Meng Qingshan's heart gave a tremor, but he couldn't say a word. He could only lower his head and smile bitterly.
After a long while, he finally said, "Cousin, you..."
Li Qingzhu cut him off. "Cousin, you don't need to say anything more. I want to cultivate at Three Purity Peak not only for your sake, but for my own, too. I hope that one day I'll be strong enough to protect you."
Meng Qingshan looked at the determination in Li Qingzhu's eyes. At that moment, he understood that the girl before him was no longer the cousin who depended on him and needed his protection, but a woman with her own will and ambitions.
"Qingzhu, have you really made up your mind?" Meng Qingshan asked softly.
Li Qingzhu nodded.
Meng Qingshan was filled with conflicting emotions. He knew he couldn't stop Li Qingzhu from pursuing her own path.
So Meng Qingshan took a deep breath to calm himself. "If that's how it is, I respect your choice. But even if you join the Daoist Sect, you're still my cousin. If anyone here dares bully you, I'll make him regret it!"
As he spoke, Meng Qingshan brandished his iron fist, now as large as a cooking pot.
Seeing how serious Meng Qingshan looked, Li Qingzhu couldn't help laughing through her tears. "Cousin, don't worry. The senior and junior disciples at Three Purity Peak are all very kind. Besides, Mu He is here, too. No one will bully me."
Meng Qingshan had words on the tip of his tongue, but couldn't find anything to say. He could only nod in silence.
Suddenly, he remembered the Divine Machine Sleeve Crossbow he had obtained beneath Dragon Gate Waterfall but had never used. He immediately removed it from his forearm and handed it to