In his previous life, Gu Pinglin was a serious person. Firstly, it was a habit formed by his life experience and the Gu family's experiences. Secondly, it was because of his appearance. If he smiled too femininely, he would lose the dignity of the leader of a sect and make people look down on the Lingxin sect. At the beginning, Duan Qingming even deliberately found some female cultivators who looked similar to him to humiliate him. Because of these things, Gu Pinglin developed a serious temperament, and later, it became a habit.
Nowadays, the mood can be changed, but the habits cannot be changed for a while.
The chuckle was short and light, and Gu Pinglin smoothed the front of his cloak with his fingers. His thick bangs formed a high, elegant arc in front of his forehead, and drooped down diagonally, almost covering half of his face. There was no change in his handsome face, only his big eyes still had a hint of smile, and his gaze was still sharp.
Duan Qingming looked at him for a while and then laughed.
"Huh?" Gu Pinglin immediately stopped laughing, frowned and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Laughing at that move 'Under the Flying Phoenix Shadow'," Duan Qingming turned his head and said, "Junior brother, you are very skilled in it, which really surprised me."
"Practice makes perfect."
"oh--"
This tone was so familiar that Gu Pinglin simply raised his eyebrows and said, "I am indeed very interested in Gu Ying's swordsmanship. I would like to study it in my spare time. How about that? Is that not okay?"
"No, it's an honor for Duan Liu to let you think about it for a while," Duan Qingming said with a smile, "I wonder how long this 'a while' is?"
Gu Pinglin remained silent.
Gu Ying's swordsmanship is known to be the most complicated swordsmanship. Only a genius like him can remember so many variations. It is difficult for outsiders to imitate. To be able to use it so skillfully, he must be extremely familiar with this move. Gu Pinglin has been pondering it for most of his life, and it is already very difficult for him to imitate it to this extent. This is only the external sword style. As for the use of true energy and the position of the sword heart, Gu Pinglin still knows nothing about it. For this kind of rough imitation, Yan Sen's comment that "it has not grasped the spirit" is really appropriate.
Duan Qingming said in a vague voice: "I was wrong. Junior brother is very smart. He can use this sword, which shows that it is not difficult to comprehend it."
"No," Gu Pinglin said frankly, "Gu Ying's swordsmanship is complicated and unpredictable, and it is very difficult to imitate. I still haven't understood much of it."
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "Well, just think about it a little more."
Gu Pinglin's eyebrows jumped: "Duan Qingming!"
"Junior brother, don't get me wrong," Duan Qingming said, "I am very interested in the Gu Ying sword technique you figured out. Why don't you use it again so that I can figure it out?"
In his previous life, Gu Ying's swordsmanship was derived from the Xuanming School's swordsmanship, but in this life it was not. He still used the old swordsmanship. It would be strange if he was not curious. Gu Pinglin shook his head: "Yours is better."
This is the truth. Duan Qingming thought for a moment and said without any hesitation: "Junior brother really cared about me in his previous life... this mortal enemy."
This was full of jokes, and Gu Pinglin just used his experience from his past life to deal with it, pretending he didn't hear it.
"Since you are interested in it, why not learn it?"
"What did you say?"
Gu Pinglin turned his head suddenly, almost thinking that he had heard it wrong.
The white hairband was blown by the wind and fluttered on his face, and the coldness and weirdness hidden on his handsome face seemed to fade a lot. Duan Qingming looked at him with a smile, and hooked a strand of black hair on his forehead with his fingers, with a somewhat nonchalant expression: "The current Gu Ying swordsmanship is not good, do you want to work with me to improve it?"
Gu Ying's swordsmanship is so wonderful that it will surely be recorded in the history of swordsmanship in the world of cultivation. Do you want to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship together
This is an invitation, he personally invited.
After a moment of daze, Gu Pinglin slowly lowered his eyes, looked at the floating island on the water, and finally controlled the twitching corners of his mouth.
In my previous life, I spent countless efforts on studying Gu Ying's swordsmanship in order to defeat him. Now, he actually took the initiative to invite me to learn
It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved.
