One of my fairy-like friends

Gu Hanshuang remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Ming Yan. "If you trust me, don't ask any further questions."

Upon hearing this, Ming Yan nodded and did not ask any further questions, but he remembered what Gu Hanshuang had just said and gradually understood.

Gu Hanshuang once said that this imperial artifact was incomplete, and she seemed to have some understanding of her so-called imperial artifact...

The most likely possibility that Mingyan could guess was that she possessed a part of the incomplete imperial artifact, which was why she could sense that the golden catfish wearing a bellyband—the fish belly—had an imperial artifact hidden inside.

The group hadn't gone far when Gu Hanshuang turned around and glanced behind her, then whispered to Mingyan, "Someone's catching up. Deal with them first."

Ming Yan and Gu Hanshuang stopped, and Yue Qingying, Huang Feiyan and Feng Shiyi also stopped. Before long, they saw Ning Zetian catch up alone.

Seeing that the group had stopped, he calmly halted his steps. "I'm not here to compete with you for this opportunity. I just have something I'd like to discuss with Fairy Huang and Brother Ming."

“We have nothing to talk to you about.” Because of Ning Feixuan’s matter, Huang Feiyan loathed Ning Zetian’s existence from the bottom of her heart. Ming Yan frowned and remained silent.

“I know that you two dislike me because you have a good relationship with Ning Feixuan, but there are some things I must make clear. I am not the murderer of Ning Feixuan’s parents.” Ning Zetian’s expression remained unchanged and his tone was calm. “Over the years, I know that Ning Feixuan has misunderstood me and even looked for a suitable opportunity to kill me to avenge her. But every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its debtor. This unfounded hatred cannot be hastily placed on my head.”

Gu Hanshuang frowned. She knew who Ning Feixuan was; the title of Yaochi Saintess was quite well-known in Dongzhou.

However, Gu Hanshuang was clearly unaware of these grudges and had little interest in them.

Huang Feiyan sneered, "Isn't it ridiculous to say these things now?"

“I can’t just sit here and wait for you to find a chance to kill me, can I?” Ning Zetian’s calm expression finally showed a hint of helplessness. “Back then, I had no idea what was going on. I was inexplicably accused of murdering my own clan and was expelled from the family.”

"You don't know what happened? Fei Xuan saw you kill her parents with her own eyes, how could that be false?" Huang Feiyan remained unmoved. "We have nothing to talk about, so don't waste your breath on us."

“Miss Huang, I know you and Ning Feixuan are very close, and you despise me to the extreme, but you'd better think about it. If I weren't the murderer of that incident back then, even if you killed me, would that appease her parents' spirits in heaven? She claims to have seen me do it, but I was clearly in meditation that day. She's innocent; someone framed me.” Ning Zetian frowned. “Besides, although my relationship with Ning Feixuan isn't great, it's certainly not so bad that I would kill her entire family.”

Mingyan frowned. "You shouldn't be saying these things to us; you should be explaining them to Ning Feixuan."

“If she were willing to listen, I wouldn’t need to tell you all this…” Ning Zetian frowned and said, “I tried to investigate this matter, but the Ning family has already classified it as such, and as someone who has been expelled from the Ning family… I can only investigate privately. However, too few people know about what happened back then. But I have a suspect, and I can’t investigate him properly. But you are different, Ning Feixuan is different. I don’t want Ning Feixuan and I to end up fighting to the death. This is not something that should happen between us. Her parents wouldn’t be happy if they knew. The real murderer is free, while for their sake, their daughter is fighting to the death with someone who is unrelated to them.”

Huang Feiyan sneered, not saying much. She had grown up with Ning Feixuan since childhood, and Ning Feixuan had told her about her parents many times. She had witnessed Ning Zetian committing murder with her own eyes. Now that Ning Zetian had come to her and said that he was not the murderer, would she believe him?

Ming Yan frowned, looked at Ning Zetian, and thought for a moment.

He was different from Huang Feiyan. Huang Feiyan grew up with Ning Feixuan and was influenced by her from a young age, but Ming Yan had only known about these things for a short time and was completely unaware of some details. Therefore, upon hearing Ning Zetian's words, he couldn't help but feel confused.

