Fellow Daoist, Do You Have Any Spirit Stones?

Translator: AnubisTL

At the entrance of Emerald Peak Estate, Gu Feng was adjusting his clothes, occasionally asking Shi San and the others how they looked. Receiving affirmative answers, his grin stretched to his back molars, his eyebrows radiating pure joy.

Hua Wenyue, standing nearby, tilted her head and gazed at the sky, her expression one of utter disdain.

Normally, seeing Gu Feng in this state wouldn't bother her so much, but today her heart was restless, and she felt a strong urge to beat him senseless.

Buzz—

Just as everyone wondered why the messenger hadn't returned for so long, a mysterious sound echoed through the air, accompanied by an eerie aura.

Gu Feng froze, his eyes darting upward. He saw Spiritual Radiance flowing like water in the sky, swirling rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it formed a complex pattern. He turned to Monk Wu De, his gaze questioning.

"Patron Gu," Monk Wu De said, "Patron Yan and the others must have misunderstood me as their prisoner. They're trying to suppress us with an Array Formation!"

Having encountered this formation before, Monk Wu De immediately understood its purpose.

"Monk and Patron Yan were only assisting in protecting the Third Prince. We need tokens for normal entry and exit. Unfortunately, my token was stolen last night," Monk Wu De said, his gaze subtly drifting towards Gu Feng. Seeing the latter remain indifferent, he twitched his lips slightly.

"I'll go call for the gate to open."

"Wait!" Gu Feng grabbed Monk Wu De's arm, a peculiar curve forming on his lips. "How strong is this Array Formation?"

"Uh—," Monk Wu De was puzzled but still answered truthfully, "This Array Formation is called the Minor Yin-Yang Reversal Formation. Prefect Chu of the Chu Manor gave it to us before Monk and Patron Yan left for Great Wei.

Its power is decent. It can kill all cultivators below the Soul Core Realm—of course, that doesn't include Patron Gu!"

"Mm!" Gu Feng nodded slightly, a narrow smile spreading across his face. He nudged Hua Wenyue's arm. "How about it? Want to test your current combat strength?"

"No interest!" Hua Wenyue brushed his arm away irritably. Catching Gu Feng's eager expression out of the corner of her eye, her anger flared.

"If you want to play games with your little lover, don't drag me into it. My combat strength is for killing enemies and beating up villains, not for flirting."

As soon as these words left her mouth, Gu Feng shook his head awkwardly, his enthusiasm waning. "Never mind then!"

"Go knock on the gate."

Just then, the Array Formation overhead had fully formed, and an inexplicable pressure suddenly descended.

Through the Array Formation, Gu Feng saw Yan Yexue, the one presiding over it, her lips curving into a familiar smirk.

Dressed in a black gown, she exuded a cold, aloof aura, completely devoid of any sinister energy. Instead, she gave off the impression of someone detached from the world, utterly independent.

Hua Wenyue narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. Gazing at the figure that had brought such joy to Gu Feng, her competitive spirit flared. She stopped Monk Wu De just as he was about to shout.

"Wait!"

"Patron Hua, what is your guidance?" Monk Wu De nearly choked on his own breath.

"After five years adrift at sea, I'm curious to see how far the Heaven's Chosen of the Great Chu Dynasty have progressed!" Hua Wenyue's lips curled slightly as she met Gu Feng's surprised gaze. Her tone shifted. "Cultivation shouldn't be done in isolation. Exchanging insights and patching up weaknesses through mutual verification is not necessarily a bad thing."

Gu Feng didn't overthink it. He told Monk Wu De to stand aside and briefly explained the method for breaking the Array Formation to Hua Wenyue and her companions before flashing into the formation himself.

The cultivation method Zhu Qingyan had taught him was all-encompassing, covering everything from pills and weapons to talismans and Array Formations.

On the way back, Gu Feng often spent his time digesting and absorbing what he had learned. While he wouldn't claim mastery, he was confident he could break this Array Formation without much trouble.

Inside the Array Formation, space itself seemed to shift. Moments ago, it had been serene; now, it was filled with murderous intent.

Tangible killing intent, like a torrential downpour, filled the air, sending shivers down their spines.

