Fairy, please don't do this!

Under the combined impact of the medicine and external force, the pain penetrated deep into his bones, causing his body to convulse uncontrollably.

"Alright, the medicinal effects have spread throughout your body and can be refined on its own."

About half an hour later, Xiao Qingyi landed gracefully, raised one fair and delicate foot, and kicked Gu Jinzhao's buttocks hard while he was still in mid-air!

boom--

The gates of Jinglan Hall opened in response.

Gu Jinchao once again transformed into a graceful parabola, flying out of the hall and piercing the sky.

Then, with a splash, he plunged headfirst into the clear pond outside the hall, where lotus flowers were in full bloom, causing water to splash everywhere and creating ripples.

At the pond, Jing Shu, who was feeding the koi with a jade spoon, turned her head upon hearing the sound. Seeing this familiar scene, she was slightly taken aback, and then tentatively called out softly, "Chief Gu?"

"Cough cough..."

The water churned, and a wet figure emerged from the surface, spitting out a lively koi carp before struggling to speak: "Aunt Jing Shu... please, help me out."

"The true essence and spiritual power within the body are out of control, and one is temporarily unable to move."

Jing Shu couldn't help but chuckle. With a gentle wave of her hand, she used a soft spiritual energy to lift the person from the pool and gently place them on the blue stone on the shore.

"Is Commander Gu perhaps practicing some kind of palm technique that descends from the sky again?"

Gu Jinzhao circulated the "Six Elements True Demon Technique" to forcibly stabilize the surging true essence within his body before he could barely sit up. He casually made up a story: "The Empress Dowager said that there is a thousand-year-old turtle in this lotus pond, and ordered me to catch it and make soup."

"In my haste, my true essence and spiritual power went awry, and that's why I ended up looking like this drowned rat."

Jing Shu asked in confusion, "Where did this thousand-year-old tortoise come from in the lotus pond?"

"Perhaps I misheard." Gu Jinzhao shook his head, used his spiritual power to dry the moisture on his body, and cupped his hands to Jing Shu, saying, "Thank you for your help, Aunt Jing Shu."

Jing Shu smiled lightly, "Chief Gu, you're too kind."

"I have official business to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I will take my leave."

After Gu Jinzhao finished speaking, he endured the aches and pains that made his whole body feel like it was falling apart and limped out of the palace.

He is now in pain all over his body, especially his buttocks, which are burning hot as if they have been repeatedly pounded by an iron hammer hundreds of times, and are swollen to a high degree.

This woman is petty and narrow-minded.

It was just three slaps on those round, phoenix-shaped buttocks, and a shameful CG scene on the spot, right?

This isn't the first time!

As for why he was hastily summoned to the palace the next day, was it to take revenge under the guise of bestowing a reward?

but……

Gu Jinchao looked inward at himself, feeling the martial arts foundation that had been thoroughly tempered and perfected, as well as the surging power within his body that had broken through to the seventh rank and condensed half of a martial spirit.

That's it!

Getting a beating in exchange for these tangible benefits isn't a bad deal.

As for the imperial decree's reward, it will soon be delivered to the Demon Suppression Division.

……

Inside the Jinglan Hall, the aura gradually subsided.

After Xiao Qingyi "entertained" Gu Jinzhao in the independent hall, the embarrassment and frustration in her heart finally dissipated.

Her eyes shifted slightly, and she took a step forward.

hum-

Ripples spread across the space, and the scenery changed in an instant.

When I regained my senses, I found myself in a quiet and elegant room.

Outside the window, sparse bamboo provides shade, while inside, the scent of sandalwood lingers faintly.

On the bed, Tantai Xuanji lay asleep on her side, her black hair spread out like ink.

Sensing the movement, she slowly opened her eyes and yawned: "Your Majesty, what brings you to my place so early in the morning?"

Xiao Qingyi sat down, poured tea, took a sip, and then asked, "Does Gu Jinzhao have any connection with your Heavenly Sect?"

Tantai Xuanji sat up, the brocade quilt slipped down, revealing her voluptuous figure wrapped in a snow-white nightgown: "My senior sister is now his aunt."

Xiao Qingyi's gaze narrowed slightly: "'The Milky Way hangs low, I ask the Weaver Girl; flowers bloom on the path, I see the Moon Goddess.' Who is in this poem?"

As far as she knew, the only person Gu Jinzhao addressed as "Aunt" in the Qingyun Sect was Si Ruoyu, the female physician from Baicaotang.

