Chapter 321 Gu Gan! You'd better think this through!
A thick fog descended upon Xiaoyao Pond, and in the vast white expanse, the sound of rushing water could be faintly heard.
Yu Sui remained outside the thick fog, looking down at the Wind Listening Ruler in her hand; her location was still far behind.
"Is anyone chasing them from the insectoid side?" she asked.
Xue Mushi shook his head: "No, once the distance increases, they probably won't be able to catch up."
Yu Sui then said, "Then I'll change the location back."
Xue Mushi waved his hand, igniting the Zhou Tian Fire to dispel the thick fog around him, and walked inside: "Do we need to search for the treasure troves of famous families?"
“The key is working.” Yu Sui took the key hanging around her neck and led the way.
The Xiaoyao Pool has hundreds of branches, some with rapid currents and others with gentle ones. Golden Key led them closer to the deeper waters. On the way, Xue Mushi asked, "You've been a little distracted since before. What are you worried about?"
"I have a bad feeling about this." Yu Sui frowned slightly upon hearing this.
“Wei Ren?” Xue Mushi said, “He’s quite loyal to you. He didn’t say a word when he was facing Zhang Xiangyun last time.”
“I’m not afraid of Wei Ren telling me, I’m worried about my senior brother.” Yu Sui still chose to tell Xue Mushi, “It seems like something is wrong with him.”
At the time of the famous ritual, the golden key caused the incident to happen suddenly. She did not have time to leave enough Five Elements Light Cores around Mei Liangyu. The chaotic fighting of the Nine Schools of Arts caused the Five Elements Light Cores that had been left around Mei Liangyu to be affected and disappear.
"I don't think we need to worry too much about your senior brother... Mei Liangyu's strength. He's much more familiar with the academy than we are." Xue Mushi wasn't too worried about Mei Liangyu's condition. Even though his Five Elements Qi was sealed by the True Spirit Chain, Xue Mushi inexplicably felt that Mei Liangyu was fine.
His belated realization can also be seen as a form of trust in Mei Liangyu's abilities.
"But you, is it alright to suddenly reveal your strength to everyone?" Xue Mushi looked up at the girl walking in front.
“There was no other way. Something happened at home, and I couldn’t continue to pretend to be a useless princess. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to explain it when I got home,” Yu Sui said. “Besides, don’t you think it’s funny? Look at how surprised they were.”
Yu Sui couldn't help but laugh even as she finished speaking.
Xue Mushi sincerely said, "As long as you're happy."
In the past, hiding her strength was a source of constant fear, but now Nangong Sui says she finds it fun, which suggests that her mindset has changed quite a bit.
Yu Sui smiled and walked forward, then suddenly asked, "Xue Mushi, do you really think it can be separated?"
Xue Mushi knew that the fire Yu Sui mentioned was a strange fire, but he was a little surprised that this matter was brought up suddenly.
"To be honest, I don't know either, but I feel... in this matter, I should find a goal for myself," Xue Mushi replied earnestly.
Yu Sui glanced at her burning left hand, and she felt that she had no chance anymore.
"Do you think we have no chance? Don't you have confidence in the fragments?" Xue Mushi asked blankly from behind.
Yu Sui chuckled and said, "Do you think we have a better chance of collecting all seven pieces of the Floating Pagoda, or a better chance of successfully extracting the Strange Flame?"
Xue Mushi: "..."
When asked this question, he began to waver, feeling as if he were doing something futile.
Within Taiyi, they can still use their wits to cooperate, but outside of Taiyi, the enemies they face are different. In the world outside Taiyi, there are no clear rules limiting your opportunities; it's all a life-or-death struggle.
Before Xue Mushi could ponder this further, Yu Sui saw the stream beneath her feet widen, revealing the outline of a giant gate underwater. The golden key's guidance stopped there. The water was no more than half a finger deep. She saw the keyhole and placed the golden key inside.
The underwater stone gate began to tremble, and the water flowing overhead suddenly plunged downwards, causing the flow to stop in this area.
