308: Arriving at the Floating City

[Once the three figures vanished, Cao Qingyi suddenly stood up and pulled you toward the second-floor loft.]

[As soon as you entered the wing room, she looked directly at you: "Nangong Xueyu... what is your relationship with her?"]

[You blinked: "Huh? It's the first time I've ever seen her."]

["The first time?" Cao Qingyi's gaze locked onto yours. "Usually in Tianyang City, you look at any female Cultivator with cold indifference, treating them as if they were nothing more than pebbles by the roadside."]

["Why is it that when you look at her... there's a hint of something different?"]

["And... the way she looks at you is also different."]

["Huh?" You intentionally raised your voice to hide your inner turmoil. "How is that possible? I swear, this really is the first time I've met her."]

[You smiled, a smile that made it impossible to tell truth from falsehood—naturally, using a genuine smile to mask your guilt.]

[You tried hard to recall some painful past events, and your expression turned serious as you lightly pressed your hands on her shoulders. "Qingyi, my heart is set on the Great Dao. How could I be preoccupied with romantic entanglements?"]

[She looked at you seriously, her expression filled with suspicion and uncertainty.]

[You took another deep breath, your tone turning somber. "This journey to the ruins is exceptionally dangerous. Your cultivation is still shallow; it's better if you... return to Tianyang City first."]

["If there's anything you need, tell me, and I'll get it for you."]

[She whispered, "I have no desires. My only concern... is my good-for-nothing younger brother."]

["Your brother's situation is indeed thorny." You frowned slightly. "If only his Spiritual Root could be returned to its original owner..."]

["We considered that later as well, but it's easier said than done." Cao Qingyi sighed softly, a deep sorrow etched between her brows.]

[She changed the subject. "Forget it, let's not talk about that."]

["However, you were right just now. I really shouldn't become a burden to you."]

["Since I know you act cautiously and possess such strength... I can rest easy."]

["I will return to Tianyang City tomorrow and wait for your return."]

["Alright..." You grinned and winked. "Then shall we... rest early?"]

[The tips of Cao Qingyi's ears instantly turned beet red, her breathing quickened, and she buried her burning cheeks into your shoulder with practiced ease.]

[Two days later,]

["It's time for you to go back," you said gently.]

["Tomorrow... I'll go back tomorrow." In your arms, Cao Qingyi's eyes shimmered as she spoke with a flirtatious pout.]

[Three days later,]

["Isn't it... time to go back?" A trace of imperceptible fatigue lingered in your voice.]

["Tomorrow, then!" Cao Qingyi leaned against your arm, her voice clear and full of vigor.]

[Five days later,]

[Ultimately, with great reluctance, Cao Qingyi boarded the spirit boat back to Tianyang City along with Cao Tianxiong, Yin Wujiu, and the others.]

[Midway through the flight, only the siblings were inside the third-floor loft.]

[Cao Tianxiong looked at his silent sister and couldn't help but ask, "Sis, the Immortal Palace is about to appear... are we really not going?"]

[Cao Qingyi glanced at him, waved her hand to envelop the loft in a soundproofing spiritual light, and then whispered, "Since your brother-in-law has such strength, our presence would only be a burden."]

[Cao Tianxiong scratched his head and grinned. "Fine then, I'll go back and continue being... playing my role as a playboy young master!"]

[Cao Qingyi gazed at him, her voice deepening. "All these years... you've suffered."]

["It's nothing," Cao Tianxiong waved his hand, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "For the Cao family, I'll do anything."]

[He paused, his tone turning flat. "After all... a Cao family that poses no threat is what those people want to see."]

[Both of them couldn't help but recall that year—the crisis that nearly wiped out the Cao family was triggered by the news of Cao Jun's extraordinary talent leaking out.]

[At that time, undercurrents surged among various powers, and even the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty tacitly agreed to abandon the Cao family.]

[Cao Ruide was forced to follow the method taught by that person—using the "Vein-Stealing Root-Shifting Technique" to transplant Cao Jun's Spiritual Root and Physique into Cao Tianxiong.]

[Although this move preserved the Cao family, it completely altered the fates of the two children.]

[It was also after that that Cao Ruide handed over all the affairs of the City Lord's Manor to Cao Qingyi and announced his seclusion to the outside world, vanishing without a trace thereafter.]

[In truth, there were many ways to change fate, but Cao Ruide ultimately chose the worst possible option—of course, any method of changing fate comes with a price.]

[Cao Tianxiong sighed and continued, "Sis, with brother-in-law's strength, have you never suspected him?"]

[Cao Qingyi gazed into the distance. "I suspected him at first too, but with his level of strength... there shouldn't be anything in my Cao family worth his coveting."]

[In fact, after Cao Qingyi was affected by the spring-arousing powder and humiliated by you last time, she really did consider killing you.]

[But when you actually withstood her pressure back then, it piqued her curiosity.]

[Her final shred of reason told her that keeping you around might be more useful.]

[The result, however, was that she became uncontrollably drawn to your aura of confidence, arrogance, and composure.]

[After all, attraction between the opposite sexes often stems from initial curiosity and a sense of mystery.]

[You, of course, were unaware of this—after all, you were already at the Soul Transformation stage, and people or things that posed no threat could hardly cause any emotional ripples in you.]

[If you were truly just a Golden Core Cultivator, the fear of life-and-death threats would naturally be impossible to fake.]

[On the other side,]

[You and Qin Feng agreed that he would continue to pose as Qi Wei and lead Elder Jia, along with the guards and female Cultivators, forward.]

[As for you, you chose to act alone.]

[Seven days later,]

[After changing your appearance, you arrived at the Floating City on the Sea.]

[This time, you did not head to the western district of the city where the Loose Cultivators gathered.]

[To avoid unnecessary trouble, you deliberately suppressed your aura to the Early Nascent Soul Stage.]

[Then, you headed straight toward the northern part of the city.]

[The northern part of the city was low-lying and flooded everywhere, with only the occasional loft floating solitarily above the water; as a result, very few Cultivators came here.]

[You were the only "Nascent Soul Cultivator" to appear here, and those Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators who saw you from afar all instinctively avoided you.]

[Although the environment in the northern city was terrible, you didn't mind.]

[After all, the eastern city had been occupied by Hu Yanfeng of the Piaomiao Sect leading Qi Tianchuan and others, while Chen Yongxiu and his group from the Divine Dragon Cult had settled in the southern city.]

[As for the central palace complex, it was controlled by Huangfu Fenghua of the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty and his followers.]

[As you passed by, you quietly swept your Divine Sense over the area and indeed discovered that both Crown Prince Huangfu Hong and Princess Huangfu Yu were disguised as guards, mingling within the crowd.]

[You did not alert them.]

[On this trip, you had no intention of interacting with any faction; you only wanted to act in the shadows and be the first to obtain the "spirit of true fire."]

[From what you knew, this item was the easiest to obtain and the least likely to attract attention.]

[Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.]

[During this half-month, you occasionally observed Qi Tianchuan's situation in secret, looking for an opportunity to kill him.]

[However, Qi Tianchuan seemed extremely cautious and never left the Misty Sect's encampment.]

[You understood that within the Misty Sect's encampment, there must be a primordial spirit clone of that Piaomiao Sect Old Ancestor lurking.]

[If you were to forcibly kill Qi Tianchuan, you would inevitably expose yourself, which would truly be not worth the cost.]

[You secretly planned—once you obtained the spirit of true fire within the Immortal Palace, you would then find an opportunity to kill Qi Tianchuan.]