Chapter 187: Elder Yu Finally Gets Her Fill!

Riding his flying sword back home, Gu Chengming looked down at the scenery below with great satisfaction.

He had slain the Jiao and cleared his old debts; the pent-up frustration in his chest had vanished completely with the sea breeze.

The rolling mountains below appeared and disappeared through the gaps in the sea of clouds, and a great river wound its way eastward, giving him a sense that the world was vast and he could go anywhere.

A cool breeze chased him from behind, first fluttering his sleeves and then brushing past the empty wine flask at his waist, making him recall many things at this moment.

Youthful spirit surged from his chest, up through his throat, and washed over his mind. At that same moment, the sea of clouds happened to part in a single line.

Heavenly light poured down, illuminating his entire body until he felt transparent. Even the soughing pines passing beneath his flying sword seemed to brighten and dim for a heartbeat.

—A sudden breeze turned into sword intent, cutting straight through the spirit of a twenty-year-old youth.

The Fourth Realm was achieved!

Gu Chengming looked down at his hands.

To him, moving from the Third Realm to the Fourth Realm was like stepping over a threshold. Looking back, he realized the threshold was laughably low; all that had been missing was the right state of mind.

He tried to circulate his spiritual energy. The Fourth Realm true essence flowed smoothly through his meridians, and even the speed of his sword flight increased significantly, the shadows of the mountains below stretching into straight lines as they receded.

"It's time to write a letter."

He sat cross-legged and steady on the flying sword, pulled a blank jade slip from his sleeve, and began to write with energy at his fingertips.

The letter was for True Monarch Liuyun Suyu. The wording didn't need to be too formal; the True Monarch appeared cold but was actually quite easygoing. The less he put on airs, the happier she would be, so being direct was better.

【To my senior: The Jiao has been slain, and the debt is cleared. My business here is finished, and I will return to the Wenjian Sect in a few days to report my safety to my elders. Since our parting at the Cuiping Mountains, I have benefited greatly from your guidance and the true meaning of the Cloud Moon. Also, the pastries you gave me were excellent. If the opportunity arises again, I hope to taste them once more. Respectfully, Chengming.】

He chuckled to himself when he wrote the line about the pastries. A grand Sixth Realm True Monarch feeding someone pastries was like a country grandmother doting on her grandson, which was quite amusing.

He sealed the jade slip and sent it off with a wisp of moonlight. The slip turned into a streak of white light and vanished into the horizon.

Having finished this, he stretched and accelerated his sword flight once more.

...

The silhouette of the Wenjian Sect's mountain gate appeared at the edge of his vision a day later.

It was just past noon, and the sun was at its peak.

A Fourth Realm sword intent wrapped around the flying sword and pierced straight in from the direction of the mountain gate, without any intention of restraint or concealment.

It wasn't that he was intentionally showing off; he had only just broken through, and the newborn sword intent was like water from an opened sluice gate—he couldn't hold it back even if he wanted to.

Thus, before the sword light even landed on the Main Peak, the news had already spread throughout the sect.

As he flew over the Outer Sect disciples' training ground, seven or eight youths who were practicing horse stances all looked up in unison. The one in the lead gaped, and the wooden sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Gao, isn't that..."

"S-Senior Brother Gu?!"

"Senior Brother Gu has reached the Fourth Realm?!"

"It's only been how long? Wasn't he still in the Third Realm when he left last time?"

Those seven or eight Outer Sect disciples looked at each other, abandoned their horse stances, and swarmed toward the Transmission Hall. Before the deacon disciple there could even send the message out, the Main Peak had already reacted.

In front of the Council Hall on the Sect Leader's Main Peak.

Ren Wencai was sitting opposite Shen Qianqiu, discussing important matters.

Though called important, they were actually more like trivial chores—allocating monthly spirit stones for disciples, repairing the registers of the Cangjian Pavilion—minor things that usually wouldn't require the personal attention of the Sect Leader and the Enforcement Elder.

However, there weren't many high-level members currently available to handle affairs. Some were in seclusion, some were on external assignments, and those remaining were either lacking in seniority or couldn't stand the sight of each other, leaving the two of them to handle these trivialities together.

