Chapter 1376: Wealth and Honor Always Nurture the Prodigal Wanderer, Poverty and Hardship Seldom Produce an Innocent Heart

Yue Gongli?

Wei An followed the sound and saw the man who always arrived with a brilliant aura.

He had met Yue Gongli before, not just once.

Back then, everyone was still young, and Yue Gongli would often sneak out of the Sheng Di Secret Realm to roam the outside world.

Whenever a major event occurred, he was sure to show up.

He was always above, always radiant, no matter when.

Many people knew him, and Wei An was merely one of them, a commoner looking up from below.

If there hadn't been Sheng Gong, if he hadn't been chosen by the Sheng Shou lineage...

Perhaps Wei An would never have reached this point in his life, able to stand here and look Yue Gongli in the eye.

"Wei An Gongzi."

Yue Gongli's fox-like eyes glanced over with a slight smile. "This seems to be our first meeting?"

"Mm." Wei An's expression was calm; he simply nodded lightly without offering an explanation.

"No, no, no..." Yue Gongli wagged his finger and laughed. "Perhaps Wei An Gongzi has forgotten me, but this isn't actually our first meeting."

Yue Gongli had modified the red robe of the Red-Clad Chief Dao Master into a casual wanderer's cloak, which he draped over his shoulder. Then, with a nostalgic look, he said:

"I remember, we actually met during your Sheng Gong trial."

"At that time, it was also here, in the Si Xiang Secret Realm trial. You even took first place on the Xuanwu Golden Tower points leaderboard—I saw it with my own eyes." Yue Gongli pointed at the ground beneath them and chuckled.

"You've forgotten, but I haven't, because back then, with your 'Wei An Gongzi' style of defeating enemies without killing, you were known throughout Jiangnan as a graceful gentleman."

Wei An was taken aback.

He thought hard but couldn't recall the event.

During his Sheng Gong trial, everyone was focused on the trials themselves—who would pay attention to a successor from the Sheng Di families who had sneaked out?

At that time, Wei An didn't even know the Sheng Di families existed.

His memories of Yue Gongli all came after entering Sheng Gong, seeing him in various competitions, Ban Sheng gatherings, and higher secret realm trials—the radiant successor of the Sheng Di.

It was always looking up, never on equal footing.

Yue Gongli narrowed his eyes, his tone tinged with a sigh, and continued:

"You probably don't know that when you first started to shine, I saw your unlimited potential, even though I was just a kid back then."

"Maybe saying this now sounds like hindsight... but when your Si Xiang Secret Realm trial was halfway through, I went to Sheng Gong and said something to the seniors of your Sheng Shou lineage."

"What was it?" Wei An played the part of a listener, speaking sparingly.

"I said, 'This guy has a rare guardian attribute. If you don't want him, could you let us have him in the Han Gong Di Realm?'"

Yue Gongli spread his hands, looking helpless. "They really have an eye for talent!"

Wei An couldn't tell from his expression whether Yue Gongli was joking or stating a fact.

But he roughly understood the implication.

"Thank you," Wei An said calmly.

"Don't! Absolutely not!" Yue Gongli quickly waved his hands as if startled. "I'm not saying this to make you owe me a favor."

"If you hadn't worked hard, the Sheng Shou lineage wouldn't have noticed you, and I wouldn't have said that extra line."

"Back then, I was just a kid sneaking out, and everyone looked down on me."

"I specifically went to Sheng Gong to say all that nonsense, actually trying to use their contrary mindset to get you knocked off their selection list. Then..."

Yue Gongli let out a "hey," gesturing animatedly:

"Then, I could step in as a third party, mend the broken bond between you and Sheng Gong, and when you needed warmth the most, give you endless care and affection, finally making you willingly... uh, join the Han Gong Di Realm."

With that, he clicked his tongue and sighed dramatically, covering his face. "What a shame Sheng Gong isn't blind—it's so frustrating!"

Wei An was stunned again.

Yue Gongli spoke so convincingly, with every detail perfectly in place, as if it were a confirmed event.

But whether it was true or not didn't really matter.

What mattered was that Wei An couldn't understand why this newly appointed Red-Clad Chief Dao Master was saying all this to him right from the start—what was his aim?

Not just Wei An, but over a hundred Red-Clad and White-Clad figures outside the Sheng Jie range, and even Cen Jofu himself, the one undergoing the tribulation, were all baffled.

This person had disrupted the entire rhythm as soon as he appeared!

Cen Jofu instinctively sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint the source or where it would lead.

He recognized this type of rhythm-breaker—he had dealt with them before.

So, even without knowing Yue Gongli's purpose, he knew he needed to speak up and interrupt to prevent any surprises.

"Boom!"

The Sheng Jie, having locked onto the Ban Sheng, had transformed into an indescribably terrifying force, tormenting Cen Jofu.

"Guardian attribute!"

"What a rare, what a great attribute!"

After a pause, Yue Gongli made an exaggerated motion of embracing the void.

