Chapter 117: Late-Night Fight the Landlord! “Junior Brother, the way you’re playing these cards isn’t right!”

Inside Nuanxiang Pavilion, lights blazed brightly.

The quiet room originally used for meditation and Cultivate was now occupied by a large red sandalwood round table.

On the table, instead of Medicinal Pills and wondrous herbs, there was a scattered deck of playing cards personally crafted by Gu Lan, polished from the hide of some tough Spirit Beast.

"A pair of twos!"

Gu Lan flicked out the two cards in his hand, looking immensely pleased with himself.

"One card left! There is still one card in my hand, who wants it?"

The three beauties opposite him wore expressions of all kinds at this moment.

Hongxiu bit her red lips, her brows tightly locked, squeezing the cards in her hand over and over. That bright red gauze dress appeared exceptionally breezy right now because of the strip-tease punishment for losing a few rounds earlier.

Lanyu still remained expressionless, but her gaze was locked dead onto that card in Gu Lan's hand, as if she wanted to pierce right through it with her Sword Intent.

Lüluo, on the other hand, wore a bitter little face, looking at the hand of terrible cards and almost ready to cry.

"Pass!" Hongxiu said resentfully.

"Pass." Lanyu was concise and to the point.

"Wuwuwu… I don't have any either."

Lüluo slumped over the table, playing dead.

"Hehe, then I won't be polite."

Gu Lan chuckled evilly, gently slapping the very last card onto the table.

"Big Joker! Absolute kill!"

"I won again!"

"Ahahaha! I'm not playing anymore, not playing anymore!"

Hongxiu threw the cards in her hand aside, glaring angrily at Gu Lan.

"Junior Brother, you definitely cheated! How come good cards are always with you every time?"

"Also, the rules of this so-called Fight the Landlord must have problems. Why can the Landlord do a three-with-one, while the peasants cannot do a four-with-two?"

"A bet is a bet, Senior Sister."

Gu Lan stretched out his hand with a smile.

"According to the rules, the person who loses must… mm-hmm?"

Hongxiu's pretty face turned red, her gaze dodging slightly.

In the previous few rounds, she had already lost her hairpin, earrings, bracelet, and even the outermost shark-gauze outer garment.

Now, only a skin-tight small dudou and petticoat remained on her body.

If she lost again… then they would truly have to see each other completely bare.

"What? Senior Sister wants to renege on the debt?"

Gu Lan intentionally provoked her, saying, "Who was it just now that claimed to be the 'Gambling Saint of Qingyun'?"

"Who… who is reneging on the debt!"

Hongxiu puffed out her chest, that proud arc almost pressing right against Gu Lan's face.

"Take it off then! Anyway, there are no outsiders in this room, I'm just letting you take advantage of it, you little pervert!"

As she spoke, her hand reached toward the ribbon at her waist, making a motion to untie it.

That motion was like a slow-motion replay, brimming with temptation, making Gu Lan's throat run dry and his heartbeat accelerate.

"Ahem! Um…"

Right at that critical moment when the ribbon was about to be untied, Gu Lan suddenly lost his nerve.

"Senior Sister, let's change the punishment, shall we?"

"If you keep stripping like this, I'm afraid I won't have the heart to enter seclusion tonight."

"Tch, all heart for lust, but no guts for it."

Hongxiu gave him a side-eye. Although she mocked him with her mouth, she let out a sigh of relief in her heart, and her hand naturally stopped.

After all, if she really stripped bare, she would also be shy.

"Then you tell me, what should we change it to?"

"Truth or Dare!"

Gu Lan's eyes rolled around. "For this round, you must choose Truth."

"Ask away." Hongxiu sat back down properly, picked up her teacup and took a sip, resuming that lazy Senior Sister demeanor.

Gu Lan leaned in closer, his gaze turning somewhat sly.

"Senior Sister, what I want to ask is, in your heart, am I that… most special one?"

As soon as this question came out, Lanyu and Lüluo beside them both perked up their ears.

Hongxiu's teacup paused for a moment.

She raised her head, those captivating fox-like eyes taking a deep look at Gu Lan.

Gone was the usual teasing and banter, replaced by an extremely rare earnestness and… tenderness.

"Yes."

She said softly, her voice not loud, but exceptionally firm.

"Not only the most special one."

"You are also… the only one."

Silence.

The room suddenly quieted down.

The previously playful atmosphere suddenly gained a hint of romantic charm and warmth.

Gu Lan was stunned.

He originally just wanted to tease Senior Sister, never expecting it to be met with such a deep and affectionate confession.

Looking at Hongxiu's slightly red earlobes and flickering ripples in her eyes,

Gu Lan felt a warmth in his heart and couldn't help reaching out to hold her slender hand resting on the table.

"Senior Sister…"

"Aiya! So sappy it's killing me!"

Lüluo suddenly let out a loud cry, shattering these pink bubbles.

"Senior Brother, you're biased! I want to be the only one too!"

"And me." Lanyu also silently added, though still expressionless, the hand gripping the corner of her clothes betrayed her mood.

