He felt like he had heard this question before, but when?
A thousand years ago?
Or was it three thousand years ago?
Or perhaps it was when he had just embarked on the path of cultivation, wanting to overcome all obstacles and finally reach the pinnacle of the Great Dao that everyone yearns for?
He turned his head and looked at Qin Junche's face, which looked both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.
Gu Tang blinked and smiled: "As long as a person hasn't cultivated to the end of the Great Dao and broken through the void to ascend to a higher realm, they must have a heart, otherwise how could they live?"
"As for what comes after that..." He looked up at the roof of the wooden house.
Even though the sky was not visible there, Gu Tang's eyes seemed to hold an endless starry sky.
“Maybe yes, maybe no…” He waved his hand, “but for me at that time, none of that mattered.”
Gu Tang felt that he had answered very well.
He possesses the memories of the body's original owner, but unfortunately, he lacks the memories of his relationship with Qin Junche.
Both of them have had sons, but did they know each other before, what had they been through together, or what emotional entanglements did they have?
He knew absolutely nothing about it!
He felt that since the original owner of this body was willing to sacrifice his future and cultivation to save Qin Junche, it was a good thing.
It's unlikely that they're completely devoid of feelings.
Qin Junche really wanted to ask something, and it wasn't that he completely misunderstood.
But why should a cultivator question their own heart?
Where the Great Way lies, there lies the heart!
Qin Junche: "..."
Qin Junche took a deep breath: "I want to cultivate both."
He spoke somewhat abruptly and coldly.
"Huh?"
The topic jumped so quickly that Gu Tang almost thought he had misheard.
"I said, I want dual cultivation," Qin Junche said through gritted teeth. "Now, right now!"
Gu Tang blinked.
He looked at Qin Junche, whose face was even darker than before, thought for a moment, and then said to him seriously, "Palace Master Qin, although I did say before that I could help you with your cultivation, you are now almost at the next level. What awaits you is a great tribulation in your cultivation. If you rush in without preparation, you are likely to suffer a cultivation deviation or fail to overcome the tribulation. My suggestion is..."
Qin Junche stepped forward and reached out to pinch Gu Tang's chin.
He didn't want to hear Gu Tang continue.
I don't want to say a word!
That mouth of his never utters a single word that pleases him; he really was...
That's wishful thinking!
In that instant, Gu Tang truly felt the surging spiritual power that Qin Junche was about to suppress.
As his jaw was clamped, Qin Junche's handsome and flawless face was almost pressed against his.
"Are you rejecting me?" Gu Tang heard Qin Junche ask.
He quickly shook his head.
He never goes back on his word.
However, when Gu Tang faced his tribulation, he felt he was very well prepared.
Having consolidated his mastery of the Great Completion Realm for many years, he prepared several divine objects capable of withstanding lightning tribulations.
He also spent several years refining the tribulation-crossing formation.
In the end, wasn't it still the same that the Great Way was flawed, and he almost died and his Way was destroyed?
Although he didn't actually die, he entered this somewhat strange world. He doesn't know if he will actually accumulate enough merit points to restore his cultivation, just like the system said.
Then help yourself overcome the tribulation.
Given Qin Junche's current state, it's clear that he's not suited to take any further risks.
Gu Tang opened her eyes wide and looked sincerely into Qin Junche's eyes.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with himself and hoped the other person could see sincerity in his eyes.
There was silence in the wooden cabin for a long time.
The hand that was gripping Gu Tang's chin gradually loosened its grip.
Qin Junche's hand slid down his chin somewhat dejectedly, finally stopping at his heart.
There, just as Gu Tang had said.
My heart is pounding steadily.
Gu Tang opened his mouth and received a kiss on his cheek, which was a little sore from being pinched.
Then he looked down at the slender hand that was gently placed over his heart.
“Palace Master Qin,” Gu Tang said, “you may have misunderstood.”
He explained, "I didn't say those things to upset you, much less to antagonize you."
He paused, then continued, "You know better than I how difficult the path of cultivation is, having reached this point. Let me tell you, all that talk of love and affection is ultimately like the moon reflected in a well—illusory, utterly useless. I once..."
At this point, Gu Tang hesitated.
