When [Control] and [Discipline] both leveled up to Lv.4, Deng Caiying finally finished handling his affairs and returned.
Just as he had promised, he personally came to the door to express his gratitude. He calmly stated that from now on, he would fade out of the martial world and no longer involve himself in its rights and wrongs.
It sounded as if he was completely disappointed with the martial world.
Wu Zhen did not express any opinion on this until she discovered that the secluded location Deng Caiying chose was in Qingni Town. He would also drop by to visit her from time to time, and recently, his visits had become even more frequent. As a result, Jiang Zhenxue hadn't smiled for three whole days.
Yes, even that utterly hypocritical smile of his was gone. He was as quiet as the little snowman she had built last winter, like a sculpture carved out of snow.
It was hard to say whether Deng Caiying noticed anything amiss. In short, he stubbornly persisted in seeking her out. He even brought her some news about Granny Ran, saying that Granny Ran would also be moving to Qingni Town in a while. She felt that the feng shui in the place where Wu Zhen lived was good—at the very least, it was definitely better than Flying Star Villa. Evidently, Old Manor Lord He's true colors had genuinely disgusted Granny Ran this time.
Wu Zhen said, "Great, great."
The player had absolutely no objections. Rather, she was extremely satisfied with the behavior of useful NPCs consciously moving to places closer to the player.
In her youth, Granny Ran had also been a stunningly brilliant figure. She made her name forging weapons, but she was not only skilled in weapon forging; she was also highly proficient in mechanisms and had dabbled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Upon realizing this, Wu Zhen added visiting Granny Ran to her daily schedule.
With a teacher to guide her, her progress was much faster than fumbling around on her own. Although the player was completely illiterate just last year, her learning speed was only getting faster. The more Granny Ran looked at her, the more she liked her. It seemed as though she intended to impart everything she had learned to her, though she didn't demand that Wu Zhen formally acknowledge her as a master. It was as if she had some sort of misunderstanding about her origins.
Thinking of her own [Person of Unknown Origin] trait, Wu Zhen felt that even if there were any misunderstandings, it would be harmless.
After all, no one would ever know where she truly came from.
Recently, Jiang Zhenxue had been going out a bit more frequently. Occasionally, descriptions like "Carries a trace of blood" would appear in the [Event] log.
In this game, every NPC had their own things to do, giving them a very lifelike feel. Although the player was somewhat curious about Jiang Zhenxue's experiences, seeing that he would return home on his own, she didn't pay it too much mind. After all, this was the cultivation world; fighting and killing were perfectly normal.
She flipped through her plans for the next phase and happily threw herself back into learning the Heavenly Crafting skills.
...
Meanwhile.
Tens of thousands of miles away, within the Kunyan Mountain Secret Realm, the morning mist was hazy, and the scent of blood filled the air.
A young man in white waded through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, leisurely walking across the water. In the center of a spirit pool that had been dyed red with fresh blood, he plucked an immortal herb radiating a faint, luminous glow.
Not far away, the corpse of a ferocious flood dragon, several men high, lay collapsed in the pool. Looking at its injuries, it was evident that it had been killed in a single blow, without the slightest room for resistance.
A streak of light flashed across the horizon, and a figure appeared a few dozen feet away from the young man in white. Seeing this scene, the newcomer showed no surprise at all. He simply cupped his hands and smiled at him, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, I trust you have been well since we last met."
The man then turned his head, seemingly searching his memory for the other person's existence, before revealing a polite, faint smile.
"So it is Fellow Daoist Zhong," he said. "It has indeed been a long time."
His tone seemed gentle, but in reality, it was cold. Zhong Xiang didn't mind, however, and simply couldn't help but say, "When I heard that the Yingfeng Sect had collapsed overnight, leaving only their library standing within the sect, I knew you were safe and sound. Looking at it now, heaven truly does help the worthy."
Observing that the young man's spiritual energy was restrained and his cultivation hidden without revealing the slightest trace, Zhong Xiang felt a bit emotional.
For the Yingfeng Sect to encounter a genius like Fellow Daoist Jiang was a blessing accumulated over countless generations of predecessors. Yet, they didn't know how to cherish it. Instead, they coveted his set of immortal bones. Taking advantage of the time Fellow Daoist Jiang was injured from slaying demons, they besieged him, causing a shock among all the immortal sects in the Southern Province. A full month later, the pursuit suddenly ceased one day, and the several sect-guarding elders of the Yingfeng Sect who had participated in the siege disappeared simultaneously.