Just as Ren Wencai was mentioning that the spirit herb fields needed reinforced arrays, a familiar sword intent approached from the direction of the mountain gate. He couldn't help but freeze, exchanging a look with Shen Qianqiu before both stood up and rushed out of the hall.

From a distance, they saw a streak of sword light breaking through the clouds. The person on the sword wore green robes that fluttered in the wind, looking spirited and full of vigor.

On Ren Wencai's usually stern face, there was first a look of shock, and then the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled upward.

He hurriedly tried to keep a straight face, but Shen Qianqiu, catching this out of the corner of his eye, thought to himself: "Old Ren, when are you ever going to be able to suppress that grin?"

Gu Chengming landed his sword. As soon as the blade touched the ground, he took several quick steps forward and bowed deeply and formally to the two elders.

"Master, Sect Leader. I have returned."

This "I have returned" was even more pleasing to Ren Wencai's ears than the news of his disciple's breakthrough to the Fourth Realm.

"Good boy." He slapped Gu Chengming's shoulder with considerable force, his tone full of unrestrained pride. "You went down the mountain for one trip and came back in the Fourth Realm?"

The implication was clearly: "As expected of my disciple."

Shen Qianqiu coughed, temporarily suppressing his own swirling thoughts and returning his face to its usual expression.

"It is good that you are back." He paused and added, "Come into the hall first so we can talk."

The three of them sat down. The tea was freshly brewed, its steam rising in curls.

Gu Chengming did not beat around the bush.

He started from the Abyss Pillar at the Hunyuan Sect recognizing him as its master, to being appointed as the Saint, then leading the diplomatic mission to the Cloud Moon Sect. He spoke of the unborn Dao Throne in the Cuiping Mountain abyss, the danger of the Fifth Realm assassination attempt, the Great Record, Daoist Don't Know, and his connection with True Monarch Liuyun Suyu. Finally, he detailed the slaying of the Jiao at Tingchao Town and the great tribulation mentioned by the True Monarch before their parting—he told them everything.

"A great tribulation?" Ren Wencai set down his teacup.

Gu Chengming recounted True Monarch Liuyun Suyu's words exactly—the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, the Heavenly Dao clearing out Dao Thrones, and the Sixth and Seventh Realm experts emerging one after another.

The hall fell silent for a while. Ren Wencai's expression slowly shifted from pride to gravity, but Shen Qianqiu didn't seem too surprised.

"I... know a bit about this." Shen Qianqiu's voice lowered. "The Wenjian Sect originally had several Sixth Realm ancestors, and they have made some preparations over the years."

He didn't specify what preparations, but the meaning was clear enough.

—The Sixth Realm cultivators hadn't emerged not because they had all perished or gone into permanent hiding, but because some had actively stepped onto the board as chess pieces.

"I will tell you the details slowly later." Shen Qianqiu looked at Gu Chengming with a gaze that was both gratified and complex.

This boy's identity as the Saint of the Hunyuan Sect was barely cold before he got involved with a Sixth Realm True Monarch and slew Lord Fubai of the East Sea. It seemed every time he returned to the sect, he brought news that could turn the cultivation world upside down.

Shen Qianqiu sighed inwardly, feeling both happy and helpless.

"You've just returned; rest for a few days first." He smiled and lightly changed the subject, no longer leading it toward the tribulation. "These things aren't urgent; the road ahead is long."

"The Sect Leader is right," Gu Chengming nodded in agreement.

As Shen Qianqiu got up to refill the tea, Ren Wencai held his cup, his gaze falling on Gu Chengming's face from over the rim. Suddenly, he made a seemingly random comment.

"While you were away from the sect, Elder Yu has been quite diligent."

Gu Chengming was startled. "Elder Yu?"

"Yes." Ren Wencai took a sip of tea, his tone very casual. "Presumably she was a bit stimulated after you left. Lately, she's been running to the Scripture Repository quite often."

"The Scripture Repository?" Gu Chengming thought for a moment. "What is Elder Yu doing there?"

"She said she was looking up cultivation methods," Ren Wencai said slowly. "I happened to ask her if there were any gaps in her cultivation, so I had the disciples in charge of the repository pull the records."