After Ning Zetian finished speaking, he did not linger and quickly turned and left.

"Don't be fooled by him, Mingyan." Seeing that Mingyan seemed to have some ideas, Huang Feiyan reminded him, "This person is extremely cruel. Perhaps he knows that Feixuan is about to make a move against him, so he came to us to try to buy time."

Ming Yan smiled, then nodded slightly, and looked at Gu Han Shuang, "Keep chasing."

————————————————————

This little incident didn't cause Gu Hanshuang to lose track of Yu Nan. Yu Nan hadn't left the Dragon's Nest yet, but it was moving freely through the complex passages. If Gu Hanshuang hadn't left some kind of mark, it would have been really hard to find.

At that time, Gu Hanshuang used the tip of her sword to mark Yu Nan's forehead, and it was probably at that moment that she left a mark without anyone noticing. Gu Hanshuang probably already thought about letting it go. If Yu Mudan hadn't intervened, Gu Hanshuang wouldn't have needed to notify Ming Yan. After Yu Nan escaped, she chased after it alone without anyone noticing.

Don't think Gu Hanshuang is easy to fool; this woman is very shrewd.

However, Gu Hanshuang's behavior of stopping to wait for them instead of leaving them to chase after Yu Nan on her own still made Ming Yan feel a little strange. She also wanted to gain his trust, right? Trust is mutual. He wanted to gain her trust, and she naturally wanted to gain his trust as well. That's what cooperation is all about.

Although Gu Hanshuang also had her own thoughts, she was much better than Yu Mudan; her personality was ultimately easier to understand.

It took the group some time to finally catch up with the fleeing fish. It seemed to be too afraid to leave the dragon's lair, perhaps because there were some of its "acquaintances" outside, which prevented it from venturing out...

“It’s nearby.” Gu Hanshuang stopped and looked in a certain direction, but there was nothing there. Ming Yan raised an eyebrow. Clearly, that weakling had some kind of hiding method, but it wasn’t particularly sophisticated.

Yue Qingying hadn't noticed anyone nearby. She hesitated for a moment, about to speak, when she saw Gu Hanshuang slash with her sword. A cry of pain quickly came from the void, and the golden catfish wearing a bellyband appeared out of thin air, fell to the ground, and said pitifully, "Oh dear! Fairy sister! Stop hitting me!"

Gu Hanshuang said to Ming Yan, "This catfish's true cultivation level is the initial stage of the Divine Palace. It should not be your match, but you still need to be careful. It has many treasures on its body, so don't let your guard down."

The golden catfish chuckled sheepishly, "What are you saying, fairy sister? I don't have that many treasures..."

"Enough with the nonsense. Hand over what you found in the stone coffin, and you can leave. Otherwise, we'll hand you over to those people outside. Think about how you'll die." Gu Hanshuang was too lazy to waste words with Yu Nan.

The fish's expression changed, and the tentacles around its mouth trembled slightly. "Is the fairy really going to force me into this situation? Aren't you afraid I'll fight to the death?"

"Then you should perform one for me." Gu Hanshuang looked at the fish belly with great interest.

Yu Nan gritted his teeth, his gaze subtly sweeping over Ming Yan. Ming Yan, however, was prepared. The other man possessed a broken imperial artifact; if he intended to attack them with it, he would immediately summon the Heart-to-Heart Pendant. But after a moment's hesitation, Yu Nan softened and whispered, "I can give it to you, but you have to promise to take me out..."

"You think you have..." Gu Hanshuang frowned, about to refuse, when Ming Yan quickly said, "Okay, but you need to hand over the item first."

Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan, raising her eyebrows slightly, but said nothing.

"Take me out of here first!" Fishy-faced man said, hands on his hips. "Otherwise, I won't give it to you."

Mingyan sighed, "Don't you know that the female swordswoman beside me doesn't care whether you live or die?"

“Killing you will also get me something,” Gu Hanshuang said coldly, perfectly in sync with the situation.

Yu Nan hesitated, struggling intensely. Seeing this, Ming Yan glanced at Gu Han Shuang and gave her a look. Gu Han Shuang raised her sword, her killing intent growing stronger. "It seems you're not planning to cooperate..."

"Wait! I'm thinking!" the fish belly hurriedly said, sweating profusely, but still somewhat hesitant.

