Chapter 1971: Resolute
On the way back, Zu An checked the contents of the Brilliant Glass Bead. That drop of turbid yellow Naihe Oblivion Water was still floating calmly in that space. Unfortunately, no matter how he sounded it out, he still couldn't control it like the War Priest had. Now that he was proficient in the Baopu Sutra, though, he could more or less guess what was going on. Even though that War Priest had already died, the imprint he'd left on the drop of Naihe Oblivion Water still existed. Only by erasing the imprint and fully refining this drop for himself would he be able to use this treasure.
Apart from that, Zu An had also taken the Soul Summoning Banner, but after suffering the retaliation of the Violet-Gold Alms, it seemed to be damaged. He had to carefully nurture it to restore it and use it again. Even though it was a bit treacherous, weapons were never inherently evil. In the end, it depended on the user.
That War Priest’s War Formation Disk had been completely destroyed, however. Zu An’s Rune Weapon Chart had been unleashed at full power, so it was unavoidable.
As for the War Priest’s corpse, that was Zu An’s spoils of war to begin with, so no one dared to say anything about it. Besides, right now, the entire world was in a crisis, so he naturally wouldn’t have any ridiculous attachment to it; he instead handed it straight over to the academy. That way, if the court and the academy’s elites studied it together, they could figure out more secrets of the monsters' world.
At first, he was worried whether or not the Brilliant Glass Bead’s space could store the War Priest’s corpse, but Yan Xiangu took out several Wind Manipulation Talismans and placed them around the War Priest. Then, the entire corpse seemed as if it had been swept up by a gust of wind, ready to be delivered to the academy just like that.
Zu An sighed in amazement at the power of talismans once again. They were part of a wide-ranging and profound field, as expected.
Even though they had obtained quite the spoils from this battle against the War Priest, when Zu An looked at all of the academy disciples who had been sacrificed, he couldn't bring himself to feel happy at all. It felt as if just a moment ago, those people had been full of life, all greeting him respectfully as the libationer.
He had only seen similar situations in books before and always found it a bit hard to relate to. Only now did he fully understand what kind of feeling it was. He was sure that soon after, even more academy disciples would perish. Then, who knew if close friends of his own would follow…
When he thought about such things, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness. These damned monsters… He had been enjoying a wonderful time with his women and the world’s authority at his fingertips, and yet they just had to come and ruin everything!
Meanwhile, Xiaoxi also felt extremely broken-hearted along the way. No matter how her father tried to make her feel better, her head remained lowered in a quiet sob.
Helpless to do anything else, Ji Dengtu could only seek out Zu An, saying, “Go and say something to her. She’s been filled with constant alarm and anxiety these past few days and hasn’t gotten much rest. If she continues to remain in this kind of mood, she’ll definitely end up really sick.” When it was related to his precious daughter’s health, he couldn't be bothered to remain on guard against Zu An anymore.
Zu An trusted Ji Dengtu's judgment as a divine physician, so he went over to Ji Xiaoxi’s side and gently patted her shoulder, saying, “Xiaoxi, don’t feel too bad. The dead have already departed. If their spirits are watching from heaven, I believe they wouldn't wish for the little angel they protected to be so broken-hearted either.”
“I’m no angel,” Ji Xiaoxi mumbled. However, her tears seemed to have stopped.
Zu An chuckled and said, “You’re beautiful and you’re kind. Usually, you focus on helping the dying and healing the injured, so in the eyes of the sick, you are an angel. Otherwise, why would they still risk their lives to protect you in that kind of situation?”
Ji Xiaoxi’s head turned. How could she still remember to cry? She was filled with shyness and embarrassment now.
Ji Dengtu rolled his eyes as he listened in. This kid really is a smooth talker. Xiaoxi is as pure as a clean white sheet of paper. How could she possibly stand a chance against that? This is not good! I really have to keep Xiaoxi away from him.
“Big brother Zu, do you think there really are spirits in heaven?” Ji Xiaoxi suddenly asked.
Zu An was briefly stunned. He then immediately replied, “If this were before, I really wouldn’t be sure. But now, I think there likely are. The Naihe Oblivion Water that War Priest used was from none other than the legendary Yellow Springs…”
“Yellow springs?” Ji Xiaoxi asked, blinking in confusion. Her expression was really adorable.
