As Shu Linyuan kissed her, his hand stroked upward along the calf of Yuan Shu's leg.
Yuan Shu kicked her calf slightly, but he held it tightly.
The next moment, Shu Linyuan's kneeling figure rose. He took a few steps forward and trapped her against the bed.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow but did not refuse.
Her water spirit root was in need of nourishment right now, and the best source for this nourishment was naturally Shu Linyuan, who possessed a premium water spirit root!
And their relationship would perhaps end once they left the Cliff of Repentance.
Since that was the case, they might as well enjoy this final revelry to the fullest!
...
Eight hours later, Yuan Shu was escorted back to her courtyard by Shu Linyuan.
Before landing, Shu Linyuan released his arm from around her waist.
"Junior Sister Yuan..."
Shu Linyuan's hesitant voice sounded by her ear.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him.
Shu Linyuan's face showed hesitation. After a long while, as if having made some sort of decision, he spoke in a serious tone.
"Junior Sister Yuan, I will not return to the Yuan Manor with you to get married."
?
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow again, looking at him quietly without saying a word.
Now that he had started, the rest of his words flowed much more smoothly.
Shu Linyuan took a deep breath and continued, "I know the two elders of the Yuan family have always wanted me to marry into the Yuan family, but my ambitions do not lie there."
"Junior Sister Yuan, although we had intimate relations due to a series of mishaps, but... but I will not go down the mountain to marry."
"My ambition is cultivation!"
Shu Linyuan felt that since Yuan Shu dared to treat him like this at the Cliff of Repentance, her goal must be to have him marry into the Yuan family.
By saying this, he would surely anger her, and she would definitely throw a tantrum.
He admitted that during their time at the Cliff of Repentance, his heart had been moved, and he had felt true affection.
Although he was forced at first, later on...
He was completely willing!
Yuan Shu was his first woman, and his only one.
However, he did not want to give up his path to immortality just like that.
After saying all this in one breath, Shu Linyuan waited quietly for Yuan Shu's reaction.
Even if she wanted to beat him, scold him, or kill him, he had made up his mind; he would absolutely not follow Yuan Shu down the mountain.
However, after waiting for a long time, Yuan Shu's beating and scolding never came.
Confused, Shu Linyuan looked up and met Yuan Shu's smiling face.
"Junior Sister Yuan, are you... not angry?"
How could she remain so calm?
Yuan Shu smiled and shook her head, speaking in a brisk voice.
"Sixth Senior Brother, I told you before. As long as you give me what I want, I won't interfere with whatever choices you make in the future."
"Now I have taken what I wanted, and I have given you the compensation you deserve. So, let what happened at the Cliff of Repentance stay in the past."
"Do not take it to heart."
"You also don't need to worry about following me down the mountain to get married. Because my ambition also lies in cultivation, and I will not go down the mountain."
After saying that, Yuan Shu ignored the shocked Shu Linyuan, turned around, and walked toward her courtyard.
At this moment, Shu Linyuan finally seemed to realize something. His expression changed slightly, and he chased after her for a few steps, calling out loudly.
"Junior Sister Yuan, but this is already your tenth year on the mountain!"
"If you still cannot break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in this year's sect test, you will be expelled from the Five Great Peaks..."
Yuan Shu waved her hand, indicating that she heard him, but her footsteps did not stop.
The Yuan family was a famous wealthy merchant clan in the Central State.
Their gold, silver, pearls, and jade were piled up like mountains. Their shops and money houses were spread across thirteen cities, and their network of connections was deeply rooted, holding a pivotal position in the business world.
But no matter how thick their family wealth was or how broad their connections were, it could not fill the regret in the hearts of the Yuan family.
For a hundred years, the descendants of the Yuan family had all been ordinary mortals; not a single one was able to step onto the path of cultivation.
It wasn't until Yuan Shu was born that a rare three-element spirit root appeared—Gold, Earth, and Fire.
