Ten li outside Dragon Gate Market Town, atop Green Mountain Peak.
Qin Yuehan stood facing the wind, her robes fluttering, as though she were a fairy in the clouds.
Shen Xuan stood silently beside her.
"Seven years ago, I prepared to attempt Foundation Establishment."
"My body, spiritual energy, and Divine Soul all made it through perilous trials."
"But when I was about to form my Dao Foundation, I encountered an Inner Demon."
Qin Yuehan turned around. Her eyes were hazy, as if veiled by a mist that left words unspoken.
Shen Xuan's heart gave a sudden lurch, and he felt as if he had plunged into weightlessness.
He wasn't some callow youth.
That look in her eyes clearly held complicated feelings too difficult to express.
But soon, Qin Yuehan's eyes cleared.
"In the end, I slew my Inner Demon. Only then did I succeed in Foundation Establishment."
"Fairy Qin, good fortune always favors the worthy." Under Qin Yuehan's gaze, Shen Xuan stammered out the words.
The first time he had met Qin Yuehan, she had been only twelve!
Shen Xuan had merely followed Master Yan's instructions and looked after a younger female classmate.
All he had done was explain the Dao Scripture to her and guide her through Qi Induction.
It had been nothing much, really.
As a transmigrator from an Ancient Civilized Country, he had his principles.
No matter what, he could never have feelings for a little girl of twelve.
Later, as they grew older, Shen Xuan had deliberately kept his distance from her, not wanting to get himself into trouble.
She was a County Princess, after all!
Even if she was an unfavored County Princess, she was still someone a commoner like him had no business befriending.
And what did Qin Yuehan's Inner Demon during Foundation Establishment have to do with him?
Even if it looked like him, it was only something Qin Yuehan had imagined.
It had nothing to do with the real Shen Xuan!
Qin Yuehan was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "I heard you got married?"
"Yes. Five years ago, when my Dao Path seemed hopeless, I married a Ding Family Mortal Woman from Qinglong Bay."
Qin Yuehan gave him a long, searching look.
"Your wife is a fortunate woman."
There seemed to be a note of relief in her voice.
Shen Xuan almost said something, but stopped himself. After thinking it over, he said nothing more.
With things like this, the more you said, the more you got wrong. Silence was golden.
"I'm going back to Qingyun Sect. If you ever need anything, you can write to me."
"Of course."
Qin Yuehan said no more. She summoned a Cloud Cloth, stepped aboard, and flew away.
Shen Xuan shook his head and descended the mountain with a wry smile.
"Hey, Shen Xuan, did you come down alone? Where's Elder Qin?"
Out here, Lü Zhengying was careful to address Qin Yuehan as "Elder."
"She went back to Qingyun Sect."
"Oh."
Lü Zhengying looked Shen Xuan up and down.
"What's your Cultivation Realm, anyway?"
"Qi Refining Level 5."
Shen Xuan answered honestly.
"By the way, are you short on spirit stones? I can lend you some."
"Thanks for the offer, Fellow Daoist Lü. I can manage for now."
By making Spring Return Talismans, Shen Xuan had saved up another hundred spirit stones.
He didn't want to owe Lü Zhengying a favor.
"It's not often you come to Dragon Gate Market Town. Aren't you going to buy some Spirit Pills or Spirit Talismans? Most of the Cultivation Spirit Items here are made by Qingyun Sect, so you can count on their quality."
"No, thanks. My wife is waiting at home. I'm planning to head back to Qinglong Bay."
The various Cultivation Spirit Items sold in the shops here were even more expensive than those at Qinglong Bay Market. There was no need to buy anything here.
He also didn't want to stir up trouble while he was away from home.
"You got married?" Lü Zhengying asked, stunned.
"Yes. Five years ago. My wife is a Ding Family Mortal Woman."
"Ah!"
Lü Zhengying cautiously asked, "Have you ever thought about taking another Dao Companion with a Spiritual Root?"
"Never!"
Shen Xuan said with a laugh, "I can't afford to support a Dao Companion. A mortal woman is better—she doesn't cost many spirit stones."
Lü Zhengying chuckled.
"You, honestly!"
After parting ways with Lü Zhengying, Shen Xuan returned to the entrance of Dragon Gate Market Town.
He sent a Messaging Talisman, and Old Liu came to pick him up in his carriage.
