In the end, Zu An didn’t try to dissuade Chu Chuyan from her decision. After all, this battle was really important for her. He didn’t want her to lose her sense of identity either. If she gave up everything for him, she would no longer be the beautiful woman he had met in Brightmoon City.
Still, he wondered how Honglei was doing. If she lost too badly, perhaps she would have a hard time on her side too.
Sigh, both of them are equally important to me! What do we do now…
“When are you planning to leave?” Zu An asked with a sigh.
“I was waiting for you the whole time. I was going to leave after talking to you,” Chu Chuyan said reluctantly.
Zu An was stunned.
Chu Chuyan seemed to have realized that it was too sudden too. She explained in embarrassment, “I need to spend some time alone in the mountains and clear my thoughts, to slowly return to that emotionless state. Then, I can go to the Devil Sect to find Qiu Honglei, so I don’t have much time.”
Zu An was dumbfounded. He eventually said, “I really have to have a talk with your master and change that cultivation method of yours. It really doesn’t match how a human should behave.”
Chu Chuyan and Yan Xuehen seemed to come from the same mold. If he didn’t add a bit more worldly spice to their lives, then forget about becoming an immortal, perhaps they would really become frozen women.
Chu Chuyan smiled and said, “That might be a bit difficult. Master is quite fierce, so she might give you a beating.”
Zu An cursed to himself, She’s never given me a beating, but I’ve given her one quite a few times.
“Alright, I really have to leave. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Youzhao in the capital,” Chu Chuyan said as she got up and gave him a peck on the lips. Then, she left like a drifting cloud.
“Okay,” Zu An said. After some hesitation, he decided not to tell her about Violet Mountain. She was about to face a great battle, so there was no need to worry her and disturb her. That was the case even though the Unshakable Daoist Manual was a skill with such damned characteristics.
As he watched her depart into the distance, Zu An couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. The courtyard which had previously been full of joy and happiness now felt especially spacious and empty. It no longer heldd the warmth of a family.
…
In the following days, Zu An’s mood became much more sullen. The only thing he could do was distract himself by focusing on work. He collected information about Yi Commandery, as well as any information he could get about Golden Token Seven. He also sent Xiao Jianren, Dai Seventh, and Chen Eighth out to Yi Commandery ahead of time.
In the few days he had left, he brought Zheng Dan to the Royal Academy again, paying Yan Xiangu a visit to formalize the discipleship.
Seeing as the Sang clan was still going through with the posthumous child plan, Zheng Dan couldn't always stay in the academy. Otherwise, there was no way they would get away with it. As such, they had decided Zheng Dan would just visit the place from time to time. After obtaining Yan Xiangu’s guidance, she would cultivate at home. Such a request wasn’t really showing Yan Xiangu too much respect, but with Xie Daoyun to smooth things over, the process went rather smoothly.
After all, Yan Xuehen always cultivated in seclusion too. There was no need for Zheng Dan to come up the mountain for quite some time.
Zu An was a bit curious. This Yan Xiangu was quite mysterious. Zu An had visited the academy several times, and yet never seemed to have met him before.
…
Zu An and Zheng Dan descended the mountain after the fact.
Xie Daoyun secretly stopped Zu An, then bashfully gave him a satchel. When she saw the surprise in his eyes, she quickly explained, “Don’t think too much about it. The Exotic Witchsand you gave me last time was too precious, and I didn’t have much to give you. After thinking about it, I asked for a Peace Talisman for you. You need to carry it with you at all times. I hope it can turn your misfortune into blessings.” Even though that was what she said, however, her red face seemed to be implying something else.
“Thank you, little sister Daoyun,” Zu An said as he received the satchel that still carried a bit of her body temperature. Xie Daoyun had given him several talismans before, and each time, they were of great use to him. But this time, she didn’t explain what the talisman’s use was. He only knew that it came from a temple or monastery. It carried her sincerity, so he naturally wouldn’t refuse it.
When she heard the way Zu An addressed her, Xie Daoyun’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t dare to look straight at him. After saying that, she quickly turned around and fled the scene.
The source of this content is n0v/el/b/in[./]net’
…
When they left the mountain, Zheng Dan couldn't help but tease him, asking, “Did Miss Xie give you some lover’s gift just now?”
Zu An’s expression darkened. He said, “It’s just an exchange between friends; don’t think too much about it. It’ll be bad if this ends up affecting Miss Xie’s reputation.”
Zheng Dan said with a sneer, “She even gave a man a satchel, and yet you’re worried about her reputation?”
