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

The cave was deathly silent.

Gu Xiang's fingers were already gripping his clothes, his fingertips pale, a sign of excessive force.

His inner strength was surging, a preparation to protect his heart and prevent the gushing blood from splashing onto Su Qing when his heart was ripped out.

Su Qing gripped his sleeve tightly, her nails digging into his flesh. Her fox-like eyes, which always held a mocking smile, were now filled with terror and despair.

At this critical moment, when it seemed as if blood would be spilled on the spot at any moment.

"Tap, tap."

Two dull taps of canes suddenly rang out in the empty cave.

The old ancestor stood at the edge of the deep pit, his old face, full of deep wrinkles, was now filled with great doubt.

He tilted his head, looking at the two juniors at the bottom of the pit who seemed to be acting out a tragic drama. His cloudy eyes rolled around, and finally he couldn't help but speak.

"Um... Prime Minister Gu, Your Majesty."

"Old man, may I ask a question?"

"What...are you doing?"

Gu Xiang's hand paused.

He raised his head and looked at the ancestor, his eyes revealing a resolute determination to face death.

"Take the heart."

Gu Xiang answered very decisively.

"Since we need the purest phoenix aura, and it won't work through the skin and flesh, then let's extract it."

"I only care about saving Qing'er."

The old ancestor was stunned.

He opened his mouth wide, and his few remaining teeth looked somewhat comical in the dim light.

After a long while, he suddenly gasped for breath and looked at Gu Xiang as if he were an idiot.

"Take...take it out?"

"Who gave you permission to take it out?"

"When did I ever say I wanted you to rip your heart out?"

This time, it was Gu Xiang's turn to be stunned.

Su Qing was also stunned, tears clinging to her eyelashes, threatening to fall, and she stood there frozen.

"You just said..."

Gu Xiang frowned, recalling what his ancestor had just said.

"You said that the aura is weak through the skin and flesh. If there is a way to activate the power of the Linglong Heart in front of the Divine Tree, it will be the purest phoenix aura."

"Besides digging it out, what other way is there to release it completely?"

After hearing this, the old ancestor slapped his forehead, making a crisp sound.

"absurd!"

"This is utterly absurd!"

"Prime Minister Gu, have you become foolish from reading too much, or have you been blinded by love?"

"That exquisite seven-aperture heart is now the foundation of your life and the source of your cultivation."

"If you dig it out, will you still be alive?"

"If you die, this exquisite heart will become ownerless, its aura will dissipate instantly, and how will we be able to awaken the divine tree then?"

Gu Xiang blinked.

He looked down at his chest, then at his ancestor.

"Then... what does the Ancestor mean?"

The old ancestor sighed, reached into his robes, and rummaged around for a long time.

Finally, he pulled out a dark, walnut-like object.

The thing looked unremarkable, its surface covered with rough textures, and it didn't have any spiritual energy fluctuations. It looked like a piece of rotten wood picked up casually by the roadside.

The old ancestor casually tossed it aside.

The black lump traced an arc and fell towards Guxiang.

Gu Xiang instinctively reached out and caught it.

It feels slightly heavy in the hand and has a warm touch.

"These are the phoenix seeds left behind by the two Phoenix Emperors."

The ancestor explained.

"This thing is the fruit of the sacred parasol tree, containing a wisp of the tree's original essence."

"Just place it on your chest and activate it with your righteous energy."

"It will resonate with the exquisite heart within you."

"This resonance allows the essence of Linglong's heart to be released tenfold or even a hundredfold through the skin and flesh."

"It's like... well, like adding a handful of dry firewood to a fire."

"When the fire burns brightly, the light will naturally shine."

"When the sacred tree sensed this aura of the same origin, it naturally assumed that the phoenix had returned, and the seal was broken on its own."

After the old ancestor finished speaking, he shrugged.

"It's that simple."

"I haven't finished speaking yet, and you're already acting like you're going to die."

"Young people these days are too impatient."

The cave fell silent once again.

This time, however, the deathly silence was completely different from the tragic atmosphere of the previous scene.

There was a strong sense of awkwardness about it.

Gu Xiang looked down at the dark sycamore seed in his hand.

She looked down at her clothes, which had been torn open.

His face turned red at a visible speed.

The redness started at the base of my neck and went all the way down to the back of my ears.

He was the dignified Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Prime Minister Gu, who remained unmoved even when Mount Tai collapsed before him.

Just now, I almost staged a farce of disembowelment and heart-ripping in front of outsiders.

If this gets back to the capital, Li Yu will probably laugh at me for the rest of my life.

Su Qing also realized what was happening.

She released her grip on Gu Xiang's collar.

A blush spread across her stunningly beautiful face, like the glow of the setting sun.

She sniffed and held back her tears.

Then, she raised her foot and kicked Gu Xiang hard in the shin.

"fool!"

Su Qing cursed.

Are you stupid?

"They hadn't even finished speaking, and you were already going to pull out a knife?"

"How did you become prime minister?"

"Listen to the meaning behind words, listen to the sound of drums and gongs; can't you even understand what's being said?"

Gu Xiang took a kick but didn't dare to dodge.

He straightened his collar and coughed somewhat awkwardly.

"Concern leads to confusion."

"Concern leads to confusion."

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the ancestor and bowed deeply.

"It was my recklessness."

"Please excuse my ancestor's foolishness."

The old man waved his hand, turned around with his cane, his shoulders shrugging.

He was clearly trying not to laugh.

"Alright, stop worshiping."

"Let's get down to business."

"This sacred tree is so withered and decayed; if this continues, even the paulownia seeds will be useless."

Gu Xiang straightened up.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his embarrassment and shame.

He turned to look at Su Qing.

Su Qing was facing away from him, wiping her face with her sleeve.

Even though she was cursing at him, even though she was kicking him.

But Gu Xiang knew.

For a brief moment, she was genuinely afraid.

I'm afraid he'll die.

Gu Xiang felt a warm glow in his heart.

He walked over and gently took Su Qing's hand.

"Qing'er."

"Once we retrieve our original body, we'll go home."

"I'll make you roast chicken."

Su Qing tried to shake her hand off, but failed.

She turned around, her eyes still red, but she glared at him fiercely.

"I want to eat ten!"

"And we want to drink the most expensive wine!"

"Spend all your secret stash of money!"

Gu Xiang smiled.

"it is good."

"Whatever you say."

He released Su Qing's hand and turned to face the withered sycamore tree.

He opened his palm.

The black sycamore seed lay quietly in my palm.

Gu Xiang no longer hesitated.

He sat down cross-legged, facing the sacred tree.

He gently pressed the sycamore seed against his chest.

Right where the heart beats.

"Thump."

A deep, muffled heartbeat echoed in the silent cave.

That wasn't Gu Xiang's heartbeat.

That was the resonance that occurred the moment the sycamore seed and the exquisite heart came into contact.

Gu Xiang closed his eyes.

The righteous energy within his body surged wildly into that tiny seed, like a river flowing into the sea.

Linjiangxian - Oolong

The ancient cave is deep and secluded, its secrets hidden; we gaze at each other, our eyes blurred with tears.

He cut out his heart just to save the spirit plant.

Who knew that fate had intervened, and a single child could dispel the confusion?

Amidst laughter and playful banter, their affection deepened; her beautiful face shyly concealed its fragrant form.

Concern can cloud judgment, and that was the case back then.

A simpleton in true character, a sentiment unparalleled in the world.