togophonebook Chapter 196 Han Li, Who Cannot Be Avoided
Chapter 196 Han Li, Who Cannot Be Avoided
Chapter 197 Han Li, Who Cannot Be Avoided
"But what is it? Little Ling'er, you don't need to force yourself to be true to yourself. Your parents are both late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. This matter was just mentioned casually. You don't need to pretend to be reserved and put on airs. You might as well think it through and then give me your answer."
Wen Qing deliberately slowed her tone, with a hint of teasing, just wanting to see what her daughter's expression and actions would be next.
This will also allow us to see clearly whether Ling'er's feelings are simply admiration, secret affection, or a deep and unforgettable love that she is determined to marry no one but him.
Cultivators are ultimately not the kind of immortals who are without desires or wants.
Once true feelings are formed, they are always the most unforgettable and difficult to control.
Ling Yuling's heart was pounding like a drum, her cheeks were burning hot, and the shyness in her heart was gradually replaced by anticipation.
Wen Qing deliberately dragged out her words: "Oh? Not going to speak? It seems you don't want to do this. That's understandable, after all, the other party is an old monster who has lived for seven or eight hundred years. The difference in their cultivation level and age is too great, so it's reasonable for them to disagree."
Ling Xiaofeng nodded in agreement, "I think we should just let this matter go. Yu Ling is still young, and this is indeed a bit of a stretch."
The former was a joke, while the latter was a genuine expression of his feelings.
"I do!"
Ling Yuling could no longer hold back. Her voice was clear and bright, filled with unprecedented determination, instantly breaking the verbal sparring between her parents.
As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly lowered her eyes, not daring to look up.
Upon hearing these three words, Wen Qing said, "In my opinion, it is truly a match made in heaven. Although Ling'er's cultivation level is indeed not high enough yet, with my Star Palace's ten-thousand-year foundation as her dowry, no matter how you look at it, the Lu family is not at a disadvantage."
Ling Xiaofeng was too lazy to think about the pros and cons at this point. His daughter had made up her mind, and his wife had also done her best to make it happen. It seemed that the matter was settled.
He picked up the warm jade cup beside him and took a sip.
The cup still contains the three-thousand-year-old "Cloud Leaf Dew," its spiritual energy still abundant.
However, upon tasting it, he felt only a bland taste on his tongue, as if all flavor had been lost, and he even began to miss the spicy and mellow spirit wine.
Wen Qing's smile faded, and she asked gently, "Was it when your parents asked you to go find him that time?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Yuling raised her head and softly hummed in agreement, her voice barely audible.
Wen Qing then turned to Ling Xiaofeng and asked, "Are you feeling a little regretful?"
Ling Xiaofeng picked up the slightly chilled "Cloud Leaf Dew" and drank it all in one gulp. His voice was a little muffled. "I wouldn't say I regret it. Children will grow up and face choices one day. For us, Madam is right. This ending is indeed a good choice."
Wen Qing wholeheartedly agreed with this statement, his gaze distant. "For nearly three hundred years, we have been confined to our own little world. Sometimes, even we cultivators who are nearing the peak cannot help but sigh. It seems that there is a grand force at work in the dark, and we are swept up in it, as if our paths have already been set, leading us step by step towards the direction of our predetermined fate."
She looked at her daughter, her eyes softening again. "Since you've agreed, that's good. The rest is up to your parents to handle."
Ling Yuling suddenly said, "Mr. Lu is surrounded by many beautiful women, and has many confidantes around him."
She didn't mean anything by saying that; it's just that in the cultivation world, it's common for top cultivators to have multiple wives and concubines. However, it's extremely rare to find a cultivation partner like her parents, who are of similar cultivation level, support each other, respect each other, and cultivate together all the way to the late Nascent Soul stage.
She worried that her parents had overlooked this.
With so many beautiful women around him, Lu Jianghe may not need or be willing to add another formal Daoist partner to his life.
Unexpectedly, Wen Qing replied directly, "We naturally know that. We investigated his character before, and he is definitely not the kind of person who indulges in women and treats them as playthings. However, even if it is true as you think, you don't need to worry too much. As the future heir of the Star Palace, how can your status and position be compared to theirs? Even if they each have their own beauty and charm, so what? With the entire Star Palace as your backing, your cultivation will surely advance by leaps and bounds, and you will be able to reach the Nascent Soul stage in no time. This is something they can never achieve. You don't need to belittle yourself, and you don't need to worry about this."
Ling Yuling gave a soft "oh," seemingly lost in thought.
A few days later.
The inexplicable unease in Zi Ling's heart grew stronger, making it difficult for her to concentrate on cultivation.
