https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-226-A-Paradise-in-the-Secular-World/12592875/
Chapter 225: Gu An and the Sword Immortal
Chapter 225: Gu An and the Sword Immortal
In a distant corner of the Xuan Valley, within a lofty tower, Li Ya slammed a tiny replica of a city onto a table. No larger than a palm, the intricate and complex details of the miniature city were a sight to behold.
It was a shrunken version of the Divine Wonder City!
Li Ya held his chin high, his expression one of pride and arrogance.
Gu An, intrigued, asked, "What is this exquisite carving?"
Li Ya's lips twitched, and he glared, "This is the Divine Wonder City!"
Gu An's eyes widened in shock at the mention of the city, and Li Ya's mood improved. However, Gu An's next words nearly drove him mad.
"Amazing, Brother Li. You actually managed to replicate the Divine Wonder City!"
"Replicate? This is the real deal! If you don't believe me, I'll summon the divine spirits to show you!"
Li Ya called out to the spirits of the Divine Wonder City in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, they did not appear.
He panicked. What was going on? Why were they playing dead at such a crucial moment?
Gu An struggled to hold back his laughter. Fortunately, his acting skills, honed over the years, were now impeccable. He feigned confusion and reached out for the miniature city, only to feign struggle as if it were too heavy to lift. The entire tower seemed to tremble with the effort, and he pretended to be unable to lift the city.
"Could it be real?" Gu An muttered.
Li Ya, worried about the spirits' sudden disappearance, quickly boasted, "Do you know how many great cultivators reside within the Divine Wonder City?"
He began recounting his experiences, omitting the fact that the spirits of the Divine Wonder City had approached him first and instead claiming that he had undergone various trials to earn their recognition.
Gu An listened, impressed by his storytelling skills.
"I never knew your acting skills were so impressive," he thought to himself, amused. "If I hadn't known the truth and handed the city to you myself, I might have believed your tale of conquering the trials!"
Gu An played along, stroking Li Ya's ego and encouraging him to continue.
Li Ya eagerly shared the highlights of his battle against the seven-star spirit realm immortals, and Gu An interjected with exclamations of surprise from time to time.
The conversation lasted for two full hours before Li Ya finally paused, still eager to continue boasting.
"This is so exhilarating! It's always a pleasure to brag to a brother-in-arms!" Li Ya thought to himself. If it had been anyone else less close to him, he wouldn't have bothered sharing his adventures.
As Gu An poured him a cup of tea, Li Ya's smile didn't fade. He reached into his storage bag and retrieved a jade ruler, nearly two feet in length and a pale blue-white color.
"This is an extremely rare artifact. I wanted to give you a divine treasure, but your cultivation is too low, and it would only bring you trouble," Li Ya said sincerely. He then took out various heavenly treasures and placed them on the table, accepting Gu An's gratitude for each one.
Gu An was deeply touched. Although the Divine Wonder City was technically his, Li Ya's thoughtful gestures, despite his ignorance of the truth, demonstrated his genuine care and concern.
Gu An was generous to those around him, but most of his actions were simple and effortless. Those who received his true dedication and commitment reciprocated his efforts.
"I have to leave for the Star Sea Group soon," Li Ya said proudly, though his heart was heavy at the thought of parting. "I may not return for a hundred years, so don't miss me too much."
A hundred years was a long time, and no one could predict what the future held.
Li Ya worried about Gu An, but he had his own path to follow.
Gu An nodded, "After a hundred years, as long as you come back, I'll still be here waiting. Although living for a thousand years is difficult, I've already formed my Golden Core, so living for a few hundred years shouldn't be a problem."
Li Ya smiled and reminisced about their childhood memories, back when they were both still minors.
Another hour passed, and then Li Ya climbed out the window and departed.
Gu An eyed the footprints Li Ya had left behind, suspecting that he had done it on purpose.
"I need to teach him a lesson," Gu An decided. "I'll have the spirits of the Divine Wonder City give him a hard time, all in the name of guidance, of course!"
As evening fell, Zhang Bukang paid a visit to Gu An. He and Li Ya had planned beforehand to take turns visiting Gu An separately.
Zhang Bukang had something personal he wanted to discuss with Gu An, and Li Ya didn't want to disrupt the hierarchy of their relationships. Besides, three people in one room would be too crowded!
As expected, Zhang Bukang played down Li Ya's achievements, attributing them to mere luck and the fact that the spirits of the Divine Wonder City had taken the initiative to approach him. However, he didn't envy Li Ya; instead, he was genuinely happy for him. In his own words, if Li Ya weren't strong enough, Zhang Bukang feared they might die on their adventures together.
As their conversation drew to a close, Zhang Bukang, like Li Ya, presented Gu An with a variety of heavenly treasures as a token of his gratitude.
Gu An tried to decline, but Zhang Bukang insisted, and he eventually accepted.
Zhang Bukang was delighted to be able to reciprocate Gu An's kindness, and they began reminiscing about their childhoods. Zhang Bukang expressed his wish that his father could have seen his accomplishments today.
What a pity!
As evening fell, Zhang Bukang finally took his leave.
...
Amidst the swirling winter snowflakes, the large contingent from the Tai Xuan Gate returned. Zhen Qin wasted no time in paying a visit to Gu An, bearing numerous treasures as gifts.
Gu An was both amused and touched, but he didn't refuse.
Four days later, in the depths of the night, another visitor arrived—Jiang Qiong.
The two of them entered the Eight Scenic Grotto to catch up.
"How have you been all these years?" Gu An asked softly, sitting in front of a gnarled vine tree.
Two vine tendrils emerged and began massaging his shoulders.
