Gu Chenshan and Gu Chenjiang, these two people surnamed Gu, had an origin that few knew about.

They were both sons of the late empress. The night the empress gave birth to these dragon-phoenix twins, she passed away. Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan were sent out of the palace. The emperor announced to the outside world that the empress had died from a difficult childbirth and the babies did not survive. He then used this as a pretext to attack neighboring countries and annex many cities.  

The empress's death was indeed due to interference from a neighboring country, but the current emperor's heartlessness was the main culprit behind what Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan suffered. In front of others, he appeared deeply devoted to the empress, but in his bones flowed the blood of power. At a critical moment, he did not hesitate to kill his wife. If not for the empress dowager's intervention, he would not have even spared the newborn dragon-phoenix twins.

After being sent out of the palace, Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan wandered the jianghu for over twenty years. They knew of their origins from a young age and even harbored a hidden hatred for the father who had abandoned them.

The empress was also surnamed Gu and was the emperor's cousin. Her father was an extremely important minister in the Zhao State. After the empress's death, this minister was also toppled by the emperor. But before his death, he placed a pair of jade pendants in the swaddling clothes of Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan.

He also instructed his descendants to pass a message to the siblings. If they were driven to a dead end, they should take these two jade pendants and seek an ancient temple in Mount Yuxu. The two jade pendants were the key to opening the ancient temple.

The old man also said that years ago he had shown kindness to an immortal. Before the immortal left, he said he would bestow an item that could only be obtained by someone with the Gu bloodline and could help them out of predicaments.

At the time, no one believed the old man's words. They all felt it was the reaction of Elder Gu's grief after losing his beloved daughter. However, when Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan grew up, they believed this story. Not only did they believe it, they also planned to go to Mount Yuxu to find the legendary treasure.

An absurd story, a vague clue, two ordinary jade pendants - no matter who heard it, they would not take it seriously. But the Gu siblings took it seriously. Of course, they were not the only ones who took it seriously. This also included Zhang Jingmo who came for this purpose.

No one was clearer than Zhang Jingmo about what exactly was stored in that ancient temple on Mount Yuxu. And no one was clearer than him on how to obtain the treasure in the ancient temple.

Back then, Gu Chenshan and Gu Chenjiang were hunted by cultivators because of this treasure. They hid for a few years but were still found. As mortals, they suffered a miserable end for possessing this treasure.

One of Zhang Jingmo's Daoist friends had participated in this matter. When he told Zhang Jingmo about it as a joke after returning to Linghxu Sect, Zhang Jingmo silently remembered it.  

In the next few lifetimes, he began attempting to obtain the treasure. After a few attempts, he already knew what method to use to acquire the treasure in the simplest way possible.

Seizing it by force was the worst method. Zhang Jingmo had tried it the first time. When he took the jade pendants to Mount Yuxu and searched the entire small mountain, he still could not find that ancient temple that should have been eye-catching. Later, Zhang Jingmo realized that to find this ancient temple, it was probably impossible without the Gu family members.

Moreover, they had to do it willingly. The stronger their desire to search, the greater the chance the ancient temple would appear.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jingmo felt it was about the right time. He slightly opened his eyes and let out a faint groan.

"You're awake?" Gu Chenshan's voice carried over, tinged with guilt.

Zhang Jingmo was stunned for a while before reacting to what had happened. He said angrily, "Gu Chenshan, I kindheartedly saved your life, yet you treat me like this!" He struggled fiercely against the ropes binding his hands.

Gu Chenshan immediately knelt down and pleaded, "Baicang... I was also forced. I can't protect my brother. I only ask that you show some mercy and save us." She was already beautiful to begin with. At this moment with tears brimming, she appeared even more delicate and pitiful.

Zhang Jingmo felt uncomfortable being begged like this by Gu Chenshan. He said, "First get up. I... I didn't say I wouldn't save you."

Gu Chenshan said, "But you were already riding your horse to leave..."

Zhang Jingmo muttered softly, "I was just putting on an act..."

Gu Chenshan's tear-blurred eyes finally lit up. She said, "Baicang..."

