The next morning, Zhong Michu greeted Ji Chaoling and set off for Xuji Mountain at noon.
Gu Fuyou and her set out on the journey, first to familiarize themselves with the route. Dongli also saw them off along the way.
Zhong Michu and Dongli were flying on their swords. Gu Fuyou was riding on Zhong Michu's spirit sword. She flipped through the storage bag in her hand and stared into it: "You didn't bring anything."
Zhong Michu said: "People who practice pure cultivation do not value material desires. Besides, the master's cave is fully equipped with everything needed for ordinary cultivation, so there is no need to bring anything."
Gu Fuyou stared into the air in a trance, muttering, "Books, alchemy furnace... There must be no pots and pans over there, so bring them too..."
Zhong Michu tilted his ear slightly and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Gu Fuyou said, "I'm thinking about what I should bring with me. Senior Sister, I haven't been to Xuji Mountain yet. What kind of place is that?"
Zhong Michu said: "Xuji Mountain is located in the extreme north, stretching for thousands of miles. The top of the mountain is covered with ice and snow all year round. The clear and spiritual energy nourishes all things. It is a spiritual and beautiful place."
Gu Fuyou said, "Snow Mountain? I also want to bring some lotus root seedlings and lotus seeds to plant in Xuji Mountain. The lotus roots in our Xiaoyao City are very sweet, and the lotus flowers are also beautiful. There are also tea trees. After they grow well, I can make tea for you."
"Well, it's the snow mountain, the snow mountain, alas." Gu Fuyou pondered, looked up to the sky and sighed twice, his tone a little lost.
"Lotus seeds?" Zhong Michu thought for a moment and said, "There are snow lotuses in Xuji Mountain."
"Really?" Gu Fuyou said greedily, "I heard that snow lotus is good for health when used in soup, and it tastes great!"
Zhong Michu said cheerfully with a hint of smile: "As for the tea trees and lotus, if I break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I should be able to absorb the cold air in a small area. You can wait for a while and try again."
The surroundings were filled with clouds and mist, the wind was cold, and the voice of the person in front of him was also cold. However, Gu Fuyou felt like he had drunk a bowl of hot porridge, and the warm current flowed all the way to his stomach. He hummed happily with a long tone through his nose, tied the storage bag, and hung it on Zhong Michu's waist again.
She looked at the slender waist of the person in front of her. In the past, she could only admire it from a distance and not touch it. Now she dared to take things from her waist. It was like plucking hair from a tiger's head, but she knew Zhong Michu would not be angry, so she dared. She thought she was "fearless". Thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile foolishly.
Not long after they walked, Zhong Michu suddenly looked back and said, "Someone is coming."
Zhong Michu and Dong Li turned around and looked back the way they came. In the mist, a figure gradually became clearer. Zhong Michu murmured, "Great Elder."
Ji Xiyan flew over on his sword and stopped not far from the three of them. He said, "You guys are walking so fast, it's hard for me to catch up with you."
Zhong Michu asked, "Is there something wrong, Great Elder?"
Ji Xiyan's hair was slightly messy, and he let out a long breath, as if he was in a hurry: "Your master asked me to chase you back, he has something else to explain clearly."
Zhong Michu was slightly surprised: "I just went to the study this morning to greet you..." After a pause, she asked calmly: "I wonder what Master wants to tell you?"
Ji Xiyan said, "I just want to hand over the leader token to you. This is a major matter for the sect, and it is not something that can be decided casually. I have repeatedly warned him to think twice before acting, but I am afraid he has been thinking about it and has not made up his mind until now. This matter is of great importance, otherwise I would not have to come here in person to pass on the message."
Gu Fuyou suddenly popped his head out from behind Zhong Michu, stared at Ji Xiyan and said, "Senior sister will be back soon after she goes out to train for a while. Even if the master wants to pass on the master's token, there is no need to rush. Why did she come out just now and then call her back in such a hurry?"
Ji Xiyan glanced at Dong Li casually, then looked at Zhong Michu. The two were silent and did not respond to Gu Fuyou's words. Ji Xiyan's eyes flashed a cold light towards Gu Fuyou: "Are you kidding me, girl?"
