Chapter 129: Why can't Qingwan be transformed into a true god?!

This matter felt strangely awkward.

Tell her?

The thought had barely surfaced before Lu Yuan felt it was ridiculous.

He hadn't even told the old man about his marriage.

Whatever else, he had to tell the old man first.

Besides, it just didn't feel like something he needed to tell Gu Qingwan.

After all...

Gu Qingwan was not Shen Shulan.

How to describe the relationship between Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan...

It was a complex bond that went beyond simple obligation, mixed with pity, dependence, and some undefined affection.

Of course, Lu Yuan was an open and straightforward person, but even so...

He truly had never imagined...

Marrying and having children with a twenty-star super malevolent being.

Whether Lu Yuan wanted that or not wasn't even the point.

The point was that Gu Qingwan didn't have the ability.

Besides, she had already suffered so much, with so many poisonous curses still uncleansed...

To be here wondering whether she would marry or have children in the future...

That would be a little too cruel.

Lu Yuan tended to see their relationship as mutual salvation...

They had both saved each other.

So, not telling Gu Qingwan about the marriage?

Well...

Then again, if he didn't tell her...

Lu Yuan's straightforward nature started to feel awkward.

He felt like someone sneaking around, like he owed Gu Qingwan something, like he was betraying her.

But then he thought...

Tch!

Where did these filthy thoughts come from?

By heaven and earth, Lu Yuan could swear that from the start, he had never indulged in fantasies about Gu Qingwan.

Who would have fantasies about a super malevolent being?

Even the famed Ning Caichen didn't know Xiaoqian was a ghost at first.

The famous Xu Xian didn't know the White Lady was a white snake at first.

And Lu Yuan had known from the beginning that Gu Qingwan was a super malevolent being, so how could he have those thoughts?

It was only that, as they spent more time together...

Through life-or-death moments and repeatedly protecting each other, Gu Qingwan had long ceased to be that cold "malevolent being" in his heart.

She had become his trump card, the reason he dared to wander the world.

She was the only existence in this cold world who would protect him without reservation.

Unbeknownst to him, her identity had been turned upside down in his heart.

Only now, when the idea of "marriage" stabbed him sharply, did Lu Yuan realize that the old man's warning "Don't form feelings with malevolent entities" wasn't empty words.

Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan lingered a while longer before stepping out of the side hall, preparing to pack and head to Fengtian City.

They had just stepped out of the courtyard gate.

"Snort, snort..."

A sarcastic voice came from under the old locust tree.

"Still can't figure it out, huh?"

"How did I tell you before?"

"Don't provoke them, don't provoke them — now look, you've gotten into trouble!"

The old man leaned against the trunk with a wine gourd in hand, eyes full of "I told you so" scorn.

Seeing him so disapproving made Lu Yuan's annoyance find an outlet. He rolled his eyes.

"You knew I got married?"

"Of course."

The old man ambled over.

"Letters from Tianlong Temple haven't stopped these days, your little affairs in Fengtian City were mentioned in passing a long time ago."

He glanced Lu Yuan up and down and couldn't help but say:

"You're a strange kid."

"If you were ugly, fine, that'd explain something, but you're not ugly. If you were a master, fine, that'd explain something, but you're not."

"Why do you attract women so easily? I heard you were on good terms with Shen Jizhou's precious daughter Shen Shulan?"

"Was Shen Shulan the one who went with you to that Nurturing Malevolence Site?"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan lifted his chin slightly and said sheepishly:

"All charm, you know nothing!"

But after that brief pride, he suddenly grew uncertain and asked:

"Do you think I should tell Qingwan?"

"If I don't say anything, it feels weird in my heart..."

When Lu Yuan finished, the old man simply shook his head decisively:

"No need to say anything."

Huh?

Such a prompt answer made Lu Yuan turn to look.

The old man tilted his head back and took a swig of wine, then looked at Lu Yuan seriously:

"Because even if you told her, she probably wouldn't understand."

This left Lu Yuan puzzled.

