"Because you're so handsome that you outshine him. That's why he's afraid to see you," I said, gazing at Gu Yuan's chiseled features with a star - struck look on my face. I must have saved the galaxy in my previous life for God to bestow such an otherworldly godlike man upon me.
I didn't know why, but the more I thought about it, the happier I became. Just seeing him made me irresistibly happy.
After the two of us had our sweet time in the peach blossom grove, we held hands and walked towards the mist.
On the way, Gu Yuan didn't mention his conversation with the Heavenly Emperor. He must have known that Jun He and I had overheard their talk.
"Gu Yuan, was Ying Gou really released by the Heavenly Emperor?" I turned to look at him, asking as if it were just a casual chat.
"I've been with him for a thousand years. Although we didn't meet often, I know his temper and character quite well. If he didn't do something, no matter what you say, he definitely wouldn't get angry. He might even act disdainful. But if he really did it, as long as you question him, he'll immediately show his might and intimidate you first. That's the common trait of a king."
"You seem to really understand. No wonder you're an old guy who has witnessed the world for a thousand years."
Gu Yuan gave me a sidelong glance, completely disdainful of my words, just as he had described earlier.
If a young and beautiful girl with good looks and grace is called ugly, she'll probably just smile it off. But if a girl is truly plain - looking and you say she's ugly, she'll surely fly into a rage, because it's an undeniable fact.
Gu Yuan is really as shrewd as they come. He's figured out the Heavenly Emperor's character thoroughly.
"Okay." I didn't ask any more questions, thinking that what Gu Yuan said made a lot of sense.
"Why aren't you the 'why - asker' today? I thought you'd have a lot of questions, like why I helped the Heavenly Emperor."
"I don't need to ask. No matter what you do, I'll stand by your side. Even if you go against the norm, I'll never regret it."
At this moment, Gu Yuan read the sincerity in my eyes. I had no reservations about him.
Gu Yuan reached out and pulled me tightly into his arms. He said gently, "My little peach blossom fairy, I'm sorry for making you suffer before. For the rest of our lives, I'll surely love and cherish you more."
I buried my head in his chest. After thinking for a while, I finally came up with a very appropriate ancient saying: "To hold your hand, what more could I ask for."
As I finished speaking, a gentle breeze wafted through the peach blossom grove. The sky was filled with floating peach blossoms, their fragrance permeating the air. We completely forgot about the passage of time. I really wished we could stay like this forever.
...
Three days later in the Heavenly Realm, a young celestial attendant rushed to the mist to find Gu Yuan.
I walked out of the room. By this time, Gu Yuan had already changed into his battle robe.
The silver - dragon - patterned armor on Gu Yuan's body shone brightly in the sunlight.
"Gu Yuan, what's going on?"
As soon as I finished speaking, the sound of war drums came from afar.
"Boom, boom, boom..." The drums beat with a strong rhythm, giving a rousing and inspiring air.
Then came a loud bugle call. It seemed that this day had finally arrived.
"Is it Long Lin who's attacking?" I asked, knowing the answer.
Gu Yuan nodded at me, looking solemn.
"Then I'm going too." Saying that, I slung my bag over my shoulder, determined to stand with Gu Yuan until the end.
"I can..."
"I said we'll go together, and that's final." I interrupted him before he could finish.
Seeing my determination, he didn't say anything more. Instead, he said to the young celestial attendant beside him, "Get Lan Lan a battle robe."
Immediately, the young celestial attendant rushed off and came back with a silver - colored ladies' battle robe.
In the blink of an eye, I put on the armor. They say clothes make the man, and in my case, this armor made me feel like a female warrior charging onto the battlefield.
"Let's go..." Gu Yuan grabbed my arm and rushed towards the mortal world. This battle was to be fought in a desert on Earth.
When the two armies clashed, yellow sand billowed up in the desert. Long Lin's heavenly troops and generals, along with Jun He's demon army, were evenly matched with the Heavenly Realm's troops. The two sides were locked in a fierce battle.
The moment Gu Yuan took out the tiger talisman, the whole battlefield trembled. Tens of thousands of skeletal frames crawled out of the ground.
These skeletons had been dormant in the desert for who knew how long. But with the order from the tiger talisman, they rolled out of the ground again. Their killing aura was no less than that of Long Lin's soldiers.
This battle lasted for three whole months without a break.
Gu Yuan and I stayed in the rear to oversee the situation for these three months, until both armies were severely depleted.
Finally, Long Lin and Jun He, holding their weapons, finally confronted us.
This time when we met, it was no longer the friendly relationship of the past, but a situation of opponents.
Long Lin held his blood - stained long sword and said coldly, "Stop wasting time. Let's just end this."
As his voice faded, he raised his long sword, and several thunderbolts pierced through it.
A black mist coiled around Jun He like a huge black snake.
Seeing their imposing stances, Gu Yuan showed no sign of fear. Instead, he curled the corner of his mouth and took a step back.
I held two yellow talismans in my hand and stood in front of Gu Yuan.
As Long Lin and Jun He launched a golden and a black energy wave towards us.
Suddenly, twelve purple shadows flashed out behind me. Their figures appeared like lightning, but it was impossible to catch their forms.
These were the legendary Twelve Demon Concubines. I set up an altar in the front and commanded them.
When the formation was set up, the Twelve Demon Concubines were like the twelve constellations in the sky. Once the formation was in place, unless the caster lifted the spell, those trapped in it would never be able to escape. They would even experience various illusions until they were willing to sacrifice their lives, and only then would the formation break on its own.
This was why the name of the Twelve Demon Concubines' life - taking formation struck fear into the hearts of all beings in the Three Realms, whether they were humans, gods, ghosts, or immortals.
So this formation must never fall into the hands of evil people, or the Three Realms would never know peace.
In no time, the Twelve Constellations Formation was set up. The Twelve Demon Concubines took different postures and began to confuse those in the formation.
Jun He and Long Lin were trapped inside. At first, with their powerful magic, they could resist for a while. But as time passed, their willpower gradually faded.
Their minds became increasingly confused. It seemed that they had been bewitched by the demon concubines, and they kept shaking their heads.
"Mother, mother, take me away. Your son misses you so much..." At this moment, Jun He pleaded bitterly in the formation. He seemed to see Gu Qingcheng and hoped that she would take him away. But in fact, there was no one in front of him.
All of this was just an illusion.