Chapter 731

Although she had been teased by Li Xuanyi for a while, Song Qingming felt no resentment in his heart upon learning that she and Song Qingyu had returned safely; he still followed behind the two of them with a chuckle as they walked into the "Hui Xian Pavilion."

Not long after, Huang Siyuan, having learned of Song Qingming's return, also finished her alchemy tasks and came here to join the three of them for tea and conversation.

Having left the family to gain experience for ten years, Song Qingyu had naturally broadened her horizons significantly, and together with Li Xuanyi, she kept telling Song Qingming and the others about many of the strange things the two of them had encountered in the East Sea cultivation world over these years.

After the two of them parted ways with Song Qingming and the others at "Tian Dan City" back then, their footprints had covered many parts of the East Sea; not only did they explore several secret realms, but they also spent a period of time in the outer seas after boarding a treasure ship with several rogue cultivators of the same tier.

The two of them had not only broadened their horizons while traveling together, but they had also forged a deep friendship, and now their relationship seemed even closer than the one they had with Song Qingming.

Of course, during these ten years of traveling abroad, Song Qingyu and her companion had gained many opportunities, and their cultivation bases had each improved, though they had also encountered many dangers.

When Song Qingyu was hunting demons in the outer seas, she was once targeted by a powerful Great Demon King with formidable supernatural abilities and nearly lost her life; in the end, it was only with Li Xuanyi's help that she managed to escape while injured.

Hearing Song Qingyu and her companion speak of the dangerous situations they had encountered, Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan both felt a bit nervous.

However, when cultivators go out to gain experience and seek opportunities, encountering danger is always unavoidable; when Song Qingming himself was hunting demons in the outer seas with others back then, he had also nearly been forced into a desperate situation when he encountered the "Heavenly Wind Beast Tide."

Had it not been for the many spiritual items he had on him at the time, coupled with a bit of luck, he likely would not have survived until now and would have perished abroad long ago.

After spending half a day recounting their experiences, Song Qingyu turned to Song Qingming, who was sitting to the side drinking tea, and asked: "Seventh Brother, Sister-in-law told me about Sister He's situation; I didn't expect that she would have encountered such danger when she returned last time. It's a pity I wasn't at home at the time and couldn't go to help out."

"Having been traveling all over the East Sea cultivation world these years, I also kept forgetting to go to the Hundred Flower Palace to see her. I'm afraid she might have some resentment toward me now; when I find an opportunity, I must go to her door and offer an apology to Sister He."

Regarding He Mengxin's situation, Huang Siyuan only knew the general circumstances; what she and Song Qingyu were referring to was naturally when He Mengxin encountered an attack by rogue cultivators in Qinghe County and was later rescued by Song Qingming, Xia Mo, and the others.

As Song Qingyu, who addressed He Mengxin as a sister, she naturally felt somewhat 【distressed】 about her good sister's encounter.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming also said with a calm expression: "The cultivation world is not peaceful anywhere; whether you are abroad or at home, you must be very careful."

"To be honest, I didn't expect that there were actually bandit cultivators hiding inside Mount Yunwu. If it hadn't been for Fairy Xia and the others from the Hundred Flower Palace helping to resolve this hidden danger last time, I'm afraid we would all have suffered losses here in the future."

Hearing Song Qingming's explanation, Song Qingyu and Huang Siyuan both felt lingering fear as well; although "Qinghe County," which the family governs, has been very peaceful on the surface these years, they have also encountered many dangers in secret.

"Not to mention the chaos caused by demon beasts, you went to the East Sea to exchange for spiritual items this time, and Sister-in-law even said you would be back in a month. Why did it take so long to see you? Could it be that the trip to the Hundred Flower Palace was unfavorable and you didn't exchange for what you wanted? If that's the case, next time I'll accompany you to the Hundred Flower Palace again and go find Sister He to ask for her help. Don't worry, even if she has complaints about me, she definitely won't truly be angry with me."

Seeing Song Qingyu suddenly ask about his own affairs, Song Qingming hurriedly shook his head and said: "Although I didn't see Fairy Xia when I went to the Hundred Flower Palace this time, the trip went smoothly, and the items have already been exchanged."

