Cuckold fetish and simping—this buff is completely maxed out!
Guliang Yuan massaged his temples. If it weren't for the fact that the condition to activate Mochen's comprehension was breaking through the shackles of romance, Guliang Yuan would have wanted to make him go down the path of attacking romance with romance.
Liu Shuang was also shaken by Mochen's words. *This pesky plaster is determined to stick to me, isn't it!*
She took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and spoke to Mochen once more:
"Mochen, what on earth do you like about me? I'll change, alright?"
Mochen thought about it seriously:
"I don't know either. Anyway, the more the Junior Sister scolds me, the more I like it."
Liu Shuang was utterly speechless, rolling her eyes heavily at Mochen.
Mochen, however, wore a look of absolute enjoyment:
"Yes, exactly that feeling!"
Seeing Mochen like this, Guliang Yuan's face was covered in black lines.
A max-level simp is truly terrifying; even the Taishang Wangqing Sutra can't save you!
Legend has it there used to be a pill on Forgetful Peak that could instantly wake up lovesick fools. If only that pill recipe hadn't been lost...
"Ding! Detected host's requirement. System mission issued:"
"Help any disciple successfully sever their romantic ties. System reward: Taishang Wangqing Dan recipe."
"Taishang Wangqing Dan: An auxiliary pill for forgetting romance. Once swallowed, it causes the user to instantly sever all romantic attachments on the spot."
Hearing the system prompt, Guliang Yuan raised an eyebrow.
This mission had come at precisely the right time.
Mochen's simp addiction might be hard to break, but didn't he still have Song Xian'er?
He would help Song Xian'er successfully sever her romantic ties, obtain the Taishang Wangqing Dan, and then feed it to Mochen to activate his peerless comprehension.
Perfect!
Thinking of this, Guliang Yuan stepped forward and grabbed Mochen, who still wore a lovesick, simpering expression.
"Enough, stop embarrassing me, come back to Forgetful Peak with me!"
Reluctant as Mochen was to leave Liu Shuang, he didn't dare disobey Guliang Yuan's command.
He looked at Liu Shuang with melting tenderness: "Cousin, I'll come see you again... *cough cough*... *cough cough*."
Before Mochen could finish his sentence, Guliang Yuan dragged him away directly. Because fierce gale winds were surging backward down his throat, he couldn't help breaking into a fit of coughing.
Seeing Mochen leave, Liu Shuang felt a sense of immense relief.
Letting out a soft breath, she looked toward Long Chen nearby, and her tone softened once more:
"Senior Brother Long, you heard everything I said just now, right? That was my true inner voice, only I never had the chance to tell you."
Long Chen gave Liu Shuang a cold, harsh glance: "I, Long Chen, am devoted solely to the Great Dao and have no mind for romance. Please have some self-respect, Junior Sister Liu!"
With that, Long Chen didn't look at Liu Shuang again, turned on his heel, and walked away.
Instead of getting angry at Long Chen's attitude, Liu Shuang stared infatuatedly at his retreating back:
"As expected of Senior Brother Long, even when he's angry he's so handsome."
"Senior Brother Long, wait for me."
...
Guliang Yuan traveled at top speed with Mochen, and within a few blinks, they arrived atop Forgetful Peak.
As luck would have it, the moment the two of them landed, they spotted Song Xian'er sitting on the mountain summit a short distance away, staring blankly in a daze.
Guliang Yuan casually cast a detection spell:
Name: Song Xian'er
Infatuation Value: 80
Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level 2
Spiritual Roots: Water and Wood
Comprehension: Immortal's Form (Unactivated)
Constitution: Glass Immortal Body (Unactivated)
Activation Method: Glass Immortal Crystal
Seeing that Song Xian'er's infatuation value had dropped by ten points, the frustration Guliang Yuan had suffered from Mochen found some solace here.
It seemed the Taishang Wangqing Sutra was still useful after all.