The old man didn't bother teasing and instead explained directly:

"Don't let her strong appearance fool you. Remember, she's a malevolent being."

"And malevolent entities form because of some fierce energy, grudges — in short, some obsession."

"Her three hun and seven po aren't intact. She can't sense joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness properly. Telling her such things is like playing music to a cow."

"She simply cannot grasp jealousy or betrayal."

Lu Yuan already knew what the old man said.

Previously, even though Gu Qingwan had saved him and helped him, he had been afraid of her because of that very reason.

The old man continued:

"She might not even tell the difference between anger and joy now. Why say those things?"

"If mentioning this triggers one of her obsessions and she loses control and goes berserk, who can subdue her besides invoking the Patriarch?"

"If the Patriarch descends..."

He stopped; both understood the consequences.

He exhaled, patting Lu Yuan on the shoulder.

"If you really feel you must say it, wait until her body is restored and her three hun and seven po are returned."

"Otherwise, if you say it now, she might not understand. Since she suffered due to a Ghost Marriage and you bring up marriage..."

"She could lose her mind because of it."

"Don't overthink it."

The old man offered this final consolation.

Lu Yuan nodded silently, but his eyes were hollow.

After a long while, he sighed softly, the sound as faint as wind.

"But... after her body is restored, after her three hun and seven po are returned and her mind is whole..."

"She might not rely on me like this anymore."

The disappointment and melancholy in Lu Yuan's voice made the old man shiver as if he had heard something disgusting.

"!!!"

He leaped back a step and pointed at Lu Yuan, cursing:

"Look at you! What a lack of ambition!"

"She's a malevolent being! A malevolent being! And you still fancy her?!"

"What exactly do you want her for?!"

"Do you want her to be like that 'Deity of Beauty,' remold a true body, become fully alive and live with you?!"

Lu Yuan: ...

"....."

"Yes!!"

"Why shouldn't Qingwan be remolded into a true body like the 'Deity of Beauty'?!"

Lu Yuan turned and faced the old man, shouting.

The old man blinked.

"You're really serious?!"

Lu Yuan stared back, eyes blazing:

"Why not?!"

He stepped forward, voice booming, all his stubborn frustration and unwillingness bursting out.

"The 'Deity of Beauty,' formerly Liu Ruyan, on Luo Yan Slope killed so many people!"

"Her hands were stained with blood! Why could she be tempered by the Patriarch, be reborn, and become a worshipped deity?!"

"And Qingwan?"

"She hasn't killed a single soul! She blocked the Life-Severing Wang Family's monstrous fiend and saved countless ordinary people!"

"With such enormous merit, why can't she?!"

"This is bullshit and unfair!!!"

Lately everything had felt irritating to him. He thought it was just fatigue.

Now he realized the root of it was here!

Exactly!!!

Why could the 'Deity of Beauty' remold her true body?!

Oh, she says "Liu Ruyan is Liu Ruyan and I'm me, Liu Ruyan killed people but that doesn't mean I do." Is that it? Done and dusted?

What the hell, like invaders can rob and burn for years, then return later and say they don't recognize it? Just shrug?

Okay, this was getting a bit far.

Comparing the 'Deity of Beauty' to Little Japan was unfair to the Deity of Beauty.

The 'Deity of Beauty' hadn't denied that Liu Ruyan was a malevolent being or that Liu Ruyan had harmed many people.

More importantly, the Deity of Beauty hadn't thanked Liu Ruyan, saying she existed only because of her. In short, Lu Yuan's point was: if the Deity of Beauty could be remade, why not Qingwan?

Qingwan deserved it more!

If Lu Yuan were to say about the Wang family incident, how many did Qingwan save?

Sure, don't mention Fengtian City's City God Temple; that top-tier fiend might not have destroyed the whole city even if it had entered.

Don't say Qingwan didn't act for others but for Lu Yuan. After all, deeds count more than motives!

Regardless of reasons, tell me — did the city god come out?

No, right?

