The spiritual root he once desired most had now turned into a time bomb he carried on his person. Gu Shi lived in constant trepidation every day, not even daring to sleep at night for fear that once he fell asleep, he would never wake up. At every moment, he eagerly longed for the news that the Xizhou Secret Realm had closed.
Yet things went contrary to his wishes; the Xizhou Secret Realm simply refused to close. When things are abnormal, there must be demons at play, and this made Gu Shi increasingly uneasy.
In the first month, Gu Shi was so worried he could not sleep day and night.
In the second month, Gu Shi began to suspect that this was his fortuitous encounter.
In the third month, Gu Shi firmly believed that this was definitely his fortuitous encounter, and that he was the Child of Destiny.
Immediately after, news finally came that the Xizhou Secret Realm had closed. When Gu Shi heard this news, he hesitated for a long time. Since he had received someone else’s fortuitous encounter, he ought to go and offer an apology, followed by a word of thanks. Regardless of whether the senior beauty cared or not, he had to keep up appearances.
Upon learning that Gu Shi was going to the Xizhou Secret Realm, Gu Yan without hesitation stopped him. “The Xizhou Secret Realm is already closed. What are you going there for?”
Naturally, Gu Shi had his reasons. “Since I obtained the secret realm’s fortuitous encounter, I ought to go and express my gratitude.”
Gu Yan felt it was inappropriate. “You’ve had it for so long. If you were going, you should have gone long ago.”
Gu Shi replied, “When the secret realm was open, there were so many people inside. How would the secret realm know that I went to thank him? I’ll just set out a gift of gratitude outside, kowtow three times, say a few nice words, and come right back.”
Gu Yan still remained worried. “I will go with you.”
Gu Shi was actually willing to have him come along, but how could he possibly have the nerve to tell his old father about sacrificing his life for survival? Therefore, he naturally refused. “If he wanted to kill me, he would have killed me long ago. Since he didn’t kill me, I should also show my sincerity. Dad, you shouldn’t go, otherwise it will look like the two of us are overly guarded against him.”
Gu Yan was persuaded by his words, realizing that if he had wanted him dead, he wouldn’t have let him leave the secret realm alive. “All right, then be careful on your way. Go and come back early.”
“Don’t worry, Dad.”
Gu Yan asked again, “What gift of gratitude do you plan to send?”
Gu Shi hadn’t seriously thought about this. His original intention was just to go and merely walk through the motions. “I’ll send two things, a jar of wine.”
Gu Yan asked, “And what about the other thing?”
Gu Shi couldn’t think of anything for a moment, so he simply paid tribute to literature. “Another jar of wine.”
It wasn’t that he was reluctant to part with treasures; it was truly that his pockets were completely empty, as all the treasures he had accumulated over the years had been given to Shen Yunsheng.
Gu Yan pressed his lips together, clearly speechless.
Gu Shi said, “If we can’t drink it, we can just pour it on the ground. Isn’t that very appropriate?”
Gu Yan felt it was inappropriate. “We don’t even know if he is dead or alive. Pouring it on the ground, what kind of gesture is that?”
There was no need to talk about whether he was dead or alive; Gu Shi could be certain he wasn’t dead. But the secret realm was closed, and the senior beauty couldn’t come out to take it. If he didn’t pour it on the ground, how could he demonstrate his sincerity?
Gu Yan pondered for a moment, and finally handed a personal jade pendant to Gu Shi. “This auspicious cloud jade pendant is an heirloom of the Gu family. Originally, it was meant to be passed down to you after you got married. Take it and use it as a gift of gratitude.”
Gu Shi received the jade pendant. Carved from warm jade, the whole piece was crystal clear without a single speck of impurity, looking just like glass.
“Then won’t our Gu family be left without any heirlooms?”
Gu Yan said with a trace of annoyance, “There are plenty of heirlooms. If you like, once you get married, I’ll have someone carve a new one for you. Passing it down for two or three generations makes it an heirloom too.”
Gu Shi acknowledged with an, “Oh.”
With just a jade pendant, Gu Yan still felt it was too little, so he handed another fifty million top-grade spiritual stones to Gu Shi.
Gu Shi didn’t understand. “He can’t even come out. Who is he going to give this many spiritual stones to?”
Gu Yan said, “Bury them in the ground. The sincerity must be in place. As for whether he accepts them or can receive them, that’s not something we can control. That is a top-grade fire spiritual root after all, something that cannot be bought with any amount of spiritual stones.”
Naturally, Gu Shi knew this, so he didn’t say any more. He went to the kitchen, fetched two jars of fine wine, and then rode his paper crane toward Xizhou.
Two days later, Gu Shi arrived at the entrance of the Xizhou Secret Realm, only to find that the entrance was now closed and the secret realm had concealed itself, leaving only a vast expanse of forest in sight.
Gu Shi stepped down from the paper crane, knelt toward the spot where the entrance of the secret realm had been in his memory, and laid out the gratitude offerings one by one: the jade pendant, a storage bracelet containing fifty million top-grade spiritual stones, and two jars of fine wine.
After arranging everything, Gu Shi pressed his palms together, his tone sincere. “Senior, although this junior is dull in aptitude, my character is pure and upright. My previous visit to the secret realm was simply because I heard of its marvelous and picturesque scenery and came specifically to catch a glimpse of its beauty. However, due to sheer luck, as soon as this junior entered the secret realm, I fell into the Heavenly Trench. My original intention was only to seek out wondrous spectacles to feast my eyes upon, and I had no intention of presumptuously intruding upon Senior’s dwelling.
