Shen Gurong remained expressionless, appearing remarkably composed, but in reality, he was utterly terrified.
The Dao... the Dao Companion Contract?!
Was it the Dao Companion he knew?
The... the Dao Companion for dual cultivation?
Shen Gurong froze, his mind wandering.
Xi Guxing was even more at a loss for words. He coldly said, "So you're planning to personally offer yourself to Mu Zhe?"
Shen Gurong didn't react; he hadn't heard a word he said.
Su Xiyan suppressed a laugh and said, "It's just a mistaken contract, it's nothing serious."
Xi Guxing, recalling what Lin Shuhe had told him and Mu Zhe's subtle and overt feelings for his master, turned green with embarrassment. He said, "Senior Sister, you don't understand."
Su Xiyan looked at him suspiciously: "Why do you say that?"
Lou Bugui whispered from the side, "Third Senior Brother and Sixth Senior Brother always think that Mu Zhe wants to become a Daoist partner with Eleventh."
Su Xiyan: "..."
Su Xiyan said incredulously, "Really? I think Mu Zhe is quite docile, he shouldn't have such rebellious thoughts. Is there some misunderstanding?"
Xi Guxing sneered: "What misunderstanding? Only an idiot like Shen Eleven would think it's an accident, a misunderstanding."
Su Xiyan fell silent.
At this moment, Shen Gurong, who had been in a state of collapse for half a day, finally came to his senses. His eyes were unfocused, and he looked at Su Xiyan with despair, struggling to speak, "Senior Sister, save me!"
Su Xiyan paused for a moment before smiling softly. She said calmly, "It's not a big deal anyway. As long as you and Mu Zhe discuss it, you can use a magic array to break the contract. Oh, by the way, the magic array that the Demon Lord found to break the master-servant contract can also be used."
Hope rekindled in Shen Gurong's eyes: "Can it really be broken?"
Su Xiyan said, "Yes."
After his initial excitement, Shen Gurong frowned again: "Do both of them have to agree?"
"Yes," Su Xiyan said, "If one party forces the contract, the magic array will be ineffective."
Shen Gurong remained silent for a long time.
The requirement that both of them agree to the contract meant that he had to first tell his beloved disciple that his master was blind and had turned a perfectly good disciple contract into a Daoist couple contract.
Just imagining Mu Zhe's reaction when he found out made Shen Gurong feel utterly ashamed.
He had long since lost his respectful demeanor in front of Mu Zhe. If he pulled this stunt again, Mu Zhe would likely be extremely disappointed in him as a master, and nine times out of ten, he wouldn't return to Liren Peak after his training.
Xi Guxing was furious, and said sarcastically from the side, "You're really something, Shen Eleven. This is the first time I've ever seen a master and disciple form a Daoist couple contract. Why don't you just do dual cultivation while you're at it?"
Shen Gurong himself felt like there was something wrong with his brain. Had he really injured his head as a child? Even when meticulously tracing the magic array from his memory, he still made mistakes.
He didn't refute, remaining silent and letting the mockery continue.
Su Xiyan, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Eleventh doesn't understand formations at all. I drew the disciple contracts for the previous disciples all for him. This is the first time he's done it himself. A mistake is no big deal; at least it's not some random talisman."
Xi Guxing crossed his arms, gave a heavy "humph," and sulked to the side.
Just then, Chao Jiuxiao, who had been eavesdropping in Lotus Lake, burst into laughter, leaping out of the lake and, for the first time, condescendingly landing at Fanjiang Residence, transforming into human form and standing before the three.
Chao Jiuxiao arrogantly said, "Making a contract with someone of lower cultivation and sharing their fortune will inevitably lead to you being dragged down by Mu Zhe. Haha! That brat Mu Zhe is only at the Nascent Soul stage now. With this Daoist partner contract, I bet you'll never become a saint before you die!"
Shen Gurong ignored his sarcasm, still thinking about how to bring up this matter with Mu Zhe.
Su Xiyan's face flushed crimson.
Xi Guxing, unable to contain himself any longer, said, "Chao Jiuxiao, put on some clothes before you come out! Aren't you ashamed?!"
Chao Jiuxiao clicked his tongue, raised his hand, and used his spiritual power to conjure a black robe around his body, saying impatiently, "I'm shedding my skin, and I feel terrible."
