Waking up from a coma, Gu Pinglin found himself on the cold, hard ground. He opened his eyes and his vision gradually became clear. He saw the hem of a plain white robe. Secretly suspicious, he tried to prop up his upper body, but found that his true energy was blocked, and his meridians were further injured. He felt pain at the slightest movement.
He raised his eyes and met a pair of enchanting eyes.
This situation seems familiar.
The white clothes on his body had obviously been changed, and the jade hairpin that bound his hair had been taken off and replaced with a snow-white headband. The man stood beside him with his hands behind his back, looking down at him, and it was unknown how long he had been looking at him.
Gu Pinglin slowly stood up from the ground and looked around calmly. The room was not big, but it had a bed, table, chairs, and a screen with peonies and birds separating the inside and outside. There was a faint sense of life in the outer room, so there must be someone else.
"Baekdu Mountain, Zixiao Palace." Gu Pinglin said as he looked at the scenery outside the window.
"It's Zixiao Palace." Duan Qingming replied.
Nanzhu Shouxin Sword Sect's spiritual eye failed, and this area should have fallen, but there was no Yin Qi in the air. He should have used the spiritual energy of the Purple Sky Palace's big spiritual eye to protect this place with a special method. Gu Pinglin looked back at him: "If Master Lu succeeds, the first thing he will do is to destroy the Sword King Pavilion. You really have been prepared for it."
Duan Qingming said: "While the Sword King is still alive, who can destroy the Sword King Pavilion?"
It takes about half a month to get from here to Lingxin Sect. Gu Pinglin estimated the time: "The bet is over."
Duan Qingming said "Oh", "Is this the way to defeat me?"
Gu Pinglin said calmly: "This is the only way I can defeat you. You are a true swordsman. You will definitely be interested in the sword moves that target Gu Ying's swordsmanship. I want to use this to delay time. Otherwise, if you use your realm to suppress me, I will be defeated long ago."
"How did you find out that my aunt was tricked?"
"When she saw me, there was too much murderous intent in her eyes. Although she didn't know the truth about the Penglai incident, she always believed that I was the one who harmed you. Without me, you wouldn't have joined the Lingxin Sect, and you wouldn't have exposed your swordsmanship, thus attracting a siege. But she knew you were alive, so no matter how much she hated me before, she didn't have the intention to kill me. She suddenly changed, unless she was influenced by Qiao Yan," Gu Pinglin paused, "she cares about you and wants to avenge you."
Seeing that Duan Qingming didn't respond, he continued, "As for whether you would save me, I wasn't sure, but since this concerns the survival of the Lingxin Sect, I really had no choice but to do it..."
"Are you not sure?" Duan Qingming chuckled and interrupted him, "You, Gu Pinglin, never do anything you are not sure of."
Gu Pinglin did not deny it again: "If someone like you is willing to spend a hundred years to save me, you will definitely not watch me die."
"You know me so well," Duan Qingming said, "Were you also so confident when we were on Penglai Island back then?"
Gu Pinglin did not answer: "I said, if I can beat you once, I can beat you a second time."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was lifted up by a great force and fell heavily to the ground.
Gu Pinglin propped himself up.
Without breathing, an invisible force attacked Gu Pinglin and he fell out again. He gritted his teeth and turned over.
As he approached, a pair of plain white satin boots stopped in front of him.
Before Gu Pinglin could even stand up, he flew out again and hit the wall. The vase on the shelf next to him was knocked off and fell to the ground with a bang, with fragments flying everywhere.
The man walked slowly closer, still looking down at him.
With messy hair covering half of his face, Gu Pinglin was in pain all over and could hardly move. He lay on the ground with his eyes closed for a while, then slowly got up.
Duan Qingming didn't do anything else. He watched him slowly get up from the ground and stand up again.
His black eyes were full of smiles, yet they revealed a deep coldness.
Gu Pinglin didn't care at all: "Are you angry out of shame?"
Duan Qingming raised his hand and brushed the corner of his mouth, his fingertips stained with bright red blood.
Gu Pinglin frowned.
"I'm a little curious about what the blood of a person like you would taste like." Duan Qingming looked at the blood on his fingertips with interest. "It's such a beautiful and resilient color. I can't help but want to taste it. Is it as delicious as you?"
Gu Pinglin stared at him warily.
Putting his finger under his nose, Duan Qingming finally frowned again, waved his hand and cast a water purification spell, and the blood quickly disappeared: "You still haven't changed. You will take advantage of any flaw without hesitation, and you will take advantage of it thoroughly."
"You are angry," Gu Pinglin said calmly, "not because you are being used, but because you found out that you, Duan Qingming, actually have weaknesses and obsessions, which is hard for you to accept."
Duan Qingming laughed when he heard this: "I, Duan Qingming, dare to gamble, so I am prepared to lose and can accept any weakness, but you are afraid." He took a step closer, lowered his head and approached Gu Pinglin, and whispered: "Really, Gu Xiaojiu?"
