I'll Do Whatever You Say

The next few days were spent on the road.

The journey from Luodu to the Qingjian Sect spanned over a thousand miles. For an ordinary caravan, it would take at least two or three months.

But Gu Chengyin issued an order: travel day and night without stopping.

There was no other reason than to ensure Lin Qingyan's comprehension wasn't interrupted.

Logically speaking, such an order should have bred dissatisfaction.

Traveling day and night exhausted both men and horses. It wasn't an urgent military matter, so why the rush?

Yet, from top to bottom, not a single person in the inspection group voiced a complaint.

Not only did they not complain, but they were all in high spirits and full of morale:

"It is all for the sect inspection! All for the imperial court's great cause! As officials of the court, how can we let this little hardship stop us!"

"Exactly! Junior Preceptor Gu is so considerate of his subordinates; we cannot make His Excellency lose face!"

"What does traveling day and night amount to? To arrive at the Qingjian Sect sooner, even if I had to run through the night on foot, I would be willing!"

...

For a time, the inspection group was filled with such voices.

Hearing this, the corners of Gu Chengyin's mouth curled up slightly.

He naturally knew why they were so enthusiastic.

It wasn't true loyalty, nor was it true fearlessness of hardship.

Rather...

They were simply being paid too much.

Along with the order to travel day and night, Gu Chengyin had added one sentence: "Increase the reimbursement quota by a hundredfold."

As soon as these words were spoken, cheers erupted.

"Junior Preceptor Gu is wise!"

"Junior Preceptor Gu is considerate of our plight, we are moved to tears of gratitude!"

"Working under Junior Preceptor Gu is just a joy!"

......

Gu Chengyin felt absolutely no psychological burden about this.

After all, the reimbursements weren't coming out of his own pocket, but from Emperor Luo's inner treasury.

Don't forget, Gu Chengyin had another identity: Head of the Internal Affairs Department.

Emperor Luo wanted him dead; he certainly wasn't going to save Emperor Luo money.

He could make people willingly rush the journey and earn a good reputation for being considerate of his subordinates.

Why not do it?

Furthermore, these people were indeed worth buying off.

This sect inspection was no small matter; there would be plenty of places to use them later.

The carriage curtain fell, shutting out the noise from outside.

Inside the carriage, Lin Qingyan was resting with her eyes closed.

Her breathing was steady, her expression indifferent. Nothing seemed unusual.

But Gu Chengyin knew that for the past few days, she had been comprehending and absorbing.

Using her own methods, she was carving the profound mysteries of the Azure Cloud Art into her very bones, bit by bit.

Gu Chengyin did not disturb her. He merely sat beside her, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing.

The wheels rolled on, traveling day and night.

......

A few days later, the inspection convoy entered the vicinity of Qingjian City.

Though called a city, it was actually just a small town at the foot of the Qingjian Sect's mountain.

Thanks to the Qingjian Sect's reputation, merchants and households gradually gathered there, eventually giving it the scale of a city.

Inside the carriage, Gu Chengyin lifted the window curtain and looked out.

Along both sides of the official road, the figures of Qingjian Sect disciples began to appear.

They wore uniform azure Daoist robes with swords hanging at their waists, scattered in twos and threes along the roadside.

They did not approach, but only watched the mighty procession from a distance, their eyes full of vigilance.

It seemed that if anyone dared to attack, they would immediately send a message back to the mountain, summoning the sect's experts for support.

Gu Chengyin took this all in and said to Chen Busha outside the carriage, "We won't enter Qingjian City. Head straight up the mountain."

Chen Busha's voice came back: "Yes, sir."

Hoofbeats rang out as Chen Busha rode forward to pass down the order.

Before long, the convoy bypassed Qingjian City and headed straight for Qingjian Mountain.

The current scale of the sect inspection group had more than doubled since they departed from the Divine Capital.

While resupplying in Luodu, Gu Chengyin had waved his hand and purchased countless provisions.

Rations, medicinal herbs, talismans, and magical artifacts—anything that could be of use was stocked in abundance.

Anyway, it wasn't his money being spent. Emperor Luo's empire was vast and wealthy; it would be a waste not to use it.

Therefore, even if they bypassed Qingjian City, the convoy would not lack any resources.

The carriage rumbled on, continuing forward.

