Lin Qingli smiled and continued:
"If you have time in the future, fellow Daoist Wang, do visit the Evergreen Sect. Although junior sister Qingxue divorced you, you were once husband and wife, after all. That bond still remains."
Her words were gentle, her smile sincere.
But Wang Mengde could tell she was simply trying to poison Shen Qingxue's reputation.
He glanced at Lin Qingli.
She was quite beautiful, with phoenix eyes that carried a hint of allure whenever her gaze shifted.
But every word she spoke dripped with ill intent.
Wang Mengde said mildly, "You're too kind, senior sister Lin."
He neither took up the conversation nor said anything more.
Seeing him remain so calm, Lin Qingli found it rather boring.
The room fell silent.
Only the rain could be heard.
Pitter-patter.
Gradually, the rain eased.
Wang Mengde returned to his room and took a pouch from beneath his bed. It held the spirit stones he had saved over the past twenty days.
Pouch in hand, he returned to the main room.
A quarter of an hour later, the downpour stopped.
Sunlight spilled through the clouds into the courtyard, bringing a little warmth.
Shen Qingyue emerged from her room with a bundle in her hand.
She looked at Wang Mengde, her eyes full of reluctance to leave.
Walking up to him, she said softly, "Mengde, I... I'm leaving."
Wang Mengde looked at her and gently patted her little head. "Go on. Cultivate diligently."
As he spoke, he handed her the pouch of spirit stones.
Shen Qingyue froze, then hurriedly pushed it back.
Naturally, she knew it held the twenty-odd spirit stones he had saved over the past twenty days.
"No, Mengde, this is too much. You need to cultivate too. I can't take it."
Wang Mengde looked at her and smiled gently.
"Take it and use it. You can pay me back later."
Shen Qingyue accepted the pouch, her eyes reddening slightly, and nodded.
Watching this, Shen Qingxue frowned a little.
She glanced at Wang Mengde, then at her younger sister. Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.
Shen Qingyue went over to Shen Qingxue and said quietly, "Sister, I'm ready."
Shen Qingxue opened her eyes and stood. "Let's go."
She summoned her flying sword, stepped onto it, and looked back at Shen Qingyue.
"Get on."
Shen Qingyue took one last look at Wang Mengde.
That glance held attachment, reluctance, and a measure of resolve.
Then she walked over to her sister and stepped onto the flying sword.
Shen Qingxue formed a sword seal, and the flying sword rose into the air, soaring into the clouds.
Lin Qingli, Zhao Hongying, and Zhao Yutang also summoned their flying swords and took flight.
Four streaks of sword light cut across the sky and soon vanished into the distant clouds.
Wang Mengde withdrew his gaze and turned to enter the house.
The house suddenly felt much emptier.
His heart felt hollow too.
In the end, he was still too weak.
If he were strong enough, why would he have to let that girl leave alone?
He took a deep breath, stood, and returned to his room.
Time to cultivate.
Spring passed and autumn came; flowers bloomed and withered.
In the blink of an eye, more than five hundred days had passed.
Rosy Cloud Pier.
A dozen or so fishing cultivators had gathered, preparing to head out to sea.
A middle-aged fishing cultivator asked Qin Xiangnan:
"Are you sure Wang Mengde is coming today? When he went out half a month ago, he caught more than ten demon fish at the second-level lesser demon stage. They sold for over five hundred spirit stones!"
Hearing this, the other fishing cultivators also turned toward Qin Xiangnan.
Qin Xiangnan smiled. "Don't worry. He told me himself yesterday to wait for him here today."
One fishing cultivator remarked, "That fellow Wang Mengde really does have a knack for spells."
Another fishing cultivator said admiringly, "His fishing spells really are incredible. They say he's already reached mastery in all three."
"I reckon it might be more than that. His cultivation is about the same as ours, at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refinement, yet he can quietly reel in more than ten spirit fish at the second-level lesser demon stage. He might have brought a spell to perfection already."
"How could that be possible?"
Disbelief covered everyone's faces.
Someone turned toward Qin Xiangnan and asked:
"Xiangnan, you're closest to Wang Mengde, and you often ask him for guidance on spells. What do you think? Just how good are his spells?"