He stopped for a moment.

"As it turns out, there were over twenty volumes—all about dual cultivation."

Gu Chengming was puzzled and looked at Ren Wencai and Shen Qianqiu with a strange expression.

The two old men also seemed to realize that secretly using their authority to check what books an elder of their own sect was reading was rather unrefined.

Especially Shen Qianqiu; the Sect Leader still had some dignity to maintain. He truly did hope for more progress between Gu Chengming and Yu Wenqiu.

It was like an elder hoping for a smooth relationship for their own child, which was why he had done such a thing under Ren Wencai's instigation. Being asked about it to his face did indeed make him feel a bit embarrassed.

"Ahem... the library records are all on file and can be checked."

But Ren Wencai was clearly much more shameless. He casually made up an excuse: "I'm just concerned about the recent progress of a core elder's cultivation methods in our sect."

Gu Chengming looked at one, then the other, suddenly feeling a bit of a headache.

He naturally understood the intentions of these two. It was nothing more than the older generation seeing a junior with a proper partner and being unable to resist worrying about the next step.

Ren Wencai was no exception. He used to think his old friends who chased their children around urging them to marry were vulgar beyond belief; now that it was his turn, he was doing the exact same thing.

"You are a man; you should be more proactive in these matters."

Hearing this, Gu Chengming felt helpless. Although he understood his master's feelings, continuing to talk about this was ultimately a bit unsettling.

Gu Chengming found an opportunity to take his leave. After he left, the two old men still looked a bit regretful.

With only the two fellow disciples left in the hall, Ren Wencai was the first to break the silence.

"Young people are thin-skinned," he lamented. "They're always too embarrassed to be open about it. We still need to give them a push."

Shen Qianqiu didn't respond, only taking a sip of tea while watching the direction Gu Chengming had departed.

The stone steps leading from the Main Peak to the various disciple quarters shimmered under the moonlight, and autumn insects were chirping happily in the cracks between the steps.

...

At the same time, at Yu Wenqiu's residence.

The courtyard gate was covered in a layer of green vines, and on the gateposts hung the couplet Gu Chengming had written for her during last year's Mid-Autumn Festival!

—"The sky may fall, but let the tall ones hold it up; when there's nothing to do, just slack off."

At the time, Gu Chengming had been quite satisfied, thinking it suited Elder Yu's personality perfectly. Although Yu Wenqiu had complained about it, she had immediately torn down the old couplet and put this one up, and she hadn't been willing to take it down since.

When Gu Chengming arrived, the courtyard gate was half-open.

He pushed the door open and entered. Rounding the screen wall, he saw Yu Wenqiu curled up on a bamboo couch under the veranda, reading a novel. However, for some reason, her mind had wandered; the book lay open on her lap, and she hadn't turned a page in a long time.

Today, she wore a set of loose, plain casual clothes. Her hair wasn't tied up, falling loosely over her shoulders. A freshly picked flower was tucked behind her ear.

As Gu Chengming's footsteps sounded on the stone path, Yu Wenqiu's ears twitched, and she suddenly sat up straight.

"Elder Yu?"

Hearing Gu Chengming's voice, Yu Wenqiu froze for a moment, and then the novel on her lap fell to the ground with a thud.

"Eh? Eh?! Little Gu, how did you—"

She scrambled up from the bamboo couch, stepped into her shoes without looking, and hurried down the steps. Her pace was so hurried and clumsy that she nearly tripped over her own hem.

Gu Chengming reached out to steady her. Once she was steady, Yu Wenqiu looked both joyful and resentful. "You didn't even say a word before coming back."

She complained, but her voice was half a pitch higher than usual. "I'm your partner, after all, and you didn't even write a letter."

"Well, I'm back now, aren't I?"

"Even so, you should have told me in advance—"

Gu Chengming didn't let her finish, directly using his mouth to block the string of muffled complaints behind her lips.

By the time Yu Wenqiu reacted, she was unable to speak. First her ears turned red, then her cheeks, her neck, the heat burning all the way down until even her toes curled up. All the thoughts in her mind turned into a mess at this moment, leaving nothing but a cloud of white steam hissing out from the top of her head.