Gu Chengyin was just about to close his eyes and rest when he felt a movement beside him.

Lin Qingyan pressed herself against him.

Her movements were natural, so natural it was as if she had done it a thousand times before.

Leaning slightly to the side, she nestled into Gu Chengyin's embrace, her forehead resting against his jaw, her breath gently brushing the side of his neck.

The posture was so intimate it seemed as though the two were already inseparable.

But Lin Qingyan's tone was extremely cold and detached.

"I am about to step into the mid-stage of the Golden Core Realm."

Gu Chengyin's expression shifted.

Mid-stage Golden Core Realm?

Lin Qingyan was about to break through?

He looked down at her.

Nestled in his arms, Lin Qingyan's face was devoid of expression. She maintained her cold, otherworldly demeanor, like a fairy stepping out of a painting.

But her eyes were astonishingly bright, shining as if hiding two clusters of flames.

This was how Lin Qingyan was right now.

The more intimate her actions, the colder her expression.

Like a fairy filled with disdain who nonetheless had to make physical contact.

Gu Chengyin was already used to it. He only felt that this version of Lin Qingyan was very clear-headed, and it was the Lin Qingyan he wanted to see.

After a moment of thought, Gu Chengyin asked, "Is it because of the inner demon?"

Lin Qingyan nodded gently.

"The inner demon caused my cultivation to stagnate for a long time. Coupled with the fact that the Nine Heavens Lightning Attraction Art was incomplete, my path of immortality was severed."

"So I don't even know just how much spiritual energy, how much comprehension, how much..."

Lin Qingyan didn't finish her sentence, but Gu Chengyin understood.

Foundation.

The reason Lin Qingyan could remain invincible among Golden Core cultivators despite only being at the initial stage of the Golden Core Realm relied entirely on this foundation.

Although her cultivation base had stagnated, her combat prowess had never stopped growing.

That spiritual energy with nowhere to go, those comprehensions that couldn't break through—all of it had been suppressed within her body, accumulating and settling bit by bit.

Like a volcano.

On the surface, it looked like an ordinary mountain peak.

But deep within its belly, magma capable of destroying the heavens and the earth had long since built up.

Just waiting for an outlet.

And now, that outlet had appeared.

The Azure Cloud Art.

A complete path of immortality, a complete legacy, a complete top-tier Heaven-rank cultivation method.

When Lin Qingyan began to comprehend this immortal path, when she began using the Azure Cloud Art to repair her incomplete Nine Heavens Lightning Attraction Art.

That foundation accumulated over many years finally found a direction for release.

That was why her realm was advancing so rapidly.

Astonishingly fast.

So fast that even she was somewhat surprised.

"Actually..."

Lin Qingyan spoke again, her voice carrying a rare trace of hesitation. "Even without you, I was trying to repair the Nine Heavens Lightning Attraction Art on my own."

Lin Qingyan's gaze became somewhat distant, as if she were recalling something.

"An incomplete cultivation method is like a broken road."

"I don't know what lies at the end of the road, but I know that I must keep moving forward."

"Even if there's a cliff ahead, even if there's an abyss ahead, I still have to walk it."

"So I was always trying, always deducing, always using my own methods to connect that broken road."

"But..."

Lin Qingyan paused, lifting her head slightly to look at Gu Chengyin.

"Deducing a complete path of immortality is too difficult."

"I tried for so many years, and though I did manage to deduce a path."

"But I didn't dare walk it too quickly. I could only test it one small step at a time."

"Thankfully, I have you."

After listening, Gu Chengyin fell silent for a moment before asking,

"If you advance to the mid-Golden Core stage, will your inner demon grow stronger as well?"

Lin Qingyan nodded.

"My inner demon and I share the same origin. When I am strong, she is strong; when I am weak, she is weak."

"If I step into the mid-stage, she will step into the mid-stage too."

"Therefore, I want to weaken her before I break through."

Gu Chengyin understood. Weaken the inner demon first, then break through to the next realm.

That way, even if the inner demon advanced alongside her, it would still remain within a controllable range.

"I understand. We will be arriving at the Azure Sword Sect soon."

"Can we do it tonight?"

Lin Qingyan's clear, cold eyes gazed steadily at Gu Chengyin.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly, her smile like the sudden thawing of spring waters:

"I will do whatever you say."