novelhk Page 35
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She shook her head, dismissing the guess. According to the schedule, Xiaoxiao's training should have ended long ago; she should have returned to the sect several days ago. That was...
They went together to Qingzhou City to visit Prince Ning.
Shen Qingshang transmitted his voice indifferently. A moment later, the Fifth Elder of the Enforcement Hall hurriedly arrived outside the quiet room and respectfully greeted, "Sect Leader."
"During my seclusion, have any important matters arisen within the sect? Has Zhixiao's training gone smoothly?" Shen Qingshang's voice was cold and emotionless.
"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Xiaoxiao returned safely to the sect a few days ago. She had a fruitful trip and everything went smoothly," Fifth Uncle reported with his head bowed.
Remembering someone's instructions, she recounted Su Mu's ability to cultivate, then added, "After that... she went with Xiao Mu."
They were visiting relatives in Qingzhou City. On the way, they encountered several demon cultivators in Linhe Town. Although one of them was at the Golden Core stage, none of them were a match for the two of them, and they were easily defeated.
"Hmm, not bad." Shen Qingshang nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "Zhixiao has now reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and is only one step away from the Golden Core stage."
"I'm relieved that she can handle things on her own." Her words carried a subtle hint of satisfaction.
However, she keenly noticed a hint of hesitation in her fifth uncle's expression, and his tone became slightly somber: "Is there anything else?"
"Yes... after Xiaomu and Xiaoxiao arrived in Qingzhou City, they went to the peach blossom forest and encountered evil spirits again, suffering some injuries." Fifth Uncle said.
Carefully consider the wording.
"What?!" Shen Qingshang abruptly stood up, his usually calm face instantly contorted with anxiety. In a flash, he was in front of his fifth uncle, speaking...
"What happened? Explain yourself!" he shouted angrily.
Fifth Uncle was startled by her unprecedented outburst and quickly said, "It's a group of peach blossom demons who have been lurking in Qingzhou for many years. They set up a formation, which was just discovered..."
They stumbled upon it. It shouldn't have been difficult to handle, but a mysterious cultivator suddenly appeared, absorbing the essence of the flower demon's corpse, causing his cultivation to surge to the peak of the Golden Core stage.
Prince Ning arrived in time and executed him.
"Xiao Mu sent a message back to the sect, saying that he only suffered some minor injuries, and Xiao Xiao had been unconscious for a while due to exhaustion of her true energy, but was no longer seriously injured."
Despite this, Shen Qingshang felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly, making it difficult to breathe. She couldn't stay still for a moment longer.
He turned and was about to walk outside.
She couldn't bear the pain of losing them again.
"Qing Shang" (清商).
A mature and steady female voice rang out, blocking her path.
Shen Qingshang paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing the source of the voice, his tone filled with suppressed anger: "Consort Gu! You are..."
How can we take care of them?!
Gu Zhaorong remained calm. She first waved her hand to her fifth uncle: "The sect leader is extremely anxious. You should go to Qingzhou immediately and bring Mu'er and Xiao Xiao'an back."
Then take them back.
"Yes!" Fifth Uncle was overjoyed to see that Shen Qingshang did not object and immediately bowed in agreement before transforming into a streak of light and disappearing quickly.
Gu Zhaorong sat down and slowly began to boil water and make tea. "Sit down and let's talk."
"Consort Gu, you haven't answered me yet!" Shen Qingshang's tone was icy, but seeing how calm and composed the other party was, his anxiety subsided somewhat.
If Mu'er and Xiaoxiao were truly in mortal danger, she would never be leisurely enjoying tea here.
"You must understand, Xiaoxiao and Mu'er are no longer the innocent children they were eleven years ago." Gu Zhaorong pushed a freshly brewed cup of hot tea towards Shen Qingshang.
He looked up at her.
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"Xiaoxiao went down the mountain to gain experience, and Mu'er was able to let her venture out on her own without worry. You, as her master, are not as patient as him?"
