Fairy, please don't do this!

Gu Jinzhao squatted down and helped her sort and organize the items.

Among them were dozens of bottles of elixirs, all contained in jade bottles with labels affixed to them.

There are hundreds of spiritual objects from heaven and earth, as well as many spiritual sources used for cultivation, all sealed in the brocade box.

As for the magical artifacts, they were not found, but two scrolls of cultivation techniques were discovered.

One volume is called "Xuanhuang Danjing," which is a method for refining elixirs. The other volume is "Wanling Zhenjue," which specializes in array formation cultivation. It should be the work of the cave master during his lifetime.

Gu Jinzhao skimmed through it and gave his advice: "The path of cultivation is inseparable from the aid of elixirs. After Ling'er reaches the seventh rank, she can cultivate this 'Xuanhuang Danjing'."

"As for the 'Myriad Spirits Array Technique,' it not only requires a talent for array formations, but also takes too long to prepare, so we won't consider it for now..."

Luo Ling'er tapped her little head: "I understand!"

Gu Jinzhao picked up the storage ring from her hand, casually strung it with a red string, and handed it back: "Ling'er, wear it around your neck and hide it inside your clothes so that no one can see it!"

It's best not to display things like storage rings, as they are extremely valuable.

Even though Luo Ling'er is very young, the Luo family won't suspect too much, but it's still better to be cautious.

Luo Ling'er took the storage ring, hung it around her neck, examined it carefully for a while, and suddenly blushed.

She recalled overhearing some older maids gossiping in the Luo residence, saying that when a man gave a woman a ring, it was often a token of love, symbolizing "keeping her bound for life"!

I was too young to understand at the time.

At this moment, the ring, still warm from his master's spirit, was pressed against his chest, but those words suddenly came to mind.

Gu Jinchao noticed that the tips of her ears were red and asked with some confusion, "Ling'er, what's wrong?"

"nothing!"

Luo Ling'er hurriedly shook her head, banishing those inappropriate thoughts.

Seeing that she was alright, Gu Jinzhao didn't ask any further questions. He simply glanced around the cave and, seeing that nothing had been left behind, said, "Now that we have the storage ring, we should head back!"

Having said that, he once again released his divine soul power, enveloping Luo Ling'er and taking her away from the cave.

"Wow..."

As soon as I stepped out the door, a mournful screech echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

Gu Jinchao looked up and saw a fiery red demon bird falling from the sky and crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, in mid-air, two demonic birds, one black and one white, with ghostly faces, were circling, staring intently at the commotion below.

Gu Jinchao frowned slightly and quickly led Luo Ling'er to hide in a tree hole to avoid being discovered.

Luo Ling'er asked telepathically, "What kind of demonic beast is that? I've never seen it before."

Gu Jinzhao dispersed his divine sense to perceive the battlefield: "That red one is just a Red Phoenix, whose strength is comparable to a cultivator at the peak of the fourth rank."

"The black and white ones are Ghost Owls, whose strength is comparable to that of the Red Phoenix."

"I just don't know why the two sides started fighting?"

Even if he were still alive, he would not be able to deal with three fourth-grade perfect demonic birds, let alone now that he is injured.

Luo Ling'er also observed the outside world through the tree hole.

Under her gaze, the smoke and dust dissipated.

"Wow..."

The red phoenix flapped its wings and soared away into the distance.

As a strong wind arose, dark red blood rained down.

Clearly, the other party has been seriously injured!

Gu Jinchao said in surprise, "The Red Phoenix's aura is extremely weak. It must have burned its essence blood in preparation for escaping its desperate situation."

"Given the speed of the Ghost-Faced Owl, it shouldn't be able to escape. Why not fight to the death?"

Before he finished speaking, he sensed through his divine sense that a faint life fluctuation was coming from the spot where the red phoenix had just fallen.

After a careful search, they discovered an egg the size of a watermelon hidden in the bushes.

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Jinzhao quietly brought Luo Ling'er to this place.

Luo Ling'er looked up and was immediately stunned: "How come there's an egg here?"

