Long Siye's face was pale. Anxious and doubtful, he fixed his eyes on The Lord, who was now suspended in mid-air overlooking the people. He could not figure out what he did wrong that could cause such a great rage from The Lord.
Under The Lord's powerful influence, Long Siye could no longer hold himself together. He kneeled immediately and uttered, "My Lord."
The Lord looked at him and responded, "Long Siye, do you know the crime that you have committed?"
"Please tell me what I have done wrong," Long Siye answered.
"I have said it before. Cloning is a practice that violates all rules and ethics of the world. It should no longer exist. I warned you about it eight years ago and forbade you to carry out any activity related to cloning. Have you taken my words lightly?"
Long Siye did not know what to say. Cold sweats broke out all over his body.
Eight years ago, The Lord had indeed given him the warning to prohibit him from performing any sort of cloning activity to keep the ethics and principles of the feudal society. As time went by, he slowly forgot about it.
How could he forget? Was it because Long Fan once occupied his body? Was it because he was too kind to reject Gu Xijiu's plea and chose to ignore the warning?
He bowed and admitted, "It is my fault. My Lord, I am willing to accept the punishments."
The Lord's orders were unbreakable laws. No one was allowed to break his orders. Long Siye had always been well aware of that rule.
The Lord's eyes were icy. "If that is so, you may take the punishment and leave to the Distant Fire Land for three days to make you understand the severity of the incident," The Lord answered hostilely.
The Distant Fire Land was a secret place. There were raging flames within that could turn a normal human into ashes almost instantaneously. It would still be great suffering even for someone whose Kung Fu was as powerful as Long Siye's. The fires would burn off a layer of skin for anyone who entered.
Gu Xijiu knew exactly how painful it would be to be in the Distant Fire Land. She could no longer hold back her frustration and took a big leap forward. "I am the one who requested him to clone a new body for me. I begged him todo so. If someone has to take responsibility, I am the one who deserves to be punished. Please let him go."
Di Fuyi's emergence with a fiery temper was completely out of her expectation. As Gu Xijiu had been on the Frozen Jade Bed for a while, her logical thinking could barely work out the situation. The series of events had caused her a great confusion that she had no explanation to. When she could finally get a hold of what happened, she realized she was not comfortable with the situation.
Firstly, she thought that he was doing that because of the reluctance and the distress to let her go. She thought that he did not wish for her to lose her spiritual power, which led him to destroy the cloned body. She thought that he was concerned for her when he decided to get her off the Ice Jade Bed.
To her dismay, it was all about Long Siye going against his order. Long Siye was only making the cloned body for her, so she could not step aside and watch Long Siye suffer the punishment alone. Determined, she elaborated further, "If someone has to go to the Distant Fire Land, let me go on his behalf. He is only doing this for me. He is innocent."
Her voice was a little shaky and hoarse as a result of the penetration of the cold. She stood her ground firmly and looked at The Lord fixedly.
Under the mask, The Lord's eyes were even darker and profound. He responded in an icy tone, as though falling snow met the gusts of winter winds. "Gu Xijiu, did you think that I would not punish you?"
Gu Xijiu continued to look at him. At this very moment, she finally understood the vast difference that separated them.
He stood on a more superior ground like an almighty god.
She was insignificant, like a speck of dust under his superior presence.
There was a time when Gu Xijiu stood by Di Fuyi, thinking that they could be on equal ground some day. She tried her very best to be his match, but now she realized it was all her illusion.
He only treated her differently because she had parts of Lan Jingke's soul. Once the identity no longer existed, she would be nothing more than a myriad of ordinary beings.
Her memory unavoidably reverted to former times with a sort of oppressive sadness, but she managed with a smile. "I have never thought so."
He regarded her as a total stranger, so why would he give her another way out?
Even under the pressure of his tremendous presence, she tried all she could to stand up straight and look Di Fuyi in the eye. "I said it once, and I will say it again. If you want to punish him, you have to punish me first. I am willing to take all the punishment on his behalf."
"Xijiu, you cannot do that!" Long Siye's expression completely changed.
He had got a taste of how the suffering in the Distant Fire Land felt. It was too much for anyone to take. Even for a man like him, he had to suffer the burning flames in great agony. How would a delicate, ladylike Gu Xijiu handle the pain? He would rather take it all on himself.
