The young man was dressed in plain clothes, leaning against the most ordinary chair, but it seemed as if he was leaning on the most gorgeous embroidered recliner. A white hairband was slanted across his face, and there was an indescribable weirdness in his elegant bookish air.
Gu Pinglin had already prepared himself for being teased, and he remained calm when he heard the words: "It's inevitable that I will be concerned about the past."
“Are you worried?” Duan Qingming had obviously guessed the answer long ago, and was not surprised. He just narrowed his eyes slightly, and at first glance he seemed to be smiling, “Is this a knot in your heart?” Without waiting for Gu Pinglin to answer, he denied the answer himself, “No, otherwise you could have continued your relationship with her instead of letting me push her to Bu Shuihan.”
Gu Pinglin said: "You admitted that you planned this."
"I have never denied it," Duan Qingming said, "Women should not be a reason for you to be distracted."
Gu Pinglin stopped smiling: "You've crossed the line again."
"I'm just reminding you."
"Focus on your opponent. I haven't forgotten what you said," Gu Pinglin said, "and I hope you won't forget our previous agreement."
Duan Qingming looked at him for a long time and smiled: "Of course I remember."
The atmosphere relaxed again, and Gu Pinglin said, "That would be the best."
Duan Qingming suddenly said, "But I'm a little confused. Who are you afraid of in the past?"
After all, he had discovered it. Gu Pinglin calmly asked back: "Compared to this matter, isn't your inner demon more curious?"
Duan Qingming really stopped asking: "Let's change the subject. What's the matter with you imitating my move 'Eagle Strikes Moon Shadow'?"
"No," Gu Pinglin grabbed the scroll on the table in mid-air, "That's not imitation."
"oh?"
"is directed at."
"You admitted that you have been targeting me."
"I have never denied it either." Gu Pinglin imitated his tone and opened the book to take a look.
Duan Qingming laughed: "Even the books were not spared?"
“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.”
"That's very frank."
Gu Pinglin flipped through the book briefly, closed it, and threw it back on the table: "Your last move can be called 'Phoenix Shadow Resting on the Wutong Tree'."
"Very good," Duan Qingming agreed, "What's the name of your move?"
"The moon sets and the eagle flies."
"Oh, the naming is also targeted at me."
Gu Pinglin ignored his teasing and said, "How does this move, 'Moon Falls, Eagle Flies', compare to your 'Eagle Strikes Moon Shadow'?"
"reluctantly."
"Ah."
"Are you dissatisfied?"
Gu Pinglin turned his back and hid his expression: "Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the moonlight must be beautiful, why don't we have a discussion at night?"
The group rested at the post station for two days, and then set out again when they saw that the time was almost right. This road was indeed quite winding, but fortunately they were not in a hurry, so Gu Pinglin simply visited the Lingxin Taoist temples along the way and dealt with any problems he encountered. After stopping and starting for more than two months, they finally entered the Liuxiang Flower Market.
There are several big markets in the cultivation world, Haishi is one, and Liuxiang Flower Market is another. Yan Sen was unwilling to change his appearance, so in order to avoid trouble, he temporarily separated from the others and acted alone. Gu Pinglin and the other four had just walked past the tall memorial archway, and before they had time to find an inn, they were stopped by two enthusiastic Wan disciples.
A Wan Clan disciple smiled and said, "Young Master Nineteen knows that several distinguished guests are passing by, so he specially asked us to wait here. The inn has been arranged. Please do not refuse. Young Master Nineteen will come over in person later."
Liuxiang Flower Market is very close to Huajian Wanshi. Wanshi is already wealthy and has many businesses in the flower market. It is not surprising that they can get the news. Gu Pinglin guessed the reason and did not refuse. He followed the two disciples into Wangxian Tower.
Wangxian Tower is one of the most famous inns in the flower market and is also owned by the Wan family. Everyone lives in the most expensive Yunzhong Pavilion. Standing in front of the window, you can see the entire flower market. There are advanced barriers and defense arrays outside the pavilion, which are not much different from space magic weapons.
Xin Ji was sighing with emotion when a flashy figure ran in from outside and almost bumped into him: "Where is the benefactor? Gu Benren!"
Gu Pinglin turned around: "Master Wan."
