Chapter 125: This is the first wife the patriarch found for you~

Whoosh!!!

A dark red ripple silently erupted from Gu Qingwan as the epicenter!

Wherever the ripple passed, mountain rocks froze with red frost, vegetation withered and snapped, the mountain stream's wind sound was instantly swallowed, and heaven and earth fell into utter silence!

The "Deity of Beauty" let out a short, muffled grunt filled with pain and shock-rage.

The last remnants of glaze-like radiance on her body completely extinguished, the divine light in her starry eyes rapidly dimmed, as if all her power had been drained.

On her flawless porcelain skin, fine, ice-crack-like fissures actually began to appear, as if the porcelain couldn't withstand internal pressure!

Absolute suppression!

Unquestionable domination!

The mountain wind seemed to have stopped.

And that snow-white jade hand at the "Deity of Beauty's" neck, tightening more and more, as if about to crush it completely the next second.

"Whoa, holy shit!!!"

Lu Yuan, having snapped back to reality, let out a strange cry.

Whether Gu Qingwan's move had scared the "Deity of Beauty" silly, Lu Yuan didn't know.

But it sure as hell scared the crap out of Lu Yuan right now.

Having regained his senses, Lu Yuan said with a panicked expression:

"No, no, no, Qingwan!! Don't kill her!!"

"Let go quickly!"

!!!

She absolutely cannot be killed!!

The Patriarch told me to keep her alive!!

Forget about any guidance or whatever for now.

Just the fact that this "Deity of Beauty" must know some things about the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family, right?

We need to question her properly!

We absolutely cannot kill her!

Honestly, this "Deity of Beauty" is also a damn idiot!!

Is she crazy?!!

This is Zhenlong Temple!!

Even without Gu Qingwan, there are still the Three Pure Ones statues and the Patriarch here!!

Who the hell has ever heard of someone chasing a Taoist priest, daring to chase them into their own temple and act tough?!!

This is purely asking for a beating!!

Hearing Lu Yuan's command to stop, Gu Qingwan's beautiful eyes shifted slightly, glancing at Lu Yuan.

A faint, almost imperceptible ripple seemed to pass through them, then her fingers loosened.

"Ugh—cough!"

Like a drowning person gasping for air, the "Deity of Beauty" let out a broken, choking sound.

The remaining power around her surged wildly, transforming into a dim glaze-like stream of light.

She wretchedly broke free from the terrifying jade hand's grip, darting backward like a startled bird.

Only after hovering in mid-air, putting dozens of yards between herself and Gu Qingwan, did she dare to stop.

Where was even half of the elegant composure and teasing cunning she had shown when toying with Lu Yuan earlier?

Suspended under the bleak moonlight, the "Deity of Beauty" resembled a shattered, ruined masterpiece of porcelain, just pulled back from the brink of destruction.

On her neck, where Gu Qingwan's five fingers had gripped, five clear, deeply sunken dark red fingerprints remained!

The porcelain skin around the fingerprint edges had completely lost its warm luster, taking on a dead, ashen-gray color,

and was covered with dense, spiderweb-like black cracks.

And these cracks were spreading upward along her neck, past her jaw, even extending to her right cheek.

The originally flawless, star-and-moonlight-radiant skin on her face was now dull and lifeless.

Near the base of her right ear, a crack about an inch long was clearly visible.

Deep within the crack, a faint dark red glow, like dried blood, seeped out.

It clashed starkly with the originally clear, cold glaze-like radiance surrounding her.

Her entire aura was also extremely depleted.

The moonlight-like halo around her was so thin it was almost invisible, like a candle in the wind.

In her starry eyes, the starlight was scattered, dim, filled with shaken fear and deep pain.

And a trace of unbelievable humiliation.

After all, she was the "Perfect Deity"!!!

Yet... yet with just one encounter, she was treated like this by Gu Qingwan...

The simple porcelain-patterned dress on the "Deity of Beauty" also seemed to have lost its "spirituality," becoming stiff and lifeless.

Even the edges showed a few subtle, seemingly eroded defects, as if by an invisible force.

She hovered in the air, one hand tightly clutching the wound on her neck, fingers trembling, as if wanting to touch it but not daring to press hard,

the other hand lightly pressed against the crack on her cheek, her breathing rapid and unsteady.

