Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

Xu Bailing's cultivation level was at the peak of the Intentional Force realm, just one step away from the fourth realm, making her three points stronger than the Earth-Splitting Beast that he had killed.

With Xu Bailing's protection, Chu Xunfeng calmed down, suppressed his anger, and pressed the bamboo slip in his hand onto the Earth-Splitting Beast.

[Earth-Splitting Beast, early stage of the Third Realm, last seat on the nineteenth floor of White Emperor City. This prey can be ranked third on the Quality Ranking and first on the Overall Ranking. Keep up the good work!]

Chu Xunfeng let out a long sigh of relief and looked at the young lady who was standing with her sword in hand.

Xu Bailing was still staring into the depths of the forest. It was unclear whether she had truly sensed the attackers or was simply being wary of that direction.

"Fellow Daoists, I have recorded the Earth-Splitting Beast's achievements with talismans. You should all go find your own prey." Chu Xunfeng announced loudly, then looked down at Xu Bailing, whose gaze was fixed on him.

The young lady frowned, seemingly puzzled by Chu Xunfeng's actions, but she ultimately said nothing. She remained on guard for a while, and once she was certain that no one would launch another sneak attack, she lowered her stance, put down her longsword, and walked towards Chu Xunfeng, who had just stepped off the Earth-Splitting Beast.

"Chu Xunfeng, you seem to be used to enduring and yielding?" Xu Bailing is very sensitive to emotions. She could sense that Chu Xunfeng was furious about being ambushed, but he managed to control himself.

"I'm exhausted, big... cough cough, Miss Bai Ling." Chu Xunfeng almost blurted out the name he often used in his heart, but then changed his words, "Besides, I had already anticipated the situation just now, so I was prepared."

"What if I miss it?"

"Then let it go." Chu Xunfeng's words carried an indifferent attitude.

“A cultivator should not be so weak.” Xu Bailing frowned this time.

Actually, it wasn't just this time; even a month and a half ago, regarding Ding Yusong's matter, she really didn't understand why Chu Xunfeng would have a 'let it go, we'll talk about it later' mentality.

Chu Xunfeng turned his head and stared at Xu Bailing.

After a long silence, under Xu Bailing's unwavering gaze, he slowly spoke, "Miss Bailing, I once taught someone some things. At that time, I was not a cultivator, but she was. She scoffed at my words."

Xu Bailing looked at Chu Xunfeng with a puzzled expression, but did not respond to his obviously unfinished sentence.

“Now that I have become a practitioner, I understand some of the concepts or traditions of practitioners, such as ‘struggle and tempering.’ But I still think that what I taught her back then was right and has its merits.”

"I don't understand what you're doing or thinking. Could you teach me?" Xu Bailing looked at the young man's profile and asked frankly.

“Hmm…” Chu Xunfeng hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Back then, she told me that she was under a lot of pressure. Many disciples in the sect were watching her every move and word.”

Xu Bailing was stunned. For a moment, she even felt that the person Chu Xunfeng was talking about was herself.

"And I taught her that one should be like a soft sword, flexible and resilient as a whole. One should be soft when it is appropriate and hard when it is necessary. One should have sharp points, but not be sharp in every aspect, otherwise one will only annoy others. In short, I advised her not to be aloof and to communicate with others more, even if she did not make friends with others."

“My mother taught me similar things.” Xu Bailing nodded thoughtfully.

"That was when I felt I should back down," Chu Xunfeng shrugged. "I was exhausted and unable to fight anymore. Even if I had been strong, I would have only gotten a beating, and I might not have been able to keep the Earth-Splitting Beast's score."

"There are still thirteen days left in the autumn hunt. Can I find other demonic beasts to compete with here, and even get injured? Would that help me in the ranking competition?"

Xu Bailing remained silent for a long time before shaking her head. "It's meaningless."

“Yes, it’s pointless.” Chu Xunfeng nodded. Seeing that Xu Bailing really agreed with his thoughts and ideas, he smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. “This is just my own attitude towards life. As for others, I have learned that it is best not to interfere.”

"Why?" Xu Bailing stared at Chu Xunfeng's face in confusion. When she saw that the smile on his face had faded considerably, she realized what was going on. "Is it because of the person you once taught?"

"Yes, after that incident, she treated me even worse, and to this day, she still adheres to her own beliefs."

Chu Xunfeng recalled the fleeting glimpse he had seen that morning, noting that besides Ning Qiuning's personal maid, there was no one else nearby. He was quite moved and thought, "Everyone has a different attitude towards life. If their views don't align, even if they are together for a short time, they should still separate."

“I think Chu Xunfeng, what you said makes a lot of sense.” Xu Bailing’s words carried a hint of hesitation, “But, something still feels off, something is still missing…”

“Hmm…” The young man paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Perhaps, because I am just one person after all, and I can’t represent others. I can only do what I think is right.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Xu Bailing shook her head seriously. “Your reasoning is not wrong, but when you put all these reasons together, some of them are not quite right.”

"Hmm?" Chu Xunfeng smiled.

"Too...too concerned with gains and losses?" Xu Bailing seemed to be asking herself, but after asking the question, she nodded vigorously. "That's right, that's the feeling, too concerned with gains and losses."

Chu Xunfeng was taken aback. "Is that so?"

"Yes, you are clearly angry, but you suppress these emotions because you are thinking about the gains and losses."

Xu Bailing stared at Chu Xunfeng's face with her lake-blue eyes. "I actually hope you can get even angrier and vent it out."

