The two of them lay in each other's arms. Li Qingshan told him about what had happened after they parted, while Little Ann just listened quietly most of the time.
The moonlight shifted before vanishing in the end, turning into sunlight. This repeated until the sun and moon alternated.
That continued until Han Qiongzhi came looking for him.
Han Qiongzhi stood at the entrance of her dwelling and gazed at the drifting clouds and mist in the Chain mountains. She thought to herself, Ru Xin's dwelling isn't far from here, but she's already been in secluded cultivation for several years now. I wonder how she's doing right now!
The stone door behind her opened, and she turned around, only to see Li Qingshan striding over. However, her gaze could not help but land on Little Ann behind him, and she could not help but become stunned. Even though she was also a woman, she still felt dazzled.
Great beauty and white bone, the transition between life and death. Even though it seemed like everything had become empty, it could still manifest the pinnacle of beauty in the world. As her cultivation increased and she grew older, her beauty became even more powerful. It was not the arts of charm, but it surpassed them. If she could truly unleash it to the limit, it would be completely beyond the "Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty" of the sect. She would be a celestial maiden that had transcended this world.
"You're … Little Ann!" Han Qiongzhi returned to her senses after much difficulty.
"What, you don't recognise me anymore?" Li Qingshan smiled.
"How can that be? As long as I've seen you once, who can forget you?"
Han Qiongzhi said with a smile, but her feelings were rather mixed. She was straightforward and open-minded, so she was not jealous of Little Ann's talent, nor would she be awed by his supreme beauty.
And, based on her instincts, she believed that there was nothing romantic between them. Otherwise, even if she was not jealous, the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga would not be able to put up with it.
However, they simply stood there, yet they gave off an indescribable sense of harmony. They were two people with completely different appearances and bearings, yet they possessed the closest connection. Even she was unable to get involved with them.
She thought, This must be the dao companion that father spoke of!
From a certain perspective, she would rather Li Qingshan flirt around. She shook her head and tossed these thoughts to the back of her head. She said to Little Ann,
"I heard that you've also undergone the second heavenly tribulation. Congratulations!"
Little Ann nodded slightly and looked at Han Qiongzhi calmly as if he was looking at a rock or a plant. Unless it was necessary, she did not like to talk to people, let alone etiquette and rules. She would only deal with it when it was necessary.
In the past, Han Qiongzhi had lost her temper because of this attitude, and Li Qingshan had immediately fallen out with her. For her sake, he had made an enemy of Qiu Haitang without the slightest scruple despite only being a measly Qi Practitioner.
Now, Han Qiongzhi knew that she treated everyone the same way, not her.
"As soon as you came back, you shut yourself in the cave residence. I thought you were going to go into closed-door training again!"
"Last time, it was an accident. If I really want to go into seclusion for a long time, I will definitely tell you. However, I have plans to do so recently!"
Li Qingshan and Little Ann looked at each other. This was something they had discussed beforehand. After comprehending the eighth layer of the Demon Suppression Statuary, Li Qingshan needed a certain amount of time to settle down and increase his cultivation. With the several dozen demon hearts Duoge had given him, there was even a chance for him to refine the Traitorous Demon sword into a true demonic treasure. He could even completely recover the strength of his daemon body to the limit.
Little Ann was the same. After undergoing the second heavenly tribulation, he could take a step further with the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty. The Skull Prayer Beads, Buddha Slaying sword, Blood Sea Banner, and so on in his possession all needed to be refined again. Li Qingshan had already prepared the required resources for him. He had collected many corpses from the battles over the years.
In particular, during the battle on the eighth floor of the Demon Suppression hall, there had been tens of thousands of demonfolk and numerous Demon Generals and Demon Commanders. It was enough for her to increase her cultivation further.
That way, if the two of them worked together, they would be able to deal with any danger in the South Sea commandery with composure, even if they did not kill gods and buddhas who stood in their way. Even if they faced some existences at the third heavenly tribulation, they would not be afraid.
"Secluded cultivation!?"
Han Qiongzhi basically had no idea what to say. To cultivators, secluded cultivation was definitely not a bad thing. Unless they had reached a critical juncture in their cultivation, where they needed to focus on breaking through bottlenecks, there was absolutely no need for secluded cultivation. All they had to do was maintain their regular cultivation.
However, Li Qingshan entered secluded cultivation far too often, and his cultivation would increase rapidly every time he entered secluded cultivation. It was basically enough to make people feel rather numb to it.
Li Qingshan said, "But not now. It's best if we focus on rest for now. We'll probably have to wait until the new appointment arrives and we reach the Mist province."
"Cultivation is more important. Just make your own plans. There's no need to specially contact me. I've grown used to it anyway! It's not like we're mortals, so there's no need to be so intimate with each other! "
Han Qiongzhi said in a very free and easy manner, but she also felt a hint of helplessness. Before Li Qingshan could answer, she said, "I've come to find you for something else. Chengzan is going to the Sword Collection palace."
After the battle in Moon Court lake ended, Yin Xiaochou did not immediately move on to the next prefecture. Instead, he received an invitation from Hwa Seung-zan. That night, neither of them attended the banquet in the brothel. They went to Soaring Afterglow mountain to drink together.
Since Hwa Seung-zan wanted to join the Sword Collection palace, he obviously went out of his way to befriend Yin Xiaochou. He had always possessed extraordinary charm. Although Yin Xiaochou's cultivation was higher, he spent most of his time in the Sword Collection palace, focusing on the path of the sword. His experience obviously could not compare to Hwa Seung-zan.
After a few jars of alcohol, they felt like they were old friends at first sight. When Hwa Seung-zan mentioned that he wanted to join the Sword Collection palace, Yin Xiaochou immediately patted his chest and guaranteed that there would definitely be no issues with his talent. He sent a message to the Sword Collection palace the next day. Perhaps due to the stimulation from the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the Sword Collection palace replied before long, asking him to undergo a test in the Sword Collection palace!
That night, the empty halls on Soaring Afterglow mountain were ablaze with lanterns.
To Li Qingshan's surprise, it did not seem like a gathering of guests like he had imagined. Instead, it seemed rather deserted. Logically speaking, Hwa Seung-zan had a wide circle of acquaintances, and the Hua family had a deep foundation, so they should have invited many guests for something as important as this.
Landing on the terrace at the top of the mountain, he discovered that there were only around a dozen people present, and they were all familiar faces. They did not even set up a proper banquet. They just drank and chatted like it was a regular gathering.
Everyone's gazes were drawn away by Little Ann beside Li Qingshan. For a moment, they were all speechless.
"Fellow, you must be One Will. I've heard of your great name for a long time. Now that I've seen you today, I finally understand what it means to know someone by reputation is not as good as meeting them in person!"
Yin Xiaochou stood up. His gaze was like a sword, hidden with sword intent. Instinctively, he wanted to test her out, but to his shock, he discovered that his sword intent was like a rock that had sunk into the ocean, unable to find a foothold. If he really wanted to strike, he actually had no idea how to swing his sword. Only then did he realise the difference in strength was so great that a Breaking Water sword could not make up for it.
Little Ann said nothing. Li Qingshan ignored Yin Xiaochou and asked Hwa Seung-zan, "Why's there so little? Why didn't you find more people to celebrate?"
Hwa Seung-zan said, "I still haven't become a disciple of the Sword Collection palace, so what's there to celebrate?"
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