Parting

Shen Qingxue looked at Shen Qingyue and said:

"Qingyue, these three are my senior sisters and senior brother from Evergreen Sect. Let me introduce them to you."

She first pointed to the woman seated on the left.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties and was quite pretty, with phoenix eyes and a fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivation.

"This is Senior Sister Lin Qingli."

Shen Qingyue hurriedly saluted. "Qingyue greets Senior Sister Lin."

Lin Qingli smiled faintly and nodded.

Shen Qingxue then pointed to the woman seated beside Lin Qingli.

This woman had delicate features, with a trace of heroic spirit between her brows. She stood tall and straight, with a seventh-layer Qi Refinement cultivation.

"This is Senior Sister Zhao Hongying, an outer sect disciple of Evergreen Sect and also my best friend."

Shen Qingyue saluted again. "Greetings, Senior Sister Zhao."

Zhao Hongying gave a slight nod.

Finally, Shen Qingxue looked toward the man seated farthest out.

The man was around twenty-five or twenty-six, handsome in appearance and dressed in white, with a sixth-layer Qi Refinement cultivation.

"This is Senior Brother Zhao Yutang."

Shen Qingyue saluted. "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhao."

Zhao Yutang smiled gently, his voice like a spring breeze brushing across one's face. "Junior Sister Shen, there is no need for such formality. Since you have entered Evergreen Sect, we will be family from now on."

Shen Qingyue answered softly and stepped back to Wang Mengde's side.

Just then.

Lin Qingli's gaze fell upon Wang Mengde. She then looked at Shen Qingxue, the corners of her lips curling into a teasing smile.

"Junior Sister Qingxue, I heard that you have a husband here on Rosy Cloud Island. I assume this gentleman is your husband?"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the room turned their eyes toward Wang Mengde.

Zhao Hongying's gaze carried scrutiny, her brows slightly furrowed.

Zhao Yutang's smile faded. He sized Wang Mengde up and down, and a trace of displeasure surfaced deep in his eyes.

This country bumpkin is actually Shen Qingxue's husband.

Just thinking that the woman he liked was this bumpkin's woman made him feel as sick as if he had swallowed a fly.

Shen Qingxue had first been with this bumpkin, and now she liked that wench Zhao Hongying. It was truly infuriating.

Lin Qingli secretly glanced at Zhao Yutang. Seeing his ugly expression, a trace of smugness rose in her heart.

That bastard. He doesn't like me, yet he likes a married woman like Shen Qingxue. Truly detestable.

Shen Qingxue's expression darkened slightly after Zhao Hongying asked that question. She shot Lin Qingli a fierce glare, then said indifferently, "We have already divorced."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Zhao Hongying.

The moment those words fell, the atmosphere in the room froze slightly.

Zhao Yutang's eyes brightened faintly.

Lin Qingli secretly felt annoyed and stole another glance at Zhao Yutang.

Zhao Hongying raised a brow and swept her gaze over Wang Mengde once more, carrying a hint of smugness and pity.

Wang Mengde's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was utterly astonished.

If I'm not mistaken...

Lin Qingli likes Zhao Yutang, Zhao Yutang likes Shen Qingxue, and Shen Qingxue and Zhao Hongying are lesbians.

Is it really this messy?

What kind of damned sect is Evergreen Sect?

Is it really this bizarre?

Qingyue is going to Evergreen Sect—won't she be led astray?

Standing to one side, Shen Qingyue could not help feeling sorry for her brother-in-law when she heard her sister's words, though she also felt a trace of joy.

Her sister had announced before everyone that she and her brother-in-law had separated.

There would no longer be any psychological burden for her to be with her brother-in-law.

Shen Qingxue did not look at Wang Mengde again. Instead, she turned to Shen Qingyue.

"Qingyue, pack up. Once the rain stops, come with us to Evergreen Sect."

Shen Qingyue froze. "Sister, isn't this too sudden? I haven't prepared anything yet."

Shen Qingxue frowned slightly, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

"What is there to prepare? Just bring what needs to be brought. We leave once the rain stops."

Hearing this, Shen Qingyue instinctively looked at Wang Mengde.

Her eyes were filled with attachment and reluctance.

Wang Mengde looked at her and gave a slight nod, signaling for her to go.

Shen Qingyue bit her lip and said softly, "Sister, I... I'll go pack my things."

With that, she turned and entered her room.

The door closed softly.

For a time, the room fell silent.

Only the sound of rain outside the door remained.

Lin Qingli studied the furnishings in the room with great interest.

She looked at Wang Mengde, a curious smile playing on her lips.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I heard that Rogue Cultivators on Rosy Cloud Island make their living by fishing. How are the catches from foraging along the shore and angling?"

Wang Mengde smiled mildly at her question.

"When luck is good, the income is good. When luck is bad, the income is bad."

Lin Qingli was slightly taken aback.

That was no different from saying nothing at all.

Zhao Yutang's lips curved into a smile as he spoke.

"Rogue Cultivators do not have it easy in cultivation. For Fellow Daoist Wang to reach the third layer of Qi Refinement at this age is already quite rare."

His words were polite, but his tone carried a faint air of superiority.

He was about the same age as Wang Mengde, yet his cultivation had already reached the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, three full layers above Wang Mengde's.

Wang Mengde glanced at him, his expression calm, and smiled mildly.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. I only broke through by luck a few days ago, which is why I reached the third layer of Qi Refinement."

Only then did Shen Qingxue notice that Wang Mengde's cultivation had actually reached the third layer of Qi Refinement.

More than twenty days ago, he had only been at the second layer of Qi Refinement.

She was slightly surprised, but only for an instant.

Lin Qingli looked at Wang Mengde and took up the thread with a bright smile.

"Reaching the third layer of Qi Refinement is indeed not difficult, but for a Rogue Cultivator with five spiritual roots, the gap between the third and fourth layers is a heavenly chasm. Breaking through will not be so easy."

She said it lightly, as though merely stating a heart-piercing fact.

Zhao Yutang nodded slightly and agreed with a smile.

"Junior Sister Lin is right. The third to fourth layer of Qi Refinement is the first great hurdle of the Qi Refinement realm.

"For cultivators with five spiritual roots, it truly is a heavenly chasm."

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Mengde. His tone was gentle, yet it carried a lofty arrogance.

"If Fellow Daoist Wang encounters a bottleneck in the future, there is no need to lose heart. After all, one's aptitude has its limits; it is not something human effort can change."

It sounded as though he had already seen Wang Mengde's future.

Wang Mengde still wore a mild smile, without the slightest hint of anger.

He looked at the two of them and spoke gently.

"Senior Sister Lin and Senior Brother Zhao are right. Compared to prodigies like yourselves, for cultivators with five spiritual roots, breaking through bottlenecks truly is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

His tone was calm and his manner composed.

Zhao Hongying could not help taking a few more looks at Wang Mengde.

This Rogue Cultivator was rather interesting.

Facing several prodigies whose aptitude far surpassed his own, he showed not the slightest inferiority or restraint.

He answered with ease and composure.

Such a temperament was truly rare.

Shen Qingxue was also slightly startled.

After four years apart, this man had truly changed greatly.

He could actually converse calmly with people like Lin Qingli and Zhao Yutang, without showing a shred of timidity.

This bearing made him utterly different from the timid man he had been four years ago.

What a pity.

His spiritual roots were too poor.

Five spiritual roots.

In the end, his future was bleak.

She averted her gaze and stopped looking at him.