"Be careful," Gu Feng warned, his gaze fixed on the Array Formation. "Each strand of killing intent here is enough to kill any Sea Condensation Realm cultivator at the fifth level!"

"Everyone, take your designated positions. I'll take the lead in the attack!"

After another brief instruction to the three, Gu Feng let out a low shout. A surge of Spiritual Power erupted from his body, his aura steadily rising.

Before he could fully adjust his stance, Hua Wenyue, with a nine-colored lotus above her head and cascading ribbons of light, stole the show. She seized the main attack position and unleashed a ferocious assault on the Array Formation.

"She said she was just playing around, but she's even more excited than I am," Gu Feng muttered, then retreated to the supporting role, taking Hua Wenyue's original position.

Boom!

He had barely settled into his designated spot when a deafening explosion shook the ground.

Spiritual Radiance erupted in all directions, and a figure wreathed in nine-colored light, wielding a long sword, unleashed a world-shattering strike.

The entire Array Formation was shaking violently, and the killing intent within it had become frenzied.

Gu Feng was stunned. Did this girl eat gunpowder? She's throwing out her ultimate move right away?

Hua Wenyue's body moved at lightning speed, each sword strike more powerful than the last, cleaving through the sky-filling killing intent.

She cried out, unleashing a torrent of heaven-defying Cultivation Methods and techniques that even Gu Feng had never seen before, like a raging storm.

It felt as though this wasn't a sparring match, but a battle against a mortal enemy.

Her figure flickered erratically, from east to west, south to north, leaving shadows everywhere. Sometimes she struck with her palm, sometimes with a hand seal, sometimes...

"You're using too much force," Gu Feng finally said, unable to hold back any longer. "You've disrupted the harmony of our four-person formation, which is actually counterproductive!" After watching Hua Wenyue run around like a cornered beast, sometimes even coming right up to him, he couldn't help but comment.

"Hmph! This mere Array Formation is nothing. I can break it myself. You just stand aside and watch the show!"

Hua Wenyue tossed her head stubbornly, occasionally slashing out with her sword at an angle, shattering large swathes of killing intent.

Gu Feng shrugged helplessly, doing his best to assist from the sidelines.

Sigh... women's moods are truly unpredictable. She just suddenly went berserk.

Yan Yexue, who was presiding over the Array Formation, stared intently at the nine-colored Immortal Lotus shimmering within the formation and the blurry figure nearby. Her expression grew grave.

In that instant, she felt the figure seemed familiar, yet she couldn't place them as Hua Wenyue. After all, the two had barely interacted five years ago, and five years had passed, altering their appearances. Moreover, Hua Wenyue now wore long, flowing hair.

"Heaven and earth reversed, yin and yang inverted!"

Yan Yexue parted her vermilion lips and executed a series of hand seals, further reinforcing the Array Formation.

Among the Third Prince's guards were two Soul Core Realm cultivators, but they couldn't be deployed. If they fell for a diversion tactic, it would be disastrous.

Whoosh—

The reinforced Array Formation doubled its killing intent. Beads of sweat formed on Hua Wenyue's forehead, and her mood grew increasingly agitated.

In a moment of carelessness, she was struck by a sword beam, sending her flying backward.

"Let me handle this!" Gu Feng stepped forward, catching her securely. Looking at her frustrated expression, he offered a comforting word: "You've done well. The Array Formation's current strength is still a bit too much for you to handle!"

"Hmph!"

Hua Wenyue tossed her head haughtily, stomped back, and left the battlefield to Gu Feng.

Roar—

With a single punch, a dragon's roar erupted, shattering a vast expanse of killing intent.

As soon as Gu Feng made his move, he carved a path through the Array Formation, gliding forward to the critical breaking point. There, he unleashed a palm strike infused with eighty percent of his power.

The swirling, murderous aura that filled the sky seemed to freeze for an instant, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Crack—

A faint sound, like an eggshell cracking, echoed through the air. The Array Formation began to tremble violently, but soon returned to stillness.

Outside the formation, Yan Yexue sensed its collapse. Her heart skipped a beat as she moved at lightning speed, trying to break free from the domineering Spiritual Power that held her captive.

However, the gap in their strength was too vast. It was as if her opponent possessed precognitive abilities, having anticipated her every move and positioned himself precisely where she would appear.