Each inhalation caused the cracks on her neck and cheek to slightly part, as if enduring continuous, soul-deep agony.

She stared fixedly at Gu Qingwan below, whose blood mist was gradually dissipating and expression had returned to placid, her gaze extremely complex,

shock, fear, dread, disbelief...

And Lu Yuan below, watching this scene, was even more dumbfounded.

No way...

This... this super-level threat exceeding twenty stars, this "Perfect Deity" tempered by the Patriarch's thunder and fire...

After being choked by Gu Qingwan once...

Ended up like this??

Almost completely shattered!!

No... no, is she going to die??

The mountain wind blew, sweeping up withered leaves, brushing past the "Deity of Beauty's" broken body, actually emitting a mournful sound,

as if mourning for this "Deity" who had just suffered severe damage.

However, she was, after all, a "deity."

A peculiar existence named "Beauty," transformed from the foundation of an "object" and a "Malevolent Deity," tempered by the Patriarch's thunder and fire.

Just as Lu Yuan was worried whether the "Deity of Beauty" might die from her severe injuries, or at least need a long time to recover from such grievous wounds,

another change occurred.

In the night sky, the thin clouds that had been scattered by Gu Qingwan's pressure quietly parted.

A clear, cold full moon unreservedly cast its radiance upon Qixia Mountain.

Moonlight flowed down like water.

As if drawn by some invisible force,

the vast majority of the moonlight actually converged, as if alive, towards the hovering, wounded "Deity of Beauty"!

At first, it was just wisps, wrapping around her like sheer gauze.

Then, the moonlight grew denser, brighter.

Gradually forming a hazy, clear-cold glowing cocoon around her body.

The light cocoon slowly rotated, and with each turn, pure moonlight power seeped into the cracks on her neck and cheek.

Those fierce dark red fingerprints and black cracks began to change visibly under the moonlight's saturation!

The dark red faded like a receding tide, the edges of the black cracks gradually blurred, softened,

the cracks were repaired by the moonlight.

Replaced by a warm, faint glaze-like light, as if from newly born porcelain, slowly emanating from within the cracks.

Like a master craftsman repairing a masterpiece, the moonlight was the purest glaze and adhesive.

The "Deity of Beauty's" tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, her pained breathing gradually calmed.

She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting trembling shadows under the moonlight,

as if actively guiding, absorbing this ultimate yin and gentle healing force from heaven and earth.

The thin halo around her body began to condense and flow again,

the inch-long crack on her cheek was ultimately completely repaired.

The entire process lasted about half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

When the moonlight cocoon gradually dissipated and the "Deity of Beauty" reopened her eyes, she had recovered completely.

But the fear and pain in her eyes when looking at Gu Qingwan remained.

And Lu Yuan also let out a long sigh of relief, good, good...

"Whatever you want from me, just say it directly."

"If you keep haunting me like a ghost without stating your purpose, I'll really have Qingwan finish you off!!"

Now, with his body hidden behind Gu Qingwan, Lu Yuan's confidence also grew. He stood with hands on hips, shouting arrogantly at the "Deity of Beauty" above.

Not sure why.

Behind Gu Qingwan, it really felt super safe~

This feeling, even the Patriarch couldn't give.

The "Deity of Beauty" cast an extremely wary glance at the still indifferent, calm Gu Qingwan below.

Then, with a complex expression, she glanced at Lu Yuan's face full of nervousness and lingering fear, finally unable to hold back, gritting her teeth and saying:

"Do you think I want to follow you?!"

"Go ask your Patriarch why he entangled my fate with yours!!"

Fate??

Lu Yuan was confused.

What did that mean??

Before Lu Yuan could ponder further, the next second, a surprised voice came from the mountain wall above:

"Huh?!?!"

"Is this the one the Patriarch and past Patriarchs manifested to find for you that day??"

Lu Yuan looked up in shock.

He saw the old man, holding a wine gourd, standing at the edge of the mountain wall.

Leaning his head out, his old eyes wide open, his face full of astonished disbelief.

He leaped down, light as a giant ape.

Landing silently.