She simply got up and went straight to the cave on the fiftieth floor, wanting to find Lu Jianghe to ask him what was going on, or perhaps just to confirm that he was still there.
Who would have thought that while the cave remained the same, the atmosphere had changed.
She searched everywhere but couldn't find that familiar figure, and her heart sank.
She found the other people inside the cave.
The group looked at each other in surprise, and after some discussion, they realized that Lu Jianghe had actually visited each of them and had a brief conversation with each of them.
In retrospect, those words seemed to carry a sense of farewell.
As for Yuan Yao and Yan Li, they have been formally accepted as direct disciples of the Baibi Mountain lineage by Zhuang Huayi.
This was naturally a joyous occasion, but at this moment, Lu Jianghe's disappearance cast a shadow over the place, and Zi Ling had no heart to talk about it anymore.
When it was confirmed that no one knew Lu Jianghe's whereabouts, everyone's faces showed varying degrees of panic and helplessness.
Only Yan Ruyan remained calm.
She knew Lu Jianghe's intention to leave, and she understood that he had explained things most clearly.
She would wait until after she had formed her nascent soul before returning to Tiannan.
This clear goal gave her a sliver of composure amidst her confusion.
As for Xin Ruyin, she is currently in seclusion, immersed in cultivation, as if using this to isolate herself from the outside world.
Yanli felt as if she had just experienced a long, hazy dream.
When I woke up, it was already broad daylight.
The person beside her told her that everything was fine and that her junior sister was also there.
In fact, the women in the cave originally harbored their own thoughts, and undercurrents were swirling within them.
Zi Ling looked around at everyone and decisively said, "If no one speaks up, what's the use of just daydreaming? Who can truly get what they want? Rather than fighting alone and achieving nothing, we should work together to have a chance."
These words went straight to the heart of the matter, and their power and vision left Yan Ruyan, Yuan Yao, and the others, who originally had different thoughts, speechless and unable to refute them.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated.
But the unspoken meaning was perfectly clear to both of them.
Rather than fighting their own battles, in the end, probably no one will get the outcome they want.
Regardless of who gets what they want in the future, it's better than everyone hesitating like this now and ending up empty-handed.
Zi Ling then added, "Sister Ru Yan, you know the most inside information, could you tell me everything?"
Yan Ruyan sighed softly and finally spoke: "Mr. Lu has indeed decided to leave. Before he left, he asked me if I wanted to return to Tiannan."
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Next, she recounted how Lu Jianghe and Xin Ruyin traveled from Tiannan to the Chaotic Star Sea.
Even the conversations between the people in the cave a few days ago were briefly recounted.
It also mentions the formula for practicing one's natal element.
These words, though seemingly innocuous, were like stones thrown into still water.
Yan Ruyan was reluctant to say more, but in the end she was also afraid.
Yanli leaned against the pillar in the corridor, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she listened.
Her soul had been in a daze for decades, and she encountered this kind of thing as soon as she woke up, which felt even more complicated than a folk tale.
After Yan Ruyan finished speaking, the room fell silent.
The group listened to Yan Ruyan's story.
It turns out they had this connection.
Everyone fell into deep thought, each processing this complex story that spanned the sea.
After a long silence, Yuan Yao finally spoke.
He told Lu Jianghe everything without hiding why he went to the Void Heaven Palace, what he did, and even the unexpected encounter at the Spirit Pool.
Her words drew the attention of both Zi Ling and Yan Ruyan, who stared at her with astonishment in their eyes.
Yuan Yao naturally knew the consequences of her words.
Her foxy eyes had a slightly mischievous look, and the meaning was... well, let's just say they were...
What difference does it make if you've known each other for so long?
Upon hearing this, Yanli, who was standing nearby, opened her mouth slightly but did not say anything.
A sense of envy arose within me.
She had learned from Yuan Yao that Mr. Lu was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator.
What an incredible concept!
She was just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator, living a life of constant wandering and uncertainty, when she was rescued by a Nascent Soul cultivator who even used that heaven-defying Rejuvenation Technique.
Whenever she thinks of this, her heart is filled with emotion.
Zi Ling fell silent, which was unusual for her.
With her sharp mind, she could naturally see that Yuan Yao's words were partly deliberate, but also partly from her true feelings.
The situation is now clear.
Zi Ling, Yuan Yao, and Yan Ruyan each seized a unique opportunity left by Lu Jianghe, and each believed that they had the closest connection with him.
A faint smile appeared on Zi Ling's lips, carrying a hint of understanding and an indescribable sense of relief.
