Chapter 516: Chu Qingyi: Why Do You Always Bully Me?

One hundred miles away from Azure Cloud Sect.

A dazzling blue sword light cut through the sky.

As the light dissipated, it revealed a stunning figure of a woman around twenty-five or twenty-six. Her sword-shaped eyebrows and serene expression made her beauty look as if it were painted.

She stood tall, with graceful curves, wearing a simple yet elegant white sword robe.

The robe had delicate silver thread outlining a gentle water and cloud pattern, embodying a sense of extraordinary yet understated style.

A slender, blue ribbon encrusted with pale blue gemstones wrapped around her waist, accentuating her slender figure gracefully.

Her feet were clad in white jade boots, showcasing her long, straight legs.

“Qingyi.”

At that moment, a gentle, jade-like voice sounded.

Dressed in a luxurious dark robe with a faint Yin-Yang glow, Lu Changsheng appeared, smiling at Chu Qingyi.

Although this Sword Immortal still looked the same, it was clear she had taken some care in her appearance.

Her entire demeanor was filled with both heroic elegance and feminine grace.

“Lu… Fellow Daoist.”

Hearing Lu Changsheng’s gentle voice and seeing his affectionate gaze, Chu Qingyi’s heart fluttered, making her feel shy and uneasy.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, I’ve collected some of the materials you needed, and I’ve asked the sect to search for the rest.”

She immediately took out a Storage Bag from her bosom, indicating that she had come for business.

“?”

Ignoring the bag, Lu Changsheng took hold of her hand and, with deep affection, said, “Qingyi, a day apart feels like three years. I missed you.”

“…”

Facing Lu Changsheng’s actions, Chu Qingyi’s body stiffened, not knowing how to react.

She lowered her head slightly, confused.

“I know you must have missed me too, Qingyi.”

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng smiled and gently held her hand, leading her to an underground palace.

This underground palace was modeled after Yun Wanshang’s palace of the old days, specifically created for secret meetings with Chu Qingyi.

Chu Qingyi assumed that coming to this kind of palace with Lu Changsheng could only mean one thing—a session of Dual Cultivation to nourish their Golden Cores.

To her surprise, when she entered, she saw a clean, simple table filled with delicious dishes, spiritual energy swirling, and an intoxicating aroma.

“Qingyi, this is the meat of the Moon Wolf that we killed in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range earlier. It wasn’t convenient to deal with it at the time, so I specially prepared it for you to taste my cooking skills.”

Lu Changsheng gently guided her to the table, full of affection in his voice.

Seeing the freshly prepared dishes before her, Qingyi’s heart stirred with warmth.

As a Golden Core cultivator and true disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, she had tasted many exquisite dishes.

However, the fact that such a talented and divine-like man cared for her so tenderly, even cooking personally, was overwhelmingly touching.

Even though she had some reservations, she couldn’t resist this warmth and found herself slowly sinking into it.

“Come, have a taste.”

Lu Changsheng took a piece of the gleaming wolf meat with his chopsticks and brought it to Chu Qingyi.

“…”

This was the first time Chu Qingyi had been treated this way, as if she were being spoiled like a little girl. An indescribable feeling of shyness and anxiety surged in her heart.

What does this man think I am…

But when she met Lu Changsheng’s doting and gentle gaze, her heart inexplicably softened.

“Come on, open your mouth. Be good.”

Lu Changsheng gently placed his arm around her fragrant shoulder, coaxing her like a little girl.

At this moment, Chu Qingyi lowered her beautiful eyes, her blush extending to her ears.

In the end, she obediently opened her mouth and took the meat into her mouth, slowly chewing.

Although it tasted good, she had no mood to savor it.

She only felt immense shame and couldn’t bear to look at Lu Changsheng.

“How does it taste? Try this one too.”

Lu Changsheng chuckled and continued feeding her different dishes.

After the first bite, Qingyi no longer resisted, obediently taking small bites.

“No rush, eat slowly.”

Lu Changsheng found it amusing to see the usually cold and aloof Sword Immortal now acting like a helpless young wife. He asked if she would like some wine.

But before she could answer, he chuckled softly, saying, “This is fruit wine I brewed myself. It tastes excellent, and I’m a little thirsty myself.”

With that, he poured himself a cup, took a sip, and drank it.