Zhang Jingmo also said emotionally, "Chenshan..."

"Ahem." Gu Chenjiang slowly entered, leaning against the wall. He cleared his throat, interrupting the two's affectionate gaze. He looked at Zhang Jingmo with disapproval and said, "Chenshan is still young!"

Gu Chenshan cried out in embarrassed anger, "Brother!"

Zhang Jingmo thought to himself that Gu Chenshan was indeed still young in age, young enough to be his great-granddaughter. But on his face, he very cooperatively blushed and said, "I... I didn't mean it that way."

Gu Chenjiang also did not expose Zhang Jingmo. He only thanked Zhang Jingmo again for saving him and Gu Chenshan. He asked, "May I ask where Sir Chen's master resides?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "My master cultivates on Mount Taibai. I... came down to find someone."

Gu Chenjiang asked, "Would it be convenient to tell us who you are looking for?"

They had already asked Zhang Jingmo this question several times, but Zhang Jingmo had not answered before. This time, Zhang Jingmo hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's a man named Meng Yu."

Gu Chenjiang asked again, "What identifying characteristics does he have?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "Characteristics? He doesn't look particularly special. Hmm, but don't worry. When I see him, I'll definitely be able to find him."

Hearing this, Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan glanced at each other. They both inwardly sighed, thinking that Chen Baicang was really too carefree. He didn't know where the person he was looking for was or what characteristics he had. Searching like this was like looking for a needle in a haystack. How could he possibly find him?

But Gu Chenjiang did not plan to point this out. He said, "Since that's the case, let's first leave this city and then plan our next steps."

Zhang Jingmo nodded.

Then, the three set off again. However, this time Gu Chenjiang was seriously injured and could only ride slowly. Zhang Jingmo's thigh was also a bloody mess. He did not dare gallop his horse.

With two invalids sitting on one horse, there was no longer any conflict.

After walking through the desolate Gobi Desert for more than ten days, they finally saw the shade of green trees and clear streams. Under Zhang Jingmo's care, Gu Chenjiang's injuries quickly healed. Originally fatal wounds, he was surprisingly able to get out of bed and walk around in just over ten days.

Just as Gu Chenjiang had guessed, if they hadn't kept Zhang Jingmo with them, he and Gu Chenshan would probably have been buried in the Gobi Desert by now.

In the past ten days or so, several more waves of people had come to hunt them down, but with Zhang Jingmo's help, they had turned danger into safety. Zhang Jingmo seemed to have an endless supply of talismans hidden up his sleeves. Although Gu Chenjiang was incredibly curious, he suppressed his curiosity and did not ask. However, it was clear that if given the chance, he would definitely explore Zhang Jingmo's secrets.

Since Gu Chenjiang wanted to know, how could Zhang Jingmo not give him the opportunity?

Just after finding a clear stream, Gu Chenjiang's chance came.

After riding through the Gobi Desert for more than ten days, the three of them were naturally very disheveled. Gu Chenshan, being a girl, couldn't walk any further upon seeing the clear river and said she wanted to take a bath.

Seeing his sister's exhausted face, Gu Chenjiang agreed as soon as he heard.

After taking a bath, Gu Chenshan changed into clean clothes from her bundle. She wiped her wet hair and said to Zhang Jingmo and Gu Chenjiang, "Do you two want to wash up too?"

Before Gu Chenjiang could speak, Zhang Jingmo said, "Sure, sure."

Gu Chenjiang's eyes swept over Zhang Jingmo's clothes, and he surprisingly agreed as well. Logically speaking, he was always cautious and obviously wouldn't casually bathe in a roadside river, but the opportunity to investigate the secrets on Zhang Jingmo's body was really rare, and he was afraid of missing the best chance.

However, Zhang Jingmo seemed completely unaware of Gu Chenjiang's hidden meaning. With a cheer, he ran into the woods nearby. By the time Gu Chenjiang slowly walked over, he discovered that Zhang Jingmo's clothes were already completely removed. At this time, his lower body was soaking in the water, and judging from his expression, he seemed to be enjoying it very much.

