Half-ghost mark
"We can only stay here to guard the seal for the time being, to prevent being attacked at night. We will rotate shifts every night," Qi Yuan said.
"I'm fine," Mu Qinghuai said.
“I’m fine with it too. Master Song has nothing to do with us. It was he who suggested to the King that we had to leave today. The King is quite superstitious!” Gu Youtian said softly.
Master Song, with his sharp ears, immediately became displeased upon hearing this: "I've been calculating for these past few days. Starting today, do you have a problem with that?"
"No..." Gu Youtian was about to deny it when he was scared off by Song Daozhang's gaze.
Qi Yuan sat in meditation and cast a defensive shield over the area near the Half-Ghost Seal.
"Yangmei, you're amazing! You're always cultivating!" Gu Youtian exclaimed, truly a genius in the cultivation world.
"I must become stronger, to become the strongest." Qi Yuan's expression was serious, with no emotion showing on her face, as if she had silently repeated this sentence to herself hundreds of times.
Gu Youtian was stunned, then whispered, "Yes."
Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai were both cultivating, and Gu Youtian couldn't disturb them, so he lay on the ground looking at his sketchbook. Before setting off, he put it in his storage bag to prevent himself from getting bored.
After dark, he could no longer see the contents of the sketchbook. Relying solely on moonlight was too difficult, and he couldn't waste his spiritual energy on illumination.
Gu Youtian pounded his chest and said, "You've all worked hard cultivating for so long! I'll keep watch tonight!"
"Thanks." Qi Yuan had just stopped cultivating and also needed to rest.
Mu Qinghuai composed himself and said, "Thanks."
"What is your cultivation level?" Qi Yuan suddenly asked.
"...Early stage of Nascent Soul." Mu Qinghuai was somewhat surprised that she would ask this question.
Early stage of Nascent Soul... just like her. Qi Yuan lay on the ground.
Seeing that the three of them had started to rest, Gu Youtian also felt a little sleepy. He raised his hand and patted his cheeks to perk himself up.
He stayed awake until midnight, his vision blurry, and he almost fell asleep.
"hiss……"
What's that sound?! Gu Youtian was wide awake and, in the moonlight, he could see several poisonous snakes and scorpions heading towards the Half-Ghost Seal.
He was startled, but then relaxed. There was a protective shield erected by Qi Yuan here; ordinary animals couldn't get in.
Just a second before he closed his eyes, he seemed to see venomous snakes and scorpions pass through the defensive shield without any hindrance.
Gu Youtian suddenly opened his eyes. Since these animals had entered the defensive shield, it meant that they were tainted with ghostly energy and were sent by Di Ming.
It was poisonous, and he didn't want to wake the three sleeping people. He cast a silencing spell so they wouldn't hear a sound.
He raised his sword and killed one after another, but the poisonous creatures seemed to have no limit, continuously entering the defensive shield.
Gu Youtian tossed and turned until midnight, panting heavily, but snakes and scorpions kept coming in one by one.
He glanced back at the three men, suppressed the urge to wake them, and gritted his teeth to continue killing.
It lasted for a full hour, until dawn, before the poisonous creatures finally disappeared. Exhausted, Gu Youtian collapsed to the ground and fell asleep.
A short while later, the three of them woke up intermittently and naturally saw Gu Youtian fast asleep.
Master Song curled his lip in disdain: "This kid, we told him to keep watch, but he's sleeping so soundly by himself."
Qi Yuan frowned: "Since Master Song is so capable, why aren't you on duty?"
“But I don’t see him guarding anything. Do you see any signs of a struggle on the ground? I think, given his personality, if something really came in, he would have scared you awake and made you deal with it.” Master Song crossed his arms and stared at the ground.
That night, the corpses of the venomous snakes and scorpions mysteriously disappeared, and even the signs of a struggle were restored to their original state. However, Gu Youtian, the person involved, had only just learned of this.
Mu Qinghuai said coldly, "Enough. Daoist, stop making sarcastic remarks. If that's the case, it just proves that last night was safe. Gu Youtian has fulfilled his responsibilities!"
"Aren't you even a little bit jealous of him? He relies solely on his talent; it's obvious he hasn't put in much effort in cultivation, yet he can easily form his core." Master Song's voice was laced with sarcasm.
"Daoist Master, please don't sow discord. Gu Youtian has put in the effort; he's been working hard behind our backs. I knew he was cultivating whenever I passed by his room. I happen to have something to ask you, Daoist Master: you recommended Gu Youtian to the King, so why haven't I seen you show him any appreciation?" Qi Yuan's eyes were as cold as icebergs, devoid of any warmth.
Master Song's eyes widened in surprise, and he frowned as he said, "The reason I sought him out is because it is his destiny. I am merely following the guidance of Heaven to find the chosen one. Without destiny, he is nothing."
Qi Yuan was a little angry: "Is this what Master Song is trying to say? That without luck you are nothing? I think if you take off this Taoist robe, you are nothing."
"And who do you think you are? You're just a young girl who hasn't even grown her hair yet, a mere rogue cultivator who dares to talk back to me." Master Song glared at Qi Yuan.
“I also think you’re a fraud masquerading as a Taoist priest. Without the Taoist robe, you’re nothing,” Mu Qinghuai said coldly.
"You brat! I'm not only your senior, but I was also invited by His Majesty the King! Aren't you just a rogue cultivator?"
"..."
Gu Youtian didn't listen to what was said after that.
He lay on his side with his back to the three men, his cheeks damp.
