After Becoming the Hero's Ex-fiancée

Dispelling Love Gu (2)

“There’s a tree that had been struck by lightning in the Plum Gardens, it’s half-alive and half-dead——”

“A tree that had been struck by lightning that is half-alive and half-dead?” Granny Jin was overjoyed. “Lass, I’d originally thought that you’re extremely ill fated, with bad luck like clouds looming thick across the skies, but now it seems like it’s not so bad after all. Such a location where Yin and Yang coexist3 must be abundant in vital energy. Go, go, let’s go, quickly.”

“……The Plum Gardens is owned by the imperial family, and is only open to all officials at the end of the year during the Shanglin Banquet. Normally, it is patrolled by the Capital Guard all around the periphery, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be easy to enter.”

“Why don’t you choose one among the crown prince, Huai Wang, and Jin Wang?” Granny Jin said nonchalantly. “When you become the daughter-in-law of the imperial family, it wouldn’t be difficult to enter.”

But Zheng Wan thought this would be extremely difficult.

She had already offended the crown prince, and it was very unlikely that Huai Wang or Jin Wang would marry a woman who had been “abandoned by a personage of great importance”…

“Granny, can’t you cast a blindfold spell? I’ve seen Cui Wang’s blindfold spell, it was really powerful,” said Zheng Wan resentfully.

“This granny still needs to save power to find a realm gate for you.”

Zheng Wan was surprised.

“Cui Wang told me last time that the realm gate can only be used once, for four people at a time. The gate hasn’t collapsed yet?”

“It hasn’t.” Granny Jin was also curious. “There might have been some kind of change.”

————————

[ The Heavenly Realm ]

Cui Wang stepped off his sword and landed on the ground. “We’re here.”

Before Liu Yi could open her eyes, she felt herself being pushed to the ground by a gust of wind. Squinting, she saw a city appearing in the sands of the yellow desert. The city walls were more than a hundred feet high; two columns of white marble flanked the city gate on either side, like a pair of gatekeepers keeping guard.

Pedestrians passed by now and then, all turning to look at her as they passed.

“This is ……”

Liu Yi looked up to ask, but saw that Cui Wang was already a hundred metres away, and instinctively went to catch up.

“This is the Heavenly Realm, Toumo Country.”

Cui Wang glanced at her. “You can live here.”

Liu Yi saw that he was leaving, and followed reflexively.

“My lord! Where are you going? T-this civilian is not familiar with this place, and doesn’t know anyone here, a-and really don’t know how to begin living here.”

Cui Wang stopped in his tracks, and Liu Yi was chilled to the bone by his sweeping glance. Just as she was about to take another step, her feet seemed to be pierced by needles, so painful that she almost screamed out loud.

“I have repaid my karmic debt to you.”

“But th-this civilian,” Liu Yi stroked her cheeks and said tearfully, “This civilian is without the protection of family here, and is born with a face like this. I’m afraid I’d be bullied and humiliated to death. Is my lord really able to bear for that to happen?”

“What does that have to do with me?”

Cui Wang glanced at her, as if he genuinely found it strange that she would ask such a question.

Those clear eyes reflected both the sky and the earth, but there was no one in them. Liu Yi stood rooted in fear, not understanding why this was so. In a flash, there was no longer anyone before her.

Even after running out, in the vast and boundless world, there was no glimpse of that person.

The old ancestor looked at the desperate woman in the distance, and tutted.

“Little Wangwang, what you’re doing is killing without bothering to bury the body you know.

“Sigh, Little Wangwang, what are you thinking? You left just like that—are you really angry with the little miss now?”

Cui Wang turned a deaf ear to him. With a flicker of thought, he’d already travelled tens of thousands of miles with the wind. A moment later, he had arrived at a cultivation grounds. After dispelling the camouflage barrier with his jade, he entered a place called “Seven Treasures Inn”.

In the Seven Treasures Inn, there was only one shopkeeper of the Gateway stage. He was currently sprawled drowsily on the countertop; when Cui Wang entered, all the drowsiness vanished in an instant.

He glanced at the Clarity Mirror next to him—eh, it was actually a Zhenjun4 of the Savant stage!

“I didn’t know Zhenjun would be arriving, my sincerest apologies for the belated welcome.

There usually weren’t any distinguished figures who would come all the way out here. Usually, it was even rare to see a Zhenren5 of the Accomplisher stage, much less a Zhenjun. The shopkeeper awaited with fear and trepidation, but unexpectedly, this Zhenjun looked around and asked:

“Is Xin Yi Zhenjun here?”

Xin Yi Zhenjun came through the doorway and his eyes lit up at the sight of Cui Wang.

“Li Wei, my little pal, ah, no, Li Wei Zhenjun6, what a rare guest, a rare guest indeed!”

The two of them went directly to the second floor. As soon as Xin Yi Zhenjun set down the tea, he asked directly:

“No one goes to the temple without a reason. For one as cool and aloof as Li Wei Zhenjun to come here, have you something to inquire?”

“Xin Yi Zhenjun, do you have a method to dispel love gu?”

Footnote:

3 Yin is related to death and Yang is related to life, which is why Granny Jin refers to the half-dead, half-alive tree as a location where Yin and Yang coexist.

6 Li Wei Zhenjun: From this cultivation stage onward, a cultivator would usually be addressed by their title (zhenjun) + their cultivator name. In this case, Cui Wang’s cultivator name is Li Wei.