"Knock, knock, knock."
"Is Old Master Gu in? I'm here on behalf of Young Master Fang to take care of you," Xiao Nian announced, knocking on Gu Cheng's door.
Gu Cheng heard the voice outside and managed to sit up in bed.
"Come in, the door isn't locked."
Xiao Nian pushed open Gu Cheng's door and saw a gaunt old man sitting on the bed. Gu Cheng also looked at her.
"Thank goodness it's a person," Xiao Nian sighed in relief. In her eyes, Gu Cheng hadn't changed and still looked human.
But Gu Cheng's brows furrowed.
"Why do you have such strong resentment qi on you?" Gu Cheng asked with a solemn expression.
Xiao Nian was stunned. This person could actually sense her resentment qi?
"I... I..." Xiao Nian didn't know what to say. Should she tell this man that Fang Ming and the other two were monsters? He probably wouldn't believe her.
"Come here," Gu Cheng called out.
Xiao Nian felt a little flustered and instinctively walked over.
Gu Cheng grabbed her wrist to examine her. Xiao Nian instinctively wanted to dodge. After all, Gu Cheng was a man, how could he be so immodest?
But seeing that Gu Cheng's expression wasn't one of taking advantage, she suppressed her inner resistance.
Gu Cheng sensed the changes in Xiao Nian's resentment qi, and his expression grew more and more solemn.
This woman's resentment qi was deeply rooted. She would likely die within half a month! But...
Gu Cheng glanced at the sky outside. It was still a long time until nightfall.
"Have you felt unwell at night recently?" Gu Cheng asked.
"Unwell?" Xiao Nian thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, I feel the same as usual."
"Have there been any strange occurrences around you? For example, have things been destroyed for no reason?"
Xiao Nian still shook her head. Everything around her was normal.
Gu Cheng's brows were tightly furrowed as he released Xiao Nian's wrist.
"Strange. Given the extent of her resentment qi entering her body, she should have become a malevolent entity long ago, but nothing has happened to her. This is impossible. How can a human withstand such severe resentment qi entering their body?" Gu Cheng couldn't figure it out.
"Sir, do I have an illness?" Xiao Nian asked knowingly.
Gu Cheng suppressed his doubts and smiled. "It's nothing, your health is excellent."
He decided to observe Xiao Nian's situation further before drawing any conclusions. If Xiao Nian truly had a constitution that could resist resentment qi, it would be a blessing to the world!
"I'll go see if Xiao Er has bought the medicinal herbs yet. I'll brew some medicine for you," Xiao Nian said.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
As Xiao Nian left, Gu Cheng watched her retreating figure and fell into thought. A bold guess suddenly appeared in his mind.
Could this woman achieve longevity?
Longevity, what a tempting word. Even Gu Cheng was not immune. Especially now that he was old and knew he didn't have many years left, the idea of longevity couldn't help but arise.
...
Fang Ming's room.
Fang Ming and a handsome young man in ancient attire sat facing each other around a table. Two cups of hot tea steamed before them, the white vapor intertwining and colliding in the air.
With a dull thud, Fang Ming's teacup shattered, and hot tea spilled across the table.
Fang Ming was no match for the young man opposite him!
"May I ask why Young Master Liu is here today?" Fang Ming asked. From the moment they began to contend in resentment qi, he knew this Young Master Liu already knew him!
Young Master Liu did not answer Fang Ming's question directly. Instead, he stood up and smiled. "Are you the only one in this room? Where are the other two?"
"They went out to buy things," Fang Ming said, his expression solemn, ready to act at any moment.
"I'm not here to fight you today, so you don't need to be so cautious," Young Master Liu said with a smile.
"What do you want?" Fang Ming also stood up, his gaze fixed on Young Master Liu.
"I heard you also registered for the Yunxian Poetry Gathering, is that correct?"
Fang Ming looked at Young Master Liu in disbelief. Why were the principal's traces here too? Once was a coincidence, twice was a coincidence, but what about three times?
Baimu Village, the Eighteenth Floor, and now the ancient world. He found traces of the principal and his father in all of them!
Fang Ming sat down, silent. His thoughts were in disarray, and he felt as if he had unknowingly fallen into a large net, a net woven around the principal and his father, Fang Daolong.
Seeing this, Young Master Liu knew he had gotten the answer he wanted. He continued, "The principal and your objective should be the same, both looking for the Painter. But it's laughable that he actually mistook me for the Painter. I don't know why you all are looking for him, but he has been missing for countless years, and even we cannot find him, let alone you."
