The process of refining the spider blood must be done with great care. Gan Li began to practice intensively. Success or failure depended on this one move, and outsiders could not help him. Seeing that he had entered a state of ecstasy, Gu Pinglin set up a barrier to prevent anyone from entering the room to disturb him. He only said to the outside world that he was in a higher realm. It happened that Gan Li was about to advance to the Na Yuan realm, so no one doubted it.
In the palace hall here, all the guards retreated, leaving only two people.
Nanzhu stood in the middle of the hall with her back to the door and her hands behind her back, while Jun Muzhi stood with his head bowed. Neither the king nor the minister spoke a word, and the atmosphere was very stiff and depressing.
Nanzhu had no choice but to release the person.
Once the old sick immortal shows up, Penglai will be in big trouble. Sixth Lord Guo Feng absolutely hopes that Jun Muzhi will leave. If Pingcang Lord and Shunshi Lord insist on protecting it, they can only tangle with Tiancan Sect and wear down its strength, which is more in line with Sixth Lord's wishes.
If it was Jun Muzhi, he should let him go. Jun Muzhi's pulse injury has healed, and even if he is in the Tiancan Sect, he can still have a good path, which is better than giving up his cultivation and living a mediocre life.
Everyone knows what is the best choice.
Finally, Jun Muzhi spoke first: "This matter will never end well. We should not confront the Tiancan Sect."
Nanzhu said “hmm”.
Jun Muzhi said nothing more.
Nanzhu said, "If you don't have anything to say, just leave."
Jun Muzhi said: "Young Master's intention..."
Nanzhu sneered: "You already have an idea, don't you?" What he said to Zhou Yi just now was "consider it" instead of directly rejecting it.
Jun Muzhi raised his face: "That's right, I don't want to give up."
Nanzhu turned around and looked at him.
Jun Muzhi also looked straight at him and said calmly: "Since I was sixteen years old, how many women has my grandfather put around me? Do you know?" Without waiting for Nanzhu to answer, he smiled bitterly: "Because I was born with a disability, the criticism of me in Penglai has never stopped for so many years. The grandson of Lord Pingcang, the future heir of Xianshe Island, is a useless person."
Nanzhu said: "You..."
"Even if I am stronger in other aspects, I cannot be looked up to by them. My path is short and my life span is limited," Jun Muzhi said. "If Grandfather still had a healthy grandson, the subordinates of Xianshe Island would never support me like this. In order to prevent Penglai from falling into Guo Feng's hands and for the young master to smoothly control Penglai Island in the future, Grandfather must also meet their expectations. They can only feel at ease if I have a normal successor. If the power of Xianshe Island is smoothly transferred, I will have completed my mission."
Nanzhu was silent.
"Now, by chance, my value is no longer just for breeding," Jun Muzhi said, "Even if I join the Tiancan Sect, I can still have a good future. How can I not be tempted by such an opportunity?"
Nanzhu suddenly asked, "Do you think I'm angry?"
Jun Muzhi lowered his eyes and did not answer.
Nanzhu slowly walked to the gate, with her back to him, looking at the dark water outside the gate. After a while, she said, "Muzhi, you are ten times smarter than me. If you were in this position, you would definitely do better than me. But I, Nanzhu, am definitely not the young master you think I am. How well do you think you know me?"
The tone was calm, yet it revealed endless sadness.
"I do care about Lord Pingcang's support. I was worried about you in the Yinhuang Cave because of Lord Pingcang, but I was also sincere. It's not as bad as you think. You have always looked down on me, but I always treat you as a brother. I will only be happy if you can heal your Dao meridians. How can I let you delay your Dao journey for me? I just didn't expect that you really never looked at me with your heart."
Jun Muzhi was slightly shocked and raised his eyes: "Young Master..."
"Forget it," Nanzhu interrupted him with a wave of her hand, and said with a sad smile, "Perhaps you think I am trying to win people's hearts again, so I will do you a favor and let Envoy Lingsha resign from his post and leave Penglai Island today. Considering his past merits and the friendship with Lord Pingcang, I will allow him to return to the island to visit his relatives and worship his ancestors."
After saying this, the man strode away.
The relationship between a monarch and his subjects finally came to an end. It is hard to describe who is sincere and who is heartless.
The fluttering cloak disappeared at the door, bringing in a gust of cold wind, making the empty hall even more deserted. Jun Muzhi followed him for two steps and then stopped. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He stood there in a daze for a long time.
That night, Gu Pinglin wanted to personally protect Gan Li, so he switched rooms with Xin Ji. Xin Ji complained bitterly, and in his words, "The farther away from Duan Qingming the better." Duan Qingming didn't react at all, and didn't even look over here. Seeing this, Gu Pinglin was relieved.
