Unless absolutely necessary, Gu Feiyuan had no desire to provoke an old monster who had lived for ten thousand years. Seeing that Wen Li made no sudden moves and showed no inclination to strike, he gave way slightly.
Even so, he kept Gu Linshu shielded, allowing him to speak only from within his protective reach.
“W-Why do you insist on... on taking me as a—a disciple?” Gu Linshu asked, halting on every word.
Wen Li couldn't explain it, offering only two words:
“Destiny.”
“It is to save you, and also to save myself.” Pausing, Wen Li narrowed her eyes and made a decision. “And even more, to save your parents and your clan.”
Gu Feiyuan grasped the gravity of those words. He furrowed his brows, but rather than questioning her himself, he let Gu Linshu continue speaking.
“Y-You can divine our... our future... f-fate?” Gu Linshu frowned, understanding what Wen Li meant.
If he didn't take her as his master, his parents and clansmen would die in the future—and so would he.
“Were it not for destiny, you and I wouldn't have met, nor would this master-disciple bond exist between us.”
Wen Li gave a placid nod. Tilting her head, she gazed outside the barrier at the sun slowly sinking behind the mountain peaks, bound to set upon the lake's surface. Her crimson lips parted, her voice cool and aloof.
“Think it through before sunset. You will only have this single chance. If you take me as your master, I will teach you skills so that in the future, you may defy heaven and change your destiny, overturning the fatal demise of your flesh and blood. Of course, as my disciple, as long as I do not die, you will not die either. Beyond that, I guarantee nothing.”
With that, she rose to her feet.
Sensibly, Gu Feiyuan waved a hand, dispelling the barrier, and Wen Li took flight, returning to her immortal's cave.
Behind her, she left the family of three with solemn faces.
“Shu'er, her words cannot be fully trusted. If you don't wish to, your father and I—”
“Mother, I am willing.”
Yet Gu Linshu's bowed-head reply made Yan Jingyu's eyes redden.
“Her words m-might not be fully believable, but I cannot gamble with you... your and Father's lives. N-Not even once.”
“Shu'er...” Yan Jingyu's eyes welled with warmth, and she turned her head away, weeping softly.
Gu Feiyuan furrowed his brow and closed his eyes. His tall frame slumped dejectedly; even a Soul Formation cultivator was merely a father at this moment.
“Shu'er, if it weren't for your mother and me, or for our clan, would you truly want to take her as your master? She is someone who has lived from ten thousand years ago to this day. People like that are deeply calculating, seldom possessing soft-heartedness or genuine affection. She is acting for her own destiny as well. The suffering you'll endure after becoming her disciple will likely be...” If even a ten-thousand-year-old cultivator had to defy destiny, how could taking a disciple magically unravel it?
Unable to finish, his voice trailed off. He merely looked at his son with moist eyes, his heart aching.
Gu Linshu stepped forward and embraced his father. “Father, y-you said earlier that you and Mother could... fight to the death with her for me. I can also... try once for the two of you.”
“Back on the lake, I—I had already made up my mind to take her as my master. Even if sh-she has an ulterior motive, how am I... not doing the same for my—my own purpose? What's more, she is someone who knew the Kunlun Domain's third-generation Saint Patriarch ten thousand years ago; her cultivation must already be unfathomably profound. With her g-guidance, your child will surely have a brighter future.”
“If she wanted to kill me, it would be as easy as turning over her hand. She won't harbor malice toward me.”
Hearing this, Gu Feiyuan sighed deeply, weighed down by the helplessness of being unable to protect his child. Yet he also understood that if Wen Li could make such a prophecy about the future, there had to be some foundation to it.
So be it. The thirteen years Shu'er had spent by their side had allowed them to be part of his most formative years. He had his own path to walk.
Beside them, Yan Jingyu dabbed at her tears, utterly heartbroken at the parting.
...
“Can you truly bear to part with your life of luxury and this status of yours that commands everyone's attention?”
Beside a slender, graceful figure stood a youth clad in white, reaching up to her shoulder. Without even waiting for sunset, the two immediately flew out of the Wangyue Sect.