“Legend has it that once one dies, they go to the netherworld. The king of hell then judges whether they lived a virtuous and merciful life. Those who do are reincarnated into good families, while evildoers are thrown into hells of different levels depending on their crimes. Only after suffering boundless torments and punishments are they given the right to be reincarnated once more. Meanwhile, prior to reincarnation, they need to drink a bowl of Granny Meng's Soup, which can make one forget all memories of one's former life. It's said that Granny Meng's Soup has Naihe Oblivion Water as a base, mixed with tears and all kinds of medicinal ingredients…” Zu An realled the various legends of his past world and explained them to her.
Ji Xiaoxi was completely immersed in his story, her small mouth opened slightly as she listened with all of her attention.
The other two academy disciples listened with even more devotion. They took it as a rare chance to receive a lesson from the libationer himself!
Even Yan Xiangu and Ji Dengtu couldn't help but perk up their ears. Even though they had seen some records related to the Naihe Oblivion Water, they were some isolated phrases at best and weren’t as detailed as what Zu An was saying. They wondered just where he had learned these things from.
When he saw how serious everyone else was, Zu An was a bit embarrassed. He couldn't just tell them that these were actually some legendary stories and that they couldn't take them too seriously, right?
However, after thinking about it, since even the Naihe Oblivion Water had appeared, maybe those legends were real after all...
…
The party continued to walk together for some time when suddenly, rushed hoofbeats filled the air. Then, they were soon followed by several pleasant sounds. When Zu An's group looked up to see what was happening, they saw that two young ladies were urging their horses in this direction.
Even though the young lady in the back was pretty too, their attention was drawn to the one in front. Her skin was flawless and smooth, and her facial features were picturesque. There was a red beauty spot between her brows, and her hair was combed in a refined and graceful manner, decorated with all kinds of grand and intricate ornaments. Just a single glance at the quality and style of her clothes would make it clear that she was from the palace. Every single expression she displayed was noble and moving. Besides that, she had all kinds of exquisite ornaments at her waist; the pleasant sounds came precisely from those ornaments colliding as she rode astride the horse.
The academy disciple Chang Tian felt as if his chest had been struck by a hammer from a single glance. His heart started pounding. Ji Xiaoxi was also extremely beautiful, but she was more of the adorable little sister next door type. She was really gentle, so her beauty wasn’t all that lethal. Someone like him who was also from a poor and humble family had a certain degree of resistance against such types. However, the distinguished and noble temperament of the woman across from him, and her kind of gorgeous beauty, was much deadlier against him and even harder to resist.
Mei Rou actually felt a bit ashamed of her inferiority. This woman was like a swan in the clouds, while she was like the most ordinary ugly duckling on the ground. She was normally quite popular among her circles, with quite a few people praising her for being pretty. Even though she had admired Ji Xiaoxi’s beauty before, Xiaoxi was still too young, so she reflexively treated her as a little sister. It was hard for her to feel any competition. Only now that she compared herself with this woman in front of her did she understand what true beauty was.
“I greet the crown princess,” Yan Xiangu said as he bowed slightly.
“Greetings, Master Yan.” Bi Linglong quickly got off the horse and returned the greeting. With Yan Xiangu’s status, she didn’t need to do that, but there was no way she wouldn’t recognize his good intentions.
Her maid Rong Mo, who had been gasping for breath as she tried to follow along, also quickly got off her horse. When her gaze shifted to the massive War Priest corpse off to the side, her expression couldn't help but change.
“Is she the crown princess? No wonder she's so beautiful and distinguished…” The younger generation members were all a bit absent-minded.
Ji Dengtu wasn’t all that affected because he liked those who were a bit more mature. Furthermore, recently, he had become fonder of the fictional characters of his books. Maybe it was because that Zu brat was too good with his descriptions, but he often dreamed of Teacher Bai.
“Crown princess, you seemed to be in quite the rush. Is there some pressing matter?” Yan Xiangu asked with a worried expression. “Copper Gong Mountain up ahead might still be a bit dangerous, so I think it would be best for you to not continue ahead.”
“Thank you, Master Yan, but the reason I was in a rush was because I sensed some terrifying battle was taking place. That’s why I came to see what was happening,” Bi Linglong said as she snuck Zu An a look. Only when she saw that he didn’t seem to be injured did she sigh in relief.
Yan Xiangu pointed at the War Priest corpse next to him and said, “This monster invaded earlier. The libationer fought a great battle against it, so I believe it’s best if the libationer explains the details to the crown princess himself. Libationer, we'll go on ahead and wait for you.”
“Alright,” Zu An said. He naturally couldn't be more pleased.
