"When did you make that much money? Just from forging?"
Under the clear evening sky, the soul-guided streetlamps cast their gentle glow along the road as they walked.
Hearing Yali's question, Gu You put on a deliberately mysterious smile. "Take a guess."
"Tch!" Yali gave a playful snort.
…
Finally free at last! Gu You rolled his shoulders with relief. So much had happened today — honestly, it had been exhausting.
He reached up and lightly adjusted the shining four-and-a-half-star badge on his chest, his fingers brushing it with a sense of pride. As he approached the shores of Sea God Lake, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure.
Na'er?
What was she doing here? Gu You frowned slightly in surprise. Could it be… after seeing his martial soul earlier today, the Silver Dragon King's companion had short-circuited her brain or something?
Whoosh!
Startled, Na'er glanced sideways as Gu You plopped down next to her on the lakeside. Her slender legs, which had been absentmindedly kicking at the water, froze still.
"So… you're an orphan too?" Gu You asked, deciding to play along with the innocent act.
"Mm." Her voice was light and airy, carrying no obvious emotion.
Gu You turned his head slightly to look at her. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Na'er really was beautiful — silver moonlight spilling over silver hair, the shimmering lake reflecting her figure like a dream. She was a pure, ethereal beauty, as if no girl in the world could compare.
"I don't know what you've been through," Gu You murmured softly. "But you should let it go. There's no need to cling to past pain. Wouldn't it be better if you were a little more playful, a little more sunny?"
Forget? Could she really forget? Everything she and "he" had gone through…
Na'er's eyes misted slightly, and a few quiet tears slid down her pale cheeks.
"Hey, hey…" Gu You scratched his head awkwardly. "Don't cry! I'm no good at comforting girls. Tell you what — tomorrow I'll take you out to eat something really good. Even if it empties my wallet, I won't mind!"
Instead, Na'er's tears fell even faster.
'…Smooth, genius. Just perfect.' Gu You inwardly facepalmed. But then again — maybe his words had hit a sore spot.
…
The soft sounds of crying continued. Somewhere amidst it, Gu You faintly heard her whisper two words: "gege" — big brother.
He thought back to the original story. 'Yeah… that's kind of heartbreaking.'
"Na'er, you know, if you keep crying like this, your big brother would be really sad." Gu You pulled out his secret weapon — a phrase with double meaning.
As expected, Na'er froze for a moment, then gave a soft, tiny hum in reply.
'Got her!'
'Little love-struck girl, and you think you can outmatch me, Gu You? Please.'
…
The next morning, Gu You stretched lazily as the alarm rang. That had been one of the best sleeps he'd had in ages.
Opening the window, a wave of dense life energy swept in, refreshing his senses. He was currently staying inside the Sea God Pavilion, in a room Yali had specially arranged for him, close to the Golden Ancient Tree — an excellent place for cultivation.
As the sky gradually brightened, Gu You decided it was time to experiment. He was going to try cultivating the Purple Demon Eye — one of Tang Sect's legendary techniques.
He only knew bits and pieces from the original story, but the mental power benefits were simply too tempting. He figured it couldn't hurt to "borrow" the method and see if it worked.
Of course, Gu You wasn't planning to formally practice the Xuan Tian Record itself — no way. He had no intention of getting tangled up with Tang San's karma. That infamous line, "You've already found your path to death," was something Gu You had no desire to experience firsthand.
…
Every morning, just before sunrise, the eastern horizon would reveal a faint band of pale light — the so-called fish-belly white — and with it, a faint trace of purple mist. This was the key to cultivating the Purple Demon Eye.
As the gentle, cool threads of purple light slowly drifted toward his facial acupoints, Gu You felt his entire face go cool and fresh, like it had been washed in a clear mountain spring.
Especially his eyes — under the steady flow of purple essence, his vision sharpened dramatically, and everything in the distance came into focus with incredible clarity.
Carefully following the internal energy pathways described in the original story, Gu You guided his soul power little by little.
Suddenly, just as the pale band of light on the horizon brightened, the purple glow surged to its peak.
Gu You felt that purple essence seem to expand in his pupils, and then — a warm, tingling sensation filled his eyes. Tears welled up reflexively, but instead of falling, they swirled gently around his eyes under the guidance of his soul power, soaking into his vision and merging deep into his gaze.
The purple mist came quickly — and faded just as quickly. Before Gu You realized it, an entire hour had passed, and the sun was rising.
'Whew… no wonder it's called a Tang Sect supreme art. This thing's got real substance.'
He'd heard that once the Purple Demon Eye reached mastery, it even granted limited x-ray vision.
Feeling satisfied with the experiment, Gu You decided he couldn't reveal this ability openly. But — paired with his second soul skill, which also manifested as a purple aura — maybe no one would notice the overlap.
…
"You're here," Yun Ming greeted quietly as Gu You arrived.
"Mm," Gu You nodded. The family was all present — no one missing. Na'er was tucked snugly in Yali's arms.
'Hah, women… always so quick to dote on something new,' Gu You thought playfully.
"I heard from Yali about the hostile reaction between your martial souls," Yun Ming said calmly, glancing at Gu You. "Let's have you sit face-to-face with Na'er. I want to see what's going on exactly."
Gu You nodded. Facing Na'er directly, he was pleased to note she seemed much calmer today — at least she wasn't hiding from him anymore.
"Release your martial souls."
Sitting across from each other, Gu You naturally looked over at Na'er.
Na'er, however, was a shy girl; she didn't dare meet his gaze head-on. If one looked closely, they'd even notice the faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
Their martial souls flared.
In an instant, two enormous auras collided mid-air. Gu You's eyes widened in alarm — he could feel Na'er's aura struggling to match his. If he didn't cut off his output soon, his own extreme destruction attribute might well blow Na'er apart.
But if he stopped, the backlash from the clashing energies would injure him instead.
Gu You hesitated, but then thought of Yali nearby — no, he couldn't let things spiral. As the older "brother," it was only right to hold back for her sake.
Yun Ming, watching carefully, suddenly stiffened.
'Not good!'
This wasn't the simple "inherited hostility" he had assumed. This was something much deeper — hostility rooted in the original sources themselves. This was not just about successor spirits clashing; this was the enmity of original masters burning through their legacies.
And that… meant it could not be resolved simply through proximity and familiarity.
But Yun Ming couldn't understand: how could this kind of fundamental bloodline animosity exist between two young inheritors? It was baffling.
With a sudden burst, Gu You was blasted backward, his body thrown through the air like a ragdoll.
Na'er jolted, blinking in a daze, her eyes tracking the arc of his flight.
When the dust settled, Yun Ming carefully carried the smoke-wreathed Gu You over to Yali.
Yali's expression was tight with worry, but she held back, waiting to heal him properly. Summoning her Wish Angel martial soul, she activated her third and sixth soul rings simultaneously. A gentle divine light swept over Gu You, and in an instant, all his injuries were gone.
"You ought to thank your brother," Yun Ming said coolly, turning to Na'er. "If he hadn't forcibly restrained his own aura, the one getting hurt today would have been you."
Na'er's small body trembled. She opened her mouth as if to speak — but the words stuck fast in her throat, unable to come out.
(End of Chapter)
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