253: Talking with Jun Muqing

Several days later.

Inside the Lingxiao Courtyard.

Cao Bu stood in the center of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, watching the guards file in carrying wooden boxes of all sizes, a gentle smile on his face.

"Take it slow; the items aren't important, and it's fine if they break, but don't let them crush your feet."

The guards were even more moved upon hearing this, their hearts feeling warm.

In the entire Spirit Realm, who else could there be as a Clan Chief who is so considerate of their subordinates?

At that moment, Yun Shang walked over from the other end of the long corridor.

Before she even reached him, her voice arrived first: "Brother, you are the Gu Clan Clan Chief now. It's no longer appropriate for me to live here. How about I move in with Mother?"

Cao Bu naturally took her soft hand and gently patted the back of it.

"What are you saying, Younger Brothers Wife? You were originally the Clan Chief's wife. Although Brother Feng is gone, as his elder brother, I should naturally take good care of you on his behalf."

"If he knew in the afterlife that I became the Clan Chief and instead made you move out of this Lingxiao Courtyard, he would certainly blame me."

"So, for your sake, for my sake, and to put Brother Feng's mind at ease, you should stay here without worry."

Yun Shang glanced at the surrounding guards out of the corner of her eye, a shy blush creeping onto her face. "But Brother, wouldn't this be bad for your reputation? After all, I am a widow, and you haven't even married yet."

Cao Bu waved his hand with a righteous expression. "It doesn't matter! I, Cao Bu, act uprightly and have nothing to hide. I'm not afraid of outsiders' gossip."

As he spoke, his finger inconspicuously scratched Yun Shang's palm gently.

This woman was truly becoming more and more charming.

Yun Shang noticed and gave Cao Bu a reproachful glare, yet she didn't pull her hand away.

This bastard was getting bolder and bolder.

"Master!"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

Cao Bu let go of her hand and turned to look.

He saw Yan Ruyu and Bai Meier running over hurriedly, their faces filled with urgency.

"What's wrong?" Cao Bu asked.

Yan Ruyu took out over a dozen storage rings and handed them over. "Master, these were sent by people dispatched by Empress Qin and Empress Tang."

Cao Bu took them and swept his Divine Sense inside, immediately seeing a mountain of Heaven And Earth Treasures.

Although the grades weren't top-tier, the quantity was immense, and they all contained rich Yin and Yang Qi.

In addition, there were dozens of Body Refining Materials that he was currently lacking.

He checked them one by one, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "The Materials for the eleventh level of the Primordial Indestructible Scripture are complete!"

He immediately turned to Yun Shang and instructed, "Yun Shang, I'll leave things here for you to look after. I'm going to refine these Materials."

Yun Shang was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

She couldn't help but think: Oh no, oh no. If Cao Bu’s Physical Body improves another level, will I still be able to withstand him? I’ll probably have to beg for mercy within half a quarter-hour.

"Younger Brothers Wife, what are you thinking about?" Cao Bu waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Yun Shang snapped back to her senses, her cheeks instantly turning crimson, and she hurriedly said, "No... nothing! Brother, go quickly; I'll take care of things here."

Cao Bu nodded and strode toward the cultivation room.

Watching his figure disappear behind the cultivation room door, Yun Shang finally withdrew her gaze and looked at Yan Ruyu and Bai Meier.

She saw that their expressions were similar to hers just now, and there was even a hint of fear in their eyes.

She secretly sent a transmission: "What are you afraid of? With so many of us, can we still not handle him?"

The two girls' faces turned red instantly upon hearing that.

Yan Ruyu sent a transmission in defense: "Sister Yun, I'm not afraid! I'm just worried that Master's body won't be able to take it."

Bai Meier also hurriedly followed with a transmission: "Right! Right! I'm also worried about Master!"

Yun Shang pursed her lips and smiled, not exposing them.

These two girls were truly stubborn.

Time flew by, and three days passed.

Inside the Lingxiao Courtyard, the bright moon hung high.

Cao Bu pushed open the door of the cultivation room and walked out, stretching his muscles and bones. "Quasi-Emperor Sixth Heaven."