Feeling an intense heat on her arm, Yan Yexue was terrified. Without a second thought, she unleashed a cloud of black mist.

Cough, cough, cough—

Gu Feng was choked by the mist, his eyes stinging. With a forceful tug, he pulled Yan Yexue to his side and swept her into his arms.

"You really went all out, didn't you?"

The familiar voice echoed in her ears. Yan Yexue's body stiffened as she turned her head mechanically. In a single glance, she recognized Gu Feng.

"Surprised? Unexpected? Have you been losing sleep thinking about me?"

The familiar smile, the familiar mannerisms—Yan Yexue's eyes flickered as she gazed at the man holding her, allowing him to cradle her in his arms.

"Enough! This is disgusting!" Hua Wenyue, her face drawn into a long frown, emerged from the Array Formation. Seeing their intimate pose, she couldn't help but scold them.

"You... are so boring!"

Yan Yexue's cheeks flushed crimson as she pulled her arm free from Gu Feng's grasp and landed back on the ground.

"To celebrate our reunion, let's kiss!" Gu Feng pouted, leaning in toward Yan Yexue. Her face burned, and she pushed him away with a cold shove.

Gu Feng kept thrusting his head forward, muttering embarrassing phrases like "Come on, just one kiss." Yan Yexue, utterly flustered, pushed his face away with both hands, backing away repeatedly.

The guards of Emerald Peak Estate tilted their heads, dumbfounded. They had never seen Yan Yexue wear such an expression.

However, they understood that these three were friends, and clearly, their relationship was more than ordinary.

In a distant pavilion, the Third Prince, who had been watching the scene unfold, twitched his lips and muttered to himself, "Do women these days actually like this kind of man?"

Realizing he was asking himself, the guard beside him wore a strange expression. "Perhaps it's just an isolated case!"

"But I could never be so shameless!!!!" the Third Prince wailed.

"Do you think I'd succeed if I tried to change like this?"

"There's no need, Third Prince. With your noble status, what woman could you not have? Why bother trying to steal someone else's?"

"Get lost—! Do you think I'm that low?!"

"Give the order. Prepare a banquet!"

"Third Prince, it's been too long! Come, let's drink a few more cups!"

Gu Feng raised his glass repeatedly with a smile. The Third Prince, already not a heavy drinker due to his health, quickly flushed red and his eyes glazed over after a relentless barrage of toasts.

"Shi San, what are you waiting for? Drink a few more cups with the Third Prince."

"Third Prince, please!" Shi San said expressionlessly, raising his glass and downing it in one gulp.

"Brother Gu, this... this..." The Third Prince looked distressed, trying to refuse, but Gu Feng's words made him grit his teeth and drink.

"Third Prince, surely your tolerance is more than this, isn't it? You drank quite a bit last night in the pavilion on the lake!" Gu Feng said meaningfully.

Ah, so now the Third Prince finally understood why Gu Feng was so desperately trying to get him drunk.

It was all because of that night's drunken impulse.

He glanced helplessly at Yan Yexue across the table, his face bitter. "Fine, today we drink until we're drunk! Brother Gu, bring it on—I, Chu Xiu, will drink every last drop!"

Seven people sat at the table, the atmosphere eerily tense.

Long Xun'er remained silent, her head buried in her bowl. Shi San joined Gu Feng in relentlessly toasting the Third Prince, who, unable to keep up, summoned several guards to help him.

Monk Wu De's beady eyes darted back and forth, a narrow smile occasionally flickering across his face.

On the other side, Hua Wenyue and Yan Yexue locked gazes for a long moment before simultaneously raising their wine cups.

"Hua Wenyue, I'm truly sorry about today. I didn't know you were in the Array Formation. Did you get hurt?" Yan Yexue asked with a faint smile.

"Hmph, a mere Array Formation? Nothing to worry about. If someone hadn't begged me not to use my full strength, claiming you were weak, I could have broken out in mere breaths!" Hua Wenyue retorted, her head held high, her eyes tilted upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, refusing to be outdone.

