Chapter 179: 179. Chapter 179 Da Yu's Number One Deep Affection

179. Chapter 179 Da Yu's Number One Deep Affection

"Currently, the women of Baihua Valley are staying at Qing Stone Peak, five hundred li west of Liyang Zhenren City; Qing Stone Peak only has a second‑tier superior spirit vein, and it is their temporary lodging."

"They are in a hurry and want to quickly find a place they can truly settle, because a second‑tier spirit vein is insufficient for Su Wushuang's group of Core Formation and Fake Core True Person cultivators."

"These past days, they have been sending someone to the City Lord's residence almost every day, hoping to meet me as soon as possible; I have been finding excuses to refuse."

"Now, Brother Xiao, if you agree, then we can agree to meet them. How about scheduling it three days from now?"

Gu Zongyuan discussed the meeting time with Xiao Zhangqing.

Xiao Zhangqing had no objection, so it was set, arranging to meet Baihua Valley sect master Su Wushuang outside Liyang Zhenren City.

……

……

Qing Stone Peak.

As a second‑tier superior spirit vein, it is considered a fengshui treasure spot even in the Da Yu Cultivation World.

After all, all third‑tier spirit veins are already claimed.

Either they are monopolized by first‑rate sects, or they serve as the strongholds of Core Formation families; throughout the Da Yu Cultivation World, one can hardly find an unclaimed third‑tier spirit vein.

Although Core Formation cultivators are scarce, they still far outnumber third‑tier spirit veins.

A second‑tier superior spirit vein is the highest grade that newly risen forces and newly emerged Core Formation cultivators can attain without allying with other powers.

Moreover, Qing Stone Peak's location is excellent; it is so close to Liyang Zhenren City, the Da Yu Cultivation World's foremost Scattered Cultivator city, making trade of Magic Treasures and Pills or gathering information extremely convenient.

Unfortunately, although Qing Stone Peak's spirit vein grade is good, its scale is small, accommodating few cultivators, so no clan or sect has formed there; it has always housed powerful Foundation Establishment Scattered Cultivators.

When Baihua Valley arrived, the Foundation Establishment scattered cultivators already on Qing Stone Peak naturally stepped aside without a word.

And Baihua Valley certainly will not reside at Qing Stone Peak for long; it is only a temporary lodging.

Even so, the temporary lodging has been organized neatly, with buildings lined up orderly; a defensive formation of second‑tier superior level was hastily erected, and many transplanted spirit plants have been sown in the peak's spirit fields, along with numerous spirit beasts galloping about.

Buzz! A streak of light surged from afar to near, reaching Qing Stone Peak without descending, undergoing Baihua Valley's interrogation and inspection; a dignified, middle‑aged, scholarly man hovered in mid‑air.

Naturally, he is not from Baihua Valley; after all, Baihua Valley does not accept male disciples.

Yet the elder guarding the formation, upon seeing him, opened the array without hesitation, allowing him to enter Qing Stone Peak.

After entering the formation, the middle‑aged man did not greet anyone, and flew straight to the mist‑shrouded summit of Qing Stone Peak.

Here is where the sect master of Baihua Valley, the mid‑Core Formation True Person Su Wushuang, resides.

As the man arrived, the summit's clouds gradually dispersed, revealing a white‑clad woman sitting cross‑legged on the cliff's edge.

The white‑clad woman appeared to be just over twenty, with a delicate appearance; though time left no trace on her, she seemed like an untouched maiden. Yet when she opened her bright eyes, a sharpness and grandeur could be seen, showing she is not a pure white lotus but the Baihua Valley sect master with depth and ambition! "Wushuang, long time no see; your bearing has not only not faded but even surpasses the past," the man said, his eyes full of tenderness, and his scholarly aura made the whole scene feel deeply affectionate.

He is the renowned "Da Yu's Number One Deep Affection" Zhu Qingyun, Zhu True Person.

Zhu Qingyun is an elder of Xingyue Palace, and also the most promising seed to become a Nascent Soul True Lord in Xingyue Palace so far.

Now he has reached the late Core Formation stage, and among Core Formation cultivators in the Da Yu Cultivation World, his reputation is few and not inferior to Liyang Zhenren.

Of course, who is stronger between Zhu Qingyun and Liyang Zhenren is unknown to outsiders since they have never fought, but there is no doubt that Zhu Qingyun ranks among the top three Core Formation cultivators in Xingyue Palace.

Moreover, his Core Formation quality was very high at the start, comparable to Gu Zongyuan's, just a thread away from a flawless first‑grade Golden Core.

Such a high Golden Core quality, combined with his excellent innate comprehension, made his cultivation speed very fast, so Xingyue Palace placed great expectations on him early on.

Of course.

Now Xingyue Palace has produced Qin Feng, whose talent and aptitude surpass even more.

