Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 653 The Birth of the Emperor's Eldest Daughter

Gu Xu listened to Xiao Wanjun's narration silently and felt that this situation was quite strange.

All signs indicate that Xiao Wanjun is indeed blessed with the good fortune of the Great Wilderness.

Because of this, she showed extraordinary talent in learning and understanding Taoism, and was able to manipulate the imperial seal of the Great Qi Dynasty as a mortal.

Emperor Tianxing entrusted state affairs to her, perhaps not just because she was extremely intelligent and good at governing.

It is very likely that she was placed at the center of power due to considerations of luck.

After all, she is, in a way, a national seal in human form.

Logically speaking, after the demise of the Great Qi Dynasty, the national fortune she bestowed upon her should have gradually dissipated.

But perhaps because she signed the Great Dao Contract with Gu Xu, this good fortune continued in her life, and even formed an unignorable bond with the Xin Dynasty.

"But, a 'son of luck' - no, a 'daughter of luck', actually has no talent for cultivation," Gu Xu secretly sighed in his heart, "This is unprecedented in ancient books!"

Just as Gu Xu was lost in thought, Jiang Zhaoyue's voice suddenly rang in his mind again: "Emperor, do you still need the power of the 'Secret' authority? If your business has been completed, can you continue to tell me the story of the White Snake and the Green Snake?"

Gu Xu looked up at the lake and saw the silver dragon's purple eyes staring at him intently.

"I was just saying--" he began.

"--You mentioned that Fahai tricked Xu Xian into the Jinshan Temple and placed him under house arrest. In order to rescue her husband, Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing went to fight Fahai, flooding the Jinshan Temple and harming many innocent lives." Jiang Zhaoyue couldn't wait to speak.

"Okay, let me continue," Gu Xu said, "Bai Suzhen's actions violated the heavenly law. After she gave birth to the child, Fahai put her into the bowl and suppressed her under the Leifeng Pagoda..."

Gu Xu stood under the shade of the trees by the lake and told the story.

The silver dragon floated on the water, its tail swaying gently, listening attentively, its heartstrings pulled tightly by the fate of the characters in the story.

Xiao Wanjun, who was standing aside, felt as if she had become an outsider.

She felt that she should leave immediately, return to the study, and continue to improve her skills according to His Majesty's instructions.

However, even though she had not heard the first half of the story, she was still deeply attracted by the wonderful content that Gu Xu told.

On the one hand, she was amazed that there were folk tales in this world that she had never heard of; on the other hand, she was also very curious whether there would be a happy ending between White Snake and Xu Xian.

"If you want to listen, just stay here and listen." Gu Xu noticed her hesitation and smiled at her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" she said gratefully.

After Gu Xu finished telling the story, Jiang Zhaoyue was still immersed in the ups and downs of emotions for a long time, unable to extricate himself.

She was in a trance for a while, and asked Gu Xu: "Are you done?"

"That's all." Gu Xu replied.

"But you only told me about White Snake's ending, saying that her son passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, and later came to worship his mother in front of the pagoda, and finally rescued his mother, and the family of three was reunited. But you didn't tell me about Xiaoqing's ending." Jiang Zhaoyue stared at him with her purple eyes, seeming dissatisfied with this.

Gu Xu thought for a moment and said, "I heard this story from hearsay. I have heard several different versions of Xiaoqing's ending.

"In one version, Xiaoqing followed the Bodhisattva to practice, became the Bodhisattva's fairy child, and never married.

"In another version, she practiced hard to save her sister, and eventually became a real dragon. She drank all the water in West Lake for her sister, allowing her sister to leave Leifeng Tower.

"There is another version in which Xiaoqing also married Xu Xian and became his concubine. She and Xu Xian had a son named Xu Rulin, also known as Menglong. Xu Rulin was two years younger than Bai Niangzi's son Xu Shilin, and they were both successful candidates in the same imperial examination."

Before Gu Xu finished speaking, Jiang Zhaoyue interrupted with some emotion: "A pair of snake demon sisters with such profound Taoism are willing to share a husband? And it's a mortal like Xu Xian who has no cultivation? This sounds too incredible!"

When listening to stories, Jiang Zhaoyue always likes to put himself into the protagonist's shoes.