"The reason I returned late was that I stopped by to visit an old friend on the way, and later I helped her with a favor, which delayed me for some time."

"An old friend? What old friend could Seventh Brother have in the East Sea? How come I've never heard you mention it before, and you were even able to be invited to help? I guess this old friend isn't some fairy again, is she!"

Hearing the teasing words from Song Qingyu's mouth, Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi, who were sitting to the side, turned their curious gazes toward Song Qingming one after another, seemingly very interested in the old friend he spoke of.

Seeing that all three people present were looking at him at the same time, Song Qingming felt a bit helpless; he could only glare slightly at Song Qingyu and explain to everyone:

"This person is a junior I met when I was traveling in the East Sea years ago. At that time, I saw that her path into cultivation was quite difficult, and her character was not bad, so I helped her out."

"When I parted ways with you at Tian Dan City last time, I happened to run into her again. Seeing that she had succeeded in her cultivation and had already achieved Foundation Establishment, it could be considered a stroke of fate, so I offered her some guidance."

"I originally intended to stop by and see her on my way to the East Sea this time, but unexpectedly, I was invited by her to help explore a Jin Dan cave dwelling, which even gave me some unexpected gains; it can be considered encountering a stroke of good fortune."

Speaking of this, a smile suddenly appeared on Song Qingming's face, and he then told everyone around him the whole story of how he and Luo Li explored the cave dwelling of the "Heavenly Corpse Daoist" together.

Song Qingming's words also successfully shifted the attention of Huang Siyuan and the others to the exploration of the cave dwelling; especially after hearing that Song Qingming had obtained several high-quality third-tier magic treasures, the three people sitting nearby had a flash of surprise in their eyes.

Song Qingyu, who had just been thinking of teasing Song Qingming, now had a look of envy on her face as she said: "My Senior Sister and I have been traveling abroad for ten years and have been to many secret realms and treasure lands rumored to have treasures, yet we haven't been able to find many good things."

"Seventh Brother, you just went to visit a junior old friend, and you were actually able to have such a harvest. This Heavenly Dao is truly a bit unfair; why is it that I never encounter such good things?"

Hearing Song Qingyu's grievance, Li Xuanyi, who was to the side, said thoughtfully in consolation: "Song Junior Brother performed this act of kindness back then, which is why he can reap this good fruit today; it is indeed a very rare thing, so Qingyu, you shouldn't envy him."

"The opportunities that are meant for you will never run away; it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet. I believe that as long as you work hard at your cultivation, sooner or later, you will also be able to obtain an opportunity better than Song Junior Brother's."

"That's right! Speaking of opportunities, Qingyu, you were only at the Foundation Establishment stage back then, yet you were able to obtain a complete sword cultivation inheritance; how is your opportunity weaker than others? Why do you need to envy your husband?"

"Li Senior Sister is right; as long as you cultivate well, the opportunities you can obtain in the future will definitely not be worse than your husband's."

"Hmm! Sister-in-law's words make sense. If we're talking about opportunities, being able to cultivate to where I am now is the greatest opportunity of my life. If Seventh Brother hadn't carried me up the mountain back then, how could I have today's achievements?"

Hearing the comfort from Li Xuanyi and Huang Siyuan, Song Qingyu immediately changed her tone and smiled, and everyone else followed with relieved smiles.

The four of them hadn't gathered together for many years, and they chatted for the better part of the day, not returning to their respective cave dwellings until the sun set behind the western mountains.

As night fell, Li Xuanyi, who was meditating in the cave dwelling specially arranged for her by the Song family, suddenly heard a fluctuation from the restriction at the entrance; she hurriedly put away her magic power, stood up, and went to the door.

"Qingyu, you're coming to find me so late?" After Li Xuanyi opened the formation restriction outside, she saw Song Qingyu walking in slowly and immediately asked with a smile.

Song Qingyu looked at Li Xuanyi and pointed to the door again; only after she had restored the restriction outside the door did she feel at ease and say: "Senior Sister, regarding that place, why don't we just tell Seventh Brother clearly? With his help, perhaps we might have a chance to get in."

"Don't worry, Seventh Brother is so close to us; even if he doesn't want to go, he definitely won't just leak this matter. Do you think we should tell him tomorrow and see what he thinks?"

