The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

"What! You're saying this woman is the sect leader's junior brother... Gu Fanghua!" After saying that, Guai Badao rubbed his eyes and looked at her carefully again.

Seeing that the woman was slightly shy, she silently lowered her head. When she looked up again, she met Fen Laoshan's deep gaze.

So she said tenderly, "Senior brother, do you like my outfit?"

The woman's voice was sweet and her tone was incredibly charming.

But if you listen carefully, you can still hear the original male voice...

Both Pink Mountain and Strange Eight-Knife were so shocked that they involuntarily took two steps back. "It really is you... Junior Brother Gu..."

With a blush on her face, Gu Fanghua smiled and said, "Senior brother is still the same senior brother. No matter what I look like, I can still recognize you at a glance."

Gu Fanghua walked towards the two of them, followed by the scent of a woman's rouge and powder.

She approached and examined Pink Old Mountain. Seeing his disheveled appearance, she shook her head and said, "It's a pity that since Senior Brother followed the Strange Senior Brother, he has become neither human nor ghost, just like him. He is no longer the handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes he once was..." As she spoke, her soft, slender hand gently stroked Pink Old Mountain's stubble-covered face.

Fen Laoshan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Yes, I've been living a rather extravagant life these past few years..."

The strange man was furious, but since his upper body was bound by ropes, he had no choice but to endure it.

Gu Fanghua couldn't help but chuckle. "It's alright. No matter what my senior brother becomes, he will always be my good senior brother." As Gu Fanghua spoke, her loving gaze remained fixed on Fen Laoshan's face, never glancing anywhere else.

After calming himself down, Fen Laoshan asked, "Junior brother, why... are you dressed like this? Did someone bully you?"

Gu Fanghua smiled with relief and said shyly, "Did anyone bully you? Isn't that exactly what my senior brother used to say to me? Hehe. My senior brother still cares about me so much."

"But speaking of which, who bullied me and made me look like this?" Gu Fanghua smiled and looked at Fen Laoshan again, "It was you, Senior Brother."

"Me?" Pink Mountain said incredulously, while the strange Eight Blades beside him looked at him with a look that was a little disdainful and resentful.

"You never dressed like this before I left the sect. And we...haven't...contacted...afterwards, so how can you blame me for how you look now..."

Gu Fanghua gently tapped Fen Laoshan's forehead. "Why is Senior Brother speaking to me so formally? Is it because you've become shy seeing me like this?" Gu Fanghua looked at Fen Laoshan and smiled.

This made Old Man Fen blush with embarrassment, and he stammered, "No...no, I just..."

Hearing him say that, Gu Fanghua bent over and laughed so hard she was shaking. "Hahaha, that's right, that's exactly how I remember my good senior brother."

"Brother Shan, let's do it." Strange Eight Knives couldn't stand it anymore and whispered from the side.

"Let him finish speaking!"

After laughing, Gu Fanghua said slowly, "Senior brother, do you still remember why you left the Yellow Crane Sect back then?"

Old Man Fen lowered his head blankly, a thousand thoughts suddenly flooding his mind. "Of course I remember. Back then, in order to get Master to pass the position of sect leader to you, your wicked senior brother and I committed a grave mistake. Alas, Master should have executed us immediately, but fortunately, Master was merciful and only expelled us from the sect..."

"Senior brother... back then you took the blame for me for assassinating Master and were expelled from the sect. Even now, do you still think... it was your fault? You really don't blame... me?" Gu Fanghua asked in a trembling voice.

"Of course not! Without you, how could my brother and I have lived such a carefree life all these years? Hahaha!" Strange Eight Blades retorted.

Upon hearing this, Gu Fanghua was so angry that she gritted her teeth, completely losing her previous shy demeanor.

“Junior brother, I…I…don’t blame you, but after we left…you got the position of sect leader as you wished, you should be happy, why did things turn out like this today?” said Fen Laoshan.

Gu Fanghua's anger subsided slightly. After calming down, she turned her back and said, "Ah, back then, you were the disciple with the highest level of literary and martial arts skills among our generation. You were also loyal, righteous, and charitable. The entire sect recommended you as the next sect leader."

Gu Fanghua, as if recalling something pleasant, continued with a smile, "But... I just don't want to, even though... you protect me, cherish me, love me, and treat me like your own brother, Senior Brother. I still don't want to... because I absolutely must get this position as sect leader..."

