In the next two days, monks continued to land on the island. Many people had already entered the sea. The first group of Duan family members, led by Duan Qinghou, were also ready to set off. Duan Qinghou specially sent someone to deliver two bottles of extremely valuable recovery pills and a top-grade feather coin to Gu Pinglin. The family elder suddenly changed his attitude and no longer insisted on letting Duan Qingming return to the Duan family. Duan Qinghou was very satisfied with this result. Gu Pinglin accepted the things without changing his expression, sent the man away, and returned to the palace.
Duan Qingming was sitting by the window reading a book. As soon as Gu Pinglin entered the room, he asked, "What benefit did my brother give you?"
Gu Pinglin placed the recovery pills and feather coins on the small table in front of him.
Duan Qingming then put down the book, picked up a bottle and uncorked it: "Top-grade recovery pills, you are so stingy."
Without waiting for Gu Pinglin to respond, he continued, "Compared to the position of Patriarch of the Duan family, it is far from it, but you were originally using him this time, so you have made a profit."
Recovery Pills are precious elixirs that can temporarily replenish one's true energy. They are very practical. Gu Pinglin said, "I helped him in a way that backfired. There's no reason to refuse something that comes to your door."
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "Then shouldn't you thank me?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Take it if you want it."
The best way to deal with Duan Qingming is to get out of the game. No matter how he makes trouble, as long as you don't take the bait, he will lose interest over time. Therefore, during the past two days, Gu Pinglin simply treated him calmly and stopped pretending to be nice to him.
Duan Qingming was indeed not in the mood, and put the recovery pill back on the table: "Since this is to thank you, you can take it."
He was proficient in alchemy, so refining the recovery pill should not be difficult. In fact, Gu Pinglin could do it, but the materials needed were too precious, so he didn't have time to consider it at the moment. After hearing what he said, Gu Pinglin took the pill and went to meditate on the couch.
"Is Master Duan here?" Someone called from outside, "Master, please ask Master Duan to come over."
"I'm going to be scolded again." Duan Qingming stood up and left.
The man was a disciple of Cheng. Cheng asked him to come over most likely because of what happened that night. This was not a pleasant misunderstanding. Duan Qingming deserved it. Gu Pinglin had no mood to gloat over his misfortune. He closed his eyes, circulated his true energy, and began to concentrate on clearing his meridians.
The obsession was unclear and cultivation was difficult, but Gu Pinglin had made up his mind that day. Now, relying on his strong will, he pushed through the barrier again and again with perseverance. There were some results, and his cultivation finally showed signs of a breakthrough.
Gu Pinglin didn't want to rush things, and thought that he was almost done, so he took a breath and stood up.
Outside the window, the setting sun shone obliquely, and the afterglow penetrated the palace's barrier, illuminating half of the table.
This training took about two hours, and his body was slightly tired. Gu Pinglin took a powerful pill to replenish his strength, then walked to the window and sat down.
It is indeed not easy to break through the barrier by force. Even with the god-level skill "Creation Art" it is still so difficult. It shows how important the state of mind is to the path. How can one keep up with that person
His heart sank and Gu Pinglin suddenly woke up.
Even though I have decided to give up, I still want to pursue it unconsciously, and the obsession affects me all the time.
His hand accidentally touched something, and Gu Pinglin looked down and found that it was Duan Qingming's book. The book was upside down on the table. Gu Pinglin had nothing to do, so he picked it up and read it.
Unexpectedly, it was not a book about sword techniques, alchemy or medicinal properties, but a collection of poems with traces of strokes between the lines.
He has a very refined taste, and only a young man from an aristocratic family could have the leisure time for this.
Gu Pinglin was about to put it aside, but unexpectedly he caught a glimpse of a few words out of the corner of his eye. Gu Pinglin frowned and started reading again.
Unlike Duan Qingming, Gu Pinglin was born in an ordinary family. Like most cultivators, he was focused on the path of Taoism and refused to waste time on trivial matters. However, in his previous life, he was unwilling to lose to Duan Qingming in everything, so he naturally had some knowledge of poetry and books and could tell the good from the bad. Those highlighted words were not brilliant at all, and Duan Qingming could not have highlighted them for no reason.