Long Siye took a step forward. "My Lord, the order was for me, and I went against it. Xijiu did not even know about the existence of such an order. All she wanted was a new body so she could return the original body to Celestial Master Zuo. I heard that Celestial Master Zuo wanted to use the body for a different reason, so she did not want to be indebted to him. She had no other way than to ask for my help. She bears no evil intention. No blame should be attached to the unconscious doer of wrong. My Lord, I hope you can forgive her."
The Lord turned to look at Long Siye and asked, "Are you trying to bargain with me?"
Long Siye dared not say anything.
"How dare you!"
Anxious, Long Siye's forehead broke out in sweat.
All these years, The Lord had always been a man of his word, leaving no room for others to argue with him. His orders were even stricter than the military's orders. His followers would have to follow his orders without question. His issuance of punishments would be an unbreakable law. Who would even dare to bargain with him? Those who dared to bargain would end up with an even worse form of punishment.
His superior position offered no room for a straightforward approach. All his followers would have to follow his orders.
Dead silence filled the air and no one dared to make a sound.
The Lord continued in an icy tone, "Long Siye, you are a heaven's gift disciple, and yet you always act according to your sentiments. Your emotions blind you. You chose to disregard the overall situation and general interest. If you are not qualified to be a heaven's gift disciple, you'd better not be one!"
Soon, he launched a strike with a seven-colored ray that surrounded Long Siye.
"No!" Gu Xijiu was utterly shocked. Swiftly, she launched herself forward and launched a strike of her own to stop the incoming attack ofthe seven-colored ray.
In the heat of the moment, she was too anxious to realize the strength of her strike. There was the sound of wind and thunder as she launched the attack. Surprisingly, she managed to return a strike in a multi-colored ray, too. Her defense hit the incoming strike from Di Fuyi and gave it a great thump.
However, her strength was, after all, incomparable to that of Di Fuyi's. Her attack was strong, but it was not enough to change the course of Di Fuyi's attack. Long Siye screamed out loud in pain when the ray finally hit him.
"You can try and attack again!" The Lord's voice was frosty. "I will then make sure that he dies a painful death."
Gu Xijiu was utterly shocked.
She was completely pale and took a few steps back. For the first time, she finally understood how insignificant she was. There was nothing she could do.
It was her fault that Long Siye was involved, but there was nothing she could do at this point.
Gu Xijiu simply stared at The Lord with eyes full of indignation.
Briefly after, the seven-colored halo that surrounded Long Siye faded. Long Siye's face was pale as he kneeled helplessly on the ground. Unsure of where his wounds were, he kneeled with sweats rolling down his face.
Gu Xijiu was beside Long Siye, anxiously trying to read his pulse with trembling fingers.
Long Siye was in great pain. His robes were all soaked in sweat, but he did not want Gu Xijiu to be worried. He raised his hand and stopped her from reading his pulse. "It is alright. I I am fine."
"Let me Let me check," Gu Xijiu answered in a hoarse voice, as though she was trying very hard to repress her struggles. "Please, I beg you. Let me have a look."
She tried very hard to stop her body from trembling. Her face was as pale as paper. Nevertheless, she chose to focus on Long Siye with her unmoving, dark eyes. "Let me have a look at you."
Long Siye finally stopped resisting.
Gu Xijiu tried to read his pulse with the tips of her icy cold fingers. She looked very serious, like a real doctor.
The circulation in Long Siye's body was a mess as his blood pressure kept surging. He could feel pain in every inch of his body, so much so that he wanted to turn and toss on the floor to ease the pain. However, he did not want Gu Xijiu to be worried, so he held back his pain and gave her a comforting smile. "Nothing. It is nothing. There is only a little pain. Later I'll be fine later."
Gu Xijiu fixed her eyes on him without saying anything. Through the tip of her fingers, a steady stream of spiritual power slowly entered his system. The spiritual power served to comfort his messed up circulation.
His condition was not too bad, as it did not take too long for his pulse to return to its normal rate. The pain in his body had been greatly reduced as well. Finally, Long Siye stopped sweating, and his complexion returned to normal.
