A lump of cloud hovered above the patch of northern forest. It drifted leisurely, its edge beginning to cover the essence moon, projecting a massive shadow upon the forest. Within the darkened region flickered countless coldly gleaming rays of light. Hundreds of trees splintered and torn apart by devastating forces as the ground itself moaned and cried, rumbling into pieces, its chunks forcefully pushed upward in a broken canvas. The two warriors masterfully continued their work, their attacks nothing but strokes of brilliance and destruction in the eyes of the two observing parties high above the clouds and the mortal woes clashing beneath them.
Li Jun Ying was one of the prominent members of the Sect's unofficial Anti-Feng Faction led by her husband, Xu Hao.
There were two fairies on the cloud, but only Li Jun Ying filled that role. She was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her creamy skin, jet-black hair, and attractive oval face did not do her true age any justice. Her seated posture was a soothing blend of predatory intrigue and lazy apathy. Her eyes flashed, allowing the Gu Immortal to witness the battle below the cloud.
"Hmm. Bai Shou is still cheeky despite battling above her rank."
"A display of similar experience prior to Brother Feng's recruitment, perhaps?" Another voice replied, her words a thinly veiled warning and acute observation. Very little was known about Bai Shou until her sudden appearance in a mortal village near the mid-sized Spirit Rhino Sect. For all they knew, Bai Shou might have always faced such odds, surviving and accumulating her benefits through each ordeal.
Being part of Feng Jiu Ge's faction, however, Shu Ye calmly mentioned the Rank 7 Gu Immortal's name to remind Li Jun Ying about the supreme elders responsible for Bai Shou.
Li Jun Ying turned and looked at Shu Ye, a hint of helpless humor in her gaze. While on the opposing factions, they were all part of the same sect and bore an implicit understanding of never allowing their internal rivalry to spill out from the sect. Furthermore, Li Jun Ying's true loathing stayed safe with the Feng Family, except for Feng Jiu Ge's mother-in-law. Compared to this immediate opposition, other supreme elders maintained a steady relationship based on profits and trade.
Li Jun Ying and Shu Ye also conducted several transactions over the many decades they knew one another.
"Do you think it was wise to antagonize your granddaughter so quickly after our earlier act?" Li Jun Ying inquired, referring to her act of posing a shadow beast and forcing out Shu Zhe's secrets before confirming her loyalty for the umpteenth time.
Shu Ye was momentarily quiet before exhaling.
"Her wishes do not matter." The woman spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness to a peer. "Shu Zhe needs to understand that what has happened cannot be reversed and must accept her path as a gu master is at its end."
Those words displayed Shu Ye's attitude regardless of what she might truly feel. Why would a Gu Immortal care for a mortal's plight? Furthermore, Li Jun Ying was well aware of the true reason for the differences between the grandmother-granddaughter pair, carefully hiding relief and gloating under a curtain of concern.
"Do not give up, Sister Shu. There is still hope. Bai Shou completed and modified the recipe that the Third Elder hadn't been able to complete until now. Her talent is undeniable at this point."
Shu Ye mulled before replying.
"Third Elder suffered a mental block. It's not rare for a pair of fresh eyes to complete a task that the initial researcher failed to do so for a considerable amount of time."
"Yes," Li Jun Ying sighed sincerely this time. "Some things are not even in our control. How else could Bai Shou surpass our expectations? Did you know? I already refined the gu worm. It is not merely a concept at this point. Also, the materials Bai Shou chose displayed her innate affinity with the human and refinement paths! She has a knack for making the process simpler, simultaneously raising the refinement success rate. Needless to say, being the recipe's creator, Bai Shou's rate of success would even surpass us Gu Immortals at the moment!"
The Immortal Fairy praised without a hint of insincerity.
"If it's Bai Shou, healing Sect Leader Shu Zhe is no longer a matter of painful decades but a few short years!"
"Well, enough about her talents." Li Jun Ying chuckled and ended the topic without any prompts from the silent Shu Ye. "I hope our plan works. Disappointing First Elder would have lasting consequences."
"The plan…"
Shu Ye murmured.
These two from the opposing factions, possessing a decent relationship, were sent together to expedite Bai Shou's integration into the sect after the First Elder's command. Despite a few Gu Immortals being skeptical about Bai Shou and what her kind represented, Feng Jiu Ge was rumored to have offered a considerable price to change their superior's mind.