But in the next moment, Lu Changsheng gently pinched her chin, causing Chu Qingyi to look up in surprise.

He leaned closer.

The fragrant wine immediately traveled between their mouths.

Lu Changsheng’s aggressive approach left Chu Qingyi no room to escape.

She wanted to avoid him but had nowhere to go.

She could only let the wine slowly flow into her mouth, allowing him to taste its sweetness.

Faced with this familiar dominance hiding tenderness, Chu Qingyi sighed inwardly, slowly giving up resisting, even instinctively responding.

However, just as she responded, the domineering aura suddenly retreated.

Her lashes trembled lightly, and her beautiful eyes opened.

She found Lu Changsheng gazing at her with a warm gaze, a faint smile on his lips.

Remembering the embarrassing moment just now, Chu Qingyi became flustered.

She scolded herself inwardly for falling into this situation again.

“If you’re still thirsty, Qingyi, there’s plenty of wine left.”

Lu Changsheng raised the wine jug and smiled as he spoke.

As he spoke, he poured another glass of wine.

“Why do you always bully me?”

Chu Qingyi’s heart was filled with grievance.

Seeing the once cold and proud Sword Immortal now looking so aggrieved made Lu Changsheng’s heartburn with desire. He wanted nothing more than to punish her on the spot, teasing her further.

“It’s my fault. I apologize to you, Qingyi. Here, have another bite.”

With a tender expression, he embraced the beauty in front of him, apologizing while gently feeding her again.

“…”

Chu Qingyi, faced with such shameless behavior, didn’t know what to say. But she still opened her mouth obediently.

Lu Changsheng found it quite amusing and stopped teasing her, enjoying the peaceful moment together.

“I’m full.”

After a while, Chu Qingyi became less shy, lightly pursing her red lips and raising her head.

Though being fed was incredibly embarrassing,

it was also a new experience for her. She… found it quite nice.

“Then it’s your turn to feed me now, Qingyi.”

Lu Changsheng replied with a smile.

“Fellow Daoist Lu…”

Chu Qingyi’s heart pounded with embarrassment, giving him a shy glance.

She could bear it when Lu Changsheng was the one pampering her,

but the thought of feeding him, even just imagining it, was mortifying. She didn’t know how she could face her junior sisters afterward.

If they learned of this, she would be too ashamed to speak to anyone.

“Hehe.”

Lu Changsheng chuckled, noticing the ring on her delicate hand. He gazed into her beautiful eyes and softly said, “Qingyi, you’ve kept wearing this ring?”

Chu Qingyi’s complexion turned pink, and she softly responded with a ‘hmm.’

“Since you like these kinds of accessories, I’ll personally craft a few more for you later.”

He held her slender waist and said gently.

“No… no need.”

Chu Qingyi quickly declined.

She wasn’t fond of wearing jewelry.

This ring had already drawn her Master’s attention.

If she were to wear more accessories, she wouldn’t know how to explain it to her Master.

“No worries, I can show you my skill in Equipment Refining.”

Lu Changsheng laughed softly.

He didn’t have the time to craft powerful Magical Treasures, but he would sometimes make small trinkets for his wives and children.

Chu Qingyi didn’t want to continue this conversation, so she quickly changed the topic and said, “Fellow Daoist Lu, please look at these materials. Are they what you needed?”

“Alright, let me see.”

Lu Changsheng opened the Storage Bag and swept his Divine Sense across it.

When he saw the contents, he looked at Chu Qingyi in pleasant surprise. “So many?”

Then, he frowned slightly and asked, “Qingyi, did you exchange these at the sect’s treasury? Where did you get so many contributions?”

The materials for refining the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram were extremely precious.

Moreover, he planned to start crafting an Upper-Quality Magical Treasure, so the amount required was quite substantial.

But now, more than half of what he needed was already gathered in the Storage Bag.

Their value exceeded that of a Medium-Quality Magical Treasure, possibly even an Upper-Quality one!

Although Chu Qingyi was a Golden Core real person from Azure Cloud Sect, she had only recently reached Golden Core a few decades ago.

She would also need to craft a Flying Sword and other treasures for herself, so how could she have such vast financial resources?

He couldn’t help but suspect that she had sold all her Natural Treasures to gather the materials for him.