Gu Xijiu removed her hand. "How do you feel now?"
Long Siye looked into his body condition and realized that his spiritual power seemed to have been reduced. He was about to reach level ten before this. Now he was not even at level nine.
He was actually relieved. He thought that he would lose all of his spiritual power.
"Fine, I am fine," he quickly explained. It was a shame that he had lost one level, but the condition was not as bad as he thought. He could always practice more and regain his current status.
Gu Xijiu's eyes were filled with concern. She observed his complexion again and murmured, "You spiritual power has been reduced."
"Just a little. It does not matter."
Gu Xijiu closed her eyes for a brief moment before she continued, "How can you say it does not matter? It is very difficult for you to advance from level eight to level nine." She hesitated. Her lips were starting to tremble, but she tried to smile. "I got you into trouble. It is my entire fault. I should have behaved better. I will not do it aga..." Before she could finish, she started to vomit blood. Her body then started to sway. Immediately, she suffered from a blackout and fell.
"Xijiu!"
In a blur, she could still remember that Long Siye called her name out loud. She could feel that she fell into a man's arms. Then, she lost consciousness completely.
Gu Xijiu was sick for three days. The fever came and went. She was unconscious.
In her sleep, she could tell that someone kept holding onto her hand. Someone kept talking to her and telling her that she should stay strong.
How could she stay strong?
She was exhausted.
She had always been avery strong and determined woman who would not rest until she had reached her goals.
No matter how difficult the situation was, she would always do everything she could to overcome the problem. She had always been very optimistic.
Gu Xijiu had always been very optimistic in life. She believed that there was no obstacle that she could not overcome. When she was poor, she would convince herself that money was just another possession that she could always earn. If she did it right, money would eventually become her possession again.
When other assassins were hunting her, she would do everything she could to escape from the threats. If she survived, she would get her revenge and make them understand why they should not mess with her.
Even after Long Xi's betrayal, she could readjust her mentality very quickly to survive in a whole new era. She fought despicable men and even dealt with objectionable women. Her life had never been more interesting. She had indeed had a great time!
However, she was tired of it all now. She had always thought that everything she did was right and meaningful. She could easily deal with her debt of gratitude or revenge. At this very moment, however, nothing seemed right anymore.
The relationship severely costed her love, her health and her emotions. It had even caused the doom for her friends. She was wrong, absolutely wrong. She was not as strong as she thought and yet she kept trying to be free. Her hope was all in vain.
While she was still in her state of unconsciousness, nightmares constantly haunted her. She was always sweating in anxiety and kept saying nonsense from time to time. The most frequent phrases were 'I am sorry' and 'I will not do it again.'
Even when she was unconscious, she knew that someone was always holding her hand tightly. She could hear someone apologizing to her, saying that it was not her fault.
She was not always conscious. Sometimes, she could not quite differentiate the voices, as they kept fading away, but she knew that they were not from the same man. However, she did not listen clearly to what the voices were saying to her.
Someone made her eat medicine. She also knew there was someone who whispered songs in her ear. The sound of the flute echoed. The melody was very comforting like she was being cradled in the arms of her mother.
Time passed and Gu Xijiu had been trapped in the stupor state for a while now. Finally, she was able to regain consciousness.
She slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that caught her eyes was the delicate wooden framed window. There was a single twig of plum flower along with shadows all over the paper window from a distance. The window was half open. The light of the setting sun shone through, giving the room a warm sense of evening glow.
The silver pot in the corner of the room was still boiling with some medicine. The herbal scent filled the entire room.
The back of a man was facing her. He was busy stirring the medicine in the pot.
The man was wearing a light green robe, seemingly tall and slender. His figure was unquestionably attractive.
Her movement on the bed had caught his attention. The man turned around and lit up immediately with great delight. "Xijiu, you are finally awake!"
"Teacher Long, I am sorry"
The man was Long Siye. Before Gu Xijiu could finish her apology, he signaled her to stop apologizing any further and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't say sorry anymore, alright? I have listened to it far too many time over the past few days."
Soon, the medicine was ready. Long Siye poured the herbal soup from the pot and filled the bowl to its fullest. He took medicine to Gu Xijiu and instructed, "Come. Drink it."