'Did that Feng asshole already learn something about that inheritance? Is that why he wants Bai Shou to be loyal so quickly?' Li Jun Ying's worry never surfaced on her face. She was in constant contact with her husband, a wisdom path gu immortal. Even he was surprised by Feng Jiu Ge's act: all clues pointing towards the sound path gu immortal learning something about the hidden inheritance!
How could they not worry?
'Would Shu Ye take the bait?' Li Jun Ying questioned her husband's will inside her blessed land.
"Don't worry," Xu Hao's will replied, experience reflecting in his eyes. "She already has. If we ensure Shu Zhe's relationship with Bai Shou, Shu Ye's relationship with both will plummet. Either we will win over Bai Shou and control that inheritance, or Feng Jiu Ge will be forced to remove Shu Ye from his group to maintain Bai Shou's positive response, allowing us to absorb Shu Ye into our faction."
"The former outcome is the most desired result. However, the latter conclusion is also not bad. We will gain another Gu Immortal, especially someone as experienced as Shu Ye. And… hehe."
"What? What is it?" Li Jun Ying questioned, urging Xu Hao to continue.
"Not yet," Xu Hao denied her requests, making the fairy pout internally.
"Don't resent me, dear." Xu Hao chuckled. "It's not definite, but Shu Ye might make things very easy for us."
"Hmm?"
Shu Ye suddenly stirred.
"What is it, Sister Shu?" Li Jun Ying inquired.
"The Sect Leader is on the move," Shu Ye spoke as she stood. "Excuse me for a few minutes as I make a few things clear to that unfilial granddaughter of mine."
However, an intense red glow briefly illuminated the forest before disintegrating into motes of light before Fairy Shu Ye could move; her and Li Jun Ying's eyes were attracted to the sudden shift in the battle.
"The Beating Refinement Gu." Shu Ye muttered.
"A pity," Li Jun Ying sighed. "Bai Shou possesses a decent strength path gu set, but it's not quite refined compared to Wang Nan's sword path set. Moreover, several strength path recipes are already lost."
"For instance, the Self-Reliance Gu Worm. It used to have a rank 5 recipe, but it has been lost in time. The quality and intent behind the gu set, alongside one's experience in using them all, matter during the ascension."
Shu Ye paused and retorted. From her perspective, she was to look after Bai Shou.
"That's not always the case. Bai Shou has enough rank 5 gu worms. All she needs to do is focus more on learning about their intricacies by developing killer moves. A strength path healing killer move relying on the Self-Reliance with its core could have effortlessly dealt with injuries left by Junior Wang."
Li Jun Ying didn't argue. Instead, she shrugged and saw Shu Ye off before focusing on the battle.
<<<>>>
Feng Jiu Ge and Xu Hao's will stood before the Second Elder, her aged gaze regarding the duo with experienced neutrality cultivated throughout her long life.
"What did you discover, Elder Xu?" She looked at Xu Hao's Will after a brief silence. They were not collected in a lavish court of Supreme Elders and did not need to follow the usual protocols. Instead, approaching the main subject of their gathering was more effective for these Gu Immortals.
Shooting Feng Jiu Ge a slightly vague gaze, Xu Hao revealed his findings.
"Fortunately, we managed to recruit junior Bai Shou in time. A suspicious Gu Immortal perused throughout the Treasure Yellow Heaven for information about the strength path gu masters. I added several rumors and diluted the flow of information. That Gu Immortal might just be Wind Cloud Manor's Heavenly Informant."
Slight tension oozed from the Second Elder. She was unwilling to see the sect embroiled in further external conflicts.
"As for Bai Shou…" Xu Hao paused, regathering his thoughts.
"She has too many similarities with another mortal from the Southern Border. We also have crucial information like Bai Shou possessing a slightly southern accent and her admission of being a southerner. Needless to say, it could all be an act. The best way to find the truth would be for me to use my killer move to search her mind. It would not leave any damage to her soul because my method relies on looking into the mind itself."
Second Elder quietly glanced at Feng Jiu Ge, temporarily refusing to pass any definitive judgments.
"What are your assumptions?" Feng Jiu Ge glanced at Xu Hao. "If you could not search her mind, what would you assume based on the information at hand?"
Xu Hao smirked.
"I would assume her to be Gu Yue Lo Jik."
The name caused the room to still.
Gu Yue Lo Jik.
The Second Elder and Feng Jiu Ge both used their wills to search through the Treasure Yellow Heaven and discreetly acquired the necessary information within a few breaths!
"It seems possible." The Second Elder hummed thoughtfully.
"How did he live through the Winds of Assimilation then?" Feng Jiu Ge also frowned, slightly caught off-guard by what little was already present in the Treasure Yellow Heaven due to Shang Mi Zhu's interference.
