Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

After Shen Wei and Ye Qingci said those things that left her completely baffled.

Ye Qingci felt a strange curiosity about the man who had offered to escort her on that night in the ancient temple when she was most helpless.

Of course, she had been curious about this unusually mysterious man before, but never as intensely as she was now.

"You're right, I've definitely fallen for you."

Ye Qingci recalled that night and the words that had slipped out of Shen Wei's mouth.

"..."

His motives could not possibly be what he had previously claimed—that he had taken a fancy to her—that is simply untenable.

To be fair, Ye Qingci felt that her charm was enough to attract any man. This was not arrogance, but her most sincere self-awareness.

When she was young, her master taught her that excessive humility would turn into another form of arrogance. Even though she never cared about other people's opinions of her, she would not disregard her own characteristics.

If Shen Weizhen only coveted her appearance and desired her body, he would have had too many opportunities to take advantage of her during their journey together. He could have easily made his move when she was still recovering from her injuries and when she was off guard, but he did not.

What if... he wasn't lusting after her body, but truly loved her as a person?

Compared to her own appearance, Ye Qingci was less certain about this point.

It wasn't that she felt her personality was inferior to her appearance, but rather that they had only spent a few days together and barely managed to be comfortable sharing a room and sleeping in the same bed. This wasn't even familiarity, so how could it be considered love?

So, what was his purpose?

This was the first time Ye Qingci had set aside her focus on cultivation and begun to think about things other than that.

She seemed to be back in that night when she fled to the ancient temple, the scene of their first meeting playing on repeat in her mind.

She could even remember the shape of the pills Shen Wei handed her. She had always had a good memory, but this favor from heaven sometimes felt more like a punishment to her.

What if he wasn't just a "stranger"?

She recalled the sword technique Shen Wei used, and the similar eyebrows and eyes but completely different gazes.

Some things are always realized only after the fact, but now, it seems she really can no longer ignore those illogical facts.

His explanation of the origin of that sword technique was merely one-sided.

Ten years is a long time; too many things can change in that time, and even she has changed a lot.

But if that's the case, why doesn't he acknowledge her as his wife? Is it because he's disappointed by her leaving without saying goodbye back then that he refuses to acknowledge her?

"..."

Ye Qingci slowly opened her eyes only after the medicinal power of the pill in her body gradually dissipated and no longer filled her meridians.

She circulated her meridians and practiced breathing exercises for a few cycles, and found that things were much smoother. Although she had not fully recovered to her peak condition, it seemed sufficient for now.

Ye Qingci slowly began practicing the familiar sword technique in the guest room.

Having not practiced swordsmanship for a long time, my movements are inevitably a bit rusty.

When practicing swordsmanship, she deliberately restrained all her spiritual power. If she used her spiritual power, even if the guest room was equipped with a protective array, it would be of no use.

As the sword flashed and white robes billowed, Ye Qingci finally sheathed his sword and stopped, his forehead beaded with a thin layer of sweat.

Her breathing was slightly rapid, but as soon as she stopped what she was doing, her mind was immediately filled with the things she had just been thinking about.

"Forget it, what's the point of thinking about these things?" Ye Qingci sighed softly.

She sheathed her sword and walked out of Wangyue Pavilion.

These days, she has been focusing on healing her injuries. In addition, cultivators have long since reached the state of fasting and do not need to eat, so she has been staying at home and has not yet had a proper look at the city.

Looking up, Qingyun City was still as bustling and prosperous as when she first arrived, a peaceful and tranquil place.

She knew that the world was at peace because there were people silently bearing the burden behind the scenes.

As her thoughts wandered, she inevitably thought of Shen Wei again, and of the ambiguous words he had said to her a few days ago.

At that moment, a strong thought suddenly arose in her mind—she wanted to see him, to ask him face to face, and to get a real answer from him.

......

......

......

"Ye Qingci!?"

Meng Changgeng and Ye Qingci can be considered to be of the same generation, but even a genius like him could not help but live in Ye Qingci's shadow.

Therefore, he was very familiar with this woman who had always been high above him and always had the upper hand over him.

Ye Qingci, however, would not have the same deep impression of her as Meng Changgeng did.

To her, Meng Changgeng was just one of the countless stepping stones she had cut down on her path of cultivation. However, because she had a very good memory, she could barely remember his name.

"It really is you... I thought the famous Fairy Ye's escape to Cangying Continent was just a rumor."

