Free Web NovelChapter 174: Chapter 174: The Reason to Persuade Him
Lu Sangjiu understood that as a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it was completely impossible for her to contend head-on with these Divinity Transformation Powerhouses.
But fortunately, there wasn’t just one Divinity Transformation Powerhouse here; countless other cultivators were gathered as well.
So, even if one or two of these Divinity Transformation Cultivators had ulterior motives, as long as they cared about their reputation and were wary of the others, they would never dare to do anything openly.
The only fear was someone acting covertly, so Lu Sangjiu absolutely could not let Luo Linlang be left alone.
Besides, she alone was far from enough... She had to find someone more influential and trustworthy to help.
The only person she could think of here was Sword Bu Gui.
Based on both her own interactions with him and his depiction in that book, Lu Sangjiu felt that Sword Bu Gui should be trustworthy in this matter.
’But... would Sword Bu Gui be willing to wade into such muddy waters?’
Lu Sangjiu’s thoughts raced. No matter what, she had to find a way to persuade Sword Bu Gui.
Otherwise, Luo Linlang would be in grave danger this time.
After dealing with the matters outside, the upper echelons of the Gold and Silver Gate, along with the high-level cultivators from other sects who had been invited to watch the competition, all came to visit Luo Linlang.
Regardless of whether their intentions were good or malicious, they all had to put on a show of concern.
Even with so many people present, Lu Sangjiu remained by Luo Linlang’s side without moving an inch, politely thanking everyone for their concern.
Since Luo Linlang wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon, the crowd stayed for a while, offered a few words of comfort to Lu Sangjiu, and then went their separate ways.
Just as Sword Bu Gui was about to leave with the others, Lu Sangjiu suddenly spoke up and stopped him.
"Sword Master Bu Gui, please wait a moment."
Sword Bu Gui paused, though he wasn’t surprised that Lu Sangjiu had suddenly called out to him.
But at his age, he naturally saw things more clearly and understood the predicament Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang were in.
To be frank, even though he admired Luo Linlang and his own apprentice was on good terms with Lu Sangjiu, he still didn’t want to get involved in this mess.
After all, it was a huge hassle with no benefit to be gained—not worth the trouble.
So, although he had stopped, he spoke before Lu Sangjiu could.
"If you don’t have a reason that can truly move me, I advise you not to speak."
Lu Sangjiu’s expression remained unchanged as she bowed respectfully to Sword Bu Gui.
"This junior is but a humble Foundation Establishment Cultivator. I truly have nothing on me that a senior like you would find valuable."
"But... I do know that the current sword scabbard for Mr. Gu’s Phoenix Cry Sword is not its original match."
"This replacement scabbard, despite being the best possible substitute, leaves the Phoenix Cry Sword incomplete."
A scabbard might seem like just a sword’s "clothing," apparently useless, but in reality, the two are complementary.
The Phoenix Cry Sword’s scabbard is actually part of the Immortal Artifact. A complete Phoenix Cry Sword would only be stronger than it is now.
Lu Sangjiu said this calmly, but Sword Bu Gui’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
"...Did Gu Jue tell you?"
He fumed internally. That boy Gu Jue was good in every way, except he was just too honest and wore his heart on his sleeve.
’The two of them haven’t even gotten serious, so why is he spilling all his secrets?’
He might be sincere, but Lu Sangjiu... Sword Bu Gui felt that while this young woman had a decent character, she was full of schemes.
’The way Gu Jue is, wouldn’t he be completely wrapped around her finger?’
One look at Sword Bu Gui’s expression told Lu Sangjiu that he had misunderstood, and she hurriedly explained, "Senior, please don’t overthink it. This wasn’t something Mr. Gu told me. I knew about the Phoenix Cry Sword even before this."
She lied smoothly, "I once obtained a mysterious Jade Scroll that recorded some information about the Phoenix Cry Sword. And... it mentioned where its scabbard might be."
In reality, of course, she only knew because of that book.
In the original novel, although Ye Zhiyao’s and Gu Jue’s relationship advanced by leaps and bounds after they trained together, how could someone with Gu Jue’s personality possibly fall for someone so easily?
At that time, he mostly saw Ye Zhiyao as a like-minded friend.
The event that truly brought them together was the Phoenix Cry Sword’s scabbard.
Back then, the two had accidentally entered a small world. Ye Zhiyao was severely injured trying to obtain the Phoenix Cry Sword’s scabbard, and Gu Jue, moved by her sacrifice, touched her body while healing her.
It was unclear whether he fell in love out of gratitude or decided to try to love her out of a sense of responsibility. In any case, after they escaped danger, Gu Jue took the initiative to establish their relationship.
But now, the plot had been altered so drastically that it was impossible for Ye Zhiyao to go on adventures alone with Gu Jue. Gu Jue didn’t even have the protagonist’s treatment anymore.
Furthermore, that part of the plot concerning the Phoenix Cry Sword’s scabbard existed purely to advance the relationship between the male and female leads and offered no real benefit to Ye Zhiyao herself.
Therefore, Lu Sangjiu reasonably suspected that if things continued to develop this way, Gu Jue might not be able to obtain the Phoenix Cry Sword’s scabbard at all.
She had already considered this matter and had thought about how she could give Gu Jue a hand.
Now that she needed a favor from Sword Bu Gui, she simply made a direct promise.
"As long as you help me protect my senior sister this time, Senior, I will do everything in my power to find the Phoenix Cry Sword’s scabbard for you!"
Sword Bu Gui’s expression instantly turned solemn. His gaze was stern as he scrutinized Lu Sangjiu from head to toe, and the pressure of a Divinity Transformation expert spread out silently.
Lu Sangjiu’s Divine Sense was already comparable to that of a Divinity Transformation expert, so she wouldn’t actually be harmed by this pressure.
But to make Sword Bu Gui believe her, she still put on a performance.
Her face turned white as a sheet, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her body swayed slightly, but she still struggled to keep her posture straight.
A moment later, Sword Bu Gui finally withdrew his pressure, and Lu Sangjiu, looking as though she had just survived a catastrophe, gasped for air.
Sword Bu Gui said flatly, "...You don’t seem to be lying."
"But since you know the clue, just tell me directly. If I have to wait for a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator like you to retrieve it, how long will I be waiting?"
As he said this, Sword Bu Gui’s tone was full of disdain.
But Lu Sangjiu gave a wry smile. "If it were that simple, this junior would naturally be happy to take it easy."
"But..." She looked troubled. "But the location recorded on the Jade Scroll is somewhat vague and ethereal. I need to go there myself to assess the situation and begin the search."
"However, one thing was stated clearly: it’s a small world that only those at the Golden Core Stage can enter."
She wasn’t lying about this part. When that section was described in the book, the location naturally wasn’t written out clearly, so how was she supposed to describe it?
She would have to go there in person, recall the contents of the book for comparison, and search for the entrance to that small world bit by bit.
Sword Bu Gui frowned but didn’t doubt this point. After all, if it were easier, Lu Sangjiu indeed wouldn’t have to go to the trouble herself.
But he was still not entirely at ease with Lu Sangjiu, so he said, "Then you should advance to the Golden Core stage as soon as possible. When the time comes, take Gu Jue with you."
The moment Lu Sangjiu heard she had to take Gu Jue with her, her heart skipped a beat. "...No!"
