The gorgeous scene was beyond words, thanks to the three ladies.
âVenerable First Brother, looks like youâre not only good at alchemy, medicine, and pill-making.â Miaozhen blinked and smiled: âYour cultivation is also number one, the strongest in history, my admiration for you is endless like the surging current of a great riverâ¦â [1]
She spewed a barrage of praises at him.
He playfully patted her head in response: âVenerable this, venerable that, Iâm at my prime, donât treat me like Iâm old.â
âYes, of course.â She flared her nose and continued: âFirst Brother is still so young, so handsome and gallant, the number one bachelor under heavenâ¦â
âHow are you not nauseous?â Yalan was speechless.
Miaozhen ignored this and blinked cutely with a mischievous smirk: âWhy should I? Weâre family, just playing around. As long as First Brother teaches me one or two invincible arts, Iâll say even more nauseating stuff.â
âSo thatâs her goal.â The obedient Shaoyao smiled.
Li Qiye pinched Miaozhenâs nose and shook his head: âThere are no invincible arts, only invincible people. Once you reach that level, all of your techniques will be invincible. Even simple ones like Black Tiger Strike can destroy the gods.â
âWow, you are so cool, First Brother. Everyone, look, he can say such domineering comments so effortlessly.â Miaozhen smiled cutely.
âAre you itchy for a beating? Think I wonât teach you a lesson?â Li Qiye slapped her butts and scolded.
She looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on and instantly jumped back, completely blushed while glaring at him: âFirst Brother, youâre teasing me on top of not teaching us the ultimate arts.â
âYou deserve it.â Yalan chuckled in a kingdom-toppling manner: âOnly First Brother can deal with a demoness like you.â
Miaozhen glared at Yalan in response: âSiding with your man against your family already? At least wait until after marriage.â
Yalan lost in this verbal contest and became embarrassed again.
âLooks like Iâm missing out on the fun.â A leisure voice came from the sky.
Longevity Sage was floating over. The three sisters immediately corrected their manners after seeing their master. Nevertheless, the atmosphere remained festive.
The sage wasnât old-fashioned so she waved her whisker, gesturing for them carry on: âI heard you all talking about marriage? Which one is marrying First Brother? Or all three? That would be best since we shouldnât let our fertile water flow into othersâ field. I donât want to marry my three cutedisciples to outsiders.â
âMaster, youâre teasing us too.â The three sisters coquettishly pouted and ran away like the wind.
This left only Li Qiye and Longevity Sage. She stared at them leaving and smiled: âWho do you pick, or all three of my disciples?â
Li Qiye stretched and casually placed his hand around her shoulder: âHow about packing up all four? Iâll take everything.â
She gave him the side-eye in response: âOnly in your dream.â
âNevermind then.â He smiled and shrugged.
She gently shook her head. Of course, she was kidding too.
âAlright, letâs go in. We have prepared everything but it is up to you whether you can take it or not. Thereâs nothing else we can do.â Her expression became serious.
âDonât worry, I always get everything I want. Plus, Iâm perfectly confident in this endeavor.â He remained carefree.
She smiled back and flicked her whisker, leading the way for Li Qiye.
The two of them walked side-by-side deeper into the valley. As they infiltrated farther, the place became more desolate with no one else in sight. This was a forbidden ground. Not to mention outsiders, even the important members of the valley might not have entry permission.
âYou want to go up to Imperial?â She eventually asked.
âWant me to hang around?â He chuckled.
âOur little ladies donât want you to. Theyâll miss you, and our valley welcomes you here.â The sage answered with a smile.
âAnd you?â He teased.
âThis again? Itâs not like youâre actually staying.â She glared back.
âFreedom with being single. The world is large, no need to shackle yourself. When you have too many things you care about, you will lose the courage to move forward, the guts to abandon everything else. Emotionlessness is an answer to having too many emotions, the best choice.â
She sighed, aware that a dragon like Li Qiye wouldnât hang around. He would definitely soar above the nine firmaments with his name going down in history.
How could someone like him be willing to stay at one sect? He would cease to be Li Qiye at that point, no longer possessing the same charisma and charm.
âRight.â She smiled wryly: âBut this is my limit, I donât have the same insight and vision as you.â
âYou have done an amazing job. Isnât Longevity Valley flourishing and passing on?â He said.
âOnly okay at best, completely insignificant compared to the work of the progenitor. Iâve simply contributed a little bit despite trying the hardest.â She gently shook his head.
âProgenitors have their own sky, and you have your own world.â He said: âNo need to envy or think about it, just continue on the path of self-improvement. For many people, progenitors are unreachable, but to them, this is only a beginning. They have a long way to go, far from reaching the desired level of perfection.â
âThatâs the future of progenitors.â She murmured.
Li Qiye fixed her fluttering, beautiful hair: âItâs better not to envy others. Doing so will make you happier, and also, ignorance is bliss. Pursuing a few things might take you to a higher level, but at that point, you might find that itâs not the place you want to be. Only darkness and death await.â
She stared at him seriously and asked: âThen what is your pursuit? Simply becoming a progenitor? Donât say yes because I donât buy it.â
âThen what do you think Iâm pursuing?â He couldnât help but smile.
It took a while before she answered: âI donât know, but at least itâs not becoming a progenitor. In my mind, youâre already at that level. Your pursuit must be unimaginable. So far, Myriad is only a place youâre passing by, you werenât born here and didnât grow up here. So no one, no system, is worthy of remembrance.â
She knew that he was only a visitor to this world, a matter unbeknown to others. He didnât care about this world, so he could destroy any lineage and system.
âIntelligent women are so attractive and likable. Youâre a rare breed.â Li Qiye stroked her hair.
âItâs not enough to seduce you. No one in this world can place a shackle on you beside yourself.â She smiled beautifully.
âYou make it sound like Iâm an insane egomaniac.â Li Qiye was amused.
âIsnât that the case?â She revealed a slightly flirty smile. Keep in mind that she had a transcending aura, so this addition was truly captivating, enough to make people drunk and bewildered with infatuation.
Only Li Qiye could enjoy this beautiful scene.
âI'll take that as a compliment.â He said.
She smiled and extended her delicate hand. The two then walked deeper into the valley with their hands clasped.
1. Using Venerable as a noun for an old, respected person in this case.