Chapter 271
This is strikingly similar to the reasons people today choose not to date or marry, isn’t it?
Not getting married means you can spend your money however you like.
Once you’re married, you have to spend together, and if kids come along, it’s even more complicated—splitting everything three or four ways. Arguments can ruin your mood, and if you get cheated on or your partner leaves you, you might end up with nothing, both financially and emotionally.
The key issue is the waste of time, energy, and money.
In the end, you gain nothing.
“Right? Right?” Li Qingran said, lifting her chin with a smug look. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked, “So, Master, do you have a partner?”
“No,” Chen Huai'an shook his head.
“Did you have one before?” Li Qingran pressed on.
Chen Huai'an opened his mouth.
He had an ex-girlfriend.
An ex-girlfriend who treated him like dirt.
It wasn’t until after their breakup that he realized.
While he was working odd jobs, his ex was out there dating male models.
And she was spending his money.
Back then, he was somewhat handsome, but he couldn’t compare to those trendy male models who made a living off their looks—human desires are never fully satisfied.
You could say his ex was a partner of sorts.
A partner is someone who helps you along the same path.
When that help disappears, or when you become enemies, that’s when you break up.
“Yes,” Chen Huai'an answered honestly.
As soon as he spoke, he saw a vibrant curiosity blooming in his little disciple’s eyes. She straightened her back, leaning slightly forward, like a flower stretching toward the sun.
“Then, why don’t you have one now?”
“Well…” Chen Huai'an thought for a moment, trying to explain the situation in a way Li Qingran could understand:
“Back then, I was still weak, lacking the talents and strength I have now. I was even plagued by illness, constantly at risk of losing my life…
So, naturally, a partner would choose to leave. She could easily find someone better, couldn’t she?”
Li Qingran fell silent for a moment.
Such things were common even in the Cangyun Realm.
Talented individuals from small sects would abandon their former partners to join larger sects, and some even turned against each other, fighting for resources.
Li Qingran didn’t think such abandonment and betrayal were normal; it was just that the laws of survival had turned many people into this.
“Don’t worry, Master. I won’t leave you.”
“But is it because I’m strong and have resources now?” Chen Huai'an chuckled.
“No,” Li Qingran smiled, her lips curving up like a moon hidden among the clouds. “It’s because I’m your disciple, not a partner. I only need to follow you. Partners have to consider so much more.
Once a teacher, always a father. Sure, there are children who abandon their parents, or parents who abandon their children, but I’m not that kind of person.”
Given Chen Huai'an’s experiences, he would have raised an eyebrow at anyone else saying such things.
But since it was Li Qingran, he believed her.
She had been persecuted in the Qingyun Sect, and it was only after being driven out and nearly dying in a thatched hut that she completely lost faith in them. This showed how loyal she was.
“I believe in you.”
“Then Master shouldn’t look for a partner either.”
“Alright, I won’t.”
“Hehe~”
The girl’s smile was like melting snow, soft and pure.
With such a good disciple, who needs a partner?
Chen Huai'an thought to himself.
“Chen Ge—”
A voice called from behind.
Chen Huai'an turned to see Li Qingran gripping the hilt of her sword, her eyes narrowed as she focused on the newcomer. The gentle little cat instantly turned into a spiky ball of alertness.
Wang Shouyi rushed over, looking disheveled. “Chen Xiong, are you alright? There was a battle on the lake, and our cave was destroyed. Everyone is trapped inside, and the formation was shattered by a single sword strike… What the hell! How did you—”
Chen Huai'an quickly covered Wang Shouyi’s mouth.
He pinched it shut like a platypus.
“This place just experienced a battle. It’s not somewhere we lowly cultivators should be. We need to leave!” Chen Huai'an coughed lightly, glaring fiercely at Wang Shouyi.
Though Wang Shouyi didn’t understand why he was being silenced, he read the look in Chen Huai'an’s eyes—he was being told to shut up.
Right now, Chen Huai'an’s plan was to blend in with a pack of huskies while posing as a wolf, continuing to participate in this demon-hunting event.