Gu Chengming released her and took a step back, watching her reaction with interest.

Yu Wenqiu stood there, dazed as if she couldn't stand steadily. Her face was as red as a ripe persimmon, her lips were slightly parted, her eyes were misty, and her pupils couldn't focus.

Gu Chengming thought to himself: "Master said she studied no fewer than twenty volumes on dual cultivation and had fully prepared herself mentally. This is it?"

This didn't look like someone who was fully prepared at all. If she ended up like this just from a kiss, could she even stay conscious if they actually dual cultivated?

He couldn't help but laugh. Yu Wenqiu snapped out of it, and seeing him laughing, she became embarrassed and angry, reaching out to give him a push.

"W-What are you laughing at!"

"I'm not laughing."

"You clearly are!" Yu Wenqiu glared at him and turned to leave, but after two steps she turned back and said in a voice as quiet as a mosquito: "...Come in and sit."

Gu Chengming followed her into the house.

The two of them chatted about random things. Gu Chengming briefly mentioned some of his experiences outside, avoiding anything too heavy. Yu Wenqiu asked if he had eaten, and he said he had grabbed something on the road.

She got up to heat something up for him, but he caught her sleeve.

"No rush." Gu Chengming looked at her, and Yu Wenqiu sat back down.

The room was quiet for a while, with only the sweet scent of osmanthus from outside the window drifting in with the wind.

Later, when Gu Chengming got up to leave, Yu Wenqiu saw him to the courtyard gate.

She stood inside the threshold, watching his silhouette disappear at the end of the stone path.

the autumn wind blew, ruffling the osmanthus flower at her temple.

Yu Wenqiu sat on the threshold alone for a while.

—Looking back, her urgent desire for dual cultivation actually had its roots earlier.

It was an evening shortly after Gu Chengming had first left the mountain.

An uninvited guest had arrived outside the Wenjian Sect's gate.

The Sect Leader of the Hehuan Sect, Fu Xiaoxiao!

She had naturally come looking for Gu Chengming, but since he wasn't there, she should have left. Unexpectedly, she sought out Yu Wenqiu.

When the Hehuan Sect disciple came to her door, Yu Wenqiu was on high alert.

She naturally knew that the relationship between Fu Xiaoxiao and Gu Chengming was unusual.

She straightened her collar, prepared for a war of words, but she hadn't expected the other's first sentence to be:

"Have you and Little Gu dual cultivated yet?"

Yu Wenqiu nearly spat out her tea.

After being stunned for a good while, out of an almost instinctive competitive drive, she forced herself to answer: "Of course we have!"

As a result, the other woman looked at her with such pity that her self-esteem was wounded!

She knew the other had seen through her lie and thought this petite demoness from the Hehuan Sect would further humiliate her.

To her surprise, Fu Xiaoxiao actually began teaching her what Gu Chengming liked.

She even reminded her that if they were to dual cultivate, she should choose an outfit he might like, such as cat ears.

Dammit, this wasn't teaching; this was clearly showing off.

As she had guessed, the other woman was there to humiliate her!

Although the humiliation was intense, it also gave Yu Wenqiu a reminder and motivation.

By now, she had to admit that the demoness from the Hehuan Sect was right. They had been in a relationship for so long; it was time to dual cultivate!

After preparing herself mentally, she also had to admit the other's suggestion was indeed useful.

Of course, things like cat ears were too cliché; if she was going to do it, she would do it better!

After all, if she wanted to study Little Gu's preferences, she had a secret weapon.

—The Heavenly Eye!

Besides observation and transference, the Heavenly Eye also possessed the path of deduction.

However, this path was extremely limited and required a clear catalyst to perform a divination. Ordinary people might worry about finding such a catalyst, but Yu Wenqiu did not.

The heart method a cultivator practiced often best reflected their true preferences. As for the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art Gu Chengming practiced, she had been the one to help him choose it from the Scripture Repository back then.

If she performed a deduction through his heart method, she would surely gain something!

She closed her eyes, and the technique of the Heavenly Eye unfolded at her brow. The deduction lasted for about fifteen minutes, and at the end of the branches, a single image finally converged.