Xue Mushi picked up the Wind Listening Ruler and glanced at it. He saw the congratulatory message from the Communications Institute to the winner of the Golden Key. At the same time, the locations of the Golden Key and Yu Sui disappeared from the Wind Listening Ruler.
Those who were still chasing Yu Sui based on the coordinates of the Wind Listening Ruler stopped in their tracks, staring ahead in disbelief: "Huh? She's already opened the treasure vault of the Leisure Pool?"
That's too fast! In previous years, it would take ten or more days for one lucky person to successfully open the treasure vault, and it's only been one night?
At that moment, the same thought echoed in everyone's minds again: "How can Nangong Sui run so fast?!"
Not long after leaving the Ancient Reversal Tower, Gu Gan also received the news. Xiang Feifei, who was beside him, glanced at him and said, "Nangong Sui has successfully opened the treasure vault of the Free and Unfettered Pool. That's great. You don't need to go to the Free and Unfettered Pool anymore. You can go find money first..."
"I'm going to find Sui Sui." Before she could finish speaking, Gu Gan interrupted her, his words leaving no room for refusal. He put away the Listening Wind Ruler and continued walking forward, only to be stopped by Xiang Feifei. "What do you mean! The crisis on Nangong Sui's side has been resolved. There's no need for you to go there at all. Don't you think about Qian Ying, who's still being held captive by Sha Qian? Who needs you more?"
Gu Gan said calmly, "Someone will go to rescue Qian Ying, and she is not someone to be trifled with..."
This time, Xiang Feifei interrupted him: "Nangong Sui is no longer the clueless person she used to be. Look closely, she shook off everyone in one night and successfully opened the treasure vault of the Free and Unfettered Pool! Nangong Sui is no longer the pitiful creature you need to protect!"
Gu Gan's face stiffened, and his hands, which had been clenched tightly in his sleeves, loosened slightly.
When did Sui Sui stop needing him?
At this moment, scenes from their time in the capital city of Qingyang flashed through Gu Gan's mind. The girl would grab him every day and ask if she could go to his house. She always looked so pitiful in front of him, which made him soften his heart and agree time and time again, and eventually it became a habit.
"Don't you also think I'm useless because I'm a mediocre person?"
"Then I'll go to Taiyi too."
"I feel safe with Brother Gu."
"Brother Gu, will you wait for me?"
"..."
Gu Gan took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said again, "I need to go find Sui Sui first."
Xiang Feifei was taken aback by his stubbornness. She looked at Gu Gan, who was walking past her, and said angrily, "Gu Gan! You'd better think it through! How long are you going to hesitate between Nangong Sui and Xun Zhiya? If you choose Nangong Sui, then don't get entangled with the Holy Maiden anymore, lest you hurt her heart!"
If forced to choose between Nangong Sui and Xun Zhiya, Xiang Feifei would undoubtedly choose Xun Zhiya. She was Xun Zhiya's friend and naturally didn't want Gu Gan to betray Xun Zhiya for Nangong Sui's sake.
Upon hearing this, Gu Gan paused, but without hesitating for long, he continued walking forward.
Xiang Feifei was furious. She took the Wind-Listening Ruler and sent a telepathic message to Shu Chujun. After he answered, she asked, "Where is your Holy Maiden?"
Shu Chujun: "They went to rescue Qian Ying, what happened?"
Xiang Feifei gritted her teeth and held back, saying only, "Let's rescue Qian Ying first!"
Huo Xiao asked from the side, "How is Gu Gan? Are you out?"
Xiang Feifei: "He's perfectly fine!"
Huo Xiao and Shu Chujun exchanged a glance, wondering why Xiang Feifei had suddenly become angry.
The rules of the Golden Key Treasure Hunt were somewhat reasonable in the end. Once the treasure vault was opened, the competition could not continue, allowing Yu Sui to safely select rare and precious weapons belonging to famous families from the vault.
Unfortunately, only one person can enter the treasure vault at a time. Xue Mushi stood in the water, watching Yu Sui enter the vault, and said, "Then I'll wait for you outside?"