“Indeed!” Tantai Xuanji nodded, her gaze sweeping over Xiao Qingyi: “The Empress Dowager’s visit here must have been for more than just to verify this matter, right?”

Xiao Qingyi put down her teacup and asked directly, "In the realm of the mind, is there a method to counteract the deduction of cause and effect in destiny techniques?"

She knew very well that if she didn't find a way to deal with Gu Jinzhao's divination techniques, she would probably be defeated again the next time she entered the Mind Realm.

Upon hearing this, Tantai Xuanji gently raised her hand, and a jade slip floated toward Xiao Qingyi: "This contains a divine power called [Primordial Qi]."

"This method can reverse the universe and the five elements, causing the divination practitioner to be trapped in a chaotic maze, or even suffer a backlash from the energy, and have their mind disturbed."

Xiao Qingyi reached out and took the jade slip. Beneath the mask, her beautiful red lips slowly curved into a cool smile.

If one can master this technique and re-enter the realm of the mind, one will surely be able to subdue that treacherous lackey who has repeatedly defied his authority and thoroughly humiliate him...

Chapter 132, The First Meeting of the Real and Fake Crown Princes (3K)

"Speaking of this Commander Gu, after discovering the whereabouts of the Jade-Faced Gentleman, the eighteenth on the Demon List, he led his men to attack without saying a word!"

"Gentlemen, guess where that handsome young man, Hua Wuyue, is hiding?"

"It was actually in the private residence of his superior, Chen Qingfeng. When Commander Gu broke down the door, the two of them were whispering sweet nothings to each other!"

"After he captured the two men with lightning speed, the commanders of the Zhao and Chen families from the Military Supervisory Office arrived at the same time, not only to take the men away but also to silence them!"

"Fortunately, Commander Gu was a man of iron will, unafraid of power, and with only his seventh-rank cultivation, he defeated two fifth-rank commanders with a single sword strike!"

"Then, Deputy Prefect Zhao Xiangcheng appeared, piercing the sky with a spear, intending to kill him on the spot..."

Inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, a storyteller stands on a stage, his folding fan opening and closing as he speaks fluently and eloquently.

The hall was already packed, with even the aisles and the threshold crowded with listeners craning their necks, all intently listening, afraid of missing a single word.

The storyteller scanned the audience, and seeing that the atmosphere had reached its climax, he suddenly grabbed the gavel and slammed it down heavily:

"At this critical moment, Gu Baihu laughed loudly: 'The sharp stars shine through three thousand worlds, a single thought can change the vicissitudes of twelve towers!'"

Before the words were even finished, the sword had been drawn half an inch, and the world had already lost its color!

"This terrified the powerful Deputy Commander Zhao of the Military Supervisory Office so much that he nearly wet himself, fell from his pedestal, and begged for mercy on his knees..."

The private room on the second floor had its carved windows half-closed.

Gu Jinchao leaned against the window, listening to the increasingly outrageous words downstairs, and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

He knew that storytellers were used to embellishing and exaggerating the plot, but he never expected them to exaggerate to this extent.

When did he ever scare Zhao Xiangcheng so much with just a few words?

That's clearly because of the [Phoenix and Luan Decree].

Not to mention that poem that was made up from who-knows-where!

The language is ornate yet reeks of childishness; how could it possibly come from his mouth?

If it were replaced by Mo Zangfeng, the second senior brother of the arrogant king, it would be more like it.

Yu Fengzhi, standing beside him, pouted, her pink cheeks puffed out, and tugged at Gu Jinzhao's sleeve with some dissatisfaction: "How could they have forgotten about Feng'er?"

"Mingming Feng'er even helped her brother defeat that Commander Chen!"

Gu Jinzhao chuckled and reached out to rub her little head: "Storytellers only hear things secondhand, and after going through several intermediaries, they have no idea about the actual details of what happened that day."

Wang Han, standing next to him, had already raised his glass and downed it in one gulp: "Boss, you're really impressive! This glass is for you!"

Ma Xu and Shao Baxing also raised their glasses with smiles and echoed, "Wishing our boss a prosperous career and continuous promotions!"

Even the calico cat, who was squatting on the corner of the table and gnawing on a chicken leg, raised its little head and said in a sweet voice, "May you have a successful career, young master!"

Upon seeing this, Yu Fengzhi picked up her wine cup and smiled sweetly, "Wishing you, brother, a prosperous official career!"

Actually, she got a promotion too!

But for her, it didn't matter whether he was a captain or a centurion; as long as she could be by her brother's side and see him every day, she was content.