"Let's go."
Shen Xuan climbed into the carriage, drew back the curtain, and gazed at the crowds coming and going through Dragon Gate Market Town. He couldn't help letting out a deep sigh.
The next time he came here would probably be ten years from now.
Shen Xuan asked Old Liu to slow the carriage, then leaned back with his eyes half-closed, half-asleep.
Actually, Qin Yuehan's willingness to keep in touch with them and recognize their bond as former classmates gave them connections within Qingyun Sect.
A sect was nothing like a Cultivation Family.
It controlled high-grade Spirit Veins, along with many rare cultivation resources.
All kinds of cultivation methods, Spell Techniques, Spirit Pills, Dharma Treasures, Talismans, Formations, Spirit Plants, and more.
Sect disciples were already a cut above the rest.
And Qin Yuehan was a Foundation Establishment Elder.
Just the fact that they had once been classmates could shield them from trouble and give them a protective umbrella.
Shen Xuan understood this kindness perfectly well.
Seven days later, Shen Xuan returned to Qinglong Bay Market.
After paying one spirit stone for the ride, Old Liu thanked him profusely and went on his way.
When Shen Xuan got home, he was surprised to find Jiang Xueqi had moved back.
"Zhao Chunsheng came back from Wilderness Reclamation," Ding Yuyao explained.
"So soon? Wasn't he supposed to be gone for half a year? It's only been three months."
"Zhao Chunsheng was injured. I heard he was poisoned."
"Oh, no wonder he came back early."
Shen Xuan glanced outside. Dusk was falling, the setting sun molten gold.
"Never mind. I'll go see him tomorrow."
Then he looked Ding Yuyao up and down a few times.
"What is it, husband?"
"Nothing. Get some hot water ready. I'm going to take a bath."
"Sure."
Shen Xuan soaked in a comfortable hot bath, washing away the day's exhaustion.
"Yaoyao, bring me some more hot water."
"Coming!"
Ding Yuyao carried half a bucket of hot water into the bathroom.
As soon as she poured it into the tub, Shen Xuan grabbed her and pulled her in.
Her clothes were drenched by the warm water.
"Husband, what are you doing?" Ding Yuyao scolded.
"Why, I'm going to..." He lowered his voice to a whisper.
Ding Yuyao tried to struggle, but Shen Xuan gently tugged her, and her whole body tumbled into the warm water, sending it splashing everywhere.
She let out a startled cry like a frightened fawn.
"Be good, Yaoyao. Let's take a mandarin-duck bath!"
Shen Xuan showed Ding Yuyao what it meant to be like fish in water, reluctant to leave.
Afterward, Ding Yuyao lay exhausted in Shen Xuan's arms.
For some reason, the image of that cool, noble fifteen-year-old princess from the imperial family rose in Shen Xuan's mind.
He shook his head, as if trying hard to cast something away.
It was only a little lingering Inner demon.
The wife in his arms was the beloved he had to cherish and protect.
The next day, dawn had barely broken.
Shen Xuan bought some Spirit Fruit and Monster Beast Meat and went to Zhao Chunsheng's home.
Jiang Xueqi opened the door.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, is Fellow Daoist Zhao back?"
"He's back. Dear, Talisman Master Shen is here to see you."
Following Jiang Xueqi inside, Shen Xuan noticed that the two of them lived very frugally.
Zhao Chunsheng came bustling out to welcome him, took the gifts, and handed them to his wife.
"Talisman Master Shen, you're too kind! You shouldn't have brought a gift!"
"It's nothing expensive. I just picked it up on the street. Were you injured?"
There was a faint scratch on Zhao Chunsheng's face.
"While we were reclaiming the wilderness, our team ran into a Second-Order Snake Demon. It sprayed poisonous mist, and a whole bunch of people went down at once!"
"Luckily, I saw what was happening and pulled back right away. I only got a tiny bit of the mist on me, so it's not a big deal."
Shen Xuan was curious. "Didn't you use a Detoxification Pill?"
It was common to encounter poisonous Monster Beasts during Wilderness Reclamation.
Every cultivator who went out to reclaim the wilderness would bring along some Detoxification Pills.
"I did, but it didn't help much. I heard only a Mid-grade Detoxification Pill would work. One costs twenty spirit stones!"
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