"Be careful, run if things get weird." Yu Sui walked down the waterlogged stone steps.
Xue Mushi agreed and watched Yu Sui disappear into the dark treasure vault.
The steps were long, and after Yu Sui reached the end, there was dry ground. The passage was wide, with lights on both sides of the stone walls. Further inside, there was another door, which was brightly lit and spacious.
As Yu Sui walked to the stone gate, a stretch of emerald green water came into view. Ripples danced on the surface, and red tree roots could be seen growing underwater. Two enormous ancient trees intertwined and climbed upwards in the emerald water.
The cave had no top, and the crimson tree climbing upwards seemed endless. Even Yu Sui, standing some distance away, felt his own insignificance the moment he looked up at the giant tree. The branches of the crimson tree resembled long snakes peeking out from the tree, each curve adorned with red ribbons.
The names of famous artifacts and rare treasures were written on the red ribbons. Yu Sui needed to give the name of the artifact or rare treasure he wanted under the Bluebird Tree in order to obtain it.
The words and patterns on the red ribbons were easy for disciples of famous masters to decipher, but to Yu Sui, an outsider to the school, they were like reading a book written in heaven.
Yu Sui can use the unclaimed energy in the light core to use the Nine Schools of Famous Arts, but he really needs someone to teach him to recognize the characters of the famous masters.
The emerald green pool was deep and bottomless. The water appeared murky yet was also clear, and no reflection could be seen on the surface.
At first, Yu Sui didn't know how to take things from the treasure vault. She picked up the Wind Listening Ruler and searched for keywords, understanding from the discussions and rumors:
What extraordinary weapons and treasures could Nangong Sui obtain from the treasure vault of the Leisure Pool?
"How is she going to take it? Can she even read what's written on the bluebird tree?"
"It's hard for anyone who isn't a disciple of a famous family to understand it, and even if they can understand it, it can't be considered a celestial-grade item. If you go in and don't get a divine-grade item, you've lost out."
"Isn't that strange? How did Nangong Sui, who isn't a disciple of a famous family, get chosen by the Golden Key?"
Upon hearing this, many people claimed it was a conspiracy, speculating about various things and believing that Yu Sui definitely wouldn't recognize the spirit patterns on the Azure Bird Tree, waiting for her to come out empty-handed and make a fool of herself. However, some quickly refuted this:
"Please, Nangong is from a renowned family. Her father is a master of the renowned family, and her two older brothers are outstanding members of the renowned family. There are many renowned sorcerers in the family. How could she not recognize what is written on the Bluebird Tree?"
Yu Sui touched her nose shyly when she saw this.
Outsiders believe that she grew up surrounded by famous masters and experts, so it's impossible that she wouldn't know anything about their calligraphy and spirit patterns. She must know at least a little bit. Unfortunately, the truth is that although she comes from a famous family, no one has taught her how to recognize the calligraphy of famous masters in the past eighteen years.
Yu Sui had seen Nangong Ming teach her three older brothers the Nine Schools of Arts, and she had even sat in on their classes a few times before she was three years old, but she couldn't understand any of it.
Many people are listing the Nangong family's achievements to prove that Yu Sui definitely knows the spirit patterns of famous people, and it is impossible for him to have come out of the treasure vault of Xiaoyao Pool empty-handed.
Then an enemy of the Nangong family cursed, "What are you bragging about? A bunch of Nangong family lackeys. If she knew the spirit patterns of the famous families, her father would have ordered her to switch to cultivating the spirit patterns of the famous families long ago."
What followed was a war of words between the two sides.
Yu Sui put away the Wind Listening Ruler and looked up at the endless Bluebird Tree. There are always some strange truths in the world that leave a deep impression, such as the most expensive things being the best. Looking at the Bluebird Tree at this moment, Yu Sui couldn't help but think that what hangs at the very top is the best.
She urged the Five Elements Light Core to fly to the top of the Azure Bird Tree. The higher she went, the fewer red ribbons hung on the branches.
Solutions can always be found by using one's brain.
