The Waterside Pavilion of Listening Wind
"I hope I can reach Golden Core before the age of thirty!"
Li Qingshan gazed at the sky. The snow had just cleared up, and the sky was blue.
"Thirty years old!"
Han Tieyi raised an eyebrow. Although he said "hope", his expression was filled with confidence. He did not seem like he was spouting nonsense. Instead, he was announcing a simple fact, and he did not feel like it was anything special.
The Golden Core cultivators who had died to Li Qingshan's hands had already accumulated a number, so he did not take it too seriously. His current target was the highest of the nine provinces, the "realm of kings", so he could not help but reveal his "arrogance".
The other disciples of the Han Family gasped in surprise. Even though they weren't people who fawned on the rich and powerful, they were still able to see through him. Even though they were not people who fawned on those in power, in the cultivation community, the strong always deserved respect.
Han Anjun could not help but study Li Qingshan deeply when he heard that. A thirty-year-old Golden Core cultivator was rare even across the nine provinces. By then, he would definitely make a name for himself through the world!
When he first met him, he already knew he was anything but mediocre, but he never thought he would one day actually mention the words "Golden Core" so easily.
To be able to so easily mention the word "Golden Core", that was a goal that even he could not reach. In consideration of the Han family, having a son-in-law like him was truly a blessing.
After Han Anguo died in battle, the heavy responsibility of being the patriarch fell on Han Anjun's shoulders. He felt unprecedentedly heavy pressure. If the Golden Core cultivators of the Ruyi commandery had not died in battle, and the positions of the Marquis of Ruyi and great general remained undecided, many of the resources that the Han family possessed would have been carved up a long time ago.
A clan that only had a Foundation Establishment cultivator was only a small clan, but a single talented prodigy could change everything. If Li Qingshan could use this talent to defeat a powerful master, the Han family would be able to weather this storm safely. Perhaps not only would they not suffer any losses, but they would even benefit from it.
… …
Soon, the heavy snow began to fill the air. Amidst the whispers of the wind,
As the wind moaned, the descendants of the Han family removed their mourning clothes before the mausoleum.
Li Qingshan patted Han Qiongzhi's shoulder. Han Qiongzhi looked back and smiled. Her eyes reddened as she leaned against his shoulder gently.
Right at this moment, her heart stirred and she suddenly turned around.
Amidst the snowstorm, a figure walked over. Her footsteps were light as if she was floating in the air. Her wide sleeves and long hair fluttered in the wind. Before anyone could see her clearly, they already felt that she was a peerless beauty.
She squinted her eyes, her gaze piercing through the snow, and a look of amazement flashed past her eyes.
That face was even more beautiful than she had imagined. The so-called beauty that could topple a nation was nothing more than this. No, it wasn't just the face. The newcomer was dressed in plain clothes, with blue silk wrapped around her waist. Her figure was slender and slender, and her jet-black hair that reached her knees fluttered in the wind.
A pair of bare feet stepped on the crystal-clear snow, resolutely striding forward. Even if there was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, it would not be able to make this footstep waver. His eyes were like a deep pool without ripples as he stared blankly ahead. It was as if he could see everything in the world.
Compared to the simple titles of beauty and beauty, she had an indescribable charm about her that made people overlook her gender.
Who was she? Why did she come?
"Little Ann, you're here." Li Qingshan turned back and smiled, a look of astonishment flashing past his eyes.
Originally, Little Ann had no concept of clothing, it was just a layer of clothing to cover up the body. Although the current her was dressed very simply, it gave people the feeling that this was the best outfit, exuding an unprecedented beauty.
It seemed like it was the aftereffects of the memory recovery. However, everyone loved beauty, and this was not a bad thing.
"Little Ann!"
Han Qiongzhi cried out involuntarily. How could she associate the person in front of her with that wooden child? Although he had mentioned the changes in Little Ann, it was still far beyond her imagination.
Not far away, the disciples of the Han Clan stared straight at them. Regardless of whether they were men or women, they could not take their eyes off of them.
Little Ann arrived beside Li Qingshan and silently grabbed Li Qingshan's hand. Although he remained expressionless, his blank eyes lit up in that instant, as if he could express everything in a thousand words.
Han Qiongzhi felt like she was being ignored. Afterwards, she discovered that she was not just being ignored. Instead, she was ignoring everyone, or even the entire world. Only he existed.
"Alright, it's time to go."
Li Qingshan seemed to understand everything. He nodded with a smile and rubbed her head naturally. She lowered her head slightly, and her red lips curled into a smile. The snow and ice melted away.
"Where are you going?" Han Qiongzhi asked, breaking through this feeling of being cut off.
"Oh, I told you before. Didn't the Annihilum Light Chan Master specially come once?" Li Qingshan explained. Little Ann's Path of White Bone and Great Beauty had reached a bottleneck. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was the perfect opportunity, as well as fulfilling his promise to the golden cicada.
"You're leaving right now!?"
Han Qiongzhi asked in surprise, but she let out a sigh of relief inside for some reason. Disciples of a buddhist sect like the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga clearly could not have thoughts of love, or she really would have no idea what she would do.
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll return as soon as possible."
Li Qingshan hugged Han Qiongzhi and spoke about parting again. Seeing how reluctant she was to part with him, his heart skipped a beat. He said to Han Anjun loudly, "General Han, once Qiongzhi's three years of mourning are over, I'll come to the Han family to ask for her hand in marriage and complete our engagement."