Qin Xiangnan rubbed his chin and mused, "Well... I really don't know. You all know what he's like. He keeps a very low profile and never shows off in front of people."
He paused, then added, "Still, I think he probably has brought a spell to perfection."
At this, everyone exchanged looks.
Just then, a disdainful voice came from behind them:
"That coward has such powerful spells, yet he doesn't dare venture into deeper waters. Instead, he hangs around the shallows. He really has no ambition at all."
Everyone turned to look.
Zhao Youming was approaching with a dozen or so fishing cultivators.
Beside him, Zhou Lie chimed in, "Youming's right. That fellow is far too timid. With spells that powerful, he still doesn't dare go into the deep sea."
The two echoed each other, warming to their subject.
Just then, Qin Xiangnan said, "Wang Mengde's here."
Zhao Youming's and Zhou Lie's expressions shifted slightly, and they immediately shut their mouths.
They exchanged a glance and stayed no longer. With the dozen or so fishing cultivators behind them, they hurriedly boarded their spirit skiffs, cut across the water, and sped away.
Wang Mengde approached at an unhurried pace, his fishing rod over his shoulder.
He glanced at the departing Zhao Youming and his companions, his expression calm.
Zhao Youming and Zhou Lie had originally fished as part of their group.
After clashing with him, they had joined others instead.
He remembered perfectly well how those two had nearly gotten him killed.
Qin Xiangnan and the others hurriedly rose and greeted him with smiles:
"You're here, fellow Daoist Wang."
"Brother Mengde, we finally caught you today."
"Brother Wang, which waters are we heading to today?"
Wang Mengde approached and smiled, cupping his hands.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone."
He turned to Qin Xiangnan and said gently:
"Let's go to the reef area east of Rosy Cloud Island today. I passed by a few days ago and noticed plenty of schools of fish there."
Qin Xiangnan and the others readily agreed:
"All right, we'll follow your lead, brother Wang."
"The eastern reefs, then. Let's go!"
Everyone boarded their spirit skiffs and channeled spiritual power into them, heading east.
Skiff after skiff sped across the sea, throwing up sprays of white foam.
Three hours later.
They arrived at a familiar stretch of sea.
Only to find more than ten skiffs already sitting on the water.
It was Zhao Youming, Zhou Lie, and their group.
Qin Xiangnan frowned. "Why are they here too?"
Wang Mengde glanced over, his expression unchanged. "The sea belongs to everyone. There's nothing unusual about them coming here."
Hearing this, the others could hardly say anything more.
The skiffs scattered across the water, each finding a suitable spot.
Wang Mengde chose a spot beside a reef, brought his skiff to a stop, and took out his fishing rod.
He activated the Spirit Eye Technique, his gaze penetrating the sea's surface as he surveyed the waters below.
Soon, he found a school of fish.
With a flick of his wrist, the hook traced an arc and landed precisely among them.
The instant the hook entered the water, a fish bit.
Unhurried, Wang Mengde bound the fish with the Entwining Silk Technique and lifted his wrist. A sea fish about a foot long burst from the water. He caught it steadily and tossed it into his fish basket.
Then came the second cast, the third, the fourth...
He rapidly reeled in one sea fish after another.
His speed was astonishing.
It was as though he were not fishing at all, but taking delivery of stock.
A little distance away.
Qin Xiangnan and the others watched, their eyes filled with envy.
Farther away.
Zhao Youming, Zhou Lie, and their companions also witnessed Wang Mengde's fishing.
Zhao Youming was so jealous his dick turned purple. "That bastard."
Zhou Lie muttered, "With skills like that, he still won't go into the deep sea to catch demon fish. What a coward."
Just then.
A startled cry shattered the calm over the sea.
"A school of demon fish! There's a school of demon fish!"
Everyone followed the voice and looked due south.
There, the sea churned violently. Azure shapes burst from the water, arced through the air, and plunged back into the sea.
That aura...
"Those are Azure Jade Ghost Carp!" someone cried in terror. "It's a school of Azure Jade Ghost Carp at the third layer of minor demon!"
Everyone's faces instantly turned deathly pale.
"Damn it, how did we run into a school of Azure Jade Ghost Carp?"
"Run!"
Before you continue