Chapter 166
Bai Chaoyan watched as Fan Xiaoxiao approached Xiahou step by step, her demeanor suggesting a fight to the death, and a sense of unease crept into her heart. She still needed the Tianshan Sect to rescue her father! She couldn't let Fan Xiaoxiao ruin the Tianshan Sect's reputation here.
Bai Chaoyan stepped forward, blocking Xiahou's path, and said to Fan Xiaoxiao with a humble attitude, "Miss Xiaoxiao, there must be some misunderstanding in this matter. Why don't we go to the Tianshan Sect first and talk it over?"
"Ha, you..."
Please.
Before Fan Xiaoxiao could speak, Bai Chaoyan grabbed her and whispered urgently to her in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Fan Xiaoxiao took back what she was about to say, and her expression also returned to normal. She stared at Bai Chaoyan for a long time, expressionless. This woman was the protagonist of this book. She thought she was so concerned about the world and the people.
"Miss Xiaoxiao..."
Bai Chaoyan felt a little uneasy under Fan Xiaoxiao's gaze and called out to her uneasily.
"I……"
"Alright, let's go back to your Tianshan Mountains first and then talk about it."
Fan Xiaoxiao relented. She still needed Tianshan's influence to protect her family, and now wasn't the time to completely offend these guys. Besides, Gu Zhongtai still needed an antidote.
Bai Chaoyan breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and nodded to Xiahou: "Senior brother, then I'll trouble you to take us back to the Tianshan Sect first."
...
The gate of the Fan Tianshan Sect is not far from this tea stall. After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you will see several white-robed disciples guarding the gate.
There are quite a few houses here, but it seems that only disciples of the Tianshan Sect come and go.
Xiahou walked over and said something to the disciples. One of them nodded and then turned and headed towards the mountain gate.
Fan Xiaoxiao walked beside Gu Zhongtai, finding everything before her quite novel.
The Tianshan Sect's mountain gate was as tall as two or three people, and the pillars on both sides were inscribed with a couplet in bold strokes: "Freedom lies in the heart; worthy of heaven and earth."
Those eight large, flowing characters are enough to show that the writer must be a person with an extremely free and unrestrained personality.
Seeing Fan Xiaoxiao watching with great interest, the Ghost Doctor curled his lip and said, "This thing was written by their Heavenly Venerable. The old man said he was worthy of Heaven and Earth, but it's clearly not a good thing. Bah, bah, bah."
He spoke softly, and the two of them were standing far apart, so neither Bai Chaoyan nor Xiahou heard what he said.
Fan Xiaoxiao found his words somewhat amusing. The description of the Celestial Venerable in the book was that he was like a dragon whose head is seen but not its tail. However, she guessed that he was probably like the peerless master in martial arts novels.
She told the Ghost Doctor her guess, who snorted and rolled his eyes at the couplet, saying, "What a load of rubbish! He's just a white-bearded, white-haired, white-browed old man who likes to dress like he's going to a funeral!"
Fan Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the Heavenly Venerable's appearance.
Gu Zhongtai, who was standing to the side, sneered: "Isn't it just that old man who stole one of your medicinal herbs? You've got quite a long-standing grudge."
The Ghost Doctor was displeased upon hearing this. He crossed his arms and let out a hissing sound.
"Stealing someone's medicinal herbs! That's the same as killing their parents! You think I wouldn't remember such a grudge? You talk as if you're so magnanimous, but everyone knows you've always remembered that guy stealing two jars of your aged wine, haven't you?"
Fan Xiaoxiao was puzzled by these words. It sounded like they were quite familiar with the Celestial Venerable, and even seemed to have frequent contact with him.
Xiahou seemed to have finished communicating with the guards, and he turned around and walked towards them.
"You can leave your horses here; my disciples will look after them. Once they're safely stored, come with me up the mountain."
The Tianshan Sect is located on the summit of Tianshan Mountain. From the mountain gate, a long flight of steps leads to the top. The air in the forest is very fresh, and the unique fragrance of early autumn trees mixed with the air feels cool and refreshing when inhaled, which is very comfortable, provided that you don't have to climb the mountain.