Gu Chenjiang glanced at Zhang Jingmo's clothes placed to the side, then sat down on the ground and began to remove his own clothing. When Zhang Jingmo turned around to wash his long hair, Gu Chenjiang slowly reached out his hand and probed the sleeves of those clothes.

Sure enough, Gu Chenjiang felt paper-like objects in the sleeves, which were probably the talismans Zhang Jingmo usually used. His fingers moved slightly, silently counting the number of talismans in his mind, and he quickly had an answer.

Thirty-four, thirty-four talismans, which meant that this young master surnamed Chen could still perform thirty-four more astonishing magical techniques.

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Gu Chenjiang withdrew his hand without changing his expression and shifted his gaze to Zhang Jingmo in the river.

He had been a little nervous before, so he hadn't paid much attention to Zhang Jingmo. When he looked towards Zhang Jingmo, he only saw Zhang Jingmo's fair back and a head of jet-black long hair floating in the water.

Zhang Jingmo's back was as white as jade, with slightly protruding shoulder blades outlining beautiful muscle lines. His waist, submerged in the water, was also very slender. The vaguely visible curves of his buttocks made Gu Chenjiang's breath catch.

However, Gu Chenjiang quickly discovered that something was wrong with himself. He forced himself to look away from Zhang Jingmo's body, telling himself that he had mistaken Zhang Jingmo's back for a beautiful woman's because he hadn't released himself for too long...

Just as Gu Chenjiang was in a daze, Zhang Jingmo climbed out of the river, neatly changed into clean clothes, and even reached out to pat Gu Chenjiang: "What are you thinking about? I'm already done washing..."

Gu Chenjiang came back to his senses and let out an "oh".

Zhang Jingmo said, "Alright then, I'll go accompany Chenshan first. You take your time washing." With that, he left, looking like he didn't want to say much more to Gu Chenjiang.

This wasn't strange. After all, between the siblings, Gu Chenjiang had always played the role of the bad cop.

After Zhang Jingmo left the woods, Gu Chenjiang slowly lowered his head and glanced at his lower body, only to see that a certain part of his originally not-too-loose pants had slightly bulged...

Gu Chenjiang took a deep breath.

The fact that he had reacted to Zhang Jingmo's body was obviously quite a shock to Gu Chenjiang. He washed alone for a long time. When Gu Chenshan was starting to worry if something had happened to him, he slowly walked out of the woods.

Zhang Jingmo was trying to dry his hair by the fire. His face looked exceptionally handsome in the firelight, with long eyelashes casting faint shadows and beautifully shaped lips pressed into a nice straight line.

Gu Chenjiang's footsteps paused, and he unconsciously looked away. He said, "Chenshan."

Gu Chenshan said, "Brother, what is it?"

Gu Chenjiang said, "Take out some dry rations. I'm hungry."

Hearing this, Gu Chenshan was stunned. Her brother had never been enthusiastic about eating, but today, for some unknown reason, he was eager to eat.

Although Gu Chenshan thought this way, she still took out the dry rations from the bundle as instructed and handed them to Gu Chenjiang.

Gu Chenjiang took the dry rations and started roasting them in the fire.

After a while, the cakes gave off a burnt fragrance. Gu Chenjiang said, "Young Master Chen, let's eat first."

Hearing this, Zhang Jingmo was slightly startled. He glanced at the cakes in Gu Chenjiang's hand and couldn't help but say, "You guys eat. I'm not hungry." He really didn't feel like eating anything.

Seeing this, Gu Chenshan persuaded, "You haven't eaten for two days. This won't do. Baicang, eat a little. In another day or two, we'll be able to reach the nearby town."

Zhang Jingmo showed a hesitant expression, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He reached out to take the food Gu Chenjiang handed him and chewed on it without tasting it.

Seeing this, Gu Chenjiang suddenly put down the cake in his hand, got up, and went into the woods.

Zhang Jingmo saw Gu Chenjiang leave inexplicably and thought he was angry. He asked in a panic, "Chenshan, what's wrong with your brother?"