Hearing what Song Qingyu said, Li Xuanyi's face immediately showed a bit of helplessness; she shook her head directly at Song Qingyu and said:

"I knew you couldn't keep things to yourself. If I hadn't reminded you in time today, I'm afraid you would have already been unable to resist speaking to Song Junior Brother."

"Didn't I already agree with you before we came back that we would wait until our cultivation reaches the late stage of Core Formation before we go and try it together? How can you have so little patience? You forgot our agreement as soon as you came back; it really was a waste of all the things I said to you before."

Seeing that Li Xuanyi was a bit unhappy, Song Qingyu hurriedly stepped forward and nodded, saying: "Senior Sister, don't worry. Since it's something I promised you, if I don't get your consent, I definitely won't tell anyone. Otherwise, I wouldn't have specifically run over to ask you tonight."

"I was just a bit anxious and wanted to ask your opinion; it wasn't intentional to disobey you. I hope Senior Sister will definitely not be angry with me because of this."

"Since Senior Sister feels it's a bit inappropriate, then let's stick to what we agreed upon before and wait until our cultivation reaches the late stage of Core Formation. Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone behind your back."

Seeing Song Qingyu say this, Li Xuanyi's expression finally softened a bit, and she said slowly:

"Qingyu, you also know that that place is extremely dangerous. Even if we have Song Junior Brother, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, to help, we don't have much certainty; why take this risk now?"

"It's better to wait until our respective cultivation bases have improved a bit before we go there; it will be safer."

"I can promise you that if we go next time and it still doesn't work, we will inform Song Junior Brother and the others. But before that, you must keep your mouth shut for me and don't let Song Junior Brother and the others easily notice anything."

"Hmm! Then I'll listen to Senior Sister and wait until next time."

Li Xuanyi nodded with relief upon hearing this and said: "It's good that you know. Go back and cultivate quickly; don't let people see you running to find me so late, and let Song Junior Brother and the others see any clues."

Song Qingyu waved her hand upon seeing this and said: "Senior Sister, you are worrying too much. This is Mount Funiu; who would dare to gossip about me? Unless they are tired of living and want to go to the Yin Wind Ridge to dig for mines for a few years."

Seeing Song Qingyu's action, Li Xuanyi also nodded and smiled: "Hehe! Your prestige as an ancestor on the mountain is quite high; I see that they are even more afraid of you than they are of Song Junior Brother."

"With a clever sister like you helping to manage the family, Song Junior Brother has indeed saved a lot of worry; no wonder he often has time to travel around."

"Alright! You have nothing to do, but I still need to continue cultivating. Let's talk slowly about anything else tomorrow!"

After sending away Song Qingyu, who was still somewhat reluctant to leave, Li Xuanyi looked at her departing back, but a hint of envy suddenly appeared in her gaze. After a long while, she turned back and began her own meditation and cultivation again.

After Song Qingming returned, for the following time, he and Huang Siyuan continued as usual, spending their time either in closed-door cultivation or busy with their respective alchemy and formation repair work.

Song Qingyu took Li Xuanyi with her to leave "Qinghe County" and toured around the borders of Wei again; it wasn't until a few months later that Li Xuanyi finally had the intention to return, and the two of them returned to "Mount Funiu" together.

Because he was worried about Li Xuanyi returning to the "Donghuang State" cultivation world alone, even though he knew the other party was somewhat unwilling to have him escort her the whole way, Song Qingming still shamelessly expressed that he wanted to accompany her, saying he wanted to take the opportunity to return and ask his Master, "Daoist Lingxu," about some questions regarding cultivation techniques.

However, this time, Li Xuanyi did not give Song Qingming a hard time; upon hearing Song Qingming's explanation, she immediately nodded and agreed to the matter, and set off with him to return to the "Donghuang State" cultivation world.

Because they had already traveled the path once, Song Qingming was familiar with the route this time and was much faster than when they came.

Although they encountered some obstacles when the two passed through the "Huanhai Desert," they were all safe and sound; they quickly got rid of the trouble and only spent half a year to successfully cross the desert and arrive at the "Donghuang State" cultivation world.

The subsequent journey was also very smooth; after the two entered "Donghuang State," they walked south for a few months and entered the territory of Nanzhou.