When she heard about a pair of snake demons with long lifespans, profound cultivation, few rivals in the world, and stunning looks, she couldn't help but put herself and her sister in the story.

When others listen to this story, they may only focus on the bumpy love between White Snake and Xu Xian.

But Jiang Zhaoyue is different.

Perhaps because she and Xiaoqing have some similar personality traits, she pays special attention to the innocent, lively, naughty and playful Xiaoqing, and therefore specifically asks Gu Xu about Xiaoqing's ending.

However, the dragon clan of Lingxiao Realm is a race that is extremely proud.

For Jiang Zhaoyue and her sister, most of the time, they disdain those human or demon cultivators whose cultivation is similar to theirs. As for mortals, in their eyes, they are like ants.

In fact, when she heard that Bai Suzhen fell in love with Xu Xian, or even earlier when she heard that Zhinu fell in love with Niulang, she wanted to interrupt Gu Xu and ask him: "Do you think this makes sense?"

But she was worried that if she annoyed Gu Xu, he would not continue telling her the story, so she could only rub her paws, suppress her emotions, and continue listening patiently.

Until this moment.

When she heard that Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing were going to marry Xu Xian together, she could no longer sit still.

Seeing Jiang Zhaoyue's excitement, Gu Xu smiled and said, "These stories were originally made up by scholars. They fantasize about things they can't get in reality in stories. Two beautiful female fairies fall in love with them without reservation, which can undoubtedly satisfy their vanity.

“Anyway, this story has multiple different endings.

"If you don't like this ending, just choose another one.

"I guess you would prefer the ending where Xiaoqing becomes a true dragon."

But Jiang Zhaoyue still seemed to be bothered by the fact that Xiaoqing and Bai Niangzi married Xu Xian together.

She said, "Stupid humans just like to daydream," and then dived into the depths of the lake.

Gu Xu looked at the surging waves on the lake and sighed helplessly.

Then, he turned to Xiao Wanjun who was not far away and said, "Let's go back to the study and do some work!"

Xiao Wanjun came back to his senses and quickly responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The two walked side by side in the woods, in silence, listening only to the rustling sound of the leaves in the wind.

The night was not over yet and the woods were completely dark with no sign of sunlight.

Only through the dense branches and leaves could you vaguely see the warm yellow candlelight coming from the building not far away.

After a while, Gu Xu casually asked, "Wanjun, what do you think of the story just now?"

"The story of the White Snake and the Green Snake?" Xiao Wanjun responded softly.

"That's right." Gu Xu nodded. Xiao Wanjun thought for a while, looked at the expression on Gu Xu's face, and then replied: "In my opinion, this is a complicated story. It should express more than just praising the loyal love between men and women.

“Perhaps most people, when listening to the story, would stand on the side of the Green Snake and the White Snake, and support the gentle and kind-hearted White Snake in spirit, and regard Fahai, who blocked the relationship between Xu Xian and the snake fairy White Snake and suppressed White Snake under the Leifeng Pagoda, as a villain.

"But perhaps few people pay attention to the fact that when White Snake flooded Jinshan Temple, it caused an unexpected natural disaster, bringing disaster to innocent people in the surrounding area. Because she committed a serious crime against the Heavenly Law, Fahai suppressed her..."

Gu Xu listened to her story quietly, and couldn't help thinking in his heart: facing the same story, different people, standing in different positions, will look at it from very different perspectives.

The arrogant dragon clan in the Lingxiao Realm really doesn't care about ordinary people like ants.

Especially adolescent dragons like Jiang Zhaoyue, who will only focus on the protagonist's love.

However, Xiao Wanjun, who once presided over the country's secular affairs and was always worried about the people's livelihood, seemed to maintain an exceptionally rational God's perspective when listening to this touching love story.

She not only paid attention to the people who unfortunately became cannon fodder, but also gave a more objective evaluation of the so-called "good guys" and "villains" in the story.

…………

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the summer of the second year of Yuanshi.

In previous years, the summer in Luojing was scorching hot and unbearable.

The bluestone pavement is often so hot from the sun that walking on it feels like walking on a furnace.

