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From Gu Chen's tone, I could tell for certain that he had definitely discovered Mu Yan's presence, which was why he wanted the Yinshan Jade I was carrying.
Moreover, I was sure that, just as Zhou Zhen had said, if I handed the Yinshan Jade over to him, then Mu Yan would likely face a dire fate.
So I looked at him and shook my head, saying, "What do you want it for?"
"What do I want it for?" Gu Chen scoffed coldly. "Don't tell me you don't know that the female ghost is within this jade."
Since the conversation had reached this point, I knew that with Gu Chen's abilities, it would be impossible for me to deceive him. So I simply nodded and admitted, "Mu Yan is indeed inside."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen slightly furrowed his brows and said, "The female ghost in this jade is Mu Yan."
I nodded again. "Yes, she is Mu Yan."
At this, Gu Chen's tone softened a bit, and his cold expression became much gentler. For a moment, I thought he had changed his mind upon realizing that the ghost in the jade was Mu Yan.
However, I was too naive and anxious; he soon sighed and said, "Well then, since it's her, if you give me the jade, I won't be too ruthless in handling it."
"Handling" made me uncomfortable. My brows furrowed even deeper, and my expression turned sour. I spoke with an unfriendly tone: "How are you going to handle it? Destroy it or set her free?"
"Xiao Lin, don't get too worked up. Just listen to what Senior Gu has to say," Zhou Zhen said as he noticed my changing expression and tone. He hurried over to prevent me from clashing with Gu Chen.
I ignored him, my gaze fixed on Gu Chen, worried that he might suddenly make a move to snatch the jade from me. At that moment, one of my hands was tightly pressed against my chest, firmly holding the jade pendant that was pressed against me through my clothing.
Zhou Zhen didn’t seem to care much either and turned to Gu Chen, asking, “Senior Gu, you—”
“Don’t you understand the principle of humans and ghosts being on different paths?”
Zhou Zhen had initially intended to probe how Gu Chen would deal with Mu Yan, but he was abruptly interrupted by Gu Chen's cold voice as soon as he opened his mouth.
Zhou Zhen could only sigh and nod, saying, “I understand.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's tone grew even colder. “Then it seems that this ghost named Mu Yan has been following him all along.”
Faced with Gu Chen's questioning glare, Zhou Zhen could only explain, “Yes, she has been following him. But Senior Gu, you don’t understand—Mu Yan is different from other Spirit Entities; she is someone who values emotions deeply. She has saved Xiao Lin many times, including today.”
“Humans…”
Gu Chen couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. “How can a ghost be called a human? It seems you too have been blinded by ghosts.”
“But—”
“You don’t need to say more; there’s no ‘but’ in this matter.”
Zhou Zhen wanted to say something else but was cut off by Gu Chen. Then he turned his gaze toward me, his expression cold as he extended his hand again and said sternly, “Give it to me.”
I knew he wanted the Yinshan Jade, but if I handed it over to him, it would be equivalent to giving him Mu Yan's life and death.
So I shook my head again, turning my gaze to Zhou Zhen beside me.
Seeing my eyes on him, Zhou Zhen also shook his head helplessly. He understood that what he said had little significance because he could not influence Gu Chen's decision.
I gritted my teeth, pulling the cord tied to the jade and breaking it free.
As I removed the jade, Gu Chen's expression softened. "A child can still be taught. From today onward, you will be my disciple, the only heir. With my abilities and your physique, your future achievements in Taoist Techniques will surely surpass those of the other Nine Veins."
Gu Chen spoke with confidence and arrogance. After everything that had happened with the Soul incident, along with the snippets of praise from Zhou Zhen and the others about Gu Chen, I believed he had the capability.
My gaze shifted to Anfu, who stood silently behind him. He still wore that indifferent expression, showing no sign of being affected by Gu Chen's words.
Perhaps from the moment he began following Gu Chen, he knew that Gu Chen would never take him as his sole disciple. So he never entertained such thoughts and wouldn’t compete for it.
I fell into a brief silence, tightly gripping the Yinshan Jade pendant in my hand but not responding.
Noticing my silence, Gu Chen spoke again. "And about the Demon King's Cauldron within you— as long as I'm here, I can guarantee that nothing will happen to you. So, how about you give me the pendant?"
There was no denying that Gu Chen's words were highly tempting. I also believed that if he weren't so picky, there would be countless people wanting to become his disciple.
Moreover, the Demon King's Cauldron inside me felt like a thorn embedded in my heart; until it was resolved, I would never find peace.
However, looking at the piece of jade in my hand that housed Mu Yan, I ultimately shook my head and said, "I cannot hand her over to you."
The "her" I referred to was Mu Yan, not the jade, and I was resolute.
As I removed the jade, Zhou Zhen had been frowning at me the whole time. Only when my voice fell did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Although he also tried to persuade me, I believed that if it came down to it, he would be unwilling to let me hand Mu Yan over to Gu Chen as well.
However, Gu Chen's brows were tightly knitted together, showing a mix of surprise and anger.
He was surprised that I would refuse such an offer he made, and perhaps he was angry because he felt I was being obstinate.
But I chose not to say more and turned to leave.
There was no way I would hand Mu Yan over to him. Since this was the case, I thought he wouldn't take me as his disciple anymore and wouldn't care about the Demon King's Cauldron within me either.
Therefore, staying here held no meaning for me, so I prepared to pack up and leave Tai'an directly.
In this way, being away from Gu Chen might make things safer for Mu Yan as well.
"Xiao Lin, what are you doing?"
Seeing me turn to leave, Zhou Zhen became a bit flustered and hurriedly stepped forward to stop me.
I said, "Uncle Zhou, thank you for helping me all this time, but I think it's best if I leave. If I really hand Mu Yan over to him, then what does that make me? Am I still a man?"
There were no more words, but Zhou Zhen was suddenly at a loss for words. He understood the meaning behind my words and sighed, finally releasing his grip.
He knew as well that I had defied Gu Chen's wishes; it was simply impossible for Gu Chen to take me as his disciple.
Mu Yan had saved me time and again. If I were to hand her over to Gu Chen, using her as a bargaining chip to become his disciple and resolve my own troubles, that would indeed be more beastly than human, and it would be a disgrace for any man.
However, none of us expected that as I turned to leave once more, Gu Chen spoke up.
"Stop right there."
Upon hearing this, not only was I surprised, but even Zhou Zhen looked taken aback. Still, I halted my steps and turned to look at him with indifference.
His breathing appeared somewhat labored, and his complexion wasn't great, yet he said, "Very well, you can stay. What I've said is like water spilled; it cannot be taken back."
I frowned slightly, and Zhou Zhen did the same. I asked, "What about Mu Yan?"
"She—"
I nodded slightly and replied, "Yes."
If Gu Chen still refused to let Mu Yan go, then I would not stay either.
He took a deep breath and said, "I promise you, I won't take action against her anymore."
"Really?"
I frowned slightly, feeling a bit skeptical.
Zhou Zhen felt the same way, surprised by Gu Chen's response. The change was too drastic to believe.
"What? Don't you trust me?"
Seeing my disbelief, Gu Chen let out a slight cold snort and said, "A gentleman's word is worth a thousand gold pieces. Besides, who do you think I am? How could I go back on my word?"
Hearing him say that, I found myself believing him a little more.
However, it wasn't until three days later when someone named He Xiaosi arrived that I realized just how naive I had been to take Gu Chen's words at face value.
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