Even though Shen Gurong's mind was preoccupied with that damned Daoist contract, these words still sent shivers down his spine.
—A handsome man speaking of "shedding skin"—it was strangely unsettling.
Lou Bugui exclaimed, "Ah!" and whispered, "I have medicine, it'll work."
Chao Jiuxiao snapped, "If I use your medicine, I'll probably perish before I even transform into a dragon."
Lou Bugui pouted, looking aggrieved.
Chao Jiuxiao, perhaps realizing his words had been a bit harsh, snorted coldly and said awkwardly, "If you have the time to research all sorts of random medicines, you might as well quickly undo the soul-separation from the Wind and Rain Pool."
Lou Bugui whispered, "That soul-separation can dispel inner demons..."
Chao Jiuxiao frowned: "Inner demons? Look at any of us, who has an inner demon?!"
Lou Bugui timidly turned his gaze to Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong looked completely bewildered: "I...I don't have an inner demon."
More than ten years ago, Lou Bugui had treated him, saying that Shen Feng Xue had done something that caused a backlash and severe injury, damaging his sea of consciousness and potentially giving rise to an inner demon.
But Shen Gurong had been in this body for so many years and had never encountered such a so-called inner demon.
However, it made sense; inner demons all stemmed from unresolved grievances in the sea of consciousness. Since taking over this body, Shen Gurong's biggest grievance had been his constant bad luck, always embarrassing himself in trivial matters, and each time being witnessed by his disciple.
The rest… probably just not being able to go home.
But that shouldn't be enough to cause him to develop inner demons.
Lou Bugui tilted his head and looked at him before saying, "It seems not."
Chao Jiuxiao said irritably, "Then what are you researching that damn stuff for? Just for fun?!"
Lou Bugui remained silent.
Su Xiyan said gently, "I remember Bugui has been researching the Soul-Capturing Grass since he was young. After so many years, we've finally achieved results. This is a good thing. Just because we haven't developed inner demons yet doesn't mean we won't in the future."
Lou Bugui's eyes lit up, looking at his senior sister almost like she was a saint.
Xi Guxing, stroking his chin, suddenly said, "If Soul Separation can truly remove inner demons from cultivators, then we might as well..."
Before he could finish, Su Xiyan interrupted, "No."
Xi Guxing frowned: "I haven't finished."
Su Xiyan sighed: "I know you're planning to sell Soul Separation for spirit stones, but Junior Brother, our Liren Peak shouldn't have fallen so low as to exchange your decades of hard work for spirit stones, right?"
Xi Guxing sneered: "You're not the sect leader."
Xi Guxing was originally a spendthrift, but since becoming sect leader, the spirit array under the Boundary Spirit Tablet required a large number of spirit stones every year. Over time, he developed a miserly nature, splitting every spirit stone in two.
However, he was quite willing to spend money on spirit herbs and hiring teachers for Shen Eleven.
Upon hearing this, Chao Jiuxiao and Shen Gurong, who were just loafing around on Liren Peak, lowered their heads in unison and fell silent.
Having been away for many years, Su Xiyan had a position to advise Xi Guxing: "Besides, Suihan City sends countless spirit stones every year, enough for us."
Lou Bugui, upon hearing this, let out a soft "Ah," and said, "How about we sell the Soul Separation items for money? The spirit stones from Suihan City..."
He lowered his voice even further: "They're all money from Fourth Senior Brother selling himself."
Upon hearing this, everyone else looked at him simultaneously.
Xi Guxing, Su Xiyan, and Chao Jiuxiao all had very strange expressions.
Lou Bugui was simple-minded; half of the small amount of brain-derived herbs took up space, and the other half was occupied by his fellow disciples. There was no room for anything else, so he simply didn't understand his Fourth Senior Brother's ultimate purpose in "selling himself" to a brothel.
Xi Guxing was speechless. Looking at Lou Bugui, who for so many years still believed that his Fourth Senior Brother was forced to sell himself in Suihan City to earn spirit stones, he couldn't bear to tell him the truth.
He couldn't very well tell Lou Bugui directly, "Your fourth senior brother has actually cultivated the Joyful Union Path. Suihan City isn't a place where he humiliates himself by selling himself; it's his playground for hunting women."
A moment of silence fell over the group.