Yu Wenqiu opened her eyes, her expression becoming very subtle, and she couldn't help but swallow.

—Does Little Gu really like this kind of thing?

But the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art was chosen by both of them; there couldn't be a mistake...

Therefore, the problem could only lie with Gu Chengming.

"Little Gu, I never thought you'd have this kind of taste!"

Yu Wenqiu took a deep breath, her expression gradually becoming one of grim determination.

The more unique the preference, the more it proved the deduction was correct. After all, what was there to deduce about a normal person's preferences?

Something that could be solemnly deduced by the Heavenly Eye had to be something extraordinary!

With this thought, Elder Yu began her preparations overnight.

...

The next day, Gu Chengming's residence, the Hour of the Ox.

Gu Chengming was sitting cross-legged on his couch, his mind busy planning his future path.

—The Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth was coming, Sixth and Seventh Realm monsters were lining up to emerge, there was still an unfinished bond mission for the Qingxin Art in the Laboratory of Love, and the vacancies for the Dao Thrones had to be filled.

To put it nicely, this map upgrade was an opportunity; to put it bluntly, it meant the "newbie protection period" was over, and everything ahead would be a high-level game. He had to hurry and prepare.

As he was thinking, a series of noises suddenly sounded outside.

Thump, thump, thump!

It didn't sound like walking; it sounded more like someone was hopping?

Gu Chengming turned his head toward the half-open door.

Under the moonlight, a figure appeared outside the threshold.

A white quilt wrapped from the top of the head all the way to the ankles, airtight. Beneath that layer of white silk, the color of the clothes was green—seemed like a green dress?

—Where did this zongzi zombie come from?!

Yu Wenqiu stopped outside the threshold. Her hands were wrapped in the quilt and couldn't move, and her face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

A question mark slowly appeared above Gu Chengming's head.

"...Elder Yu, what kind of outfit is this?"

Seeing that Gu Chengming didn't show the expression she had imagined, Yu Wenqiu's heart skipped a beat.

Was the deduction wrong?! But the starting point of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art clearly—

Her face turned bright red, her lips moved several times, but she stammered for a long time without being able to form a sentence.

But just then, an unexpected presence identified the origin of Yu Wenqiu's outfit.

【Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art: Pancakes with scallions?!】

The question mark above Gu Chengming's head turned into two.

—What the hell, pancakes with scallions!

He re-examined the scene before him.

A thin, translucent white outer layer and a bright green, upright inner layer—it really did look like pancakes with scallions.

Looking at her with her red face, wrapped in white silk, wearing green clothes underneath, and hopping around in the moonlight, Gu Chengming finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Seeing Gu Chengming laugh, Yu Wenqiu suddenly became anxious. Her hands under the white silk didn't know where to go, so they could only hang stiffly at her sides as the entire zongzi swayed violently.

She took a hop, but the white silk was too long and tripped her. She fell onto the steps in front of his door and rolled twice, stopping exactly at his feet.

A corner of the white silk came loose, revealing the edge of her green clothes and a section of her flushed neck.

She lay on the ground without moving, intending to play dead.

"I won't be able to hold my head up in the sect anymore."

"Only I saw it."

"Then you're even worse!"

Gu Chengming gathered the scattered white silk and then looked at Yu Wenqiu with a smile. "How about you get up first?"

Yu Wenqiu gave a muffled "mm" and stood up. The white silk trailed on the ground. She lowered her head to tidy it for a while, but the more she tidied, the messier it got. She eventually gave up and let the white silk hang off her.

"Don't wrinkle my dignity."

Although Elder Yu's current appearance was indeed embarrassing, Gu Chengming picked her up. Looking at Gu Chengming so close to her, Yu Wenqiu's brain started buzzing again.

No way, no way, is it coming?!

The shame and anger in her heart hadn't dissipated yet, but expectation surged up again.

And then, everything happened naturally.

Whether the Heavenly Eye's deduction was accurate or not was no longer important at this moment.

When the door closed behind them, it made a very soft "mhm" sound.

Moonlight shone in through the window paper.

Elder Yu's "Operation: Get Fed" was a grand success!