Gu Pinglin gently stroked the words with his fingers. He looked at them for a long time but still couldn't understand them. The fatigue from practicing kept coming up. Gu Pinglin couldn't help but close his eyes and gently rubbed his forehead.
Perhaps it was because I had been looking at it for too long, the words had been clearly imprinted in my sea of consciousness, turning into scattered, irregularly arranged bright spots.
How to connect them
Connect them!
The scene of Duan Qingming lying on the bed and using a pen instead of a sword suddenly appeared in his mind. Gu Pinglin suddenly opened his eyes and his fingers moved rapidly between each word.
"wrong."
"no."
“That’s not right.”
…
I don't know how long the murmuring sound lasted, and finally -
"That's it!" Gu Pinglin pointed his finger in the air, his eyes flashing coldly, "It's connected!"
I had been thinking hard for many days about the move "March Orioles Flying", which was based on the Lingxin School's sword move "Flying Swallow Carrying Mud", but there was a part that was not smooth enough, so I couldn't complete the move. However, Duan Qingming's move was already formed, and the first half was exactly his sword move. The problem I encountered was completely solved by him, and the rest of the sword move was completely his.
Looking at the three words representing the connection, Gu Pinglin clenched his fist and pounded it hard on the table.
That was exactly what I was thinking at the time. With time, I would be able to solve this problem. Why did he say "this road is blocked"? He was doing it on purpose. How hateful!
Gu Pinglin dropped the book and got up to look for Bu Shuihan.
"Miss Qu?"
"Who are you… "
"My name is Jun Muzhi. Who is Miss Qu looking for? Why don't you tell me and I'll pass the message on for you?"
Bu Shuihan and Yao Feng were out, and Gu Pinglin didn't find anyone, so he was planning to go out for a walk. As soon as he reached the gate of the palace, he saw Qu Lin and Jun Muzhi talking outside the door. The two guards wanted to salute, but Gu Pinglin stopped them with a gesture.
There was a barrier blocking the way, so the two people outside didn't notice it.
There was a friendly smile in his crescent-shaped eyes. Jun Muzhi held a fishbone fan in his hand, and wore a blue shirt and a plain belt. He looked neat and tidy, and had the demeanor of a scholar, which made it easy for people to like him.
"It turns out to be Master Jun." Qu Lin bowed.
"What do you mean by great cultivation?" Jun Muzhi shook his head. "I am only at the second stage of Qi Refining. I am afraid I am not as good as you, Miss Qu."
"Ah?" Qu Lin was surprised. Penglai's skills were special, and the early stages of cultivation were very fast, so there were a lot of external alchemy practitioners on Penglai Island. Jun Muzhi was about the same age as Nanzhu, and he was the grandson of Lord Pingcang. He had excellent cultivation resources, so even if he had poor talent, he shouldn't have only reached the second level of Qi Refining.
Jun Muzhi said calmly: "I was born with a defective Dao meridian, so cultivation is more difficult than that of ordinary people."
Qu Lin knew that she had lost her composure and said guiltily, "I didn't mean to do that, Jun... Big Brother, please don't blame me."
"Everyone in Penglai knows about this, it's nothing," Jun Muzhi lowered his eyes slightly, then smiled again, "But I'm very happy that Miss Qu is willing to call me Brother Jun."
Qu Lin smiled shyly, and it was difficult for her to bring up the idea of looking for Gu Pinglin. Jun Muzhi was a son of a prominent family in Penglai, well-educated, considerate, and more gentle than Duan Qingming, which helped to relieve Qu Lin's guard. The more they talked, the more they got along.
Gu Pinglin had also heard about Jun Muzhi's affairs. Seeing Jun Muzhi being so attentive, Gu Pinglin didn't want to go out and disturb him, so he simply stood on the corridor and looked at the scenery.
As the sun set, Bu Shuihan and Yao Feng walked back side by side. Seeing Qu and Jun, Bu Shuihan's face changed slightly, and he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Junior Sister Qu, why are you here?"