As the Five Elements Light Core flew towards the branch, Yu Sui also tried to see if he could cross the water. The only place to land in the entire Azure Pool was the root of the Azure Bird Tree. Yu Sui used his Wind Riding Technique to cross and land steadily on the root.
Yu Sui tried to use the Wind Riding Technique to get to the Bluebird Tree, but was blocked by something that resembled a barrier.
In other words, disciples who came here in the past could not choose from the Bluebird Tree, but could only choose from the red ribbons at the foot of the tree.
But Yu Sui quickly remembered that disciples of famous families should also be able to command their own spirit words to fly up the Bluebird Tree, and it would just be a matter of whose spirit word could fly the highest.
Yu Sui looked at the branches of the Azure Bird Tree high up through the Five Elements Light Core. Those empty branches must have once been adorned with red ribbons, but they were taken away by later generations.
As the Five Elements Light Core continued upwards, the branches were almost all blank. Just when Yu Sui thought that the colorful stripes on the top branches had been picked off long ago, the Five Elements Light Core slowed down. But after that stage, as it went up again, the red stripes gradually increased.
This was an unpredictable height, and Yu Sui even found it increasingly difficult to control the Five Elements Light Core as it climbed, giving her a headache. The Five Elements Light Core's climbing speed also slowed down, as if it were going against the wind in a storm, with a powerful airflow trying to knock it down.
Yu Sui looked at the Azure Bird Tree, which still stretched to the top. Having come this far, she was unwilling to give up; she was determined to reach the very top. Yu Sui took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and abandoned the other five elemental light cores she had released, focusing solely on the one in front of the Azure Bird Tree.
Xue Mushi, who was waiting at the entrance of the treasure vault, looked at the motionless cave entrance and scratched his head hesitantly. Nangong Sui had been inside for almost two hours, why hadn't he come out yet?
Could something have happened?
But even though he guarded the cave entrance, no one could get in. He couldn't get in either until Yu Sui came out with the treasure.
Xue Mushi flipped through the Listening Wind Ruler and saw other people's discussions. Could it be that she really didn't recognize the spirit patterns on the tree, so she hadn't decided which one to choose yet?
Xue Mushi couldn't help with this either, as he didn't know much about the spirit patterns of famous calligraphers.
The longer it went on, the more people became interested in this matter, and the more people came to the Leisure Pool. At noon, the thick fog over the Leisure Pool dissipated considerably. When the others came looking for him, Xue Mushi put on his hood and hid in the fog, secretly observing the others who came to the entrance of the treasure cave.
A small white paper figure flew out from the young man's sleeve, landed, and was about to fall into the cave on the water's flow, but just as it reached the edge of the cave, it was bounced away by a force: "Ouch!"
Xiahou Shu pinched the small paper figure that had been flung away between two fingers and shook off the water stains that had gotten on it.
Another figure with a sword at his waist appeared at the cave entrance and looked at Xiahou Shu: "The barrier around the treasure vault hasn't disappeared yet, which means Nangong Sui is still inside and hasn't come out."
"She's been inside for three hours and hasn't come out yet?" Xiahou Shu looked at the other person in surprise. "Duan Mingde, you and this young princess are both from Qingyang, do you know something? Does she really not know how to recognize the spirit patterns of famous calligraphers?"
The fog dissipated somewhat, revealing the young man standing at the cave entrance. Duan Mingde was tall and upright, with thick eyebrows and a stern expression.
“Although we both grew up in the capital, Nangong Sui and I didn’t have much interaction.” Duan Mingde touched his eyebrows and pondered, “She is known in the capital for her eccentric arts, and I have never seen her practice any of the nine schools of arts. As far as I know, the Prince’s Mansion has not hired any sorcerer teachers for her.”
Finally, Duan Mingde looked to his left and saw a group of people walking out of the mist reflected in his eyes. He said, "Why don't you ask Her Highness the Princess?"
Princess Shangyang arrived in a hurry with her ladies, and immediately asked, "Where is Nangong Suiren?"
Xiahou Shu kindly pointed and said, "It's still in the treasure vault and hasn't come out yet."