Senior’s dwelling features an empty pool reflecting spring waters, and this junior yearmed for it in my heart. Yet within the secret realm, this junior possessed no ability to protect myself; although I had the intention to pay a visit to Senior, I did not dare to overestimate myself, and thus I held my sword solely for self-defense. For any discourteous acts, this junior is extremely terrified, and I beseech Senior to be magnanimous and forgive me.”
At this point, Gu Shi kowtowed three times with resounding thuds, and continued speaking. “Although this junior overstepped my bounds, I truly could not bear to see Senior suffering. Committing discourteous acts was truly an internal torment and agonizing pain to my heart. As for Senior’s divine countenance, this junior would never dare to harbor any improper thoughts. Having experienced matters of romance for the very first time, this junior was inwardly terrified, and thus I left without saying goodbye. Throughout these three months, this junior has been unable to sleep day and night, filled with apprehension and anxiety. I feared Senior would blame me, yet I also worried about Senior’s physical condition, living in a daze. It was only the day before yesterday that I learned Senior had bestowed upon me a fortuitous encounter, and therefore I have prepared these humble gifts, serving both as an apology and an expression of gratitude.
Senior’s immense grace and profound kindness, this junior will never forget, and in the future, I will surely dedicate myself to cultivation in order to repay Senior’s great kindness.”
Having finished speaking, he once again knocked his head three more times with resounding thuds. Seeing that there were no abnormalities, Gu Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief, secretly vowing to himself that he would never come to Xizhou ever again.
Just as he stood up, suddenly a swamp-like force bound him tightly. This familiar sensation made Gu Shi’s heart instantly sink. Before he could think of anything else, a flash of white light passed before his eyes, and when he opened his eyes again, he had already arrived at the familiar cave dwelling.
Gu Shi stood by the bed, pink gauze curtains fluttering and drifting, carrying a fragrance that brushed across his face, tickling and itching.
Gu Shi cursed inwardly. There was simply no justice in this world; even with the doors closed, people could still be snatched away.
But very soon, he no longer had the mental capacity to think about anything else. He saw the white-haired beauty lying on the bed just like when they first met, his body covered in cracks, and agonizing groans forced out from his throat. He raised his hand, his slender fingers tracing an exquisite arc in the air. “Come here.”
That voice carried an unspeakable tenderness and allure, mixed with pain, captivating one’s soul.
Gu Shi understood instantly; this poison wasn’t a one-time deal. It seemed this was the key to his survival.
Even under the peony blossom, death is romantic, and ghosts are full of charm, not to mention that he definitely wouldn’t die this time. Without another word, Gu Shi took off his outer garments and got onto the bed. With the previous integration, this time went much more smoothly. Although the heat was still intensely burning, Gu Shi maintained his sobriety throughout the entire process.
Because of the previous experience, Gu Shi had dreamed about it for three consecutive months, and his technique had basically been practiced in his dreams. This time, the white-haired beauty clearly enjoyed it much more, letting out soft, euphoric murmurs in addition to his painful groans.
Knowing that he wouldn’t die, Gu Shi’s boldness grew. Tired of lying flat, he even changed positions.
The white-haired beauty curled his toes tightly, holding his head high, his jawline taut like a straight line. His long hair cascaded down over Gu Shi’s waist and abdomen, sweeping up and down.
Time was untracked within the cave. After an unknown duration, the terrifying cracks on the white-haired beauty’s body vanished, and he fell completely still like a broken doll swaying in the wind. Only after it came to a complete end did Gu Shi stop.
With a soft pop of water, like opening a tightly sealed bottle of red wine, exceptionally clear in the quiet cave, Gu Shi’s face turned eerily red.
He paused for a moment, feeling that he should tidy up the senior beauty. But when he bent down to look, apart from some flushed, upturned flesh, everything was dry and clean, with nothing else at all.
Gu Shi was extremely puzzled. Where did everything go? After so many times, there should have been a lot.
Curiosity remained curiosity, but with the senior beauty’s mighty pressure lingering there, Gu Shi ultimately didn’t dare to reach out a finger to probe. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, and enduring his sore and weak limbs, sat obediently by the bedside waiting for the white-haired beauty to wake up.
The white-haired beauty’s breathing was steady, and he looked as though he were sleeping soundly. Although Gu Shi knew it was inappropriate, he still couldn’t help but look at him.
He turned his head slightly, a small streak of white hair resting against his cheek, softening his facial features and making him look extremely gentle. His long eyelashes resembled dew-soaked butterfly wings, trembling gently and kicking up flying sand and stones, whipping up the sound of Gu Shi’s own deafening heartbeat.
He was merely lying there quietly, without even opening his eyes, yet his beauty was like the most scorching sun in midsummer, radiant and dazzling. Even a greedy gaze felt like a desecration.
An unknown amount of time passed, it felt like a very long time, yet also like just a moment. The white-haired beauty’s long eyelashes fluttered, startling Gu Shi into immediately standing up and retreating three steps, pulling back his greedy gaze and standing straight and rigid.
His movements were too fast, and his weak legs almost made him tumble over. But at such a crucial moment, Gu Shi managed to steady himself with unyielding resolve, showing not a single trace of weakness on his face as he respectfully called out,
“Senior.”