Fen Laoshan listened attentively, various past events flashing through his mind.

Guai Badao snorted and stared at Gu Fanghua's back with resentment.

Gu Fanghua continued, "So I practiced day and night, practiced and practiced some more. Apart from taking good care of my senior brother, I refused to communicate with others and always spoke coldly to them."

"Thus, my junior brother acquired a bad reputation, to the point that everyone despised me. But fortunately, heaven rewards the diligent, and I finally surpassed all the disciples in the sect, but... I could never surpass you, my closest senior brother..."

Gu Fanghua frowned slightly, her face showing sorrow. "I'm so scared, scared that I won't get the position of sect leader and won't be able to learn Master's 'Eight Techniques for Ascending to Immortality'!" Then, Gu Fanghua's eyes sharpened, and she said hatefully, "So, I made up my mind to kill you, Senior Brother!!"

Powder Old Mountain listened with a complicated expression, while Strange Eight Knives was furious, his eyes filled with hostility.

Gu Fanghua gave a self-deprecating laugh, "But how could I bring myself to do it? You are the best person to me in this world... So, I made up my mind to set my sights on my master. As long as I steal the 'Eight Techniques for Ascending to Immortality,' which only the sect leader can cultivate, I can advance to the ranks of first-class masters after I have mastered it."

"Given my abilities at the time... not only did I fail, but I also left traces that my master noticed..."

"I was so scared, so... I went to you, my senior brother. I told you how much I longed for the position of sect leader, and how I failed to steal the secret manual..."

At this point, Gu Fanghua smiled with relief, "When my senior brother found out, he not only didn't get angry with me, but he also took the blame for me for this crime of betraying our master and ancestors..." After Gu Fanghua finished speaking, she turned around leisurely.

"At first, Master didn't believe it at all, until you clearly told Master what happened that night: except that I was replaced by you..."

"When Master saw that the details matched up, he scolded Senior Brother for being too impatient. He said that the position of sect leader and the secret manual would have been Senior Brother's sooner or later..."

"But he committed the crime of stealing the sect's most precious treasure. According to the sect rules, my senior brother should have been executed immediately..."

"I was really terrified at the time, and I wanted to say something but couldn't say anything... Sigh, I was too cowardly back then..."

"Fortunately, my senior brother stood up to share the blame with me, and the entire sect pleaded for my brother's sake. In addition, Master always doted on you, treating you like his own son. In the end... only the two of you were expelled from the sect... and I, as the junior brother, became the next sect leader as I wished, according to the rules..."

Fen Laoshan stood there, staring blankly, the scene from years ago still vivid in his mind. He remained noncommittal about everything Gu Fanghua had said.

Gu Fanghua sighed softly, "Later, Master fell seriously ill. He lay in bed day and night, missing you, Senior Brother. At the same time, he slowly realized that something was wrong. But what could he do? The position of sect leader had already been passed to me according to the rules."

A fierce glint flashed in Gu Fanghua's eyes. "So I killed that annoying master back then! Then I told everyone that my master's time was up, and the position of sect leader would still be mine."

“Master…Master was actually…killed by you, Junior Brother,” Pink Mountain exclaimed in shock.

Gu Fanghua snorted, "If he had revealed the Eight Secrets of Ascension to Immortality sooner, not only would he not have died, but my senior brother wouldn't have left me..."

"So that's how it is. No wonder I couldn't understand how Brother Shan could do something so stupid. He was taking the blame for you, you beast!" Strange Eight-Knife cursed at Gu Fanghua.

Gu Fanghua ignored him, her eyes moving gently, her tender gaze fixed on Fen Laoshan.

She slowly walked forward, put her arms around Fen Laoshan's waist, and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

The strange man neither complied nor refused, but instead felt a refreshing scent of rouge wafting towards him.

The fragrance, though captivating, was no longer the same as the scent of their former master and fellow disciples.

The strange man watched with wide eyes and his teeth grinding together.

After a long silence, Gu Fanghua gently raised her head, her face filled with sorrow, and continued softly, "After I finally obtained the position of sect leader, the other disciples in the sect began to show their true colors. They only ever thought of you, senior brother, but none of them were willing to submit to me."

"I originally intended to quietly cultivate the Yellow Crane Sect's treasure, the Eight Secrets of Ascension to Immortality, in order to reach the first rank as soon as possible."

