That's what she said.
Gu Zhong obediently gave up resisting and closed his eyes.
An unseen force lifted her up and pulled her toward the monument.
Fine, silky light emanated from it, enveloping Gu Zhong and Wen Rou, forming a giant cocoon.
Lingyan watched quietly, pondering and speculating whether it was the original source left behind by Gu Zhong that allowed the reincarnated spirit, whose path to immortality had been almost severed, to be reborn.
"This place is very dangerous... so please be careful..."
A soft rustling sound came from not far away. Lingyan frowned and cast a protective barrier around the entire jade platform.
He summoned the astrolabe, tensed every nerve in his body, and turned to assume a fighting stance.
Regardless of the circumstances by which the tradition is passed down, it cannot be disturbed for even a moment.
The group consisted of four or five people, all of whom were acquaintances. The leader was Qingzhu, and there was also the rather annoying Yunyao.
"Xingxuan-jun?"
Upon seeing Ling Yan there, they showed surprise, clearly not expecting that someone had discovered the cave before them.
"What is that? A legacy?"
Yun Yao turned her gaze to the cocoon on the jade platform, which made Ling Yan's heart tighten.
"Could that be... Gu Zhong?"
Another person asked with a tone of disgust.
If Gu Zhong were lucid, he would recognize this person as the Wu disciple of the Shangyin Sect who escaped from her grasp.
Unbeknownst to them, they had somehow ended up together with Qingzhu and the others.
"Senior Uncle Qingzhu, Senior Aunt Yunyao..."
The disciple surnamed Wu called out to the two venerable ones in the sect with a wronged expression.
"The matter is not yet clear, and the inheritance should not be easily interrupted. We will discuss it later."
Qingzhu glanced at her but remained unmoved.
"Senior brother has truly been bewitched by beauty. The Star Luo Sect doesn't take my Shangyin Sect seriously and almost killed one of my disciples. How can this matter be left unresolved? By the time the inheritance ends, it will be too late!"
Yun Yao refused to listen and attacked the jade platform without saying another word.
Ling Yan stepped in front of Yun Yao, her eyes revealing a resolute determination and ruthlessness.
"Anyone who disturbs my disciple's inheritance shall die!"
“Ah Yan…”
A sigh came from behind her, and the familiar address and tone made Lingyan stare wide-eyed in disbelief, her whole body stiffening. For a moment, she didn't dare to turn around to confirm whether the hope in her heart had become a reality.
Chapter 83 Astrologers and Defiant Ones (Part 12)
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“Ah Yan…”
The voice called out again, filled with endless longing and tenderness.
Without caring about anything else, Lingyan suddenly turned around.
The cocoon of light had dissipated, and Gu Zhong still looked like the same Gu Zhong, but his aura had undergone a complete transformation.
All traces of hardship and setbacks have vanished; it was originally a tenacious wild grass.
Now it looks more like a snow lotus from the top of Tianshan Mountain, noble yet with a chilling coldness that seeps into the heart.
Ling Yan recognized him at a glance as Gu Zhong, the true God of War from the divine realm.
Looks like you're in trouble again...
Gu Zhong sighed softly, gazing intently at Ling Yan with tender eyes.
Without even glancing at the members of the Shangyin Sect, he simply waved his hand, draining their spiritual energy and forcing them to their knees.
"Concern..."
Ling Yan felt her mouth was dry, and it took a lot of effort for the two words to tremble and escape from the corner of her lips.
"Your cultivation level? How could it be even lower than that of a mortal immortal?"
In the blink of an eye, Gu Zhong landed in front of her, his fingertips touching her forehead. Immediately, his brows furrowed, and his expression turned serious.
An aura of authority emanated from Gu Zhong, pressing Qingzhu, who was trying to get up, back down.
The starkly different words, actions, and imposing aura of cultivation made it clear to anyone present who wasn't a fool that this Gu Zhong was no longer the same Gu Zhong as before.
"Senior, please hear me out. It's all a misunderstanding."
Qingzhu forced out words of pleading for mercy, while glaring fiercely at Yun Yao, who had caused the trouble.
What's going on?
Gu Zhong ignored him completely; her entire focus remained on Ling Yan.
"You...don't remember any of it?"
He cautiously and tentatively asked the question.
