Never Parting

Shen Jingchuan then changed the subject.

"There's something I need to make clear first," he said, looking at the three of them. "Cultivators cannot interfere in wars between mortals; that's the rule."

"I can only provide you with weapons; that's the maximum I can do."

"How to fight the battle, how to arrange the personnel—you decide and do everything. That's all I can do; it's all up to you."

Hu Tieniu nodded solemnly. "Young Master, rest assured, we know what we're doing."

"The fact that you've provided us with all this, young master, is already a great help," he patted his chest. "If we still can't win after this, what face do we have to live? We might as well all slit our throats."

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand. "Don't say things like that, just do your best."

By the time we finished dinner, it was completely dark.

Shen Jingchuan bid farewell to everyone, and with a flicker of his figure, flew directly back to the Shen Residence.

He went straight to the stables in the backyard, where several fine horses were tied up. Then he walked to a corner where the modified four-wheeled carriage was parked; the carriage body had been reinforced, and the axles had been replaced with thicker ones.

Shen Jingchuan flicked his hand, and the Heaven and Earth Ring flashed with a faint light.

The horses, along with the four-wheeled carriage, were stored in the Heaven and Earth Ring.

He looked around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, then turned and flew back towards Azure Cloud Stronghold under the cover of night.

The whole trip took very little time. Shen Jingchuan first released the carriage and horses, handing them over to Liu Hu to look after, before returning to his courtyard. He checked his watch and it was only a little past nine o'clock.

He walked to the door of Su Qingshu and Su Qinghua's room. Before he could knock, the door opened from the inside, and Su Qinghua came out like a gust of wind.

"Brother! Did you come to find us and teach us how to cultivate?"

"You're such a clever little devil," Shen Jingchuan laughed.

Both sisters possess prominent Five Spirit Roots, and their Spirit Vein are already open, so there's no need to open or expand them; they can directly transfer energy and guide qi.

Shen Jingchuan helped guide their energy circulation, and after about an hour, he successfully guided the two of them to cultivate their internal Qi Refining.

By the time they had each completed a Greater Celestial Circuit their cultivation and stabilized their abilities, it was nearly midnight.

Shen Jingchuan left each of them fifty Spirit Stones.

"I don't have any suitable pills on me right now, so you'll have to cultivate with Spirit Stones for now. I'll go to the market in a few days and buy some."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingshu and Su Qinghua both knelt down, too moved to utter a single word.

Shen Jingchuan quickly reached out and helped the two of them up.

"What's going on with you all? Aren't you my sisters? Why are you being so formal with me?"

The two women, one on each side, gently embraced him. Su Qinghua, being the bolder one, looked up at him.

"Brother, I don't want to be your sister anymore."

"So you want to turn the world upside down?"

"I want to marry my brother, I want to be my brother's woman."

Su Qingshu, standing next to her, blushed and spoke in a voice so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

"Me... me too."

Shen Jingchuan felt helpless. What's wrong with him these past two days? Why do all the girls in his family want to marry him?

What Shen Jingchuan didn't know was that Xiao Mingshu had been staying at the mansion for the past few days, always treating them with a haughty and indifferent attitude.

They didn't harbor any resentment; they simply considered him a celestial master, someone they were not on the same path as, and felt that they should be respectful to him as it was only natural.

Who is the Immortal Master? He is a god-like figure.

But now that they themselves have become like that, you can imagine how they feel.

Whether it was Yue'er, Qingshu, or Qinghua, they originally had nothing. Having received such an immense favor, how could they possibly repay it? This debt of gratitude was extremely heavy, and all they could offer was themselves.

While there was certainly an element of gratitude involved, they also genuinely liked Shen Jingchuan.

Being surrounded by such a man every day—handsome, young, and possessing extraordinary abilities—is enough to make nine out of ten ordinary women fall in love.

Take Yue'er for example. She was a maid, a servant, and also Shen Jingchuan's personal attendant.

From the day she was assigned here, she was already marked by Shen Jingchuan, and she had no other choice but to marry him.

If Shen Jingchuan doesn't want her, she has no idea what her future will be like.

The same goes for the sisters Qingshu and Qinghua. Ever since the day Shen Jingchuan rescued them and brought them back to his manor, although they were nominally the younger sister, they both knew in their hearts that they could not live without him for the rest of their lives. They had known this since that time.

Later, Shen Jingchuan treated them so well, never short of food, clothing, or toys. Now, he is personally guiding them onto the path of cultivation.

These acts of kindness, piled up together, were beyond their ability to repay except by offering themselves to the emperor.

As the old saying goes, a maid who doesn't want to be a concubine's maid isn't a good maid.

It's common for maids to want to rise in rank; upon closer examination, there are essentially two reasons:

One type is genuine affection and willingness; the other is utter helplessness, with one's fate in the hands of others, wanting to gain a better life and earn some dignity, having no other hope but this path.

Yue'er, Qingshu, and Qinghua are all the first type.

Shen Jingchuan placed his hands on the backs of the two people and patted them gently.

"You two are so young, don't think about so many things. Focus on your cultivation right now."

He softened his tone:

"If you want to follow me, then follow me. We can talk about other things when you're older."

He didn't say anything definitively, nor could he say anything definitively.

What is he supposed to say? Should he say, "When you grow up, your brother will find you good families and give you a grand wedding"?

Putting aside the fact that there's no one more suitable than him in the world, just consider himself—is he really willing to give him up?

He raised these two girls himself, watching them grow into beautiful young women. How could he just hand them over to someone else? He couldn't do it, absolutely not.

Su Qinghua held onto one of his arms and gently swayed it.

"Brother, no matter what you say, you have to promise us that we'll always follow you, that we'll never be apart, okay?"

Su Qingshu, standing beside her, didn't say anything, but nodded vigorously. The meaning couldn't be clearer: the two sisters were of one mind.

Shen Jingchuan looked at them and nodded.

"Good."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xian'er's voice rang in his mind.

"You brat, bring those two little girls into my space. Didn't they keep saying they wanted to follow you forever? Let me tell you, if you keep feeding this space with Spirit Stones, it will grow even more, the spirit fields will increase, and there will be big changes inside."

"Planting spirit herbs, tending to those horses, and cultivating spirit medicines in the future—you expect me to do all this? I'm just a soul; I can't do anything with my hands."

"Besides, the Spiritual Qi here is abundant, making it suitable for cultivation; I've also seen these two girls, they're carefree and pure. Just tell them to keep their mouths shut and try not to leave the space, and that'll be fine."