Gu Jinzhao analyzed, "Perhaps the Red Phoenix was laying eggs, which caused its strength to decline, so it was targeted by the two Ghost-Faced Owls."

"The reason it burned its life essence to leave was to lure the enemy away and leave a chance for the child to survive."

At this point, his gaze fell on the egg, and he sighed softly, "It's a pity that the Red Phoenix was severely injured, and the egg it laid while its life force was damaged was extremely weak."

Luo Ling'er squatted down, picked up the egg, and gently stroked it with her small hands.

The eggshell has dark red patterns, is warm to the touch, and you can vaguely feel a faint heartbeat inside.

She stared at it, her eyes filled with pity: "Master, can it still live?"

For some reason, Luo Ling'er thought of her mother.

He sacrificed himself to protect her.

Gu Jinzhao carefully examined the area with his divine sense, and after a long while, he slowly shook his head: "The vitality is like a candle flickering in the wind, and I'm afraid it won't last more than three hours."

Luo Ling'er bit her lip and asked in a low voice, "If possible... could we... save it?"

Gu Jinzhao looked at the blood-stained egg in her arms, then gazed at the distant horizon.

The faint, mournful cries of the red phoenix and the sharp screech of the ghost-faced owl could still be heard from there.

Gu Jinzhao seemed to understand something, and couldn't help but show a gentle smile: "If Ling'er says to save, then we will save her!"

He knew that Luo Ling'er wanted to save the red phoenix's egg because it resembled his past self.

If her mother hadn't risked her life to keep her warm when the cold poison flared up, she probably would have died long ago.

Seeing the same scene now naturally evokes feelings of compassion.

Luo Ling'er's eyes lit up: "Master, do you have a way?"

Gu Jinzhao said softly, "Ling'er has a Heavenly Fragrance Life-Sustaining Pill in her storage ring. Take one."

"I will use my true yang fire to dissolve the medicinal power and transfer it into the body to nourish it, and there will be a glimmer of hope."

Luo Ling'er didn't dare to delay and quickly took out a porcelain bottle from her storage ring, pouring out a jade-green pill.

Gu Jinzhao took it, and true yang fire surged from his palm, enveloping it.

In just a few breaths, the pill transformed into a glistening medicinal saliva, which slowly dripped onto the eggshell.

The medicinal saliva seeped into the shell upon contact, and the dark red eggshell shimmered with a faint light. The flame patterns seemed to come alive, pulsating gently.

Luo Ling'er could clearly feel that the egg's originally weak heartbeat was gradually becoming stronger, and a look of joy immediately appeared in her eyes: "It really works!"

Gu Jinzhao nodded slightly: "The life has been extended, but this egg is inherently deficient and its foundation is damaged, so it will probably be difficult to hatch."

"If Ling'er wants to keep it by her side and take it as a spirit pet, she needs to nurture it with her own spiritual power every day."

"Ling'er will remember this!"

Luo Ling'er nodded vigorously.

Then she thought of something and said with a little worry, "But such a big egg, if we bring it back to the Luo family, it will definitely be discovered!"

The Red Phoenix is ​​clearly a powerful demon beast, and its offspring, once grown up, will naturally be no weaker than a fourth-rank beast.

A spirit pet of this caliber is bound to be coveted by others.

As Gu Jinzhao led her back, he said, "There's still a small piece of [Void Stone] in the storage ring. We'll go to [Liu Qing's Refining Shop] later and ask him to refine a spirit beast pouch to store the egg inside, so it won't be discovered."

The spirit beast pouch is similar to a storage ring; both are spatial magical artifacts.

However, the spirit beast pouch has a smaller internal space, is relatively easy to refine, and can hold living creatures, making it the most suitable container at present.

Upon hearing this, Luo Ling'er looked down at the warm egg in her arms, and a relieved smile finally appeared on her face.

As Gu Jinchao looked at her relaxed brows and eyes, his gaze softened even more.

The reason he was willing to save the egg was not only because Luo Ling'er felt compassion for it, but more importantly, because he wanted to find her a companion.

