Chapter 220 Life and Death Without Blame (Seventeen)

Jiang Gu met his earnest and eager gaze, and slowly narrowed his eyes: "You—"

Wei Feng suddenly cupped his face, leaned in and gently kissed him, then looked up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

The warm, soft touch was so intense that Jiang Gu looked at his happy and expectant expression, but his words of reprimand were cut short. Instead, he increased the spiritual energy covering the wound and said in a deep voice, "Why is your primordial spirit so badly injured?"

So Wei Feng enthusiastically revealed his entire plan, and looked at him expectantly, his face practically screaming "Praise me!"

"..." Jiang Gu wanted to slap him.

Seeing his face darken, Wei Feng said guiltily, "Don't worry, Master. My primordial spirit was already quite fragmented, and it's become much stronger after the breakthrough. It won't hurt."

Now that things had come to this, Jiang Gu didn't say anything more. He thought that Wei Feng was delicate and afraid of pain, so he would definitely not choose such a self-destructive method. But the guy finished it quietly and even came to take credit for it.

“Not all cultivators in Pingze are benevolent. Be careful when you teleport them,” Jiang Gu instructed. “Hide your identity. After this is over, go outside the border town and find your body. Wait for me in Heguan City.”

“No, I want to go with you.” Wei Feng refused him.

Jiang Gu's eyebrows twitched slightly, thinking that he was about to throw a tantrum again, but he saw him calmly say, "Song Shijun will definitely take you to see Xiao Dan. Neither of these two is easy to deal with. Even with those old guys from Pingze, you may not be a match for them. Moreover, you are a Jade Rank cultivator, so you will definitely be the first to be targeted. There is no guarantee that the people from Pingze will not turn around and bite back... Master, I am now at the Great Perfection of Taiyi Realm. I can protect you in critical moments. If something happens to you, I will be plagued by inner demons."

"Again?" Jiang Gu looked at him with an ambiguous expression.

Wei Feng wrapped his arms around his waist, lowered his head and gently rubbed his slightly damp nose against the crook of his neck, and said in a muffled voice, "You know very well that my personality has changed drastically, that I resent you all the time, that I always make you angry and deliberately go against you, that I pretend to lie to you, and that I selfishly want to drag you down with me... I've become so bad, why do you still want to keep me here?"

"There's no need to belittle yourself." Jiang Gu frowned slightly. "You are my apprentice."

Moreover, Wei Feng is not as bad as he claims. Although he has many flaws, he is inherently kind and sincere. His indulgence does not mean he is blind.

If Wei Feng goes astray, it's because he failed to teach him properly and fulfill his responsibility. If he abandons his disciple because of his mistakes or shortcomings, then he'd rather not be a master anymore.

The answer was exactly what he expected, but Wei Feng was completely satisfied. He had never felt so at ease before. He knew that Jiang Gu loved him, protected him, and respected him. Even if he became unrecognizable, Jiang Gu would stand firmly by his side, pull him out of the mire and darkness, clean him up, and teach him well.

So this is what it feels like to be full of confidence.

Wei Feng suddenly stopped being afraid of not being able to ascend, stopped being afraid of the uncontrollable turbid energy and ghost patterns in his body, and stopped being afraid of leaving alone and dying in a corner where no one would notice.

Jiang Gu paused slightly, then suddenly understood the reason for Wei Feng's breakthrough: "Is it because you saw Qing Du and Xia Ling?"

Wei Feng nodded.

"Actually—" Jiang Gu hadn't finished speaking when Wei Feng kissed him again.

"..." Jiang Gu looked at his reddened ears and said calmly, "You have just survived your tribulation and your primordial spirit has been divided. Your mind is easily unstable. Rest well here. If you don't want to leave, then stay."

Wei Feng's face lit up with a bright smile, his gaze focused and joyful, as if he were basking in the warmest sunshine under the drifting clouds.

Jiang Gu glanced at him, then his primordial spirit disappeared into his sea of ​​consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back inside the Golden Spirit Tower.