“Yes. These thirteen years have b-been more than enough for me to enjoy; to me, they are nothing more than worldly possessions.” The youth's expression was calm beyond his years.
He was not the naive fool the system made him out to be. He had merely been well protected by his parents, yet he understood everything. His father had taught him the way of a cultivator: not to crave external things, not to be overly merciful or soft-hearted, not to indulge in wanton slaughter, and always to prioritize oneself.
Riding in a flying boat, the two journeyed toward the grand thoroughfare amid the twilight mist. Sunset clouds drifted alongside a solitary wild duck, and the autumn waters merged with the vast sky into a single hue.
【Ding! +10, progress bar for saving the villain Gu Linshu: 10%】
Far behind them stood Gu Feiyuan and Yan Jingyu, gazing into the distance as their son embarked on his journey.
All the reluctance and worry in their eyes had transformed into storage bags packed to the brim for Gu Linshu and Wen Li.
“Husband, do you think we will still recognize Shu'er when he returns?” Yan Jingyu dabbed at the faint redness around her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief.
Gu Feiyuan drew her into his embrace. “He is our child. No matter how he changes, we will know him at a single glance. Rest easy—since he is the key that allows Senior to alter destiny, she won't let harm come to our Shu'er.”
He knew that an existence like Wen Li had no reason to fabricate a lie just to trick someone into becoming her disciple.
Once Wen Li's flying boat vanished completely beyond the horizon, the two lingered high in the sky, watching for a long while before slowly dissolving from where they stood.
“For Shu'er's sake, we should also begin preparing for the matters over in the Kunlun Domain. We must leave one last lifeline for him.”
“Mm.”
...
“W-What is this?”
“The sect rules. Memorize the full text.”
Well, well. The Wuji Sect's initiation tradition had struck yet again.
“Why does the th-third rule emphasize p-people surnamed Xiao, Ye, Lin, Shi, and Tang?”
“Once you become powerful, I'll add your surname to it too,” Wen Li replied casually while searching for a place to settle down.
Wait, no. Why did this exchange sound so familiar?
Seeing her pause in thought, Gu Linshu asked, “W-What's wrong?”
“Nothing. It's just that your Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother asked the exact same thing.” Wen Li waved a hand and docked the flying boat in a city.
Then the two set foot on the ground and entered the Kunlun Domain.
By now, Wen Li had swapped to another “face.”
Gu Linshu had taken a Disguise Pill as well. He furrowed his brows; so she truly already had two disciples. “Th-Then where are they?”
“They went out for experiential training. Always being protected around me made it hard for them to amount to anything great, so they asked to leave on their own. They're both in the Western Province, so you won't be seeing them for now. Even if you did, it'd be useless—they don't know you, and even if they recognized you, they'd only swindle you out of your money.”
【Host, do you dare admit you sold Xie Tinglan—a Late-Stage Golden Core supposedly protected by you, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—for sixty thousand high-grade spirit stones? If Gu Linshu knew that was how his Second Senior Brother disappeared, do you think he'd cough up the money to ransom Xie Tinglan back?】 The system chimed in with a terrible idea.
Speaking of which, Wen Li remembered something and held out her hand, palm up.
“Hand over all your storage bags. Just keep one with not much money in it. You're still young, so don't go throwing your wealth around—you'll attract unwanted attention. Give them to me; I'll keep them safe for you.” Pausing, she added, “Could it be that an ancient senior of ten thousand years like me would covet your pocket money? Am I really that kind of person?”
Gu Linshu's fair face froze for a second. True enough—before they set off, his parents hadn't just given him hundreds of storage bags; Master had received plenty as well. With her being so wealthy, she probably wouldn't covet his.
Decisively and cleanly, he kept only the one containing the least value and handed all the rest to Wen Li.
“Good disciple!” Beaming with delight, her coffers instantly filled to overflowing. She patted Gu Linshu on the shoulder.
“From now on, you're called Gu Xiaosan. Don't mention your real name. As for me, I'll be called Yin Fengcong.”
That fellow was a rogue cultivator and a shrewd Nascent Soul old monster who probably hadn't completely kicked the bucket anyway. Regardless, if any trouble arose, it would be pinned on him.
Rate on N.U.