The boiling hot herbal soup had already been adjusted to a tolerable temperature when he passed it to her; it was neither too cold nor too hot. It was perfectly drinkable. He held the medicine in one hand and two sweets in the other, "The taste of the herbal soup is a little bitter. Take the sweets after you drink it."
Gu Xijiu did not argue any further and consumed the herbal soup. She drank it all.
The herbal soup was indeed bitter, almost as unbearable as Coptis Chinensis[1]. She did not seem to notice the bitterness though. She did not even frown a little.
After taking the medicine, she did not even ask for the sweets.
Long Siye noticed the changes. He knew that she had always been afraid of the taste of bitterness. When she was sick or hurt, she would always choose to take pills or modern medicines, as she was strongly against the idea of Chinese medicines. She would not agree, even if it was the best for her. Whenever she had no other choice, she would need a few sweets to keep the bitterness away.
Because of her incapability to deal with the taste of bitterness, Long Xi would always tease her by saying that an assassin should not possess such trait.
Gu Xijiu remembered answering, "An assassin is still a human with flesh and bones. It is normal to have one minor imperfection."
Now, she could finally overcome her so-called imperfection.
The sweets would actually interfere with the effectiveness of the medicine, so Long Siye chose to make no further comment and filled another glass of water for her instead.
Gu Xijiu noticed that she was still in the territory of Tianwen clan. The place that she was currently staying must be one of the guestrooms.
After drinking the glass of water, she immediately put her fingers on Long Siye's wrist.
Long Siye knew that she was worried about his condition, so he did not hide his wrist away and let her read his pulse. "Don't worry, I am doing fine," he explained.
"Didn't he send you to the Distant Fire Land?" Gu Xijiu asked immediately. The question had been haunting her for days, even when she was unconscious. Long Siye's spiritual power had been significantly reduced; she was concerned that he would no longer be able to tolerate the extreme heat.
In one of her many nightmares, she saw that Long Siye was burned alive and became entirely charred.
Long Siye shook his head. "No, he did not. He seemed to be occupied by another matter and left urgently."
The Lord left in a hurry. Before he went, he did say that he would postpone the punishment regarding the Distant Fire Land and that they would talk about it soon. Swiftly, he then disappeared into thin air.
Gu Xijiu was relieved. Seemingly, it was Long Siye who had been taking care of her for the past few days.
She got him into trouble and yet he still lavished every care on her.
Gu Xijiu looked down in guilt. She did not know what to feel about it. There was a mixed feeling of gratitude and guilt.
She regretted her impulsive mistake. She should not have assumed that she was strong enough to be evenly matched with the man. It was a very dumb move. She promised not to repeat the same mistake.
However, she did not quite understand why Di Fuyi would become so infuriated. If he really wanted to find another body to revive his past love, she would be very happy to return the body to him. In that case, he would never have to look for another perfect replacement for Lan Jingke if the switch succeeded. Both of them could achieve two things in one go. What was he angry about, then?
If this were before, Gu Xijiu would easily overthink that the reason for his fury was because Di Fuyi hated to see her spiritual power being wasted. She would assume that his love for her still existed and that he still cared for her.
However, the recent series of events made it clearer for her to see that she should not, and would never again, think that he still cared for her.
The man was a man with a plan for everything he did. He was probably angry because her decision might have a critical impact on his overall strategy and mess up the entire plot.
Di Fuyi... Di Fuyi...
His name used to make her feel genuinely warm. Now his name was nothing but a bitter disappointment.
The room returned to its usual silence. Quietly, Long Siye read her pulse to monitor her condition. Her pulse was still weak, but stable.
Three days ago, she vomited blood because she was too agitated by her fury that was burning within. Also, it was one of the consequences of the unfinished procedure. Luckily, three days of careful treatment gradually nursed her back to health.
Her physical health was restored, but what about her emotions?
Her emotions were hurt more badly than her physical being. Other than her inconceivable murmur, she exhibited her suicidal thoughts while she was still unconscious. She seemed to have lost all hope.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons for his unconsciousness. Long Siye was very worried that she might not wake up.
Long Siye was worried that she might not want to live any longer. Immediately, he served her a bowl of hot fish soup to make sure she had something to eat. "Xijiu, come. Eat something."