Gu Chenshan said, "Don't mind him. He... just has a stubborn temper." She also thought her brother was angry at Chen Baicang. After all, from beginning to end, Gu Chenjiang had never shown any good attitude towards Chen Baicang.

Hearing this, Zhang Jingmo seemed a little aggrieved. He took another glum bite of the cake and stopped eating.

Seeing this, Gu Chenshan could only sigh. She thought to herself, could a young master like Chen Baicang really help them get that thing...

Just as the two fell silent, Gu Chenjiang, who they had thought to be angry, walked back from the woods. This time, he was holding three fat river fish in his hand, their mouths still opening and closing, clearly just caught from the river.

Gu Chenjiang handed the fish to Gu Chenshan and said, "Eat."

Both Gu Chenshan and Zhang Jingmo showed a look of pleasant surprise. Zhang Jingmo said, "Thank you, Young Master Gu."

Gu Chenjiang nodded slightly without saying a word.

Gu Chenshan, on the other hand, happily took out a bag of salt and some seasonings from her pack. After cleaning the fish, she seasoned them and started roasting them.

Zhang Jingmo stared intently at the fish, seemingly not noticing the meaningful glances Gu Chenjiang occasionally cast his way.

Soon, the fish gave off a rich aroma. Zhang Jingmo cheered and happily started eating. Gu Chenshan also handed a fish to Gu Chenjiang, but unexpectedly, Gu Chenjiang shook his head.

He said, "Give it to Young Master Chen."

Seeing that Zhang Jingmo was eating with great gusto and one fish was obviously not enough for him, Gu Chenshan, after some consideration, truly handed the fish to Zhang Jingmo.

"Eat," said the gentle woman in front of him. Her freshly washed hair gave off a plant-like fragrance. Zhang Jingmo looked up and seemed to be stunned.

Then Gu Chenshan called out several times before bringing Zhang Jingmo's mind back.

As he took the fish from Gu Chenshan's hand, Zhang Jingmo said in a daze, "Lady Chenshan, you are so beautiful."

Gu Chenshan's face flushed red as she scolded, "What are you saying!"

Realizing his abruptness, Zhang Jingmo hurriedly said, "I... I didn't mean it that way... I just, just..."

"Alright, I understand," Gu Chenshan said. "Eat your fish."

Zhang Jingmo chuckled a few times and lowered his head to eat the fish.

Neither the interacting Gu Chenshan nor Zhang Jingmo noticed the slightly gloomy gaze Gu Chenjiang cast their way during their conversation.

The next few days were spent hurrying on the road without stopping.

Soon, the three arrived at the nearest town. Seeing that Gu Chenjiang's injury had mostly healed, Zhang Jingmo reluctantly bid farewell to the siblings.

As Zhang Jingmo was about to leave, Gu Chenshan finally stopped him as planned.

She said, "Young Master Chen, this young lady has a request."

Zhang Jingmo asked, "What is it?"

Gu Chenshan's brows were filled with worry. She said, "I know Young Master Chen is no ordinary person. My brother and I want to go to Mount Yuxu to find an ancestral item. I wonder, Young Master Chen, if you could lend us a helping hand."

Zhang Jingmo asked, "Mount Yuxu? Where is that? Is it far from here?"

Gu Chenshan replied, "Not far, not far... It's nearby." The reason they appeared in that border town was that they wanted to take a shortcut to Mount Yuxu by crossing the desert. Who knew the information would be leaked, and she and Gu Chenjiang nearly lost their lives to those chasing them...

After some thought, Zhang Jingmo said, "It's good that it's not far. I need to reach the Imperial City before August. Since it's close, I'll accompany you on the trip."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chenshan showed a look of joyful surprise and thanked Zhang Jingmo several times. Zhang Jingmo felt a bit embarrassed and said, "It's a small matter, all small matters."

As he spoke, he turned and walked forward. "Let's find a place to stay first, rest for a few days, and then set off."

As Zhang Jingmo turned around, Gu Chenjiang and Gu Chenshan exchanged a glance. Gu Chenshan's eyes were filled with worry and guilt, while Gu Chenjiang's gaze was deep, making it impossible for Gu Chenshan to tell what her brother was thinking.