Gu Jinchao smiled as his gaze swept over the familiar faces before him, a warmth spreading through his heart. He raised his glass, clinked it lightly with the others, and downed it in one gulp.

At dawn, he had just returned to the Ministry of Personnel from Jinglan Palace when the Empress Dowager's imperial edict descended from the sky with the clear sound of bells, making a grand entrance.

The commotion alarmed the entire military command.

This was naturally intentional.

Firstly, it was a way to reward merit, and secondly, it was a way to announce to everyone that Gu Jinzhao belonged to Xiao Qingyi.

Even the storyteller in this restaurant dared to publicize it so blatantly, which made Gu Jinchao suspect that the Empress Dowager's faction was secretly behind it.

Otherwise, given the power and influence that the Zhao and Chen families had cultivated in Yujing City for many years, coupled with the sensitive matter of openly discussing the internal affairs of the Demon Suppression Division, the Drunken Immortal Pavilion would probably have been shut down long ago under some pretext.

Gu Jinzhao knew perfectly well that Xiao Qingyi was building momentum for him, intending to portray him as a model of the Demon Suppression Division who was not afraid of power and enforced the law impartially.

This would both curb the increasingly arrogant attitude of Buddhism and attract more young talents from various sects to serve the imperial court.

In addition, Xiao Qingyi probably had another ulterior motive in her actions.

That would create a rift between him and the Qingyun Sect.

Imagine a disciple carefully nurtured by a sect, who, shortly after joining the Demon Suppression Division, is promoted repeatedly and even receives the Phoenix Decree from the Empress Dowager.

If this situation were seen by the sect, they would inevitably suspect that he had been recruited by the Empress Dowager and become a member of the court.

How could the higher-ups of the Qingyun Sect not feel resentful upon learning this?

However, Gu Jinzhao had already anticipated all of this when he decided to join the Demon Suppression Division.

Therefore, he expressed his opinion to the Third Elder, Yun Qihe, early on.

I have come to the Demon Suppression Division solely to slay demons and monsters, hone my swordsmanship, and solidify my foundation in the Dao.

In recent days, he has indeed acted in this way, and all the cases he has taken on and the evil spirits he has eliminated are documented in files.

The conflict with the Zhao and Chen families was also due to the latter colluding with evil cultivators to refine the Blood Essence Pill first.

His opponents repeatedly set traps, wanting to get rid of him as soon as possible; he was merely acting in self-defense.

Of course, these alone are not enough to completely dispel the doubts of the sect's higher-ups.

So last night, Gu Jinzhao used a paper crane to send a message to the sect.

The letter detailed the general trend after the Zen sect returned to Zhongzhou, and its ambitious desire to seize the discourse power of the Daoist sect and suppress the Daoist tradition.

It was also specifically pointed out that the Buddhist disciples had entered the Demon Suppression Division and were trying to use the pretext of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path to promote the power and prestige of Buddhism.

With this shift in power, the reputation of Taoism will inevitably be suppressed, and its interests will also be harmed.

As a disciple of the Daoist sect and a member of the Qingyun sect, how could he sit idly by at this critical juncture?

Gu Jinzhao knew that after these words, the last trace of doubt among the Qingyun Sect's higher-ups would vanish.

After all, just before the gathering of heroes from the six sects, disciples of the Zen Realm challenged him by setting up a challenge in Qingyun City. In order to protect the reputation of his sect, he angrily led his men to block the gate of the Zen Realm.

How could disciples who are willing to sacrifice their lives for their sects possibly betray them for wealth and glory?

Just as the group was enjoying their drinks and the atmosphere was getting lively, footsteps came from the stairs.

Immediately afterwards, the door to the private room next door was respectfully pushed open by the waiter: "Distinguished guests, please come in!"

The two elegant rooms were separated only by a carved window. Gu Jinchao looked up and saw two men and a woman filing in.

Two of them were none other than the Zen disciple Wunian and the Buddhist nun Miaotan, both dressed in simple monk's robes and exuding an otherworldly aura.

As for the other one, he was a young man dressed in fine clothes, with a handsome face and wearing a purple jade crown.

Seemingly noticing Gu Jinzhao's gaze, the three of them turned to look at him at the same time.

Wu Nian clasped his hands together, his expression serene: "Amitabha, how have you been, Benefactor Gu?"

Miao Tan's expression was indifferent as she coldly glanced at him.

The purple-robed man's gaze fell on Gu Jinzhao, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips: "Is this the recently famous Commander Gu?"