Gu Xijiu agreed instantly. "All right."
Gu Xijiu took the soup from him and immediately started eating. It was good that was willing to eat, and soon, she finished the entire bowl of soup.
Long Siye was relieved that she was not trying to commit suicide by refusing food. Quietly, he observed her. He could tell that there was something different about her now.
Very soon, Long Siye discovered more and more of her changes.
When she initially came to meet him, he knew that she was keeping her countenance with a forced smile. She could not get over her past relationship and was lost in her thoughts.
However, the incident with Di Fuyi served as a second chance for her to have a physical transcendence and rebirth from her previous experience. She started to have a normal daily routine and practice. She would talk to him about all sorts of mental cultivation methods. She started to perform various alchemies and even managed to extract some level eight pills. In order for her to perform the alchemy, she had to be completely focused without the slightest distraction from her personal life. Once she was distracted, the process would definitely turn out to be a complete failure with either useless or bad quality pills.
If she managed to extract high-quality pills of level eight, it would mean that there was nothing that could distract her from the devotion of her duties anymore. She could finally get over her past relationship.
She seemed to be more energetic, and the way she talked became gradually optimistic. Enthusiastically, she started to indulge herself in the things that she loved to do and performed well. She seemed to have abandoned the burden that she had been dragging for so long. Her great display of vigor was proof of her revitalization.
Her new change came as a great relief to Long Siye. He was very relieved. She was once again the Gu Xijiu that he once knew. However, no one knew the price that she had to pay for her transformation.
Gu Xijiu spent two more days in Tianwen clan before returning to her residence. Gu Xijiu had always been missing, so Gu Xietian was not really concerned about her recent disappearance. He came to visit her and was relieved to see that she was doing well.
On the first day of her return from the Tianwen clan, Gu Xietian could already tell that there was something different about his daughter. There were many affairs that she needed to attend to as National Celestial Master. Moreover, she had many friends that would continuously stay in touch with her. On the first day of her return, she immediately started to deal with all kinds of matters. She managed her work efficiently. Her gathering with her friends was terrific, too. She would no longer stare blankly at the wall and get distracted in her thoughts.
On the second night, while she was meditating in her room, she noticed that there was something wrong in her room. Immediately, she opened her eyes.
There was a stranger in her room. There was a man of white robe and white hair. He was even wearing a white mask to cover up his face, leaving only his bright eyes. It was Di Fuyi.
That was incorrect. It was The Lord, also known as Huang Tu. The attire was a clear display of his current identity as The Lord.
Their eyes met for a while. Then, Gu Xijiu rose from her bed and greeted him formally with a bow. "Welcome, My Lord. What is the matter?"
The courtesy in her response was polite and considerate. She knew her manners, leaving Huang Tu no chance to be picky about her flaws.
Huang Tu observed her for a moment, as though trying to find some clues from her expression. However, Gu Xijiu was calm even under his intense glare. She did not show any waves of emotion.
"Gu Xijiu, you are now the National Celestial Master of the kingdom, so you should take up your responsibility. There will be a test for the identity of heaven's gift disciples tomorrow. You will be the one to host the event."
Gu Xijiu looked him in the eye and said, "My Lord, are you treating me like one of the heaven's gifts disciple now?"
In fact, all heaven's gift disciples were his followers as well, like Long Siye, Hua Wuyan and the rest. They always acted according to his orders.
"No, your position is higher than the heaven's gift disciples," Huang Tu answered.
"Are you handing me the task of Celestial Master Zuo? Aren't you worried that I may seize your authority?"
"I am not worried, as long as you are capable." Huang Tu was not concerned.
Gu Xijiu could feel the chill in his tone, but her smile remained. "Can I say no?"
Huang Tu looked at her fixedly and answered, "You can say no, but you have to know that you are a little different."
A bit different?
Ha!
Does he think she cares?
The creases near Gu Xijiu's lips were drawn into deeper lines. "Thank you! I will gladly do your bidding, but so long as you fulfill my conditions."
"You're the first one who dares to speak of conditions with me. Aren't you afraid of my wrath?"
"No, you have told me before that I'm a bit different here, haven't you?"