Finally, Shen Gurong asked, "Suihan City is very close to the Gu Hong Secret Realm."
Su Xiyan coughed, breaking the awkward silence, and said, "Yes, it's also quite close to the Great Swamp. The Gu Hong Secret Realm will open in two years, and my fourth junior brother will probably go there too. I'll have them look after you two."
Chao Jiuxiao snorted, "No way. He's heartless; he even wants to sleep with his fellow disciples. I don't want to be taken care of in bed by him."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Just what kind of person is his fourth senior brother?
Hmm, I'd like to see for myself.
Su Xiyan ignored him and said to Shen Gurong, "I'll teach you the formation. Mu Zhe will definitely dare to go to the Gu Hong Secret Realm. Once you two meet, just talk things out, and the contract will be easily broken."
Shen Gurong felt a little guilty, but he had no other choice. He nodded, "Okay."
The matter was settled.
Shen Gurong's guilt lasted for two years. Every month, Mu Zhe sent him a disciple contract... a Daoist partner contract, to report his safety. Staring at the red, fluttering contract, Shen Gurong felt his entire being was etched with guilt.
Just seeing that contract made him so ashamed he wanted to disappear into the ground. If he really saw Mu Zhe, how could he possibly bring it up?
Shen Gurong had nothing else to do but ponder how to bring it up every day. He even went into seclusion twice, but this thought almost drove him to the brink of inner demons.
As soon as he emerged from seclusion, Lou Bugui happily dragged him into the Soul-Separating Mist of the Wind and Rain Pool.
Shen Gurong: "Senior brother! Senior brother, I really haven't fallen from my inner demons! Senior brother, listen to me—ah!"
Shen Gurong remained stunned for three more days.
Time flies in the cultivation world; two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Whether time passed too quickly or Shen Gurong was too carefree, he hadn't felt the same eagerness to go home as when he first arrived.
After spring, Shen Gurong and Chao Jiuxiao were going to the Gu Hong Secret Realm together.
Before leaving, Xi Guxing, like a mother hen, gave them a series of instructions.
"Don't fight on the road, and don't cause trouble. If you do get into trouble, don't say you're from Liren Peak, understand?"
Shen Gurong obediently nodded, but Chao Jiuxiao chuckled, unconcerned.
Xi Guxing frowned: "Chao Jiuxiao, what's with that expression? Are you really planning to fight Eleven on the way? Heh, I think you're just reminiscing about being beaten to tears again."
Chao Jiuxiao: "..."
Chao Jiuxiao roared furiously: "Once I transform into a dragon, I'll definitely make him cry first!"
Xi Guxing glanced at him: "You've been saying that for four years, aren't you tired of it yet?"
Chao Jiuxiao: "..."
Chao Jiuxiao let out a vicious dragon roar, transforming into a gigantic dragon body, carrying Shen Gurong on his back, and soaring into the air with a whoosh.
Xi Guxing was still repeatedly reminding him: "Whatever you do, don't fight. And whatever you do, don't report it to Liren Peak, the compensation is very expensive."
Shen Gurong turned around and bargained with him: "Can I report it to Lin Guan Medical Clinic or Suihan City?"
Xi Guxing said: "Sure."
Shen Gurong agreed, and disappeared into the horizon with Chao Jiuxiao.
In Xianyun City, at the Lin Guan Medical Clinic, Lin Shuhe, lounging lazily in a soft chair basking in the sun, sneezed.
A thousand miles away in Suihan City, a magnificent and luxurious spirit ship pierced through the misty sky, slowly coming to a stop above a snow-covered landscape.
Below lay the Gu Hong Secret Realm.
On the top deck of the spirit ship, layers of white gauze curtains hung down, incense smoke curling upwards, a gentle breeze drifting in from the window, breaking the continuous wisps of smoke.
On the enormous couch, a jade-like hand gently lifted layer after layer of curtains, revealing mottled, ambiguous marks on the forearm.
The curtains parted, revealing Jing Zhuchen's bewitching eyes. His clothes were disheveled, he leaned lazily against the soft pillows, his toes barely touching the ground, exuding both languidness and sensuality.
Jing Zhuchen yawned, his eyes half-closed, too lazy to speak, only uttering a muffled "What?"
Outside the beaded curtain, someone bowed and said, "City Lord, we have arrived at the Gu Hong Secret Realm."
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