The old man first circled the "Deity of Beauty" hovering in mid-air, her aura depleted, expression incredibly complex, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Then he turned to look at Lu Yuan's back, at Gu Qingwan, whose aura had returned to deathly stillness yet still exuded an aloof, keep-away indifference.

Finally, his gaze locked onto Lu Yuan, as if seeing his disciple for the first time, smacking his lips and taking a swig of wine.

"Do you know what's going on??"

Lu Yuan quickly asked, looking at the old man.

The old man stroked his beard, then glared at Lu Yuan, unable to hold back:

"!!!"

"You kid really have incredible luck!!!"

Lu Yuan blinked in utter confusion, then said anxiously:

"You old geezer, don't speak in riddles, just say it directly!!"

The old man, however, was unhurried, scratched his head, took another swig of wine, and said directly:

"Don't rush... this matter is a bit complicated to explain..."

"Let me think carefully about how to say it...

...

Late night.

Zhenlong Temple, backyard side hall.

The atmosphere in Gu Qingwan's room was a bit strange.

Lu Yuan and the old man sat on the floor, a low table between them. On the table, a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup was almost finished.

Lu Yuan slurped the noodles noisily, while the old man puffed on his tobacco pipe.

Gu Qingwan sat quietly on her coffin, her clear, cold gaze resting on the master and disciple pair.

Everything seemed no different from usual.

But there was one extra "person" in the room.

The "Deity of Beauty" was hovering in mid-air, no longer speaking.

Only her starry eyes, filled with unprecedented confusion and scrutiny, examined this small room and everything in it.

"I've almost finished my noodles, and you still haven't figured out how to say it?"

After stuffing a poached egg into his mouth, Lu Yuan looked up at the old man and couldn't help but say.

The old man took a deep drag of his tobacco, exhaling a dense cloud of smoke, then squinted his eyes and spoke slowly.

"The so-called principles of fate can be understood as your qi luck, or destiny, but not absolutely, just something similar."

"Everyone's fate is woven together by innate endowment, birth date and time, soul characteristics, even ancestral blessings and karma."

"Like a unique 'pattern'."

"Those who cultivate, peer into the workings of heaven, and refine themselves are, to some extent, sorting, strengthening, or even trying to alter their own 'fate pattern'."

Lu Yuan listened, utterly confused, his face full of question marks.

Holy crap.

Isn't this explanation a bit too complicated?

"Can you speak human language?"

"I don't understand!"

Lu Yuan said righteously.

The old man: "..."

"This is already human language!!"

Then, the old man pointed his tobacco pipe at the "Deity of Beauty" hovering in mid-air, who was curiously looking around, and said:

"And her, an object gaining spirit, formed on a foundation of malevolent methods, yet reborn through the most orthodox thunder-fire and incense-prayer tempering of our Patriarch."

"Her 'fate' has long transcended the category of ordinary spirits, monsters, or demons, and is certainly not that of a natural deity."

"Her 'pattern' is a 'pattern' shattered and recast, a manifestation of the rule of 'Beauty,' pure yet extreme, powerful yet without foundation."

"Like rootless duckweed, it is extremely susceptible to contamination by malevolent impurities, or it may dissipate on its own between heaven and earth."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan looked at the old man with a confused expression:

"Extremely susceptible to contamination by malevolent impurities?"

"What does that mean??"

"Does it mean she could still turn back into a Malevolent Deity?"

Hearing this, the old man looked at Lu Yuan with a strange expression:

"People can change from good to bad."

"Deities can change from righteous gods to demons."

"Spirits can become Household Guardian Immortals, Outbound Immortals, or turn into evil spirits that harm people."

"What's so strange about that?"

Lu Yuan: "..."

Lu Yuan thought about it, and indeed.

It's just that these past few days have been too exhausting, Lu Yuan's brain was a bit sluggish, already unable to turn corners.

The old man ignored him and continued, his tone carrying a hint of boasting:

"You think the Patriarchs went through so much trouble out of pure compassion, to save all beings?"

He glanced sideways at Lu Yuan and chuckled.

"That's because the Patriarchs took a fancy to her as 'material'!"

"A flawless 'divine embryo,' what a waste to destroy it? Might as well... use it for you, kid!"

Lu Yuan, face full of question marks:

"????"

"For me to use???"

"How do I use it?"

