Chapter 744

Gu Gu Hanyuan answered with great composure.

Long Long Xiaoyun clearly had not expected such a bland response from Gu Gu Hanyuan.

It was so bland that it even made her feel a bit sad.

Long Long Xiaoyun asked with a dejected expression:

"Then, Master, have you... have you never considered Long Xiaoyun's feelings?"

Perhaps this was what she truly cared about.

She had spoken the words subconsciously.

Gu Gu Hanyuan chuckled with a meaningful look:

"Long Xiaoyun, do you think your father, Long Long Xiaoyun, is a good husband and a good father?"

"This..."

Long Long Xiaoyun hesitated.

A good father was certainly out of the question.

After all, because she was not a boy, Long Long Xiaoyun had often expressed his disdain, both directly and indirectly.

It had burdened her with much pressure and forced her to disguise herself as a boy in public.

A good husband was also a question mark.

Leaving other matters aside,

Long Long Xiaoyun had not returned to the inner courtyard to see Lin Lin Shiyin for several days.

Long Long Xiaoyun had not understood before, but now she did.

Long Long Xiaoyun had perhaps long anticipated what might happen between Gu Gu Hanyuan and Lin Lin Shiyin.

It was just that he had chosen to condone it.

One could interpret it as Long Long Xiaoyun fearing Gu Gu Hanyuan's power.

One could also interpret it as him having ulterior motives.

But regardless, Long Long Xiaoyun could not be called a good husband.

Long Long Xiaoyun suddenly felt that she was somewhat ridiculous.

Perhaps from beginning to end, she was the only one who cared about this crumbling family.

Seeing signs that Long Long Xiaoyun was getting trapped in a dead end,

Gu Gu Hanyuan’s gaze flickered, and he said gently:

"You have seen your mother’s usual resentful and sorrowful appearance. Think back—hasn't your mother’s mental state been much better during this time?"

Long Long Xiaoyun was stunned upon hearing this.

After a brief recollection, it was indeed so.

In fact, Lin Lin Shiyin had simply had her attention diverted by Gu Gu Hanyuan.

She had no time to dwell on the things that used to make her sad.

Resentment and sorrow had turned into conflict and shame.

It was just that because the mother and daughter had no time alone,

Lin Lin Shiyin had subconsciously hidden her emotions.

"That is indeed true, but..."

Long Long Xiaoyun’s hesitant words were interrupted by Gu Gu Hanyuan.

"Excessive grief shortens one's life. You wouldn't want your mother to pass away early, would you?"

Long Long Xiaoyun clearly hadn't reacted in time.

But if it truly concerned Lin Lin Shiyin’s life, she certainly would not want that.

Long Long Xiaoyun, feeling somewhat swayed, asked hesitantly:

"Is there really no other way?"

Gu Gu Hanyuan said indifferently:

"There is. Li Li Xunhuan."

"Impossible! Li Li Xunhuan is absolutely out of the question!"

Anger appeared on Long Long Xiaoyun’s face.

If it were Gu Gu Hanyuan, she could barely persuade herself to accept it.

If it were replaced by Li Li Xunhuan, she would likely go mad.

She even couldn't help but harbor thoughts of killing Li Li Xunhuan.

Seeing this, Gu Gu Hanyuan smiled with satisfaction.

He said in a low, lingering tone:

"So, Long Xiaoyun, look at it from another angle—am I not saving your mother?"

Long Long Xiaoyun was startled by this.

Gu Gu Hanyuan’s sophistry left her momentarily unable to refute him.

She just subconsciously felt that something was not quite right.

She shook her head, casting aside the questions she couldn't understand, and suddenly asked:

"It wasn't Mother who seduced you, Master?"

Perhaps this was what she cared about more.

Gu Gu Hanyuan laughed in spite of himself:

"Silly girl, is your mother that kind of person? It is because I like your mother."

Long Long Xiaoyun bit her thin lips tightly and said unwillingly:

"Why must it be Mother? Can't it be me?"

Gu Gu Hanyuan sighed deeply and said solemnly and earnestly:

"I like you too, Long Xiaoyun, but you are still too young."

In truth, if not for that, he would have already arranged the mother and daughter together.

Now, to avoid any deviations, Gu Gu Hanyuan even had to change his plan.