In fact, this kind of anger-like reaction is safer. If he acts as if nothing has happened or makes joking remarks, then you should be alert, because it means he will not stop at all.
Isn't it a kind of temptation for me to give up the words of "seclusion for a hundred years"
If he insisted on not giving up, I would have to make other plans. Fortunately, this man was as proud as in his previous life. I had retreated to this point, which showed my determination to avoid it. It was impossible for him to continue to pester me. The safe return of Bu Shuihan and Qu Lin proved this. In my previous life, it was because I was too persistent that I was dragged into the abyss.
Next, he just needs to act as usual. He thinks that it won't be long before he will change his interest and maybe leave Lingxin Sect.
With his worries gone, Gu Pinglin practiced with Gan Li all night. The progress was not ideal, but he had accepted this result. He did not force himself to improve. He finished his practice on time and walked out of the palace.
It's raining at sea, and the field of vision is narrower than usual. Looking ahead, there is a vast rain curtain, splashes of water everywhere, and the sound of "gurgling" like flowing water, which is transmitted to the heart, inevitably bringing a little melancholy.
In the rain, a figure approached.
The cloth clothes were soaked, and the rain flowed down the hair and clothes, but the man didn't care at all. He held the sword in his arms, and his whole body exuded a lonely air.
Most of the Tiancan Sect members were like this, tough and weird. Since the deal was done, Gu Pinglin knew his temper and didn't bother to make trouble. He just casually bowed his hands as a greeting.
The Penglai guard at the door saw him and was about to go in to report when Jun Muzhi appeared.
"It's your decision." Zhou Yi said.
Jun Muzhi looked very bad. He walked out of the door slowly, not caring about being caught in the rain. He was silent for a moment before saying, "I'll leave this to you..."
"He will follow you into Tiancan Sect." Nanzhu's voice came.
Jun Muzhi turned around suddenly.
Nanzhu walked out from the door, wearing a sandalwood hair crown inlaid with blue crystals, a black cloak on his body, and a navy blue robe embroidered with red patterns underneath. He stopped beside Jun Muzhi and waved his hand. The barrier immediately created a rainless space, covering both Jun Muzhi and Zhou Yi. The disturbing sound of rain instantly became much smaller.
He stared at Zhou Yi: "Sir, can you keep your promise and save his life?"
Zhou Yi looked at the two of them, and after a while he said, "Of course."
"Young Master!" Jun Muzhi lowered his head and knelt.
"You are already a member of Tiancan Sect, so you don't have to call me Young Master." Nanzhu held him up with her arms, smiling, "It was Lord Pingcang who forced you to call me Young Master back then. Now you don't have to worry about it anymore."
Jun Muzhi's face was filled with shame and he was choked with sobs.
Nanzhu sighed and grabbed his shoulders: "Alright, in all these years, when have I ever been angry with you? I didn't want you to call me Young Master in the past, but now you should be happy. Even if you dislike it, I, Nanzhu, treat you as a brother."
"I..." Jun Muzhi burst into tears.
Nanzhu turned to Zhou Yi and asked, "I wonder what your sect's rules are for accepting disciples? Do you need to go through an initiation ceremony?"
Zhou Yi said: "Worship the remaining ancestors."
"In that case, let's discuss it inside," Nanzhu raised her hand, "Please."
The three of them went to the hall to discuss it, and Gu Pinglin also had some understanding of it.
Disciples of the Tiancan Sect do not need to take a master as their disciple when they join. Whoever is strong and ruthless has the opportunity to become the sect leader's disciple. The so-called initiation ceremony is nothing more than a worship of the ancestor Can. In principle, it should be presided over by the sect leader. Zhou Yi is a disciple that Laobing Zhenren relies on. Since he could think of this idea, he must have the power to accept new disciples on behalf of the sect leader. With such a status, he still has to try to avoid the punishment for mistakes in tasks. It can be seen how strict the rules of the Tiancan Sect are.
Given this, Nanzhu should stay for another day or two. This is enough time for Gan Li to refine the spiritual pearl blood, Gu Pinglin thought to himself, walked down the steps and strolled in the rain.
The Qi family members were taking shelter from the rain in a small pavilion. The pavilion was a spiritual device, with vermilion eaves, pillars and railings, which could accommodate dozens of people. Although the space was small, it looked exquisite. There was even a green banana tree next to the pavilion.
In the eyes of others, this pavilion is just an ordinary space spiritual tool. However, Gu Pinglin was surprised to recognize this object when he browsed ancient scrolls in his previous life.