Gu Qinghui looked at him with a puzzled expression, while Jiang Gu met her gaze with a blank expression.

"Ah Shi, what happened?" Gu Qinghui asked.

Jiang Gu said, "Hmm?"

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Gu Qinghui said.

"My disciple has broken through the tribulation," Jiang Gu said calmly. "He has reached the Great Perfection of the Taiyi Realm."

Although his expression was indifferent, Gu Qinghui sensed his reserved smugness, which reminded her of the time in the far south when he, with his short legs, had brought back a beautiful, dark stone from outside, proudly puffed out his chest, and presented it to her, calling her in his childish voice:

"Mother, look at the gems I found! They're definitely the most amazing in the world."

Gu Qinghui smiled and said, "A Shi's disciple is indeed very capable."

"You flatter me." Jiang Gu nodded.

After a brief interlude, the mother and son continued what they had been doing, having already explored almost all the malfunctioning arrays in the tower.

“Most of those imprisoned in the Golden Spirit Pagoda are women and children, and the Yin energy is extremely heavy. Song Shijun has already refined them in the Golden Spirit Pagoda. The most effective way is to destroy it directly,” Gu Qinghui said. “But in that case, these women and children will probably also… disappear.”

She looked at Jiang Gu. If it were before, she might not have hesitated. However, after meeting Jiang Yuan and having Jiang Gu, she realized that the world is not just about the simplest life and death. Between life and death, there are things that are more precious and profound.

“Ashi, please save us if you can,” she said.

Jiang Gu looked at her for a long time before finally saying, "Okay."

Song Shijun moved quickly, and within a few days he brought Jiang Gu and Gu Qinghui to Yanyu Terrace.

Unlike the Tenth Floor, the main task of the Eighth Pavilion is to explore the temple. Therefore, the Pavilion Master of the Eighth Pavilion often stays at the Misty Rain Terrace to receive orders from Xiao Dan at any time.

Jiang Gu's cultivation was sealed, and he followed Song Shijun out of the teleportation array.

The Misty Rain Terrace is located in the largest ancient temple in the center of the Moon Gazing Continent. This temple covers an extremely vast area, occupying an entire mountain with abundant spiritual veins. There are countless palaces of all sizes inside, and the remaining divine power is surging. It is said to be the place where the ancient war god Yao Shuo descended.

Jiang Gu looked at the towering statue of the god on the mountaintop. Yao Shuo was wearing armor and holding a long spear. He looked like he was about to die. Unfortunately, his head was covered by layers of clouds and he could not see clearly what he looked like.

Cultivators accustomed to spiritual power would not detect the turbid energy, so Wei Feng could converse with Jiang Gu in his sea of ​​consciousness without any reservations: "The divine power here is extremely strong. No wonder Yan Yutai was chosen to be here. Master, this Yao Shuo looks very formidable."

“It’s just an inanimate object,” Jiang Gu said.

A bolt of lightning suddenly exploded on the horizon, illuminating the entire mountain for a moment. Song Shijun, who was walking ahead, stopped and looked up in confusion.

Wei Feng said uncertainly, "Master, this immortal is so stingy, he won't even let me say it."

"..." Jiang Gu was silent for a moment, "It's alright, it's probably due to the influence of the remaining divine power."

Although it was just a trivial thunderclap, it seemed to be a reminder that this temple was closely connected to the Heavenly Dao and should not be underestimated.

Soon Song Shijun led him to the front of the main hall, where he handed over his waist token and other tokens before being allowed to enter.

Inside the main hall, Xiao Qingfan and the other eight pavilion masters were already waiting. These pavilion masters were all highly skilled and were arranged on both sides of the hall. Behind them was a floating water mirror, and at the very top was a huge stone seat. A young man sat on it, propping his head up with his eyes slightly closed, while Elder Nie stood respectfully to the side.

