In the early morning, Gu Pinglin turned off the signal light, and Gan Li came over quickly. Last night, Gu Pinglin asked him to prepare things, and Gan Li guessed that something would happen, so when he saw the situation in the courtyard, he did not show the slightest surprise.
Gu Pinglin glanced at the collapsed wall: "These..."
Gan Li understood: "Don't worry, Uncle Master. I will call a few reliable people to come and clean it up later. No outsiders will know."
Gu Pinglin said, "Hmm," and said, "Go and ask the abbot to come to the hall to talk."
Gan Min was concerned about his great-grandson's future and dared not neglect it for a moment, so he couldn't sleep. When he heard that Gu Pinglin wanted to invite him, he immediately rushed to the hall to wait. Gu Pinglin first went to find Jiang Ruoxu and Leng Xu, and then the three of them came together.
After both sides sat down, the Taoist boy brought the tea tray. Gan Li personally served tea to the three of them, then stood behind Gan Min.
Because of the barrier, Jiang Ruoxu and Leng Xu didn't know what happened last night, and Gan Min didn't mention it. Gu Pinglin knew that he had received instructions from Gan Li, and he was immediately satisfied with Gan Li. He asked, "What realm is the old master in now?"
Gan Min shook his head with shame on his face: "I am incompetent. I have been practicing for more than a hundred years, but I am still lingering in the Great Zhoutian Realm."
Gu Pinglin picked up the tea and pondered.
Gan Min knew that the opportunity had come, and he sighed, "My talent is not good to begin with, and it is difficult for me to make a breakthrough in this life. There is nothing to be depressed about." He covered his face with his sleeves and wiped away his tears, "I also know that I don't have much time left, but I can't let go of this child..."
Although these words were said intentionally for others to hear, the emotion was genuine. Gan Li lowered his eyes and gently patted his back.
Leng Xu couldn't help but wanted to speak, but Jiang Ruoxu stopped him with a look. Jiang Ruoxu shook his head to hint that he should look after Pinglin.
Gu Pinglin remained calm, using the cup lid to slowly stir the tea leaves on the water. He watched all this, and when he saw that everyone was silent, he smiled and put down the cup: "I was just about to discuss this with the abbot. Junior Brother Gan Li is very careful in his work, and I intend to bring him back to the sect, but I am afraid that no one will take care of the affairs of the temple..."
Hearing that he was willing to take Gan Li back, Gan Min immediately changed from sadness to joy and shook his head repeatedly: "It doesn't matter, I can still hold on for two years."
Gu Pinglin stopped him from saying anything more: "I have a Chongmai Pill here that can help the master break through the realm."
Chongmai Dan is extremely valuable. Gan Min was flattered and asked hurriedly: "How can this be..."
"This temple has become what it is today thanks to your management for many years. Master knows your hard work and specially asked me to give you the realm-breaking pill," Gu Pinglin said, "I took one from you, so I will naturally return one to you."
Using pills is certainly not as good as proper cultivation, but Gan Min had no hope of making a breakthrough in this life, so he didn't need to care about these things. Entering the Qi Refining Realm could increase his lifespan, and he would have enough time to train candidates to manage the Taoist temple.
Gan Min immediately stood up upon hearing this and bowed from a distance: "Master, you are so thoughtful."
He thanked Gu Pinglin again and again and wanted Gan Li to become his disciple on the spot.
Gu Pinglin stopped Gan Li: "I am only taking you back. If you want to enter the inner sect, you must also go through the sect's internal examination. Moreover, I think you are too slick and may indulge in clever tricks. Cultivation is not like dealing with things. You must be diligent and down-to-earth. If you can pass the next new disciple competition, I will find a strict master for you."
Gan Li knelt down and kowtowed: "Disciple understands, thank you Uncle Gu."
Although Gan Min regretted that Gu Pinglin refused to accept him as a disciple, this result was already far beyond his expectations. He happily told some interesting stories about Yecheng and asked Gan Li to take the three of them to visit the back garden.
In the next few days, Gan Min retreated and broke through. Gu Pinglin took the opportunity to rest and sent a letter to Yue Songting, reporting Gan Li's affairs. In his spare time, he passed the authentic inner sect skills to Gan Li. Gan Li was lucky because he started learning the improved new skills. He had good talent and broke through a small realm within a few days and entered the fourth level of Na Yuan.