Everyone believed that the genius with the immortal bones must have perished. It wasn't until a few months ago, when the disciples of the Yingfeng Sect who had participated in the matter died one by one, and the back mountain remained dead silent without any reaction, that they finally realized who exactly had died in that siege.
Zhong Xiang was one of the few who didn't feel too surprised.
He had met Jiang Qugu a few times and had even received a favor from him. He knew that this person was exceptionally intelligent and utterly ruthless. He didn't seem like someone who would be completely ignorant of the Yingfeng Sect's covetous intentions; he must have been prepared for it.
However, even so, what the Yingfeng Sect did completely refreshed his understanding of those old geezers. He had calculated the odds of that siege—it was a situation of near-certain death, with the only glimmer of survival being extremely ethereal and uncertain. Fortunately, he ended up safe.
"I originally thought that you would not return to the Southern Province," Zhong Xiang withdrew his thoughts and said with a smile. "It seems the Dao Ancestor also did not wish for my past promise to go unfulfilled. To run into you here in this secret realm today is perfect timing. Please allow me to cast a hexagram for you."
Saying that, he took out his magical artifact, channeled his spiritual energy, sat cross-legged on a stone, and performed a divination right then and there.
...
It was unknown what he saw, but Zhong Xiang's pupils shrank slightly.
He subconsciously raised his head to look at the young man in white, who had already sheathed his sword. The other party was clearly completely uninterested in his hexagram. As if having calculated the time on his fingers, he turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait," Zhong Xiang stood up abruptly and called out.
He gazed at that snow-white back with a look that could almost be described as complex. After a moment, he spoke with some difficulty:
"Fellow Daoist... immortals and mortals walk different paths."
...
Through the heavy white mist, the tall and slender young man seemed to turn slightly. His quiet gaze, as if looking at nothing, rested on Zhong Xiang for a brief moment.
A boundless silence spread out.
Jiang Qugu did not utter a single word.
He withdrew his gaze.
That extremely pale figure gradually walked away, vanishing invisibly into the morning mist. In the end, Zhong Xiang neither saw his expression nor heard even a single word in reply.
Zhong Xiang stood frozen in place for a moment. Subconsciously, he took out his astrolabe, wanting to cast another hexagram to divine the origins of that person—that mortal. But no matter what, he couldn't divine a thing, until a piercing pain struck his sea of consciousness, forcing him to stop his calculations.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang... why go to such lengths?"
After a long while, he let out a long sigh.
Thinking about it now, this secret realm was completely useless to Fellow Daoist Jiang. Yet, he had specifically come to fetch that immortal herb, which was the legendary spiritual item capable of cleansing the marrow and allowing even mortals to step onto the path of cultivation.
Perhaps, even his return to the Southern Province... was only for the Yingfeng Sect's library, which had been passed down from generation to generation and recorded countless rare treasures.
"Senior Brother, so you were here!" Another streak of light flew over, and a young Daoist in a green robe landed. Seeing that Zhong Xiang's expression was off, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? ... Was someone here just now?"
Zhong Xiang replied, "It was Fellow Daoist Jiang."
"Fellow Daoist Jiang... Jiang Qugu?" the man asked in astonishment.
"It's best not to call him Jiang Qugu anymore."
Zhong Xiang gave a cold laugh. "Qugu, meaning to remove the bones, to take the bones... Hmph. Yingfeng Sect."
He shook his head.
"Never mind... Let's go, it is time for us to return to the sect."
...
Outside the bamboo forest, Jiang Qugu retracted his spirit sword.
He walked deeper into the bamboo forest. Halfway there, he remembered the lingering scent of blood on his body. He stopped, meticulously using a spell to cleanse the smell completely before stepping forward again.
Passing through the bamboo forest and crossing the lake, he pushed open the gates of the mortal residence.
The master of the residence was in the courtyard, earnestly mixing medicine.
Beside her, a white-bearded old man was fuming, shouting repeatedly, "I told you to save lives, not commit murder!" She was clearly lost in her own thoughts, completely ignoring him, and her gaze swept toward him as if guided by intuition.
The next second, those pitch-black eyes suddenly lit up, like a sharp arrow tearing through dense, impenetrable clouds.
She waved at him happily, a bright smile blossoming on her pale face.
"Jiang Zhenxue!" she said joyfully. "You came back just in time. I told them my medicine wouldn't kill anyone. Look, aren't you perfectly alive and well?"
Hearing these words, the old man next to her looked as if he was about to faint.
...
"Jiang Zhenxue?"
She tilted her head and called out again, seemingly puzzled by his lack of response.