"Why?" Chu Xunfeng found it somewhat amusing. "Didn't we just say that doing this is pointless?"

“It’s pointless to be stubborn, assuming things go as you expect. But I was here just now, and if you want to vent, I can help you.” Xu Bailing stared into Chu Xunfeng’s eyes. “But you’re still suppressing it, just like Ding Yusong was back then.”

……

Chu Xunfeng remained silent for a long time before he could only offer a weak explanation: "Having Miss Bai Ling do it for me would only waste more of my energy in the end. It's a thankless task."

"So, your emotions don't matter?" Xu Bailing stared at Chu Xunfeng.

Do my emotions matter?

Seeing Chu Xunfeng's thoughtful expression, the young lady of Baidi City finally understood why she felt differently about Chu Xunfeng than she did about others.

He's the same as me.

All emotions have flaws.

Xu Bailing finds it difficult to empathize with other people's emotions; she is indifferent.

Chu Xunfeng, on the other hand, deliberately suppressed his emotions; in reality, he was indifferent.

The difference is just that.

Xu Bailing's indifference is directed towards others.

Chu Xunfeng's indifference was directed at himself.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Wealth and Integrity

As dusk settled, Chu Xunfeng, leaning against a large tree, opened his eyes.

The campfire he and Xu Bailing lit in the middle of the night had gone out, leaving only a pile of ashes on the open ground in front of them.

The sound of the young man getting up attracted the attention of a woman standing not far away.

"woke up?"

"Hmm." Chu Xunfeng nodded, stretched, and his stiff body crackled like popping beans.

He twisted his neck, shook his legs, and took a deep breath of the chilly air. "What are your plans next, Miss Bai Ling?"

"Let's go deeper." The woman with the sword looked at Chu Xunfeng. "Would you like to travel with me?"

"Forget it." Chu Xunfeng shook his head with a smile. "If we go together, the hunting efficiency will be very low, and the prey will be difficult to distribute."

Xu Bailing didn't insist. Seeing that Chu Xunfeng didn't seem to have any intention of leaving immediately, she said directly, "Then I'll take my leave first."

"Okay." Chu Xunfeng nodded, watching Xu Bailing walk into the deep forest until her figure disappeared from his sight.

So, your emotions don't matter?

The young lady's words still echoed in his mind. Chu Xunfeng did not give an answer last night. He would not go against his conscience, but he also knew that Xu Bailing would not like his answer. Therefore, he chose to remain silent last night.

"Important, unimportant, meaningful?" Chu Xunfeng looked down at his hands. When Xu Bailing asked that question last night, Chu Xunfeng thought of his life in the Ning family and the feelings he had when he received the letter of departure from the maid.

At that time, no matter how angry or heartbroken I was, or how many words I had to say, I could only swallow them down.

"Without power, nothing can be done."

Chu Xunfeng cleared his mind of those unpleasant thoughts. "System, energy?"

[98.2%]

well.

Last night, I recovered about 80% of the blood and energy I had lost, and I'm feeling much better.

keep it up.

Chu Xunfeng took a deep breath and deliberately chose a different direction from when Xu Bailing left, continuing to venture deeper into the Southern Wilderness Mountains.

The competition for the three rankings at the Autumn Hunting Tournament was his first accumulation of experience in the cultivation world. Chu Xunfeng was truly penniless in the cultivation world, so both the rewards from the tournament and the rewards from the sects in White Emperor City were precious resources for him.

That's why, even though he guessed that Ning Qiu Ning might participate and anticipated that he might be exposed to his ex-wife's gaze, he still came despite his reluctance and after weighing the pros and cons.

Moreover, now that we're here, we shouldn't dwell on Ning Qiu Ning's matter anymore; the real priority is to focus on the Autumn Hunting Festival.

Stepping on decaying leaves and withered branches, Chu Xunfeng continued to venture deeper south.

Chu Xunfeng had a feeling that he was about to break through his cultivation level, but he was still one step away from achieving it.

He needs a monster stronger than the Earth-Splitting Beast to hone his skills.

And the southern wilderness mountains are certainly not lacking in such whetstones.

In fact, even after yesterday, the entire Autumn Hunting Tournament was still in the warm-up stage. Those truly capable contestants had not yet begun to exert their full strength, or rather... like Chu Xunfeng and Xu Bailing, they had not yet ventured deep into the Southern Wilderness Mountains to find suitable opponents and prey.

At this moment, seven miles away from Chu Xunfeng, deeper in the mountains and forests, two men were working together to deal with a ground-splitting beast.

This Earth-Splitting Beast was three times larger than the one Chu Xunfeng faced last night.

Qi and Blood Realm, Peak!

"Jin Fugui!!!" The gaunt young man grabbed a vine, hung it in mid-air, and splashed a cloud of pale yellow powder.

"Shut the hell up!" Standing on the ground, the obese man, his buttocks sticking out and his body leaning forward, pressed his hands firmly to the ground, his face as red as a cooked shrimp. "All you do is howl! If you're so capable, then..."

Before he could utter a single word, his arms, which were pressed to the ground, began to tremble violently. Jin Fugui's expression changed drastically. "Skinny Monkey! Retreat!"

With his last breath, the fat man shouted those words, then suddenly released his hand, pushed off the ground with both legs, and shot straight into the sky like a cannonball.

"Damn it!" The gaunt young man hanging in mid-air also changed his expression. He raised his hand, and a vine shot out from his sleeve, accurately wrapping around the fat man's right leg. The fat man and the vine pulled him away into the distance.