Jiang Gu followed behind Song Shijun. As they passed the Golden Pavilion, he turned his head and met the gaze of the Golden Pavilion Master. Their eyes met for a moment, and then parted ways.

"Your subordinate greets the Master." Song Shijun bowed respectfully. "I have not failed in my mission and have brought the jade steps."

Xiao Dan slowly opened his eyes. He looked young, but his eyes were calm and gentle, like those of an old man who had experienced many vicissitudes. He said to Song Shijun in a gentle voice, "Thank you for your hard work, Master Song."

"Your subordinate dares not." Song Shijun bowed again and respectfully stepped aside, leaving Jiang Gu standing in the main hall.

Xiao Dan's gaze fell on Jiang Gu. He smiled and his attitude was unusually friendly: "Young friend Jiang, I have long admired your name. It is good to meet you today."

"Master Xiao." Jiang Ke nodded rudely, as if the oppressive aura emanating from the hall had no effect on him whatsoever.

“Young friend Jiang, your identity is special. In the process of finding you, Yanyu Terrace may have offended you in some ways. Please forgive us,” Xiao Dan said with a slight smile. “However, things have taken a turn for the better now. If it is convenient, why not stay at Yanyu Terrace for a while?”

He spoke eloquently, but in reality, he gave Jiang Gu absolutely no room to refuse.

Jiang Gu said, "It would be impolite of me to refuse your kind offer, Master."

The expected scene did not occur. Jiang Gu and Gu Qinghui were placed in a side hall, where all kinds of affairs were arranged. Song Shijun even took the initiative to remove the restrictions on his cultivation.

“The Master has ordered that you be treated well.” Song Shijun gave him a meaningful look. “But you need to know what you should say and what you shouldn’t say.”

“Of course,” Jiang Gu said.

Gu Qinghui's life was still in Song Shijun's hands. Song Shijun was certain that he would not dare to act rashly, so he left him a jade pendant: "Jiang Gu, you are a smart man. If you want your mother to live, you must learn to assess the situation."

After Song Shijun left, Wei Feng gritted his teeth in anger: "Master, I'm going to kill him!"

Jiang Gu held him down in his mind's eye. There were many magic arrays monitoring the outside, so Jiang Gu did not let him show himself rashly. He said in a deep voice, "It's not time yet. Be patient."

Wei Feng asked, "What exactly does Xiao Dan mean?"

He had originally planned to escape with Jiang Gu's primordial spirit at any time, but Xiao Dan did not follow the usual plan at all. Instead, he was very polite to Jiang Gu, making his attitude unpredictable.

In contrast, Jiang Gu remained remarkably calm. Even at such a critical moment, he still had the composure to advise him: "Although one should not be controlled by desires, since you cultivate the Six Desires Path, you should not suppress them excessively, otherwise it will be counterproductive."

Wei Feng was stunned and stared at him intently: "I think I went too far before. I... I deliberately pretended to be the kind of person you used to like, and even pretended to be sincere towards you. Master, I wasn't that good at all."

"How can you be so sure that it wasn't you?" Jiang Gu raised his hand, and the talisman rose up and landed on his brow. "There are countless methods in the world. Never follow them blindly. Sometimes, doing as you please is closer to the Great Dao."

After surviving the tribulation, his somewhat unstable emotions suddenly calmed down, and Jiang Gu's voice rang in his ears, carrying an incredibly reassuring power.

"Your path has never been related to others; the only one you need to cultivate from beginning to end is yourself."

In an instant, his mind cleared and the fog dissipated. The rules of heaven and earth subtly harmonized, and the connection between his master and his enlightenment became closer than ever before. His previously unstable Dao heart, which had almost fallen into the mire again, suddenly stabilized. It was a calmness and peace that Wei Feng had never experienced before.

He saw Jiang Gu.

For a moment, he seemed to see the world's mountains and seas, and all the gods and Buddhas, but when he opened his eyes, there was only one person.

"Master."

He called out to him respectfully, devoutly, and with love and affection.

Sincere and earnest, yet utterly rebellious.