Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Su Qing is a smart person.

Or rather, she's a clever vixen.

Following the old man's gaze, she suddenly turned her head and looked at Gu Xiang beside her.

Gu Xiang was also taken aback.

He looked down at himself.

He was dressed in simple clothes, with a long sword hanging at his waist, and possessed nothing except for the bag containing the earth spirit.

"Old Stone, just say what you have to say."

Su Qing jumped up from the bottom of the pit, walked a few steps to the ancestor, and spoke in an unfriendly tone.

Don't play riddles with me.

"Is the key on him?"

The old ancestor nodded, then shook his head.

"It's not about Prime Minister Gu."

"In Prime Minister Gu's heart."

Gu Xiang subconsciously raised his hand and pressed it against his chest.

There, a heart is beating.

Strong and powerful.

Each heartbeat is accompanied by a warm current that flows throughout the body.

That is a heart with seven orifices and exquisite beauty.

It was something Su Qing had personally dug out and given to him three years ago.

"The phoenix perches on the parasol tree."

The ancestor spoke slowly.

"This sacred phoenix tree was once the dwelling place of the two Phoenix Emperors, and it has been imbued with the aura and laws of the phoenix."

"And the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart within Prime Minister Gu's body is precisely the transformation of the Phoenix Dao Fruit."

"They are one."

"We share the same roots and origins, and our spirits are connected."

Su Qing's expression changed.

She seemed to have guessed what the ancestor was going to say.

"You mean, to soothe the phoenix tree with the essence of Linglong's heart?"

"Tell it that the phoenix has returned, that it is safe, and ask it to break the seal?"

The old ancestor nodded.

"That's exactly right."

"Although the sacred parasol tree has developed intelligence, it is still ignorant."

"It recognizes the phoenix's aura."

"If the phoenix returns to its nest, it will naturally open its arms to welcome the monarch."

Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's easy."

She patted Gu Xiang on the shoulder.

"You idiot, go over there, take off your clothes, and stick them to the tree."

"Let it smell your scent."

Gu Xiang did not move.

The ancestor didn't move either.

The old ancestor looked at Su Qing and sighed.

"Your Majesty, it's not that simple."

"If Prime Minister Gu is now at the Great Sage realm and can fully control the power of the Exquisite Heart, he would naturally only need to release his aura."

"But what about Prime Minister Gu now..."

The old ancestor paused, not finishing his sentence.

But the meaning is obvious.

Although Gu Xiang is strong, capable of killing those at the Transformation Realm and even contending with those at the Profound Realm.

But he is still a long way from being a Great Sage.

That is the chasm between mortals and saints.

It's not something you can overcome by just working hard.

"The current Prime Minister Gu, although he has a clever mind, is like a child holding a peerless sword."

"He can't pull it out."

"The essence of Linglongxin was locked in by his physical body and concealed by his righteous energy."

"The Wutong Sacred Tree is currently in a state of self-sealing and death, and its faint aura cannot be sensed."

Su Qing's face darkened.

"Then what the hell are you talking about!"

"Wait for him to become a Great Sage? That would take forever!"

"By then, the tree will have long since turned to ash!"

The ancestor remained silent for a moment.

He raised his head, looked at Gu Xiang, and spoke.

"There's another way."

"Without becoming a Great Sage, one can still release the aura of the Exquisite Heart without reservation."

Su Qing was stunned.

Gu Xiang was also stunned.

The two exchanged a glance.

Almost simultaneously, the same thought popped into their minds.

"No!"

Su Qing screamed.

She turned around abruptly, grabbed Gu Xiang by the collar, and shielded him tightly behind her.

She looked at the ancestor, and the foxfire in her eyes instantly surged, her killing intent erupting as if it were a tangible force.

"Old man, do you want to die?"

"You dare to make a move on him?"

"Believe it or not, I'll break your old bones right now!"

The ancestor did not back down.

He simply watched Gu Xiang quietly.

"Prime Minister Gu, you are a scholar, you should understand."

"The breath is naturally faint through the skin and flesh."

"if……"

"If there is a way to unleash the power of the Exquisite Heart in front of the Divine Tree."

"That is the purest phoenix aura."

"The sacred tree will surely open."

"Shut up!"

Su Qing shouted sharply.

She was trembling all over.

The scene from several years ago replayed before her eyes like a nightmare.

Ancestral hall, red candles, nuptial wine.

She personally dug out Gu Xiang's heart.

That warm touch, that excruciating pain—she never wants to experience it again in her life.

"Gu Xiang, let's go."

Su Qing pulled Gu Xiang and started to walk out.

"I don't want the original body anymore."

"At worst, I'll just spend hundreds of years rebuilding my cultivation!"

"We'll go back to Luofengpo, back to Shendu, anywhere is fine with us!"

She walked very fast, her steps were a little unsteady.

But she couldn't pull it.

Gu Xiang stood still, like a mountain, completely unmoved.

Su Qing turned around and looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's go!"

Gu Xiang looked at Su Qing.

Looking at her panicked eyes and her trembling hands.

He laughed suddenly.

He smiled gently, just like he did back in the teahouse when he saw that freeloading scholar.

"Qing'er."

Gu Xiang called out softly.

He reached out and, little by little, pried open Su Qing's fingers that were gripping his collar.

You're lying.

"Without your original body, your clone won't last long."

"Your soul is already dissipating."

"You were sleeping for longer and longer periods of time on the way here."

"Your hands are getting colder and colder."

Su Qing gritted her teeth.

"So what?"

"If I die, I die!"

"I was originally a clone!"

"As long as my physical body remains, I am not dead!"

"But the original body is about to die too."

Gu Xiang pointed to the withered tree.

"If it dies, you're really gone."

"...and that was it."

Gu Xiang stepped forward and embraced Su Qing.

His chin rested on her forehead, his voice soft yet firm.

"I don't want Su Qing to die."

"I don't want this world to be without that vixen who called me a fool."

"I don't want to only be able to talk to a jade pendant in the future."

Su Qing struggled in his arms, her voice trembling with tears.

"I won't allow it!"

"This heart is a gift from me!"

"It cost me my life!"

"You dare touch it!"

"Gu Xiang, if you dare to dig this out, I'll... I'll never speak to you again!"

Gu Xiang patted her on the back.

"rest assured."

"I know what I'm doing."

"I am a scholar; I do not do things I am not sure of."

"and……"

Gu Xiang released Su Qing and looked into her eyes.

"This heart is now part of me."

"It's under my jurisdiction."

"Bu Suanzi: Choice"

A sword's shadow flashes, startlingly beautiful; blood stains withered branches crimson.

We once vowed to grow old together, so why fear death?

My heart is the same as before, but people are thorns in my heart.

I would lay down my chest to bring you back; do not laugh at my foolishness.