Chapter 806: Secrets of the Heart and Battlefield

Lu Changsheng didn’t know which stronghold Chu Qingyi was hiding in.

His target, an inspection enforcer cultivator, was always on the move—information so classified it made tracking him nearly impossible.

Luckily, Lu Changsheng had prepared well in advance by plucking a few strands of hair from his son, Lu Shouzheng.

Using his son’s hair as a medium, he employed divination to pinpoint Chu Qingyi’s general location and, once nearby, activated their communication talisman.

After a long wait, Lu Changsheng saw a flash of sword light streak across the sky like a falling star.

The sword light faded to reveal a tall figure clad in a white palace robe and dress.

Her graceful figure radiated an otherworldly aura as she held a cerulean magic sword, her beautiful eyes scanning the surroundings with urgency.

“Qingyi, you look so slim,” she heard him say.

Rushing forward, Lu Changsheng met the beauty’s gaze and whispered tenderly, his eyes filled with deep concern.

More than he did for his own son, Lu Shouzheng, he felt profound sorrow and guilt for the hardships Chu Qingyi had endured.

He recalled the confusion and anxiety she must have felt when she became pregnant with his son.

All these years, she had suffered without his care by her side.

And Xiao Xiyue had mentioned that Chu Qingyi had quietly cared for Lu Shouzheng, waiting patiently for his return.

“Friend Changsheng,” came a soft greeting.

Chu Qingyi stood with her cerulean magic sword in hand, her dark hair styled into a cascading bun adorned with a flowing hairpin. Stray tendrils fell like delicate snow on frosted branches, giving her an air of cold, aloof grace blended with gentle beauty.

Noticing a soft haze over her eyes and a flutter in her lashes that spoke of both joy and sorrow, Lu Changsheng strode forward and embraced her warmly, murmuring, “Qingyi, I’ve missed you so much.”

Chu Qingyi shuddered sharply, her body momentarily tensing.

But soon she relaxed, allowing herself to be held in his arms.

After a few moments, Lu Changsheng gently released her and looked deeply into her clear, cool eyes as he continued, “Qingyi, I’ve wronged you all these years. I’ve already proposed to Master—and the True Lord has agreed to our marriage.”

“???”

At his words, Chu Qingyi, who had just started to relax, froze. Her eyes widened in shock, mingling astonishment with utter confusion.

A proposal?

Lu Changsheng had proposed to Master? And Master had… agreed to their union?

Not long ago, the news of Master’s breakthrough to Nascent Soul had filled Chu Qingyi with joy.

Yet, whenever she thought of her son, Lu Shouzheng, anxiety gripped her—she wasn’t sure how to face Master.

But now, Lu Changsheng claimed he had proposed.

And Master had consented to their marriage.

Chu Qingyi was utterly dumbfounded.

Raised by Yun Wanshang since childhood, she knew Master’s character all too well.

In her eyes, how could Master ever allow multiple sisters to share one husband? Only if he knew Lu Changsheng’s true strength could such an arrangement be tolerated.

Yet, Lu Changsheng had always maintained a low profile.

In the public eye, the patriarch of the Lu Family at Bihu Mountain was seen as a cultivator gifted in Talisman Art with a remarkable stroke of fortune.

“Master, how could she…”

Chu Qingyi pursed her red lips, stammering as she felt Lu Changsheng was trying to fool her.

Undeterred, Lu Changsheng held her hand and, with deep affection in his eyes, asked, “Qingyi, will you marry me?”

“I…I…”

Her mind went blank, her cheeks flushing with shyness as she struggled to respond, convinced he was teasing her again.

“Alright then—I know you agree,” he said with a smile.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Lu Changsheng gently cupped her hand and placed a tender kiss on its porcelain surface.

“You—you always tease me!”

Recalling that he’d been away for over a decade only to greet her like this, Chu Qingyi felt a mix of anger and hurt.

“How could I ever bear to hurt you?”

Seeing the dignified Sword Immortal now visibly flustered, Lu Changsheng’s heart brimmed with tenderness as he longed to hold his little wife close and protect her.

Soon, he led Chu Qingyi to a quiet spot, set up a barrier, and laid out a feast. He apologized, asked about her years apart, and explained why it had taken so long for him to return.

“I met Shouzheng—he’s very clever. He even told me that since his mother practiced swordplay, he naturally took to it too.”

Recalling their first meeting, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing a trace of worry in her beautiful eyes, he squeezed her hand and said softly, “And Master really fancies Shouzheng. He’s now training him at Rainbow Cloud Peak.”

“Ah,”

Chu Qingyi gasped in surprise before exclaiming, “Master found out about Shouzheng?”

