The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 128 Originally, the patriarch had decreed it as one lifetime, but now…

Lu Yuan's words were like a heavy hammer, crashing into the deathly silent side hall.

Every word was clear and calm.

Every word carries the calmness that comes from deep thought.

The old man's astonishment and bewilderment froze instantly, and he couldn't utter a single word.

This is an incredible bargain!

It was the Grandmaster himself who bound Lu Yuan to a genuine "god"!

In terms of strength, it is unfathomable.

In terms of appearance, she is flawless.

My own disciple actually... refused?

The most violent reaction came from "Beauty," which was suspended in mid-air.

Her body suddenly stiffened.

The light in those eyes, which were shimmering with starlight, froze instantly.

All the coldness, aloofness, and complexity she had deliberately maintained on her face crumbled in an instant.

All that remained was a pure, almost blank, astonishment.

"Untie...?"

A very light, trembling word was squeezed out of her throat with difficulty.

She stared intently at Lu Yuan, her very soul frantically scrutinizing his expression, trying to find even the slightest hint of mockery, probing, or hypocrisy. There was none.

His eyes held only a clear composure and an unwavering determination.

This is not a joke.

It was not a test.

He was serious.

This realization struck her like a thunderbolt, causing a violent dizziness.

Just moments before, she was still feeling resentful and humiliated by the "fate binding" she was bound to.

Yet, they could only resign themselves to their fate and ponder how to coexist with this so-called "main storyline."

She had even subconsciously placed herself in a subordinate position.

Preparing to begin that long, seemingly endless journey of companionship, or rather... serving.

She thought this was the trajectory she would never be able to escape after her rebirth.

But now...

This "master" she thought would rule her endless future actually said it himself...

Should we set her free?

absurd!

This was simply the most incomprehensible paradox in her newly formed mind!

How could anyone refuse the lifelong protection and bond with a powerful "deity" that is readily available?

How could anyone be willing to personally untie this seemingly perfect "shackle" bestowed by the patriarch?

Meeting her shocked gaze, Lu Yuan turned his head slightly and reiterated with utmost seriousness:

"Yes, the entanglement of our destinies must be resolved."

You don't have to be subordinate to me.

After saying that, he stopped looking at the "goddess of beauty" and turned his gaze back to the old man, looking extremely serious.

"Was what I just said wrong?"

"Think carefully about what you said before. What's the difference between that and Qingwan's situation?"

"One must obey the other, and one can have complete control over the other."

"One is always high above, while the other must grovel at the feet of the other."

"I didn't do anything particularly malicious to 'Goddess of Beauty,' but the result was exactly the same."

At this point, Lu Yuan turned to look at Qingwan, who was sitting quietly on the coffin, and then looked at the old man again.

"We can't just point our fingers at others and hurl insults when we ourselves are being persecuted."

"And when it's our turn to persecute others, we just enjoy it without a care in the world?"

"Isn't that just like a hypocrite, wanting to have your cake and eat it too? It's disgusting!"

These words made the old man scratch his chin somewhat awkwardly.

"Well, her situation... is a bit different from Gu Qingwan's; it's not as bad as you're making it out to be."

"After all, she survived entirely because of you."

"Without you, she would have been wiped out by the patriarch long ago."

Lu Yuan did not refute this point, but his tone remained serious:

"But no one ever gave her a choice, did they?"

"Perhaps she would rather have just vanished from the face of the earth than serve me for the rest of her life."

After saying this, the old man fell silent.

He looked at his apprentice with a complicated expression, but finally nodded slightly.

The old man seemed unsurprised by his apprentice's decision.

This is something my own apprentice did!

"so·……"

The old man gazed thoughtfully at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan met his gaze with complete openness.

"So, I don't want to be the prison that holds her for life."

"I am free, so she should be free too."

"I don't need her protection at all."

"I will personally go to the patriarch to apologize."

"Now, you need to quickly find a way to untangle the entangled fates between us."

The old man pondered for a long time before slowly nodding.

"This matter is a bit complicated; I need to go back and consult some ancient texts."

"in addition……"

He paused, glanced at the "Goddess of Beauty" suspended in mid-air with an extremely complex expression, before turning back to Lu Yuan and speaking earnestly:

You'd better think this through.

"Once fate no longer entangles you, you can no longer guide her."

"But the cause and effect remain; she exists because of you."

"If she returns to evil ways and wreaks havoc on the world, you will have to bear the consequences for her."

These words had barely left his lips.