“I accumulated quite a few contributions during my time in the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm, and my Master also lent me some contributions after learning about your needs.”

Facing Lu Changsheng’s intense questioning, Chu Qingyi felt inexplicably guilty.

“Caiyun Zhenren?”

Lu Changsheng was surprised to hear this.

But that would explain how Chu Qingyi managed to gather so many materials in just half a year.

“Yes, after learning of your identity and situation, my Master asked True Lord Xuanjian to make some calculations. My Master felt that it was necessary to repay the favor.”

“So when my Master saw that I was collecting Natural Treasures for you, she lent me many contributions.”

Chu Qingyi spoke softly, not daring to look up at Lu Changsheng, for fear that he might accuse her of wanting to distance herself.

“Qingyi, you didn’t have to go to such lengths. If you’re short on money, you can just tell me.”

Lu Changsheng held her face gently, softly saying, “Besides, I have some materials I need to sell off.”

As he said this, he handed her some Natural Treasures from the Storage Ring, including a few Third-Tier Monster Cores from the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

As for Spirit Stones…

At the Golden Core level, most rare materials are bartered for other items.

Unless you overpay significantly, few are willing to conduct business with Spirit Stones.

Plus, while he didn’t have many Spirit Stones left, his family consumed Spirit Stones at an alarming rate.

It was better to let her handle all these Monster Cores and unused Natural Treasures, along with some of Bai Feng Immortal’s loot.

When Chu Qingyi saw the Natural Treasures from Lu Changsheng, her eyes widened in surprise.

She didn’t expect Lu Changsheng to have such immense wealth.

In particular, the Monster Cores—one, two, three, four, five…

Did that mean he had killed five Third-Tier Demon Kings!?

This kind of feat was astonishing!

But when she recalled his exploits in Jin Kingdom and how he easily slayed a Third-Tier Demon King, it made perfect sense.

“Thunder Crystal… This is… the Monster Core of the Fenglei Hou?”

At that moment, Chu Qingyi saw two pale golden crystals surrounded by wind and thunder, as well as a thunder-attribute Monster Core. She gasped in shock.

“Yes, this is indeed the Fenglei Hou’s Monster Core.”

Seeing that Chu Qingyi recognized the origin of the Monster Core, Lu Changsheng did not hide it from her.

“Five years ago, the mysterious Golden Core expert who hunted Demon Kings in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range… was you, Fellow Daoist Lu!?”

Chu Qingyi was surprised.

Five years ago, the Spirit Control Sect reported that a mysterious Golden Core expert hunted several Demon Kings, causing a great disturbance in the mountain range.

At the time, the Four Great Immortal Sects sent several Golden Core real persons to station at the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range for this reason.

She had never expected that the mysterious expert was Lu Changsheng.

“Five years ago… a Golden Core expert?”

Lu Changsheng was taken aback.

He then realized that it must have been when he killed the Fenglei Hou and that Tiger Roar Cultivator must have shared this information with other Immortals.

“Yes, I did visit the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range five years ago.”

Lu Changsheng nodded.

Hearing this, Chu Qingyi lightly bit her lip and said, “Fellow Daoist Lu, you should be cautious and keep this matter to yourself. In the future, avoid going to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range to hunt Demon Kings.”

“If you continue this behavior, not only will you risk angering the Demon Kings of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, triggering a beast tide, but you’ll also catch the attention of the Spirit Control Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect, bringing trouble.”

“I understand.”

Lu Changsheng also realized that his hunting of Demon Kings might provoke a beast tide. Afterward, the Demon Kings in that area might even have memorized his Spiritual Energy aura, so they would likely swarm him if he returned.

“Qingyi, besides the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, is there anywhere else to hunt Demon Kings?”

Lu Changsheng asked.

Relying on his family for money was clearly impossible.

Aside from kind sponsors, the fastest way was to hunt Demon Kings.

But now that hunting was inconvenient in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, it seemed one of his wealth routes was cut.

“If Fellow Daoist Lu must hunt Demon Kings, it would be better to go deep within the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range. That would reduce the chances of triggering a beast tide and avoid attracting the attention of other Immortal factions. But it would be much more dangerous there.”

“Aside from the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, only the Da Mengze region is known to have multiple Third-Tier Demon Kings.”

Chu Qingyi spoke softly.