Gu Pinglin sighed softly and shook his head: "No need."
Gu Ying's swordsmanship was not suitable for ordinary people, and it was very different from the swordsmanship of the Lingxin School that he practiced. Moreover, Gu Ying's swordsmanship was different from what he remembered, and the swordsmanship that he was familiar with might affect him.
Duan Qingming said: "You really don't want to, or do you also think it's too complicated?"
"Not entirely," Gu Pinglin said, "For the way of swordsmanship, being strong is a good thing, and keeping it pure is also a good thing. Your way of swordsmanship is not suitable for me, not to mention..." He faced the cold wind and raised his eyebrows, "If you want to learn, learn the most exciting ones. The sword moves I want to learn have not appeared yet."
"Oh?" Duan Qingming was indeed interested. "The most exciting one?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Go back."
The clues of Ligui disappeared temporarily, but the general direction could be determined, so this trip was not fruitless, and the two quickly returned to the team. Qi Wan'er was talking with several Qi family monks in the distance, Yao Feng and Bu Shuihan, Jiang Ruoxu and other Lingxin sect disciples were sitting together, Ji Qiniang and Ji Ergongzi were both in the Penglai team, Ji Ergongzi had not woken up yet, and the pharmacist was checking his pulse.
Zhou Yi was meditating alone on a small floating island far away. After experiencing the Ligui incident, he decided to take care of Gu Pinglin until the end. Knowing the temper of the Tiancan Sect members, Gu Pinglin did not make any fuss and went to see Jun Muzhi.
Nanzhu and Jun Muzhi had just finished healing, and everyone gathered around to ask,
"I'm sorry to have troubled you all." Jun Muzhi looked much better. He bowed to thank them one by one. The fishbone fan flew out from the water on its own and returned to his hand. It was not damaged at all, and not even a single coral shell embedded in it fell off.
Jun Muzhi put away his fan, straightened his robe, walked over and bowed solemnly to Zhou Yi, saying earnestly: "I have heard of the name of Zhou Daxiu of Tiancan Sect for a long time. I am grateful for your rescue this time..."
Zhou Yi glanced at him and said, "I'm not interested in your life. My mission is to keep the man named Gu alive." If Gu Pinglin hadn't wanted to save him, he wouldn't have cared at all.
Jun Muzhi was well-mannered. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled again: "Brother Gu, of course you have to thank me. No matter what, I am very grateful to Zhou Daxiu for helping me. I will definitely repay you one day."
"A reward for a loser?" Zhou Yi sneered and closed his eyes again.
Jun Muzhi’s face froze.
Everyone in Penglai changed color, Nanzhu was slightly angry: "Your Excellency, what are you doing..."
"What Zhou Daxiu said is right," Jun Muzhi hurriedly stopped him and smiled, "I really have not made any progress in my cultivation. I am ashamed. I was lucky enough to escape with my life today. I should thank Zhou Daxiu." Seeing that Nanzhu wanted to say more, he bowed and said, "Thank you, young master, for not abandoning me and spending your true energy to heal my injuries. I am very humbled to receive this honor."
He was joking on purpose, and Nanzhu couldn't get angry anymore, so she kept a straight face.
Gu Pinglin shook his head.
Zhou Yi just didn't know the inside story. If he knew that Jun Muzhi was born with a damaged Taoist meridian, his attitude would definitely be much better. In his previous life, he was hunted down by the entire cultivation world because his Taoist meridian was damaged. He was almost desperate, but Zhou Yi was the only one who was willing to let him go this time.
Gu Pinglin did not want to mention Jun Muzhi's flaws in public, so he did not explain and changed the subject: "Envoy Jun Ling is loyal to the Lord, which is very respectable."
"You made me blush," Jun Muzhi said with a smile, "Without me, the young master would be fine. It's me who is dragging the young master down."
Nanzhu hesitated to speak, and finally just sighed and asked Gu Pinglin: "Did the Ligui leave?"