Fang Ming looked up and stared at Young Master Liu. "What did you say? You're not the Painter?"
Young Master Liu smiled and shook his head. "I don't have that much ability. You should understand the essence of this world. To construct such a nearly complete cycle of reincarnation is something neither you nor I can achieve."
Fang Ming's heart sank upon hearing this. The Painter had already disappeared? No, if the Painter were not in this world, this world would have collapsed long ago. Since this world was still intact, it meant the Painter was definitely still in this world!
"Why do you hold the Yunxian Poetry Gathering every year? It shouldn't benefit you, right?" Fang Ming narrowed his eyes and asked, his tone somewhat oppressive.
"Well..." Young Master Liu tapped the table with his fingertip. "Purely personal hobby, would you believe me?"
"Heh, I don't believe you," Fang Ming sneered. He now suspected Young Master Liu's intentions in coming all this way to tell him this. Was he trying to mislead him?
"In fact, it's not just you. I've also been looking for the Painter. I don't know your purpose in looking for him, but he is like a parent to me. I also want to find him," Young Master Liu said helplessly.
"The purpose of holding the Yunxian Poetry Gathering is to lure him out. He is passionate about painting, and I hope to attract him by organizing the Yunxian Poetry Gathering," Young Master Liu continued.
"If I hadn't been certain that you were an outsider, I would have suspected that the Painter was among you at first glance," Young Master Liu said before taking another sip of tea.
"So, what are you here for now?" Fang Ming asked, staring at him.
This Young Master Liu had been talking for so long without revealing his true objective.
"I came to tell you," Young Master Liu paused and glanced towards the door. "It's best not to get involved in the conflicts of this world. Your salvation is meaningless. After the Yunxian Poetry Gathering ends, it will return to the beginning. They can continue to reincarnate, but if the three of you die, you will truly be dead."
"Are you this kindhearted?" Fang Ming was suspicious. He still didn't believe Young Master Liu was genuinely so benevolent.
Upon hearing this, Young Master Liu's expression turned solemn. "As expected, I couldn't hide it from you. Another reason is—your involvement will disrupt the original cycle and damage the order that has existed since time immemorial. This world might suffer damage."
"The Liu family will absolutely not allow you to participate in this world's affairs so recklessly. Those old fossils might even come out to stop you."
Fang Ming fell into thought. The Painter watched him silently.
"Is there a possibility," Fang Ming suddenly said.
"What?"
"You have always been hesitant to break the original cycle. Could this be the reason the Painter has not appeared?"
Fang Ming's words were like a bolt from the blue. Young Master Liu was instantly stunned.
Yes, he had never considered whether the Painter would appear if the cycle was broken. He had always held the Yunxian Poetry Gathering at the pivotal point, constantly hoping the Painter would appear on his own, yet he had overlooked that he himself was trapped in the cycle!
After a long pause, Young Master Liu gave a wry smile, his eyes filled with helplessness.
"What's wrong?" Fang Ming asked, surprised. This always smiling fellow could actually show such an expression.
"The Liu family absolutely will not allow such a risk. They are already immersed in infinite reincarnation and longevity, even sealing off the entire world from the outside to enjoy their control from on high," Young Master Liu sighed. As a member of the Liu family, he naturally understood their actions.
"And you?" Fang Ming suddenly asked.
"Me?" Young Master Liu was stunned. "I... I..."
"Of course, I want to find the Painter." The words were filled with deep melancholy, longing, and helplessness.
Fang Ming smiled and extended his right hand. "Want to cause some chaos together?"
"Cause chaos?" Young Master Liu also laughed suddenly. He mimicked Fang Ming and extended his hand. Their hands clasped tightly, an understanding passing between them...
Half an hour later, Young Master Liu left Fang Ming's room and returned. Fang Ming sat on a stool, pondering the information Young Master Liu had just given him. One piece of information greatly concerned him.
The principal mistook Young Master Liu for the Painter, so after subduing him, he made an agreement that if anyone else entered this world in the future, he would replicate one of the young girls and give the painting to the principal.
If the principal was referring to the three of them, then this young girl should be Nannan. According to Young Master Liu, the Painter's replication of a malevolent entity would materialize into a copy with about 70% of the original's strength. What did the principal want a replica of Nannan for?
Fang Ming looked out the window, his mind a whirlwind. He would absolutely not allow anything to happen to Nannan, so he had to figure out the principal's plan!
Unknowingly, they had reached chapter one hundred. He felt a sense of reflection.