Meng Changgeng chuckled, "I admire Fairy Ye quite a bit—after killing several elders of the Shangqing Sect, instead of continuing to flee, she still dared to interfere in the affairs of my Fuyou Sect."

He looked at Shen Wei, who was being protected behind Ye Qingci, and said, "Is it because of him that you came? I knew this kid knew Ye Qingci's signature sword technique."

Speaking of sword techniques, Meng Changgeng seemed to have thought of something. He put away his smile and said seriously:

"Ye Qingci, after the last Immortal Alliance Conference, I have found a way to counter your sword technique that almost killed me."

He pointed at Shen Wei, "He is proof of that, but I believe that Fairy Ye's Moonfrost Sword Technique is naturally stronger than his."

Meng Changgeng raised his hand and grasped the Changxiao Sword at his waist, his eyes filled with anticipation. "I never imagined that this duel, which has happened countless times in my dreams, would take place here. Very well, today, let me witness your Moonmark Sword once again!"

"Why are you so noisy?"

In her eyes, Meng Changgeng was just a passerby with a name, yet he had said so much nonsensical nonsense to her, which was really disturbing.

Upon hearing this, Meng Changgeng was taken aback. He had originally intended to elaborate on the event, adding a touch of legend to this long-awaited showdown.

As soon as Ye Qingci finished speaking, he drew his sword with a "whoosh".

When she wielded her sword, her movements were light and graceful, not like she was fighting for her life, but rather like she was dancing with her sword under the moon. Before you knew it, people were mesmerized. But her sword could really kill!

Faced with this sudden and fatal sword strike, Meng Changgeng immediately snapped out of Ye Qingci's clamor and drew his Changxiao Sword. A faint blue aura emanated from his body as he desperately tried to block Ye Qingci's attack.

Both swords were incredibly fast. From the perspective of Ren You and his disciples, it was almost impossible to see their figures. All that could be seen was a silver-white sword light and a cyan sword light constantly colliding and intertwining, unleashing a powerful aura.

After several rounds of fighting, the two were evenly matched, and their breathing gradually became rapid.

"My spiritual power still can't keep up with the consumption..." Ye Qingci retreated several steps with her sword, barely managing to steady herself.

Her meridians had only just been repaired and healed, and they simply couldn't withstand such a high-intensity, high-consumption battle. The spiritual energy in her body was draining away at an extremely fast rate, and she was gradually becoming somewhat powerless.

"Fairy Ye, your sword seems to be slower than it was ten years ago."

He clearly sensed Ye Qingci's lack of spiritual power, and a provocative smile appeared on his lips.

Ye Qingci didn't bother with it at all. She held her breath and focused all her attention on breathing exercises, pushing her mental techniques to the limit, just to gather a little more spiritual power to barely keep up with the consumption of the battle.

"Bang!"

In an instant, the two moved at the same time, and their two swords collided at the same time, producing a crisp humming sound.

However, the two did not remain locked in a prolonged stalemate. Meng Changgeng's aura was calm and his spiritual power was abundant, even though he had previously used his trump card, the Wind Returning Cloud Sword, which had consumed a great deal of spiritual power.

However, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was already at his peak, and his spiritual energy recovery speed was far superior to that of Ye Qingci, who was still recovering from her injuries.

Meng Changgeng suddenly exerted force with his wrist, and the longsword swung upwards, accurately striking Ye Qingci's wrist that was holding the sword.

Ye Qingci's spiritual energy was running out, and her protective spiritual energy was extremely fragile, causing the Moon Mark Sword to fly out of her hand in an instant.

Ye Qingci reacted swiftly, immediately channeling her spiritual energy to summon the longsword back to her hand from afar. But in a battle between masters, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant.

Meng Changgeng seized this opening, and the wind spirit energy began to slowly gather towards him again.

"Wind Returns to Flowing Clouds Sword!"

However, perhaps because it had already been used once before, this time the Wind Returns to Clouds Sword, although not as surging and powerful as when it was used against Shen Weishi, was still enough to make Ye Qingci, whose injuries had not yet healed, feel very troubled.

"Moonlight Frost Sword Technique!"

In this critical moment, Ye Qingci had no choice but to use the same sword technique that Shen Wei had just used to fight back.

Unlike Shen Wei's ferocious and fierce attack, Ye Qingci's Moonfrost Sword Technique is more pure, elegant, and exquisite, with sword energy pouring down like moonlight.

The same sword techniques clashed again, but the users were completely different. Would the outcome be different this time?