Gu Youtian was very sensitive to sound. Even though he was asleep, he was awake when Master Song spoke and heard the conversation between the three people.
He was pleased that Qi Yuan and Zhu Fu trusted him so much. Indeed, he was exceptionally lucky and always seemed to encounter opportunities, but he wasn't secretly pleased about it; instead, he was afraid.
Fearing that his abilities were insufficient to match this luck, he began to run away, refusing any opportunities or medicinal herbs offered to him. Gu Youtian could only cultivate desperately in places unseen by others, fearing that his efforts would not be enough to match his luck.
He moved his fingers, slowly got up, and pretended to have just woken up, asking, "Is everyone awake? It's still early."
Qi Yuan and Mu Qinghuai greeted him with a casual "Good morning," while Master Song remained seated in silence.
"Young Master Ouyang sent a text message, let me see," Qi Yuan said.
"How is it?" Gu Youtian asked anxiously when she put her hand down.
Her complexion was not good, and her eyelashes trembled slightly: "Monsters have invaded the inner city of Yansha. Ouyang won't let us go back. He said that the people in the imperial city are enough to drive away those monsters."
"Why would the Ghost King want the demon race to attack the inner city at this time? Wasn't he trying to break the half-ghost seal?" Gu Youtian's eyebrows were furrowed into an inverted V shape.
“He will come. What we need to do is protect the seal and defeat Di Ming,” Mu Qinghuai said calmly.
Qi Yuan was taken aback, but she steadied herself and said, "You're right. We need to do our jobs well first. We trust Young Master Ouyang in the inner city."
Gu Youtian asked hesitantly, "Miss Yangmei, Young Master Zhu Fu, did you know each other before?"
Unexpectedly, he asked this question, and Qi Yuan was stunned. She quickly recovered and replied, "No. I had never seen this young master before I came to Yansha Kingdom."
Mu Qinghuai observed her reaction but couldn't find anything suspicious on her face. He said, "Hmm. I don't know her."
Qi Yuan was momentarily lost in thought. She really wasn't used to the cold and aloof Mu Qinghuai.
"Gu Youtian, could you tell me in detail about the fight between Di Ming and Yin Guijun?" she asked.
“This matter was not spread; my master secretly told me, so I don’t know the details, but I know the general outline. Di Ming challenged Xing Gui Jun in order to annex the Demon Realm, and they agreed to a contest in a small country in the human realm. I don’t know the final result, but I guess Di Ming lost, so he launched a war against the Demon Realm a few years later.” Gu Youtian thought for a moment before speaking.
Mu Qinghuai realized something and raised his voice: "Do you remember what that small country was called?"
Gu Youtian rested his chin on his hand, trying to recall, when suddenly his expression changed, and he stammered, "It's called... Yansha Kingdom!"
"Sure enough... back then, Yansha Kingdom was still a small country. After several decades, it has developed to its current level. And Di Ming plans to annex both the human and demon realms. He started with Yansha Kingdom and launched a plague caused by demons and ghosts. He also sent monsters to attack the inner city so that everyone would focus on the inner city so that he could return to this place to retrieve the ghost energy." Qi Yuan murmured, her expression somewhat unfocused.
“The Ghost King is already so powerful, what will happen if he takes back the ghost energy?! The two of you are even stronger, so I’ll take over the night watch from now on!” Gu Youtian volunteered.
“But you…” Qi Yuan was interrupted by Gu Youtian before she could finish speaking, “It’s alright! I have plenty of energy, you are the ones who need to rest.”
Gu Youtian, recalling the swarm of venomous snakes and scorpions from the previous night, roughly understood. The Ghost King already knew they were guarding the seal and intended to use this to exhaust their strength and energy, breaking the seal when they were too tired to fight.
He firmly believed that as long as he lived, he would not allow the Ghost King to affect Qi Yuan and Zhu Fu.
There was just one thing he couldn't understand. Two of the three were at the Nascent Soul stage, and the other at the Golden Core stage, while the Ghost King was already at the Mahayana stage. What was he worried about doing this?
Fearing that the two would worry, Gu Youtian didn't mention the poisonous snake, only saying, "You two must maintain your current state! The Ghost King already knows that we are guarding the Half-Ghost Seal!"
The two were taken aback, but instead of asking him how he knew, they simply believed him.
Mu Qinghuai's tone carried a hint of concern, but his expression remained indifferent: "Then... take a good rest. Thank you for your hard work."
Qi Yuan could tell he was just being arrogant, and her expression softened. She said, "Gu Youtian, thank you for your hard work tonight. But if anything happens, don't bear it alone; speak up."
"Yes! You should tell me if you're under a lot of pressure. I haven't told you any jokes these past few days, even though Young Master Zhu Fu loves them!" Gu Youtian laughed.
Mu Qinghuai was baffled. When did he start liking to listen to that?
So he likes these kinds of jokes? Qi Yuan's expression was somewhat subtle. She cleared her throat: "Okay. I'd like to hear them too."
"Yes. I like to hear it." Mu Qinghuai changed her tone when she saw the smile on Gu Youtian's face.
"Okay! Let me think of the funniest one..."
"Guess which food is the most honest?"
"……banana."
"That's right, haha, because I'm honest and simple!"
"How can you three little devils be so childish?"
"Mind your own business! I'll ask again, what are the children of the sky and the children of the wind called?"
"It was me and Yunqi."
"That's right again! Because I was born with talent, and I'm destined for greatness!"
"You're clearly the child of heaven, aren't you? You brat, all you do is waste opportunities."
"None of your business!"
"..."
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