“Yes. I actually took him along when I proposed to the True Lord,” Lu Changsheng replied with a smile, aware that Chu Qingyi doubted his words, thinking he was just teasing.

“You’re not just teasing me, are you?”

Her voice trembled with a mix of hope and fear.

“How could I joke about something so important? Do you really think I’m that type of person?”

Lu Changsheng feigned a sorrowful look.

Chu Qingyi bit her red lips in a quiet, melancholy manner, as if to say, “You really are that way.”

“I swear I’m telling the truth,” he insisted gently.

Yet, still struggling to believe him, Chu Qingyi whispered, “But how could Master agree?”

“At first, Caiyun True Lord naturally objected, but upon seeing how much Shouzheng has grown, he conceded,” Lu Changsheng explained, spreading his hands.

Images of Master’s disappointed, exasperated face flashed in Chu Qingyi’s mind, filling her with guilt for having failed to live up to his expectations.

“I ran into Caiyun True Lord recently—even though he was angry at first, once he saw Shouzheng, he nodded in approval,” Lu Changsheng hastily added.

“However…”

With a sigh, he continued, “Caiyun True Lord feels that my current status doesn’t quite match your family, so he ordered me to make a name for myself on the front lines before proposing.”

Half-joking, he added, “It’ll also help me earn a bit more for the bride price; once I’ve saved enough, I’ll formally propose to Azure Cloud Sect.”

“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’m not listening,” Chu Qingyi retorted, half annoyed and half embarrassed, convinced Master would never utter such words.

Her words held no threat, and Lu Changsheng couldn’t resist teasing her further.

But then, adopting a serious tone, he said, “Qingyi, I’m not joking. Not long ago, on the Chiyue Mountain Range battlefield, I followed the True Lord’s orders to propose to Azure Cloud Sect.”

“Are you really serious?”

Chu Qingyi’s porcelain skin flushed with a delicate blush as she stammered,

“Of course I’m serious. How could I treat such an important matter as a joke?”

Lu Changsheng admitted with a touch of resignation.

Seeing his sincerity, Chu Qingyi’s tangled emotions—years of worry and uncertainty—seemed to find an unexpected resolution.

“And what about Junior Sister?” she asked anxiously, thinking of Xiao Xiyue.

Chu Qingyi bit her red lips as she inquired about her junior sister’s feelings.

Although Xiao Xiyue knew about her relationship with Lu Changsheng, she had shown little emotion.

Having practiced the Supreme Emotionless Technique, Xiao Xiyue was nearly detached—leaving even Chu Qingyi unsure of her true feelings.

Thus, Chu Qingyi always felt a tinge of guilt toward her junior sister.

“After hearing everything, although Xiao Xiyue was upset, she agreed since Shouzheng is grown now. In public she calls you ‘Senior Sister,’ but at home, order is maintained by seniority—she is the elder.”

Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but tease his little wife-like Sword Immortal.

Seeing him so carefree, Chu Qingyi, both embarrassed and irritated, landed a small punch on him.

Realizing he’d gone too far, Lu Changsheng stopped the teasing and earnestly asked when she planned to return to Jiang Kingdom.

“Originally, the battle wasn’t looking good, but once news spread that Master had broken through to Nascent Soul, the front stabilized as everyone waited for him,” she explained.

“So, I might only return once Master arrives and the war calms down.”

As a senior of Azure Cloud Sect, Chu Qingyi knew far more than Lu Miaoge did.

She was aware that Yue Kingdom and Liang Kingdom were locked in a prolonged standoff, testing each other’s endurance.

In such times, every Core Formation True Lord was vital.

Although she could choose to return home, as a core leader of Azure Cloud Sect she bore the sect’s responsibilities and couldn’t simply leave the front lines.

She had to secure the maximum advantage in the war and lay the foundation for emerging Nascent Soul power.

“So long…”

Lu Changsheng frowned, aware that Yun Wanshang was still pregnant.

After she gave birth, helped him break through to Nascent Soul, and honed his Divine Abilities, who knew when that day would come?

Noticing his expression, Chu Qingyi said regretfully, “Once the situation stabilizes, I’ll return to see Master and check on Shouzheng.”

“It’s alright,” Lu Changsheng murmured with a soft sigh, understanding the burdens Chu Qingyi carried as a senior of Azure Cloud Sect.

Conversely, if the war severely affected the Lu Family, he’d be even more concerned.

Just like Lu Xingyang and the others—though they could retreat to the second line, they chose to stand on the front despite the risks.

However, after hearing Chu Qingyi’s words, Lu Changsheng planned to support the effort once he broke through to Nascent Soul.

Otherwise, waiting for Yun Wanshang to master Nascent Soul Divine Abilities before returning to the battlefield was too uncertain.