The person who came was none other than Wan Lai, the famous "prodigal son" in the cultivation world. On that day, he was left behind by Wan Sanhe in the sea bone pit. Fortunately, Gu Pinglin saved his life. The day before yesterday, he heard that Gu Pinglin would pass by, so he had been waiting in Haishi. When they met at this time, he bowed and said, "My benefactor, please accept me as your apprentice!"
Compared to the day when he was in the sea bone pit, his fat face was now much thinner. The gold collar on his neck was still there, but the folding fan in his hand was gone. Gu Pinglin roughly guessed the reason, and was surprised and a little amused.
Xin Ji asked: "Mr. Wan wants to join the Lingxin Sect? Is he mistaken?" In terms of fame, the Wan family is a first-class family, much more famous than the Lingxin Sect.
Wan Lai immediately raised his head and shook his head repeatedly: "That's right, I want to join the Lingxin Sect, please accept me."
Gu Pinglin shook his head: "You are not suitable."
Wan Lai got anxious and jumped up from the ground: "Why am I not suitable?"
"The Lingxin Sect uses swords," Cheng Yi suddenly moved closer to him, sniffing, "You don't smell like a sword!"
"Let go..." Wan Lai swallowed the last word in time, put on a dandy posture, and put his hands on his hips, "It's just using a sword, can't I learn it?"
Cheng Yi blinked, patted his shoulder, and said solemnly: "It's good to learn sword." Then he stepped aside.
Wan Lai was confused and endured it, and continued to pester Gu Pinglin: "Benefactor, please accept me!"
Gu Pinglin refused mercilessly: "No."
Duan Qingming suddenly said, "Master Wan is devoted to the way of the sword. It is not very humane for Junior Brother to refuse him without even asking."
This person is going to cause trouble again. Gu Pinglin immediately narrowed his eyes and looked at him.
Wan Lai was uneducated, but he had the ability to read people's expressions. Seeing that Duan Qingming looked friendly, he thought it would be easier to talk to him, so he immediately climbed up the pole and assured him earnestly: "Uncle Master, you have good eyesight. I am sincere and the heaven and earth can bear witness to my sincerity!"
Duan Qingming asked: "Why does Young Master Wan want to join the Lingxin Sect?"
Upon hearing this, Wan Lai cleared his throat and said, "My benefactor saved me that day. Seeing that his skills were extraordinary, I couldn't help but yearn for it, so I wanted to follow him and practice swordsmanship." This was something he had thought of long ago. While complimenting Gu Pinglin, he cooperated with him by making an expression of yearning, which was quite skillful.
"Well, that's a good reason," Duan Qingming said, "In the cultivation world, the sword is always the most important, just like Senior Wan Sanhe of your sect, who was defeated by Senior Feijian Gongwang of the same realm."
"That's right!" Wan Lai cursed with full energy as if he had found a soulmate, "That old bastard, didn't you realize how hateful he is! He stood by and watched someone die that day, and I didn't bother with him. But when he came back, he said that I was a burden to him. The old bastard, he obviously escaped faster than anyone else! But the elders in the family were fooled by him, and even my father didn't believe me!"
He just felt aggrieved, but Gu Pinglin understood.
How could the head of the Wan family not trust his own son? He was just helpless. Wan Sanhe was a great inner alchemy cultivator. Between losing a great inner alchemy cultivator and a dandy young man, the elders of the Wan family unanimously chose Wan Sanhe. This was how the aristocratic families in the cultivation world were. The status of the strong was difficult to shake even for the head of the family.
Duan Qingming said: "In that case, this person is very hateful. If Master Wan learns swordsmanship, he won't have to endure this kind of humiliation."
Wan Lai waved his sleeves and said, "I learned sword skills just to piss that bastard off to death!"
Xin Ji almost laughed out loud on the spot. This kid had no scheming at all, and everything was revealed in just a few words. The reason why he went to Lingxin Sect was probably because Gu Pinglin had saved him.
Wan Lai was excited for a while, then came back to his senses and asked cautiously, "Can you accept me?"
Duan Qingming hesitated for a moment and sighed, "You have ordinary talent. Even if you change to swordsmanship, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve great success."
