173: Chapter 173 Yunyan's Insistence

A day and a night later.

The flying carriage stopped in a hidden valley overgrown with Glimmering Ghost Grass, with faint silver-blue fluorescence dancing in the air.

True Lord Youyue pulled back the curtains and was the first to step off the carriage.

Liu Yunyan followed behind her, her beautiful eyes bright and lively as she curiously looked around. "Senior, what place is this?"

"We are still in the Northern Southern Region, but it should only be several hundred thousand miles away from the place you want to go."

She bowed slightly. "Thank you, Senior. It's just that Mist has nothing on her to repay you with. I can only wait until I return to my Family later to repay your kindness."

She shook her head. "There's no need for repayment. I was commissioned by Heavenly Lord Danxia. Being able to help you escape the Liu Family's pursuit is already a great achievement. Heavenly Lord Danxia will reward me later."

"No, Aunt's reward is one thing, but I also have a reward that Senior might find useful."

Realizing she couldn't sway the persistent girl, True Lord Youyue nodded. "Then I shall wait for your reward."

Then, she changed the subject.

"Mist, can I ask you a question? If you're unwilling, you don't have to answer."

Liu Yunyan smiled faintly. "Senior wants to know the reason I came out, right? Actually, it's exactly what you all think."

"To find that male cultivator named Xu Changsheng?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm about to advance to the Golden Core Stage, and then I'll have to enter seclusion for a long time to stabilize the True Fire within my body. It could be as short as thirty to fifty years, or as long as a century."

"Are you afraid you won't be able to see him again?"

"Yes. He's a Loose Cultivator with very poor talent. His chances of reaching Foundation Establishment are slim."

Her cold expression melted, revealing a smile. "So you prepared five bottles of foundation establishment pills for him?"

Hearing this, Liu Yunyan's face immediately turned red. "How did Senior know..."

"Did you think dozens of foundation establishment pills were that easy to get? The ones you bought before were all sold to you by my Disciples on my orders. You're being too excessive; even if his Aptitude is low, he doesn't need to take dozens of foundation establishment pills."

"So that's how it was. I was wondering why that person was so kind..."

The ice on True Lord Youyue's face completely thawed as she looked at Liu Yunyan tenderly.

"When I was young, I encountered a situation similar to yours, Mist. He and I were childhood sweethearts, but I entered a Sect while he stayed in the Market as a Loose Cultivator."

Liu Yunyan asked nervously, "Then... then what happened after that?"

Her cold yet beautiful face carried a look of reminiscence. "At first, I often sneaked out of the Sect to find him. This went on for several years."

"But my Cultivation Technique is special, requiring long periods of seclusion in the later stages. Gradually, the time we spent together grew shorter."

"Then, one time, he sent me a message asking me to go find him."

Liu Yunyan's beautiful eyes widened. "Did Senior go find him?"

Her gaze darkened. "No. At that time, there were too many trivial matters in the Sect. By the time I finished handling everything, there wasn't enough time left."

"I could only enter the secret chamber for ten years of seclusion. Since he wasn't that old at the time, I thought I'd go find him after I came out."

Startled, Liu Yunyan pressed further, "And then? When Senior came out, did you see him?"

She lowered her head. "I did."

Liu Yunyan clutched her chest. "That's good, then. That's good."

True Lord Youyue shook her head. "But I didn't see him in person; I saw his tombstone."

Shocked, Liu Yunyan asked, "How could that be? Didn't Senior say he was still young then? Even if he was only at the Qi Refinement Stage, his Lifespan should have been longer than a Mortal's."

She sighed. "In order to catch up to my pace, he risked exploring a Secret Realm with friends. Who would have known that the Secret Realm was a trap? He never made it out."

"How could it be... how could it be!"

Liu Yunyan completely projected herself into True Lord Youyue's youthful experience. The support in her heart suddenly collapsed, and her eyes turned slightly red.

"You were clearly childhood sweethearts, yet it ended like this..."

True Lord Youyue lowered her eyes slightly. "It's all old history now. So many years have passed that I've almost forgotten what he looked like..."

Seeing Liu Yunyan still looking like she was about to burst into tears, she comforted her:

"Mist, what I want to say is that some people are destined to walk different paths from you. Fate cannot be forced. Blindly pursuing it will only lead to a Heart Demon."

"It wasn't until I reached the Nascent Soul stage and reflected on this relationship that I felt fortunate for choosing to let nature take its course. His accidental death not only freed me from concern but also prevented a Heart Demon from forming."

Liu Yunyan sensed the underlying suggestion in her words and suddenly objected:

"I don't agree with Senior's view. I believe that as long as two people love each other, even if it's not possible now, with effort, they can definitely make it to the end. Even though I've never seen his face..."

True Lord Youyue didn't—

She gave a bitter laugh. "Well, I'm not trying to stop you. What I said was just my own experience and perspective."

She put away the flying carriage and took out a map.

"This is the map route I've planned for you. You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself. If I were to intrude into the Central-Southern Region or even the Southern Region, it would attract the attention of other Fellow Daoists, which would make it harder for you to find him."

Liu Yunyan nodded and bowed again. "Mist is already beyond grateful that Senior could bring me this far."

"Mhm."

True Lord Youyue said no more and flew away on the wind.

Liu Yunyan watched her leave, opened the map she had given her, and after choosing a direction, slipped behind a rock.

Fifteen minutes later.

A black shadow emerged. The dazzling golden robe on her body had disappeared, replaced by a set of black clothes. Her face was also covered by a mask, leaving only her eyes visible.

She took out a bronze mirror.

"No, I'll still be recognized."

Her long black hair cascaded down, her features were as beautiful as a painting, and her golden eyes sparkled. With just one look, anyone could tell she was a great beauty.

She took out a manual—Transformation Technique.

She took a deep breath. "I finally managed to wait for the internal chaos of the Family election and sneaked out while Aunt wasn't paying attention. I must not be discovered."

...

Several hours later.

A woman with a short stature, an ordinary face, and dressed in a black martial outfit stepped out from behind the rock.

She took out the bronze mirror again.

Seeing a face completely different from her true appearance, she nodded in satisfaction.

Even if True Lord Youyue returned, she wouldn't recognize the person in the mirror as Liu Yunyan.

She took out the map again, crossed out the obvious route True Lord Youyue had marked for her, and drew a path that was much shorter but far more dangerous.

Although she didn't agree with True Lord Youyue's view on childhood sweethearts, she sensed a hint of unease from the latter's words.

In her memory, Xu Changsheng indeed seemed to go out often. Though she didn't know what he was busy with, it certainly wasn't anything easy.

Because Xu Changsheng would wear night-traveling clothes and close the door stealthily, thinking he could hide it from her, who was blind at the time. But in reality, she knew every time he left.

She had always been silently "watching" him.

"Young Master Xu, wait for me. You must stay safe!"