"Alright, alright, alright, you're all the only ones, you're all my little darlings."

Gu Lan smiled and rubbed Lüluo's head, then looked at Lanyu.

"It's getting late, I should go into seclusion as well."

"You all should rest early too, don't stay up late, it's bad for the skin."

"Go on, go on."

Hongxiu withdrew her hand, recovering her usual sharp-tongued spirit.

"Hurry up and go refine that Corpse Pill. Don't let your strength be insufficient by then and get snatched away by the Demonic Sect to be a mountain brigand's husband; we won't go save you."

"Understood!"

Gu Lan gave a wacky military salute, packed up his things, and turned to walk toward the secret chamber deep within Nuanxiang Pavilion.

Watching his disappearing back,

the smile on Hongxiu's face gradually faded, her gaze turning somewhat complicated.

"Senior Sister, can Senior Brother Breakthrough this time in seclusion?" Lüluo asked softly.

"I don't know."

Hongxiu shook her head and glanced at the moonlight outside the window.

"However… I believe in him."

"He is Gu Lan, after all."

…

Nuanxiang Pavilion, underground secret chamber.

High-tier Gathering Spirit Formations and isolation Formations were engraved here; it was Gu Lan's most secretive place to Cultivate on usual days.

Gu Lan sat cross-legged on the rush mat, adjusted his breathing, and let his state of mind calm down from the earlier merriment.

Flipping his palm,

that grayish, dense Evil Qi-exuding Corpse Pill appeared in his palm.

"The essence of Old Ghost Yinsha's entire cultivation base…"

Gu Lan could feel the terrifying energy contained within this Medicinal Pill. It was an extreme form of bitter cold. If an ordinary person touched it, their Divine Soul would probably be frozen stiff instantly.

But he was different.

He had the Pure Yang Body and possessed two major alien flames.

Yin and Yang opposed each other, yet could also give birth to each other.

"Come, let me see just how strong the energy of the Golden Core Stage truly is!"

Gu Lan's gaze condensed, and without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the Corpse Pill straight into his belly!

Boom!

The moment the Corpse Pill entered his belly, it felt like swallowing an iceberg.

A terrifying cold current instantly erupted, spreading wildly along his Meridians. Wherever it passed, his Meridians froze, and his blood coagulated.

A thick layer of white frost instantly formed on Gu Lan's eyebrows and hair, and his entire body seemed to transform into an ice sculpture.

The pain of his Soul being frozen almost caused him to lose consciousness.

"Burn… for me!"

Gu Lan clenched his teeth tightly, letting out a furious roar in his heart.

Within his Dantian,

the two alien flames that had long been poised for action suddenly darted out.

The Green Lotus Core Flame transformed into an Azure Dragon, and the Red Lotus Karmic Fire transformed into a Vermilion Bird.

Carrying a high temperature capable of incinerating the heavens and boiling the seas, the Dragon and the Bird charged straight into that cold current!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!

Extreme Yin and extreme Yang unfolded a fierce collision within Gu Lan's body.

Gu Lan's body alternated between glowing red like a branding iron and white like ice blocks, alternating between hot and cold as if he were residing in purgatory.

"Ah—!!!"

He couldn't help letting out a low roar.

His Meridians were expanding, contracting, and then being forcibly stretched open again.

Under the refinement of the alien flames, the Evil Qi on the outer layer of the Corpse Pill was peeled off and burned away bit by bit, finally transforming into the purest attribute-less spiritual power that merged into Gu Lan's limbs and bones.

As time passed,

the aura within Gu Lan's body began to climb step by step.

Late Foundation Establishment… Peak Late Foundation Establishment…

Crack!

It was as if some Bottleneck had been shattered.

An unprecedentedly powerful force filled his entire body.

His Divine Sense range instantly doubled, the liquid True Essence within his Dantian became even more viscous, and there were even faint signs of it solidifying into a core.

Foundation Establishment Great Perfection!

Furthermore, it was that extreme Great Perfection that could step into the Golden Core Stage at any moment!

Not knowing how much time had passed,

the temperature inside the secret chamber gradually returned to normal.

Gu Lan slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a cyan and a red fire lotus slowly rotated before fading away.

He opened his mouth and spat out a breath of foul air; that airflow actually shot out like a sharp sword, leaving a deep hole in the wall.

"Hoo…"

Gu Lan clenched his fist, feeling the seemingly endless power within his body.

"Is this… the feeling of a Half-step Golden Core?"

A satisfied smile hooked the corner of his lips.

"Right now, even without utilizing the alien flames, I could probably blow up that Duan Lang with a single punch, right?"

"However…"

he lowered his head to take a look at himself.

Due to the earlier alternation between cold and hot, his clothes had long since become shredded cloth strips, and his skin was also covered with a layer of black Impurities.

"I have to take a bath again."

"I wonder if Senior Sister and the others have gone to sleep…"

Gu Lan chuckled evilly and stood up.

"Since my strength has grown stronger, then next time we play Fight the Landlord…"

"Should we consider increasing the base stakes a bit?"

"For example… the loser warms the bed for the winner?"