Upon hearing Gu Qing's words, Su Yuan's eyelashes fluttered for a moment, and his Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed up and down.
"Gu Qing! What a stupid idea you've come up with! Don't you know how dangerous the Wuhuang Valley is? What if something happens to Zhaozhao there?" Nan Jia frowned and nudged Gu Qing with her elbow. She just couldn't bear to treat Zhaozhao like this.
Just as she was reluctant to believe that Zhaozhao had any ill - intentions, even though so many coincidences were right in front of her.
Gu Qing wasn't annoyed at being nudged by Nan Jia. He patiently reasoned with her, "We can't test her blood, and even the Divine Ear couldn't tell her identity. Now, only the Wuhuang Valley can serve as a test. There, she surely won't be able to keep up the act any longer. This is the best way."
Nan Jia still wasn't convinced. "What if she's really just an ordinary person?"
"She managed to shatter the spiritual stone of the Mystic Sect. How ordinary can she be?" Gu Qing retorted.
"You—! Get out! Don't let me see you tonight!" Nan Jia was so angry that she flicked her skirt and left.
Su Yuan listened to their bickering but remained silent, lost in his own thoughts.
"Boss, time is running out. According to what you've said, the strange fragrance on that girl that can quell your sins is quite suspicious. You..."
"Do you suspect she's the one?" Su Yuan asked calmly, then turned and stared silently at Gu Qing.
Gu Qing scoffed, "Anyone would be suspicious... Besides, even if she isn't the one, there must be some connection."
Su Yuan didn't refute, seemingly acquiescing.
"You can leave first."
"Yes." Gu Qing left as ordered.
Su Yuan stood in the room for a long time. It was not until the moon outside climbed onto the treetops and quietly shed its chill into the room that he moved and then sat cross - legged on the bed.
Gu Qing was right. If they wanted to test Zhaozhao, sending her to the Wuhuang Valley was the best option.
But... the Wuhuang Valley was extremely dangerous. What if she got hurt in there?
Rationality told Su Yuan that Zhaozhao was definitely not an ordinary person. At least in terms of combat ability, Zhaozhao was much more intelligent than many humans or demons. But there were always exceptions.
Moreover, what if Zhaozhao really showed something abnormal in the Wuhuang Valley? What should he do then? What should he do with her?
But Zhaozhao knew nothing. What ill - intention could she possibly have?
A thousand thoughts flooded Su Yuan's mind. He had never been so hesitant before.
His heart, connected to every part of his body, ached. It hurt when he moved, and it hurt when he didn't. It was just like his feelings for Zhaozhao.
The Divine Ear said they were tied by their past mortal fates. But he had already cut off his past and severed his mortal ties. What should he do on the road ahead?
Recalling his own actions, Zhaozhao knew nothing. In the end, it was he who couldn't resist the temptation and overstepped the line.
Su Yuan had never been in love with anyone in tens of thousands of years. He had never had such absurd possessiveness before. Maybe it was just the influence of the Divine Ear's words, and had nothing to do with so - called love between a man and a woman.
Zhaozhao was such a bright and lovely person. Anyone would be tempted to be nice to her. Weren't Nan Jia and Song Yao the same?
Su Yuan sat on the edge of the bed for a long time and finally defined his abnormal behavior in the past few days.
Yes, this was not love. He didn't love her.
---
After leaving Su Yuan, Zhaozhao rushed back to her room and tried many times to use the Earth - Shrinking Formation to get to Wutong Mountain, but all attempts ended in failure.
She was extremely anxious but kept comforting herself, "Calm down, Zhaozhao! Only by staying calm can you find a way! Master is so powerful. He must be fine..."
But how could she really stay calm? The more she thought, the more helpless she felt. Finally, she took out the little conch with a glimmer of hope.
She hoped that Master remembered what she said and had removed part of the barrier on Wutong Mountain.
After connecting to the conch, Zhaozhao tentatively called out in a hoarse voice, "Senior Sister..."
One second, two seconds. There was no response from the conch.
"Is it still not working..."
Just as Zhaozhao squatted down dejectedly, hugging her knees and curling herself into a ball, a gentle female voice suddenly came from the conch, "Zhaozhao? Is that you?"
"It's me! It's me! Senior Sister, I'm Zhaozhao." Happiness came so suddenly that Zhaozhao suddenly lifted her head from her arms and shouted eagerly while holding the conch.
"Okay, okay, I know. Keep your voice down. You're going to numb my ears." The senior sister on the other end said helplessly.
Zhaozhao's heart was now entirely on her master, Chongming. She didn't care about her senior sister's ears. "Senior Sister, where's Master? How is he?"
"Master?" The second senior sister wondered why Zhaozhao would ask this. She looked up at Master, who was sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, and replied, "Master is fine. He's here. Do you want to talk to him first?"
Zhaozhao couldn't wish for anything better and quickly said yes. So the second senior sister picked up the conch and went to find Chongming.
"Master, it's Zhaozhao." The second senior sister handed the conch to Chongming and then sat down nearby.
Chongming slowly opened his eyes, placed the conch on the small table in front of him, and called out his little disciple's name, "Zhaozhao, do you have something to tell Master?"
"Master..." The moment Zhaozhao heard Master's voice, her voice was tinged with sobs. "Master, Su Yuan said he met you and fought with you. He said you were injured. Does it hurt? Are you okay?"
Chongming's expression remained calm. He softly comforted his little disciple, "It was just a minor injury. I was already fine before I reached Wutong Mountain. Don't cry. Master is okay."
Zhaozhao's second senior sister couldn't bear to hear her little junior sister cry. She walked over with some sunflower seeds and chimed in, "Yes, yes. Don't cry, Zhaozhao. Master is perfectly fine."
Hearing this, Zhaozhao finally felt relieved and wiped away the few tears that had escaped.
"Master, did you want to tell me something when you asked me to go to the Examination Hall that day?" She remembered this and asked Chongming in a hoarse voice.
Chongming paused for a moment, then waved his second disciple away. Only after the second disciple's puzzled shouts did he calmly say, "Zhaozhao, do you still have the dragon scale that the Azure Dragon gave you?"
Zhaozhao touched the dragon scale around her neck. For some reason, her voice was soft, "Yes, I do."
Chongming let out a sigh of relief and seriously instructed her, "Zhaozhao, listen carefully. You must never take off that dragon scale in the future. Do you understand?"
Although Zhaozhao didn't understand why, she was very obedient. She nodded obediently, "I understand, Master."
Chongming seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on the other end. Then he told her another thing, "I know you're going to the Demon Administration Bureau with Su Yuan. Remember what I'm about to say. Listen carefully, okay?"
Chongming's tone was unprecedentedly serious, and Zhaozhao couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. "Yes, okay."
"He will send you to a place called the Wuhuang Valley. At that time, Zhaozhao, don't object. Just go with him. But Master wants you to remember that you must not use any of your demonic power in the Wuhuang Valley. You can only use the spell talismans and formations that Master taught you."
"Master, I remember."
Chongming sighed. Two hundred years had passed. He hoped that this trip to the Wuhuang Valley would bring some hope.