Chapter 167
It has to be said that with Gu Zhongtai carrying her on his back, the two of them did move much faster.
Before nightfall, they finally arrived at the second gate of Tianshan Mountain, following Xiahou and his group. It was a large, flat plateau paved with white stone bricks. The second gate bore only the inscription "Shoude" (守德), and there were significantly more guards here than at the lower gate. Xiahou and Bai Chaoyan were waiting for them at that gate.
The moment Fan Xiaoxiao and Gu Zhongtai stepped onto the stage, they noticed the two of them. Along with the group of guards, they all turned to look at them.
Fan Xiaoxiao was a little uncomfortable being watched by so many people, and since she was being carried by Boss Gu, she felt that there was something else in those people's eyes, making her face burn. She tugged at Gu Chongtai's clothes on the back and whispered, "Boss, you can put me down now."
"Baby, what's wrong with you now?"
Seeing Gu Chongtai put Fan Xiaoxiao down, the Ghost Doctor immediately ran over with some concern. He instinctively thought Fan Xiaoxiao had sprained her ankle again and was about to kneel down to check on her when he heard Gu Chongtai say, "She's fine. Her ankle wasn't fully healed before, so I was carrying her."
"Oh, I see. It's good that you're alright."
After hearing the explanation, the Ghost Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. He had nothing else to say about Gu Zhongtai carrying Fan Xiaoxiao on his back.
Bai Chaoyan and Xiahou also came over, with the disciple who had come up to inform them before them.
"Let's go, Master has been waiting for us for a long time."
...
After Xiahou finished speaking, he led them to find the Celestial Venerable. They had just passed the main hall of the Tianshan Sect. The entire Tianshan Sect was a huge complex, and occasionally the cries of cranes could be heard flying by. The disciples coming and going were all dressed in white, and the entire sect truly lived up to the name Tianshan.
After passing through the majestic main hall, the group was suddenly greeted by a change in scenery. It was now a dense forest, just like the foot of the mountain. Hidden within the forest was a vast lake. Birds flew across the water's edge, leaving behind a melodious cry before fluttering their wings and landing among the reeds in the lake.
Beside the reeds stood two pavilions built over the water.
Xiahou led the group toward the pavilion. Before they even entered, they could hear voices coming from inside.
"Is the little monkey back?"
Xiahou stepped forward: "Yes, Master. Accompanying us are Junior Sister and Gu Chongtai, as well as an old gentleman and a young lady."
"Little Morning Glory is here too, come in."
The voice inside didn't sound old; instead, it gave off a nonchalant and carefree vibe.
Fan Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a little nervous. This person was the current ceiling of the Zhou Dynasty's combat power! In the original book, although the Heavenly Venerable never made a move, those who have read the book know that he was a renowned peerless master.
The gate to the pavilion was pushed open from the outside, and Xiahou led several people inside. The courtyard was haphazardly planted with herbs, piled up here and there, which seemed to match the voice that had been speaking.
Fan Xiaoxiao looked into the courtyard. The first floor of the attic was half open space and half a transparent flower hall. The open space was surrounded by straw mats used as curtains to block the view. When the wind blew by the lake, the straw mat curtains swayed slightly back and forth.
The voices were coming from behind the straw mat curtain.
"Grandfather!"
Bai Chaoyan was the first to lose her composure; she quickly stepped forward. Her voice trembled slightly, and upon closer listening, one could even detect a hint of sobbing.
The crowd quickly followed behind her, with Fan Xiaoxiao at the very back. It wasn't that she was slow; she was just too nervous, and her legs were a little weak from climbing up.
Gu Zhongtai glanced back at her, then slowed his pace and walked to her side. Fan Xiaoxiao looked up at him, then felt her cheeks begin to burn.
Fortunately, this stretch of road wasn't as long as the climb up the mountain. After the two passed through the curtain, Fan Xiaoxiao was stunned.
Is the old man before them, with his white beard, white hair, and white eyebrows, the Celestial Venerable? He looks quite ordinary. Although his eyebrows, hair, and beard are white, these features, which would be exceptionally striking on other masters, appear completely unremarkable on this old man.
Moreover, the white robes weren't as ethereal as she had imagined; on the contrary, they made the old man look rather sloppy.
But looking at Bai Chaoyan kneeling in front of him, suppressing her sobs, it must be the Heavenly Venerable without a doubt.
Fan Xiaoxiao scratched her face and decided to shut up and watch the plot unfold.
Bai Chaoyan had already tearfully told her maternal grandfather everything. The Heavenly Venerable sighed, stroked Bai Chaoyan's hair, and shook his head: "Alright, I know the gist of your story. I will send someone to rescue your father, but this concerns the Zhou Dynasty royal family, I'm afraid... alas."
The Celestial Venerable sighed before finishing his sentence. Bai Chaoyan cried even harder. The Celestial Venerable patted her head. Even without being explicitly told, Bai Chaoyan knew that her father was probably in grave danger.
But when the Heavenly Venerable spoke these words, Bai Chaoyan felt her hopes crumbling little by little.
She cried uncontrollably, and the Celestial Venerable, worried that this would harm her health, quickly tapped her twice with his fingers. Bai Chaoyan's crying immediately stopped, and then her body went limp and she fainted in front of the Celestial Venerable.
After draping a robe over her shoulders, the Celestial Venerable turned to look at Gu Chongtai and his group.
"Please excuse my rudeness. Now, let's talk about your matter. Just now, Xiao Chaoyan told me that that girl saved her life and asked me to agree to three conditions. Tell me what those conditions are?"
Gu Zhongtai patted Fan Xiaoxiao, signaling her to come forward and speak.
"Didn't you have a request to make?"
Fan Xiaoxiao swallowed hard. Although the old man looked very ordinary, she still felt a little intimidated. She took two small steps forward and looked at the Celestial Venerable, saying, "Any request is welcome?"
"Either is fine."
The Celestial Venerable paused, then smiled slightly at Fan Xiaoxiao: "Murder and arson are also acceptable."
Fan Xiaoxiao choked, not expecting the other person to say such a thing, and was immediately at a loss for words. But after seeing her expression, the Heavenly Venerable burst into laughter.
"Master!" Xiahou frowned, somewhat displeased.
The Celestial Venerable then waved his hand, "Just kidding, just kidding. Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Little lady, tell me, what are your requirements?"
Fan Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the Celestial Venerable was teasing her. The tension she had felt earlier immediately dissipated by half.
She stepped forward and began to state her demands.
"First, provide my family with a piece of land within the Tianshan Mountains for our livelihood."
The Celestial Venerable nodded and readily agreed to Fan Xiaoxiao's conditions: "Alright, I agree."
Fan Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that the Celestial Venerable was quite easy to talk to.
"Secondly, I want Tianshan to protect my Fan family and keep them safe and sound. As long as Tianshan Sect exists, no one can harm us here."
After making this request, the Celestial Venerable looked up at Fan Xiaoxiao.
Fan Xiaoxiao's heart tightened, thinking the other party wouldn't agree. But fortunately, after giving her a meaningful look for a while, the Celestial Venerable finally nodded.
Fan Xiaoxiao swallowed nervously and finally spoke her last request.
“Save Gu Chongtai.”
(End of this chapter)
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