At that moment, Li Qing was immersed in deep cultivation, guiding the vast Soul Power within him along its mysterious course. It continuously nourished his meridians and tempered his body.
The water-origin power emitted by the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag mingled with the dense aura of the Sea God inside the Sea God Hall, making his cultivation twice as effective for half the effort.
After an unknown amount of time, the heavy stone doors of the hall soundlessly creaked open.
A breathtakingly beautiful figure slipped inside without making a sound.
It was Bo Saixi.
Six years had left no trace on her. She was still as stunning and peerless as the day they had first met.
A blue dress enveloped her tall, graceful figure, while her sea-blue hair fell like a waterfall. A faint, gentle smile, like dawn breaking over the sea, graced her exquisite face.
She didn't disturb him. She simply stood quietly a short distance away, her deep-blue eyes, profound as the ocean, resting on Li Qing as he cultivated.
Her gaze was complicated. There was relief, amazement, and also a hint of something difficult to describe... something subtle.
Time slipped by, and light and shadow shifted inside the Sea God Hall.
At last, the Soul Power swirling around Li Qing gradually settled. His five startlingly colored Soul Rings slowly withdrew into his body, and the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag turned into a streak of blue light and vanished inside him.
He let out a long breath of stale air, which seemed to carry a faint mist of water and rosy light.
He opened his eyes. Blue waves seemed to flicker through them before vanishing, leaving them clear and bright, brimming with the satisfaction of a successful cultivation session.
He stood and stretched his somewhat stiff limbs. Only then did he notice Bo Saixi standing quietly nearby.
"Big Sis?"
Li Qing looked surprised and hurried over. "When did you get here? Why didn't you call me?"
Bo Saixi's smile deepened a little, her voice still ethereal and sweet. "I've been here for a while. You were at a crucial point in your cultivation, so I didn't want to interrupt."
She looked Li Qing up and down, a hint of satisfaction flashing through her beautiful eyes. "It seems you've gained quite a bit from this session. Your Soul Power has improved again."
"Hehe, it was all right."
Li Qing scratched his head, wearing a slightly boyish smile. Then he asked, "Did you come to see me about something, Big Sis? Is it... the Sea God's trial?"
Though he was only twelve, his Soul Power was already nearing Soul Emperor level, and his physical strength far surpassed that of others at his level. By all rights, he was indeed ready to undergo a trial.
Hearing his inner musings, Bo Saixi kept her expression unchanged and gently shook her head. "The Sea God has his own arrangements for the trial. When the time comes, he'll naturally send it down. I came to see you today because there's something... else I'd like to discuss with you."
"Something else?" Li Qing blinked, curious.
As far as he could remember, Bo Saixi only sought him out for cultivation guidance, discussions about Martial Souls, or matters related to the Sea God Trial. It was rare for her to have something else to talk about.
Looking into his clear, curious eyes, Bo Saixi suddenly felt a rare flicker of hesitation—and a trace of nervousness she herself hadn't noticed.
She steadied herself, doing her best to maintain a gentle smile, then stepped closer and leaned down slightly, narrowing the distance between them.
A faint fragrance, like an orchid mingling with the sea breeze, drifted into Li Qing's nose, making him unconsciously hold his breath.
Bo Saixi's flawless, breathtakingly beautiful face was right before him. He could even make out her long, butterfly-wing lashes and those deep, captivating blue eyes.
Then he heard Bo Saixi ask softly, in a tone unlike any he'd ever heard from her—part coaxing, part hesitant:
"Xiao Qing, you're not so young anymore. You'll be thirteen after the New Year... Have you ever thought about, well... finding yourself a wife?"
"..."
Li Qing's expression froze. His normally clear, bright eyes widened at a visible speed, and his mouth fell slightly open. He stood rooted to the spot, as if an invisible bolt of lightning had struck him.
Find a... wife?!
What the hell!
What was going on?! Coming at me with something this explosive right off the bat?!
Li Qing's brain completely shut down for three whole seconds before it started working again.
His first instinct was to shake his head frantically, as if he could shake this absurd suggestion right out of his mind.
But then he looked at Bo Saixi, stunningly beautiful and right in front of him, and a thought so bold that even he found it ridiculous popped into his head.
His expression quickly shifted into a radiant, slightly cheeky grin. Eyes shining, he looked at Bo Saixi and spoke in a tone that was half-joking, half-testing the waters. "Big Sis, what are you saying? If it were someone else, I definitely wouldn't be willing. I'm still young, and cultivation should come first!"
He paused, his smile turning even more sincere as he gazed intently at Bo Saixi. "But if I were marrying you, Big Sis... hehe, I'd be one hundred percent willing—ten thousand times over! You're so beautiful and amazing, and I'd get to see you every day. What could be better?"
[What the hell is going on?! Bo Saixi actually came to ask me about getting married in person? And she asked so... directly? This makes no sense! It doesn't fit the aloof High Priestess persona at all! Could it be that old Sea God's idea? Does he think I'm cultivating too quickly, so he's throwing some romantic entanglements at me to make things harder?]
Li Qing's mind was full of questions as he vented internally.
But even as he complained, his gaze swept over Bo Saixi's breathtakingly beautiful face, her noble and sacred bearing, and the graceful curves outlined by her red robe. He couldn't help thinking, *[Still... to be fair, this woman is undeniably gorgeous, and her figure and bearing are top-notch too... If I really could bring her home as my wife, well... I wouldn't exactly be against it. Sure, she's already over a hundred... but she's still a great beauty. As the saying goes, if you're beautiful, who cares how old you are? And isn't it true that the older a woman gets, the better she is at caring for someone? When you're young, you don't know how good big sisters are, and you mistake young girls for treasures!*]
Bo Saixi: "..."
Li Qing's bold "confession" and his even more "outrageous" inner monologue struck Bo Saixi's mind like two bolts of thunder.
Boom! Bo Saixi felt her cheeks grow hot in an instant!
Her skin, usually as fair as jade, flushed with a visible blush. It spread from her cheeks to her ears, and even her neck turned faintly pink.
A clear trace of panic flashed through her deep-blue eyes. Her breathing grew uneven, and she started to stammer:
"You... you... you child, what nonsense are you... saying? I... I wasn't talking about myself!"
Heavens above!
Bo Saixi had lived for over a hundred years. As the High Priestess of Sea God Island, she was revered by countless people. When had anyone ever dared tease her like this?
And what's more, it was a twelve-year-old brat she'd watched grow up!
Most infuriating of all, this kid acted one way to her face and another in his heart. He called her "Big Sis" so sweetly, while thinking of her as "this woman."
Bo Saixi was both embarrassed and annoyed. She wanted nothing more than to smack the nonsense-spouting brat into the sea and knock some sense into him.
But remembering why she'd come and the Sea God's instructions, she could only force down the impulse and do her best to maintain the dignity of an elder—even though the blush on her face made that dignity impossible.
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