Seeing Gu An's relaxed expression, Jiang Qiong rolled her eyes at him.
She took out a pill cauldron, lit a fire, and added water before finally answering, "I've been doing well. I visited the Divine Wonder City not long ago and made some remarkable gains."
She began adding medicinal ingredients to the cauldron.
Jiang Qiong immediately quizzed him.
"Do you know who I work for now?" Jiang Qiong asked casually.
Gu An shook his head. "How would I know? I'm just an ordinary mortal in the cultivation world, and I only know a limited number of powerful cultivators."
"Fudao Jianzun."
"What?"
Gu An was shocked. He cursed inwardly, 'I told you not to say it, why is it so easy for you to blurt it out? If you tell others about Jianzun tomorrow, I'll be in big trouble.'
Of course, even if others knew about Jiang Qiong's relationship with Fudao Jianzun, it wouldn't threaten Gu An. Instead, Jiang Qiong might bring disaster upon herself.
"I'll tell you about this, but you mustn't tell anyone else." Jiang Qiong turned back and glared at Gu An sternly as she admonished him.
Gu An helplessly said, "You shouldn't have told me. What if the senior hears about it? I'll be in trouble then."
Jiang Qiong smiled and said, "Rest assured, Fudao Jianzun doesn't kill unknown soldiers. I'm just chatting with you."
She changed the subject and began to talk about her experiences in the Divine Wonder City.
"This trip to the Divine Wonder City was full of dangers, and I almost died. If it weren't for Fudao Jianzun's help, you wouldn't be seeing your master here." Jiang Qiong spoke with a hint of melancholy.
Gu An comforted her, "But you're back now. You have the blessing of the heavens, and who knows, maybe you'll become an immortal someday."
Jiang Qiong shook her head. "Immortal? That's too difficult. The higher you climb, the more fears you have. By the way, why do you think Jianzun is so caring towards me? Could it be that he has taken a liking to my body?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Gu An, anticipating his reaction.
Frowning, Gu An replied, "I don't think so. He's so formidable and famous throughout the world. He doesn't lack female company."
'I'm taking care of you because you taught me so many spells! How could you think that of me? It's so hurtful!'
Gu An felt insulted. How could Fudao Jianzun be so shallow?
Noticing Gu An's frown, Jiang Qiong felt slightly relieved, but his words annoyed her.
"There may be many women in the world, but have you seen any who are more beautiful than your master here?" Jiang Qiong retorted, her eyes narrowing. As she spoke, she took quick steps forward and stood in front of Gu An, bending down to stare at him.
Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart, and Gu An, who was sitting on the ground, had no choice but to shift to the side.
Jiang Qiong lifted her left leg and let it brush past Gu An's ear as she placed her foot on the tree trunk, blocking his movement.
"Why are you dodging? Are you that averse to your master?" Jiang Qiong huffed.
Embarrassed, Gu An replied, "How could I be averse? I'm just afraid of offending you."
His gaze shifted downward.
Jiang Qiong was wearing a skirt, and although she had pants on underneath, her posture was still inappropriate.
"Offended?"
Jiang Qiong retracted her leg and then crouched down, starting to tug at Gu An's clothes.
"What are you doing?" Gu An exclaimed in alarm.
Jiang Qiong replied, "In case that existence really sets his sights on me, how can I refuse him? So before that happens, I might as well..."
Although Fudao Jianzun was powerful, in her heart, Gu An was more important, even the most important.
Gu An scrambled to get away, but Jiang Qiong applied more force, and he didn't want to reveal his true cultivation level, so he was in a difficult situation.
"Don't... this isn't right..." Gu An's robe was already in disarray, and even his hair had come loose. His face was flushed with shame and anger.
Jiang Qiong laughed and stopped her actions. "Even if you refuse tonight, there's nothing you can do. Your master here is going to force the issue..."
"You..."
Gu An panicked. Was she really going to go through with it?
'I haven't even been with my junior sister, how could I be with you, a witch?'
Gu An was ready to call for Fudao Jianzun's help.
Just then, Jiang Qiong stopped and stood up, annoyed. "Look at you, so pathetic. Take off your clothes yourself and get into the cauldron. Did you really think I wanted to do something to you? I was just preparing the best tempering herbs for you."
Gu An froze for a moment, then heaved a sigh of relief and quickly climbed to his feet.
As he walked past Jiang Qiong, she kicked him in the buttocks.
"Hurry up and take them off!"
Jiang Qiong was truly impatient.
In fact, she had been tempted earlier, but seeing Gu An's terrified expression, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
This made her feel annoyed and embarrassed.
'Does he really look down on me? Could it be because of propriety? Jiang Qiong thought about how Gu An had grown up in a righteous environment and must value propriety.
The reason she didn't was because she came from the demonic path.
Thinking this way made her feel much better.
'Yes, if he didn't have any feelings for me, why did his eyes glance downward earlier?'
Jiang Qiong smiled.
Gu An walked to the cauldron and quickly took off his clothes before leaping into the cauldron, causing a splash.
"It's a bit hot in here," Gu An's voice echoed from within the cauldron.
Jiang Qiong coldly said, "Endure it. Are you a man or not? Don't whine about the pain."
Gu An fell silent and didn't dare to say another word.
The Eight Scenic Grotto fell into a quiet stillness.
After all the herbs were added, Jiang Qiong took out a blood-red pagoda. She sat on the ground, carefully examining it.
Gu An poked his head out and asked, "What treasure is that?"
Jiang Qiong, fixated on the blood-red pagoda, replied, "This is the Blood Domain Soul-Calming Pagoda. It's a celestial treasure and extremely powerful. I obtained it by chance."
Third update! !
(End of Chapter)
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