"Fine… I'll admit you're good."

Chen Jingxuan smiled silently and waved his sleeve lightly.

The large screen that covered the small half of the Book Tower instantly "turned to ashes," transforming into countless golden threads, which then soared towards the ceiling of the Book Tower.

Xie Xuanyi sat in front of the jade case, picking up a second red date.

Xie Xuanyi curiously asked, "So, what did Tang Fengshu say to you?"

"Probably just… this and that."

Chen Jingxuan gesticulated helplessly, his tone somewhat perfunctory.

"Forget it."

Xie Xuanyi sneered, "If you don't want to tell, then fine… Lovers always break up and reconcile. I don't want to ask too much about you two."

Chen Jingxuan was momentarily at a loss for words.

"But is this really okay?"

Xie Xuanyi looked towards the door, "That foolish tiger is much more heartbroken than you."

"I had no choice."

Chen Jingxuan lowered his head, his hair falling and covering his eyes.

He said somewhat helplessly, "Although I don't want to feign illness, staying in the Book Tower all day inevitably attracts numerous stares. A few days ago, Tang Fengshu had just left here… given feelings and reason, I should be sick this time."

Xie Xuanyi squinted his eyes.

With the golden threads from the screen dispersed, he once again looked closely at the man before him, only to realize that Chen Jingxuan, who had always loved cleanliness, was not as neat in appearance. His clothes were less clean, and his hairpins were not properly worn.

Something was off.

Even if it's a feigned illness…

Chen Jingxuan's state wasn't as good as imagined.

"Tang Fengshu wants me to leave the Imperial City."

The young State Preceptor sighed softly.

Except for Xie Xuanyi, no one else knew about the meeting with Tang Fengshu.

Some words.

He had no one to tell.

Perhaps only Xie Xuanyi was his sole confidant.

"Leave the Imperial City?"

Xie Xuanyi frowned, "What… does this mean?"

The romantic story spreading widely in the streets was written by Qin Baihuang himself.

The neighbors eagerly awaited the next volume.

Everyone wanted to see the union of the State Preceptor and the Taoist Saintess, but what would happen after they achieved their happy ending? Could the State Preceptor abandon Great Chu, leave the Imperial City, and elope with the Taoist Saintess?

"It's just what you think."

Chen Jingxuan looked at Xie Xuanyi, "She abandons the title of Pavilion Master, and I abandon the title of State Preceptor. We leave the Imperial City."

"..."

Really, an elopement, Xie Xuanyi fell into thought.

After a long while, Xie Xuanyi shook his head, "These words don't sound like Tang Fengshu."

Having been rivals for many years, Xie Xuanyi genuinely respected Tang Fengshu's strength and spirit from the bottom of his heart.

This World Pavilion Master indeed loved Chen Jingxuan, but no matter how much she loved him, she didn't seem likely to do something like "abandon the title of Pavilion Master."

There was discord within the Taoist sect, and Tang Fengshu was at odds with Chong Kan… Xie Xuanyi knew about these things.

From his understanding of Tang Fengshu, even if suppressed by Chong Kan, Tang Fengshu would never yield.

Had she lost all hope? Or completely surrendered?

"And then?"

Xie Xuanyi lifted his head and seriously asked, "What did you say?"

"Naturally, I refused."

Chen Jingxuan's tone was calm, "Then she left."

"And then… you pretended to be sick."

Xie Xuanyi frowned and slowly said, "Many people are watching you. You need to let them know your situation. You also need to let them know the 'result' of this event..."

"Exactly."

Chen Jingxuan lowered his eyes, reaching out to brush over the volume of a floating book.

The book closed.

The young State Preceptor smiled lightly, "It won't be long before the 'final chapter' of this story is settled, and those eager readers will probably be disappointed?"

Jiang Qihu's concerns couldn't be hidden from Qin Baihuang, nor from other onlookers.

The young State Preceptor was gravely ill.

Tang Fengshu had severed ties with the Book Tower.

These rumors had probably spread already.

"Don't you feel something's off?"

Xie Xuanyi stared at Chen Jingxuan, wanting to see loss, sorrow, and sadness in his eyes.

But there was none.

Chen Jingxuan's expression remained calm throughout.

"With Tang Fengshu's character, she would never say such things."

Xie Xuanyi stated word for word, "Didn't you stop her, ask more, try to persuade her? It just ended like this, and you're not sad?"

"Why should I persuade, why should I be sad?"

Chen Jingxuan smiled.

He took out a golden scroll from his chest and threw it.

Golden lines wrapped around it.

The golden scroll unrolled in front of Xie Xuanyi.

"This is…"

Xie Xuanyi felt the surge of divine thought from the golden scroll, holding his breath.

As a Sky Watcher, one could use the Roundness Instrument to divine the heavenly phenomena and foresee the future.

However, the secrets of heaven should not be revealed.

The visions received by Sky Watchers could not be transmitted…

Right now, what Xie Xuanyi saw weren't heavenly secrets, but an elaborate and detailed intelligence report.

This was an extensive record on "Gu insects in the world."

Back in the Great Yue Kingdom, Xie Xuanyi had deceived Ao Ying by pretending to plant a "Sword Gu" on him… this Gu wasn't fictional; it had a real name.

The Gu Refining Technique had a long history. Most Gu insects in the worldly view came from the South Border, where miasma thrived, and evil cultivators had no orthodox path, thus practicing Gu cultivation… but it wasn't so. As long as you had the materials and conditions for refining, Gu pests could be artificially created.

This was why Ao Ying was horrified yet had to believe Xie Xuanyi's claim of "Sword Gu."

Though well-read in the Daoist collection on Lotus Peak, Xie Xuanyi didn't know much about Gu Dao.

He could identify most of the Gu insects here.

Yet there were a few unfamiliar to him.

"Heartless Gu," attached to the host, could sever all emotions and desires.

"Heart Piercing Gu," required regular antidote intake, otherwise immediate death.

"Soul Capturing Gu," could control the host's mind.

...

...

Seeing halfway through the golden scroll, Xie Xuanyi understood Chen Jingxuan's implication.

The divine thought swiftly scanned through, then he put away the golden scroll.

Xie Xuanyi murmured, "You suspect Chong Kan placed a Gu on Tang Fengshu?"

Chen Jingxuan laughed, "It may not be a Gu, but the method should be similar."

Xie Xuanyi rubbed his temples, muttering, "No wonder Chong Kan was willing to release Tang Fengshu… I knew he had no good intentions."

Was Chong Kan trying to disrupt Chen Jingxuan's Dao heart?

Xie Xuanyi knew that a watchful Yan Xie was hiding in the Imperial City. Was this a plan to prevent Chen Jingxuan from rising to the 'State Preceptor' position?

"Knowing the truth, nothing else matters anymore."

Chen Jingxuan spoke indifferently, "Actually, before she arrived, I had a premonition and used the Roundness Instrument to divine. I knew that the 'Tang Fengshu' standing before me that day was not the woman I liked. The words she spoke were not 'true words' either. Knowing this, why should I try to keep her or feel sad?"

"Ha."

Xie Xuanyi sneered, "Now you admit you like her? Why didn't you say so earlier, why didn't you say so in front of her?"

Chen Jingxuan was stunned, speechless.

...

...

(Happy Valentine's Day everyone, kisses. This chapter is a bit short, so there will be another update tomorrow morning.)

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