The tone was full of regret, but the words were not well-intentioned. Gu Pinglin frowned when he heard it. Such a judgment was tantamount to knocking a person down from the clouds. An ordinary person would definitely be depressed for a long time after hearing it, and it is hard to say whether he would never recover from it.
As expected, Wan Lai was stunned on the spot.
His look obviously pleased the person who asked the question. Duan Qingming raised his eyebrows slightly, sipped the tea slowly, and looked at him with a smile.
Gu Pinglin didn't make any noise. To Wan Lai, if he still had a bit of spirit and woke up from this, he would be able to save himself. If he gave up, it wouldn't matter, after all, being idle was his normal state.
Everyone was waiting for Wan Lai's reaction. Cheng Yi was the simplest. He thought everything Duan Qingming said was right. He was full of sympathy for Wan Lai at the moment. Xin Ji was not a good person. He just wanted others to have bad luck. So he stroked his beard and watched the show.
But Wan Lai was not as discouraged as everyone expected. He stayed for a while and asked, "Can you compare with Wan Sanhe?"
"It's hard to say," Duan Qingming commented truthfully, "I don't have much confidence, but you are younger than him, you have more time and opportunities, and there are more possibilities in the future."
Wan Lai clapped his hands and said, "Hey, that's enough! You're so awesome for being an old bastard, but it turns out you're just like a loser like me."
I have never seen someone insulting someone and including himself in the insult. Xin Ji was amused by him: "Young Master Wan is too modest."
Duan Qingming said with a smile: "But if you join the Lingxin Sect, it means you will be separated from the Wan Clan. Wan Sanhe always has the support of the Wan Clan, so it won't be easy for you to deal with him in the future."
"Deal with him?" Wan Lai was stunned, looking puzzled, "Why should I deal with him?"
"Oh? So you don't want to deal with him," Duan Qingming finally showed some interest, "Don't you want revenge?"
"Of course I did!" Wan Lai said without hesitation, "So I want to learn sword skills and let him know that I am just a loser like him. Then he is just an old loser, right? Hahaha..."
Xin Ji's mouth opened wide: "Is this how you take revenge?"
"Ah? What else can I do?" Wan Lai was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand, and said with a sad face, "Like he treated me? But the sea bone pit is gone, and even if it is, he would never go down there again. Forget it, he didn't kill me anyway, and he treated me well in the past." Perhaps thinking of the gentle and kind uncle in the past, Wan Lai was absent-minded for a while, and said sullenly: "He obviously looked down on me, but he deliberately treated me kindly. It's because of my dad..." When he mentioned the past, he was unhappy, and it was obvious that he had suffered a great blow.
This kid is not that confused. Xin Ji fanned the flames: "He called you a waste, don't you want to kill him?"
"No," Wan Lai looked at him suspiciously, "Why would I want to kill him? He's not wrong. I do want to beat him up, but you've also heard that I'm not talented enough. I probably won't be able to do that in this lifetime."
Xin Ji's old face twitched.
Gu Pinglin also found it funny, and at the same time a little surprised. He had previously thought that Wan Lai was angry and wanted to take revenge on Wan Sanhe, but he had only guessed halfway. He was abandoned by Wan Sanhe before, and now he was abandoned by the clan, but he didn't even have the intention to kill him. He came to Lingxin Sect not to win, but to seek "peace". To put it in a bad way, it is a rough heart, but to look at it in a good way, this is a unique open-mindedness. Gu Pinglin originally didn't want to accept him, but now he changed his mind: "If you want to join Lingxin Sect, it's not impossible."
Wan Lai was overjoyed: "Really? You're willing to accept me?"
"But there is a condition." Seeing that he was about to kowtow, Gu Pinglin stopped him, "Joining the Lingxin Sect means that you will no longer have any relationship with the Wan family. Can you do it?"
Wan Lai patted his chest proudly and said, "Master, don't worry. I have saved money a long time ago and I just need to save it!" The first thing he thought about was money.
Gu Pinglin shook his head: "No, you must follow the rules and pass our sect's entrance examination."
"Ah?" Wan Lai was dumbfounded.
Gu Pinglin said: "If you can't pass, I can't make an exception."