The person she had been longing for was standing right in front of her, yet Lingyan suddenly didn't know how to face him.
She recalled the nightmare that had haunted her for millennia: the endless black fog and the blood-soaked hand plunged into her lover's chest.
She is undeniably responsible for that tragic past that she doesn't want to recall.
"Remember... what?"
Looking at Ling Yan with a rather puzzled expression, Gu Zhong seemed not to understand what she was talking about.
"What was the outcome of the battle for supremacy?"
With a certain suspicion vaguely emerging in her mind, Lingyan asked another question.
"Erecting a tripod? When did the divine realm go to war with the demon realm?"
His words were filled with undeniable shock, confirming Ling Yan's somewhat disappointed suspicion.
—This concern is nothing but a lingering regret… Her memories only extend back to the time when this grotto was built.
Despite her relentless search for the purpose of reviving her lover, Lingyan felt a despicable sense of relief at this moment.
She now realizes that she is completely unable to face the real Gu Zhong, the Gu Zhong she killed with her own hands.
That's fine, at least it's her, even if it's not entirely her.
Even if it's just a lingering regret that may disappear at any time, it can still give you a moment of warmth.
Ling Yan stepped forward, getting very close to Gu Zhong. She reached out and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, biting his thin lips hard.
Gu, who was always shameless and always trying to take advantage of others, was caught off guard by Ling Yan's initiative for the first time. He stood there dumbfounded, his eyes wide open.
The members of the Shangyin Sect, who were lying on the ground unable to move, were also greatly shocked.
At first, Qingzhu's eyes were filled with shock, then gradually turned to understanding, and finally turned to sadness.
They thought they knew why Lingyan would take a good-for-nothing as her apprentice—because she had the same face as the deceased, and was now the vessel for that person's lingering regrets.
Although he didn't know when or where Xingxuanjun had met such a powerful figure, Qingzhu knew clearly in his heart that he had no more chances.
After a moment of shock, Gu Zhong readily accepted his lover's rare initiative.
She embraced Lingyan's soft waist and returned a deep kiss. As their lips and tongues met, a sweet and slightly metallic taste filled their mouths.
In the tender moment, Gu Zhong felt the deep longing and sorrow emanating from Ling Yan's soul. Although she did not know why Ling Yan was sad, she knew how to comfort her.
"Ayan, I'm here."
In just a few words, Lingyan's feigned strength was shattered, revealing her vulnerability. Tears she had been holding back streamed down her face and landed on Gu Zhong's shoulder.
"Concern...Concern..."
It seems that only by repeating her name over and over again can I express all the longing I've felt over the years.
"Ayan, I..."
Gu Zhong seemed to want to say something more, but before he could finish speaking, his aura instantly weakened.
At the same time, the restraints that had been binding the Shangyin Sect members all disappeared, and they scrambled to their feet from the ground, but dared not utter a sound.
Noticing this obvious change, Ling Yan quickly stepped back three feet.
"Master."
The person called out, a completely different call, it was Gu Zhong returning in this life.
She lacked any imposing presence, as if she had lost her magic after midnight and reverted to her original form, remaining just an inconspicuous weed.
A bitter yet knowing smile appeared on Gu Zhong's lips as she called out again.
"Master."
Even when her body was occupied by that familiar and trusted lingering resentment, she did not lose her senses or consciousness.
She watched with lucidity as the consciousness called her secretly beloved master "Ayan," a name so familiar and intimate, concealing a past and affection that no one else could fathom.
He watched helplessly as his master kissed this body, and he also felt the sweetness on her lips.
Gu Zhong was unsure whether to shamelessly hide beneath this body and enjoy the tenderness that didn't belong to her, or to be jealous and rebel.
But she clearly understood one thing: the reason why her master treated her so well was simply because the original body of this lingering resentment was always remembering another person through her.
She was simply lucky to have the same face as this person.
Bringing her to this dangerous secret realm must have been to find this lingering remnant of her will; I was merely a vessel for it.
Master only wanted to revive Gu Zhong, whom she loved.
This was such a sad and devastating fact that Gu Zhong should hate Ling Yan, yet she couldn't bring herself to do so.
After all, Lingyan had indeed saved her from dire straits time and time again, allowing her to truly witness the world of cultivation and experience everything she had never experienced before.