Liu Jiang Fusheng glanced at him indifferently, his light brown pupils, like glazed glass, narrowed slightly. "Do I deserve to remain alone for life?"
Daoist Zhiyang choked. He, he didn't mean it that way.
Wanting to explain but not knowing where to start, he, Daoist Zhiyang, the acclaimed ancestor of physiognomy, had observed countless people. He could tell at a glance that the affinity between these two was shallow, their fates clashing.
He observed the woman’s dignified and commanding presence, her forehead exhibiting divine energy, her eyes like the bright, clear moon of an autumn night. Typically, such a countenance belonged to a fortunate man. If she were a man, she would have been endowed with immense blessings; if a woman, she would be born with an extraordinary aura. When this extraordinary woman met this upright man, it was destined to be a clash of dragon and tiger, with one inevitably injured. He suppressed his words, his face turning red and his neck bulging. He felt a slight unease about speaking ill of others behind their backs, so he placed his hand by his mouth and whispered, "She, she is not a good match."
The young man paused.
He thought to himself that he had known this all along. It was a pity he had already boarded this ship of no return; it was too late to offer advice.
He did not wish to continue this topic and instead fluttered his starry eyes, asking, "If I become your disciple, can you make me more powerful than anyone else?"
Seeing the youth, pure as spring snow, looking at him with expectant eyes, Daoist Zhiyang's chest swelled with ambition.
"Of course!" Daoist Zhiyang, upon hearing his intention, excitedly rubbed his palms and circled around. "Young man, have you heard of cultivating the Dao and ascending?"
He blinked his thick eyelashes and nodded gently. "I have."
The old Daoist took a deep breath, his eyes holding profound meaning. In a cryptic tone that seemed to transcend time, he said, "If it is you, perhaps in time, you will be the only one in a thousand years to achieve immortality."
Liu Jiang Fusheng was stunned by this statement.
He, was he that powerful?
At this moment, a playful chuckle came from behind. Gu Junshi approached with elegant steps. "Does the old Daoist possess the ability to teach someone to ascend to immortality?"
Daoist Zhiyang's expression changed, a hint of embarrassed anger appearing. "Ignorant child."
Gu Junshi raised an eyebrow slightly. "I fear that even True Lord Huang Shou, Venerable Nan Yuan, and the Buddha's Son of Mahākāya Temple would not dare to speak such exaggerated words."
The old Daoist stared, then pointed at her in surprise. "You... you, a mere village woman, how do you know of matters in the cultivation world?"
The individuals she mentioned were all renowned figures in the cultivation world, possessing the high-level attainments of twenty-something heavens, their cultivation far exceeding his own.
Gu Junshi had never heard the name "Daoist Zhiyang" before, but she had heard of the "Great Evolution Sect" because, later on, several figures who achieved peak power emerged from this small sect.
"Are all village women ignorant and foolish?" Gu Junshi's deep, dark eyes seemed capable of probing hearts.
The old Daoist's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, rendered speechless.
Seeing his farmer wife effortlessly silence the previously boisterous old Daoist with just a few words, Liu Jiang Fusheng's beautiful eyes dimmed. He couldn't help but feel a great sense of disappointment.
Should he really become this old Daoist's disciple? He looked rather unintelligent. Could he truly teach him to succeed and successfully counter his wife?
Daoist Zhiyang angrily threw off the straw hat on his head. "You... who exactly are you?"
Did she really think he was stupid? She absolutely could not just be an ordinary village woman.
Gu Junshi wanted to say, "I am the person whom your Great Evolution Sect's sect master should respectfully call ancestor," but she remembered that honor and status belonged to the past. Now, she was still an ordinary citizen, so she replied humbly, "Perhaps someone you will have to pay respects to thrice before you can meet in the future."
She had merely spoken the truth, but it left both listeners stunned.
Damn!
How arrogant!
How infuriating!
Daoist Zhiyang's aura surged like roaring flames, his long, wide sleeves billowing. He was practically itching to strike down this presumptuous village woman on the spot.
Liu Jiang Fusheng, affected by the old Daoist's pressure, found it hard to breathe. However, seeing the old Daoist about to attack Gu Junshi, he instinctively stepped forward to shield her without a second thought. His slightly pale face was filled with an unyielding coldness.
Seeing this, Daoist Zhiyang, for the sake of his future disciple, silently recited the mantra of enduring a moment's anger for a broader future. He withdrew his aura, stomped his foot, and shouted, "I won't argue with you. Kid, are you leaving or not?"
Liu Jiang Fusheng's expression changed. He turned and innocently asked Gu Junshi for her opinion. She looked at him deeply and said, "Naturally, we will leave."
"What business is it of yours?" the old Daoist retorted grumpily.
"He is my husband, and we are naturally united as husband and wife."
Daoist Zhiyang scoffed, ungracefully digging in his ear. "Nonsense! Once he cultivates to immortality, his lifespan will be prolonged, and your mortal wife should then sever ties with him."
"I will accompany him in immortality."
He laughed exaggeratedly. "Immortality? Do you think everyone is qualified to cultivate?"
He dared not guarantee for others, but for her? Hmph.
Was the domineering CEO, who possessed three thousand internal cultivation techniques and tens of thousands of immortal methods and secret manuals, proud? No, she simply stated plainly, "If I am not here, he will not go with you."
Liu Jiang Fusheng, for the sake of his revenge plan, naturally would not easily separate from Gu Junshi.
He nodded seriously. "Where my wife is, I am."
Hearing this henpecked remark, Daoist Zhiyang glared at him with a look of utter disappointment.
What a curse!
The old Daoist's face twisted, his eyes darting around. Then, he said sinisterly, "Fine, fine—then you can both go. But let me be clear, if she fails the aptitude test of the Immortality Seeking Stone, she will have to be sent back to the mortal realm. This is the rule of cultivation, and even I cannot do anything about it."
Gu Junshi saw through Daoist Zhiyang's intentions at a glance.
She estimated that with his cultivation, he could easily discern her as having a trash constitution.
The two opposite them looked at her together.
She smiled faintly, her expression as clear and serene as the breeze and the moon. "Very well."
The old Daoist muttered to himself: This is hilarious. Why is she so confident despite being so ordinary?
Liu Jiang Fusheng lowered his gaze, his brows, like spring flowers, suddenly softened in thought.
If he could become a cultivator, and she remained mortal, that would be perfectly fine too.
This way... she would truly become his possession.
To be played with, controlled, perhaps even ravaged and subjugated.