Wan Lai was discouraged at first, but then he changed his mind and felt that he had a good foundation and a good chance of success. He immediately became energetic again: "Of course I have to rely on my own ability to get in, so that they will be convinced. Even if Master wants to make an exception, I will definitely not agree."
Gu Pinglin nodded and did not ask about Wan's attitude.
--Wan Lai sent people to block him at the flower market. The head of the Wan family would know this, but he did not stop him, nor did he give him any hints, which shows that he agreed. Wan Lai was incompetent to begin with, and after falling out with Wan Sanhe, it was not a good thing for him to continue to stay in the clan. Instead, joining the Lingxin Sect was a way out. Although the midway change of the Tao was not good, Wan Lai's previous Tao was a mess, so how could he talk about Tao heart? This influence can be ignored. The Lingxin Sect is not a big sect, and Wan Sanhe will not be on guard, just thinking that he is hiding.
Duan Qingming had lost interest and stood up and said, "Hey, we've been traveling all day, let's take a rest first."
Gu Pinglin warned in a deep voice: "You'd better really take a rest."
"I didn't do anything, why are you still so worried?" Duan Qingming walked up the stairs.
Wan Lai had no idea that his path was almost ruined by his casual words. He was still immersed in joy. On one hand, he wanted to practice immediately, and on the other hand, he wanted to ask about the entry competition. Finally, he decided to find his friends to celebrate first. Gu Pinglin did not stop him. With the change of his identity, the attitude of his friends would naturally change. His mother's doting made Wan Lai have such a simple mind. For him, he must suffer some losses in order to grow.
After sending Wan Lai away, Gu Pinglin returned to his room, took a pill of the Great Power Pill to replenish his physical strength, and then began to practice, preparing to reach the fourth level of Qi transformation within half a year. These days, Gu Pinglin has been more diligent than usual, but the previous success seemed to be an illusion. Since the breakthrough, the progress has suddenly become slower. No matter how many times the true qi circulates, there is no significant change in the Dantian.
Gu Pinglin practiced until the moon was at its highest point in the sky. He then stared at the moon outside the window for a while, then opened the door and went out.
The moonlight was cold, and the lights were sparse in the small Taoist temple. There were occasional night patrols in the front yard, and the back garden was even more deserted. The cold wind blew, and the large treetops shook, and the sound of falling leaves rustled.
This is the Lingxin Sect’s small post house, very close to the flower market, and you can still vaguely hear the sound of singing and music.
Gu Pinglin stood on the roof with his hands behind his back, looking at the osmanthus tree from afar.
On a night filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, that man found this place, used poison to subdue himself for the first time, and then destroyed his own Dao meridian.
When I woke up the next day, I was already lying on the bed in the guest room.
The pain disappeared, but my heart fell into madness and despair.
Unlike what I remembered, the branches of the osmanthus tree were thin and thin, and it had not yet grown into the old osmanthus tree. The flowering season had passed, but there seemed to be a hint of cold fragrance left in the courtyard.
Gu Pinglin closed his eyes and felt the familiar despair.
Although his Dao veins were destroyed in his previous life, he was still able to find the "Creation Secret" to save himself;
Now that I have the "Creation Secret" in my hands, how can I save my path
Someone is approaching from behind.
"You are here." The slightly cool voice sounded very much like the voice in my memory.
Gu Pinglin turned around suddenly and met a pair of familiar eyes.
Eyes in nightmares.
Gu Pinglin's breath was choked, and then he withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Let's go out for a walk."
Perhaps knowing that the attempt had failed, the pair of eyes narrowed slightly, removing all the coldness and murderous intent, and a spring-like smile reappeared in their eyes.
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Gu Jiu's daily life: practice the Creation Art before 6:00, check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 6:00, then start practicing sword, check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 7:30, then deal with Lingxin Sect affairs; check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 10:00, then meet guests; check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 12:00, then rest, drink tea and chat with Bu Shuihan and others; check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 13:00, then study formation techniques; check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 15:00, then study medicine and poison techniques; check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 17:00, then check his apprentices' homework; check if Duan Liu is causing trouble at 18:00, then study alchemy techniques; 19:00 Duan Liu comes to cause trouble...
Duan Liu's daily routine: practicing the Bu Tian Jue - doing things - practicing swordsmanship - doing things - reading a book and thinking of new skills - doing things (loop)
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