188: Sister-in-law, do you really want to make yourself lonely for the rest of your life just for a vow?

Great Qian Imperial City.

Inside the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild Headquarters.

A woman of unparalleled beauty, with purple hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, her figure and appearance both reaching the pinnacle of perfection.

At this moment, she was staring blankly at the flowers in the courtyard.

And this person.

Was not Zi Luo, whom Xiao Chen knew, but the youngest sister of the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild's President, and Zi Luo's current paternal aunt, Zi Ling!

A remarkable woman who, twenty years ago, also shocked the entire Great Qian Dynasty with her beauty, figure, and business acumen.

She was even favored by the Great Qian Emperor due to her exceptional beauty and talent, who wished to take her as a concubine.

When the previous generation's President of the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild was still alive, he also intended for Zi Ling to become the Great Qian Emperor's concubine.

To allow the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild to form an alliance with the Imperial Family.

However, due to various reasons, this matter ultimately did not come to pass.

As a result, Zi Ling held a grudge, gradually relinquished her involvement in the guild's affairs, and secluded herself within the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild.

"Paternal Aunt, are you spacing out here again?"

Just as Zi Ling was watching the flowers sway in the wind, Zi Luo also walked directly to Zi Ling's side.

Within the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild.

Besides her deceased birth mother, Zi Ling was the closest person to her.

The fact that she, in her twenties, could manage most of the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild's affairs in an orderly manner.

The greatest credit for this belonged to this paternal aunt, who had nurtured her from childhood to adulthood.

Without Zi Ling's guidance, no matter how intelligent her innate talent was, she would not have achieved what she had today.

It was just a pity...

That Zi Ling no longer managed the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild's affairs, which had become a small regret in Zi Luo's heart.

"Getting old... makes one like to space out."

Hearing Zi Luo's words, Zi Ling slightly raised her head and said softly.

But her words revealed a sense of desolation and helplessness.

"Paternal Aunt, you're only thirty-eight, the prime age for a woman. How can you say you're old?"

Zi Luo's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this. As if remembering something, she immediately smiled and offered a word of comfort.

"Unable to cultivate..."

"Even if I use various heavenly treasures to lock in my vitality, I can only live up to a little over a hundred years at most."

"Even my appearance won't be able to be maintained after another ten or twenty years."

Zi Ling chuckled self-deprecatingly upon hearing this, her expression somewhat lonely as she spoke.

She possessed a certain extremely powerful physique. Even if her physique hadn't fully awakened, her martial arts talent had reached Tian Ji Extreme Grade.

But unfortunately, she was born with a flawed dantian, unable to condense and store spiritual energy and true essence.

Therefore.

No matter how outstanding her innate talent was, she could only cultivate to the ninth level of Body Tempering Realm, unable to take another step into the Origin Opening Realm.

And cultivators at the ninth level of Body Tempering Realm were ultimately just mortals.

No matter how they struggled in the future, their lifespan would only be a little over a hundred years.

They couldn't even slow down the aging of their appearance.

Now she still looked like she was in her twenties, like a woman in her prime, which was just the effect of consuming pills.

But pills could only maintain it for a while. Once she passed fifty, without true essence to maintain it, she would still slowly age.

"But even a short life can possess its own charm, like a blooming flower."

"Paternal Aunt, do you really want to make yourself lonely for the rest of your life for the sake of an oath?"

Hearing Zi Ling's self-deprecating words.

Zi Luo still didn't want to see the other party give up on herself. She gritted her teeth and finally asked the question in her heart.

Back then.

The Great Qian Emperor intended to take Zi Ling as a concubine, and many high-ranking members of the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild also agreed.

However, Zi Ling did not want to enter the palace as a concubine and couldn't directly refuse the Great Qian Emperor.

So she claimed.

That she had made a heavenly dao oath since childhood.

If anyone could cure her dantian's flaw, she would serve that person as a slave for the rest of her life.

And before this oath was proven, she would not marry anyone in this lifetime.

At that time.

Although the Great Qian Emperor found this excuse difficult to accept, he also took into account the influence of the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild.

Ultimately, he did not force Zi Ling to enter the palace.

He even invited the Imperial Family's Ancestor, intending to repair Zi Ling's dantian flaw for her.

Unfortunately.

Zi Ling's condition was extremely special.

Even the Imperial Family's Ancestor had no way to deal with it.

Regarding this.

The relationship between the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild and the Great Qian Dynasty also became somewhat strained.

And in the following ten-plus years, Zi Ling secluded herself within the guild, beginning to fade from the public eye.

Now.

The old President had passed away, and the Imperial Family had long since forgotten about this matter.

But Zi Ling was still alone to this day, which made Zi Luo feel somewhat difficult to understand.

Since she couldn't cultivate.

Why not make her limited life a little more exciting?

But Zi Ling chose to isolate herself. Was it really just for the sake of the oath she made back then?

"You girl... are you really clueless or just pretending?"

After hearing Zi Luo's words, Zi Ling said helplessly at this moment.

"Although that matter happened eighteen years ago and people are gradually forgetting it now, forgetting doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"Given the Great Qian Emperor's tyrannical personality..."

"If no one can cure Paternal Aunt, and Paternal Aunt marries someone else, it would undoubtedly be slapping the Great Qian Emperor's face."

Saying this, Zi Ling couldn't help but sigh softly, her gaze looking towards the distant sky, a hint of sadness appearing on her face.

"So, this oath... although it became my excuse to avoid the arranged marriage back then, it has now become a shackle binding me."

"If the oath isn't fulfilled, then Paternal Aunt must remain chaste for this lifetime."

"Otherwise, the Great Qian Dynasty and the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild will become completely irreconcilable because of me."

"Unless someone can cure Paternal Aunt, or the Great Qian Emperor passes away."

"Only then will Paternal Aunt have a chance... to find her own reliance."

Perhaps.

This was her fate.

Even if her appearance and figure were peerlessly beautiful, and even her innate physique surpassed ordinary people.

But heaven was also fair.

After giving her so many advantages, it also gave her a fatal flaw.

Making her life, destined not to be too spectacular.

"Paternal Aunt, I know someone... He might have a way to cure you."

After listening to Zi Ling's words, Zi Luo said in a somewhat low voice after a moment of silence.

This sentence.

Immediately made Zi Ling turn her head, a look of surprise appearing on her face, but the next moment she couldn't help but laugh.

"You little girl... are you trying to comfort Paternal Aunt again?"

"The congenital deficiency of the dantian is caused during fetal development."

"This kind of congenital defect... unless a legendary extreme quality holy medicine can be found, trying to fix it is simply a pipe dream."

"Paternal Aunt's life... can just be spent in this courtyard. With you supporting the Purple Cloud Merchant Guild in the future, even if my old brother is muddled, he won't squander the family fortune."

"Paternal Aunt, this matter... I'm not joking."

Zi Luo took a deep breath, her eyes flashing for a moment, then said solemnly at this moment.

"That person's name is Xiao Chen."

"I met him a month ago in Tiandu City."

"I saw with my own eyes..."

"He lightly tapped a few times with his raised hand and cured the hidden illness within the Wanhua Sect Elder's body."

"Behind him is also an extremely mysterious Master, who can refine eighth-grade extreme quality Rejuvenating Purple Pills."

"This time I invited him to the Great Qian Imperial City. On one hand, I want to continue building a good relationship with him, and on the other hand... I want Paternal Aunt to come with me to meet him."

"Perhaps he has some way to treat your flaw."