No wonder the three of them were so secretive about each other before; it turns out they each had their own confidence and had grasped what they considered to be a unique "opportunity."
However, she was very curious about what Lu Jianghe and Xin Ruyin said in the end.
What could possibly cause her to immediately enter seclusion?
Even now, Zi Ling still finds it hard to believe.
The other party just left without saying goodbye.
She didn't even get to see him one last time, but she could clearly sense that he had indeed been there.
Having said all that, there's really no point in continuing.
Anyway, we already know everything we need to know, but what can we do about it?
Where can I find it?
Even if we find it, what can we do?
Because a Nascent Soul cultivator can arise and disappear at will, existing entirely within the universe.
None of the people present were at the Nascent Soul stage; they were all juniors at the Core Formation stage, spanning two major realms.
Whether he can break through to the Nascent Soul stage is still unknown, let alone advance to the Deity Transformation stage.
Among these people, not counting Yanli, Ziling's cultivation level is the lowest.
A female cultivator who has just broken through to the Core Formation stage has a lifespan limit of only about six hundred years.
The middle part is actually quite clever and cunning.
Zi Ling concluded, almost answering her own question, her voice trembling slightly, "Isn't it incredibly hopeless?"
Yan Ruyan sighed softly, offering her answer, an answer that seemed to echo the sentiments of the others: "Perhaps it is precisely this unrequited love, this yearning that makes Sister Ziling, Sister Yuanyao, and even us so devoted to him. It's as if all the extraordinary men in the world have been embodied in him. Love at first sight?" Ha, even in this life—if there truly is no outcome, perhaps this is all that remains. The best time of one's life shouldn't be spent meeting someone so stunning, otherwise, it's hard to forget, or rather, impossible to forget."
Yuan Yao remained silent.
Senior Sister Yanli has been saved by the Resurrection Technique. Although she does not know what kind of terrible divine punishment will be brought about by a Nascent Soul cultivator performing such a heaven-defying secret technique, or what heavy price she will have to pay, she is certain that it will not be taken lightly.
She belatedly recalled that her master, Zhuang Huayi, had once mentioned to her: When Mr. Lu returned, his face was unusually pale.
Only now, after everything has settled down, has that belated surge of emotion, like a flood bursting its banks, finally overwhelmed her.
This surging passion was simply uncontrollable.
She finally understood why that little girl, Zi Ling, dared to speak so frankly.
If it were her now—she would do the same without hesitation.
Even more ambitious, and perhaps even somewhat humble, thought quietly sprouted in her heart.
If I could stay by his side all the time, even if it meant being his furnace, it wouldn't seem so unacceptable.
Yuan Yao's naturally alluring eyes swept over the somewhat silent crowd.
"The only thing we can do now is to strive to improve our cultivation level. Otherwise, even if we have a chance to meet again in the future, what face will we have to see him again when our lifespan is exhausted and our appearance has aged?"
As soon as she finished speaking, silence fell over the surroundings again.
Upon hearing this, Zi Ling's expression immediately transformed into a knowing, relieved smile: "Sister Yuan Yao, what you say is very true. It seems I will have to take it as gospel from now on. It is painful to desire but not to obtain, but it is even more foolish to sit and wait for death. Instead of wallowing in useless self-pity, it is better to fight for that sliver of hope."
Yan Ruyan remained calm and nodded slightly. "After saying so much and thinking so much, Zhongzhen will only be able to speak of it when she actually lives to that day."
Yuan Yao seemed to find the topic too heavy, or perhaps a long-standing question in her mind could no longer be suppressed. She changed the subject, her voice filled with confusion as she probed, "But you all say, what is the purpose of Mr. Lu's actions and desires? His deeds seem unpredictable and whimsical, yet they also reveal a hidden urgency, as if he is chasing after something, fulfilling some mission that we cannot comprehend?"
Zi Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes: "What? None of you knew?"
Yan Ruyan said calmly, "What cultivators seek is nothing more than the Great Dao and immortality, but if you want to truly understand the cause and effect, there is one more person who knows."
As soon as he finished speaking, the group looked at each other in bewilderment.
After a moment of silence, Zi Ling and Yuan Yao's eyes lit up simultaneously, and their lips moved slightly as they each uttered two words: "Han Li!"
Whether it's what the other party said or the numerous clues, this person has been present throughout the entire journey from Tiannan to Luanxinghai.
No matter where Qiao was, from Xin Ruyin's place to Zi Ling's, his presence was always there.
Moreover, Lu Jianghe's care for him was clearly greater than that for Xin Ruyin, which is beyond doubt.