Han Anjun was speechless. Things were different now.
The present was different from the past, no matter how he looked at it, he could not turn it down again.
"Qingshan!" Han Qiongzhi's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She turned her head away and wiped them away with her arm. She smiled. "Alright, come back soon. Be careful on your journey."
Li Qingshan waved his hand, and a cloud rose up beneath his feet. He vanished into the wind and snow with Little Ann.
… …
Before making his way to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, Li Qingshan still had to see someone, which was Gu Yanying. He was still a Scarlet Hawk commander after all. It was fine if he slacked off normally. However, without this superior's permission, he could not leave his post without permission. And, he had something else he wanted to ask her for help with.
The white cloud landed outside the Ruyi commandery, in front of a steep, towering mountain.
The steps led straight up. Li Qingshan raised his head and gazed up. At the top of the mountain, the silver hawk unfurled its wings as if it was clashing with the wind and snow.
Li Qingshan made Little Ann wait below as he made his way up the mountain alone. As soon as he touched the formation, he heard a bellow, "Who goes there?"
The steps before him twisted, and a man in white emerged out of nowhere.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands. "I'm the Scarlet Hawk commander of the Clear River prefecture, Li Qingshan, and I've come to see commander Gu!"
"So you're Li Qingshan. Commander Gu has told me that if you come, you can go find her in the Waterside Pavilion of Listening Wind."
The White Wolf guard who watched over the mountain studied Li Qingshan curiously. The Waterside Pavilion of Listening Wind was where commander Gu cultivated and rarely received guests.
He rarely received guests, so why was he so fond of Li Qingshan?
"The Waterside Pavilion of Listening Wind?"
… …
The wind and snow vanished before his eyes. The sky was a clear blue.
On the rippling lake, green lotus leaves stretched endlessly. Pink-white lotus flowers bloomed among the green leaves.
With a gust of warm wind, the lotus leaves rose and fell, giving off waves of fragrance. It was like the height of summer.
The dense spiritual qi, the fragrance of the flowers, and the warm wind merged together. It was more than ten times better than the Hundred Schools of Thought of the Clear River prefecture. Sucking in a deep breath gave him a feeling of relaxation and rejuvenation.
And, from the outside, the lake could only be regarded as a small lake at most. However, when he stepped into the formation, he discovered that the lakeside was extremely large, basically no smaller than Moon Court lake. It stretched as far as the eye could see. It truly could be described as a place of boundless green lotus leaves.
The lotus leaves and lotus flowers bloomed endlessly out of season and against all common sense, giving off an unexpectedly resplendent feeling.
The formation that envelops this place is anything but trivial. It can actually distort space. Probably even 'king' won't be able to get through it so easily.
Li Qingshan thought to himself as he flew over the surface of the lake. He heard the pleasant tinkle of a bell and flew in that direction. Very soon, he saw a delicate pavilion surrounded by lotus leaves and lotus flowers. Wind chimes hung from the eaves.
Compared to the enormous lake, the waterside pavilion was unexpectedly small.
Gu Yanying walked out. Her hair draped down to her waist, swaying gently in the warm wind. A smile appeared on her face too, making her seem slightly less valiant. She unexpectedly felt like she was at home.
A rattan table and a few rattan chairs were placed on the balcony overlooking the lake.
Li Qingshan did not hold back. He pulled out a chair and sat down. Gu Yanying picked up a teacup and personally poured a cup of tea, pushing it before him.
Li Qingshan stared at the tea before him and asked in thought, "If Li Qingshan were just Li Qingshan, would he receive such treatment?"
"When has Li Qingshan not been Li Qingshan? It's just a cup of tea," Gu Yanying said with a smile and sat down before him.
Li Qingshan could not help but think about how she had invited him to a cup of tea back then outside Qingyang city. Back then, he had yet to understand just how great the difference between them was. In comparison, her attitude towards him had not changed in any fundamental way.
To her, it was just a cup of alcohol!
She remained as composed as before, but his own thoughts had fluctuated far too much. He downed the tea and got back to business. "I've come this time to ask for your resignation, commander, so that I can send Little Ann to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga."
"No problem."
"There's something else I'd like to ask for the commander's help with. Please pass this Origin Spirit pill to general Han Anjun for me, commander. "
Li Qingshan planned inside. Han Anjun was at late Foundation Establishment. If he could obtain an Origin Spirit pill, his chances at reaching Golden Core would definitely increase by quite a lot. It would make up for his regret of not being able to save Han Anguo in the past.
However, he was unable to explain the origins of this Origin Spirit pill at all. Its value could not be compared to True Spirit pills.
Gu Yanying said, "It's just a small matter, but you should still give it to him! Just say it's a gift from me to you. It's quite a generous gift. Let alone marrying off your daughter, you can even sell your daughter. "
With that, the issue of the origins of the Origin Spirit pill that troubled Li Qingshan the most would be resolved. He was obviously willing to receive this favour, so that when he confessed everything to Han Qiongzhi in the future, it would definitely add some points to his reputation!
Gu Yanying said, "If you run into any trouble in the future, feel free to come find me. My identity can still be of some use."
"This …"
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow. That sure was "great kindness".
"Actually, there are some matters I'd like to ask for your help with. Hehe, Li Qingshan probably won't be able to receive treatment like this." Gu Yanying stood up and paced around, looking back with a smile.
"You can just ask for it, commander."
Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world, but Li Qingshan instead preferred this kind of equality and mutual benefit.
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