Venerated Venomous Consort

The Firmament Stone had tasked Gu Xijiu to set up the most secured array formation possible using stones. No one would be able to break into this fortress, and Gu Xijiu was finally able to utilize her mastery in this craft fully. Consequently, the three gentlemen found themselves isolated outside of the array formation. No one was allowed to enter.

Zhu Duqing thought he knew a lot about the techniques Gu Xijiu used in forming these barriers. To his dismay, he had no clue how to break through the one in front of him. The two guardians felt the same. Equally confused, they could only stare at the array formation without a clue.

Inside the formation, Gu Xijiu was still wondering what was going on. Was the Firmament Stone playing a prank on her? How could there be such an abnormal soul-tracking spell that required an array formation of such fortitude?

She then listened to the explanation from the Firmament Stone about how to find Di Fuyi. The method that the Firmament Stone had proposed to her was rather exceptional. She was required to sit face-to-face with Di Fuyi, both completely naked. More accurately speaking, she had to sit in his lap to be as close as she could be with him; the more skin contact, the better.

At first, she felt that it was definitely a prank. However, the Firmament Stone kept reassuring her that it was the fastest way to track him down. It even said that she was the only one who could save him. And if she did not act swiftly, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Gu Xijiu began to panic as the Firmament Stone continued to tell her more. Fear had completely dominated her ability to think logically. Although, between the mess, she sensed a feeling of familiarity. It was if she had been through a similar situation many years ago. She must not lose him again, she thought. Therefore, Gu Xijiu was determined to do as told. She followed the Firmament Stone’s instruction to the last letter.

Earlier, Gu Xijiu had asked her three comrades to guard the place and made sure that the array formation would not be disrupted. The two guardians agreed promptly, but Zhu Duqing was unimpressed. Gu Xijiu had never properly told him how she planned to save Di Fuyi, so he was not quite certain about leaving her alone with the man. Thus, he offered to stay with her and Di Fuyi to be their assistant should anything go astray.

Gu Xijiu certainly did not let him hang around to witness the entire process. But having been familiarized with him, she knew that he would definitely want a clear answer. Unfortunately, she was not able to explain the entire situation to him.

Therefore, she decided to send him out using her teleportation technique. When they were out, she reassured him with a pat on the shoulder and said, “Be patient, my disciple. Do as I say, and stay here to guard the place. If you perform well, I will teach you everything you need to know about the facial disguise technique. If not, I will not accept you as my disciple anymore.”

Zhu Duqing was astonished. However, before he could say anything, Gu Xijiu was already gone. She went back into the array formation using her teleportation technique and shut the entrance completely.

Zhu Duqing circled the array formation many times but was still unable to gather any clues as to how to escape. Finally, he decided to stop trying and stood patiently with his fan in his hand. Nonetheless, numerous thoughts circled his mind. “If it was only a rescue mission, was it necessary to send everyone out? How was she going to save Di Fuyi?”

The two guardians noticed his disappointment. Concerned that he would intervene and disrupt the plan set in place by Gu Xijiu, they walked up to him and started to distract him with some small talk.

…

After clearing the place, Gu Xijiu finally put Di Fuyi down on a flat surface. She barely saw him sitting so quietly. She had been moving around him a lot, but he did not even move one bit. He still sat in his meditating position with his eyes closed, like the jade statue of a Buddha.

Inspired by the familiarity of the scene, Gu Xijiu could somehow recall the flashback of a jade statue that she once saw in a small pavilion. The vivid image shocked her as she was usually unable to see the images clearly when she experienced hallucinations, but this time was completely different. She saw that the jade statue and Di Fuyi looked almost identical.

The major difference was their attires- one was in white and another in purple.