Zu An said impatiently, “She’s your senior sister now, and she helped you a lot. It’s not that good for you to be talking behind her back like this, is it?”
Zheng Dan became a bit depressed. She said, “If I had known I would need my man to sell his body, I wouldn’t have agreed to come.”
“That’s not a problem at all. We’re still not too far away, so I’ll go back and tell Master Yan that you don’t want to join the academy,” Zu An said, pretending to drag her back.
Zheng Dan quickly pleaded, “Ah! I was just kidding! I’m actually hoping that you find more formidable women like this so you can take even better care of me.”
Zu An was speechless. The way this woman thinks really is different from other women.
…
While the two of them were arguing playfully, Xie Daoyun returned to Yan Xiangu’s place of seclusion. She called out, “Master, you called for me?”
Yan Xiangu’s aged voice emerged from inside. “You should go to Violet Mountain and see if the mountain’s form has been tampered with. His majesty is about to hold the Fengshan ceremony there, so there is a chance that some evildoers will arrange some schemes.”
Xie Daoyun couldn't help but become stunned. She replied, “The State Teacher is overseeing Violet Mountain! Is there a need for me to go?”
When the Great Zhou Dynasty unified the entire world in the past, they had obtained the support of many people from the nine daoist sects. Among them, the extremely outstanding leader of the Righteous Sun Sect had been greatly rewarded for his merits and was granted the title of State Teacher. Violet Mountain, a place rich with legends and history, had been made into his place of daoist rites. He was someone comparable to the libationer. In fact, many people in the world of warriors wondered whose cultivation was higher between the State Teacher and the libationer.
But the State Teacher was all the way over by Violet Mountain, and he normally secluded himself. That was why he wasn’t as famous as the libationer. However, none of the true experts of the world dared to look down on him. As such, Xie Daoyun didn’t think anyone could set up any traps by Violet Mountain.
The stone gate remained silent for a long time before Yan Xiangu spoke again. “You should not willfully trust anyone. Not even those close to you are dependable, let alone someone who is a complete stranger to you.”
Xie Daoyun asked in shock “Could it be that something went wrong on the State Teacher’s end?”
If news of such a thing spread, it would be completely earth-shattering!
“That is not what I meant. It is better to be prepared just in case,” Yan Xiangu slowly said.
Too many possibilities filled Xie Daoyun’s mind at that moment. She wasn’t able to calm down at all for a long time. Eventually, she said, “Master, if something really is wrong with the State Teacher, this disciple’s skills are still lacking. I fear I will not be able to notice anything there.”
Even though she believed her talent wasn’t bad, and her skills in formation methods had advanced tremendously, she was still nothing compared to the State Teacher.
“Do not undervalue yourself. Just do as I have taught you, and you will be able to deduce if there are any traps in Violet Mountain,” Yan Xiangu reassured her.
Xie Daoyun sighed in relief when she heard what her master said, replying, “That makes me feel at ease.” At the same time, she felt a bit sad. She was going to leave for Violet Mountain soon, which meant that she couldn't meet her big brother Zu for some time…
She was shocked as soon as that thought appeared. Xie Daoyun, Xie Daoyun, what are you doing? Did you not see enough of what your little brother has done? A woman who’s too aggressive usually won’t be treasured!
Still, she felt conflicted. Big brother Zu really had too many outstanding women at his side. If she didn’t become a bit more proactive, then perhaps…
“Your mind seems to be a bit restless recently. Is it because of that man today?” Yan Xiangu suddenly asked.
“Of course not!” Xie Daoyun immediately replied. Then, she protested, “Teacher, when did you become so gossipy too?”
“Hahaha, your teacher was young once as well, and that Zu An is quite outstanding…” Yan Xiangu continued. However, when he sensed his disciple outside was about to explode, he continued, “If that is not the case, you can just leave today. Rather than reading ten thousand books, it might be better to go on a ten thousand mile trip after all. I believe that this journey will allow your cultivation to make new breakthroughs.”
“Understood!” Xie Daoyun replied. When she heard her master bring up cultivation, she became serious.
She quickly went on her way to Violet Mountain. She had no idea that just three days after she left the capital, the court would issue an order stating that on that day, Violet Mountain’s Righteous Sun Sect had experienced a huge fire that destroyed many of their buildings. In light of Violet Mountain’s buildings carrying great history, Marquis Zu An was to bring the Armed Escort Division and a group of skilled workmen for repair and renovation as a sign of the court’s grace.
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