Xu Hao observed everything, knowing the conclusions the duo would arrive at.
If Bai Shou was indeed Gu Yue Lo Jik, she must have had a Gu Immortal's assistance to escape the Winds of Assimilation. However, Shang Mi Zhu was the only known survivor in the event, claiming that his clansmen were preyed upon by a Demonic Gu Immortal who had snuck inside the Blessed Land.
Perhaps Shang Mi Zhu was lying. But why would he help Lo Jik cross the Qi Wall?
And if he wasn't lying, there was a possibility that the unknown Demonic Gu Immortal was still alive!
The idea of Lo Jik surviving and being possessed by said Demonic Gu Immortal wasn't outlandish either.
However, nothing was confirmed.
Xu Hao held his urge to speak against Feng Jiu Ge's act of expediting Bai Shou's integration. A slightly more astute Gu Immortal, much less a wisdom path Gu Immortal like Xu Hao, understood that Feng Jiu Ge must have paid a decent price to move the First Elder's heart and have her command such a change. Going against Feng Jiu Ge at the moment would be the same as obstructing the First Elder's profits! There was nothing wise in doing so.
"We will maintain the status quo," the Second Elder said finally. "Be it Bai Shou, Gu Yue Lo Jik, or even a possessed Demonic Gu Immortal—there is no threat to the sect from a mortal. Furthermore, Spirit Affinity House is known for its capacity to reform one's demonic nature."
She glanced at Feng Jiu Ge meaningfully.
"You can return to your original body." She nodded at Xu Hao's will, who bowed in response and left. Once alone, the Second Elder surprised Feng Jiu Ge.
"The First Elder wanted me to relay a few things to you."
"Please, Senior." Feng Jiu Ge nodded, appearing solemn.
"What do you know about Lord Fourth Immortal Venerable?"
"Giant Sun Immortal Venerable?" Feng Jiu Ge questioned. His personal thoughts and differences in ideals aside, he held nothing but admiration towards the Rank 9 Venerable. Like every other venerable before him, Giant Sun once held absolute power and ruled over an era in the Gu World.
Understanding the intent behind such a query, Feng Jiu Ge continued.
"I know everything available in the public documents and biographies related to Lord Giant Sun. Our Spirit Affinity House has more complete records because the sect's number one fairy during Lord Giant Sun's era was one of his many wives."
The Second Elder nodded, her expression complex and filled with deep emotions.
"During that Venerable's time, every woman's position was to become his if he wished so. His actions and statements directly played a hand in shaping the Northern Plains the way it is today. However, we all must lower our heads in the face of such power."
Feng Jiu Ge did not reply. What his choices could have been had he been born in Giant Sun's era was kept to himself.
Submission or rebellion—a determined choice was already in his heart.
"Giant Sun founded the Luck Path," the Second Elder continued. "In his time, Giant Sun Immortal Venerable was said to be the luckiest. He could convert disasters and calamities into fortuitous encounters! Senior First Elder shared a story with me. I would like you to hear it, too."
Feng Jiu Ge nodded.
"Once, one of Giant Sun's loyal subordinates, in a bout of intoxication, asked something outrageous. Despite Giant Sun Immortal Venerable's reputation as a womanizer, he was kind and supportive of his followers and subordinates. This relationship allowed the subordinate to inquire: Lord Giant Sun, you are now Venerable. You are the only supreme being of the era. With your luck path, can you not change the fate of the world and make everyone suffer fortuitous encounters instead of calamities?"
"Laughing at such words, Giant Sun only replied in one statement: In a world where everyone is fortunate, nobody is."
Feng Jiu Ge's eyes brightened with realization.
The Second Elder didn't have much to say after that and allowed Feng Jiu Ge to depart. However, several thoughts and understandings flashed in his mind.
In a world where everyone is fortunate, nobody is.
It wasn't just a surface-level statement about the state of the world declining once everyone was equal, eliminating competition. No. Giant Sun's words were more profound, directly targeting the luck path's nature, allowing Feng Jiu Ge to finally understand the few things he learned from the sect about the luck path on a deeper level.
Everyone in this world, organic or inorganic, has luck.
Mountains and rivers possessed luck.
Humans possessed luck.
Animals and insects also possessed luck.
Similarly, a Sect, as an organization, also had luck formed through the pool of the luck of its members!
But Giant Sun's statement shed light on another aspect of the luck path.