Even though it was outside Fengtian City, a fiend that big appeared nearby, shouldn't the City God at least poke its head out?

And in the end, who got rid of that top-tier fiend?

Gu Qingwan, right?

Because of that alone, Lu Yuan said, they could carry Gu Qingwan into the City God Temple and have her accept the deity's incense without shame!

So why can't Gu Qingwan be remade into a true body?

The next second Lu Yuan stared at the old man and demanded:

"Tell me, do you have any way to rebuild Qingwan's true body?"

The old man was stunned and almost dropped his wine gourd.

No!

How did things escalate to this!

Lu Yuan!

You are a lunatic!

What are you doing to me!

He snapped back to his feet, eyes blazing.

"Do you think I'm some sort of immortal?!"

"Yesterday you wanted me to untangle your fate knot, and today you want me to rebuild her true body?!"

"Me?!"

Lu Yuan: "...."

The old man continued, scolding loudly:

"Why does the Deity of Beauty have a true body and Gu Qingwan doesn't? How would I know!"

"I saw that Deity of Beauty for the first time myself — my eyes were opened."

"You want me to give Qingwan one now?"

"I won't do jack!"

"I don't have that capability!"

The old man jumped angrily on the spot, spitting and fuming.

But Lu Yuan wasn't paying attention to him; he had thought of something else.

After some thought, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Eureka!"

"Bu-dui! Bu-dui! Bu-dui!"

The old man: "????"

What on earth was the kid babbling about?!

Lu Yuan seemed to have figured it out and looked at the old man with excitement:

"Qingwan already has a true body!"

"Isn't it in that coffin?!"

The old man blinked dumbfounded, then frowned:

"Right."

"What about it?"

Lu Yuan hurried on:

"Think about it. After Qingwan exterminated that top-tier fiend of the Wang family, didn't you say she gained merit that day?"

"Right? You said so!"

The old man's brow furrowed tighter.

"So?"

"You're not thinking of bringing that woman along every time you go Vanquish Demons and Exorcise Evil, are you?"

"And use merit to remold her into a deity?"

Lu Yuan waved his hand vehemently, denying it.

"Of course not!"

"Killing a single top-tier fiend yields barely any merit; you'd need to kill so many minor beasts to accumulate enough — when will that be?!"

He shook his head and then spoke excitedly:

"My point is, since Qingwan's true body can hold merit, it can surely bear the power of incense!"

"So... I'm saying, from now on Zhenlong Temple's incense offerings shouldn't all go to the Three Pure Ones!"

"After Qingwan's curses are fully cleansed, we'll continue to enshrine her! Give all faith power to her!"

"If ten years isn't enough, then twenty; if twenty isn't enough, then thirty. Sooner or later we will remold Qingwan into a deity!"

"Or rather..."

The old man: "???"

He was dumbstruck.

Isn't that theft of incense from the Three Pure Ones? No, it's robbery!

But Lu Yuan grew more and more excited, as if a new world had opened for him, eyes wide:

"Or, I could find a way to carry Qingwan into Fengtian City's City God Temple!"

The old man: "???"

Madness!

This kid was definitely insane!

You want to carry a malevolent being into the City God Temple?!

Would the other true deities in Fengtian City be pleased?!

Wouldn't they manifest right there?!

The old man opened his mouth to curse him back to his senses, but Lu Yuan suddenly slapped his thigh loudly.

"Oh damn!"

"How did I forget this!"

An enlightened expression crossed Lu Yuan's face. He said excitedly:

"Why drag her into the City God Temple!"

"Let's just build a temple for Qingwan ourselves!"

"This Wang family incident was settled by her!"

"She saved so many people — she's a great benefactor!"

"On the old ruined site of that abandoned Mountain God Temple outside Fengtian City, we'll erect a new shrine for Gu Qingwan, and receive incense from ten thousand households!"

The old man: "????"

It's over!

Completely over!

This disciple was truly possessed!

Now fantasizing about building a temple for a malevolent being!