Bi Linglong couldn't help but grin. Why had she only realized now how good at understanding others this Master Yan was?
Soon after, Yan Xiangu brought the others away. As she left, Ji Xiaoxi gave Zu An a reluctant look. They had finally reunited after being apart for so long, so she didn’t actually want to separate from big brother Zu so quickly. However, Zu An had official matters to talk about, so she couldn't really say much.
At the same time, she sighed deeply.
The crown princess really is beautiful…
…
When the others were far away, Bi Linglong groaned and jumped straight into Zu An’s arms, hugging him tightly.
Rong Mo couldn't help but hold her forehead when she saw this. The miss isn't even trying to hold herself back anymore!
And yet, even if she didn’t have any misgivings herself, she wouldn’t dare to forget about her responsibilities. She quickly urged her horse away to vigilantly watch the surroundings, so as to prevent others from getting closer and seeing this scene.
As he held the slender and soft body in his arms, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. He said, “I’m fine. With my current cultivation, it would be difficult for me to become injured even if I wanted to.”
“I just want to hold you like this,” Bi Linglong mumbled as she buried her face in his chest.
“What’s wrong?” Zu An asked. Even as he sensed the pair of wonderful arms wrapped around him, it felt as if she was scared that he would suddenly run away.
“Nothing. Just let me hold you for a bit,” Bi Linglong said. Her voice shook a bit, and she didn’t say anything else.
Zu An was a bit stunned, but he just held her firmly too.
…
After some time passed, Bi Linglong then loosened her grip a bit. She looked a bit embarrassed, as if she was hiding something. She tried to change the topic and asked, “Where did that monster come from? Why was it so strong? Everyone in the capital was saying that it was a battle between earth immortals.”
“Sigh, they’re creatures from a different world…” Zu An replied. He gave her a rough account of what had happened. With her status, there would soon be people who informed her of what happened here too.
“What?!” Bi Linglong’s beautiful expression changed slightly. She never could have imagined that something like this would happen! Their long period of peace could be about to change.
“There's no need to be too scared. As long as we prepare well on our side, those monsters won’t be able to cross over so easily,” Zu An said in consolation.
“I’m really useless… I can never come immediately whenever something does happen. It’s always the empress who appears at your side first,” Bi Linglong said dejectedly, biting her lip. She had actually been known for being talented ever since she was young; among her peers, her cultivation was rather outstanding. And yet, now that a freak like Zu An had appeared, as well as those powerful cultivators from the previous generation, she really felt as if she paled in comparison.
Zu An chuckled. He had never expected her to care more about something like that. He took out an embroidered case and placed it into her hands, saying, “For you.”
“What is this?” Bi Linglong asked, stunned.
“This is a Marrow Cleansing Pill. It can improve your innate cultivation aptitude by a grade. That way, your cultivation will improve faster,” Zu An explained. When they met in the academy’s mountaintop lodge, the two of them had been preoccupied with burning passion, and then they were interrupted by the empress midway, so he'd had no time to give the pill to her at all.
Bi Linglong said hesitantly, “Ah Zu, you might know about this, but according to the academy’s tests, my aptitude was already the very best. I was raised on all kinds of miraculous medicine ever since I was little, so this Marrow Cleansing Pill might not be too useful for me.”
Zu An shook his head and replied, “No, this Marrow Cleansing Pill will work. Even if your aptitude is top-tier, the pill can still raise it to the next level.”
“Huh? There's something that incredible in this world?” Bi Linglong was a bit shocked.
“But of course. Otherwise, why do you think I was able to cultivate so quickly at such a young age?” Zu An replied with a smile.
In that instant, Bi Linglong finally understood just what kind of secret Zu An had just shared with her. Her eyes became a bit teary. She was so moved that she rushed into his arms again. She got on her toes and gave him a kiss.
Zu An was stunned. However, he quickly held her soft waist and reciprocated passionately.
Some distance away, Rong Mo could only turn around when she saw that. She harrumphed and said, “Hmph, stupid romance.”
Bi Linglong finally separated reluctantly from Zu An after the two of them kissed for a long time. Her eyes were full of affection, and she seemed to have come to some kind of decision. She said, “Ah Zu, in the future, no matter what happens, I will always stand at your side!”
Zu An couldn't help but smile. He pinched her perfect cheeks and replied, “Silly girl, you were already standing at my side before.”
Bi Linglong pursed her lips and shook her head, but she didn’t explain any further.
Silly big brother, you don’t know what I’m saying at all…
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