“I’ll take you up on that. My meals are your responsibility from now on,” Wen Li chuckled, knowing the girl was referring to Gu Linshu. “If I get sick from your cooking, you’ll have to pay up. I’m very expensive.”
After her bout of diarrhea, Wen Li had indeed squeezed a sum out of Gu Linshu. No, it wasn’t extortion; it was compensation for emotional distress.
“Fine. I’ll give all my assets to you, Master. As long as you’re willing to keep me as a disciple for a lifetime, all my money is yours to spend,” Zongzheng Huangyue agreed readily.
Wen Li’s smiling eyes softened slightly, though she voiced her disdain. “Tsk, that won’t do. You’re too weak. If your cultivation speed can’t keep up with mine, I’ll toss all of you into the Central Province for training. Don’t you dare tell anyone I’m your master; don’t go around losing face for me.”
“Rest assured, Master. Even if I go to the Central Province, I won’t reveal a single word about our relationship until you choose to acknowledge me,” Zongzheng Huangyue said with a helpless smile, lazily looking up at the bright, clear moon that seemed within arm’s reach.
Wen Li, who had her arm draped over the girl’s shoulder, raised her hand to pat her head. “Actually, never mind. Tossing you to the Central Province would cost me spirit cores, and I’m broke. It’s better to wait until you can go yourself. Once the selection for the Qingyun Gathering ends in nine years, each province will open its Interprovincial Passage to send elite disciples to the Central Province. You must represent the Houchi Kingdom when that time comes.”
Even while sitting, Zongzheng Huangyue only reached Wen Li’s shoulder. She looked up at her master. “Will you be waiting for us in the Central Province?”
Wen Li had said “you” in the singular, but the girl had asked about “us.”
“Only when all of you are standing on the soil of the Central Province will you be my true disciples. At that time, I will give you a grand gift.” Wen Li didn’t dodge the probe and nodded frankly.
Zongzheng Huangyue’s brow twitched. The Central Province... It seemed none of the six disciples were born there or were met by her there. The Central Province was abundant in spiritual energy and was the most likely place to produce geniuses, yet Master chose to take them in from the other four provinces.
The first and second were from the Western Province, Gu Linshu was from the Northern Province, and she was from the Eastern Province. Would the last two disciples be from the Southern Province? If so, was there some underlying connection?
“He’s here.”
Suddenly, Wen Li looked up from under the arched bridge.
Zongzheng Huangyue immediately followed Wen Li’s gaze. A black-robed youth appeared on the riverbank near the city entrance. His appearance was ordinary and his aura restrained, but his steps were steady.
In his mind, the youth was communicating with a soul.
“Master, is this entire city really Wangquan Wuho’s tomb?”
【Naturally. Back then, I was the one who threw the last handful of dirt on Wangquan Wuho. That Moon Soul Arrow was damaged when he lost a great battle, and the previous Saint Emperor ordered it to be buried with him. After all these years, I doubt anyone has the guts to rob his grave. The Moon Soul Arrow is definitely still there; consider it a gift for you, kid.】 An aged voice responded within his sea of consciousness.
“Were you very close with Wangquan Wuho?”
【We knew each other. I can’t remember which year it was, but I ended up here after a disaster in the Central Province. He saved me, and we became sworn brothers. Unfortunately, he remained stuck at the Nascent Soul realm for a long time and couldn't break through. By the time I came back for him, he had already perished.】
“You came from the Central Province and are so powerful, yet you still got ambushed? Your enemies must be incredibly strong, right? If someone like me at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment runs into them, all I can do is run.”
【Hmph, as long as you don’t go to the Central Province, you won’t encounter them in this lifetime. What the hell are you running for? Get out of the Eastern Province before worrying about those pointless things. Once you reach the Nascent Soul realm, find me the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and I’ll just possess it. Then our transaction will be over.】
The youth teased, “After all, I call you Master. You can’t just forget about your disciple once you’re back in the Central Province. Otherwise, I’ll leak the news about you peeping on female cultivators bathing and make you lose face.”
The old man was choked with rage. 【You brat! If it weren’t for the fact that my physical body was destroyed and only a remnant soul remains, I’d come out and give you a thrashing!】
The youth carried a long sword in his arms, his hair tied up neatly and full of vigor as he walked through the night. He looked down at the bone ring on his right hand, and a girl’s face suddenly flashed through his mind.
Zongzheng Huangyue...
The bone ring she had given him that day had truly played a massive role. There was a remnant soul within it—one of unknown origin but incredibly powerful—that was able to guide his crippled body to continue cultivating, allowing him to set foot on the path of immortality once more.
If he could see her again, he... would surely show his gratitude. It was just a pity that she was of noble status; how could an abandoned clan orphan like him see her so easily?
He would work hard.
The youth clenched his fist and looked up at the moon.
Suddenly, his eyes shifted. He spotted two women sitting under the bridge nearby. One of them, a girl of similar age to him with an ordinary appearance, was looking at him. They were too far apart to see her expression clearly.
Wangquan Sheng felt a strange sense of familiarity, but when he tried to take a closer look, the girl had already stood up and followed the other woman away.
That familiar look in her eyes... for a moment, he thought it was Zongzheng Huangyue. He was overthinking it. How could she possibly be here?
【What’s this? Is the boy’s heart fluttering?】 The soul in his divine sense chuckled sinisterly, showing no respect for his own age.
Wangquan Sheng sighed. “Master, I’m not as vulgar as you.”
He continued walking with his sword, planning to inquire about the news of the tomb opening soon.
...
Wen Li and Zongzheng Huangyue left the bridge and entered an alley.
A notification about the Salvation Progress Bar had just sounded in Wen Li's mind. Zongzheng Huangyue’s progress had jumped from 45% to 48%. Since Huangyue hadn’t done anything while at her side, the variable was clearly Wangquan Sheng.
She had seen the look on the Chosen One’s face as he looked at the bone ring—a look Wen Li, who had lived for ten thousand years and seen countless lives, was all too familiar with. It was a sign of a youth’s stirring emotions.
It seemed he had attributed all the good fortune brought by the bone ring to his gratitude for Zongzheng Huangyue.
“You saw him. How do you feel?”
Zongzheng Huangyue narrowed her eyes and checked with Wen Li again. “Master, can I really not kill him?”
The last time she had seen him was half a year ago. Back then, his cultivation was in shambles, making him no different from a mortal. Now, he was already at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment. With such a rate of progress, he truly could not be allowed to live.
“...”
Wen Li remained silent before laughing a moment later. She had been wondering if this child would have a different opinion of the current, high-spirited Wangquan Sheng—not necessarily romantic feelings, but at least something other than her previous contemptuous disregard.
There was interest, alright, but it was pure killing intent.
She waved her hand. “You can’t kill him, so don’t even think about it. He is protected by providence; the best you can do is snatch his opportunities and become stronger than him so that you won’t be killed by him in the future.”
However, Wen Li knew that Wangquan Sheng was following an old-school male-targeted web novel trope. She was worried that the Heavenly Dao’s providence would play tricks and cause Zongzheng Huangyue to develop feelings for him, leading to some disgusting harem script involving the sisters. She turned her head and asked seriously.
“Besides, Wangquan Sheng seems to have developed some unusual feelings for you. In the future, he is supposed to become Dao partners with your sister, Zongzheng Yuanling. If he remains obsessed with you, and you’ve snatched Zongzheng Yuanling’s body, do you intend to snatch her man too?”
Rate on N.U.