Long Long Xiaoyun’s eyes lit up; her previous guess had been confirmed.

"So Master chose Mother only because I am too young."

Thinking this, Long Long Xiaoyun said with deep affection:

"I like you too, Master, so will you wait for me to grow up?"

At this moment, Long Long Xiaoyun truly looked as if she had grown up.

Her small face held the charm that only an adult woman would possess.

Gu Gu Hanyuan stroked her small face and said gently:

"Very well. I will wait for the day you grow up."

A flash of playfulness and allure suddenly crossed Long Long Xiaoyun’s beautiful eyes.

She pulled away from Gu Gu Hanyuan’s embrace and knelt down with extreme charm:

"Although I am still young, I can do for you, Master, the same things that Mother does."

Long Long Xiaoyun forcibly suppressed the urge to cough.

Sniffing the heart-palpitating scent, she suddenly felt a trace of respect for her mother, Lin Lin Shiyin, in her heart.

That kind of spirit of service was indeed a bit too much for the current Long Long Xiaoyun.

Gu Gu Hanyuan gently stroked Long Long Xiaoyun’s beautiful hair and said in a gentle voice:

"Don't force yourself."

A faint, deep light flickered in his eyes.

Not stopping Long Long Xiaoyun was also a form of insurance.

Only by taking their relationship a step further would it be beneficial for his subsequent plans.

It was a pity that he couldn't "consume" Long Long Xiaoyun right now.

He could only settle for the next best thing.

Long Long Xiaoyun had already recovered by this time.

She said with a charming smile:

"I'm not forcing it. If Mother can do it, I can definitely do it too."

She still held a competitive spirit toward Lin Lin Shiyin.

Although she had self-servingly treated Lin Lin Shiyin as her current substitute to accompany Gu Gu Hanyuan.

She certainly didn't want Gu Gu Hanyuan to promote the substitute Lin Lin Shiyin to the primary position and forget about her when she grew up.

Therefore, maintaining a certain offensive was still very necessary.

Gu Gu Hanyuan saw through Long Long Xiaoyun’s little thoughts.

He had no intention of correcting her; self-deception is sometimes a form of faith.

Gu Gu Hanyuan smiled slightly, acknowledging her efforts.

He said solemnly:

"I already know Long Xiaoyun’s determination. Since your Foundation Establishment is just about complete, I should teach you our sect’s internal cultivation method."

Long Long Xiaoyun’s face lit up with joy upon hearing this.

However, a strange thought flashed through her mind.

Recalling Gu Gu Hanyuan’s pleasant and comfortable expression from before.

While experiencing the same sense of accomplishment as Lin Lin Shiyin, she couldn't help but have an outrageous thought.

"Could it be that Master only agreed to teach me internal cultivation because he felt comfortable?"

Such a strange thought was inevitably exposed in her eyes.

Seeing this, Gu Gu Hanyuan reached out and tapped her smooth forehead.

He said with feigned annoyance:

"What are you thinking about?"

Long Long Xiaoyun stuck out her little tongue in embarrassment and couldn't help but smack her lips.

Her little face turned red instantly.

Regaining her composure, Long Long Xiaoyun asked with a face full of curiosity:

"It’s nothing. What internal cultivation method is Master going to teach me? Is it from the Wu Dangpai?"

She had some understanding of Gu Gu Hanyuan.

Even if she didn't understand him before, she would have inquired more about Gu Gu Hanyuan’s news after becoming his disciple.

Those romantic and sentimental stories made her feel nauseated.

Now, she even regarded the women in those intelligence reports as romantic rivals.

Although rumors said Gu Gu Hanyuan only achieved his current success after obtaining an immortal opportunity in immortal ruins.

But it was well known that Gu Gu Hanyuan came from the Wu Dangpai.

Therefore, Long Long Xiaoyun subconsciously assumed that what Gu Gu Hanyuan wanted to teach her might be the Wu Dangpai’s internal cultivation method.

Of course, she wanted an immortal opportunity too, but she didn't dare to hope for too much.

However, Gu Gu Hanyuan smiled and said in a gentle voice:

"Silly girl, you are my personal disciple, so naturally, you should learn the same internal cultivation method as me."