Just as Gu Pinglin was about to speak, Qi Wan'er strode over on the water waves, her handsome face still showing anger. Several Qi family monks followed behind him, trying to apologize.
"Are you going to leave or not?"
"The sea is dangerous. The master has ordered us to follow the young master. Please let us stay..."
Qi Wan'er stopped abruptly and laughed angrily: "After doing something like this, you still have the nerve to stay?"
Several monks hesitated.
Duan Qingming greeted: "Hey, what happened to cousin Wan'er?"
After learning the inside story from her own mouth, Qi Wan'er felt ashamed when she saw him. She didn't care about the name and cursed vaguely: "If they stay, they will only cause trouble. I'll tell them to go back."
How dare the monks go back? They were sent out to protect Qi Wan'er, who was the ancestor of the Qi family. If something happened to him, the consequences would be extremely serious. Penglai Island and the Qi family were originally enemies, and because of Gu Pinglin, Nanzhu, Jun Muzhi and others were not in a position to persuade them. The people of the Lingxin Sect would not speak well for them. Several monks were so anxious that they sweated and wished they could kneel down and swear.
Gu Pinglin asked, "Why did Master Thirteen chase them away?"
"You don't know, they..." Qi Wan'er's face turned red, and he was too embarrassed to tell the truth. He stopped to take a breath, glanced at Duan Qingming, and said impatiently, "Anyway, they must leave!"
Gu Pinglin said: "They are also loyal, please consider it again, Master Thirteen."
Qi Wan'er couldn't help but ask, "They almost hurt... and implicated cousin Duan Liu, and you still want them to stay?"
"No," Gu Pinglin said slowly, "What I mean is that even if they are wrong, it is said that knowing one's mistakes and being able to correct them is the greatest virtue. The journey to the sea is very dangerous. The major sects are competing for inheritance. In comparison, our strength is really weak. Keeping them here will also help them and give them a chance to make up for their mistakes. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
Several Qi clan monks were overjoyed and bowed to him gratefully: "Master Gu is right, we will never dare to make the same mistake again."
Qi Wan'er was a little moved: "But..."
Duan Qingming sighed, "My brothers have already apologized. How can I feel comfortable if my cousin chases them away for me?"
"Young Master!" Several monks knelt down.
It would be good for them to stay, but there was no guarantee that they would attack Duan Qingming. Qi Wan'er thought for a moment and said, "You can stay, but you have to swear an oath first."
Several people quickly agreed. Qi Wan'er's safety was more important than Duan Qingming. Having failed once, they did not dare to act rashly again.
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "It was an unintentional mistake. Why swear? My cousin is too harsh. I believe in you brothers."
"I'm harsh?" Qi Wan'er pointed at him, but she had no way to explain. She was so angry that she threw her sleeves and walked away, "What do you know? You don't know what's good for you. Don't blame me if anything happens!"
The Duan family is a first-rate family. Many people in the cultivation world know about the delicate relationship between the Qi family and Duan Qingming. As the saying goes, one should always be on guard against others. Duan Qingming behaves open-mindedly. Nanzhu and others obviously disagree. Only Gu Pinglin doesn't take it to heart - Duan Qingming is bored if he doesn't cause trouble, and it might be more to his liking if the Qi family takes action.
Gu Pinglin looked around and went over to ask Bu Shuihan: "Where is Miss Qu?"
Bu Shuihan raised his chin and pointed to the distance, a little dejected: "She went out to play with Miss Ming. She's over there." It was inconvenient for him to follow the two women as they were talking.
"Minggong's daughter?" Gu Pinglin thought to himself that something was wrong.
Bu Shuihan misunderstood his meaning: "They brought a lot of guards, nothing will happen."
Jun Muzhi was also looking for Qu Lin over there, and calmly ordered the guards: "Go and invite Miss Ming and Miss Qu back."
Without time to explain, Gu Pinglin shouted, "Hurry up and find it!"