She knew that for someone like Lu Changsheng, each Demon King he killed brought immense wealth.

With his cultivation pace, he would inevitably need vast resources. There was no way he could give up this avenue entirely.

“Hmm.”

Lu Changsheng nodded, knowing that the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range spanned a vast stretch across the Southern Wilderness cultivation world.

So if he wanted to hunt beasts safely, he could only operate from different locations each time.

However, hearing that Da Mengze also had many Third-Tier Demon Kings surprised him. He inquired, “Qingyi, isn’t Da Mengze usually peaceful? If so many Third-Tier Demon Kings reside there, wouldn’t they cause a beast tide?”

“Da Mengze’s situation is somewhat similar to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.”

“However, the Immortal City of Da Mengze is located in the outer edges of Da Mengze, so beast tides are rare.”

“It’s only when you go deep inside that you might encounter Third-Tier Demon Kings.”

Chu Qingyi said softly.

“I see.”

Lu Changsheng nodded. Thinking of the rumors about the deeper areas of Da Mengze, he asked, “Qingyi, I’ve heard that the deeper regions of Da Mengze are a dead zone where even Golden Core real persons never return alive.”

“There are also rumors that across the ocean lies another vast cultivation world. Do you know anything about this?”

Lu Changsheng asked.

“I’m not sure either. According to the sect’s records, the depths of Da Mengze are a boundless ocean filled with many Demon Kings and sea beasts.”

“Just like the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, there may be Fourth-Tier Demon Kings there.”

“Also, Da Mengze is shrouded in mist throughout the year, cutting off Divine Sense, making it even more dangerous than the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range. Even Golden Core cultivators can’t cross it.”

Chu Qingyi shook her head and said softly.

The Southern Wilderness cultivation world was vast and boundless.

The Jiang Kingdom was just a corner of it.

So even the Azure Cloud Sect had limited records of the deep areas like the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range and Da Mengze.

“Hmm.”

Lu Changsheng nodded, considering whether to give hunting in Da Mengze a try someday.

After all, compared to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, hunting in Da Mengze would allow him to operate more freely, without too much concern.

Plus, getting more water-attribute Monster Cores and crystals would help boost his Black Water Flood Dragon Dao Weapon.

“Alright, Qingyi, keep these materials for now. No need to trouble Caiyun Zhenren in the future.”

Lu Changsheng stopped asking questions and told Chu Qingyi to keep all the materials and Natural Treasures. If she needed more, she could find him.

“They’re sufficient.”

Knowing Lu Changsheng’s nature, Chu Qingyi didn’t refuse. She took the Natural Treasures into her Storage Ring.

She mentioned how Third-Tier Monster Cores were quite precious within the Azure Cloud Sect.

Gathering five Monster Cores at once would be difficult to explain. She would need to find other channels to gradually sell them off.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

After chatting for a bit, Chu Qingyi lightly pursed her lips and said softly to Lu Changsheng.

“Qingyi, we haven’t nourished our Golden Cores yet.”

Lu Changsheng suddenly became serious.

“Mmph~”

Just as she was about to say something, her rosy lips were sealed, leaving her without words.

A few days later, Lu Changsheng and Chu Qingyi parted.

Holding the Storage Bag in his hand, Lu Changsheng felt a sense of gratitude.

He had only casually asked Chu Qingyi to help gather materials.

He never expected her efficiency to be so high.

With Chu Qingyi’s help, he estimated it would take a maximum of two years to gather all the materials.

“This is the power of a sect’s foundation, having access to a treasury and trading channels. Many rare Natural Treasures that are hard to find in the outside world can be obtained directly through the sect.”

Lu Changsheng was filled with emotion, realizing the convenience of having a powerful backer.

If one were a rogue cultivator, there were many times when one couldn’t even buy things no matter how much money they had.

“If even Azure Cloud Sect has such a deep foundation, I wonder how much stronger the Heavenly Sword Sect or the Immortal Lotus Sect, where Yaoyao trained, could be.”

Lu Changsheng pondered, deeply aware that these forces were strong not just because of their surface power but because of their thousand or even ten-thousand-year heritage.

After a moment of reflection, he flew toward Bihu Mountain, planning to finish his current tasks before traveling to Da Mengze.

Even though he had gathered many materials, his inventory was nearly depleted, and he would need to restock.