Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 212 Gather together

"..." This disciple was simply ridiculous. Ye Beixuan had just swallowed a mouthful of water when he almost choked on it again.

"Don't ask so many questions, you're just a kid."

"Oh!" Ye Xiaobei looked hesitant, as if he had something on his mind that he couldn't hold back.

"Speak your mind directly, don't beat around the bush. It's not good for sword cultivation." Ye Beixuan couldn't help but scold his disciple for his behavior.

Just now you told me not to ask, and now you're telling me not to keep it to myself. After silently complaining to himself, Ye Xiaobei said, "Master, are you leaving? I've almost forgotten all my sword moves. I'd like to ask you for one last lesson on swordsmanship."

Ye Beixuan was taken aback. It seemed that his disciple was not as simple-minded as he appeared. He was quite perceptive and had even sensed that he was about to leave.

"Have you really almost forgotten?" After a moment's thought, he stood up and said calmly, "Let's go to the backyard."

In the backyard, the sycamore trees cast dappled shadows under the bright sun.

Ye Xiaobei closed his eyes tightly, and the air around him surged. His robes moved without wind, and even the fallen leaves within a ten-foot radius swirled around him like a tornado.

Suddenly, two beams of light shot out from his eyes, and a wooden sword slashed out instantly. The swirling leaves around him, under the influence of the sword energy, formed a colorless tornado of air that rushed towards Ye Beixuan like a serpent.

"Not enough." Ye Beixuan tapped his finger lightly, and a sword aura shot out. A sycamore leaf on the ground slowly drifted towards the tornado of withered leaves. The leaf turned dark green and passed through the leaf tornado without any hindrance. In an instant, the tornado dissipated, and the fallen leaves fell to the ground, forming the shape of the Big Dipper.

The sycamore leaf, however, remained as powerful as ever, flying straight past Ye Xiaobei and embedding itself in the large blue stone behind him with a soft "plop," followed by a slight impact sound.

Ye Xiaobei stared at the large blue stone that had been hit by the leaf, lost in thought.

A gust of wind blew by, sending white dust flying. The seemingly unchanged stones had actually turned into dust and scattered in the wind.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." Ye Xiaobei held the wooden sword, cupped his hands in greeting, and then took a deep breath.

At this moment, he was recalling his master's sword moves, but he could never remember the specific moves.

Suddenly, he remembered what his master had mentioned about "forgetting the move" yesterday, and he swung the wooden sword again.

In an instant, seven points of starlight drifted out, brushing past Ye Beixuan and cutting the nearby pebbles into the shape of the Big Dipper.

"Good!" Ye Beixuan waved his hand again, and the dust kicked up by the large blue stone that had just been smashed into powder flew up again.

Countless dust particles suddenly hovered in mid-air, like billowing mist.

Ye Xiaobei thrust out his sword, creating a gust of air that swept up all the dust, quickly gathering it together and compressing it continuously. Then, he swung his sword out fiercely.

A bird was startled into flight from the sycamore tree outside the courtyard. The dust that had been suspended in the air gathered in one place, eventually falling to the ground and turning into a pile of scattered dust.

Ye Beixuan waved his sword, and the bits of food were swept back to where the large blue stone had been.

Ye Xiaobei gripped the wooden sword tightly, looking at the dust his master had swept away, his pupils suddenly contracting. The dust, just swept away, had transformed back into the shape of the large blue stone without any deviation.

In the courtyard, the leaves of the sycamore trees fluttered down once again.

A pink figure stood gracefully in mid-air, a jade hairpin swaying gently in her hair, and her hair styled in a bun at the back of her head, which was so striking that Ye Beixuan was momentarily stunned. As a newlywed, she possessed a unique charm.

Qin Ruoxi lightly touched the paulownia leaves with her delicate feet, and with a gentle wave of her hand, she swept the leaves aside, instantly making the courtyard spotless.

A strand of her dark hair fell across her forehead, fluttering gently in the breeze and brushing against her cheek.

The pink dress, tied with a bow at the waist, revealed her shyness after her first sexual experience.

"You just broke my bones, and now you want to tear the house apart too." She smiled and looked at Ye Beixuan with a reproachful tone, her eyes filled with intense love.

Ye Xiaobei stared in disbelief at his seemingly unreliable master's wife, only then realizing that her swordsmanship was equally unfathomable.