He looked at the direction the three were heading, put his hands behind his back, and said slowly: "She went to Xuji Mountain to practice..." After a brief pause, he glanced at the expressions of the three people, and after a while, he continued: "At least a few decades, at most a hundred years. This is just a few days, a moment? Unexpected things happen in so many years, who can predict it? The leader made this decision to let Xuanmiao Sect have an obvious successor, so that when something goes wrong, there will be someone in the sect to take the helm, so that they will not act independently, fight for power and profit, and become a mess."
He said to Zhong Michu: "Your master is cautious, you know that he has made preparations in advance." He looked at Gu Fuyou again and sneered: "Why, you are suspicious of me?"
Gu Fuyou curled her lips. She tried to test him, but she just felt a little strange. She glanced at Ji Xiyan, who was staring at her. She quickly shrank back behind Zhong Michu, thinking that Ji Xiyan looked very much like her former teacher. At this moment, she only hated that Zhong Michu was too slender and could not cover her tightly.
Dong Li smiled and said softly, "Don't be angry, Elder. That's not what she meant. It's just that the headmaster suddenly called us back, which was a little unexpected. We will go back with you now."
Ji Xiyan snorted coldly and said to Zhong Michu, "Let's go quickly. You have wasted so much time. The sooner you go back and finish your business, the sooner you can set off for Xuji Mountain."
Zhong Michu said: "Yes."
Everyone turned back to Xuanmiao Gate, and Ji Xiyan flew with them all the way. When they returned to the sky above Jingdu Mountain, Gu Fuyou looked down and saw that they were almost at the mountainside, and the purple wisteria tree was the boundary of the mountain guarding formation.
The weather has been getting colder in recent days, and today the wind is even colder. The wind blows through the leaves, making an eerie rustling sound. As the leaves swayed, Gu Fuyou saw a dark figure under the tree. When Gu Fuyou squinted his eyes and looked closely, Dong Li had already said, "It's someone from the Xu Ling Sect!"
There were hundreds of people standing in the woods, all of them were highly skilled. Their aura was so terrifying that the wind pressure on Jingdu Mountain was howling. The mountain defense formation ahead had been opened, and those people were standing in front of it. They were not friendly.
A strange thought flashed through Gu Fuyou's mind. She was frowning and thinking deeply when a dark shadow rushed up from the woods, and a cold light came towards her. Gu Fuyou didn't even have time to react. Her feet were empty, and someone hugged her waist. There was a clanging sound in her ears, like a sword hitting a sword. Gu Fuyou felt a sharp pain on her face, and her waist was supported, and her body was quickly pulled back.
The two stepped on the wind and landed lightly. The attackers did not catch up, because there was a mountain defense formation in the middle. This formation was made by Elder Liuhe based on the terrain of Jingdu Mountain. There are two types of formations, one is to use the weather and terrain to set up the formation, and the other is to use one's own spiritual power to set up the formation. Elder Liuhe learned from the strengths of many and combined the essence of the two types of formations to set up this mountain defense formation, which is as solid as a rock. Even if more than ten cave void period cultivators join forces, they can't break it easily.
Gu Fuyou and the others had jade tokens that could identify their identities, so they could get through the mountain guarding formation. Gu Fuyou felt weak as soon as she landed, staggered back a step, and leaned on the person behind her. She was calm now, and when she recalled the face of the person who attacked her before, the fanatical look that person had when he looked at her, she shuddered and felt a bone-piercing chill.
Zhong Michu supported her and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Gu Fuyou was still a little dazed. When he turned around to look at her, he shook his head blankly. Zhong Michu suddenly held her face with his hands and touched her cheek with his thumb. Gu Fuyou felt a little stinging and hissed. It turned out that the man had attacked her before. Although Zhong Michu defended in time, Gu Fuyou still got a scratch on her cheek. Fortunately, the wound was not deep and just a little red. Zhong Michu's face was gloomy, and he pursed his lips and said nothing.
Dong Li and Ji Xiyan also landed. Ji Xiyan glanced outside and frowned, "Why are people from Xu Ling Sect here? The sect's mountain defense formation is still open." He pondered for a moment and said to Zhong Michu, "I'll go ask Elder Liuhe what's going on. You go to Xiangxing Hall to find your master."
Ji Xiyan hurried to Xiyi Peak. The three of them looked at each other, and Zhong Michu said, "Let's go see Master first." Then they went to Xiangxing Hall.