He clenched his fist, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "With the eleventh level of the Primordial Indestructible Scripture, my Physical Body strength is comparable to a Quasi-Emperor Peak. I wonder if that woman Luo Qingcheng can still be as composed as she was last time."

Cao Bu walked straight toward his sleeping quarters.

Since he last took Jun Muqing into the ten thousand fragrances paying homage to the phoenix diagram, the two hadn't had a proper conversation.

Tonight was the perfect opportunity.

Inside the sleeping quarters.

With a thought from Cao Bu, the ten thousand fragrances paying homage to the phoenix diagram slowly unfurled in the Void Realm. A flash of light followed, and Jun Muqing's figure appeared in the hall.

She was still wearing that elegant imperial robe, her features peerlessly beautiful, but her eyes had long since lost their former gentle radiance, leaving only coldness, humiliation, and a hint of hard-to-conceal panic.

As soon as she appeared, she subconsciously took half a step back, staring warily at Cao Bu, the Laws around her body faintly fluctuating.

However, being restricted by the ten thousand fragrances paying homage to the phoenix diagram, she was unable to truly mobilize them.

"Cao Bu," she said coldly, "what exactly do you want?"

Cao Bu unhurriedly walked to the table and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea.

The tea fragrance curled up, permeating the hall.

He raised his eyes and looked calmly at Jun Muqing.

"What do I want?"

Cao Bu took a small sip of tea, set down the cup, and a playful smile curled on his lips. "Muqing, I should be the one asking you that."

"What do you want?"

"Do you want to continue sinking into pain, or find a true way out for yourself?"

Anger flared in Jun Muqing's eyes. "A way out? A way out where I play along with you and become your plaything? Cao Bu, stop dreaming! Even if I suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, I will never yield!"

"Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering?" Cao Bu chuckled and shook his head, his tone tinged with regret. "Muqing, do you know what I admire most about you? It's your tenacity."

"Existing as a Remnant Soul, sleeping for a million years, and remaining undestroyed despite the erosion of time—this willpower is rare in the world."

"The desire for life, the persistence for the Dao, and especially the obsession with Immortal Ascension in your heart are strong enough to carry you through a million years of darkness."

"Would someone like you truly be willing to dissipate just like this, letting a million years of persistence turn into nothingness?"

Jun Muqing's body trembled slightly.

Cao Bu's words were like a steel needle, accurately piercing the deepest part of her heart.

The million-year sleep was less a wait and more a long confrontation with despair.

The desire for Immortal Ascension was the only light that kept her consciousness from being extinguished.

Cao Bu captured that flicker of emotion in her eyes and continued, "Gu Yun might have had a bit of sincerity toward you, but it was mostly exploitation."

"He needed your strength for revenge and your protection to grow."

"If you were just a useless Remnant Soul, would he have gone to such lengths to help you condense a Physical Body?"

"Don't be ridiculous; there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!"

"And feelings? How fragile they are in the face of interest and survival."

"Furthermore, what can he give you? Endless trouble, or the possibility of falling into the abyss again."

"You're talking nonsense!" Jun Muqing retorted, but her voice had already lost some of its confidence.

Memories of her time with Gu Yun flooded her mind—his gentle care, his oaths and promises... thinking carefully now, they always seemed closely related to helping him seek revenge.

Cao Bu's heart-piercing words began to erode the originally pure emotions in her heart.

"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know it well in your heart."

Cao Bu stood up and slowly approached.

Jun Muqing wanted to retreat, but she found that her body was difficult to move.

Cao Bu stopped just inches away from her, his gaze bottomless as he looked into her eyes.

"Look at yourself now, Muqing."

"With a Great Emperor Peak cultivation, your life and death are not your own."

"Your Time Law is unrivaled in the world, and you were the person with the most hope for Immortal Ascension. Are you really going to ruin this unique opportunity that you waited a million years for because of an insignificant man and a moment of humiliation?"

"You... do you really have a way to let me achieve Immortal Ascension?" Jun Muqing's voice trembled slightly; it was the instinct of desire.