Fairy, please don't do this!

Then, he flicked his finger.

A wisp of true yang fire suddenly leaped out, gently enveloping the now smooth and shiny hen, and began to roast it.

Before long, the aroma of roasted meat filled the bungalow, but under the protection of Gu Jinzhao's spiritual power, not a single trace escaped.

Luo Ling'er stared blankly at the plump chicken that was gradually turning golden and glistening with oil, her throat involuntarily bobbing.

She couldn't remember the last time she smelled meat.

Gu Jinzhao picked up the chipped rough porcelain plate by the window, his fingertips gently swirling with sword intent as he deboned and removed the thorns from the roasted chicken, slicing it into evenly thick slices.

He then found half a jar of coarse salt in the corner, picked up a pinch, and sprinkled it evenly.

"Eat."

He handed her the plate of steaming chicken.

Luo Ling'er paused for a moment, then carefully took it, and looked up at the blurry figure: "Master...aren't you going to eat?"

Gu Jinchao gently shook his head: "I am a spirit, I can't eat it."

"Besides, I don't need any tonics."

"Thank you, Master."

Luo Ling'er lowered her eyes, her voice even lower, but it was more steady than before.

She picked up a piece of chicken and slowly took a bite.

The scalding hot gravy coated the crispy outer layer and melted on her tongue, rich and savory. It was so hot that she flinched slightly, but she couldn't bear to stop eating.

She paused for a moment, then slowly chewed.

Gu Jinzhao didn't speak, he just watched quietly.

After Luo Ling'er finished eating the plate of chicken, wiping away even the oil droplets at the bottom of the plate with her fingertips, he raised his hand and gently wiped the oil stains from the corners of her mouth.

Luo Ling'er did not dodge.

She sat there frozen, staring unblinkingly at the figure before her.

She couldn't see his face clearly, but she could distinctly feel the warmth hidden in his gesture.

The wick of the oil lamp crackled and popped open, creating a tiny flame.

Tears suddenly fell.

There was no warning, and there was no sobbing.

Tears welled up and rolled down her pale, thin face, landing on the bedding and the rusty iron sword in her arms.

Luo Ling'er bit her lip hard, desperately trying to hold back, her small shoulders trembling violently.

But I just couldn't help it.

She has never cried since the day her mother left.

Because she didn't want her mother to see her in a weak state.

Even when the cold poison flared up, she curled up in the quilt, her body turning blue from the cold, her consciousness blurred, but she didn't cry.

But at that moment, when her master wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, she suddenly couldn't hold back anymore.

The grievances and fears that had been suppressed in my heart surged out like water bursting its banks.

Gu Jinzhao didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and gently placed it on her thin back, patting it softly.

This scene was just like the night before her mother passed away, when she held her tightly in her arms, stroked her back, and said, "It will be alright."

"Waaah..."

Luo Ling'er finally burst into tears.

Like a wounded young animal, it buried its face deep in the corner of the blanket, its small body trembling violently.

She clutched the rusty sword tightly to her chest, refusing to let go even when it left red marks.

Gu Jinchao continued patting her back, over and over again.

After an unknown amount of time, the crying gradually subsided, and the trembling shoulders slowly calmed down.

Luo Ling'er's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, but her small hand, gripping the sword hilt, stubbornly refused to let go.

Gu Jinzhao said softly, "Sleep now, your master will watch over you."

Luo Ling'er's eyelashes trembled, as if she was trying to open her eyes to confirm something.

In the end, I couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness.

She fell asleep, tears still clinging to her small face, but her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

……

The next morning.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the cracks in the window frame and quietly fell on the bedside.

Luo Ling'er's eyelashes trembled a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.

Upon waking, I felt that the lingering chill in my body had completely dissipated, replaced by a warm sensation throughout my body.

She was a little dazed and raised her hand to rub her sleepy eyes.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he quickly looked down at the rusty sword in his arms and softly called out, "Master."

After waiting for a while, there was no response.

"master?"

She called out again.

The room remained quiet, with only the faint sounds of roosters crowing outside the window and the distant noises of servants sweeping.

Suddenly, my heart felt empty, and a huge sense of loss and panic crashed over me like a tidal wave.

She pursed her lips, and the glimmer of light that had just been ignited in her eyes gradually dimmed: "So... it really was a dream."

"what happened?"

A languid voice slowly emanated from the sword.

Luo Ling'er suddenly raised her head, and the panic and helplessness she felt were slowly soothed by that familiar voice.

"I thought my master had left."

Gu Jinzhao couldn't help but chuckle, his laughter emanating from the sword with a touch of gentleness: "I live inside the sword, where can I go?"

Luo Ling'er pursed her lips and gripped the sword hilt tighter: "Then what should I do now?"

"I will teach you a method for inducing Qi."

"Ling'er, try cultivating accordingly and see if you can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

As soon as she finished speaking, a rainbow formed from words surged from the sword, transformed into a stream of light, and slowly disappeared into her brow.