Moreover, with the battlefield shifting constantly—whether the Yuan Kingdom increased support, Liang Kingdom invited forces from the Endless Desert, or new Nascent Soul cultivators emerged—the war could change in an instant.

“By the way, Qingyi, do you have a moment now?”

At that moment, Lu Changsheng’s eyes lit up as he posed a new question.

If he were to marry Chu Qingyi, there had to be a solid bond—for instance, fighting side by side during the war of Yue Kingdom, where their feelings blossomed.

As for why those feelings were emerging now—our son is ten years old. Don’t ask.

Lu Changsheng recalled that his son, Lu Qingshan, was supposed to go fishing.

So he decided to call Chu Qingyi along.

That way, they could fish, avenge his son, spend some quality time together, and even boost his reputation as a True Lord Changsheng.

After all, it was just Lu Miaoge, Lu Qingshan, and the feat of vanquishing several Core Formation True Lords—an already impressive achievement.

If there were another true Chu Qingyi True Lord from Azure Cloud Sect, it would all make much more sense.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Qingyi asked.

Lu Changsheng immediately explained his plan.

Chu Qingyi’s refined features registered utter disbelief.

Never had she expected Lu Changsheng to use his own son as bait for fishing.

She bit her red lips and said, “I’m in charge of inspection patrols, so my movements aren’t restricted—but still…”

Before she could finish, Lu Changsheng nodded and laughed, “Then it’s settled.”

“Mm,” Chu Qingyi replied.

Though she felt uneasy about the idea, knowing Lu Changsheng’s strength gave her confidence that he was in full control.

If he managed to eliminate even one or two enemy Core Formation masters, it would greatly relieve the pressure on both Yue Kingdom and Jiang Kingdom.

A month later, after a brief spell of intimacy, Lu Changsheng and Chu Qingyi returned to the frontline at the Chiyue Mountain Range.

Using his previous feat of slaying three Core Formation True Lords, Lu Changsheng secured a five-year exemption for Lu Miaoge’s remaining service. The couple then prepared to return to Jiang Kingdom.

Though the Core Formation True Lords at the Chiyue Mountain Range were reluctant to let them go, the rules were clear and they had no reason to object.

Besides, during that period, Lu Changsheng had drawn up twenty third-rank talismans and even sold a few more to them, leaving him too polite to protest.

Seeing this, Lu Qingshan immediately declared that he and his sister would see their parents off.

Soon, the family left the Chiyue Mountain Range, boarding a Spirit Boat bound for the Immortal City of Qingluan.

Once in Qingluan, Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingzhu took the Spirit Boat back to the Chiyue Mountain Range.

“Tsk.”

On the Spirit Boat, Lu Qingshan, cradling two talismans, let out a sigh as he shook his head.

His father, wary of enemy cultivators ambushing him, had given his sister a body armor and a small five-colored banner.

Although he hadn’t seen a Spirit Treasure up close, it was clear the five-colored banner was indeed one.

But when he eagerly awaited a protective treasure from his father, he was given only two talismans.

Though those talismans were precious, the disparity was too great—did his son really have to be so helpless?

Still, what was meant for his sister was his too; he looked at his sister, Little Zhu, eager to see that five-colored banner.

“Behave,” came a sharp admonition.

Before he could protest, he heard his father’s voice inside his mind.

Then he felt a gentle tap on his mind.

“Dad, are you there?”

Startled, Lu Qingshan quickly looked around.

Although he knew his father always protected him from the shadows, his sword Dao had evolved to a clarity that made his spiritual senses razor-sharp.

Just as before when he encountered Black Eagle True Lord and his sword mind warned him, saving him from danger,

now, he couldn’t sense his father’s presence at all—a method so terrifying it defied explanation.

“He really broke through to Nascent Soul!”

Lu Qingshan couldn’t help but mutter quietly, convinced that only a Nascent Soul True Lord could achieve such a feat.

“Don’t be so jumpy!”

Lu Changsheng had not only concealed himself with the Yin-Yang Glass Wall, but also merged with the void using the power of Space, becoming one with it.

Even if the Nascent Soul True Lord himself appeared, without careful observation, his aura would remain elusive.

“If you let your guard down and the fish don’t bite, I’ll make sure you learn your lesson!”

Relying on his divination, Lu Changsheng deduced that if he didn’t act, his son might be ambushed along the way.

But if he made too many mistakes and scared away the “big fish,” wasting precious time, then he’d have a serious word with his son.

At his words, Lu Qingshan immediately straightened up, acting cautiously as always. Whenever something happened, he would check it out.

Even if someone called for help, he would investigate—ever ready to put himself at risk.

Although his actions might seem calculated, just as the siblings neared the base at the Chiyue Mountain Range, enemy cultivators lying in ambush finally couldn’t hold back and attacked him.