Fish Belly gritted his teeth, and finally a broken object appeared in his hand. It looked like a small tower, but it was incomplete and severely damaged. "This is what I found in that stone museum..."

Gu Hanshuang beckoned, and Yu Nan tossed it into her hand. Gu Hanshuang held it in her hand, carefully examined it, and then tossed it to Ming Yan, transmitting her voice: "This is the first benefit of you standing on my side. This was originally an imperial artifact, but it has been broken into several parts. I hold one part, and this top of the tower is yours."

Yu Nan was shocked to see Gu Han Shuang so decisively hand over the spire to Ming Yan. This thing wasn't something you could just throw away; even those outside would go crazy for it! She just tossed it to that man like that?!

Mingyan and Huang Feiyan and Yue Qingying beside him were also very surprised. They did not expect Gu Hanshuang to do this.

"Fairy Gu, are you sure?" Ming Yan replied.

“Of course I’m sure. Since you’re on my side, I won’t treat you unfairly. I also hope you’ll help me sincerely. Even if we can’t be Daoist partners, we can still be trusted Daoist friends and comrades-in-arms.” Gu Han Shuang’s face was calm, showing no sign of heartache.

However, she is an imperial princess, and given her formidable cultivation, she is bound to encounter many opportunities...

Holding the spire in his hand, Mingyan could sense its extraordinary nature. Ancient runes were engraved on it, and it was made of some unknown material. It was very heavy. He remained silent for a while, then put it away. He glanced at Yu Nan and gestured for him to turn around. Yu Nan obediently turned around, but before Mingyan could speak, Gu Hanshuang knocked Yu Nan unconscious with her sword sheath.

Mingyan: "..."

"Are you really planning to give it away? This guy seems to frequent people's ancestral graves; he's a menace," Gu Hanshuang said calmly.

"...Cough cough." Yu Nan fainted, so there was no need for an opportunity. He took out a fairy fruit from the Panlong Ancient Tree from his Qi Sea and handed it to Gu Han Shuang. "Since you gave me the top of the tower, I can't not give you this as a token of my appreciation."

"What is this?" Gu Hanshuang looked at the blood-red fruit, then looked at Ming Yan with some hesitation.

Mingyan told Gu Hanshuang that they had encountered the Panlong Ancient Tree and picked its fruit, but he didn't go into details. Upon hearing this, Gu Hanshuang accepted the fruit without hesitation.

“This fruit seems to have the effect of improving cultivation. Fairy Gu, when would you like to consider eating it?” Ming Yan said.

Upon hearing this, Huang Feiyan quickly said, "This...that's not necessarily true..."

Mingyan didn't know what was going on, but she and Yue Qingying knew perfectly well that the increase in their cultivation level wasn't due to the fruit at all. The fruit was indeed very useful, and its medicinal effects were still being exerted, which basically confirmed that their lifespans had been extended. However, the increase in their cultivation level was most likely the result of their fusion...

Moreover, this fruit cannot be eaten casually, because it is nourished by dragon's blood, and for a period of time after eating it...

"The effects of the immortal fruit vary from person to person, so it would be best if Fairy Gu were absolutely certain before consuming it," Yue Qingying added with a smile. Compared to the slightly flustered Huang Feiyan, Yue Qingying appeared much more composed...

Gu Hanshuang remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

.....

Chapter 87 Second Aunt, Please Help Me

You can say whatever you want, but you can't just eat fruit randomly. Luckily, Gu Hanshuang didn't plan to eat the fruit right now, otherwise Mingyan would definitely have guessed something.

Yue Qingying and Huang Feiyan both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Hanshuang put the fruit away and looked at the fish belly, "What do you plan to do with it? It has many treasures on it."

Mingyan shook his head. "Since we've already agreed to it and it's handed over its items, there's no need to harm it further. Let's take it out."

Mingyan was also a little puzzled. Was it really so immoral to steal someone's ancestral grave and eat their offerings?

However, as he just said, they had an agreement that he would only take the catfish out this time, and what would happen to him if he were caught by others later was none of his business.

Mingyan pondered for a moment and asked, "Fairy Gu, do you have any way to keep it from waking up for a short period of time?"