In order to send Yuan Shu to an immortal cultivation sect, the Yuan family took great pains, donating silver and calling in favors.
Finally, they managed to squeeze Yuan Shu into the Falling Immortal Sect, making her the seventh disciple of the Qingyun Peak Master, who had agreed to take her in while drunk.
However, Yuan Shu's cultivation aptitude was truly too poor. Moreover, she was pampered since childhood and could not endure the hardships of cultivation.
Having been on the mountain for ten years, she was still lingering at the fifth level of Qi Condensation.
And the Falling Immortal Sect had a rule: any disciple who could not break through to the Foundation Establishment stage within ten years of going up the mountain would be driven down the mountain and would no longer be a disciple of the sect.
Those who went up the mountain in the same batch, such as Shu Linyuan, had excellent talent and were already Golden Core cultivators.
Even the female lead, Su Lingxi, who had only entered Qingyun Peak in the last half year, possessed exceptional talent.
In just a short half year, she had already surpassed Yuan Shu and reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation!
Although Shu Linyuan did not want to go down the mountain to get married, he also did not wish for Yuan Shu to be expelled from the Falling Immortal Sect.
It was just that Yuan Shu's cultivation talent was limited.
She did not lack money. Over the years, the number of medicinal pills used on her numbered in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, many of which were priceless treasures.
But for Yuan Shu, the effects were negligible.
Her three-element spirit root was several times worse than an ordinary three-element spirit root; it was simply impossible for her to break through to Foundation Establishment!
However, facing his pursuit and reminder, Yuan Shu appeared very calm, seemingly not caring at all.
Soon, Yuan Shu opened the courtyard gate, walked in, and closed the door, cutting off the sounds from outside.
Looking at the tightly closed door, Shu Linyuan sighed softly and could only leave helplessly.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shu, who had entered the courtyard, did not stay idle.
After casually strolling around the courtyard twice, she found that although the courtyard was not gorgeously decorated, it was swept very clean.
Finding her room, Yuan Shu sat cross-legged on the bed and began to meditate, circulating her energy through her meridians.
Although the Joyous Union Sect's cultivation method relied on dual cultivation, it was not a case of the more the better.
On the contrary, finding a dual cultivation partner with higher strength and better talent yielded higher returns!
For example, Shu Linyuan's premium water spirit root.
In just a short seven days, it completely replenished one of the first-layer foundations of the Joyous Union Divine Tree within her body!
She could already faintly feel the growth of strength within her.
Her initial guess was that she should have surpassed the sixth level of Qi Condensation and was approaching the seventh level!
And what she needed to do now was to quickly stabilize the water spirit root foundation of the Joyous Union Divine Tree!
...
The night was hazy.
Several handy disciples dressed in coarse linen clothes had just finished the planting task assigned by their superiors.
They returned together along a remote mountain trail and parted ways at the intersection.
"Yun Sheng, I heard that the useless personal disciple of Qingyun Peak you serve has returned. You'd better be careful when you go back tonight."
Brother Niu, who was walking with him, patted his shoulder and spoke with some sympathy.
The young man called Yun Sheng looked up with a faint smile and wiped his somewhat dirty and blackened face. "It's fine, I won't die."
Niu Cheng shook his head. After a thought, he took some low-grade healing powder from his own body and stuffed it into Yun Sheng's hands.
"If you get hurt, apply some yourself. Don't be afraid of wasting it."
Yun Sheng looked down at the medicinal powder in his hand, a smile breaking out on his dirty face, and waved goodbye.
The road back to Qingyun Peak was not long, but Yun Sheng walked very slowly.
But no matter how slow he walked, the road eventually reached its end.
Upon seeing the light lit in the small courtyard, the expression on Yun Sheng's face grew heavy.
The hand gripping the basket strap on his shoulder tightened slightly, and after a long while, it slowly loosened.
Then, he stepped forward and familiarly opened the courtyard gate.
He knew that what was meant to come could never be avoided.