On this day, on a small island off the coast of Nanzhou, several mortal fishermen were drying some tattered fishing nets they had just pulled up from the sea on the shore.

Suddenly, a white escape light flew over the sky quickly and stopped on the shore; immediately afterward, two figures stepping on flying boats appeared in the eyes of the several busy fishermen—they were Li Xuanyi and Song Qingming, who wanted to return to the "Grand Void Gate."

Seeing these two immortal masters descending from the sky, these people were startled at first; it wasn't until they saw the faces of the people clearly that they hurriedly ran over quickly.

"Are the two immortal masters here to go to the outer seas?"

Li Xuanyi, who had already changed into a man's attire, looked at the mortal fishermen in front of her and replied softly: "That's right, we are going to the outer seas. Hurry and take me to see your master!"

"My master is on the mountain; please follow me, honored guests."

After confirming the origins of Li Xuanyi and her companion, one of the older men smiled and nodded hurriedly, then led the way and took Li Xuanyi and the others toward the middle of the small island.

This small island is named "Baili Island," not far from "Nanling Island," which Song Qingming had visited last time; he and Li Xuanyi came here to take a treasure ship back to the "Grand Void Gate."

There are many cultivators on "Nanling Island," and there are all kinds of people from all walks of life. Like when Song Qingming first looked for the "Grand Void Gate," taking a treasure ship from "Nanling Island" to the outer seas would always easily attract attention if done too often.

Therefore, every time Li Xuanyi and the other "Grand Void Gate" disciples return to the sect, they come to this "Baili Island" to take a small boat out to sea, following the safe route designated by the sect to reach the vicinity of "Yuxuan Island," where the sect is located.

The person responsible for picking them up on this island is also a cultivator with some connection to the "Grand Void Gate." Although this person's cultivation is not high, only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he is very familiar with the sea routes and often drives treasure ships to the outer seas without ever making any mistakes.

Just as Li Xuanyi and Song Qingming were following the old man toward the island, a green escape light suddenly flew from the sky not far away and landed not far from the several people, turning into a burly man dressed in yellow clothes.

This burly man in yellow not only looked a bit fierce, but his cultivation was also much higher than Song Qingming and Li Xuanyi's, having already reached the ninth layer of the Jin Dan stage.

Seeing that the newcomer's cultivation was so high and that he was staring fixedly at the two of them, Song Qingming immediately became a bit nervous.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask about the other party's intentions, he didn't expect Li Xuanyi, who was beside him, to speak first with a look of surprise.

"Big Brother, why is it you?"

"Xuanyi, I felt your life tablet nearby earlier, so I thought I'd come over to see. I didn't expect it was really you who returned!" The burly man in yellow smiled immediately upon seeing Li Xuanyi and greeted her.

"I just returned this time, and Big Brother caught up with me. Could it be that you have been guarding nearby all along?"

Hearing Li Xuanyi's doubt, the burly man in yellow smiled with a very calm expression: "You girl, why are you getting more and more suspicious now? With so many family industries nearby, can't I come here for a walk?"

"It's you, you finally returned after so much trouble, yet you don't even know to go home and take a look. What are you running here for?"

"Ever since you went abroad to apprentice, you've been running around all these years and never staying home. The ancestor on the mountain often misses and worries about you; don't you know that!"

"Big Brother, I know everything you said. Didn't I just go back last time I returned? How could it be that I haven't been home for a long time? With so many people in the family, why do you keep missing me alone?"

Hearing her older brother's nagging, Li Xuanyi's expression became a bit displeased, and she pouted.

Song Qingming, who was standing to the side, understood everything upon hearing the conversation between the two; the burly man in yellow before him not only knew Li Xuanyi, but also seemed to be her family member. His previously nervous mood relaxed immediately.

Seeing the brother and sister talking, Song Qingming stood to the side, fearing that it might be inconvenient for the other party, so he took the initiative to turn and walk to the side, waving his hand at the leading fisherman, signaling him to go ahead and wait for them for a while.

At this time, the burly man in yellow's gaze had also shifted to Song Qingming. Seeing that the person in front of him was young yet was also a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator, he couldn't help but show a bit of surprise and took the initiative to step forward and cup his hands at Song Qingming, who was just about to leave.