"Greetings, Master's wife."

"Good boy." Qin Ruoxi subconsciously patted his head.

Ye Xiaobei sighed inwardly, "Why is he patting my head again?" But he was very sensible and quickly bowed to his master and mistress before quietly retreating.

"Won't you sleep a little longer?" Ye Beixuan chuckled softly.

"I know you're anxious, so I've already packed my things and am just waiting for you to leave." Qin Ruoxi's tone was calm, but with a hint of a smile.

"You knew?" Ye Beixuan was immediately moved. This girl, seemingly carefree, was actually very perceptive and had guessed his anxiety in no time.

Qin Ruoxi's tone carried a hint of jealousy as she teased, "You're in such a hurry, you're probably going to see your lover."

"You guessed right!" Ye Beixuan awkwardly turned his head away, feigning ignorance, and asked in a puzzled tone, "I'm just in a hurry for the Empress's decree!"

Qin Ruoxi smiled calmly and said, "Come on, do you think I don't know you? It's probably one of your lovers who got injured, otherwise why would you be running so desperately towards Longtan Cave?"

"..." Ye Beixuan was speechless. These women, when they weren't together, all seemed innocent and naive, but once they were together, they were like Conan reincarnated, each one more shrewd than the last.

Seeing that Ye Beixuan remained silent, Qin Ruoxi thought that her jealous words had angered him, and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm, I just..."

Before he could finish speaking, a pink figure was instantly pulled into the arms of the figure in blue. Ye Beixuan cupped her chubby little face, lowered his head, and gently kissed her lips.

Qin Ruoxi was suddenly kissed, and the tips of her ears quickly turned red, while the temperature of her cheeks also rose rapidly.

"I'm not angry," Ye Beixuan whispered in her ear. "You don't need to be like this."

Why has this girl become so cautious? Ye Beixuan felt a pang of heartache seeing her like this. He didn't want her to be so subservient; he hoped they could respect each other and treat each other as equals.

Before they were together, she didn't feel any psychological burden, but once she had him, she became easily anxious about losing him.

"Oh, I see," Qin Ruoxi said softly. "When are we leaving?"

"Now."

After Ye Beixuan finished instructing Xiao Bei on some matters, the two embarked on their journey to the capital.

The capital city remained as bustling and vibrant as ever, with bright red lanterns hanging everywhere on the streets and shop signs swaying in the wind.

On both sides of the street, all kinds of shops are dazzling, and the aromas of food, wine, rouge and sandalwood are intertwined, making people feel refreshed.

The jewelry store's entrance was adorned with a wide variety of exquisite jewelry, while the bookstore's entrance was filled with a dazzling array of books for customers to choose from.

"Wow! This place is much more bustling than our Lost Town." Qin Ruoxi jumped around excitedly, looking east and west, and occasionally sharing the new things she saw with Ye Beixuan.

Ye Beixuan, however, was not interested. When accompanying girls shopping, most men just glanced at the items, hoping to find a bench to rest their feet, and had no interest in the products.

Just then, his sleeve was suddenly tugged. Qin Ruoxi's big, watery eyes sparkled as she pointed to a hairpin in the jewelry store and said, "That one! I want that one!"

"Wrap it up." After Ye Beixuan paid, Qin Ruoxi leaned closer and said softly, "Help me put it on."

He reached out and gently inserted the hairpin into the girl's hair bun. The silver beads on the hairpin swayed slightly, making a crisp and melodious sound.

This scene drew crowds to stop and watch, all marveling at her beauty.

Perhaps feeling a little embarrassed by being watched by everyone, Ye Beixuan suddenly noticed a blush spreading rapidly behind her ears and her cheeks turning rosy, even more beautiful than the bright sunlight.

When she came across the rouge shop, Qin Ruoxi suddenly stopped and gently touched the rouge with her fingertips, leaving a trace of red on her fingertips.

"Don't touch it if you're not going to buy it."

The sudden sound startled her, and she recoiled as if she had been electrocuted, checking her fingertips.

"This..." She bit her lip, glancing somewhat embarrassedly at the person beside her, wondering if she had misunderstood the rules.

"Wrap it up." Ye Beixuan frowned and threw the silver on the counter.