Guliang Yuan sent Mochen away, then quietly walked up behind Song Xian'er, gazing out with her at the rolling sea of clouds in the distance.
After a long silence, Guliang Yuan spoke indifferently:
"Xian'er, what's wrong with you?"
Only then did Song Xian'er notice Guliang Yuan's presence. She made to stand and bow, but Guliang Yuan pressed her back down:
"Tell your Master what's bothering you, and let's see if I can help you solve it."
At these words, Song Xian'er let out a lingering sigh:
"Master, why do I feel like the Young Master has changed?"
Guliang Yuan naturally knew that the Young Master in Song Xian'er's mouth was none other than Zhang Yang.
"Why do you say that?"
Song Xian'er sighed again: "I went to see him today. Seeing how pitiful he looked working as a handyman, I intended to give him some cultivation resources."
"To my surprise, not only did he refuse, but he even snapped at me and gave me a harsh scolding."
Guliang Yuan pondered briefly: "When you gave him the items, was anyone else around him?"
Song Xian'er looked slightly surprised: "Master, how did you know?"
Guliang Yuan smiled: "That's because although Zhang Yang's abilities are ordinary, he cares deeply about his pride. Even though you acted out of kindness, in his eyes, you are still that maidservant—a maidservant who will forever remain a step below him.""Now that you have taken me as your master, you are radiant and glamorous, while he must rush about every day for menial chores. Such a stark contrast, coupled with the presence of outsiders, dealt a blow to his fragile self-esteem, which is why he acted that way."
"Ah?"
"In the past, Young Master he..."
Guliang Yuan's expression turned stern, interrupting Song Xian'er:
"Zhang Yang is still the same Zhang Yang. You are no longer his former maid, but the disciple of me, Guliang Yuan. In terms of seniority, he should even address you as Martial Aunt. If you still call him Young Master, wouldn't that diminish my dignity?"
Song Xian'er hastily stood up, looking somewhat flustered:
"Master, I didn't think that much. I'm sorry... I..."
Guliang Yuan waved his hand. "Let this be the only time. Go on."
"Mm, thank you, Master."
Song Xian'er gathered her thoughts again and continued: "Zhang... Zhang Yang wasn't like this before."
Guliang Yuan looked at Song Xian'er. "What was he like before?"
Song Xian'er thought back carefully for a moment, then sighed despondently:
"I don't know either."
Guliang Yuan stepped forward and stroked Song Xian'er's head. At first, she wanted to dodge, but she endured it and let Guliang Yuan's large hand gently brush through her hair.
"Xian'er, did you never think about it, or were you simply unwilling to think about why Zhang Yang knew you had talent, yet insisted on keeping it a secret from you?"
Song Xian'er fell silent.
Guliang Yuan withdrew his hand, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and gazed into the distance:
"Because Zhang Yang wanted to use this to control you and make you serve him."
"Because deep down, he is a selfish and self-serving person."
"There would normally be nothing wrong with that, but he insists on portraying himself as exceptionally noble, making you believe that everything he did was for your own good."
"He hasn't changed. It's just that your status has changed, and your perspective on things has changed, which is why you feel he has changed. Do you understand?"
Song Xian'er looked deep in thought, and the infatuation value above her head dropped by another three points, reaching 77.
Guliang Yuan felt satisfied inwardly. This disciple is truly teachable!
It has to be Xian'er; she is much easier to teach than that simpering Mochen!
Yet an infatuation value of 77 was still quite high.
Guliang Yuan had observed that ordinary dao companions usually had an infatuation value of only fifty. Once it reached eighty or above, they became simpering fools willing to give up their lives for the other person!
Sure enough, Song Xian'er stammered, "But... but..."
She wanted to defend Zhang Yang, but for a moment she did not know what to say.
While the two were talking, Song Rentou hurried over, shouting loudly from afar:
"Martial Uncle! I've found out!"