"This fellow Daoist, I am Li Xuanfeng from Liuyun Mountain. Greetings."

Li Xuanyi, who was standing to the side, became nervous instantly upon seeing Li Xuanfeng step forward to greet Song Qingming. Fearing that she would be detected if she sent a secret voice transmission, she could only try her best to squeeze her eyes at Song Qingming from behind Li Xuanfeng.

Seeing Li Xuanfeng take the initiative to greet him, Song Qingming hurriedly turned around and returned the salute: "I am Song Qingming, just a rogue cultivator from afar. Greetings, fellow Daoist."

After Song Qingming got to know Li Xuanyi back then, he had long heard some information about Li Xuanyi's cultivation family from her, knowing that the other party came from the famous Nascent Soul immortal clan "Liuyun Mountain" Li family in Nanzhou.

However, seeing Li Xuanyi wink at him, Song Qingming also knew that she was worried he would say the wrong thing in front of Li Xuanfeng, so he hurriedly hid his identity and directly called himself a rogue cultivator from afar.

Seeing that Song Qingming understood his meaning immediately, Li Xuanyi finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

"Oh! So Fellow Daoist Song is a rogue cultivator from afar. I thought Fellow Daoist was a fellow sect member of my sister's, which is why you came here together. There was some misunderstanding."

Hearing Li Xuanfeng directly say the four words "fellow sect member," Song Qingming looked at him with a look of surprise. For a moment, he was not sure if the other party had already guessed his identity and did not know how to open his mouth to answer.

At this time, not only was Song Qingming a bit surprised, but even Li Xuanyi, who had just relaxed behind him, had a nervous expression on her face. She hurriedly stepped forward and spoke to Li Xuanfeng:

"Big Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? This Fellow Daoist Song is just a rogue cultivator friend I met while traveling abroad; where would there be any 'fellow sect member' relationship?"

"Fellow Daoist Song came to Nanzhou this time because he wanted to see the outer seas. I happened to be familiar with this place, so I just brought him along on the way."

Hearing that Li Xuanyi seemed to be blaming him, Li Xuanfeng hurriedly smiled and explained: "Hehe! Didn't I misunderstand? Look at how nervous you are; you won't even let people talk."

"I have a straightforward personality and often speak without thinking. If I said anything wrong just now, I hope Fellow Daoist Song will definitely not mind and just pretend you never heard it."

Seeing this, Song Qingming hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Fellow Daoist Li is straightforward and quick-spoken, which is also a personality I like. Why would there be anything to mind? You are too polite, fellow Daoist."

The "Liuyun Mountain" Li family is a cultivation family with a heritage even longer than the Xiaoyao Sect, and there is a Nascent Soul ancestor sitting in the clan; their strength is not inferior to the "Xiaoyao Sect" of Wei at all.

As a cultivation family that has been passed down for thousands of years in Nanzhou, the Li family is also one of the few Nascent Soul forces that know of the existence of the "Grand Void Gate," and they are also clear about Li Xuanyi apprenticing under "Daoist Lingxu."

However, although they know of the existence of the "Grand Void Gate," they do not understand this mysterious sect located in the outer seas.

After Li Xuanyi apprenticed under the "Grand Void Gate," she was also very compliant with the sect's rules, just like Song Qingming, and had never revealed anything about the "Grand Void Gate" to her family.

Li Xuanfeng, as Li Xuanyi's older brother, although he knew his sister had apprenticed under a mysterious sect, had always been unaware of the specific situation. Logically speaking, he should not have been able to guess the relationship between Song Qingming and her so easily.

However, the other party asking like this was clearly meant to probe. Song Qingming was also a bit helpless about this; after all, he and Li Xuanyi were caught red-handed here by the other party. No matter how he explained it, it would inevitably make people suspicious.

After getting to know Song Qingming, Li Xuanfeng turned to Li Xuanyi, who was to the side, with a calm expression and said: "Xuanyi, the ancestor has something urgent recently and wants you to go home. Since you have already returned, then just come back to the mountain with me first."

"Fellow Daoist Song just wants to go to the outer seas; that's not a difficult matter. You can just rent a treasure ship nearby. You don't need to follow along for the rest of the matters!" (End of chapter)