Dusk was gradually falling.

Qin Ruoxi held a candied hawthorn in her hand, her lips glistening with syrup. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.

At the end of the street, a group of well-trained people appeared. Suddenly, the crowd parted as if cleaved by a sharp blade, splitting apart like a piece of cloth. A figure in white, with a frosty expression and a hint of coldness between her brows, appeared. It was none other than the Empress's personal maid, Hanmei.

"Young Master Ye, you certainly have a leisurely and refined taste." Hanmei's voice was cold, like a gust of cold wind, adding a touch of solemnity to the street.

She glanced coldly at Qin Ruoxi and said in an unpleasant tone, "The Empress has been waiting for a long time, yet you still have the mind to stroll around with your new lover? Take her away."

Hanmei caught a glimpse of the hairpin in Qin Ruoxi's hair, and a surge of jealousy welled up inside her. Why? I arrived first, so why didn't he give me anything? And I even often "indulged" him in my room.

A gust of wind blew by, and the guards quickly formed a circle around them, seemingly intending to forcibly take them away.

Qin Ruoxi felt a surge of tension and unconsciously gripped the Immortal Slayer.

Ye Beixuan knew that the little maid was just throwing a tantrum. He suddenly leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Guess what... the Empress would do if she knew that you often forcibly dragged me into your room to 'take me in'?"

"Cough!" Hanmei's breath, which had been gathering momentum, suddenly caught in her throat, and she almost choked. If His Majesty found out, how could she continue to exercise her privileges as a concubine?
Hanmei snorted coldly, flicked her sleeves, and turned away. The guards gestured for the two to follow, and then followed behind them, leaving with Hanmei.

The imperial palace is magnificent and imposing, with coiled dragons on the gilded vermilion pillars gleaming coldly under the light of the glass palace lanterns.

Qin Ruoxi nervously gripped Ye Beixuan's sleeve, following closely behind him.

Passing through the gilded corridor, a sandalwood fragrance wafts through the air, and before you lies a magnificent palace.

"You wait here, I'll go in and inform them," Hanmei said coldly, her tone full of displeasure and jealousy.

A moment later, a beautiful maid led them into the palace. The Empress was reclining in a chair made of golden nanmu wood, her eyes slightly narrowed, the dragon head on her chest rising and falling gently with her breath.

Qin Ruoxi gazed at the elegant woman on the chair from afar, so nervous she became somewhat incoherent, preparing to kneel and say, "This humble woman greets you..."

Before Qin could finish speaking, the Empress slowly opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Sister?"

In the fragments of memory, a woman dressed in a pink dress, with an appearance exactly like her own, suddenly appeared. She was kneeling in agony before a figure dressed in pure white, and that figure looked exactly like the empress before her.

"How dare you!" the head female official suddenly shouted sternly.

The Empress slightly raised her hand, stopping her reprimand.

Her gaze swept over Qin Ruoxi, revealing a faint sense of familiarity. A faint smile curved her lips as she said, "She's quite a charming girl."

Then, in a calm tone, she asked, "Did you get the ancient stalactite?"

Ye Beixuan smiled calmly and said, "I got it. Has Xianglian returned?"

Since the Empress knows about the stalactite of the Ten Thousand Year Stone, it must be because Ao Qin brought Li Xianglian back.

"Hmm! Come with me to see her!" Her hand casually stroked her lower abdomen as she slowly rose in the sandalwood-scented hall.

But Ye Beixuan caught this unintentional little movement and was immediately stunned.

"Follow me." The Empress, her robes fluttering, slowly led them behind a gilded screen. Turning a corner and pushing open a door, they arrived at a corridor leading to a side hall.

The closer you get to the side hall, the stronger the rich medicinal fragrance in the air becomes.

The Empress pushed open a vermilion door, and Ye Beixuan suddenly stopped. A familiar scent of ambergris wafted from the room—was that Ao Qin's fragrance?

Qin Ruoxi was looking around when she unexpectedly bumped into his sturdy back, causing even the silver beads on her hairpin to sway erratically and make a crisp sound.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of air rushed out of the room, causing the door to shake violently. Inside, Chen Qianru had just finished inserting silver needles all over Li Xianglian's body and was about to finish her practice.

"How is it?" The Empress held Li Xianglian's hand and asked softly.