Jiang Zhenxue blinked.
It seemed like he was looking at her, or rather, gazing intently at her. However, this gaze was finer and denser, devoid of any danger that might cause discomfort. That feather-light yet somehow weighty stare fell upon her, enveloping her entirely from head to toe like moonlight as cold as water.
The young man blinked again, this time as if confirming her existence.
Then, he slowly smiled.
"Mhm," he said. "I'm back."
Wu Zhen glanced at him, keenly noticing that something was off about his condition. If she had to describe it, it was as if she hadn't picked him up from the snow that day, but instead left him lying beneath the deep snow, from day to night, in an endless cycle, until his body grew as freezing cold as the slush.
...
The player checked the time and decided to continue mutually torturing the divine physician brought by Granny Ran for now.
Over the past month, she had learned almost everything Granny Ran knew, and her status panel was already very powerful. Granny Ran was extremely fond of her. Seeing that the player was so eager to learn but seemingly struggled with medical skills, she specifically introduced her good friend, a divine physician who had long withdrawn from the world, to teach her medicine.
Hearing Granny Ran's high praise, the divine physician had traveled to Qingni Town with great enthusiasm and anticipation. After witnessing her near-limitless talent across various fields, he was deeply amazed. Feeling a strong affinity with her, he decided on the spot to stay and teach her medicine, thinking that with such a student, he could rest in peace a hundred years from now. Then, he was infuriated to the point of his eyes bulging like brass bells by the player's unrivaled interpretation of medicine.
Dizzy and bleary-eyed, Wu Zhen finished today's lessons, cheerfully bid her teacher goodbye, and turned around only to see Jiang Zhenxue still standing quietly at the door, watching her.
"What are you doing standing there?"
She reached out her hand and said as a matter of course:
"Jiang Zhenxue, come here."
...
The young man standing by the door seemed to tilt his head slightly.
The next second, he stepped forward and obediently walked up to her. As he drew near, Wu Zhen could smell the extremely faint scent of dew on him, a crisp and hidden sense of dampness.
Did he go to the water?
The player guessed casually while grabbing his wrist without a word, pulling him down until he was at eye level with her seated figure.
Jiang Zhenxue showed no intention of resisting. He bent down following her pull. Seemingly to maintain his balance, while one hand was held by her, he casually rested the other on the armrest of her chair. Thus, his entire figure gently loomed over her, completely blocking the light and casting a large shadow.
So much so that those eyes seemed to lose their hazy gray tone. In the shadows, they revealed a clear, tranquil black.
There was no expression on Jiang Zhenxue's face. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon her from above, slowly and carefully tracing her features.
...
I really want to...
"Jiang Zhenxue."
Suddenly, a somewhat cold hand pressed against his cheek.
"Did something happen?" She looked up, leaning closer, breathing, her large obsidian-like eyes staring at him without blinking, completely focused on him.
Her warm breath almost lingered by his lips.
Completely oblivious, she said in a terrifyingly cold tone, "If anyone bullies you, you can tell me. I will go and kill them."
She was serious.
She genuinely thought so.
...
Jiang Zhenxue stared at her intently.
After a long while, he seemed to smile. Smiling with his beautiful eyes curving slightly, he replied after a moment with a single word: "Okay."
Wu Zhen, however, was still pondering. She wanted to pull up Jiang Zhenxue's profile to take a look, but it seemed something was restricting her, preventing her from seeing it.
So what exactly happened?
She was the one who gave him the name Jiang Zhenxue. He was brought back as her immortal destiny. She naturally considered him one of her own people, or even her very own person. Therefore, upon realizing he might have encountered something outside, the player felt somewhat displeased.
So, why couldn't she see it? Was it because her level wasn't high enough, or because of the difference between immortals and mortals?
Ah.
She remembered now. If she did that, there shouldn't be any more surprises, right?
"It's like this."
Thus, Wu Zhen looked up at the motionless Jiang Zhenxue and said briskly, as if suddenly enlightened:
"Actually, I was planning to ask if you wanted to be my husband many days ago, but it seems I overslept and completely forgot..."
Before she could finish speaking, the young man in front of her, whose eyes had been half-lowered, suddenly lifted his gaze.
.........What?
Those beautiful eyes slowly widened slightly.
"What... did you say?"
As if suddenly forgetting how to speak, he asked softly, word by word.
His tangible gaze fell upon her without blinking, staring at her intently, as if to confirm that her words truly and definitely existed.
"Did you not understand?" Wu Zhen patiently repeated herself.
"I mean becoming Dao Companions or something like that."