"It's different!" Shen Qingshang sat down abruptly, his sleeves brushing against the table. His tone, though no longer as intense as before, was still chillingly cold. "You didn't..."
Having experienced loss, one cannot truly understand that agonizing pain.
Gu Zhaorong gave a light snort, picked up her teacup and took a small sip: "So, after you went through all that trouble to find them, you've been avoiding Mu'er, even..."
You don't even dare to acknowledge us? Is this what you call fear of loss?
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingshang fell silent. After a long while, she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "I... have no face to see him."
Back then, I failed to protect them.
Memories flooded back. That year, she temporarily parted from them, returning to her sect for a brief period of seclusion to heal her injuries. She promised to return soon, and had even begun to harbor thoughts of...
She harbored the thought of leaving the sect and spending her life with them. She emerged from seclusion less than seven days later, overjoyed.
However, what awaited her was a village reduced to scorched earth by flames, and the jade pendant she had given him for self-defense was shattered. At that moment, the world lost its color.
Heartbroken, she almost followed him in death.
But at that time, her master, the sect leader, was also seriously injured and placed the burden of the entire Mianhua Sect on her shoulders before going into seclusion.
That year, she was immersed in boundless pain and self-blame, and searched everywhere for their whereabouts. Most of the clan affairs were handled by Consort Gu.
Gu Zhaorong had no complaints, because she also saw the deep sorrow hidden in her junior sister's eyes.
The happiest smile on her face when she first returned to the clan was now matched by the deepest pain.
He endured a year of such torment. Then one day, he and Xiaoxiao miraculously reappeared. He was covered in wounds, yet stubbornly carried his sleeping companion on his back.
In her dream, Xiaoxiao climbed the steep stone steps step by step, finally collapsing from exhaustion in front of the mountain gate.
She sensed his faint yet familiar presence almost instantly and rushed out without hesitation.
When Gu Zhaorong arrived after hearing the news, she saw her holding the two children tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face, sobbing uncontrollably.
The immense shock of regaining what she had lost caused her cultivation to surge, pushing her straight towards the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
After a long while, she finally raised her tear-streaked face, looked at Consort Gu, and pleaded in a mournful voice, "Senior Sister Gu... I know the sect rules only accept women... but..."
Please, please, could you accept him too?
Xiang Zhaorong was deeply moved by the boy's wounded body, yet his instinctive protectiveness towards the girl behind him. Even though Qing Shang remained silent,
She couldn't bear to refuse.
She sighed softly, "My master said that you are the sect leader. The Sleeping Flower Sect is under your command."
From that time on, Su Mu and Su Zhixiao stayed at the Sleeping Flower Sect.
She took Xiaoxiao as her personal disciple. Xiaoxiao was young at the time, and she only needed to put on a veil and slightly change her voice so that Xiaoxiao would not recognize her.
But Su Mu… even though she had avoided her for eleven years, that stubborn child had never stopped searching for her.
She dared not see him, ashamed to see him.
"Whatever you want." Seeing her expression, Gu Zhaorong shook her head, her tone slightly teasing. "These days, Mu'er and Xiaoxiao are much closer to me."
So close. Perhaps, I've already forgotten you.
Shen Qingshang stiffened almost imperceptibly, but quickly regained his composure, his tone calm yet resolute: "He won't forget me."
"So confident?" Gu Zhaorong raised an eyebrow. "They treat me like a second mother now."
"Go ahead. If you want to be their mother, then go ahead." Shen Qingshang waved her sleeve, stood up, and without another word, turned and walked out of the hall. (Eight figures in total)
It still stood upright, yet it exuded an indescribable loneliness.
"You don't mind this at all?" Gu Zhaorong looked at her back, somewhat surprised.
Shen Qingshang might have such feelings for Xiaoxiao. But she never considered herself Su Mu's mother.
She was the one who silently wove cloth while he chopped wood; she was the one who patiently taught Xiaoxiao to read and write while he worked in the fields; she was the one who helped him return home late at night.
At that time, it was the person who served hot meals to the person sitting by the stove.
She is his wife, his lady, and she will never give up this position.