But Qin Feng has only just formed a Golden Core, at the early Core Formation stage; aiming to break into the Nascent Soul realm is still a matter of several tens to hundreds of years.

Currently, Zhu Qingyun is most likely still the next Xingyue Palace contender to break into the Nascent Soul realm.

However, the reason Zhu Qingyun's reputation is so great, besides his status and innate strength, is also his moniker "Da Yu's Number One Deep Affection".

He fell in love with Su Wushuang at first sight during his Foundation Establishment Realm.

At that time he disregarded even sect orders, wanting to travel everywhere with Su Wushuang; even though Prince Xiang had intentions and the goddess was indifferent, Su Wushuang clearly rejected him from the start, and Zhu Qingyun remained devoted.

The lofty Nascent Soul sect's pride, yet like a sycophant, pursued Su Wushuang affectionately for decades.

Finally, it even emerged that Zhu Qingyun had a "childhood betrothal" fiancée.

The female cultivator was also extremely outstanding, her cultivation talent not inferior to Zhu Qingyun's, and her appearance was lofty, truly like a celestial maiden. Yet Zhu Qingyun was not interested in her at all, his heart fixed on Su Wushuang, and when the wedding date approached he broke the engagement.

The female cultivator did not weep or seek revenge or anything.

Soon after the broken engagement, news spread that a Nascent Soul elder from the Nine‑Alliance Commerce Guild, which spans several cultivation nations, took her as a disciple.

After that.

About thirty years ago, the female cultivator broke into the Nascent Soul realm in one stroke, causing a sensation in several nearby cultivation nations.

Since then, Zhu Qingyun, the Xingyue Palace pride, has become a "joke" in many eyes. If Zhu Qingyun discards a Nascent Soul fiancée and ends up winning a beauty, that would be one thing, but the key is that Su Wushuang has never agreed.

Thus Zhu Qingyun is essentially nailed to a pillar of disgrace.

In these thirty years, Zhu Qingyun seems to have "given up" and appears to have matured, secluding himself within the sect to cultivate, no longer doing absurd things,

"Dao Companion Zhu, Baihua Valley has received Xingyue Palace's goodwill, but we currently have no plans to take in outsiders. Even if you, Dao Companion Zhu, come personally, it would make no difference," Su Wushuang said calmly.

This time Xingyue Palace sought to recruit Baihua Valley, showing great sincerity; after being rejected, they still did not give up. This time they simply dispatched Zhu Qingyun, who has a close relationship with Su Wushuang, to come.

Zhu Qingyun holds an extremely high position in Xingyue Palace; aside from the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor and the sect master, he is among the highest‑ranked few.

Moreover, having pursued Su Wushuang for decades, even if there is no romance, there is some friendship between them.

"Wushuang, we haven't seen each other for nearly thirty years; my coming cannot be just to think of you or rekindle feelings. Must it be solely for sect affairs?" Zhu Qingyun's eyes looked helpless yet affectionate at the other.

Su Wushuang, however, completely rejected that line, "Fine. If from now until you leave you do not utter a single word about sect matters, then we can chat for a while, as old friends catching up."

"Um…" Zhu Qingyun scratched his head, gave a forced smile, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea to mask his awkwardness, then shyly said, "Alright, I did come because I have a sect mission, so we must discuss it; otherwise I can't report back."

A faint, indistinct smile flickered at Su Wushuang's mouth corner, but it quickly vanished.

Indeed.

She cannot develop feelings for Zhu Qingyun; she does not like him.

Perhaps because of her own reasons, or perhaps because of the rules of Baihua Valley, as the valley master she should set an example, not discuss personal romantic matters, and should focus solely on cultivation.

But the other party has pursued them for decades, and to be frank, Zhu Qingyun is still this outstanding; whether it's cultivation talent, appearance, temperament, character, etc., they can all be called excellent.

Even if there is no romance, there is still friendship.

Therefore Su Wushuang's cold demeanor is due to her personality, not directed at Zhu Qingyun.

Moreover, with her many years as valley master, she is virtually invincible in the Da Yu Cultivation World Southwest Region, making her appear like an iceberg to anyone. Not to mention Zhu Qingyun, even the disciples and elders of Baihua Valley have almost forgotten what her smile looks like.

Zhu Qingyun does not even know whether they saw that hint of a smile from Su Wushuang; they simply shift the conversation and solemnly say: "But I, Wushuang, assure you, the sect's orders are secondary to me! My primary concern is that I truly miss you, I want to come see you, to see how you are now!"

"You also know that since that incident, I have been placed under sect confinement. Until I truly break through to the Nascent Soul, I am not normally permitted to come find you again."