Suddenly, Gu Qingwan parted her red lips slightly, her voice soft yet clearly echoing throughout the side hall.

"...If she...reverts to...evil..."

"I...will...end her..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan grinned, flashing two rows of big white teeth at the old man.

With Qingwan around, I feel completely safe!

The old man merely pursed his lips in response to Gu Qingwan's words, offering no comment.

He turned and walked outside.

"Alright, let's leave it at that."

"But let me make this clear first: we need to resolve the matter of the Ghost-Controlling Liu family before we talk about the 'Goddess of Beauty.'"

Lu Yuan nodded repeatedly and said:

"Of course! Nothing is more important than Qingwan's affairs!"

After saying that, Lu Yuan followed the old man in front of him and prepared to leave the side hall.

Lu Yuan has been so tired lately that he misses his heated kang bed terribly.

When he came back tonight, he made sure the kang (a heated brick bed) was nice and warm.

I'll take a hot shower later, then snuggle into the warm blankets and sleep soundly until the world ends. It'll be wonderful.

However, just as Lu Yuan was about to step out of the side hall,

He suddenly felt a gaze, intense, complex, and with an indescribable penetrating power, fixed firmly on his back. It wasn't Gu Qingwan's.

It is... "Goddess of Beauty".

Lu Yuan paused in his steps.

He seems to have... forgotten something.

Immediately, Lu Yuan turned around and looked back into the hall.

The "Goddess of Beauty" still hangs in mid-air.

The aura around her, which had frozen in shock, began to flow again, albeit with a hint of disorder.

Those eyes, reflecting the stars and the universe, were fixed on Lu Yuan.

Deep within his gaze, a storm is brewing.

There was lingering horror, a sharp scrutiny, and even a faint glimmer of light... almost imperceptible to her, almost swallowed by divinity. It was the instinctive tremor of a drowning person seeing the light of day.

Inside the side hall, a spark popped from the wick of an oil lamp, making a soft crackling sound.

In this deathly silence, it sounded particularly jarring.

Finally, it was the "Goddess of Beauty" who broke the silence.

Her voice was no longer ethereal and playful, but rather carried an extreme, cautious urge to confirm, as if afraid that everything before her was just a fragile illusion. "You... really want to unravel it?"

Lu Yuan nodded, his tone calm, yet each word was as weighty as a mountain.

"really."

Without the slightest hesitation.

The goddess's body visibly trembled.

Lu Yuan didn't look at her again, but added:

"But as you heard, Qingwan's matter is more important, and you'll have to wait a few months."

"Goddess of Beauty" simply nodded blankly.

Several months.

For her, it was just a fleeting moment.

Seeing that she agreed, Lu Yuan then said:

"You are free during this time. You can do whatever you want. You don't need to follow me."

He paused, as if he had remembered something.

"Of course, if you're entangled in astrological matters, you might instinctively want to come to me."

"but·……"

At this point, Lu Yuan grinned somewhat awkwardly and said:

"It's just... could you please restrain yourself a little and not use that method?"

"It's weird and creepy..."

As soon as the words fell, a faint blush appeared on the flawless face of the stunningly beautiful deity floating in the air.

Clearly, she also recalled the scene of her hugging Lu Yuan and licking and smelling him.

However, this is really not her fault.

It was simply because of their intertwined destinies that she found him to be so affectionate.

Then Lu Yuan said seriously again:

"Besides, that tough attitude you had before was just an act, wasn't it?"

"Because you know that fate is intertwined, with me as the master and you as the servant, and you're afraid I'll take advantage of this to bully you, so you want to take the initiative and seize the upper hand?" "Goddess of Beauty" blinked her starry eyes and avoided his gaze.

Silence is consent.

Lu Yuan looked at the "Goddess of Beauty," raised three fingers, and said with utmost seriousness:

"You don't have to do that."

"If you want to come see me during this time, you can do so anytime. I will absolutely not do anything to bully you."

"I swear!"

Lu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unparalleled sense of power, echoing throughout the side hall.

"But what if there were no such entanglements of fate..."

The "Goddess of Beauty" tilted her head slightly, a strand of her glazed black hair slipping down her shoulder. Her voice held a bewilderment and unease she herself was unaware of. "Where should I go?"

"And what am I?"

This question directly addresses the core confusion surrounding her newly formed divine nature.

Having broken free from the worship of the Liu family's evil god, she also severed her destined connection with Lu Yuan.

The very foundation upon which she, the "goddess of beauty" born from countless coincidences, existed instantly became ethereal and intangible.

