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Ye Yunlan frowned as soon as he heard the familiar and soft voice.
Shen Shu stopped walking with him at the same time. He turned sideways, and saw Rong Ran standing not far away. Three years ago, this person gave Master drugs, yet now he is still entangled with his Master? Three years ago, he did not understand the way this person’s eyes looked at his Master, but now he understood. This person when looking at his Master was full of desire.
This person’s tricks were already done with so it’s fine, but he still dared daydream about his master?
Before Ye Yunlan could speak, Shen Shu took a step forward and blocked Ye Yunlan. He stretched his long sword in front of him and raised his chin slightly, “Who are you? You dare to stand in the way?”
Rong Ran’s complexion changed, but the sweet smile still didn’t fade from his face.
He raised his hand and curled the hair around his temple. “Back then, I always taught Ah Lan to treat others with respect. Ah Lan has always done a good job. Martial Nephew Shen is also a disciple of Ah Lan, how can you not be educated like that… Oh, I forgot. You were like this three years ago, and now three years later, you still have a hard time changing your nature. It’s a shame that this Senior Brother didn’t stop Ah Lan from accepting you as a disciple in time, now Ah Lan has a disciple like you. I am afraid that Ah Lan must often have headaches now, right?”
This person kept saying the word “Ah Lan” openly, making him annoyed.
Shen Shu was too lazy to talk nonsense with him any more. He was just about to pull out his sword when he heard Ye Yunlan’s cold voice: “Rong Ran, I have said this before, don’t call me Ah Lan again. You are not worthy.”
Shen Shu heard this and smiled: “Master is right. People who are familiar with each other can call each other’s direct name to show their intimacy, but to a stranger with a very bad impression of you, that’s being shameless…Oh, or rather, there is one more word to describe this. It’s depraved.”
Rong Ran’s face turned black.
Again, the two, master and disciple, followed one after another and really regarded him as nothing.
He looked at Ye Yunlan, his eyes were no longer soft and beautiful. There was a morbid gloomy madness in his eyes. He still said in a slow voice: “Ah Lan, I remember that your disciple is also going to participate in the dao conference. If Senior Brother isn’t wrong, his cultivation base is only in the golden core stage now. Are you okay with having him climb the ascension steps? After all, death and injury are common on the ascension steps, even having broken hands and feet.”
He finished speaking, then smiled again, “But Ah Lan, don’t worry, I’m his Martial Uncle. If I meet Martial Nephew Shen on the ascension steps, I will naturally take care of him. By the way, I can also teach him on behalf of Ah Lan what is the courtesy one should have when treating others.”
Ye Yunlan’s eyes stared sternly at Rong Ran, “Rong Ran.”
Rong Ran only smiled at him.
Ye Yunlan held his queying sword in his hand tightly, but Shen Shu pulled his sleeves. He said to Rong Ran: “I don’t know how to treat people, but today someone taught me what it means to have a face as thick as a wall and what it means to be self-willing and cheap.”
“Martial Nephew Shen’s tongue is quite nimble.” Rong Ran’s eyebrows were cold, “I hope you can still speak to me like this after the ascension stage is open.”
Shen Shu: “I’m afraid you won’t even have a chance to speak at that time.”
Rong Ran squinted slightly. He wanted to say something, but his face changed slightly. He left a cruel sentence, “What will happen, we will know by then. “After that, he pressed his stomach with his hands and hurried away.
After Rong Ran left, Ye Yunlan said lightly: “You don’t need to be triggered by him.”
Shen Shu’s eyes were dark: “It’s just a dancing clown, why would I get triggered by him? Master, please don’t worry. I have already remembered what you said before. During the ascension stage, I will be cautious and never act randomly.”
The morning light reflected on Shen Shu’s young, handsome face. The young man looked at his master seriously, his expression was not hostile, but the shadow behind him was slightly distorted.
Ye Yunlan didn’t realize it, but said: “If you really meet, you don’t have to be afraid to fight him. After all, in this world, only the strong are the real truth.”
Speaking to this point, his appearance became indifferent.
Suddenly there was a tremor from a distant place.
They saw the longevity tree in the distance glowing. The faint blue flowers on the top of the tree swayed quickly, and the petals floated in the air like rain. A gap of glittering golden light slowly split from the trunk.
Someone shouted: “The Ascension Stage is open!”
The crowd around the ancient tree began to squeeze into the golden crack, for fear of falling behind others by half a point.