Jiang Ruoxu and Leng Xu went out every day to get information. The situation was indeed unusual. More and more independent cultivators and disciples of major sects passed through Yecheng and quietly rushed to the East China Sea. The person behind the scenes deliberately spread the news to lure people over. It must be a conspiracy. I don't know if this matter has anything to do with the letter from Master Weifeng, the co-lord of the Demon Realm.
Duan Qingming rarely showed up recently, either leaving early and returning late, or staying alone in his room, so Jiang Ruoxu and Leng Xu didn't know he was here. Xin Ji quickly detoxified himself, and thinking that he was controlled by someone, he felt unhappy and sighed all day long. Only Gu Pinglin was normal, meditating at night, getting up early to study swordsmanship, and occasionally guiding Gan Li in his practice, and he lived a very regular life.
In the afternoon, Gu Pinglin sat in front of the window drinking tea, his eyes sweeping over the wall. The leaves on the old trees outside the wall had almost all fallen off, and the cold birds were flying among the bare branches, adding to the desolate atmosphere.
Under the wall, Xin Ji paced deliberately.
Gu Pinglin withdrew his gaze and picked up the teacup.
Xin Ji wandered in his field of vision for a long time, and when he saw that he ignored her, he finally walked over and said, "Duan Daxiu is leaving today."
It was almost time to leave. Gu Pinglin looked at him with a smile: "He is your master. You leaked the news to me. Aren't you afraid that he will scatter your soul?"
Xin Ji sneered secretly. After observing these two people recently, he found that their relationship was not as good as it seemed. Hearing this, he pretended to be surprised and asked, "You two are brothers. Is there anything you can't talk about?"
Gu Pinglin said bluntly: "You want pupil painting?"
Xin Ji was a little surprised that his purpose was easily guessed, and he complained: "I have already left the Demon Realm, and I will definitely be hunted down. If I follow you two, I must have some ability to protect myself. Gu Daxiu will surely understand."
Gu Pinglin asked casually, "Where is your disguise skill?"
I didn't expect him to know this. Xin Ji was really scared. Facing that sharp gaze, he had to bite the bullet and said, "Although I know a little bit about disguise, you two are going to the sea, right? There are many dangers over there. If I have the pupil painting with me, I can help Gu Daxiu...
Facing the hint, Gu Pinglin did not react much: "How do you know we are going to the sea?"
Xin Ji laughed, put his hands behind his back, and said proudly: "The clues sold in Hai City, the Demon Realm has already known about it, I have my own ways to find out. You came to this Night City, aren't you actually going to the East China Sea?"
"That makes sense." Gu Pinglin nodded.
"That… "
"It's not the right time yet. I will return the painting to you when it is useful to you."
Xin Ji was stunned.
I thought the hints were enough, but the other party wasn't interested at all. Could it be that I guessed wrong, and their relationship is really not bad
Xin Ji didn't dare to say more. He nodded in agreement and walked away dejectedly.
Gu Pinglin picked up the paper and inkstone, picked up the pen and wrote a few lines of small words, then stood up and paced around the gate of the courtyard, and turned off a small lamp.
Just as Xin Ji said, Duan Qingming came back very soon. He usually did not wear Taoist robes, but was still dressed in simple young man's attire. On the outside, he wore a white straight-collared wide robe with silver thread patterns, and on the inside, he wore a light blue cross-collared long robe. He wore a silver dragon skin belt around his waist, and white jade-inlaid satin boots on his feet. When he walked, the hem of his wide robe bulged slightly, exuding a gentle and elegant demeanor.
Being rejected by Gu Pinglin, Xin Ji had something to hide, fearing that he would expose him, so he hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "I was just asking Gu Daxiu, when will we set out?"
Duan Qingming paused when he heard this and looked at him with a smile: "Hey, it seems that you accidentally said too much."
Xin Ji's scalp tingled and cold sweat broke out: "I thought..."
"Get ready to go." Duan Qingming interrupted him and went into the room.
Seeing that he had no intention of making a fuss, Xin Ji heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that the other one was smart enough and this one was even harder to fool, and he couldn't help but feel a little more in awe.
Not long after, Gan Li came over and asked, "What do you want, uncle?"
Gu Pinglin handed him the folded paper and said, "Send this letter to your Uncle Jiang."
Gan Li hurriedly took the letter and left.
Duan Qingming came out of the room quickly, without saying hello to Gu Pinglin, and walked out of the hospital directly. Xin Ji hurriedly followed him, and Gu Pinglin also walked out slowly.
