Martial Cultivator

Upon passing through the true mountain gate of the Myriad Heaven Palace, what lay ahead were some utterly ordinary mountain buildings. There were no auspicious clouds circling, no cranes soaring through the air. It all seemed rather unfitting for a leader of Daoism like Myriad Heaven Palace.

A group of daoists came to greet them, young and old alike, all wearing warm smiles.

Only the Palace Lord of the Myriad Heaven Palace was nowhere to be seen.

Li Yu smiled and explained, “The Palace Lord has been in seclusion for several days now, I’m afraid they won’t be able to meet with you, Lord Warden Commander.”

Chen Chao responded with a simple ”Oh,” then asked, “Before the Palace Lord went into seclusion, were they aware that this official would be coming to Myriad Heaven Palace?”

Li Yu understood what Chen Chao was implying and did not try to hide anything. He answered frankly, “When we first received word that Lord Warden Commander would be visiting, the Palace Lord was indeed planning to meet with Your Excellency. But after Lord Warden Commander changed your itinerary, the Palace Lord happened to have a sudden insight and entered seclusion. Before doing so, they entrusted everything to this penniless daoist.”

Chen Chao gave Li Yu an extra glance, somewhat puzzled as to why this daoist had not mentioned any of that earlier on the way up the mountain.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Chao said softly, “This official would like to stay at the Myriad Heaven Palace for a few more days, if it’s not too much trouble. What do you think, Daoist Li?”

Li Yu nodded. “We have guest rooms on the mountain, as long as Lord Warden Commander doesn’t mind the humble accommodations.”

Chen Chao gave a nod, then asked, “Daoist Li, would it be possible to send someone to take me to see Zhu Xia?”

Earlier, Zhu Xia had seen him only briefly before bursting into tears and leaving. Even now, Chen Chao still did not understand why and was utterly confused.

Li Yu understood what Chen Chao meant. He knew that some matters could not be explained in just a few words, so he did not rush. Instead, he beckoned over a young daoist and instructed him, “Bring Lord Warden Commander to find the Saintess.”

......

......

When Chen Chao saw Zhu Xia, the girl who was now noticeably more grown than before was sitting by a small stream with her back to him. Chen Chao smiled and gestured for the young daoist to leave, then slowly walked over. As he approached, he saw that the girl was munching on a fruit, cheeks puffed out, eyes brimming with tears. The sight was both pitiful and a little amusing.

Chen Chao plopped down beside her without saying a word, determined to wait and see how long it would take before she noticed him.

But even after a full quarter of an hour, Zhu Xia just sat there eating the fruit, completely unaware of his presence. Only then did Chen Chao give a helpless cough.

Hearing the sound, Zhu Xia turned around and saw his face. Startled, she immediately flung the half-eaten fruit from her hand, which was promptly carried off by the stream. That moment, the girl who was already full of pent-up grievance seemed even more aggrieved.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Chen Chao was utterly baffled, but he sighed inwardly. He understood that this girl’s grievance definitely was not just about the fruit.

Not knowing how to start, he simply sat there silently, watching the flowing stream, thinking to himself: women are really too troublesome.

A long time passed, at least it felt like a long time to Chen Chao, who had been listening to the sound of the stream for what seemed like ages, with all else falling silent.

Only the girl’s soft sobbing at his side felt real.

Chen Chao teased, “Did someone bully you here on the mountain? Or are you angry that it took me so long to come see you?”

Zhu Xia completely ignored him.

Chen Chao sighed quietly. If only he had thought to buy some honey dates or something else to eat before leaving the Divine Capital. Now, with empty hands, he could not even find anything to say.

Just as he was about to speak again, Zhu Xia suddenly asked, “When did it happen?”

”Mhm?”

Chen Chao was taken aback. Thinking it through, he figured she must have found out somehow that he had killed Daoist Yinli, that must be what she was referring to.

She must still be worried about him.

“It wasn’t something I dwelt on for long. After His Majesty left, I had a lot to take care of, so I just decided to get that matter over with first.”

Chen Chao nodded, and even he felt a bit impressed with himself, he had really managed to pull it off.

“So many things you had to do, and you weren’t in any hurry for them, yet this is the one thing you rushed to finish first?”

Zhu Xia stared at Chen Chao, wondering how she had never realized he was this kind of person.

Chen Chao replied matter-of-factly, “This matter was extremely important. Once it’s done, the benefits are endless, of course it had to be done first. The longer you delay, the more troublesome it gets. Besides, time waits for no one.”

“You... shameless!”

Zhu Xia glared at him, but her expression showed more grievance than anger.

She did not even know exactly what she was upset about. She knew full well that the one he liked was Elder Sister Xie, and this was merely one step closer. But for some reason, it just made her feel wronged and angry.

Chen Chao gave it some serious thought. Considering how he had schemed so much, sent so many spies to the Infatuation Daoist Temple, maybe it could have been considered shameless?

“Although it’s not exactly honorable, but to achieve my goal, I had no other choice.”

Chen Chao lamented, “It was dangerous.”

Zhu Xia stayed silent, just looking deeply aggrieved.

Chen Chao chuckled. “What are you worried about? I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“I wish you were dead.”

Zhu Xia stared hard at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao said nothing. Something felt off, but he could not quite tell what. It just did not feel right.

Zhu Xia looked at him, and her anger seemed to lessen somewhat. After a long pause, she asked softly, “Where’s your daughter? Where did you left her? She’s such a small child, why did you just leave her somewhere else?”

Chen Chao was stunned. “Daughter?!”

Zhu Xia said angrily, “You were carrying her, and you’re still denying it?!”

Chen Chao froze, and only then did he finally realize, Zhu Xia had run off crying earlier because she had mistaken that little girl for his daughter.

Having figured this out, Chen Chao was at a loss whether to cry or laugh.

Chen Chao glanced at Zhu Xia and asked with a smile, “How old do you think my daughter is?”

Zhu Xia frowned slightly and guessed, “Five or six?”

Chen Chao asked, “Then how long has it been since we last saw each other? Five or six years?”

Zhu Xia shook her head in confusion. She could not quite remember anymore, how long it had been since she had left the Divine Capital and met this young man again.

She only remembered that the last time they met, Chen Chao had not been this tall, and his face had looked quite different too. Now that they met again, everything had changed.

Saying it had been several years, or even many years, felt accurate. In her heart, it truly had felt like a long, long time.

Chen Chao gave a bitter smile. “How has it been five or six years?”

Zhu Xia pointed at him in shock. “You mean you two have long already... already... Ah! Chen Chao, you’re such a scoundrel!”

Chen Chao’s face flushed red. Though he had thought about such things before, heaven could attest, in this lifetime, at most he had only kissed someone. Anything more... like touching... abut nothing more than that!

Chen Chao stared seriously at Zhu Xia and said solemnly, “We may be close, but don’t go spouting nonsense. I’ve never been a scoundrel, I’m a genuinely good person!”