Luo Ling'er closed her eyes, focused her mind, and engraved those ancient words, one by one, into her heart...

Chapter 167, The Stingy Empress, Mu Yiren Arrives (3K)

"Alright, you can continue your cultivation."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Gu Jinchao released the Crimson Sky Sword and got up from the bed.

He had already realized last night that his consciousness could travel back and forth between [Chixiao] and [Xuanming].

In short, he can enter Xuanming at any time and appear beside Luo Ling'er as a sword spirit.

It can also be instantly detached and returned to the physical body.

It felt somewhat like playing a game in my past life.

This time, however, he was a Blade & Soul in the game, and he also took on a little apprentice.

Simulation games and the like are not bad.

Just then, a soft, worried voice rang out: "My dear husband, what exactly happened last night?"

"Why haven't you woken up yet?"

Looking at the ghost wife guarding his side, Gu Jinzhao felt a warmth in his heart and slowly said, "Last night I saw the Sword Ancestor open the Heavenly Gate, and then..."

He recounted the events of that night in detail, without concealing anything.

"What exactly did the Sword Ancestor see inside the Heavenly Gate that caused him to go mad in an instant?"

"They were even willing to block the door with their own bodies?"

An Wanxi frowned, her eyes filled with confusion.

Gu Jinzhao shook his head slightly: "I originally wanted to explore the secrets within the Heavenly Gate, but all I saw was pitch blackness, like an abyss."

"The image was incomplete, presumably because [Xuanming] and [Chixiao] had not yet merged into one."

He rescued Luo Ling'er, took her as his disciple, and harbored the idea of ​​reuniting with her in the future, using the power of the twin swords to uncover the truth of the Heavenly Gate.

An Wanxi smiled lightly, "I didn't expect that my little husband would already be a teacher at such a young age."

"Then wouldn't I become the teacher's wife?"

Gu Jinzhao chuckled upon hearing this, then sighed softly, "Ling'er is quite pitiful."

"If I hadn't intervened last night, she probably wouldn't have made it through."

An Wanxi said softly, "But isn't she the Xuan Yin Cha Body?"

"With that kind of physique, even if one embarks on cultivation, it is impossible to completely eradicate the cold poison; at most, it can only be suppressed temporarily."

Gu Jinzhao nodded: "Therefore, we still need to find the 'Taiyin Sword Nourishing Chapter'."

As he spoke, he got up, quickly washed up, ate some breakfast casually on the street, and then headed straight for the military governor's residence.

After finishing off the pile of official duties, he went straight to the palace without resting for a moment.

With the Phoenix Token in hand, one can travel without hindrance.

Before long, they arrived outside the Jingluan Palace.

Beside the lotus pond, Jing Shu sat on a stone bench, her slender fingers picking up fish food and tossing it into the pond little by little.

She was still wearing a light blue palace dress, but now she had added a snow-white shawl, making her look like a graceful painting, enveloped in a soft, gentle light.

Gu Jinchao stared at that profile, slightly lost in thought.

Jing Shu noticed the person who had arrived, turned her head to look at them, and asked with a hint of doubt in her eyes, "What's wrong?"

Gu Jinzhao shook his head. "Seeing Sister Jing just reminded me of a family member."

Jing Shu's temperament is somewhat similar to that of Aunt Ruo.

But the tender, doting look in his eyes was gone, unlike the gentle, loving look Aunt Ruo gave him.

Jing Shu asked curiously, "Is it that person from Bai Cao Tang?"

Previously, the Empress had ordered her to thoroughly investigate Gu Jinzhao, and she learned that there was an elder named "Aunt Ruo" by his side.

Gu Jinzhao gave a soft "hmm" and then took out the items he had purchased in Jiangnan Prefecture from the [Earthly Branches Mirror].

"These are rouge from Shuyanzhai, brocade from Yuechangge, and Lingxian flowers."

"Although this flower is extremely resilient, it should still be planted as soon as possible..."

Jing Shu smiled and accepted it, saying, "Thank you for your help."

As if remembering something, she raised her eyes and asked, "By the way, I heard that you also killed a fifth-grade transformed rat demon when you went to Huaiyu County?"

"It's true, it was a mother life-eating rat..."

Gu Jinzhao recounted the events that occurred at Qingyan Temple, including the later appearance of the Buddhist nun, her defeat and escape by him.

After listening, Jing Shu sorted out the details and her expression suddenly turned cold: "With Her Majesty's birthday approaching, how dare the Chanjing sect aid and abet evil, using this matter to smear others? They really have a lot of nerve!"

If a rat infestation were to break out in the Xiao family's ancestral homeland on the day of the Emperor's birthday, spreading to the entire Jiangnan Prefecture and causing widespread suffering, rumors would spread, the court and the public would be shaken, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"That's incredibly bold."