Chapter 114 - 104: Shen Yunjiao’s Origin

Chapter 114: Chapter 104: Shen Yunjiao’s Origin

"Scared now, are you?" Shen Yunjiao laughed, covering her mouth.

"Yep, I’m scared. Is it too late to give the Black Flame back now?" Zhao Zuo asked teasingly, pretending to shiver.

"Too late," Shen Yunjiao immediately replied with a smile. Under the influence of the alcohol, her flushed cheeks were utterly captivating. Her posture was completely relaxed, exuding a subtle, unique allure.

"So before he comes to kill you, you have to cultivate hard and try to kill him first, right?" Zhao Zuo asked.

"Exactly."

"That’s truly hopeless."

Zhao Zuo didn’t know what grade of special constitution the Wood Spirit Body was, but even the weakest Spirit Body allowed for a cultivation speed comparable to a Celestial Spirit Root. If a Celestial Spirit Root was a one-in-a-hundred-thousand occurrence, then a Spirit Body was one in a million.

"Every day I live is another day earned," Shen Yunjiao said in a lighthearted tone.

"If you have the chance in the future, I hope you can find a successor for the Artifact Refining Secret Manual. Don’t let its legacy die out. When my grandfather was alive, what he cared about most was Artifact Refining... It’s a pity he wasted too much time on it and ultimately stalled at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer," Shen Yunjiao added, her tone growing serious.

"No problem. I’ll find a successor for it," Zhao Zuo promised.

It was precisely because Shen Yunjiao’s grandfather had wasted too much time on the Artifact Refining Technique that she had repeatedly reminded Zhao Zuo not to neglect his own Cultivation progress.

"There’s another possibility," Zhao Zuo said, analyzing her story. "Perhaps your grandfather’s talent wasn’t great, so he gave up on Foundation Establishment long ago. Maybe he just hoped to use his remaining years to leave behind more Cyan Mountain Shields for the Shen Family and earn more Cultivation resources for his descendants?"

Shen Yunjiao froze. This was a perspective she had never considered. After all, most Cultivators were self-serving, always putting themselves first. She had never imagined that her grandfather’s obsession with the Artifact Refining Technique was a front, that the truth was he was trying to accumulate more Cultivation resources for his descendants.

’So that’s how it was. No wonder Grandfather insisted on Refining Magical Artifacts even when he was gravely ill.’

A relieved smile touched Shen Yunjiao’s lips, though her eyes reddened slightly. At first... she couldn’t understand her grandfather’s choice to practically abandon his Cultivation. But now, she suddenly understood, and a bittersweet, indescribable feeling welled up from deep within her heart.

It turned out she had never truly understood... her own grandfather.

"And your ex-fiancé... maybe he couldn’t bring himself to act against you. He probably knows you weren’t to blame for what happened back then. After all, you were only ten," Zhao Zuo said comfortingly.

"Perhaps." An image of a handsome, refined youth surfaced in Shen Yunjiao’s mind. They had once ridden unicorns together, flown kites, and played with thousand-mile message-talismans. But they could never go back to how they were. All that was left was to face each other with blades drawn.

"Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on it. But you must be careful about using the Black Flame and selling Cyan Mountain Shields."

Shen Yunjiao stood up, her tone grave as she gave her warning. Over the years, she had often wondered why Luo Wenxin had let her go. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the possibility that he couldn’t bear to do it, but what did that matter now? In the end, they had become each other’s Heart Demon.

Only after Shen Yunjiao had completely left the kitchen did Zhao Zuo stand up and begin to clean. He could tell she was mentally exhausted, likely from dredging up so many memories she preferred to keep buried.

In truth, the moment Shen Yunjiao had sensed Zhao Zuo’s talent for Artifact Refining, she had begun to test him. Her initial plan was to sell the inheritance to him in batches at a high price and make him swear a Heavenly Dao Oath... promising to find another inheritor so that the Shen Family’s Artifact Refining Technique would not be lost.

But as they grew closer, Shen Yunjiao began to evaluate Zhao Zuo’s character as well. It was only after they had faced life and death together in the Land of Inheritance that she finally decided to gift the inheritance to him.

After clearing away the bowls and chopsticks and giving them a quick rinse, Zhao Zuo returned to his bedroom.

He knew that Luo Wenxin must know Shen Yunjiao’s general location; it was the only way he could conveniently hunt her down in the future. This would be difficult for an ordinary person, but Luo Wenxin was the Tao Child of the Cyan Wood Sect, and most likely a Golden Core True Man.