Two people stood on the mountain path outside the mountain guarding formation. One of them stood with his hands behind his back, watching them walk away, and said with a smile: "Du Pan, you are too impatient."
Du Pan held a dagger in his hand. He licked the red spot on the blade with his tongue. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and moaned with pleasure: "Sixth Elder, you don't know that I have been thinking about this baby day and night. I am so happy when she appears in front of me. If I can get her, I can refine any kind of elixir. I can even use the elixir formula that I just imagined. I am willing to go to hell if I can refine these elixirs." Du Pan's eyes were almost burning with fire, and his voice trembled: "How can I bear it when I see her."
The Sixth Elder had seen his crazy state before, so he was not surprised. He smiled and said, "They can't escape, so there is no need to rush. You and Zhong Michu had a trick before, what do you think?"
Du Pan said: "You know about the dual cultivation of golden elixir within a hundred years."
The Sixth Elder laughed and said, "It's real or fake. Who can say for sure if you haven't seen it yourself?"
Du Pan said, "Don't say she lives up to her reputation. I'm afraid her talent is hidden. Yanzhi said that she was able to gain the upper hand without using any magic weapon under the siege of two mid-stage Jindan cultivators. You also saw my move just now. Even a Yuanying cultivator might not be able to react to it, but she responded very quickly."
The Sixth Elder clicked his tongue and said with a smile, "It would be great if such a good seedling could be kept in the Zuo family and give birth to children for our Zuo family."
Du Pan sneered twice: "Sixth Elder, give up this thought. Her talent is beyond the reach of the two guardians, and no one in the Zuo family's younger generation can compare to her. When she grows up, no one will be able to control her. Keeping her is like raising a tiger to cause trouble. We must take this opportunity to get rid of her."
The Sixth Elder shook his head and sighed, then smiled and said, "What a pity."
There are two levels of Xuanmiao Sect’s formations. One is the mountain-guarding formation managed by Liuhe. The other is the defensive formation set up by the Sect Master, outside the Xiangxing Hall. After passing the gate of Xuanmiao Sect and past the palace, there is a higher mountain flatland with a square and pavilions. This is where guests are received and where the elders discuss matters. This place is called Xiangxing Hall.
As the three of them came up, they saw two groups of people standing opposite each other in the square. The three of them came up from the side steps and could see the sides of these people. Gu Fuyou looked closely and saw that the leader was Zuo Yuezhi. She was confused and thought that the Xuling Sect and Xuanmiao Sect seemed to have no grudges. Why did such a big scene force them to come to Xuanmiao Sect today? It was so strange. She muttered, "It can't be that they are here to find me."
Zhong Michu whispered: "Why did they come to you?"
Gu Fuyou said, "I'm just guessing. This is a long story, but in short it's all because of Zuo Tianyi. The Zuo family got into a fuss and suddenly came up with a plan to ask Zuo Tianlang to marry me. They even blocked my father's way halfway. I don't know what they were up to."
Zhong Michu looked at her, and there was a strange silence. Gu Fuyou shrank his neck and spoke weakly: "What's wrong?"
Zhong Michu said to Dong Li: "Don't go over there yet, wait here."
"good."
Gu Fuyou, who was ignored, said: "..."
Zhong Michu walked towards the crowd, and after passing the stone gate was the headmaster's defensive formation. This formation still required wearing an identity jade card to enter, but only the elders and important inner disciples could enter.
Zhong Michu walked in smoothly. There were seven people on the Zuo family side. On the other side, Ji Chaoling stood in the middle, and beside him stood the elders. Except for Elder Liuhe and Ji Xiyan, the other seven elders were all here. Yun Ran was the third elder, in charge of teaching etiquette and sect rules to the inner disciples, and could be considered an elder for law enforcement. After she became a monk, she stopped caring about worldly affairs, and these matters were handled by Ji Chaoling. Her position as an elder was meaningless, but at this moment, she was also present.
Zhong Michu glanced at her, lowered his eyes slightly, turned to Ji Chaoling and said, "Master."
Ji Chaoling was surprised: "Why are you back?"
Zhong Michu was startled: "The great elder caught up with me and said that my master had something to tell me and asked me to return home as soon as possible..."
Ji Chaoling frowned and shouted to the elder behind him: "Go find him!"
Zuo Yuezhi raised his hand to stop, and said with a smile: "Hey, Master Ji, since your disciple is back, let's sort this matter out."