Qin Junche didn't even lift his eyelids, and asked indifferently, "What happened before?"
What was it like before?!
It was incredibly tragic back then!
This caused him to suffer a loss in his path, ultimately leading to his failure during his tribulation and his current predicament.
But these words cannot be said to Qin Junche.
"What was it like before?" Qin Junche raised his eyes, looked calmly at Gu Tang, and asked again.
Although he released Gu Tang's jaw, he was still very close to him.
Gu Tang could clearly see Qin Junche's well-defined facial features.
Of course, you can also clearly see every change in his facial expression.
It looks really like it.
Gu Tang sighed softly to himself.
He was now a little unsure where this world, which allowed him to accumulate merit points and restore his cultivation, came from.
Was it also caused by his misfortune?
So it's clearly a completely different world from his previous one, and his identity is completely different too.
But it still left some traces that overlapped with the past.
For example, Qin Junche.
His only Daoist companion after ten thousand years of cultivation.
He originally thought that this was something that could be completely dispensable to him later on.
Gu Tang stepped back and gestured for Qin Junche to sit down at the table: "If Palace Master Qin wants to know, just listen to it as a story. I hope it will be helpful to your cultivation."
He poured a cup of tea for each of them, holding the cup in one hand as he fell into deep thought.
Wisps of white mist rose, and the room was quiet. Qin Junche did not urge Gu Tang.
Gu Tang pondered for a long time before finally speaking, slowly saying, "I once had a fellow Daoist who was extremely powerful. His cultivation conditions were far inferior to others, but he still managed to reach the peak of the Great Dao on his own."
He paused, then quickly continued, "But he still failed to transcend the tribulation."
After saying this, Gu Tang fell into a long silence again.
Qin Junche waited for a while before finally raising his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept across Gu Tang's face.
"And then?" he asked.
Gu Tang remained calm and continued, "There was no 'later.' This fellow Daoist was truly exceptionally strong, but because his Great Dao was flawed, when the heavenly lightning struck, his foundation was unstable, and he couldn't even withstand the first of the three tribulations, resulting in his immediate death and the dissipation of his Dao."
He paused, then continued, "The reason he suffered a deficiency in the Great Dao is because he had previously formed a Daoist partnership with someone, cultivating together. They had agreed it was merely a mutually beneficial arrangement, but he ended up falling in love with the other person. However, he could never obtain what he desired, and in the end..."
Gu Tang said, shrugging helplessly.
Qin Junche's gaze became somewhat complicated: "He... fell in love with his Daoist partner? And then, his Dao was flawed, and he failed his tribulation?"
His eyes flickered slightly, and his face, which had been icy cold just moments before, looked a little softer.
Then he heard Gu Tang say, "It's truly tragic for a cultivator to die and dissipate their cultivation. Later, I tried to gather his three souls and seven spirits to see if I could find a divine object to reshape his physical body, but I couldn't summon even a trace of his soul. So..."
Gu Tang said, "I've always taken this as a warning and resolutely avoided getting involved in relationships. Nuo'er doesn't understand relationships yet, so don't try to teach him. I just hope that he can make it to the end smoothly."
Qin Junche: "..."
"Alright." Gu Tang stood up. "Our heart-to-heart talk is over. I need to make dinner now."
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he wouldn't starve to death even without food, but he was still no match for Qin Junche and the others.
Replenishing one's spirit with spiritual grains and vegetables is also a very enjoyable experience.
"Oh, right." He thought for a moment, after all, dual cultivation was a condition he had agreed to with Qin Junche.
Since the other party has agreed to become his Daoist partner, he cannot show that he is refusing.
"If you wish to stay here, we can begin repairing your sword technique tomorrow. Once the sword technique is repaired and your cultivation level is consolidated, you can pursue dual cultivation to break through to the Great Perfection realm. However..."
Gu Tang kindly reminded him: "I suggest you prepare more divine items. The success rate of transcending the tribulation is very low. Many powerful beings have fallen under the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, and in the end, they died and their cultivation dissipated."
Qin Junche: "..."
"Oh, and one more thing!" Gu Tang added, "You promised Nuo'er you'd stay the night, you can't go back on your word."
Qin Junche: "..."