Gu Junshi fell silent for a moment.
"Karma" was troublesome, impossible to shake off once involved.
Was it because she had intervened, causing Gu Er to replace Tian Yi and become a flying zombie, that the "consequence" was now attributed to her?
She looked at Gu Er.
This face was no longer very similar to hers; it was another pair of phoenix eyes and thin lips, a taciturn, reticent countenance. Yet, because it held Gu Er's familiar, unguarded, lively expression, it appeared contradictory and strange.
He was repeating her words with a confused look, "Sheng, ji, da?"
What did that sentence even mean?
"Gu Er." She suddenly called out to him. wap.kanshu伍.net
Her tone, compared to her previous disdainful coldness, had a subtle softening.
Although to Gu Er, the difference was negligible.
Gu Er immediately responded with spirit, "Sister!"
Gu Junshi looked at him deeply and said, "You can stay by my side, but you must obey me."
Gu Er was overjoyed, but after pondering the scope of "obeying," he lacked confidence in his own temperament, so he whispered, "If there's just one time... what happens if I don't obey?"
Gu Junshi's expression was blank, and she said softly, "The brother's fault is not the sister's teaching. Zombies are slow to react to physical pain, so to help you remember your lesson, I can only whip your soul."
But to Gu Junshi's surprise, Gu Er paused, his expression neither angry nor fearful, but rather a kind of silly glee as he scratched his head, "I thought..."
Thought what?
Thought she would be angry and completely give up on him, driving him away.
In their village, when siblings quarreled, they would just argue or fight, and the next day they would be loving family members. But... but he was truly afraid she would abandon him.
Now that he had become this monstrous appearance, rejected by heaven and earth, he had nowhere to go. She was his only relative and his only concern. He asked for nothing more than a small place by her side.
Seeing him fall into thought after saying half a sentence, Gu Junshi didn't intend to explore the novelty of his thought process and immediately absorbed him into her Sea of Consciousness.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't a living person, just a moving corpse. He didn't need oxygen or food, so she could directly bring him into the space she had opened within her Sea of Consciousness.
"Stay inside and cultivate well. I'll summon you when the time is right to give you instructions."
Although the flying zombie had changed individuals, Gu Junshi had no intention of altering the original plot because of Gu Er. Therefore, Gu Er's mission as a cannon fodder still needed to continue.
After all, the plot of fiercely fighting the flying zombie was very important. In this battle, he would learn the "Slaying Karma Sword Art," laying a good foundation for subsequent battles.
Thus, Gu Er's sacrifice was inevitable.
Many villains had gathered around her, but they had all become contributors to her little husband's dominance.
However, since the script was in her hands, the extent of the sacrifice was naturally hers to decide.
With Gu Er's current half-baked flying zombie state, if he encountered her little husband wielding a celestial sword, he would probably be sent to his death. She had deliberately placed him near the "Gate of the Underworld" to cultivate. His cultivation would naturally advance by leaps and bounds, and with her presence, Gu Er only needed to help her little husband successfully complete the monster-slaying leveling-up task, and then he could retire with merit.
Gu Er, now within her Sea of Consciousness space, exclaimed upon arriving in an unfamiliar territory, "Sister, where is this?"
"My Sea of Consciousness space. Hurry up and cultivate."
Gu Junshi said lightly, then severed their connection. She returned alone to the "Heart-Questioning" suspension bridge. The malevolent spirits on the bridge, influenced by the blood energy, could no longer recover their former harmless state. They bared their teeth and claws, exuding an ominous aura, filled with ferocity. Even the air was polluted and turbid, and it was likely that this place would soon be permeated with deathly aura and poisonous miasma.
She had originally come to jump off the cliff, but these densely packed ghosts flailed about on the bridge, leaving her no space for peace, no matter where she jumped, she couldn't avoid them.
Thus, Gu Junshi, in her Nascent Soul stage, directly summoned a low-tier clone of the "Gate of the Underworld." The black and terrifying gate opened, and the deathly aura that flowed out transformed into black tentacles that rolled out, entangling these malevolent spirits and pulling them, one by one, into the gate with a whoosh, swallowing them whole.
In a short while, the drifting ghosts were cleared.
Once they had washed away the blood karma from their bodies within the Gate of the Underworld, they could enter the underworld to reincarnate.
At this moment, Buddhist music resounded from the sky, accompanied by auspicious energy, and the dark, misty sky above the barrier seemed to be torn apart by a power between heaven and earth.
A golden auspicious cloud of merit flew over. A golden cloud of merit, dragging a plump body, wobbled and landed squarely above Gu Junshi's head. Then, with a soft puff, it sprinkled merit points upon her.
Gu Junshi, instantly transformed into a golden, glowing figure: "..."
She had forgotten about this.
—
Lai Shan Jian
"Fu Sheng Master..."
A child's clear voice called out to him with worry.
Liu Jiang Fu Sheng's eyelashes quivered violently for a moment, and he snapped his eyes open.
He was floating on a lake, supported by the spiritual energy of a celestial sword. The lake was clear and emerald green, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.
He looked around dazedly. The sky was an boundless azure blue, clearly daylight. A gentle breeze blew, creating ripples on the lake. It was as if he had suddenly been cast into a mysterious alternate dimension. He, who had fallen from the bridge into a bottomless abyss... had not died?
"Master, why aren't you speaking?"
The celestial sword was puzzled why he remained in a daze, having woken up.
"You can speak?" Liu Jiang Fu Sheng finally heard the voice that had been calling him in his consciousness; it was the celestial sword.
In the past, it could only communicate by conveying intentions. Now, it could speak like a human.
The celestial sword's voice now resembled that of a seven or eight-year-old child. It said joyfully, "Yes, Fu Sheng Master, the celestial sword can now speak directly to you."
Liu Jiang Fu Sheng: "Where is this?"
"...The celestial sword doesn't know. I sensed Fu Sheng Master was in danger and rushed out, but as soon as I emerged, I arrived here."
From its birth until now, the poor celestial sword had never had a proper name given to it; it had always been respectfully called "Celestial Sword, Celestial Sword," and it truly believed its name was "Celestial Sword."
This space did not restrict spiritual energy. He stood floating and looked around. On the stone wall ahead, shrouded in mist, the words "Lai Shan" were faintly inscribed.
"Oh right, Fu Sheng Master, a woman fell down with you."
Liu Jiang Fu Sheng's spine jolted, "Who?"
"The celestial sword doesn't recognize her. She's floating in the lake."
He lowered his gaze and saw a person floating on the lake not far away. Due to the long, messy hair covering her face, her features were hidden. However, the elaborate maiden's attire, clearly waterlogged and bulging, indicated she was not the person he expected.
The warmth in his eyes suddenly cooled.
He had not intended to pay attention, but then he suddenly thought of something and said to the celestial sword, "Take her and go."