Shen Shu stood beside him and didn’t move.
Ye Yunlan: “Aren’t you in a hurry?”
Shen Shu: “Many people are not in a hurry, why should I be in a hurry?”
Around the ancient tree, there were indeed many disciples who didn’t rush to enter. After all, it is different from the climbing steps outside. The communication stream is a world of its own, and the journey through the communication stream to the summit is far away. It really isn’t something that a brief amount of time would affect the so-called outcome.
“Not to mention…I want to stay with Master for a while.”
Shen Shu looked back and smiled at Ye Yunlan. He took out an oil paper bag from his storage ring, and handed it to Ye Yunlan, “These are apricot blossom mung bean cakes. At the market, I saw that Master liked it, so I deliberately went out and brought some back early this morning.”
Ye Yunlan was startled. He took the oil paper bag in his hand, and slowly rubbed the other hand on the oil paper bag a few times: “You’ve been kind.” He rolled up his sleeves and took out a piece of mung bean cake from the paper bag.
The mung bean cake was still hot. He felt a scorching pain on his fingertips that had been invaded by the cold winter. He lowered his head and took a bite.
It was soft and sweet.
Shen Shu stared at him intently: “Master, if I reach the floating cloud summit, can you agree to give me a reward?”
Ye Yunlan: “What reward?”
“I want Master to pick a flower for me.” Shen Shu said, “Just as I picked out one for Master.”
Ye Yunlan raised his eyes slightly, “What flower do you want?”
“Any flower is good.” Shen Shu said, “As long as it is picked by Master personally, it will be good. As long as I think that Master has picked a flower for me and is waiting at Floating Cloud summit for me, I will have a lot more strength to climb forwards.”
“……okay, Master promises you.”
Between the teacher and student dialogue, more than half the flow of people gathered around the tree had entered. After Ye Yunlan slowly finished the piece of mungbean cake, Shen Shu came close. One hand parted the veil hat, while the other held a handkerchief, wiping the corners of his lips. He whispered: “When I’m away, Master must take good care of yourself.”
The young man’s eyes were dark and deep, it’s shape sharp and narrow. It vaguely revealed a bit of familiarity.
Ye Yunlan was in a trance again. He pursed his lips and raised his hand to take the veil back. He tapped the young man’s forehead with the back of his hand. “The trials and tribulations on the ascension to the sky are innumerable. First care about yourself, your Master doesn’t need you to worry about. Don’t dilly dally, go quickly.”
“Yes,” Shen Shu touched the place where he was knocked on and smiled at him, “–Yes, Master.”
He turned around, then vigorously leaped down from the hillside. His black hair tied behind him raised up, then he rushed into the golden crack like a wolf.
The crowd was gone, and the area around the ancient tree became quiet again. The breeze blew past, swirling the sky with blue petals.
Ye Yunlan took the oil paper bag in his hand. The warmth dispelled some of the winter chill for him.
He looked at the ancient tree in the distance. He slowly picked up the mung bean cakes one by one and ate them. He carefully wiped the palms of his hands with the handkerchief, then turned and left.
Back in the cave, he was assaulted by a heat wave.
Gu Xuan was sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, light golden blood circling around him. He closed his eyes and his eyelashes kept trembling.
There was blood oozing out of the bandaged chest, then suddenly, he vomited out a mouthful of gray-purple black blood. The blood fell on the ground, corroding into a black smoke pit.
Gu Xuan slowly collected his power and calmed the blood flow in his body.
After spitting out the congested blood from his body, his injury was more than half healed. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ye Yunlan in a snow white fox fur sitting at the stone table under the purple cloud tree with his veiled hat by his hand, watching him quietly.
“… you are back?” Gu Xuan was startled.
“The power of such a pure fire bloodline, such an intense yang energy, no one else in the world could have this. This is unique to the Yaori royal family who inherited the blood of the ancient Divine Phoenix.” Ye Yunlan said calmly, “You are not surnamed Gu, but Ye.”
Gu Xuan was silent for a moment, then he smiled bitterly: “When did you find out?”
Ye Yunlan: “When I saved you. Your blood was suffused with some gold, so I already knew.”
Gu Xuan was determined to look at him, “Since this is so and you said that you have a grudge with the Yaori royal family, why did you want to save me?”
Ye Yunlan: “Is there a reason to save people? Besides, you are already better now, so you should abide by our agreement and leave.”
“You know my last name is Ye, are you not curious about my identity?” Gu Xuan said, “not to mention, fellow daoist also has the surname Ye. We may be connected in blood.”