Clearly, someone within the Moyun Sect was willing to do him a favor and help Luo Wenxin keep an eye on Shen Yunjiao.

Of course, a more likely possibility was that Luo Wenxin had placed some kind of tracking Restriction inside Shen Yunjiao’s body. Her honesty today was also presenting him with a choice.

Zhao Zuo could choose to live long-term in the Moyun Sect and never return to this courtyard. If they cut off contact... he wouldn’t have to worry too much about the threat from Luo Wenxin. But... if he chose to occasionally return to the courtyard and maintain his connection with Shen Yunjiao...

...then in the future, he would very likely get caught in the crossfire when Luo Wenxin came to settle scores, and he would lose his life.

During this meal, Shen Yunjiao had seemed to be recounting her life story, but in reality, she was observing Zhao Zuo’s reactions. Throughout the entire conversation, she never tried to persuade him to cut ties. She only reminded him of the dangers that came with the Black Flame and the Artifact Refining Secret Record.

But Zhao Zuo had heard her unspoken message. Sometimes, things didn’t need to be spelled out. He didn’t know why Shen Yunjiao had chosen today to be so candid, but he had already made his decision.

She hadn’t tried to persuade Zhao Zuo to give the answer she wanted to hear; instead, she had given him the choice.

’This is a bit tricky.’

Zhao Zuo lay on his bed. Although most of the alcohol had been dissipated through Refinement, a small amount still lingered. His mind was clear, but he had entered a lazy, tipsy state.

’Ah, whatever. I still have to grind.’

Luo Wenxin was like a great mountain hanging over Zhao Zuo’s head, ready to crash down at any moment. Zhao Zuo’s reasoning was simple: if Luo Wenxin still had feelings for Shen Yunjiao, would he allow his ex-fiancée to live with another man?

In a world where human life was treated as disposable as grass, he would probably be casually obliterated, his bones ground to dust.

To control his own Destiny, Zhao Zuo had no choice but to speed up his Cultivation as much as possible. If he became one of the Moyun Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples, then... as long as he didn’t leave the sect’s territory, his safety would be guaranteed.

In reality, he had no choice at all. Some traces could never be erased—for example, the Mana they had infused into the contract when they rented the house, or... the fact that they were often seen together in the Moyun Market.

They hadn’t tried to hide any of these things, so it would be easy enough to uncover with a basic investigation. What’s more... the Cultivation Realm had overpowered abilities that could divine Cause and Effect.

Zhao Zuo shook his head, sat up, and assumed the five-hearts-to-the-heavens posture. He gradually cleared his mind of all thoughts, entered a state of deep meditation, and quickly began to cultivate.

Spiritual Power from the surroundings rapidly gathered. He immediately noticed that the concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power today had dropped another notch compared to yesterday. Clearly, the Cultivation Technique Shen Yunjiao required had an incredibly domineering absorption effect, directly impacting Zhao Zuo’s own Cultivation.

’It’ll only be for a few days. If it’s slow, it’s slow.’

Mana circulated throughout Zhao Zuo’s body, and he seemed to emit a faint white glow. With every breath, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power surged into him like pillars of pure white gas, rapidly filling his Dantian.

The next day, Zhao Zuo and Shen Yunjiao ate breakfast together. Neither of them brought up what had happened yesterday. It was the same for the next few days...

Three days passed. Suddenly, a gray light flashed in Zhao Zuo’s eyes as another stream of the Qi of Time flowed out of Shen Yunjiao and was devoured by the Spring and Autumn Cicada tucked in his robes.

Zhao Zuo could feel the Spring and Autumn Cicada’s aura strengthen slightly. The Spiritual Light within it brightened a little, and it faintly emitted a warm Energy that made Zhao Zuo’s whole body feel as if it were soaking in a hot spring. However, perhaps because the Qi of Time was so sparse, this Energy quickly dissipated.

And just like that... he had another reason not to leave Shen Yunjiao.

’This is my Great Path to long life!’

"Fellow Daoist, has your Cultivation improved again?" Zhao Zuo asked tentatively. Although their relationship had grown quite close, their form of address hadn’t changed at all, as if neither of them planned to get any closer.

"That’s right. Your perception is that strong?" Shen Yunjiao was rather surprised. After all, she had deliberately concealed her aura this time, yet Zhao Zuo had still sensed it.

"Just a small talent," Zhao Zuo said vaguely. His probing question had confirmed it: the generation of the Qi of Time was related to breakthroughs in Shen Yunjiao’s Cultivation.

Even though he had figured that much out, the real question remained unanswered.

Why was she able to produce the Qi of Time?

.....

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