"Real clever! You finally know how to take things to your advantage. What conditions do you demand? Speak up."
"Revoke Long Siye's punishment to the Distant Fire Land, and I will perform your task wonderfully," Gu Xijiu stated her condition.
Huang Tu's eyes lit up. "And what if I disagree?"
Gu Xijiu did not falter. "I will still perform the task entrusted to me, but as this type of challenge is a first to me, I can't assure that I won't make any mistakes and can only do it within my abilities."
"Are you threatening me right now?"
"No, I'm just speaking the truth. If you agree to my condition, I will perform the task as though my life depended on it."
"Within my abilities" and "as though my life depended on it". These two phrases could produce a massive difference in the final result.
Huang Tu looked at her for a moment. "I can grant him a one-day deduction from his punishment, but you are to succeed in this mission without mistake, or his punishment would be doubled!"
Although a one-day deduction from Long Siye's punishment was not what Gu Xijiu had wanted, it was not too bad either.
One must know that to spend a mere minute in the Distant Fire Land is an experience of unmitigated agony.
When Huang Tu turned his back, Gu Xijiu asked, "My Lord has shifted a lot of tasks that were supposed to be conducted by Celestial Master Zuo to me. Do you not want that identity anymore?"
Huang Tu paused for a while. He remarked lightly, "I've grown sick of that identity," and left.
The house restored its former quietude. Gu Xijiu closed her eyes and sat for a while, laughing lightly.
Grown sick of that identity... So he could just throw it away without any sentiments?
Indeed, Di Fuyi was just one of his many incarnations. He has already lived for so many years and taken so many identities, how could "Di Fuyi" be the only identity he has thrown away?
Of course, whatever Di Fuyi had experienced or felt would be cast away along with his identity without any attachments. A god is indeed a god. Without any emotions or heart, he is more detached from the world than Buddha.
She shook her head. She should not be thinking about these things anymore. She took out the booklet used for testing the heaven's gift disciples and focused on studying its content.
She would succeed! For her friends! For those, she wished to protect
The twentieth day of the first month.
The sky was clear with a light breeze. A good day for the veneration of the dead and groundbreaking.
The Open Heaven Stage had opened again after an interim of five years.
The last time it was opened was ten years ago, which was for Yun Qingluo, and the time before that was for Gu Xijiu.
The interval between the two openings was not long; the memories of the tests remained fresh in the memories of many of the citizens of the Feixing Kingdom and became a subject of conversation when it came to their minds. Now that the news of the reopening of the Open Heaven Stage had spread to the country, the citizens were brimming with elation!
When they heard that the host for the test this time would be the Celestial Master Gu Xijiu, their excitement was augmented to a pure effervescence!
Early in the morning, the citizens both old and young flocked to the Open Heaven Stage. Before the event had begun, the open space below the stage was already pullulating with people; the hawkers took advantage of this occasion to sell confectionery and snacks. It was much more bustling than the time when Gu Xijiu was being tested.
The person who was being tested this time was a black-shirted young man from theZhaoyang Kingdom named Huo Qifang.
He had stayed in the posthouse after arriving in theFeixing Kingdom. He had thought that he would be tested on the fifteenth of the first month and did not expect to wait for a whole extra five days.
The young black-shirted boy spent those five days like a cat on a hot tin roof. Uncertainty, excitement, anxiety, fear All types of emotions billowed in his chest. Of course, he did not sleep well.
What this resulted in was dark circles under his eyes when he came to the Open Heaven Stage in Mu Feng's ship.
The boisterous crowd made him more anxious and caused his feet to shiver.
"Get down." When the ship landed on the stage, Mu Feng patted Huo Qifang's shoulder, leading to his astonishment and almost caused him to tumble over!
He was, after all, just a child. In this situation, his limbs turned cold.
He staggered when he jumped off the ship.
Mu Feng shook his head secretly. For too many times he has seen those who "looked like heaven's gifts disciples," and among all of them, this child was the most ordinary and cowardly, who could not face a crowd.
How could he be a heaven's gift disciple? How can a real heaven's gift disciple be that wimpy?
"His Majesty has arrived!" A loud announcementwas heard from far away.
The king is coming as well!
Huo Fangyi became more anxious!