As for the slaughter on the lake?
That was the work of the Sword Pavilion’s master and his three direct disciples, plus a little dragon. What did that have to do with him?
Every debt has its owner; they wouldn’t find him or Li Qingran involved.
Li Qingran followed closely behind Chen Huai'an and Wang Shouyi, her curious gaze fixed on her master’s back.
The cultivation level Master was currently displaying was Foundation Establishment.
This meant that his true cultivation was suppressed by the world’s will to the Integration stage, so he could only show a Foundation Establishment level. That made sense.
As for why Master Su’s cultivation hadn’t decreased upon arriving in this world, that was obviously due to time.
Master Su had only just arrived; it hadn’t even been a minute. The world’s will probably hadn’t even noticed him yet, so it hadn’t had time to seal his cultivation.
Unlike Master, who had been in this world long enough to be completely locked down by the Heavenly Dao’s will.
From now on, Master’s true cultivation would continue to be suppressed until the balance was restored between his true self and the cultivation he displayed, reaching the Golden Core stage.
“I’m so clever!”
A small smirk appeared on Li Qingran’s lips, her eyes sparkling.
She solved her inner doubts without even asking her master.
Now that’s a thoughtful disciple!
…
Chen Huai'an walked ahead with a stern face.
He looked steady as a rock, but inside, he was a bundle of nerves.
It’s over.
This time, it’s really over.
That saying turned out to be true.
The beginning of one lie requires a thousand more to cover it up.
Summoning Su Qinian had been exhilarating.
Watching Su Qinian beat up those impostors was even better.
But how do I explain Su Qinian’s peak transformation cultivation?
Isn’t that going to expose everything?
But Li Qingran doesn’t seem to have noticed that, does she?
Let’s hope she doesn’t.
It’s better if Li Qingran stays a bit naive and slow. I don’t want her asking a million questions like that crazy girl Lin Lingling.
“Chen Ge, did you see a swordsman earlier? He was wearing gray tight clothing and had a scar on his eye,” Wang Shouyi asked as he led Chen Huai'an to the foot of the Kunlun Immortal Palace disciples’ mountain, his chatter unstoppable.
“Wow! You should have seen it! He just swooped in, sliced the formation with a single sword, kicked a hole in the cave, and then zoomed out in just three seconds!”
Wang Shouyi finished, his face filled with envy. “When will I ever have such amazing sword skills?”
“Don’t know, never seen him,” Chen Huai'an looked up at the sky.
Wang Shouyi was talking about Duan Feng.
Among the three direct disciples, only Duan Feng had a scar on his eye. That kid had indeed destroyed all the formations without killing a single ascendant, showcasing exceptional execution.
“Good thing you didn’t see him, or you might have been killed by a single sword strike.”
Chen Huai'an rolled his eyes at that, feeling exasperated.
Li Qingran, hiding behind him, was struggling to suppress her laughter, looking quite pained.
“Wang Shixiong, we can’t reach Zhang Shixiong…”
A disciple approached Wang Shouyi and whispered a few words.
Wang Shouyi’s expression grew serious as he clasped his hands to Chen Huai'an. “Chen Ge, I have some matters to attend to. The elders from various sects have been attacked and gone missing, so the demon-hunting event will definitely end early.”
“If you haven’t hunted enough demon beasts, it’s fine…” He pulled Chen Huai'an to the edge of the camp.
Secretly, he took out a porcelain bottle and pressed it into Chen Huai'an’s hand.
Seeing that no one was watching, he whispered, “This is our Kunlun Immortal Palace’s Xisui Dan, a good quality one. Its effects are better than the rewards from the demon-hunting event. Just keep it for yourself, don’t tell anyone.”
…
…
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Chapter 290: Master (Zhang Shao (๑＞ڡ＜)☆+1)
Chen Huai'an glanced at the bottle of Xisui Dan in his hand.
The quality of the Xisui Dan inside was about the same as the mid-grade ones from the Cangyun Realm.
But in Kunlun Immortal Palace, it was considered good quality… Is the gap between the two realms really that vast?
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