'Fortunes can only exist due to others' misfortunes. The one with better luck will encounter more fortunes and even tackle and destroy opponents with weaker luck. However, there is a catch.'
Unlike the human path, the Sect had decent progress in understanding the luck path. Of course, it took them centuries to form the same conclusions that Giant Sun could come up with in minutes.
Being a more prominent member of the sect, Feng Jiu Ge had already digested these findings.
'Luck is like an account book. Every fortunate encounter consumes and decreases one's luck and needs time to reach its former strength. Recently, our Sect's two greatest fortunes were obtaining the Hu Immortal Blessed Land and recruiting Bai Shou. Of course, the former was a significantly more luxurious achievement due to the valuables inside it, consuming more of the Sect's luck.'
'But we just acquired these two advantages. They need time to integrate with the sect's luck. As the Second Elder said, Bai Shou is still a mortal. No matter how grand her luck or depraved her bad luck is, it cannot shake the sect's foundation. Meanwhile, the Hu Immortal Blessed Land must possess a significantly better fortune due to the Dang Hun Mountain inside it, which was recorded in the Legends of Ren Zu.'
'Because we just acquired it and the sect's luck did not benefit from the luck of these two gains, it is in a state of depression. The other nine ancient sects do not want the Spirit Affinity House to succeed and will scheme in the shadows. Heavenly Informant's attention on Bai Shou could be considered a form of backlash because our sect's luck is now in competition with the combined luck of the other nine ancient sects.'
Of course, due to their differences, the nine ancient sects were not considered a whole force and never entered a complete cooperation to deal with and suppress the Spirit Affinity House.
'The First Elder also placed Xu Hao in the Hu Blessed Land after considering the sect's internal conflict. Politics aside, in matters of luck, internal conflict probably drains the Sect's collective luck. Meanwhile, placing Xu Hao in the Hu Immortal Blessed Land not only temporarily soothes the internal conflicts but also aligns the luck of both our factions.'
As for the tale related to Giant Sun?
It was undoubtedly offered to Feng Jiu Ge after the price he paid to have Bai Shou's integration expedited. It was an implicit show of support from the First Elder.
Of course, Feng Jiu Ge had his agenda. Who didn't scheme at their level?
However, the First Elder was astute enough to realize that Feng Jiu Ge's personal interest did not necessarily bode ill for the sect, allowing him to do as he pleased.
'This shift in the mortal side of the sect is also a good way to roughly assume Bai Shou's fortunes.'
He soon frowned, recalling Fairy Shu Ye.
'Sigh. That woman will not let go of her grudge. If Bai Shou succeeds in accepting that inheritance and gets closer to Shu Zhe, I'm afraid I'll have to…'
He could discern Xu Hao's schemes. But Feng Jiu Ge wanted to play it safe. It concerned his daughter's health and safety, after all.
To Feng Jiu Ge, the sensation he discerned from Bai Shou was more crucial to him than the possibility of Bai Shou obtaining the mysterious inheritance.
'The First Elder's story about Giant Sun was also a warning. I may have paid a high price to stir the pot, but interfering unnecessarily might lead to a backlash where I might not make any gains at all. Now, I must maintain a distant control for Bai Shou's safety and observe her first interaction with Huang'er once she returns to the sect for a few days.'
***
Alternate Title: Identity Assumed; Spectators; Immortals' Amusement; The Shift In Battle; Observation Based On Incomplete Information; The Hidden And Open Schemes; Feng Jiu Ge's Reasons; Shu Ye's Grudge; The Conflicted Family; Theories of Luck; Xu Hao's Capabilities; Shang Mi Zhu's Pants on Fire; Liar Liar; A Demonic Gu Immortal?; Astute Ancient Sect; First Elder's Support; Safety First; A Steady Approach; The Conspirators; Shu Zhe Getting Sacrificed For The Immortals' Schemes; Hu Immortal Blessed Land; Two Luckiest People; Spirit Affinity House's Considerations; The Fear; Cautious Of The Nine; Heavenly Informant's Cause; Discerning Schemes; Giant Sun Being a Freak Is a Canon Event; Giant Sun When He Sees a Waifu: Women Are Like Clothes!; Giant Sun When He Sees a Bro: Brothers Are Like Arms and Legs *Kisses The Homies Goodnight*; Feng Jiu Ge: Wondering About Luck *Also Feng Jiu Ge: A Living Example Of Plot Armor*; Feng Jiu Ge: Bai Shou Can Be Useful For Feng Jin Huang *Ignores The Rizz Luck*; The Weakened Luck; Luck Accountant Gu?
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