He stared at Wei An with burning eyes and said:

"The Sheng Jie can't even break your defense!"

"Even though you're still carrying four burdens, still protecting them... uh, is that two people or four?"

"It doesn't matter, none of that matters!"

Yue Gongli glanced at Cen Jofu, shook his head, and fixed his gaze on Wei An, full of emotion:

"Wei An Gongzi, you're just following the justice in your heart, extending a helping hand to our adorable Fangfang player."

"And incidentally saving... uh, a Wang Dahui."

"Why go that far! Under the Sheng Jie, under the blabbering of a dark force's fourth-in-command, have you wavered from your true self?"

Boom!

The Sheng Jie shone brightly.

The light reflected on Wei An's face.

Cen Jofu cleaved through the lightning with an axe, his form sinking downward.

His heart sank with it, his eyes trembling as he looked toward the fox-eyed man in the red cloak.

This guy...

So, this was his real purpose?

Yue Gongli spoke with great emotion, his cloak nearly flying off from his exaggerated gestures:

"How could Dao Qiong Cang—that... uh, Dao Hall Master—possibly control you?"

"You're just saving people, just stopping the dark forces, just wanting to protect something. Once you've done what you set out to do, you can walk away anytime."

"You're a Ban Sheng, Sheng Gong's Sheng Shou Wei An!"

"If you say 'no,' how many in the Five Domains would dare say 'no no'?"

"Pfft!" Yue Gongli suddenly laughed, then said sheepishly:

"Sorry, 'no no' sounds like farting..."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is, I think Wei An Gongzi gets my point—that's enough."

Wei An was astonished.

He had never met anyone with such leaping thoughts.

Yue Gongli pointed toward Cen Jofu, engulfed in lightning, a hint of disdain in his eyes:

"A rat crossing the street, everyone shouts to hit it—Wei An Gongzi said it right, aren't you so-called Sheng Nu people all like that?"

"Each of you relies on a rotten mouth for output, yet you dare try to shake Wei An Gongzi's Dao heart?"

Yue Gongli swung his arm through the air with disdain:

"Sheng Jie! Strike him down!"

Boom...

Boom...

The Sheng Jie never stopped or started at anyone's command; it wasn't controlled by anyone.

Yet Yue Gongli was enjoying himself immensely, as if his wave could truly summon thunder, as if he were Kui Lei Han and Cao Yi Han just a fake.

This scene left everyone inside and outside the Sheng Jie in silence, as thunderous as the roar itself.

Wei An's mouth twitched slightly as he glanced at the two people he was protecting below, suddenly feeling it didn't matter anymore.

At the center of the Sheng Jie, Cen Jofu's face was as black as ink.

What kind of wild, erratic blade work was this from Yue Gongli? Every line was completely unpredictable, yet it struck with devastating surprise!

But there was no denying, it was extremely effective.

In one go, he had wiped away all the doubts Cen Jofu had planted in Wei An.

If before, Cen Jofu was certain that his words would at least create a rift between Sheng Gong and Sheng Shen Hall, or make Dao Qiong Cang unable to use Wei An in the Si Xiang Secret Realm...

Now, Cen Jofu felt the situation was chaotic again.

He even thought it was possible Wei An might truly turn against him.

This Yue Gongli seemed unreliable, but deep down, he was sharp as a fox, cunning as can be!

"Ha ha, gone silent, have you?"

"All of it hit the mark, right?"

"So you have nothing to say, no way to refute?"

"You clown, daring to seal your sainthood in the Si Xiang Secret Realm, ignoring all rules, and boldly claiming Sheng Gong has 'had enough'—I think you're just tired of living!"

Outside the Sheng Jie, Yue Gongli's annoying mocking laughter came one after another—zero damage, full insult.

Cen Jofu listened, his mind filled with irritation and frustration, suddenly flashing back to a certain hedgehog.

He had felt this absurd and helpless sensation when facing that hedgehog—it was the same type of person!

"Oh, right."

After playing around, Yue Gongli stopped waving for thunder and finally remembered his main business, scratching his head awkwardly:

"Wei An Gongzi, I was late because I knew about this, so I went to that... uh, Dao Hall Master to get a few Tianji Array Disks."

"You wouldn't blame me for being late, would you? Wei An Gongzi?"

"I really didn't mean for you to step in; I wanted to solve the problem at its root."

Wei An stayed silent.

He quietly watched this fox-eyed man finish speaking and pull three array disks from his sleeve.

He realized that with a chatterbox like this, even nodding or saying "mm" was a waste.

Yue Gongli went on by himself, forming some hand seals that no one could understand, with no Ling Yuan fluctuations, possibly unrelated to Tianji Arts, but certainly ones he thought looked impressive.

After fiddling for a while, he secretly infused Sheng Li into the three Tianji Array Disks, tossed them toward the three people in the air and on the ground, and shouted:

"Tianji Thirty-Six Styles, Great Shielding Technique!"

The Tianji Array Disks turned into streaks of light, shooting toward Fangfang, Wang Dahui, and Wei An.