Chapter 38: News of the Glazed Immortal Crystal and the Auction
Guliang Yuan looked delighted. "Is there news about the Glazed Immortal Crystal?"
Song Rentou nodded excitedly:
"I spent a great deal of money to have a senior brother from the Heavenly Secrets Peak calculate it, and the direction pointed due east."
"So I followed this clue and searched, and sure enough, I found out that at the end of this month, the Youcheng branch of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion will hold an auction."
"Although the specific auction list has not been leaked, the finale item is a top-grade spirit treasure, and it is said that many Mahayana Stage cultivators are moving upon hearing the news."
"I figured that at such a major auction, the Glazed Immortal Crystal is bound to appear. Who knows, there might even be Qi of Profound Yellow."
Hearing this, Guliang Yuan lightly patted his forehead:
"I forgot to have the people from the Heavenly Secrets Peak cast a divination earlier."
With that, he reached out and waved his hand, causing a Heaven-tier magical artifact to hover in front of Song Rentou:
"You handled this matter well. This is your reward."
Song Rentou looked at the Heaven-tier magical artifact, the corners of his mouth splitting nearly to his ears:
"Thank you for the reward, Martial Uncle."
Guliang Yuan patted Song Rentou on the shoulder. "Keep working hard for me in the future, and I won't shortchange you."
"Later, go tell Wang Defa to select some more disciples himself and get fifty inner sect disciples together before I return."
"Got it, Martial Uncle. Just leave it to me."
After Song Rentou left, Song Xian'er blinked her clear, watery eyes. "Master, what is the Glazed Immortal Crystal? Why does it sound so familiar to me?"
Guliang Yuan smiled faintly. "You possess the Glazed Immortal Body, but it has never been awakened. The condition for awakening it is precisely the Glazed Immortal Crystal."
Song Xian'er knew that Guliang Yuan had been inquiring about the Glazed Immortal Crystal for some time.
From his stray remarks, she had also guessed that this Glazed Immortal Crystal was extraordinarily precious.She could tell that Guliang Yuan cared deeply about this matter.
Yet she never expected that he was doing it all for her.
Though she had no clear concept of what the Glazed Immortal Physique actually was, that didn't stop her from being deeply moved by his gesture.
Her master had considered every single detail on her behalf.
Throughout her life, she had never encountered anyone who treated her this well.
Looking at Guliang Yuan, whose face resembled polished jade, a subtle and inexplicable emotion suddenly stirred in her heart.
Guliang Yuan, however, had other things on his mind. Counting on his fingers, he realized there was less than half a month left before the auction began.
And Youcheng was a full eight hundred thousand miles away from here; he needed to make preparations immediately.
As for how to travel...
Naturally, by the Double Dragon Jade Chariot!
How could he possibly not take his newly acquired, head-turning ride out for a spin?
As for teleportation arrays, not even dogs would use them!
Over the next two days, Guliang Yuan embarked on a frenzy of bestowing gifts on his disciples and triggering the system returns, then immediately turning those returned treasures into cash to make his wealth skyrocket.
Until his fortune reached a staggering two million top-tier spirit stones, the system suddenly triggered a 0.1x return rate, startling Guliang Yuan so badly that he immediately put a halt to the practice.
If he hit a few 0.1x returns in a row, wouldn't his assets shrink straight into nothingness?
Through long-term use, he had roughly figured out the system's patterns.
Aside from when he first took on disciples, where the probability of high-multiplier returns increased, the fewer items he casually bestowed in daily life, the higher the return multiplier seemed to be.
Conversely, the more items he gave away, the lower the return multiplier became.
Guliang Yuan muttered to himself that it was a pity, resolving that he would no longer scatter rewards haphazardly. From now on, he would give sparingly, and only give top-quality items.
Clutching a fortune of two million, Guliang Yuan went to Lü Qingmei to pay his respects and borrowed two older freaks of his own generation.
Lü Qingmei was somewhat speechless at Guliang Yuan's behavior of borrowing Taishang elders.