"Is that so? I recognized you long ago. Otherwise, if the entire Array Formation had collapsed, your injuries would have been far more severe than they are now." Yan Yexue, who had always kept a low profile, spoke with uncharacteristic sharpness, each word hitting its mark.

"Hmph, injured? It was only because I didn't want to kill anyone. Once my Secret Techniques' killing move is unleashed, there's no escape—only death!" Hua Wenyue sneered.

"If you're not hurt, then let's drink to that?"

"Drink!"

Gulp, gulp, gulp. The two women were equally unrestrained. After their brief verbal sparring, they fell silent and began drinking with gusto.

One cup after another, without even pausing for breath.

Later, they had a large bowl brought out, each bowl containing an entire jug of wine.

Gu Feng tilted his head, his expression one of utter bewilderment.

In his memory, Yan Yexue was not a heavy drinker. During the five years he had spent with Hua Wenyue, she had only drunk wine a handful of times, and even then, she had merely taken a few sips, clearly unable to hold her liquor.

Yet now, both women seemed to be fueled by some strange energy, drinking with reckless abandon.

Their cheeks were flushed, their eyes bloodshot, yet their gazes remained as sharp as ever.

The Third Prince slumped over the table, his hazy eyes filled with envy. His slurred speech repeated the same phrase over and over: "Ah—, some people are just born lucky, while others are doomed to suffer!"

The group drank for several hours straight. Eventually, everyone else left, leaving only Gu Feng, Hua Wenyue, and Yan Yexue.

Gu Feng desperately wanted to leave, but he couldn't. He didn't dare ask, so he could only sit there, frozen in place.

Watching the two women, their minds clouded with alcohol, their eyes half-closed, swaying in their seats, sipping water one cup at a time, Gu Feng's heart was in turmoil.

Drinking water to this extent was simply absurd.

It wasn't until late into the night that the two women finally quieted down, collapsing onto the table and drifting into slumber.

"Sigh—if you can't drink, don't drink. What a mess!" Gu Feng sighed, scooping up one woman in each arm and carrying them out of the room.

"Young Master Gu, the Third Prince has already arranged rooms for you. Please follow me!"

As soon as he stepped out, a guard approached him.

After navigating several corridors, they arrived at the rooms the Third Prince had prepared. Gu Feng was stunned.

The bed was enormous, easily accommodating five or six people without feeling cramped.

"Young Master Gu, the Third Prince had this specially made on the spot!" The guard kept his head bowed, but Gu Feng still caught a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"Mm. Please thank the Third Prince for me."

Gu Feng's face darkened. The Third Prince wasn't as innocent as he seemed. What did he think Gu Feng was?

Closing the door, he laid the two women on the bed. His gaze swept the room, and it seemed this was the only place to rest.

"Walking out like this would be a laughingstock, and it's not safe either!" Gu Feng stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Heh, is this what they call 'sharing the same bed'?"

Gu Feng chuckled, lying down between the two women. Fearing they might catch a chill, he wrapped an arm around each of them and drifted off to sleep with a smile.

Haa—

Gu Feng woke up to the blinding sunlight, having slept more soundly than he had in ages.

He reached out, finding the space beside him empty. His sleepy eyes scanned the room, realizing that the two women had left at some point.

Creak. He pushed open the door and nearly collided with a guard.

"Young Master Gu, you're finally awake!" The guard looked extremely anxious.

"Is something urgent?" Gu Feng asked, startled and confused.

"Miss Yan and Miss Hua have been fighting for two hours. We didn't dare intervene. The Third Prince said..."

At these words, Gu Feng's body stiffened. He rubbed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings.

The buildings were riddled with holes, ancient trees charred black, and terrifying cracks snaked across the ground. Floorboards lay scattered about, and the faint rumble of explosions echoed in the distance...

Yesterday, the Emerald Peak Estate had been a vibrant tapestry of flowers and brocade. Today, it was nearly a wasteland. Even the Third Prince's pavilion was teetering precariously. If not for two Soul Core Realm experts holding it up, it would have collapsed long ago.

His eyelids twitched, his heart racing. Gu Feng felt that the situation had spiraled beyond his control. He slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Bang!

"Young Master Gu, what are you doing!" The guard at the door stared blankly.

"I'm still half-asleep, sleepwalking!"

(End of the Chapter)

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