Chen Qianru wiped the sweat from her forehead and said solemnly, "The injury is too severe. I can only protect her meridians to prevent the injury from worsening. Without rare and precious herbs, it will be very difficult to cure her."

Ye Beixuan slowly walked into the room.

Ao Qin was sitting cross-legged behind Li Xianglian, his body half-dragon transformed, with the divine dragon pearl above his head standing in mid-air, continuously transferring his primordial dragon breath to Li Xianglian, but it was only a drop in the ocean.

When Chen Qianru saw someone come in, she looked at the handsome Ye Beixuan and felt that she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

"Who is this?" she asked Ye Beixuan with a questioning tone. When her gaze fell on Qin Ruoxi, her eyes immediately lit up with surprise. She said, "A celestial body, a celestial body like Xianglian's."

"Senior Chen, now is not the time to accept disciples." The Empress said calmly, turning to Chen Qianru, "We have retrieved the ten-thousand-year-old stalactite. Let's begin."

Ye Beixuan nodded, waved his hand, and a pure white porcelain bottle hovered in mid-air, flying towards Li Xianglian's head. Immediately afterwards, a drop of dark green spiritual liquid slowly dripped from the bottle.

As the spiritual liquid dripped out, the dragon energy around Li Xianglian suddenly gathered together and converged on her.

Ao Qin let out a muffled groan, and the Divine Dragon Pearl trembled violently, beginning to continuously gather dragon power.

"Not enough!" Chen Qianru pulled down Li Xianglian's clothes, revealing her smooth, porcelain-white back. Upon closer inspection, her back was covered with tiny cracks, which were slowly healing, but it was far from enough.

Upon hearing this, Ye Beixuan manipulated the porcelain bottle to continue dripping the spiritual liquid, drop by drop. Everyone exerted their full strength, and soon the spiritual liquid was almost empty, but Li Xianglian's recovery speed gradually slowed down.

After a long while, Chen Qianru finished her work, sighed and said, "Let's stop! The ten-thousand-year-old stalactite is indeed effective, but that's about it. We may need other rare and precious materials to work together."

Ye Beixuan was stunned. He had almost lost half his life to get this thing, and it still wasn't enough? What other rare and precious treasures were there?

The Empress's face was somewhat grim. Li Xianglian was her closest sister. She had already owed her once for the Great Zhou's current state, and now she owed her a second time.

"Senior Chen, do you know what other rare and precious materials there are? Let's go and find them immediately."

Chen Qianru sighed and said, "There's also the Thousand-Year Wood Marrow Liquid, which contains unparalleled life force, but..."

"Please speak freely, senior," the Empress said sincerely.

"Sigh..." Chen Qianru sighed again and said, "Princess Ao and I must stay behind to stabilize Xianglian's injuries, and this thousand-year-old wood marrow liquid is extremely difficult to obtain."

It turns out that the location of this wood marrow sap is actually in the Dead Abyss in the Far East. This place is quite strange. Although it is called the Dead Land, the bottom of the abyss is full of lush trees, birdsong, and fragrant flowers.

However, this place seems to suppress spiritual energy. The three great immortal abodes once explored it but found nothing, thus concluding that it was a dead place.

"We'll depart tomorrow," the Empress suddenly said, then turned to Ye Beixuan and asked, "Tomorrow, is that alright?"

Chen Qianru was taken aback, and even Ao Qin looked puzzled. Wasn't she pregnant? Wasn't she the one who most wanted him to stay?
“Okay, but…” Ye Beixuan agreed without thinking, but then added, “However, I want to bring Ruoxi with me.”

The Empress turned her head slightly away, a hint of jealousy in her eyes, and gently stroked her lower abdomen with her fingertips.

"This is an adventure, not child's play! You lustful bastard." Ao Qin frowned. This guy, he's forgotten his old flame as soon as he has a new one? He even has to bring a woman along on this adventure.

Chen Qianru immediately sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. The scene was very strange, and she felt like an outsider. It was as if they were a family, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Driven by lust? Ye Beixuan smiled bitterly to himself; this was truly a huge injustice. But Qin Ruoxi might still prove useful, just like last time, since she was immune to spiritual energy suppression.

"When I went to retrieve the ancient stalactite, I also encountered suppression of spiritual energy," he explained calmly.

