances on this journey will be even more secure!"

Guang Chengzi nodded noncommittally, then looked at the other two Spirit Treasures, his expression incomparably complicated.

Bai Ze found this somewhat strange. "What is wrong, Dao Brother? You seemed distracted earlier. Did something happen when you went to borrow the treasures?"

Guang Chengzi remained silent.

Duobao, beside him, also recovered from his earlier envy. Looking at the dispirited Guang Chengzi, he asked,

"Senior Brother, you have already borrowed the Spirit Treasures, so what are you brooding over? Did Master make things difficult for you and give you a cold look?"

Guang Chengzi glanced at the two of them before finally looking at Bai Ze, his gaze extremely peculiar.

"When I went to borrow magic treasures from Master and Martial Uncle this time, neither of them made things difficult for me.

"It was just..."

At this point, Guang Chengzi's eyes shifted evasively. His face was full of conflict, and he seemed to want to speak yet hesitate.

This left Bai Ze even more puzzled. "Dao Brother, just what?"

"That's right, Senior Brother. You are hemming and hawing. If there is something to say, just say it. With our relationship, there is no need to hide anything!"

Duobao was even more impatient and urged him on.

Guang Chengzi gave an embarrassed smile. "I was the one who became attached to appearances."

Then he said, "Martial Uncle said that borrowing treasures must have been some crooked idea devised by Junior Brother Bai Ze. He told me to stay on guard against Junior Brother Bai Ze at all times and not fall into your trap.

"Especially on this southern journey, where changes are as unpredictable as the wind and clouds, I must be on guard at every moment against the two of you swindling away the Spirit Treasures.

"He said that with the two of you being so thick-skinned, you could definitely do things like cheating, deceiving, and abducting!

"Especially you, Junior Brother Bai Ze!"

As he spoke, Guang Chengzi emphasized his tone and looked at Bai Ze strangely.

"Martial Uncle said Junior Brother Duobao has no brains, so all I need to guard against is him stealing things away.

"But Bai Ze is different. He is the craftiest!

"Thieves cannot bear the light! Thieves have the most crooked ideas! Thieves are the boldest! Thieves are also the most cowardly!

"Thieves are even better at disguising themselves!

"Do not be fooled by how cautious he normally is, never fighting or scrambling for anything. Once something he cares about appears, he will use every means at his disposal to seize it!

"You must keep a close watch on him. Though he will not harm your life, this brat has the dirtiest heart and loves playing underhanded, vicious tricks that cannot see the light of day!

"Those were Martial Uncle's exact words."

After saying that, Guang Chengzi spread his hands and shrugged.

Bai Ze and Duobao stood there dumbly, unable to recover for a long while!

After a long time, Duobao rubbed his face and said resentfully,

"What do you mean, I have no brains? I admit my mind is not as nimble as Little Brother Bai Ze's, but that is only because I cannot be bothered to think! Master really is something else!

"I am asking for it too. I clearly knew that whenever Master opened his mouth, nothing good would come out, yet I still insisted on listening!"

Having said that, Duobao no longer had any interest in looking at the Spirit Treasures. He sat alone on a cushion in the reception hall, drinking tea in gloomy silence.

If one listened closely, one could still hear Duobao muttering to himself nonstop...

Guang Chengzi glanced at Duobao helplessly, then looked toward Bai Ze.

"Junior Brother Bai Ze, you..."

The awkwardness on Bai Ze's face lasted only 0.01 seconds before vanishing, replaced by a gentle smile.

"The Venerable simply likes to joke around. But Senior Brother, there is no need for us to take such a small matter to heart, given our relationship.

"Still, this little brother wishes to say one thing: time reveals a person's heart, and rumors stop with the wise!"

Guang Chengzi looked Bai Ze up and down. Seeing that he had not been affected in the slightest, he nodded slightly.

"Junior Brother Bai Ze's character has naturally been clear to me. Though you occasionally like courting death, you always remain within proper bounds!"

Bai Ze's eyes brightened slightly, tears spilling from their corners. With a moved expression, he said,

"As expected, Dao Brother understands me!

"They say that Bole is often found, while a thousand-li horse is rarely seen. But this little brother believes that thousand-li horses are often found, while Bole is hard to encounter!

"Now that Dao Brother trusts this little brother so deeply, I am truly moved!"

Guang Chengzi smiled faintly, patted Bai Ze on the shoulder, and said,

"Martial Uncle was right. Junior Brother Bai Ze truly is the craftiest and the best at disguising himself."

"Hm?"

Bai Ze froze. What disguise?

Those tears I worked so hard to squeeze out were Bai Ze's tears!

Sacred tears!

How had they become a disguise?

Was it easy for me...

"Dao Brother, I..."

Before Bai Ze could finish, Guang Chengzi interrupted him with a smile.

"Junior Brother need not explain. This senior brother understands. So long as Junior Brother does not do anything to harm the people of our sect,

"Even if Junior Brother were a peerless demon lord, this senior brother would stand at your side!"

Bai Ze stopped squeezing out tears and turned his head to look at Guang Chengzi's gentle, serene face.

For a moment, warmth surged in his heart and his nose stung.

It made his heart tremble—him, who had always been vigilant toward everything and had forever been alone without anyone to rely on.

"Dao Brother, rest assured. I, Bai Ze, promise that no matter what happens in the future, I will never do anything to harm the three Venerables, you, Duobao, or Huanglong!"

Guang Chengzi looked at Bai Ze and smiled faintly. "Good. I believe you."

Bai Ze smiled as well, his smile relaxed. Neither of them swore an oath to the Great Dao, yet the tacit understanding between men was more effective than any oath!

"Little Brother, have some shame, will you? The two of us are one thing.

"But where did you get the courage to say you could harm the three Masters?

"With your personality of trying to cover every base in everything, stop boasting already, will you!

"Consider this old brother begging you! Listening to you boast like this is giving me goosebumps."

Duobao looked at Bai Ze with a face full of disdain, his tone brimming with speechlessness.