Rong Jialuo had indeed come with his multitude of officials in utmost grandeur. The citizens made way for them automatically.
Rong Jialuo went to the terrace that wasspecially prepared for him and sat down.
The officials and citizens looked up at him and bowed down in reverence, proclaiming "Long live the king" in enthusiasm.
Since Huo Qifang was not a citizen of the Feixing Kingdom and seemed to be a heaven's gift disciple, he did not have to prostrate himself before the king and only had to bend his body slightly as a gesture.
Huo Qifang stole a glance at the king when he bowed down. He saw that the king looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five and had an extremely debonair appearance. When he slightly raised his brows and carried a light smile on his lips, one would feel as though a spring breeze had graced their face.
When their gaze unintentionally locked onto each other's, Huo Qifang immediately lowered his head with his heart beating faster.
This king had a pair of faintly purple eyes! The purpleness of his irises was charismatic and pierced through his heart!
Huo Qifang did not dare to look any further and shifted his gaze away to the stage.
There were only him and the four messengers on the stage. Celestial Master Zuo, who had caused him much distress, was nowhere to be seen.
"When would Celestial Master Zuo come?" He silently asked Mu Feng. He was not used to being the center of attention and especially not in front of such a large crowd. He wished for the test to start soon so it can end early.
As he was quite a solitary and reclusive person who did not like gossip, he did not know that the person testing him today had already changed.
Mu Feng gave him a strange look. Had Celestial Master Zuo not tortured him enough? Why would he look forward to his arrival?
"The person testing you today is National Celestial Master Gu."
At first, Huo Qifang was startled, but then his eyes lit up. "The Celestial Master we met on the road that day?"
Mu Feng shot him another look. This brat was typically unable to remember anyone he met, but he could recall Gu Xijiu just by taking a look at her!
Already a player at such a young age!
Mu Feng found another flaw in him and humphed. "Of course it's her." He then warned him, "Don't ogle at her when she comes, or someone would dig your eyes out and step on them!"
"I won't!" Huo Qifang spoke with a straight face. "I respect her, and venerate her like a goddess!" he added.
Mu Feng was speechless by his words.
"The National Celestial Master has arrived," someone shouted.
The crowd raised their heads and saw a white-jade chariot drawn by a snow white mythological beast flying from the east to the top of the Open Heaven Stage. The coachman was a handsome blue-shirted young man who was brimming with energy. He was the one who had made the announcement earlier.
The curtains of the chariot opened, and a lady appeared on the shaft of the carriage.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, while her ink black robe that concealed her fair body revealed her charming grace. Even though she did not have any other accessories than the ribbon on her head, she did not look as though she took no care of her appearance.
The ink-black robe augmented her chilly attitude and she emanated an air of cold detachment. The sun hung high behind her back and seemed to illuminate her surroundings with a light silvery halo, causing the hearts of the crowd to shudder and fixate their gaze on her.
"National Celestial Master!" The crowd cheered frantically with excitement.
Huo Qifang's eyes glowed brighter!
He did not prostrate himself before the king just now, but when he saw Gu Xijiu descending lightly from the carriage, he bowed down on all fours as though he had seen a goddess.
Gu Xijiu alighted gracefully and swept her gaze across the stage.
She saw the four messengers and the pillars on the stage; her eyes glimmered slightly.
She was no stranger to this place. She had been tested here some ten years ago, except now she was the tester.
It was already water under the bridge. She had no need to remember it anymore.
Gu Xijiu conducted matters in a direct manner and had not spoken much after she came. Her gaze shifted to Huo Qifang. She saw that this child was looking at her anxiously with his face red and legs shivering.
It was obvious that he was distraught!
Looking at him, she remembered herself being in that same situation some ten years ago. She was anxious at that time as well, but she had mental strength and was able to conceal her feelings.
The memory of her being alone and helpless on that stage was still fresh in her mind.
Gu Xijiu asked Huo Qifang a few standard questions that were asked every time one tests a heaven's gift disciple.
Her style was different from Di Fuyi's.
Di Fuyi hosted the tests with an aloof yet menacing aura that would cause the craven to cry in terror; almost everyone who had been tested by him before is afraid of him like mice to cats.