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Bu Shuihan subconsciously became nervous. Without bothering to ask the reason, he hurriedly followed him. After they had taken a few steps, they heard a commotion and a dozen figures rushed towards them. They were Ming Gongnu and others. Xin Ji was actually among them.
"Miss Qu?" Bu Shuihan was shocked when he saw the situation.
Qu Lin's face was pale, her eyebrows were tightly knitted, and she looked a little exhausted. There was faint blood on her chest. Lady Ming personally supported her, her face full of anxiety: "Sister Qu is injured, where is the pharmacist? Call the pharmacist quickly!"
Duan Qingming quickly walked over to support Qu Lin and asked in a gentle voice, "How do you feel?"
Qu Lin hurriedly shook his head: "Brother Duan, I'm fine."
Ming Gongnu was ignored and let go of her hand in embarrassment.
Gu Pinglin glanced at Duan Qingming, stepped forward, held Qu Lin's hand and felt her pulse, and asked calmly, "What's going on?"
Lady Ming lowered her head and said, "Sister Qu and I went out to relax and accidentally encountered a school of skeleton fish. It's all my fault that Sister Qu got hurt."
"It has nothing to do with you, Lady." Qu Lin shook his head weakly, "It's because of my low cultivation that I got... hurt."
Gu Pinglin fed her a pill calmly. Although the Skeleton Fish Group was powerful, they were accompanied by a dozen Penglai guards. These guards were safe and sound, but she was injured. There must be something wrong.
“Senior Brother Gu…” Qu Lin was filled with joy.
Duan Qingming frowned and asked Miss Ming: "There are many guards in Penglai, how did Junior Sister Qu get injured?"
Gu Pinglin's heart skipped a beat.
"It's all my fault," Ming Gongnu pinched her fingers gently, her eyes red with grievance, "I wanted to invite my sister out to relax, thinking that since she was nearby and there were so many guards, nothing would happen. Who knew... Fortunately, Wang Daxiu arrived in time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."
Xin Ji used a pseudonym. He smiled and waved his hand, "It's just a small favor. It's nothing to worry about. It was Brother Gan Li who asked me to go and take a look. I didn't expect that I could really help."
Gan Li had come over a long time ago and explained sheepishly: "I heard that the sea is dangerous. Seeing the two girls leave, I was a little worried. My cultivation is low, so I have to trouble Senior Wang."
Gu Pinglin nodded and said to Nanzhu, "Fortunately, the heart meridian was not injured. I will trouble the Penglai Pharmacist."
"It's a small matter. Brother Gu, there's no need to be so polite." Nanzhu waved her hand generously and ordered the guards, "Go call the pharmacist."
Jun Muzhi and the pharmacist came hurriedly. Bu Shuihan was pulling Qu Lin to ask about it distressedly. He was pushed aside by Jun Muzhi and the pharmacist. He was about to get angry, but Jun Muzhi turned around and asked, "Brother Bu, aren't you taking care of Miss Qu? What's going on?"
His anger turned into guilt, and Bu Shuihan murmured, "It's my fault. I thought it would be okay if there were more people."
The daughter of Minggong has no good intentions. Jun Muzhi glanced at Duan Qingming, and hesitated to speak, sighing: "The sea is dangerous, Brother Bu is too careless."
Bu Shuihan was filled with ashamed.
Qu Lin defended him: "I asked Senior Brother Bu to leave it. It's none of his business."
Bu Shuihan is not stupid, he just lacks carefulness and is not calm enough when doing things. In his previous life, he had Gu Pinglin to help him clean up the mess, but something went wrong in the end. Now that Gu Pinglin has realized that something is wrong, he intends to use Qu Lin's incident to teach him a lesson and warn him, so he did not speak for him.
"If you were a little more off, your shoulder and right arm would be crippled," Duan Qingming reprimanded Qu Lin, and then said to Lady Ming, "Junior Sister Qu has always been delicate and weak, and rarely goes out for training. Lady Ming should take her out less often."
Lady Ming bit her red lips and said, "I was negligent."
Suppressing his anger, Gu Pinglin said calmly: "Help Miss Qu in first."