"That's easy!" Gu Han Shuang raised her sword sheath and slammed it down. Yu Nan's body twitched, but he quickly regained his composure.

“…” Mingyan walked to the side of the fish belly and tried to put it into his own Qi Sea World.

Long ago, Mingyan knew that his Qi Sea was different from others. The Qi Sea world of the Human King Body seemed to be able to store living things, so theoretically, living people could also live in it.

After the fish belly was taken into his Qi Sea World, its breathing became steady and nothing happened. Ming Yan was immediately relieved. Sure enough, his Qi Sea World was a place where people could live.

The group did not linger; they had obtained everything they needed, and there was no point in staying any longer.

They returned the way they came. Mingyan asked Gu Hanshuang if she knew the secret of this place. Gu Hanshuang said, "When I was young, my father took me here once. At that time, there was also a stone coffin here. There was no corpse in the coffin, only the spire of the tower that I gave you. When he was young, he had collected some fragments of small towers in other places. At that time, he told me that when I woke up in the future, I could come here to collect the fragments of the 'tower' myself. He told me that there was a shocking secret hidden inside the 'tower'."

"I think you should know who my father is by now, right?" Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan and asked calmly.

Mingyan nodded. "You are... the Emperor's biological daughter? Right?"

Gu Hanshuang nodded. "My father didn't take those spires with him. He told me they were for my future self, and he wouldn't arrange everything for me..."

“Your father probably hoped that you would compete to become an emperor without the suppression of the Great Dao, right?” Mingyan sighed and said, “Unfortunately, you woke up in the wrong era. This era is wasting your talent.”

Although this era is suppressed by the Great Dao, there are too many geniuses born. Even in the Golden Age, it's rare to see such a genius. Yet, even so, Gu Han Shuang still manages to lead the world...

"It's not a wrong era; rather, the coming of darkness and turmoil is exactly what I want," Gu Hanshuang said, shaking her head.

That makes sense. Her father died in battle against the invaders from beyond the realms during the dark turmoil, so Gu Hanshuang probably carries a heart full of revenge...

“I once asked whose tomb this was. My father told me that an extremely terrifying being was buried here, and that the small tower was his weapon. But when I asked about his corpse, my father told me…” Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan, her lips slightly parted, “He told me that this person might not be dead, and might still be alive…”

“How could that be? No one could survive…” Mingyan stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering his sister and the “mother” behind the stone gate.

“Yes, no one can live that long. Even the Great Emperor can only live for 20,000 years at most. Perhaps we can find some clues after we collect all the ‘Towers’.” Gu Han Shuang was very talkative, which was different from Ming Yan’s previous impression of her. This made them closer and she revealed a lot of things to him.

"However, what does 'extremely terrifying' mean?" Mingyan asked.

"...My father said he almost caused the extinction of both the human and demon races." Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan, "Do you understand this concept?"

Ming Yan was shocked. He almost wiped out the human and demon races? How many people did he kill? He must have been an extreme being, but how could someone who could prove himself as an emperor kill so indiscriminately?

“His birth date is untraceable, and his true strength is unknown, but he was definitely earlier than the Dragon and Phoenix clans. And his coffin is lying in this abandoned dragon nest…” Gu Hanshuang said, “Perhaps he was still alive when the Dragon Clan was wiped out.”

Mingyan felt a chill run down his spine, but then shook his head. This person should have died long ago; his weapon was broken, so he must have gone through a great battle... However, Mingyan couldn't understand why, if he was really dead, the person who put the broken "tower" in the coffin was the one who put it there.

Moreover, the fragments of the "Tower" are not only found here; Gu Hanshuang's father had obtained a part of the "Tower" in other places when he was young...

For some reason, Mingyan developed a strong interest in the "tower" and the man's background...

The group returned to the entrance and left the tomb. Most of the people had already come out. Mingyan and his companions had spent two days inside.

Outside, the carriages of the Holy Lords were still there. As soon as they emerged, one of the Holy Lords inquired about Yu Nan's whereabouts...

This fish has indeed offended many people, causing even a Saint Lord-level figure to be waiting for it here... No wonder it has been circling around in the dragon's nest and unwilling to leave. If it were to come out and be caught, it would surely be torn to pieces.