Upon hearing this, Long Long Xiaoyun’s eyes turned red instantly for some reason.

She stared at Gu Gu Hanyuan with eyes full of admiration, longing, and love.

In truth, she had always been afraid that Gu Gu Hanyuan would gradually forget her after having Lin Lin Shiyin.

The talk of a "substitute" was just her comforting herself.

In a sense, "resembling the beloved" is not a good term.

After all, no one can tell who resembles whom, or who will replace whom.

Moreover, in the eyes of Long Long Xiaoyun, who had recovered her identity as a girl, her own mother was the object she admired most.

It was precisely because of this that the blow was so great after discovering the affair between Gu Gu Hanyuan and Lin Lin Shiyin.

Upon hearing this, Long Long Xiaoyun’s heart settled down instantly, and a sweet, charming smile bloomed on her little face.

She said coquettishly:

"Master, what kind of internal cultivation method is it?"

Gu Gu Hanyuan smiled and said:

"The technique is called the 'Ten Thousand Phenomena Yin-Yang Art,' a unique technique in this world. As for its effects, you will understand once you start cultivating it."

Naturally, Gu Gu Hanyuan gave Long Long Xiaoyun the complete "Ten Thousand Phenomena Yin-Yang Art."

Moreover, the early-stage cultivation of the "human cauldron" had already been prepared in advance.

The times he gave her punishment and treatment before were not just to check her growth.

He had also used spiritual energy to reshape her body.

Therefore, when Long Long Xiaoyun learned the "Ten Thousand Phenomena Yin-Yang Art" and cultivated it for one cycle.

She said in astonishment:

"Is this already the Innate Realm?"

It was no wonder she found it hard to believe; after all, this Innate Realm had come too easily.

Long Long Xiaoyun had inexplicably become the youngest Innate expert in the entire world.

This was practically mocking how third-rate those so-called divine arts in the Wu Lin were.

The internal cultivation method she had practiced before didn't even qualify for comparison.

Although Long Long Xiaoyun did not have the foundation of dispersing her cultivation and starting over like Wu Wu Xingyun.

But with a good Foundation Establishment, a top-tier divine art, supreme talent, and the spiritual energy left behind when Gu Gu Hanyuan reshaped her body.

It was normal to reach the Innate Realm in one step.

Of course, the progress of her future cultivation would not be this fast.

Gu Gu Hanyuan laughed:

"My personal disciple will not be weak; the Innate Realm is just a beginning."

"Long Xiaoyun will work hard to catch up to Master... and Senior Sister."

Long Long Xiaoyun said solemnly.

When she first heard from Gu Gu Hanyuan that her Senior Sister Wu Wu Xingyun was an Earthly Immortal, she only had a sense of looking up to a high mountain.

Now, although the gap was still far, she could already see the path ahead.

Gu Gu Hanyuan smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this.

There is no need to elaborate on how important spirit is to a cultivator.

This forward-moving mindset is one of the important qualities of becoming a strong person.

However, Gu Gu Hanyuan’s expectations for Long Long Xiaoyun were more than just this.

After all, the time left for her to grow was not abundant.

Gu Gu Hanyuan’s eyes grew deeper.

Meanwhile, Long Long Xiaoyun was still immersed in the joy of her greatly improved cultivation.

Her gaze toward Gu Gu Hanyuan became even more affectionate.

Turning her beautiful eyes, she smiled charmingly:

"Master, thank you for teaching me the divine art."

She wanted to see Gu Gu Hanyuan’s comfortable and pleasant expression once more.

If one’s proficiency is insufficient, one must practice more.

At the same time.

Embroidered Jade Valley, Flower-Moving Palace.

The climate here is pleasant, like spring all year round.

Mountains, rivers, and lakes are scattered throughout the valley, and flowers bloom in all four seasons, like an immortal fairyland outside the world.

In a garden of colorful flowers.

A slender and exquisite figure was closing her eyes and cultivating.

Her gorgeous palace dress gave her an ethereal temperament, a peerless elegance.

Her face, beautiful as a celestial being, was cold and flawless.

If one ignored her cold temperament, anyone would be attracted by her beauty at first sight.

— Author's Notes —

PS: Chapters 709 and 710 have been released. It’s truly a pain in the neck to have them blocked two chapters at a time.