Zhangsun Wugou's First Cultivation

After several twists and turns, Zhangsun Wugou ultimately stayed with Zhang Sheng.

She had not gone to Chang'an with Zhangsun Wuji this time, so she would most likely have no further ties to Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of later history.

Even if there was such a possibility, Zhang Sheng would cut it off, because from now on, Zhangsun Wugou could only be his.

"Brother Fuji! Chang'an is a long way off, so be careful above all else. If anything happens in the future, be sure to write and let me know. Blue Silver Village will always be open to you!"

"Brother Zhang Sheng! I won't say anything unnecessary. I'm leaving my little sister Wugou in your care.

"She's never lived away from home on her own before. I hope you'll take good care of her! Please!"

"Of course! As long as I'm here, no one can hurt her!"

Parting was always sad, and Zhangsun Wugou's eyes were already red.

"Brother...! Sob!"

"All right, little sister! You need to learn to live on your own too. Now that you've encountered this opportunity,

"I can't make decisions for you as I please. Since you've made up your mind to cultivate here, you must learn to be strong."

Zhangsun Wuji fought back his reluctance to part and resolutely set out for Chang'an to pursue his own dreams.

Zhang Sheng and the others were left watching his figure gradually recede, unable to leave for a long time.

"Sister Wugou! Don't be sad. It's not as if Brother Fuji won't come back. Work hard so that the next time he sees you, he won't even recognize you."

"Pfft! Brother Zhang Sheng, you do love to joke. My brother and I have known each other since we were little. How could he fail to recognize me?"

"Hehe! That's not necessarily true!"

"Huh...! Brother Zhang Sheng, your smile looks so evil! I'm a little scared!"

"..."

"Pfft! Hehe! Brother Zhang Sheng, you fell for it!"

"Oh, so you dare tease your Brother Zhang Sheng now? See if I don't tickle you!"

"No..."

As the two played around, the sorrow of parting vanished like smoke into thin air.

What new changes would come to their days ahead?

The next day

"Sister Wugou! You must never be careless when it comes to cultivation. From now on, you must do exactly as I tell you, understood?"

"Brother Zhang Sheng! I understand!"

Seeing the serious expression on Zhangsun Wugou's face, Zhang Sheng could not help nodding.

"What I'm going to teach you next is a cultivation meditation method. It's a way to cultivate the Soul Power in your body."

"Soul Power?"

"That's right! Soul Power! That's the name I gave it. It's like this!"

As Zhang Sheng explained the existence of Soul Power, he demonstrated it in his hand.

"Wow! It's so pretty!"

When Zhang Sheng saw that Zhangsun Wugou actually wanted to touch it, he immediately spoke up to stop her.

"Careful! Sister Wugou, never casually touch someone else's Soul Power in the future.

"That Soul Power will hurt you, unless you have Soul Power of your own someday."

"Brother Zhang Sheng! I'm sorry. I was wrong!"

"It's all right. Just be more careful from now on!"

Zhang Sheng rubbed Zhangsun Wugou's little head and said a few words to comfort her.

Then Zhang Sheng began teaching Zhangsun Wugou his meditation method, bit by bit.

Once she had fully mastered it, he began teaching her how to meditate and how to sense the Soul Power within her body.

Gradually, she was able to settle peacefully into meditation. Only then did Zhang Sheng feel somewhat relieved.

"It really is different! Generally speaking, only someone whose Martial Soul has awakened can sense Soul Power within their body.

"But with Sister Wugou, it's the other way around. Her Soul Power appeared first,

"and then the Soul Power nourished her Martial Soul, causing it to awaken completely.

"Judging by this phenomenon, if someone can't produce Soul Power within their body,

"then it's very likely that their Martial Soul will also be difficult to awaken."

While Zhangsun Wugou meditated, Zhang Sheng thought about many things.

But whether things were truly as he predicted would require finding more people to test.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and Zhangsun Wugou soon woke from her meditation.

"That felt wonderful! I've never felt so refreshed!"

"Sister Wugou! You're awake! How do you feel? Are there any problems?"

At the mention of it, Zhangsun Wugou grew excited and began to exclaim,

"Brother Zhang Sheng! Cultivation is truly amazing! My whole body felt warm, and I even seem to have more spirit."

"Of course! Cultivation itself is a way for people to evolve. If they couldn't keep getting better, who would still want to cultivate?

"Let me tell you another little secret! Cultivation can keep people young forever. It might even let them attain eternal life in the end."

Hearing that she could stay young forever, Zhangsun Wugou immediately forgot about the distinction between men and women. She grabbed Zhang Sheng's arm and asked urgently,

"Really? Brother Zhang Sheng, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course I wouldn't lie to you. So, Sister Wugou, you must cultivate diligently from now on. No slacking off!"

"Mm! I'll cultivate diligently. I'll never bring shame to you, Brother Zhang Sheng!"

And so, Zhangsun Wugou's first cultivation session came to an end.

From then on, she began following Zhang Sheng in cultivation every day. Of course, Zhang Sheng had more kinds of training than she did.

He not only practiced martial techniques but also cultivated a body-refining method, spending far more time on it than Zhangsun Wugou did.

It was also Zhangsun Wugou's first time seeing Zhang Sheng cultivate, and she was instantly shocked by the way he did it.

She had not expected Zhang Sheng's cultivation to be so crazy. An ordinary person would probably have died long ago.

"Brother Zhang Sheng! Do you cultivate like this every day?"

"What? Did it scare you?"

"Mm!"

"Hehe! You'll get used to it. These things are nothing to me now.

"I've also reached a bottleneck. Breaking through again will be incredibly difficult."

"Will I have to cultivate like this in the future too?"

"You don't need to yet. This is a body-refining method. We'll see how things stand after you awaken your Martial Soul! For now, just focus on cultivating your Soul Power, understood?"

"Mm! I understand! Hehe!"

The days were uneventful, but Zhang Sheng found them very meaningful.

Perhaps it had started when Zhangsun Wugou stayed behind and began cultivating with him.

He felt as though she filled his eyes wherever he looked. No matter what he was doing, he thought of her all the time.

Sometimes he even found himself funny. He had already lived three lives,

yet now he was like a young man again. Perhaps it was as people often said: even when a person grows old, they remain young at heart!

"It's been several months, and there's still no word from the court. Could Lord Yuwen have suppressed it?"

Inside a large military tent, an armored general

sat at a table, his brows tightly knitted, as though pondering some great problem.

"Report!"

"Come in! What is it?"

"Reporting to the general! An envoy from the capital has arrived!"

"What! An envoy from the capital? Did you get a clear look at who it was?"

"I did. They were flying the 'Yuwen' banner."

"The Yuwen banner? Could someone from the Yuwen Clan have come? Quick! Come with me to welcome them!"

"Yes!"

Cheng Jingmin led the way out of the tent and soon reached the entrance to the military camp.

When he arrived, he could see dust billowing in the distance, with a troop of elite cavalry riding toward them.

Only when the cavalry drew closer could he make out the banner. It was indeed the Yuwen Clan's.

And when the person at their head came into view, Cheng Jingmin was somewhat surprised.

"Why has he come?"