Princess Shangyang's eyes widened upon hearing this: "She hasn't come out yet?"
After saying that, she rolled her eyes and snorted, "I knew it. She probably doesn't recognize the spirit runes on the Azure Bird Tree, and she's afraid of being laughed at for coming out empty-handed, so she doesn't dare to come out."
"If she doesn't come out, we can only wait." Xiahou Shu looked at the dark cave entrance, showing his patience.
Princess Shangyang glanced around and saw that there were more than ten people nearby, but Xiahou Shu and Duan Mingde dared to come forward, while the others waited quietly behind.
"Are you here to see Nangong Sui make a fool of herself, or are you planning to take her things as soon as she comes out?" Princess Shangyang asked sternly.
Xiahou Shu grinned and said, "It's hard to say. It depends on what she gets from it. If I don't like it, then I'm just here for the fun of it."
Duan Mingde: "I just came to take a look."
Princess Shangyang looked at the people behind her and asked, "And you?"
Someone jokingly replied, "Of course we're here to watch the fun! We can't get into the treasure vault anyway."
"Yeah, isn't it because we're really curious about what she can get from the treasure vault of the Leisure Pool?"
Princess Shangyang was satisfied after hearing this, and proudly raised her chin, saying, "That's good. If anyone's going to snatch something later, it will be me who snatches it first."
Upon hearing this, Duan Mingde simply pinched his nose and turned his face away. He didn't know Yu Sui well, but he knew this princess very well. She and Nangong Sui didn't get along, and they had been arguing since they were still in the Imperial Academy. This was no secret, and even if Princess Shangyang beat up Nangong Sui here today, Duan Mingde wouldn't find it strange.
Xue Mushi listened silently from the corner, without making a sound.
Xiahou Shu, however, laughed after hearing Princess Shangyang's words, "I thought Your Highness was here to help Nangong Sui."
Princess Shangyang was furious when he mentioned Yu Sui. She glared at the entrance to the treasure vault and said, "How could I possibly help her! Nangong Sui dared to play me! I don't believe she suddenly became so powerful during the Hundred Families Night Walk! What do you mean by advancing eight realms overnight? She's lying!"
“I didn’t notice anything different about her during the Golden Pearl Banquet. How could Nangong Sui become an eighth-realm sorcerer overnight? She must be hiding something!”
Princess Shangyang would never admit that Yu Sui was the genius of the Ghost Daoist who rose eight realms overnight. There must be something fishy going on. She wanted Yu Sui to explain things to her clearly.
The people at the cave entrance stayed there from morning till night. After dark, the fog thickened and more and more people gathered. The shallow water was almost full of people, all speculating about when Nangong Sui would finally emerge.
The Xiaoyao Pool was filled with Zhou Tian Fire to dispel the thick fog. As the moon rose high in the sky, Xing Chun and Su Tong also arrived. They thought Mei Liangyu would come to Xiaoyao Pool to find Yu Sui, but after circling around the pool, they couldn't find Mei Liangyu anywhere.
“Xiang Feifei went to Sha Qian’s place and rescued Qian Ying, which means they should have come out of the Reverse Ancient Tower.” Xing Chun touched the Listening Wind Ruler and wondered, “The Reverse Ancient Tower is gone, Mei Mei is gone, and only Sui Sui is still in the Treasure Cave.”
Su Tong also found it strange: "Could it be that the commotion at the Anti-Ancient Tower wasn't caused by Meimei?"
Xing Chun caught a glimpse of Xiang Feifei and her group walking into the mist and tentatively suggested, "Shall we go ask them?"
"Let's go." Su Tong took the lead.
Xiang Feifei was looking for Gu Gan. She thought Gu Gan had already arrived at Xiaoyao Pool, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She sent a message to Tingfengchi but got no reply. For a moment, she had no idea where he was.
Qian Ying had injured one hand, wrapped in white gauze, with faint traces of blood visible. Her sleeve was also torn from the bandage, indicating that she had rushed over without a moment's delay.