Ever since Guliang Yuan broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, he had left the sect's mountain gates twice, and every single time he went out, he insisted on bringing a Taishang elder along.
She had initially worried that once Guliang Yuan achieved sudden enlightenment and reached the Nascent Soul stage overnight, he might become arrogant and impatient as a result.
Now it seemed that Guliang Yuan's level of caution exceeded her wildest imagination!
As for his three disciples, Guliang Yuan had originally only intended to take Song Xian'er, but upon second thought, he realized he could just use this opportunity to keep Mochen away from Liu Shuang for a while, allowing him to properly cultivate the Heart-Forgetful Scripture.
And then... since he was already taking two of the three disciples, leaving just one behind didn't make much sense.
He might as well use this occasion to let Qianqu broaden her horizons and see the world.
And so, he brought all of them along.
On this day, the sun shone brightly and the sky was completely cloudless!
A gentle breeze swept past the Seven Taishang Peaks, rustling the leaves in a thoroughly pleasant manner.
Within the Seven Peaks, elders and disciples moved about in a steady stream.
Some youths dressed in white, surrounded by swirling sword Qi, traveled by flying swords.
Some drunken old men rode backward on gourds, streaking swiftly across the sky.
Some rode dragons and elephants, others drove immortal cranes; some sang boldly as they traveled, while others swept their wide sleeves through the air.
It was a picture of a grand immortal sect, brimming with auspicious splendor!
Right at that moment, two high, resonant dragon roars echoed from Forgetful Peak.
Everyone's movements paused in unison, and they raised their heads to look, only to see two white dragons thrashing and clawing as they soared straight up into the sky from Forgetful Peak, one right after the other!
The wind follows the tiger, and the clouds follow the dragon!
Wherever the white dragons went, clouds instantly billowed forth!
Amidst the boundless white clouds, trailing behind the two white dragons, a carriage crafted from white jade loomed faintly in and out of sight.
The carriage was adorned with mysterious patterns, gleaming with brilliant light and exclaiming an immortal aura.
Amidst the exclamations of the onlookers, the two white dragons suddenly tightened their bodies, and accompanied by the sonic booms of their whipping tails, they transformed into a streak of flowing light and surged forward, vanishing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
It wasn't until long after the stream of light had vanished that one of the elders finally snapped back to his senses:
"My good heavens, if this old man isn't mistaken, that's a flying spirit treasure!"
Someone chimed in: "And it's not a low grade either. Judging by the momentum, it's far more powerful than our sect master's phoenix chariot."
"I knew the Junior Uncle Grandmaster was never stingy when rewarding his disciples, but I previously thought he was pinching pennies to save up that wealth. Now it seems Forgetful Peak really is loaded!"
"Look at you talking. A few thousand years ago, Forgetful Peak was our Taishang First Peak after all; even if it suffered a calamity, it's bound to have some family fortune left."
"Back when Song Rentou was transferred over there, I was gloating, thinking he wouldn't have any future prospects. Now it turns out the clown was actually me?"
"Mm, indeed," the elder beside him gave an affirmative reply.
While the elders reacted thus, the wave of amazement among the disciples below rose one after another.
Inside the jade chariot, Guliang Yuan took all of this in, feeling thoroughly satisfied.
That was the exact feeling—it was just right.
Outside, due to the extreme speed of flight, the gale-force winds were biting and fierce.
Yet inside the jade chariot, it was as steady as Mount Tai; not even half a sway could be felt.
The two Taishang elders Guliang Yuan had borrowed sat across from him, looking left and right with eyes full of envy:
"Junior Brother, I never expected your Forgetful Peak to have such a treasure. The previous peak masters hid it deep enough—they didn't leak a single word."
Clearly, the two of them also assumed this was a spirit treasure left behind by Forgetful Peak from its earlier years.
Guliang Yuan was quite happy to let them think so, and smoothly chimed in, "A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Why don't you two senior brothers move over to my Forgetful Peak?"