When he arrived at the gate, Duan Qingming bowed and said goodbye to the room manager. Several Taoists nearby came over to see him off, and even the two guests who came out took the initiative to greet him, which showed that he was very popular.
Seeing him dealing with these mortals, Xin Ji became a little impatient, but Gu Pinglin was not in a hurry and stood beside him with his hands behind his back.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Duan Qingming walked down the stairs.
Gu Pinglin followed.
Duan Qingming then noticed him and turned around to ask, "Where are you going, Junior Brother Gu?"
Gu Pinglin remained calm and said, "I plan to go with my brother."
Duan Qingming was surprised: "I don't remember inviting you."
Gu Pinglin said: "Have you never heard of 'clear coming'?"
"You misunderstood," Duan Qingming said, "It's very inconvenient for you to travel with me. I'm worried about getting into trouble and don't want to implicate you."
Gu Pinglin raised his eyebrows: "Isn't it better to have more troubles?"
Duan Qingming looked at him for a long while, then nodded with a smile: "Of course, I'd love to have you. Junior Brother Gu, please."
Gan Min was trying his best to break through at this time and needed protection, so Gu Pinglin left a letter to Jiang Ruoxu and Leng Xu, asking them to wait until Gan Min successfully broke through, and then take Gan Li to Donghai Haishi to meet him.
The three of them walked out of the city gate along the avenue, and it was already evening.
Gu Pinglin stopped and asked: "What about your trouble?"
"Well..." Duan Qingming said, "It's coming soon, listen."
"Duan Qingming! You are indeed Duan Qingming!" a voice came.
Gu Pinglin was not surprised at all and raised his head slightly.
Several cranes descended from the sky, with several people sitting on their backs. The one in front was a young man who looked less than 20 years old. He wore a red brocade robe, had black hair and a silver crown. He had a full forehead, handsome eyebrows, clear eyes, red lips and white teeth. He exuded an overwhelming nobility and arrogance, and was clearly the pride of a noble family.
He stood up on the crane's back, looking down at Duan Qingming, and taunted him, "Why are you hiding? Can a genius be so cowardly?"
"Oh, I was too short-sighted to recognize you. Turns out you're my cousin." Duan Qingming said with a smile.
"Who is your cousin!" The young man said contemptuously without even greeting.
Duan Qingming said: "Qing Hou is my biological brother, and you are Qing Hou's cousin, so you should also be my cousin."
The young master was speechless in rebuttal, still refusing to greet him, and said arrogantly: "Those old men in the Duan family always said that you were a genius, but I didn't expect that you couldn't even withstand the sword intent of the Heavenly Sword and returned injured. How dare you call yourself a genius? No wonder they are so ashamed now and abandoned you."
Duan Qingming sighed: "I am really ashamed."
"My grandfather said that you are full of tricks, but your swordsmanship is strange." The young man raised his left hand and raised two fingers. A golden long sword flew out from behind him. "Today I must see how capable you are. After thirty moves, I will recognize you as my cousin."
"Young Master..." Several others tried to dissuade him. Duan Qingming was the eldest son of Duan Pin, and he had the Cheng family behind him. It would be fine if he did it covertly, but if he did it openly, it would only make things difficult for the Qi family.
"Get lost!" The young master waved them away impatiently, "We are relatives, so what if we are fighting swords?"
Duan Qingming said with a smile: "My swordsmanship is rudimentary, so my grandfather must have praised me too much. Fighting among relatives is more damaging to the relationship. Don't you think so, cousin... Qi Wan'er?"
Seeing the people on the crane, Gu Pinglin had already guessed the identity of this young man. Now when he heard Duan Qingming deliberately mention this name in such a joking tone, he couldn't help laughing.
The Qi family is considered a reputable and upright family, so it is normal for them to kill evil cultivators directly if they encounter one. Xin Ji has changed his appearance, but he is still afraid of being discovered, so he keeps his head down and stands behind Gu Pinglin. When he suddenly hears the name, he immediately sticks his head out and looks at Qi Wan'er in surprise.
Qi Wan'er's face immediately turned red, and she was furious: "What did you call me!"
"Isn't your name Qi Wan'er?" Duan Qingming said with a smile on his face, "I'm sorry, I heard that cousin Wan'er is very beautiful and talented, I didn't expect that I recognized the wrong one. I wonder who you are?"