Although Gu Xijiu appeared to be remote, she was gentle when she questioned and carried a soothing power in her voice.
Though Huo Qifang initially stuttered when he answered the questions, after a short exchange of words with Gu Xijiu, he managed to quell his anxiety and go through the segment with confidence.
Gu Xijiu's heart was slightly moved after she finished asking the questions.
The questions that she had asked were those that were compulsory as dictated in the booklet given to her by Di Fuyi. Of course, the way she was to ask those questions was up to her improvisation.
Although she did not think much of Huo Qifang at the start, a strange thought began to emerge in her mind after asking those questionswhat if this brat was an actual heaven's gift disciple? No wonder Di Fuyi would bring him for the test, maybe he was uncertain as well.
It was her first time hosting the trial. Although it involved a lot of complicated procedures, she followed through all of the steps with utmost order and adroit skill.
Mu Feng and a few others knew that it was only since yesterday that she had handled these matters and were prepared to cover up for her in case of any mistakes, but when they saw her next series of actions they were taken in awe!
She executed the series of intricate and spiritual-power-depleting actions flawlessly!
The crowd watched from below in silence.
Rong Jialuo was observing Gu Xijiu with a smile. He seemed happy and relieved about something.
When the five-colored rays were emitted from the Spiritual Pillar and engulf Huo Qifang, the entire square with tens of thousands of people were in complete silence. They could easily hear it if a needle fell on the floor.
The five-color rays whirled around Huo Qifang, and four of them disappeared. However, the green rays in-fluxed Huo Qifang's body and he glowed in green! The green light then moved around his body and disappeared a few minutes later.
Gu Xijiu glimpsed at Huo Qifang with surprise and relief. Finally, she announced, "He is a heaven's gift disciple who cultivates the wood element of spiritual power!"
It shocked everyone at the scene!
The entire square that was initially quiet was filled with thunderous applause and cheer! Some were surprised while others were still in utter shock. Mu Feng was also shocked!
Although Mu Feng had witnessed countless test conducted by Di Fuyi, he could not be sure whether Gu Xijiu had done it correctly because the procedures were too complicated. The consequence was too severe if it was inappropriately done.
In the past, many from the testee's fellow countrymen would come and support the testee whenever he or she had to be examined as a heaven's gift disciple. Occasionally, some of the members from the royal family would come and cheer as they found there was no reason for them to excuse themselves.
However, the people from Huo Qifang's home country did not think he was a heaven's gift disciple because they assumed he was insane to claim that he was a heaven's gift disciple in the first place. Everyone looked at him as a joke; hence, not many people from his home country came to support him.
A few people did come, and they screamed in delight after Gu Xijiu made the announcement.
A voice came from the crowd, "This must be the first time for National Celestial Master to host the ceremony; there must be a mistake!"
The voice was loud enough to cover the noise from the crowd. The clear voice also lingered around everyone's ears.
The crowd immediately took a glimpse and realized that it came from a scholarly young man. There were four more young men around him who looked below 18 years of age. Based on the way they dressed, they were probably from the Zhaoyang Kingdom.
Huo Qifang's expression changed as he looked at them with his fists clenched. They were his childhood buddies.
The smart young man was the most pampered prince of the emperor from the Zhaoyang Kingdom. It was a surprise for him to visit.
Gu Xijiu gazed down at the young men. Casually, she asked, "What kind of mistake?"
The young man laughed arrogantly before responding, "How could a person like Huo Qifang be a heaven's gift disciple? His spiritual power is low, he has no guts, and he is irresponsible."
Gu Xijiu listened to him and then asked again, "I asked you what's the mistake, not your opinion about the outcome!"
The young man answered, "The result is wrong, that's why it's a mistake If he is a heaven's gift disciple, then I also deserve to be one because my spiritual power is higher than his and I'm also smarter than him"
He then sized up Gu Xijiu with a gaze filled with contempt. "Although National Celestial Master has a very high level of spiritual power as well as a high status in the Feixing Kingdom, the test to identify the heaven's gift disciple should not be done carelessly because the future of the entire continent depends on it. Celestial Master Zuo has always been the main host of the test and no one would doubt the result as he is trustworthy. However, National Celestial Master Gu is a rookie and a lady."