The old man widened his eyes, spittle flying:

"Entangle your fates!"

"The Patriarchs, with their supreme divine power, at Luo Yan Slope's thunder-fire purified ground, using incense-prayer power as the link, at the moment when the right timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony all converged."

"Tied a 'knot' between her newly born, pure 'divine fate pattern' and your 'human fate pattern'!"

"Not a simple connection, but a deeper 'embedding,' 'symbiosis'!"

Afraid Lu Yuan wouldn't understand, the old man used his tobacco pipe to draw on the ground:

"Think of you as a growing tree, and her as a naturally formed, heaven-and-earth-nurtured rare jade."

"The Patriarch embedded this piece of jade into the heart of your tree!"

"From then on, the tree gains nourishment from the jade, growing fast and strong; the jade takes root through the tree, no longer afraid of wind and rain!"

"If she's strong, the qi luck and blessings carried by your fate become thicker, hard for evil to invade."

"If you are righteous, this 'jade' becomes purer, wanting to go astray becomes difficult!"

Lu Yuan looked at the old man in front of him with a dumbfounded expression:

"Really or not..."

"Sounds so mysterious..."

"Sounds like you made it up!"

Thump!

The old man angrily tapped Lu Yuan's forehead with his tobacco pipe.

"Hey! You brat, when have I ever lied to you!"

The moment the tobacco pipe landed, Gu Qingwan, sitting on the coffin lid, frowned almost imperceptibly.

The room temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees.

The old man felt a chill on his neck, instantly sensing that icy gaze, and immediately said angrily to Gu Qingwan:

"Hey!!"

"I'm the master, can't I even discipline my own disciple?!"

Gu Qingwan remained expressionless, not speaking.

But Lu Yuan grabbed her cold little hand and whispered:

"It's fine, it's fine, don't bother with him."

"When he's old and can't move, we'll just feed him one meal a day, enough to keep him alive!"

Gu Qingwan: ...

Old man: "???"

The old man was so angry his beard bristled, but ultimately didn't bother with Lu Yuan. Instead, he smugly curled his lips.

"Hey, not only do I know all this, I also know how your two fates got entangled!"

Lu Yuan looked at the old man curiously:

"How were they entangled?"

The old man curled the corner of his mouth, shaking his head and looking pleased with himself.

"This is called 'karmic cause and effect grafting,' using a 'merit-binding covenant'!"

"You invoking the Patriarch at Luo Yan Slope was the 'cause,' her rebirth was the 'effect.'"

"The Patriarch amplified and solidified this cause and effect, and used the potential merit you accumulated from this action of 'guiding a newborn deity' as the lock."

"To 'lock' your two fates together."

"From now on, she'll feel closer to you than anyone else, feels most at peace near you, protecting you is protecting the foundation of her own fate."

"And you........."

At this point, the old man wore an expression that said 'you hit the jackpot, kid':

"You got an enormous bargain!"

"This is like the Patriarch forcing a...

"A life-and-death guardian deity on you!"

Lu Yuan blinked, not fully digesting it yet.

The old man took a big gulp of wine, let out a loud burp, and delivered his final summary.

"So her haunting you isn't madness, it's instinct!"

"It's the natural attraction and dependence of her newborn fate towards you, its 'symbiotic body'!"

"She can't stay far away even if she wants to, she can't not help you even if she wants to; even if she's unwilling in her heart, she has to help you honestly."

Lu Yuan said somewhat dazedly:

"This fate entanglement can never be undone??"

The old man chuckled meaningfully:

"Your two fates are entangled, with yours as the main line, hers as the auxiliary."

"You can actively untie this fate entanglement, but she cannot."

"So, you don't need to worry about her harming you or anything; at most she'll tease you, scare you."

"As an auxiliary line, even if she's unwilling, she absolutely cannot harm you, the main line."

Saying this, the old man burped.

He glanced at Gu Qingwan sitting on the coffin, showing no reaction, her face indifferent.

Then looked up at the "Deity of Beauty" hovering in mid-air, her expression shifting uncertainly, the teasing cunning in her starry eyes long gone,

replaced by realization, complexity, and even a trace of inexplicable emotion.

Finally, the old man shook his head and said:

"From a certain perspective, this is the big wife the Patriarch found for you~"