Most of the people present were martial arts practitioners, so climbing these mountain steps was a piece of cake for them. But for Fan Xiaoxiao, these steps were truly killing her.
"Ha...ha, how much further is it?"
Fan Xiaoxiao walked at the very back, panting heavily. At first, she could manage on her own. But as she went higher, she felt the air in her lungs becoming increasingly thin, and beads of sweat streamed down her forehead like they were free.
Gu Zhongtai turned and glanced at her, slowing his pace: "We've only gone halfway, and you can't take it anymore?"
"half!??"
Fan Xiaoxiao cried out in surprise, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her. She waved her hand and plopped down on the stone steps.
"I can't walk anymore, you guys go ahead. There's only one way up the mountain, right? You guys go first, I'll climb slowly in a bit."
"Then let's all rest and recuperate here."
Xiahou stopped in his tracks, seemingly waiting for Fan Xiaoxiao.
"No need, you guys go first. I'll wait for her here."
Gu Zhongtai walked up to Fan Xiaoxiao and refused Xiahou's suggestion to take a break.
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Doctor immediately decided to stay and keep Fan Xiaoxiao company.
Fan Xiaoxiao: ...I just wanted to rest quietly. What's the point of you all staying? How am I supposed to rest?
She sighed and stood up shakily again.
"I don't feel so tired anymore. Let's go. It's getting late. Let's not let me delay us until dark."
Gu Zhongtai stopped her: "There's no need to delay. I'll take you to walk faster in a bit, then you can sit down and rest."
"this……"
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't know whether to leave or sit. Somewhat embarrassed, she glanced at the Ghost Doctor, who immediately came over as soon as their eyes met.
"Then I will too..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Zhongtai shot him a glare.
"Um?"
The Ghost Doctor shivered, paused, and then turned and walked back towards Bai Chaoyan and the others.
"Then I'll go up with you first. I also have some questions to ask that old... Celestial Venerable. Let's go, let's not waste time!"
"senior……"
Bai Chaoyan wanted to say something, but the Ghost Doctor didn't give her the chance. His chubby body completely blocked the mountain path, and with a wave of his hands, he herded the two of them uphill like chickens.
Xiahou and Bai Chaoyan were at a loss for what to do with his actions, so they could only turn back to Fan Xiaoxiao as they walked and remind her, "Don't linger here too long. There are some wild animals in the mountains that will appear on the mountain paths after dark. So it's better to get up the mountain as soon as possible."
"Uh... I understand."
As the group walked further and further away, Fan Xiaoxiao felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth.
She turned around and looked at Boss Gu sitting next to her: "They've really left. Are you sure you don't want to go after them? Aren't you supposed to be trying to detoxify?"
Gu Zhongtai's deep green eyes were tinged with a smile: "There's no rush to detoxify, sitting for a while won't hurt."
Fan Xiaoxiao felt her cheeks burning for some reason under his gaze, so she turned her attention to the surrounding forest.
A breeze rustled through the woods, causing the trees to sway like waves. After sitting for a while, Fan Xiaoxiao felt she had recovered and dusted herself off as she stood up.
"Let's go."
Gu Zhongtai nodded, walked over to Fan Xiaoxiao, and squatted down.
"Come up."
Fan Xiaoxiao was taken aback, somewhat confused: "Huh? What?"
“I’ll carry you on my back; your foot isn’t fully healed yet.”
Gu Zhongtai was referring to the time when Fan Xiaoxiao twisted her ankle in the cave, but she had actually recovered quite well in the past few days.
"I'm all better now."
"Come on up!"
When Gu Zhongtai repeated it for the third time, he was already showing signs of impatience.
Fan Xiaoxiao had no choice but to lie on his back and mutter a few words in a low voice. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Boss Gu was fond of her.
She thought she was speaking very softly, but little did she know that Gu Chongtai paused slightly after hearing her words.
When the two resumed their journey, they walked faster than before. Unbeknownst to them, someone atop the mountain was watching everything they had done.
"That's interesting."
(End of this chapter)
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