Hearing this, Lu Yuan grinned and said:

"You don't need to feel lost and uneasy. The reason you feel lost and uneasy now is because our destinies are intertwined."

"You want to leave me, and fate is forcibly correcting you."

"But once we unravel the entanglements of fate, you'll discover that there are so many wonderful things to do in this free world!" With that, Lu Yuan gave an example:

"Just like I told you before, you protect a piece of land, receive incense offerings, accumulate merit, and become a righteous god."

"Ideally, he would be carried into the City God Temple."

Then Lu Yuan thought about it carefully again, and said very seriously:

"Aren't you the goddess of beauty?"

"The beauty in this world has countless forms and endless variations."

"Mountains and rivers are beautiful, the everyday life of the city is beautiful, a piece of porcelain in the hands of a craftsman is beautiful, and even a smile on an ordinary person's face can be beautiful." "You have too many paths to take, but it's definitely not to 'protect' any particular person."

"Instead, we go to witness, experience, and even protect the beauty that exists in this world."

"certainly."

Lu Yuan paused, then added earnestly:

"How exactly it goes depends on what path you want to take."

"But you can go whichever way you want, because you will be free at that time."

"When that time really comes, you won't even bother to look at me; you'll just turn around and leave!"

The "Goddess of Beauty" listened quietly, the starlight in her eyes shimmering brighter with each word he spoke.

She paused for a moment, then asked:

A moment later, she asked her final question.

"Then...aren't you afraid?"

"Are you afraid that without guidance, I will lose my way again, or... become the evil spirit you speak of that 'brings havoc upon humanity'?"

Lu Yuan glanced at Gu Qingwan, who remained silent beside him.

He turned back, a frank and even somewhat reckless smile on his face:

"Of course I'm scared, how could I not be?"

"Didn't the old man say that if you really turn bad, I'll have to bear part of the consequences?"

"But fear aside, the things that need to be done still need to be done."

"Don't do the wrong thing because you're afraid!"

"so·……"

At this point, Lu Yuan's smile widened, his tone slightly joking.

"So you better have some conscience, okay? Don't do anything reckless in the future, or I'll really be in trouble."

As soon as Lu Yuan finished speaking, the "Goddess of Beauty's" stunningly beautiful starry eyes curved slightly.

A soft laugh, like an ice spring breaking through stone, was crisp and delightful.

Before the "Goddess of Beauty" could answer the question, Lu Yuan tilted his head back and said:

"Besides..."

"My Qingwan is exceptionally capable!!"

"If you really do something bad, she'll definitely come after you!"

"Qingwan might be even more powerful than my ancestor!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the old man's furious curses rang out from outside the palace gates:

"You're talking nonsense!"

"Our ancestor was the most powerful!!"

Lu Yuan: ..…….…”

The old man hasn't left yet!

Gu Qingwan glanced indifferently at the old man outside the door with her beautiful eyes, without saying a word.

"Beauty Goddess" also glanced at Gu Qingwan, a clear trace of apprehension flashing deep in her eyes.

Even stronger than...that ancestor, the terrifying being who reshaped her divine status...?

What is the origin of this evil spirit?

This initial apprehension was quickly replaced by a deeper curiosity and desire to explore.

She looked at Lu Yuan again, all the complex emotions in her eyes had subsided, leaving only a pure, gentle starlight.

She wanted to say something more.

Lu Yuan, however, was already yawning. He turned and walked out of the hall, waving his hand without looking back.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say."

"My master will find a way to resolve matters related to fate."

"Before that, you can go anywhere else you want, or you can stay at Zhenlong Temple. There are still empty rooms in the temple."

"As long as you don't make too much noise, you can stay anywhere. I'm tired, I'm going to sleep now."

Lu Yuan strode out of the side hall, saw the old man with a dark face at the door, grinned, and patted him on the shoulder.

"The final closing!"

After saying that, he ran off in a flash.

Old man: ..

The old man walked to the palace gate with a dark face, preparing to close it, but couldn't help glancing inside.

The night breeze blew in through the crack in the door, stirring the goddess's long, glazed hair.

She hovered in the center of the palace, her body shimmering with light, silently gazing in the direction where Lu Yuan had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.

In those eyes that once reflected the stars of the universe, now only the reflection of one person remains.

And... an overflowing, soft light called "gratitude".

Alas!!

Originally, the patriarch had decreed that it would last a lifetime.

Now...

Why do I feel...