Ye Yunlan’s appearance became much paler, “How many people have the surname Ye in this world? Do you think it’s just your Yaori royal family? Do you think they would all come forward to confess to being my relatives one by one? Besides, my body does not have the blood of the Divine Phoenix, don’t you already know that?”
Hearing this, Gu Xuan’s heart slightly tightened.
The blood sacrifice method was cruel. Ye Yunlan’s blood had already been taken away, so how could he perceive the other’s blood? Even the intimacy between twins that they once had when they were young has long since disappeared.
“I am not a member of the Ye clan, not now or ever.” Ye Yunlan got up and looked at Gu Xuan’s face. “Yaori’s Royal Crown Prince has arrived at the communication stream two days ago. It’s better to seek protection from him. It’s much safer than my cave with a person whose cultivation base has been crippled. What’s more, even if you are not afraid of danger, I am afraid of getting into trouble because of this. The matter of your Yaori royal family has nothing to do with me.”
Listening to Ye Yunlan’s mouth say “Your Yaori Royal family”, Gu Xuan frowned, but he couldn’t refute it.
He was silent. Then holding the rib area where he still had bleeding wounds, he slowly got up from the bed and whispered: “These two days, I have disturbed fellow daoist.”
“While you had been saying that there is no need for thanks, I will remember the kindness of fellow daoist for saving my life. I will never forget it.”
He took out a black robe from his storage ring and put it on himself. The hem of the robe was embroidered with dark gold lines. It was very low-key, but the embroidery was extremely meticulous. If you look closely, it was clear it was expensive.
He turned around. His long sleeves hung down to his side, then he walked outside the cave in silence without a word. His tall figure looked a little sparse and familiar.
Ye Yunlan looked at his back and suddenly said: “Two days ago, I met a young man named Ye Xun in the market outside the mountain. He seemed to be looking for your crown prince. I think he should be related to your royal family.”
Gu Xuan stopped for a moment, “Thank you for your advice.”
After Gu Xuan left, only Ye Yunlan was left in the cave.
The stove that Shen Shu arranged was still emitting heat on the stone table. The petals from the purple cloud tree fell on him. He took one from his hair, held it in the palm of his hand, and quietly looked at the lines on the petals. He thought about what he had just agreed to.
Shen Shu asked him to pick him a flower.
What kind of flower does Shen Shu want him to pick?
Red blossoms are too colorful, white blossoms are too light, ice lotuses are hard to find… and there are not many flowers that can bloom in winter.
He remembered that he had once made it difficult for Shen Shu and asked him to bring him a XueZhan flower. A few years later, it seems that Shen Shu has learned to make it hard for his master.
Ye Yunlan thought helplessly, but deep in his eyes, there was a slight indulgent smile.
It takes a lot of work to go to the floating cloud summit as a mortal.
In the absence of Shen Shu, Ye Yunlan showed little interest in having his three meals a day, so he went out of the communication stream and bought a few bottles of Bigu pills in the market outside the mountain. Then, he went to a mortal stall and bought a few packs of mung bean and apricot blossom cakes by himself.
Only after taking it, he felt that it was not as hot as the bag that Shen Shu had just handed over. It also cannot be compared to the ones in the Central Continent courtyard. The ones where the man would walk out of the house with the porcelain plate, hug him in his arms, and feed them to him one by one. His mung bean and apricot blossom cakes were sweet and soft.
——Such a taste, he would never taste it again in this life.
Ye Yunlan walked into the market.
After the conference opened, the market had a lot less people, but the Xuanji pavilion beside the lake still had many people gathering there.
Ye Yunlan walked by and heard a shout: “Look, the Tianji list has changed–”
“Are you sure? Isn’t the ranking list updated only once a month? They’re changing it after three days…”
“What do you know. As long as the top three in the Tianji ranking list changes within one month, the heavenly secret stone will also change immediately. Let me take a closer look at the three lists of heaven, earth, and mortal. The ranking of the people on these lists have not changed, but the weapon list has. The weapon list’s number one… is Void turn Mirror, what is that? It actually surpassed the Soul Eater Ancestor’s Asura sword?”
“The list of beauties has also changed. Look, Xu Qingyue, who has occupied the first place in the list of beauties for several years, has actually changed his ranking to second. Now the first is… Eastern Continent’s Sky Sect, Ye Yunlan?”
“Ye Yunlan? Who is he?”