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Chapter Forty-Four: You Can Cultivate Now?!
"Brother, will the sect leader be angry?"
The three girls, reluctant to part from the Prince's Mansion, and Su Mu and Su Zhixiao, promising to meet again at the Gathering of Prodigies sometime later, rode on their Fifth Uncle's escape light, and the wind...
They sped from Qingzhou City to Mianhua Sect like lightning. The night wind howled, fluttering the hems of their clothes.
Su Zhixiao was standing very close to Su Mu, her small hands tightly gripping his sleeve, her face showing a hint of unease.
"Probably not." To be honest, Su Mu didn't know much about Shen Qingshang. Firstly, all the senior uncles and sisters in the sect were afraid of her, even Gu...
Her aunt also kept quiet about it.
Secondly…it seemed she was avoiding him. In his eleven years at the Sleeping Flower Sect, he had seen her only a handful of times, and each time, she…
They either wore veils to conceal their faces or their figures were obscured, never showing their true faces to the public.
This intensified the long-held suspicion in his mind—this sect leader was very likely the one they had been searching for all along, the one from back then.
The "Fairy Shen" who lived with them in the village for a year.
But wouldn't it be incredibly easy for a Nascent Soul cultivator to hide from him? He'd been searching for him openly and secretly for years, yet he still couldn't find him.
Conclusive evidence.
Moreover, the names don't match.
He always referred to her as "Fairy Shen".
Until one day, she blushed and smiled as she said to herself...
Her name is Shen Qingxin, the Qingxin meaning "love at first sight".
Thinking back now, her tone at the time seemed slightly playful? Like she was... flirting with me?
Su Mu couldn't help but smile and chuckle softly.
"Brother, you're still laughing! Master is really strict with her!" Su Zhixiao said with some worry. Master was very strict with her! Even the slightest slackening during cultivation...
My palms were about to be hit with a ruler! Although it didn't hurt, my master was terrifying back then!
"Don't worry," Su Mu said, pulling himself out of his thoughts and gently stroking his sister's hair reassuringly. "The sect leader will understand us."
"Xiao Mu, what Qiao Xiao said is true, Sect Leader Shen is terrifying!" Fifth Uncle interjected, still shaken. "Back in the Shuyu Sect..."
Back then, among all the disciples in our sect, she was the one who best embodied the sect's principles. She was aloof and proud, and if any disciples from other peaks dared to criticize our laziness, she would be the first to be expelled.
She drew her sword and sent her opponent fleeing in terror. Those disciples who were terrified of her secretly called her the "Sword Madman."
"Is that so?" Su Mu was surprised; this was the first time he had heard his martial uncle talk about the sect leader's past. "But it sounds like the sect leader was..."
Only someone who values camaraderie among fellow disciples would defend you like this.
"Yes! Although Senior Sister has a cold and aloof personality, she does take good care of us junior sisters, she just doesn't say it out loud." Fifth Uncle nodded in agreement.
He added, "But you absolutely mustn't mention this in front of her, especially not that I told you!"
“Of course.” Su Mu smiled.
The sect leader who would draw his sword and attack at the slightest provocation is quite different from her. When she was first taken in, although she was taciturn,
She never drew her sword because of his teasing; her little face just turned as red as an apple, and she secretly gave him a resentful look.
Could it be that he really fell in love with me at first sight?
Amidst the swirling thoughts, a bright moon quietly climbed above the treetops. Before long, the familiar gates of the Sleeping Flower Sect came into view.
However, Su Mu was stunned as soon as he stepped into the sect.
The senior sisters were actually cultivating diligently! Their expressions were solemn, and every move they made was extremely serious, though their tightly pursed lips and slight...
Their furrowed brows revealed their reluctance.
"Xiao Mu, Xiao Xiao..."
When the senior female students saw the two return, they instinctively wanted to rush over to greet them, but they stopped themselves as soon as they took a step and continued waving their long arms.
They used swords or spells, but their eyes kept glancing in their direction.
"Senior sisters, what's going on here?"