The noble ladies would put on light gauze clothes, hold jade fans in their hands, frown from time to time, and lament the long and unbearable summer.

However, this summer, the weather is exceptionally cool due to the arrival of the "long nights".

In this unusual summer, Gu Xu heard two good news in succession.

First, Shangguan Jin successfully passed the "Mengpo Pavilion" and was successfully promoted to the fifth level cultivator.

At that time, after the retreat was over, her soul immediately left her body and went straight to the imperial study where Gu Xu was, eager to share the joy of breaking through with him.

From her, Gu Xu learned that as early as last year, she was only one step away from the fifth level.

She originally planned to use the method of "cutting off the seven emotions" to take this crucial step by cutting off "love" among the "seven emotions".

However, because she could not stop thinking about Gu Xu, she finally gave up this plan.

"So, how did you advance to the fifth level?" That night, Gu Xu asked as he lay on his back on the couch, his head lazily resting on the pillow.

Shangguan Jin sat astride him and looked down at him.

At this moment, she was only wearing a pair of snow-white silk stockings.

In the dim candlelight, her slender and beautiful body was like a white jade sculpture, emitting a soft and warm luster.

From Gu Xu's perspective, he could clearly see her rosy cheeks, delicate and beautiful collarbone, and slender and attractive waist.

And the snowy hills that were full but not exaggerated, just enough for him to hold in one hand.

"The key to entering the realm of 'Meng Po Pavilion' is to sever the ties of worldly emotions, and then sublimate your soul and become a saint," Shangguan Jin swayed her body gently, with a faint smile on her lips, looking at him intently, "Brother, last summer, I thought you had been possessed by the Purple Star Emperor."

"At that time, I felt as if a large part of my heart was empty. I fell into a state of detachment from all emotions and desires. There were only two thoughts in my mind: how to find the truth and how to help you get revenge.

“I took that feeling very deeply to heart.

“Recently, I have been constantly revisiting and reviewing this feeling.

"Then accidentally, I broke through."

Although she spoke lightly, Gu Xu could deeply feel the pain and bitterness contained in them.

The path of spiritual practice is inherently full of difficulties.

To advance to the fifth realm in the wilderness, one must first experience "loss" before one can "gain".

In the past, Gu Xu was forgotten by the whole world. He even witnessed with his own eyes the Snow Girl's soul burning and melting away in front of him. That pain is still engraved in his heart.

Heart to heart.

He could clearly imagine the feeling that Shangguan Jin described.

He didn't say anything, but just reached out and gently stroked her slender waist, looking into her eyes, as if he wanted to deeply imprint her appearance at this moment in his mind.

Shangguan Jin paused, then smiled and said, "Brother, you usually work hard at night, so just enjoy yourself today and leave everything to me!"

"Can you do it?" Gu Xu looked at her with questioning eyes. "Before, you lay still and stayed in bed until noon the next day. If I give you everything tonight, I'm afraid you won't be able to get out of bed all day tomorrow."

"Try it first!" Shangguan Jin ignored his advice, "If you don't try, how do you know if it works?"

As she spoke, she placed a kiss gently on the corner of his mouth.

A breeze came in through the window frame.

The wind made the candle flames sway gently, the bead curtains clatter, and the incense filled the bedroom.

…………

As for the second good news, it was that in midsummer this year, Zhao Yan successfully gave birth to a daughter.

At that time, when the eunuchs informed Gu Xu of the news and told him that "mother and daughter are safe", he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, and a wonderful feeling surged in his heart.

He felt like a hydrogen balloon floating in the sky.

Suddenly, a thread tied him tightly to the vast land.

He immediately used his skills and rushed straight to the delivery room where Zhao Yan was.

Outside the delivery room, several palace servants tried to stop him, claiming that according to the customs of Dahuang, the delivery room was regarded as an "unclean place" and men must wait seven days before meeting the woman who had just given birth, otherwise they would encounter "blood disaster."

However, Gu Xu now has a profound cultivation level and holds the five major powers. Why would he care about these old customs and habits?

Even if there really is an evil spirit, it should give way to him.

He ignored the palace servants' attempts to stop him and stepped over the threshold, eager to see his wife and newborn daughter.

(End of this chapter)