212: Chapter 212 The wine is cold, but the heart is warm.

As night fell, Chu Sheng's figure appeared outside Jin Xiao City.

He stood on the hillside outside the city, looking at the familiar city, where the lights were woven together and the sounds of people were bustling, no different from when he left more than half a year ago.

But he had changed: from a small Cultivator to a great Cultivator, from a loner to the Lord of Destiny of Wendao Palace, from being hunted by the Heavenly Sword Pavilion to carrying a Heaven And Earth Treasure in his arms.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the city.

Liu Qingyan's residence was in the back street; the old locust tree in the courtyard was still there, its canopy even denser than when he had left.

Chu Sheng did not climb over the wall; he used the front gate.

Liu Qingyan opened the door, the lantern in her hand dropped to the ground, the flame flickered, and then went out.

She did not speak, but rushed forward to hug him, burying her face in his chest, her shoulders heaving with sobs.

Chu Sheng held her and reached out to pat her back: "Let's go inside to talk, it's cold out here."

Liu Qingyan shook her head, hugged him for a while longer, and then let go. Her eyes were red, but she was not crying.

She took Chu Sheng's hand and pulled him into the house.

An incense stick of time later.

Li Zhiyi, Lin Wanqing, and Zhou Wantang were all gathered there.

Li Zhiyi leaned against the doorframe of the inner room, arms crossed, her mouth as unforgiving as ever: "So you still know how to come back?"

Her eyes were also red.

Lin Wanqing sat on a chair, holding a cup of tea in her hands; the tea had already gone cold, but she did not put it down.

She looked at Chu Sheng, her gaze calm, a faint smile on her lips.

Zhou Wantang stood by the window with her back to him; the moonlight shone on her, casting her shadow on the ground.

Several of them had grown bellies.

Chu Sheng glanced at their aura and raised an eyebrow.

Li Zhiyi was at the Peak of True Gathering Realm and looked like she was about to have a Breakthrough; it was several Realms higher than the Qi Induction she had broken through at before.

Lin Wanqing was at the Early Stage of Gu Zhen, Liu Qingyan was at the Middle Stage Gùzhēn, and Zhou Wantang was at the Peak of True Transformation Realm, just one step away from breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm.

He had given them some Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills before he left, but not enough to make them progress this fast.

Liu Qingyan said that ever since Chu Sheng went to Wendao Palace and the news spread back to Jin Xiao City, her status had risen with the tide.

Various forces in Jin Xiao City vied to befriend her, sending Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and Cultivation Techniques; the threshold was almost trampled down.

Their cultivation levels had risen all the way through this kind of "passive investment."

After listening, Chu Sheng was silent for a moment.

Before, he gave them resources; now, others were using his influence to give them resources.

This feeling was quite satisfying.

He began to take things out of his Storage Pouch.

purple gold ganoderma, a seventh-grade Spirit Medicine.

Ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ginseng, capable of regrowing bones and reviving the dead.

crimson flame vermillion fruit, a seventh-grade spirit fruit; consuming one allows a Cultivator in the Spirit Sea Realm to directly break through a minor Realm. He had given one away and kept two.

dragon saliva fruit, phoenix blood vine, nine-leaf green lotus...

With every item Chu Sheng took out, the Spiritual Qi in the room grew denser.

By the time he took out the fifth item, the air was as thick as water, and even breathing made his throat feel sweet.

The expressions of the four women changed from surprise to shock, and from shock to numbness.

Li Zhiyi was the first to speak, her voice a bit airy: "You... where did you get all these?"

Chu Sheng said: "I picked them up."

Li Zhiyi glared at him, but didn't ask again.

She knew Chu Sheng had too many secrets, and she would never finish asking about them.

Liu Qingyan looked at the crimson flame vermillion fruit and couldn't help but reach out to touch it. As soon as her fingertips touched the skin of the fruit, a pure fire-attribute Spiritual Qi surged into her body through her fingers.

Her Azure Wood Physique automatically activated, converting that Spiritual Qi into wood-attribute.

She exclaimed and pulled her hand back. Looking down, she saw a layer of visible Spiritual light flowing on her fingertips.

Zhou Wantang looked at the ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ginseng; it was humanoid, with clear facial features, like a tiny baby.

She was an Alchemist, so of course she knew the value of this thing.

She stood up, walked over to Chu Sheng, looked into his eyes, and said softly: "Did you... did you encounter danger?"

Chu Sheng was taken aback, then smiled.

Only Lin Wanqing's first reaction was not the value of these items, but that he had taken risks.

Chu Sheng reached out to ruffle her hair and said no, he just happened to pass by.

Lin Wanqing lowered her head, her ears turning red.

Zhou Wantang walked over from the window, picked up the purple gold ganoderma, examined it over and over, and put it back.

She did not ask about the origin of these Heaven And Earth Treasures, but simply said: "You had a Breakthrough, Dao Palace?"

Chu Sheng nodded.

Zhou Wantang: "I am still a bit away from the Spirit Sea Realm. These Spirit Medicines are just right."

Chu Sheng divided these Heaven And Earth Treasures into four portions, one for each person.

It was not divided equally, but according to their Physique and cultivation level.

Liu Qingyan's Azure Wood Physique was paired with the nine-leaf green lotus, Zhou Wantang's Alchemy talent was paired with the ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ginseng, Li Zhiyi's Sword Saint trait was paired with the crimson flame vermillion fruit, and Lin Wanqing's Hidden Demon Physique was paired with the purple gold ganoderma.

The other items, like the dragon saliva fruit and phoenix blood vine, were distributed equally.

The four women looked at the pile of Heaven And Earth Treasures in front of them and exchanged glances.

Liu Qingyan whispered: "These things are enough to buy the entire Jin Xiao City, right?"

Li Zhiyi said: "It's not enough to buy the entire Jin Xiao City; it's enough to buy ten."

Lin Wanqing didn't speak, but her hands were trembling.

Zhou Wantang was the calmest and had already started planning how to charge toward the Spirit Sea Realm.

Chu Sheng sat on the chair, watching them, feeling very at ease.

He did not give them everything; he kept more than half, because for a Condensing True Essence Cultivator, these were enough.

No matter how good Wendao Palace was, it was not his home.

No matter how dense the Luck of Wendao Palace was, it was not as comforting as these few people.

The Heavenly Sword Pavilion wanted to kill him, Feng Qingyang's lineage viewed him as an enemy, and Ye Cang was polite but distant toward him.

But here, in this small house, he was their husband, their man.

He took that pot of wine out of his sleeve, pulled out the stopper, and took a gulp.

The wine was cold, the wind was cold, the moon was cold.

But his heart was warm.