The child was in the Luo family home, yet felt like he was trapped on a deserted island.

Aside from his master, whom he could only meet in spirit, he had no one else he could talk to.

Over time, one's temperament will inevitably become increasingly withdrawn and gloomy.

This is not what he wanted to see.

Gu Jinzhao hopes that his little disciple will have someone to accompany him on his cultivation journey, someone to have warmth to rely on when he is lonely, and someone to encourage him when he is confused.

Even if this partner is currently just an unhatched egg...

Chapter 460, Deciding to Conquer Tantai Xuanji (3K)

Night had already fallen when I left my youngest apprentice, Luo Ling'er.

Gu Jinzhao cultivated in his room for a while, then Si Ruoyu knocked on the door and called him to have dinner.

Inside the courtyard, the stone table was laden with exquisite dishes, but Lin Qingci, Mu Yiren, and Gong Lingyun were nowhere to be seen.

Even the gluttonous calico cat and the big loli have disappeared without a trace.

Gu Jinchao was quite puzzled: "Where did they go?"

Si Ruoyu explained softly, "Xiaoli and Hongdou were playing outside these past few days when they happened to discover a secret place in the Snow Mountain. They then begged Yiren and Qingci to take them to explore it."

"The Palace Master was worried, so he went along as well."

Gu Jinzhao's expression immediately turned strange upon hearing this.

That secret realm in the Snow Mountain could only be the paradise where he and Jing Shu had their tryst.

I never expected that they would go there as a group.

Si Ruoyu noticed something was off about his expression and couldn't help but wonder, "Does Chao'er know about that secret realm?"

Gu Jinzhao nodded slightly: "That secret realm was a cave dwelling temporarily opened up by the Fairy of the Mortal World, and there is a spiritual spring inside."

"What kind of spiritual spring?"

Si Ruoyu asked subconsciously.

Gu Jinzhao coughed lightly: "It was the spiritual spring I soaked in that night when I was sealing the seed of the demonic poison for Sister Jing."

Upon hearing this, a captivating blush instantly spread across Si Ruoyu's gentle and beautiful face.

The image of that night, when he possessed Jing Shu's body and was entwined with Gu Jinzhao in the spring, uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

The most shameful thing was that the Empress Dowager was fast asleep in the spring at that time, and the two of them were like lovers who were cheating on her.

After arriving in the Northern Territory, Si Ruoyu never mentioned the matter again because it was too shameful, let alone inquired about the location of the spiritual spring.

Unexpectedly, it was inside the snowy mountains.

Seeing that Aunt Ruo's ears were turning red, Gu Jinzhao quickly changed the subject: "Since my junior sisters aren't here, we don't need to wait."

Si Ruoyu suppressed her shyness, gave a soft "hmm," and handed over a bowl of herbal soup: "This was brewed by Qingci before she left, and she told you to take it before eating."

Gu Jinzhao took the cup and had just taken a sip when a mature, languid voice came from beside her ear: "Senior Sister, would you mind if we had another pair of chopsticks?"

Looking up, the space in the courtyard rippled slightly, and a stunningly beautiful figure stepped out from the void.

The person who arrived was none other than Tantai Xuanji.

She wore a moon-white long dress, her black hair was tied up with a peach wood hairpin, and the rest of her hair fell to her waist.

Although her clothes were simple and elegant, her mature and voluptuous figure outlined an alluring posture with her breasts and buttocks in full bloom.

Especially her magnificent and full breasts, resembling two clusters of ripe peaches hanging high on a branch, ready to fall.

Si Ruoyu was slightly taken aback, then smiled and stood up: "Junior sister, what are you saying? As long as you don't mind my rough skills, that's fine."

How could that be?

With light, graceful steps, Tantai Xuanji entered the pavilion and took her seat, carrying with her a delicate, bamboo-like fragrance.

Si Ruoyu gently lifted her hand to set out bowls and chopsticks for her: "Junior Sister, is there something important that you came to Ya Yue Residence tonight?"

Tonight she wore a deep blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a dark blue palace sash around her waist, making her waist appear incredibly slender.