Xiang Feifei noticed Su Tong and Xing Chun approaching, pulled Qian Ying behind her, and looked at the two of them warily, her tone unfriendly: "What are you doing?"
"Looking for someone?" Su Tong asked deliberately. "What, did Gu Gan also disappear along with Ni Gu Lou?"
Before Xiang Feifei could speak, Qian Ying behind her said with a dark expression, "Do you know where Brother Gu is?"
Su Tong squinted and asked, "If you want me to tell you, what can you offer in exchange?"
"What have you done to Brother Gu?" Qian Ying immediately flew into a rage and was about to take action. She believed that Su Tong and Xing Chun had arrested Gu Gan to avenge Mei Liangyu.
"Qian Ying!" Xiang Feifei grabbed Qian Ying with lightning speed. "She's lying to you! Gu Gan could never fall into their hands! Don't worry!"
After saying that, he turned to look at Su Tong, frowned and said, "You came here to inquire about Mei Liangyu, right? What, you haven't seen Mei Liangyu?"
Xiang Feifei didn't want to get entangled with Su Tong and the other two at this time, so she simply said, "If you want to find Mei Liangyu, don't try to find her through me. I don't know either. After the True Spirit Chain was broken, Mei Liangyu disappeared on her own."
Su Tong and Xing Chun exchanged a glance, and Xing Chun asked, "How did the Reverse Ancient Tower disappear?"
"How should I know?" Xiang Feifei looked at the two of them angrily. "You were downstairs at the time, you know better than I do what happened down there!"
It wasn't Meimei who made Nigulou disappear, nor was it Gu Gan, so who could it be?
While the two were thinking, Xiang Feifei led Qian Ying away, whispering to her to calm down. Although she said this, she didn't have much hope. Qian Ying was usually clever and quick-witted, but when it came to matters concerning Gu Gan's safety, she seemed to lose her mind, becoming irritable and easily angered, and difficult to control.
Watching the two walk away, Su Tong discussed with Xing Chun, "Should we go back to Nigu Tower and take another look?"
“We can’t find where the Reverse Ancient Tower is anymore.” Xing Chun flipped through the Listening Wind Ruler. “What exactly teleported us away back then? Ask Lei Anbai. You two both activated the Divination Array: Dragon Appears in the Field. Was the power too strong, creating a crack in that space and causing the Reverse Ancient Tower to be swallowed up into another space?”
Su Tong: "..."
"Hey! Is this how you understand the Yin-Yang School's cosmology?" Su Tong said irritably. "If I had that kind of power, I'd stuff Zhongli Mountain into a spatial rift first!"
Xing Chun couldn't think of a solution and could only sigh, "Poor Mei Mei."
Xue Mushi sent a message to Yu Sui about the situation above the Free and Unfettered Pool, but Yu Sui didn't have time to read it. She was completely focused on controlling the Five Elements Light Core to climb to the top of the tree. The branches became fewer and fewer, and the red ribbons also became fewer and fewer.
As long as he couldn't see the top, Yu Sui continued to climb, determined to reach the very top of the Bluebird Tree.
At this moment, Yu Sui was like a speck of dust, yet he had to travel upstream in the waterfall connecting heaven and earth. From day to night, he finally reached his destination after seeing the only red ribbon tied at the top.
A red ribbon hung at the highest point of the tree canopy, with golden spiritual patterns faintly visible on it. The five elements light core slowly and laboriously climbed to the branch, where it shattered. The shockwave pulled the red ribbon down from the branch with ease.
Yu Sui opened her eyes, but instead of looking up, she looked at the green pool behind her.
Someone has come to this pool of water.
The ripples on the water spread wider and faster. Yu Sui stared intently at the water. Just as his hand, which was tucked into his sleeve, made a move, there was a splash. The boy burst out of the water, and the splashing water sprayed onto the dry tree roots, staining them with a large dark color.
The girl stared blankly, and just as the boy looked up at her, a red ribbon falling from the sky landed right between them.
Yu Sui reached out and caught the falling red ribbon in her hand, then looked up at Gu Gan in the clear pool.
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