But those beasts showed no regard for our shared sect, wanting to frame me with fabricated charges so they could report me to the Palace Master and send the Three Venerables Palace to depose me as sect leader.

"So, to protect myself, I started trying to meet their needs. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't get them to truly respect me."

"Until one day, I noticed that the way my disciples looked at me had become very strange. I was very curious. Was there something on my face?"

"I looked in the mirror, and I saw myself with delicate features and a handsome appearance, no longer the naive child I once was..."

Gu Fanghua's eyes were filled with tears. "Only then did I understand that the sect has never accepted female disciples, and members are not allowed to go out unless in an emergency. How could these hot-blooded young men in the sect bear such loneliness..."

Hearing this, Fen Laoshan was a little scared, and said in a trembling voice, "So, you dressed up like this?"

Gu Fanghua seemed lost in thought. "Senior brother, do you know... how long I hesitated before trying to wear a dress? And how much determination I had to muster to try applying makeup in front of the mirror in the quiet of the night..."

Gu Fanghua sighed again, "When I saw myself in the mirror with heavy makeup, I felt angry and scared. What am I doing? I am the leader of the Yellow Crane Sect, I am a man! I angrily took off my clothes and removed my makeup."

Gu Fanghua frowned slightly. "But if I continue to be a man, can I still hold the position of the Yellow Crane Sect leader? So, I forced myself to change back into a dress, put on makeup, and try to accept myself in the mirror."

Fen Laoshan shook his head and sighed, "Actually, there are many other ways to make people respect you. You shouldn't be wasting your life like this."

Gu Fanghua smiled slightly, "Wasted? I don't think so. Besides, I've already done it..."

Gu Fanghua continued, "When I look at myself in the mirror, I feel that the person in the mirror is no longer as ugly as when I first saw them. They're even somewhat attractive now..."

"Haha, so ever since then, I've had this inexplicable sense of anticipation and excitement every time I put on makeup..."

Gu Fanghua became more and more excited as she spoke, her joy barely concealed: "Over time, I felt that these dresses, these cosmetics, were made for me. I can't live without them, and they can't live without me! And every time I take off this makeup, a sense of loss and frustration wells up inside me..."

Then his gaze dimmed again, "But deep down I still know that I am a man, and all of this is a lie... until..."

Gu Fanghua's eyes brightened again, filled with fervor as she said, "Until I thought of my senior brother, my beloved senior brother who loves me the most..."

"I?"

"That's right, I'm starting to think that if my senior brother saw me like this, he would definitely like me just as much as I do! For my senior brother, I'm willing to become a woman!"

"So from then on, nothing could hold me back anymore. I began to enjoy it all, learning the charm and gentleness of a woman, just to wait for the day I could reunite with my senior brother." Gu Fanghua said, her tender and fiery eyes once again falling on Fen Laoshan.

The more Fen Laoshan listened, the more frightened he became. He swallowed hard and said in a trembling voice, "Can my fellow disciples... even accept my junior brother... in this state?"

Gu Fanghua smiled proudly, "Of course, although they were all quite angry with me at first and strongly opposed my outfit."

"But the tone of their voices towards me, hmm, it was much gentler than before. Gradually, the dissenting voices decreased, and the way they looked at me became like that of jackals..."

"Hehehe, in the end, I only need to make a charming gesture to make my disciples obey my every word. This is much more effective than being a man before, which was hard work and thankless. Senior brother, don't you think so? Hahahahaha."

Gu Fanghua raised her pinky finger again, looked at Fen Laoshan with a pitiful look, and said in a coquettish voice, "Senior brother~ you wouldn't be like those stinky men in the sect, would you?"

"What kind of loneliness did my junior brothers endure to fall for your beauty?" Fen Laoshan sighed.

Gu Fanghua gently touched her face again, looked at Fen Laoshan shyly and said, "Where's my senior brother? Does he think I'm beautiful?"

“Beautiful, in my eyes you are more beautiful than most women in this world,” Pink Mountain murmured as he looked at him.

Gu Fanghua was overjoyed upon hearing this. She cupped her flushed face in her hands and shyly lowered her head. The scene was as beautiful as a flower bud in full bloom, captivating everyone's attention.

“But…you are a man, a man who should stand tall and proud…we can’t be together…” Fen Laoshan said firmly again.