Liu Baijian opened his mouth, his gaze fixed on Gu Minglang, who stood before him with a furrowed brow and a look of concern. After a long moment, he finally spoke: “Then just don’t let him find out, right?”

Hearing this, Gu Minglang instantly shot him a look that said, “You’re far too naive.”

His tone grew solemn as he replied, “There’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t let the wind through. If you don’t want others to know, you must not do it yourself.”

Liu Baijian pondered—that wasn’t exactly a compliment, was it…

“Actually, there’s no need to worry too much,” Liu Baijian said optimistically.

Gu Minglang immediately lifted his gaze, his eyes filled with disapproval. “Better to be prepared,” he countered.

Hearing this, Liu Baijian dropped the pretence of secrecy. “I plan to become a disciple of the Wendao Sect. Even if the White Bone Demon Lord is arrogant, he wouldn’t dare cause trouble at the foremost Daoist sect in the world, right?”

Gu Minglang glanced at him, his tone tinged with surprise. “You wish to join the Wendao Sect? Their Artifact Dao isn’t particularly outstanding. If you’re choosing a sect, you’d be better off going to the Sanqing Palace.”

The founding patriarch of the Sanqing Palace was an Artifact Dao Master. Within the palace, its lineage is ancient and complete, boasting the most numerous and strongest Artifact Dao Masters in the cultivation world. It truly stands as the foremost sect in Artifact Dao.

Liu Baijian shook his head at this. “The Sanqing Palace is admirable, but my aspirations lie elsewhere.”

Gu Minglang’s expression grew even more puzzled. His gaze fixed on Liu Baijian, as if silently asking: If you, an Artifact Dao Master, have no interest in this place (the Sanqing Palace), where else could you possibly go? Is there any sect in the cultivation world with a stronger mastery of Artifact Dao than the Sanqing Palace?

The Chiyang Sword Spirit, who had been silently listening to their conversation from the side, glanced at Liu Baijian, whose expression remained calm and composed. Then it spoke: “He wishes to cultivate Daoist arts and become a Dao Cultivator.”

“…”

Gu Minglang’s first reaction upon hearing this was disbelief. He looked up, his gaze fixed on Liu Baijian.

“Yes, he is correct.” Under Gu Minglang’s gaze, Liu Baijian nodded openly in acknowledgment.

“Reason?”

Gu Minglang heard his words and looked at him, his brows slightly furrowed as he asked.

“Because this is my ideal!” Liu Baijian looked at him, his expression calm and open as he said, “I want to become the foremost Dao Cultivator under heaven. No one can stop me. If a person has no ideals, what’s the difference between them and a piece of dried fish?” 

“…” Gu Minglang.

Gu Minglang listened to his words, his gaze fixed on him, his brow deeply furrowed. Though his expression showed little approval, he still respected Liu Baijian’s choice. “Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t say more,” he told Liu Baijian.

Hearing this, Liu Baijian met his gaze and smiled faintly. He thought to himself, Gu Minglang is surprisingly respectful. He had expected that with Gu Minglang’s upright, serious, and traditional nature, he would strongly oppose his impulsiveness and try to persuade him to see the error of his ways and change his mind.

“However,” Gu Minglang shifted his tone, “since this matter stems from me, I cannot allow you to face danger. Therefore, I shall escort you during your journey to the Wendao Sect.”

Surprise flashed across Liu Baijian’s face. He hadn’t expected Gu Minglang to say this—the man was serious. Seeing the conviction in Gu Minglang’s expression, Liu Baijian shed his initial indifference and began to seriously consider the proposal.

“It’s not impossible…” Liu Baijian mused before speaking. Having an extra companion on the journey to the Wendao Sect wasn’t entirely unacceptable. Travelling with someone else would certainly be more interesting than going alone. With this thought, Liu Baijian was about to agree. His mouth opened slightly to speak, but suddenly, as if sensing something, his brows furrowed.

He lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Gu Minglang before him, and abruptly asked, “The White Bone Demon Lord you mentioned—the one who bears a grudge against you—is he a man with entirely white hair, clad in black robes, and bearing a scar across his face?”

Hearing this, Gu Minglang instantly frowned. “How do you know?”

Hearing this, Liu Baijian offered him a faint smile. “I think your earlier suggestion is unnecessary now. The White Bone Demon Lord has already come looking for us.”

“…”

Gu Minglang’s expression turned icy upon hearing this. Beside him, the Chiyang Sword Spirit could no longer contain its murderous intent, erupting with terrifying killing energy.

“He’s outside the valley now,” Liu Baijian stated slowly, observing the sword master and sword spirit before him.

The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Minglang seized the Chiyang Sword and sprang to his feet. His face, now a mask of icy, murderous intent, began striding toward the exit.

“Hold on,” Liu Baijian said, stopping him.

Gu Minglang gripped the Chiyang Sword, staring at him expressionlessly.

“He’s not going anywhere. No need to rush into his trap,” Liu Baijian said. “More than that, I want to know how he found out you were here.”

Hearing this, Gu Minglang’s brow instantly furrowed.

He hadn’t considered this question, nor did he care about it. A battle with the White Bone Demon Lord was inevitable, and he held no fear.

Liu Baijian understood his thoughts from the look on his face. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, thinking to himself: Sword cultivators really are straightforward and single-minded, their thought processes simple and brutal. “Never mind,” Liu Baijian said with resignation. “I won’t press you on this. Just ask him yourself when you’re fighting the White Bone Demon Lord.”

Hearing this, Gu Minglang frowned. “Will he answer?”

Liu Baijian thought to himself, At least he hasn’t lost his mind completely. Asking that question shows Gu Minglang still has some sense left.

“He will,” Liu Baijian replied. “Though we’ve never met, from your descriptions, this White Bone Demon Lord is an extremely proud and arrogant individual. If you ask him, he’ll definitely answer.”

Because villains die by talking too much!

Liu Baijian wore a profoundly serious expression, thinking to himself.

Though he didn’t understand why Liu Baijian was so certain the White Bone Demon Lord would answer, Gu Minglang didn’t think it was a big deal. It was just a casual question, so he nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

With that, he turned without further delay, ready to head out, sword in hand, to challenge the White Bone Demon Lord to a duel.

“Hey, wait!”

Liu Baijian immediately called out as he saw his movement.

Hearing this, Gu Minglang halted his steps and turned, his gaze filled with confusion. “Is there something else?”

“…No, you just plan to go out like that?” Liu Baijian stared at him, his mouth twitching as he spoke.

Gu Minglang looked back at him with utter bewilderment, as if asking, “What else would I do?”

Seeing this, Liu Baijian’s expression grew even more exasperated. Dude, you forgot about the White Bone Demon Lord’s magic spear—the one specifically designed to counter you!

Charging out like that is just walking into a trap!

“Wait for me,” Liu Baijian said to him, then turned and dashed into the inner room.