He called her "Junior Sister", and Qu Lin was not surprised at all. She stood up from the stone and said, "Senior Brother Bu."
Yao Feng was not a talkative person. After greeting Jun Muzhi, he walked into the palace. When he saw Gu Pinglin, he nodded apologetically. Gu Pinglin finally understood what he had not finished saying that day.
Outside, Bu Shuihan blushed after just a few words to Qu Lin. He looked at Jun Muzhi and said hesitantly, "Junior Sister Qu knows Envoy Jun Ling?"
"Jun Lingshi?" Qu Lin was surprised and asked Jun Muzhi hurriedly, "So, brother Jun is the Penglai Lingshi. I wonder what is his relationship with Lord Pingcang?"
"Jun Pingcang is my grandfather." Jun Muzhi shook his folding fan and glanced at Bu Shuihan thoughtfully.
Qu Lin hurriedly said, "I see. It's my fault."
Looking past the two people, Jun Muzhi immediately put away his hesitation: "Miss Qu is making fun of me again. I am just a useless person who is just relying on my grandfather's help."
The more he said this, the more sympathetic Qu Lin became. She consoled him earnestly, "Talent is innate. I think Brother Jun is also an open-minded person. Why do you have to belittle yourself?"
Jun Muzhi smiled: "Miss Qu is right."
Bu Shuihan felt uncomfortable, and wanted to interrupt but didn't know what to say. He turned around and saw Cheng and Duan Qingming approaching. He immediately felt like he had seen a savior. Although he didn't like the Xuanming Sect, he still bowed respectfully to Cheng for the sake of Duan Qingming and Yan Feixiu's face: "Junior greets Cheng Daxiu."
Cheng was still wearing a purple robe, with a noble temperament and an indifferent expression, except for a hint of anger in her beautiful eyes. Duan Qingming was beside her, chatting and laughing calmly, without any unnaturalness.
Cheng was a senior, Jun Muzhi calmly closed his folding fan, stood beside Qu Lin, and bowed with everyone else.
Duan Qingming smiled at Qu Lin and said, "Junior Sister Qu is here too, what a coincidence."
Qu Lin had gotten to know him much better and was no longer as shy as before. He said mischievously, "I heard that Senior Brother Duan was scolded."
She was just teasing casually and didn't know the reason for being scolded, but everyone was very surprised. Bu Shuihan looked at Cheng, thinking that she wanted Duan Qingming to join Xuanming Sect again, and couldn't help but frown.
Duan Qingming said: "That's right, luckily there is Junior Sister Qu who cares about me, it seems that being scolded is worth it."
Qu Lin couldn't help but laugh: "Senior Brother Duan always loves to tease people."
Cheng suddenly asked, "Are you Feixiu's niece?"
The Xuanming Sect had very strict rules. Qu Lin was not a disciple of her lineage, so he did not dare to act rashly in front of her. He quickly put away his smile and lowered his head to answer, "That's right, I am Qu Lin, the junior who brought Senior Brother Duan to see Grandmaster Cheng last time."
Cheng looked at her for a moment, nodded, and her expression softened a little: "Are you familiar with Qingming?"
Qu Lin pursed her lips and looked at Duan Qingming without answering.
Jun Muzhi suddenly asked, "Minggong's daughter just sent someone to invite Brother Duan. Maybe there is something going on?"
He suddenly brought up the name of Lord Ming's daughter. Everyone was stunned and looked at Duan Qingming.
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "Thank you, brother Jun, for telling me."
"Don't go yet. I have something to tell you." Cheng glanced at him calmly and asked Qu Lin, "How is your cultivation?"
Qu Lin replied: "My uncle, I have just reached the third stage of Qi Refining."
"In that case, you should go and gain some experience," Cheng smiled, "Fei Xiu will be busy this time in the sea, and may not be able to take care of you. Why don't you go with Qing Ming and the others?"
"Really?" Qu Lin was overjoyed to have the chance to join the Lingxin Sect, but hesitated, "But my cousin..."
Cheng interrupted her: "Don't worry, I'll go talk to Feixiu, Qingming will take care of you, nothing will happen."