The Sheng Jie trembled violently, its intensity seeming to weaken, and when the lightning struck again, it no longer locked onto the three of them.

"I-I'm... alive?"

Fangfang, with only half his bloody body left, stared in disbelief.

When he looked up and saw no more tribulation thunder above, only a light shield protecting him, the bearded young man was overcome with tears.

He had thought the Red-Clad Chief Dao Master senior was just here for laughs.

He had thought this senior loved performing but had forgotten about the life and death of those below.

He never imagined this twist of fate—Yue Gongli senior had saved him and Wang Dahui!

Just by tossing those array disks, he had lifted the Sheng Jie lock—it was a miracle!

Wei An was also stunned for a moment.

He had been prepared when he entered, knowing that once Cen Jofu's Sheng Jie reached its peak, his own would be drawn in, forcing him to undergo it again.

But as Sheng Shou Wei An, he had no fear.

Undergoing the Sheng Jie again could severely injure or even kill an ordinary Ban Sheng, but for a guardian attribute like Wei An, it would at most cause light injuries, healable in a few days.

Yet Yue Gongli lifting the lock with a single toss of array disks was something Wei An had never heard of.

Not entirely—Mu Lin had mentioned it before, during the Void Island incident, Dao Qiong Cang had used a similar method?

So...

Was everything Yue Gongli said actually true?

"Wang Dahui senior!"

In an unnoticed corner, Fangfang swallowed some pills, barely regaining some mobility, and lunged toward Wang Dahui.

Wang Dahui, having activated the Livestock Path, was now in a half-human, half-hyena form. His Six Paths were imperfect, and after being halved in the Sheng Jie, even without the lock, he was on his last breath.

Even his consciousness fluctuated between clear and frenzied.

"Woo—"

A low hyena howl came from his throat.

Fangfang held Wang Dahui's halved body, looking up with teary eyes: "Yue Gongli senior..."

Yue Gongli restrained all his playful expressions and silently gazed downward. After a long pause, he slowly said:

"Sorry, Fangfang, I can't help with this."

"This is a side effect of forcibly opening an incomplete Six Paths. Whether he recovers or even survives depends on his own fate."

"You have to understand, not everyone can become Shen Yi."

Shen Yi... Fangfang closed his eyes heavily.

Of course, he knew that predecessor who had slain through the Red Dust and Ghost Pass—famously, the only true inheritor of ancient martial arts in the world!

But was Wang Dahui senior just going to give up like this?

Fangfang thought of how Wang Dahui's first act upon returning wasn't to attack Cen Jofu, but to save him under the Sheng Jie...

"Don't feel guilty," Yue Gongli spoke up.

He knew exactly what Fangfang was thinking; he even grasped Wei An's subtle thoughts clearly. Now, he said indifferently: "You saved him, and that's why he saved you, so you don't owe him."

Fangfang shook his head, sobbing uncontrollably.

At sixteen, he didn't care about the order of saving someone; all he saw was the beauty in it.

Fangfang wiped the snot from his beard onto Wang Dahui's clothes. With hopeful eyes, he looked toward Wei An senior, toward this guardian radiating saintly light.

"Senior..."

"Sorry." Wei An closed his eyes. "I'm a guardian, not a savior. Maybe the Jin Zhao lineage has a way."

"The Jin Zhao lineage's traitor is the dark forces' second-in-command—what could they have? Maybe just some poison!"

Yue Gongli glanced at Fangfang.

He wouldn't say that in front of a minor.

"Yes, the hope is slim, but it always exists," Yue Gongli echoed that truth.

"Mm! Mm!" Fangfang nodded vigorously, crying so hard his vision blurred. He wiped his tears and snot again, pulling out pills to feed Wang Dahui.

Dao Yuan Dan, Fan Ling Dan, Yu Shen Dan... even the Chi Jin Dan came out.

He had everything except the crucial "Fu Qu Dan" and "Shen Zhi Bi You," or even a "Xiao Fu Qu Dan."

Yue Gongli couldn't bear to watch, his eye twitching. "You only have Grandmaster and Innate grade pills?"

Fangfang looked up, his voice weakening: "I... I have no money..."

Yue Gongli nearly lost control.

You, the new War Department Chief, have no money?

If you have no money, then the whole world is full of paupers!

And with your soft personality, you don't seem like someone who gambles or wastes money.

"What about your Ling Jing?" Yue Gongli asked.

Fangfang hesitated, not answering.

"Speak!" Yue Gongli snapped angrily.

Fangfang's body trembled in fear, and he stammered: "Yu... Yu Jing City, there are still many orphans like me, who can't... can't afford food..."

Wei An was stunned.

Yue Gongli's face stiffened.

Wei An looked at Yue Gongli.

Smack! Yue Gongli slapped himself hard.

He shot down from the sky, landing beside Fangfang, and pulled out a golden pill, stuffing it into Wang Dahui's mouth.

"What... what is this?"

"Shen Zhi Bi You."