"Whatever monthly stipend Lü Qingmei gives you, I'll double it for the two of you!"
Hearing Guliang Yuan's words, the two men merely smiled and said nothing more.
Guliang Yuan silently thought it a pity; if he could poach these two over, his sense of security would be absolutely maxed out.
Still, there was no rush. Since he had already borrowed them, sooner or later they wouldn't be running away anyway.
Return them?
He borrowed them with his own ability, why on earth should he return them?
Did Liu Bei ever return Jingzhou?
Did he return the arrows borrowed with straw boats?
And Zhugeliang never returned the eastern wind he borrowed either!
Chapter 39: Taiyi Holy Land, Di Yun
In the Dongzhou continent, three hundred miles east of the Taiyi Holy Land, there was a small border city nestled against the mountains.
Although this city was not large, cultivators came and went in an endless stream, with no trace of mortals to be found.
Suddenly, two soaring dragon roars rang out from outside the city gates, causing a commotion.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Double Dragon Jade Chariot descended from the nine heavens right outside the city gates.
"Holy cow! A carriage pulled by twin dragons—which holy land's master is going out?!"
"Even holy land masters might not get this kind of treatment. I wouldn't be surprised if this is some big shot coming from Central Province!"
"After all, those are true dragons—immortal beasts rumored to definitely become immortals upon reaching adulthood!"
"It looks like the heavyweights attracted to this auction are really something else."
"The carriage door is opening, someone is coming out."
As the jade chariot came to a steady halt, the two Taishang elders inside the vehicle suddenly vanished without a trace.
Guliang Yuan knew that these two senior brothers didn't want to show their faces in public, which was why they had concealed themselves in the shadows.
Without saying much, he pushed open the carriage door and stepped out of the jade chariot, bringing along Qianqu and his three disciples.
Guliang Yuan walked in front, with Qianqu and Song Xian'er attending him on the left and right, while Mochen stood to the side, holding his sword with a cold and grim expression.
As long as he wasn't interacting with Liu Shuang, he usually looked quite like a normal person.
Seeing the appearance of the group, the crowd stirred into another wave of commotion:
"Whoa, I thought some ancient freak was traveling, but it turns out to be a young young master accompanied by two beauties."
"You can't really say that. Don't let his youth fool you—do you know how many years he's actually lived?"
"This fellow Daoist makes sense. Just looking at that young man's full-bodied Daoist rhyme and the faint immortal aura around his body, you can tell he's extraordinary."
"By my estimation, this senior should not be far from ascending to immortality."
"Ah? Surely not."
"How could it not? This old man may only be at Nascent Soul, but I possess divine pupils, and I can pierce the truth of even Void Integration Realm experts. Yet I can't read this person at all. Just ponder on that—even if he isn't an immortal, how far off could he be?"
Guliang Yuan heard all these discussions, smiled and shook his head, flicked his sleeve to put away the Double Dragon Jade Chariot, and strode into Youcheng with his three disciples.
In his heart, Guliang Yuan knew that the reason they couldn't see through his cultivation realm was simply because he had the system.
Still, this was for the best—it kept people guessing about his true strength.
As the master and his four disciples entered Youcheng, due to the striking looks of Guliang Yuan and Qianqu, wherever they went, a commotion was bound to follow.
Guliang Yuan didn't want to keep a low profile, but he didn't enjoy being overly conspicuous either.
With such a big stir already caused today, once Song Xian'er awakened her Glazed Immortal Physique and naturally radiated an immortal temperament, the three of them wouldn't even be able to step outside without being swarmed.
With no other choice, he had Qianqu put on a veil, and the four of them continued on their way.
Sure enough, after Qianqu put on her veil, although people still cast frequent sideways glances, it no longer caused a disturbance.
However, what Guliang Yuan failed to notice was that on a pavilion not far away, a red-robed youth standing by the window had taken in every single bit of this.