"So for these thirty years I have been training desperately, not to prove my greatness to the world, but simply to have the sect stop controlling me, so I can come find you sooner. As for whether I can achieve a Nascent Soul, honestly, I don't care. Forming a Nascent Soul would be better, but even if I fail the breakthrough, it doesn't matter; even if my cultivation regresses, as long as I can be with you, I am willing."

Upon hearing this, Su Wushuang's beautiful, distant‑mountain‑like eyebrows twitched slightly, and she said: "Dao Companion Zhu, you need not be like this; Wushuang cannot bear such affection. After all these years, you should be well aware that there is no possibility between us…"

She paused, about to speak but held back.

After a moment's thought, Su Wushuang still kept a cold expression and said cautiously: "Moreover… how can we cultivators treat whether we achieve a Nascent Soul as indifferent? Dao Companion, your talent is extremely high; under two hundred years old you are already at the late Golden Core stage, and your Golden Core is also of fine quality, so you should plan carefully, striving to successfully break through to the Nascent Soul. If you can form a Nascent Soul, the world will open up, and you will truly be qualified to stand above the clouds and look down upon all beings. Therefore you must not treat this as a child's play, nor rush; you must make thorough preparations, accumulate enough, then attempt the breakthrough."

"Wushuang… are you caring for me?" The tenderness in Zhu Qingyun's eyes was almost so intense it seemed ready to melt into water.

A dignified late Golden Core cultivator, a Nascent Soul seed of Xingyue Palace, faced with Su Wushuang's casual words, found themselves unexpectedly moved.

Su Wushuang lowered her eyelids and said coldly: "I'm merely speaking offhand; whether you listen is up to you. Even if it weren't you, but any other known friend who reaches the late Golden Core stage and faces the Nascent Soul breakthrough, I would give them this advice."

"I… I will listen! Anything you, Wushuang, say I will heed! For you, I will exert my utmost effort to achieve a true Nascent Soul." Zhu Qingyun said earnestly, then sighed: "But forming a Nascent Soul is extremely difficult. Even the palace master's talent is not inferior to mine, and he possesses a flawless first‑grade Golden Core; the Nascent Soul breakthrough artifacts prepared are also top‑tier, yet they still ended in failure. I have given my all, and the chance of success is probably less than twenty percent…"

Su Wushuang lifted her eyes: "Matters depend on human effort. At least you, Dao Companion, still have a chance to try, which is already what countless people dream of."

Zhu Qingyun nodded, gave a bright smile, and said: "Indeed. Whether I succeed or not doesn't matter. Being able to leave the sect and see you, Wushuang, before the Nascent Soul breakthrough is already very fortunate. The sect has also prepared many breakthrough artifacts for me; they may not be top‑tier, but even if the breakthrough fails, the chance of survival is still high—at worst my cultivation regresses and my strength won't be what it is now. To be alive, to stay by your side for a long time, that is enough, hehe…"

Su Wushuang waved a hand, displeased: "Let's get to business. Xingyue Palace brought you here—what persuasion do they intend?"

Zhu Qingyun then suppressed his many emotions and began discussing the matter at hand.

Xingyue Palace's sincerity was indeed great, or perhaps it was because Zhu Qingyun had secured many benefits for Su Wushuang and Baihua Valley.

Besides its own sect's fourth‑grade spirit veins, Xingyue Palace also controls two nearby third‑grade spirit veins, which can allocate one to Baihua Valley and guarantee non‑interference in its internal affairs and inheritance; moreover, for a hundred years Baihua Valley would not need to pay tributes, enjoying high autonomy.

Although Baihua Valley was incorporated into Xingyue Palace as a branch, in reality there was little change, and it could even enjoy many conveniences afforded by Xingyue Palace, one of the two dominant powers of the Da Yu Cultivation World.

This condition.

Not to mention sects like Baihua Valley that have lost their own gate; even some well‑established Golden Core sects in the Da Yu Cultivation World would likely be tempted.

After all, being merged into a Nascent Soul sect is something many people dream of.

Unfortunately, Su Wushuang gave it almost no thought and resolutely declined.

"As expected…"

Zhu Qingyun could only give a wry smile at this outcome; though disappointed, given his understanding of Su Wushuang and Baihua Valley, it was foreseeable.

He said no more persuasion, only: "I know your current plan, Wushuang, is to set your sights on Liyang Zhenren City. Not to mention Liyang Zhenren City is now in turmoil, and its future is uncertain, making it not a good choice. Moreover, the Liyang Zhenren is still wandering; if he returns in the future, how will Baihua Valley manage itself?"

"Another crucial point: even now, Liyang Zhenren City may not accept Baihua Valley."

"If you, Wushuang, fail to enter Liyang Zhenren City, would you consider joining Xingyue Palace?"

Su Wushuang, brimming with confidence, said: "I won't fail!" (End of chapter)