This pavilion is made of phoenix feather wood, the paulownia wood where the divine phoenix lives. It gathers the vitality of heaven and earth and supports various large-scale magic arrays. There must be many defense arrays engraved on it. If nothing unexpected happens, there should also be teleportation arrays. Even if the activation conditions are high, it is worth it just because it can save lives at critical moments. This rare spiritual weapon is comparable to the "Ice Wheel" boat, the treasure of Penglai Island. With this thing, Qi Wan'er's status in the clan is self-evident. No wonder Qi Zhen was relieved to let him come out.
Ji Qinnan was also in the pavilion. Several Qi family monks had their own considerations and took the initiative to accept her. Ji Qinnan also came from a large family, and her speech and behavior were completely in line with the standards. The group of people talked and laughed, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Qi Wan'er was impatient to listen, so she stood alone at the railing, her eyes looking somewhere else.
Bu Shuihan, Jiang Ruoxu, Leng Xu, Yao Feng, Xin Ji and others were discussing swordplay in the rain. Qu Lin, wearing a shawl cloak to protect herself from the rain, sat on a floating log beside them and listened quietly. Yao Feng was a man of few words, and it was basically the others who were talking. Xin Ji pretended to be a disciple of Feijian Palace, but he was not actually a swordsman. However, he was proud of his high level of cultivation and joined in the discussion, looking like he was instructing the younger generation.
It would be fine for others, but Bu Shuihan had a good talent for swordsmanship. After hearing his nonsense, he could no longer bear it and asked, "Do you know what sword cultivation is?"
Xin Ji mocked back: "When I took the sword, you didn't even know where you were."
Bu Shuihan sneered: "If the people in Feijian Palace were like this, our Lingxin Sect should have been admitted to the Eight Great Sects long ago."
The one who took the blame was Feijian Palace. Xin Ji said without blushing: "Your cultivation is too shallow and you don't know the true meaning of the sword way."
"Nonsense!" Bu Shuihan's face darkened as he pulled Yao Feng, "Brother Yao, do you think that what he did can be called swordsmanship?"
Yao Feng looked at the two of them, thought for a moment, and said tactfully: "Although I don't quite understand, the truth is ever-changing, and perhaps what the senior said makes sense."
Bu Shuihan laughed: "You should just listen to the first part of what I said."
Xin Ji also knew that he was probably wrong, so he coughed twice and said, "Brother Yao is right. Our swordsmanship is different from what you guys are practicing. It's no wonder that you don't understand."
Bu Shuihan did not let him go, and said suspiciously: "You claim to be a disciple of Feijian Palace, but I have never seen you use a single skillful sword technique. Are you a liar?"
"How dare you!" Xin Ji sneered in anger, "You little brat, you don't know how high the heaven is or how deep the earth is. If I were to show my ability, it would be easy for me to teach you a lesson..."
"In that case, please give me some pointers, Senior." Bu Shuihan was a man who refused to admit defeat. He became arrogant and forgot to act polite in front of Qu Lin. He jumped up and said, "Come on, let me fight with you!"
Xin Ji secretly thought that something was wrong.
Originally, he was at a high level and practiced the techniques in "Nine Chapters of Spirit Refining". Even without pupil painting, it would be easy for him to defeat Bu Shuihan. The problem was that he was a demon cultivator, and if he showed his strength, his identity would be exposed. If he hid his strength, he would lose face.
Bu Shuihan walked a few steps and felt uncomfortable. He couldn't help but pull his wide sleeves: "This robe is in the way..." He reacted halfway through his words and looked at Qu Lin quickly.
Qu Lin pursed her red lips and pretended not to know: "Brother, you are right. I think you are better in your original clothes. The long gown is not neat enough."
The wide sleeves made him look elegant, but Bu Shuihan never liked it. He only changed into it to please Qu Lin. Hearing what Qu Lin said, he breathed a sigh of relief: "That's right, I don't like such a long-winded look. I'll change into it tomorrow."
Qu Lin hummed, "It must be uncomfortable to use a sword in this outfit. It's raining heavily and I can't see clearly. Why don't we compete next time?"
Bu Shuihan looked at Xin Ji and said, "Then maybe next time."
Gu Pinglin found it funny.
Xin Ji felt relieved and was very grateful to Qu Lin: "Well, it saves people from accusing me of bullying the younger generation... Mr. Duan seemed to be busy before, I'll go in and take a look first." After saying that, he hurried towards the palace.
Suddenly, a figure stopped him.
"Wait a minute, Senior Wang."