Almost instantly, Gu Pinglin's face darkened.
Duan Qingming smiled even more at this and stood up: "I remember now. Are you satisfied with this result?"
Seeing him stretch out his hand again, Gu Pinglin took two steps back.
Duan Qingming withdrew his hand, stood there and looked at him, and said leisurely: "What a surprise, we are such a friendly pair of brothers, and we once had a love affair. No wonder you want to kill me. After all, you must have been trembling under me. How could you tolerate this experience?"
Gu Pinglin said coldly: "You have been defeated by me twice, why don't you tell me how you feel."
Duan Qingming said: "I feel puzzled. You are such a cautious person, but you didn't even personally check the body. Don't you want me to die?"
Gu Pinglin said: "It's useless to confirm it, you will have already escaped from Penglai by then."
"Really?" Duan Qingming said, "One night of marriage brings a hundred days of love. I thought you couldn't bear to part with me."
Gu Pinglin sneered: "You know it's impossible."
"What a pity," Duan Qingming didn't care about his attitude, "We are such a perfect match, ah, and we have a pleasant past. No wonder I refined the Moonlight Scroll to save you..."
Gu Pinglin asked: "So, you, Duan Qingming, are deeply in love with me?"
Duan Qingming said nonchalantly: "Maybe, I am in love with you."
"This is not funny." Gu Pinglin said coldly.
Duan Qingming looked at him with interest, "I'm helping you again. At first, you were only concerned with fighting me, but you taught Lu Zhiren to take the opportunity to design the Lingxin Sect. Unfortunately, Lu Zhiren didn't expect that his spiritual eyes would be destroyed. Later, I became suspicious and noticed that the spiritual energy in Baitou Mountain was abnormal. Then I discovered his purpose and became interested in the ghost way. By the way, I calculated the location of the soul-locking formation. You were lying in the Seven Realms Coffin, and your soul was not dispersed. As expected, I saw it."
Back then, Lingxin Sect was framed by Master Lu, but he misunderstood him. Hearing this, Gu Pinglin's tone softened, but there was also a hint of pride: "The location on your map is just an approximate one, the exact location is still calculated by me."
Duan Qingming suddenly asked: "Do you remember everything?"
Gu Pinglin was stunned and looked at him.
Duan Qingming asked: "How much do you remember?"
Although Gu Pinglin was puzzled, he answered: "The soul is weak and can't remember much."
"Is that so..." Duan Qingming chuckled twice, "Lu Zhiren is not your opponent. You contacted the various sects before, not only to defend Qianyang Mountain, but also to take the opportunity to mobilize as many combat forces as possible from the various sects, so that they would not be trapped in Duyin Land, and to retain combat forces for the next step. Those sects that don't cooperate are probably in a state of panic at the moment. Duyin Wuyang Land is the world of the ghost cultivators of the Wanfa Sect. Let's see how long they can hold on."
Gu Pinglin admitted: "The cultivation world has become a lonely place. The Wanfa Sect does not need to take action, and the other sects will naturally perish. Now that the veins of Qianyang Mountain have been preserved, Master Lu will take the initiative to eliminate those who can stop him. I have contacted Feijian Palace and Tiancan Sect before..." www.
"It's not you," Duan Qingming interrupted him, "it's Shi Ling and my delicate cousin. You once asked Shi Ling to send a letter back to Lingxin Sect, but it was actually a secret plan. He was hunted by Tiancan Sect some time ago, which was a ploy to get in touch with Lao Bing Zhenren. Then he followed your instructions and used Jun Muzhi's whereabouts to make a deal with Lao Bing Zhenren. As for Feijian Palace..." He paused for a moment: "It was Tiancan Sect that contacted Feijian Palace. They deliberately hunted down Shi Ling and accidentally injured Feijian Palace disciples to attract Yu Wuxue. You negotiated a deal with Feijian Palace to save Yang Zhao through Tiancan Sect. In order to hide it from me, you really designed it carefully."
Gu Pinglin said: "My every move is under your surveillance, so I have to be cautious, but they are not the ones who contacted Qi."
Duan Qingming thought without hesitation: "It was Lan Feiyu. He contacted Qi through the channels of Jianwang Pavilion. No wonder you specially asked him to accompany Xiao Yujian back to Jianwang Pavilion to see me. I didn't expect that you would dare to let the people of Jianwang Pavilion use the information network of Jianwang Pavilion to pass the news in front of me. Well... Lan Feiyu is really a good subordinate of mine. He is a spy who does his job conscientiously."
Gu Pinglin said: "You promised to forgive him."
Duan Qingming laughed: "It's such an ancient promise, but it wasn't me who promised you that. It was Brother Duan."
"It's Duan Qingming," Gu Pinglin said, "Or, you don't recognize the past Duan Qingming?"
"You're willing to take the risk of Lan Feiyu for a promise. It seems like you've been prepared. Maybe I'll remember it."
Gu Pinglin was silent.
"That's it, and you still dare to continue." Duan Qingming said with a smile, "You are trying to stop me at all costs and become a hero who saves the cultivation world."