Qu Lin happily agreed.
Cheng turned around and ordered: "Qingming, you must take good care of Miss Qu on this trip. Feixiu is also very familiar with your senior brother Chen Qian."
Duan Qingming agreed.
Everyone saw Cheng off.
"It's great that Miss Qu can come with us," Jun Muzhi unfolded his folding fan.
Qu Lin then remembered that he had forgotten Duan Qingming's attitude in his happiness, and looked at him uneasily: "I am sorry to have caused trouble for Senior Brother Duan."
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "It is a great honor for Duan Liu to protect his junior sister."
Jun Muzhi asked with concern: "Miss Qu, do you want to go back and prepare first? I'll go with you."
Duan Qingming immediately said, "Oh, it's my job to look after Junior Sister. How can I trouble you, Brother Jun? I should be the one to go."
Jun Muzhi raised his eyebrows: "Minggong's daughter has an appointment, it's always bad for Brother Duan to break the appointment."
"This..." Duan Qingming seemed to hesitate for a moment, then turned to Bu Shuihan, "Then I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Bu to go there. You also know about Ye Jian that Junior Sister Qu mentioned last time. It's a good opportunity to talk to her in detail."
Qu Lin really said: "So Senior Brother Bu also knows Ye Jian!"
"I know a little bit." Bu Shuihan hurriedly stood beside her, suppressing his excitement, "Let's go, Junior Sister."
Jun Muzhi was about to speak with a bad look on his face, and Duan Qingming turned to him and said, "Junior Sister Qu is a girl, and Penglai Palace is relatively safe. Can Brother Jun please arrange a room for her?"
Jun Muzhi was inexplicably assigned an errand, and it was for Qu Lin. He had no choice but to agree, so he smiled and nodded: "You're welcome, I'll arrange it right away."
"Thank you, Brother Jun." Duan Qingming smiled and bowed to him, then walked leisurely into the palace gate.
Gu Pinglin stood on the corridor, looking at Bu Shuihan and Qu Lin's receding backs, his face not looking very good.
Duan Qingming's feelings towards Qu Lin are still unclear. Jun Muzhi's pursuit of Qu Lin is half sincere and half directed at Duan Qingming, while Bu Shuihan's admiration for Qu Lin is simply too obvious.
How did Bu Shuihan get to know Qu Lin? What did he miss during the time when he was depressed because of "Yun Zhong Yan Ying"? What is Duan Qingming planning
Duan Qingming passed by him, stopped, lowered his head and put his handsome face in front of him, and said with a smile: "Gu Xiaojiu?"
Gu Pinglin calmed down and said, "Ming Gong Nu didn't send anyone to look for you."
Jun Muzhi wanted to find an excuse to separate him and Qu Lin. Afterwards, he said that he remembered it wrong and no one had any reason to blame him.
"Well," Duan Qingming said, "He seems to have feelings for Qu Lin."
Gu Pinglin made up his mind not to accept the challenge: "I have read the sword moves in your book."
"oh?"
Gu Pinglin turned around and the two walked towards the room side by side.
"That sword was well connected."
"Thank you for the compliment." Duan Qingming smiled, as if he had forgotten what he had said, "This road is blocked."
Gu Pinglin changed the subject: "However, this move comes from the Lingxin School. You are not familiar with the Lingxin School's advanced swordsmanship. The sword moves that follow are wonderful, but not as pure as mine. My follow-up moves are even better."
Duan Qingming paused and said in a much calmer tone: "If you say something like this in front of me, you'd better be careful."
Gu Pinglin stopped and said, "It's true."
Duan Qingming slightly turned sideways, squinted at him for a while, and laughed: "You are so confident, what's the name of your move?"
"March is the month of the orioles."
"Half of the moves are the same, and half are different," Duan Qingming said, "I am looking forward to your March Orioles Flying."
Gu Pinglin asked casually: "What's the name of your move?"
"Since we are so predestined, let's call her Liuying Wuying."
That's quite fitting. Gu Pinglin nodded slowly, having been prepared in his heart. This move was not in the original Gu Ying swordsmanship.