"Oh? What do you want to say?" Ao Qin didn't care about the big picture or the small picture. She was naturally fiery, and once jealousy got the better of her, she wouldn't care about anything else.

"I mean, Ruoxi is immune to spiritual energy suppression," Ye Beixuan said helplessly. "This time, we owe it all to her, otherwise..."

The group felt a chill run down their spines, immediately forgetting the preciousness of the ten-thousand-year-old stalactite and not thinking about how much suffering Ye Beixuan had endured to obtain it.

"Enough!" The Empress frowned, her voice carrying a hint of authority. "Rest tonight, recharge your energy, and set off tomorrow."

Although she was a mortal, none of her other daughters, who were highly skilled in cultivation, dared to contradict her. Even Ao Qin consciously kept quiet.

Immediately afterwards, she called out to the door, "Hanmei."

Hanmei darted in from outside and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Arrange a room here for Miss Qin to rest. Take Young Master Ye to Shuiyun Residence. Remember, don't let him contact anyone else, and don't allow him to step out of the house." After saying this, she angrily turned and left.

Hanmei was so frightened that she quickly lowered her head and stood aside, but she was secretly overjoyed. "Your Majesty, please don't blame me. You only said that he shouldn't have contact with other people, not that I shouldn't."

Time flies, and the night passed quickly.

Early in the morning, Ye Beixuan stretched lazily and then quietly left with Qin Ruoxi.

Last night, the Empress was taken advantage of by her maid, which was actually intentional on her part. After all, she was pregnant, so the matter of having a concubine was naturally handled by her maid.

Three days later.

Starting from the capital city in the center of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the two traveled for three whole days before arriving at the location marked on Chen Qianru's map.

Gazing at the bottomless abyss, the two stood on the edge and looked down, seeing only ancient vines with intertwined roots. A strong wind howled, quickly whipping up their clothes.

"Hold me tight!" Ye Beixuan grabbed Qin Ruoxi and leaped into the endless darkness without hesitation.

The sound of the wind rushing past his ears as he fell made Ye Beixuan clearly aware that his spiritual power was being slowly compressed and drawn away.

In her nervousness, Qin Ruoxi suddenly wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and her hands tightly around his neck.

"Hold on tight!" Ye Beixuan mustered all his strength, unleashing his spiritual power to create a spiritual energy shield. Then, he channeled the remaining spiritual power to his feet, using the bushes on the cliff face as cover, and launched himself onto the precipice.

At this moment, the spiritual energy shield emitted a "sizzling" sound, and the outer shell had been pressed so hard that it showed fine cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"From now on, it's up to you."

"Okay!" Qin Ruoxi, who had just seemed extremely "nervous," hugged Ye Beixuan tightly and jumped down again.

In the blink of an eye, the howling wind rang out again.

As Qin Ruoxi fell, she kept dodging the tangled bushes and branches, but even so, her skirt was still accidentally torn by some sharp branches.

"Don't be afraid, it looks like there's a pool of water down there," Ye Beixuan said, pointing downwards. He activated his Black and White Pupil Technique, his Yin-Yang Eyes flickering in and out of existence, and even with his spiritual power completely depleted, he still managed to perceive the condition of the ground.

Sure enough, with a loud "splash," the two plunged into the pool at the bottom of the abyss, creating huge splashes that stood out starkly against the silent landscape.

Considering that Ye Beixuan was no different from an ordinary person at this moment, Qin Ruoxi, who was underwater, hurriedly cupped Ye Beixuan's face, quickly pressed her lips to his to breathe, and at the same time kicked her legs upwards.

Before long, the two surfaced, and the world before them opened up before them. The terrain here was flat and level, without any undulations, except for lush trees all around.

"The Millennium Wood Marrow Elixir should be in this forest," Ye Beixuan said calmly, turning to Qin Ruoxi.

Seeing that the girl did not respond, he then noticed that her earlobes were bright red, and the red color was spreading towards her cheeks.

At that moment, he also realized that their posture was extremely ambiguous. The intense impact had just caused her clothes to burst open, exposing a large expanse of her snow-white skin, and floating in the pool was a garment that seemed to be... a bodice.

"I feel like there's something over there," Qin Ruoxi said, pointing towards the depths of the dense forest.

(End of this chapter)