Strangled by an invisible force, Gu Pinglin groaned, his back pressed against the wall, his feet off the ground. The pain and suffocation made Gu Pinglin pale, but he did not struggle. He said calmly and laboriously, "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to stop you, I'm trying to stop Master Lu, you know that."
"Yes, you have no intention of being my enemy," Duan Qingming said softly, "Gu Pinglin, Gu Xiaojiu, you are the smartest person I have ever met. You are still trying to control my emotions at this time."
"I didn't."
"Are you really sorry?"
Gu Pinglin did not answer.
"You don't feel sorry at all because you think you did nothing wrong." Duan Qingming was silent for a moment, "You have learned to be hypocritical."
The man fell heavily to the ground again. Gu Pinglin felt his eyes go dark. After a long while, he managed to stand up and coughed.
The person opposite looked at him coldly.
Gu Pinglin tried his best to calm his breath and wiped the blood from his lips: "I want to calm you down. You are a genius in the eyes of others, but in my eyes, you are a lunatic. I will not accompany you to go crazy like in my previous life and lose everything in the end. As for using you, I don't feel sorry at all, because I am saving Lingxin Sect and saving you at the same time. Lingxin Sect must be preserved, and the cultivation world cannot become a lonely place. I, Gu Pinglin, will not follow you."
"Charmingly stubborn," Duan Qingming walked to his side, "Look at you, injured, bleeding, covered in dust, in such an embarrassing state, but you still refuse to bow your head. Why do you always overestimate your own abilities?"
Gu Pinglin said, "What about you? You are always so self-righteous and disgusting." He raised his head, his eyes burning with anger, "Duan Qingming, you can accept weaknesses, but you cannot tolerate your weaknesses being exploited again and again. You are venting your anger."
A demonic light flashed in his narrow eyes, like the eyes of a poisonous snake. Duan Qingming leaned forward slightly and held his chin: "Then should I make this weakness disappear?"
"You won't," Gu Pinglin said, "otherwise I won't have a chance to wake up."
"You're sure."
"You lose, but the bet still stands."
"Of course," Duan Qingming agreed happily, but he used a little force with his fingers to turn his face towards the screen, "But how should I deal with the people outside?"
Gu Pinglin looked at the screen and immediately looked at him again.
"Your Senior Brother Bu insisted on saving you, and Senior Brother Chang also came along, but a waste is just a waste, and his ability will never match his courage." Duan Qingming was pleased by his reaction, "Our past is very interesting, so I specially invited them in to listen. They must be very shocked to know the secrets of the headmaster."
Gu Pinglin stared at him for a long while, his heart sinking. Following to save people, this was indeed something Bu Shuihan might do. He and Chang Jinxin regarded Duan Qingming as their junior brother, and it would be too easy for Duan Qingming to subdue them: "What are you going to do?"
Duan Qingming let him go: "What can I do? I just want to let Master Gu stay as a guest out of gratitude for our old friendship."
Gu Pinglin asked directly: "How long?"
"Three months."
"no."
“You don’t have the ability to say no.”
"Our bet..."
"The bet is over," Duan Qingming said, "I will keep my promise and will no longer interfere in your affairs with the Wanfa Sect."
Gu Pinglin said patiently, "But if the Four Spirits Swallowing the Sun Formation is in operation, Qianyang Mountain will fall sooner or later. You have trapped me here for three months, what's the difference between that and meddling?"
"Did you get permission to use me in this gambling game?" Duan Qingming asked, "On the other hand, I also relied on my ability to defeat you, and I didn't break any rules."
"That's a farce." Gu Pinglin paused for a while, and seeing that he didn't say anything, he could only say, "I have to go out and tell you your conditions."
Duan Qingming had obviously anticipated his reaction and handed a pill to him.
Gu Pinglin took it and swallowed it without hesitation.
"You don't ask what it is?"
"Not fatal."
"As expected, you have a plan in mind," Duan Qingming paced a few steps and said with a half-smile, "This medicine has roughly the same effect as the seasonal medicine."
Gu Pinglin's face changed.
"Back then, in order to kill me, you didn't hesitate to use yourself as bait and pretend to be nice to me. What a wonderful friendship between brothers. If I wasn't Duan Qingming, I would have died long ago." Duan Qingming turned sideways to look at him, his tall nose outlined by the light from the window, "This time, you have your Senior Brother Bu and Senior Brother Chang outside, and at worst there are the Sword King Pavilion guards. You can choose one to detoxify and then kill him. I'm very interested. Which one will you choose?"
The blood in his chest was surging, Gu Pinglin clenched his fists and said sternly: "Duan Qingming! How dare you..."
"I dare you to kill me again?"
Gu Pinglin was stunned.
"I can control people's hearts, but I can't control my own heart, so I failed," Duan Qingming turned around calmly, "You know my weaknesses, you can use the same method to kill me again."
Gu Pinglin remained silent, watching the figure in white turn around the screen and disappear.