"Oh, girl, failed again, huh?" When Chu Feng finished refining the last Yuan Pearl and stepped out of the cave, he spotted Ziling sitting in front of another cave entrance, looking utterly dejected—another failed breakthrough, no question.
"Shut up. You think breaking through to the Heaven Martial realm is easy?" Ziling shot Chu Feng a fierce glare before continuing, "Chu Feng, even the Jiang Dynasty has gotten involved now. That princess, Jiang Yini—I heard about her from my grandfather."
"When my grandfather was cultivating in a dangerous place, he ran into Jiang Yini. She's the Jiang Dynasty's top genius of the younger generation. Even back when my grandfather encountered her, she was already at Heaven Martial Fifth Level. By now, she's very likely reached the Sixth Level."
"Besides, the Jiang Dynasty's people have incredibly powerful techniques. If Jiang Yini finds us, we'll be in serious trouble. Why don't we leave the Nine Provinces Continent and head to the Eastern Ocean?"
"The Eastern Ocean? Is that far?" Chu Feng asked.
"Far? Of course it's far. You'd have to cross several continents—some of them are inhabited, others are nothing but wastelands—and then pass through multiple seas before you actually reach the Eastern Ocean. At the speed of my Exquisite Chariot, it'd take about half a year," Ziling said.
"Half a year?" At that number, Chu Feng, who had been somewhat tempted, immediately dropped the idea. Half a year to get there, a full year round-trip—that was time he couldn't afford to waste, and couldn't afford to lose.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Chu Feng's hesitation, Ziling asked, puzzled.
"Ziling, to be honest with you, I can't leave the Nine Provinces Continent right now," Chu Feng said.
"Why not? Do you have something you need to do? Or do you feel your cultivation isn't enough?" Ziling asked.
Looking at the genuine concern in Ziling's eyes, Chu Feng couldn't bring himself to keep lying to her any longer. He told her everything—about Su Rou and Su Mei, and the method to rescue them—holding nothing back.
After hearing it all, Ziling fell silent. The clarity in her gaze dimmed, and no one could tell what she was thinking.
"Ziling, I shouldn't have kept this from you. Are you upset with me? Angry that I didn't tell you I already had two fiancées before you?"
"Silly, what are you thinking? It's perfectly normal for a man to take multiple wives. Why would I blame you?"
"When I, Ziling, say I've chosen you, that's final. I don't care what kind of person you are—I'm sticking with you. If you want to save the world, I'll be right beside you doing good deeds. If you want to slaughter everyone under heaven, I'll be a killer right alongside you."
"Besides, a few more sisters sounds wonderful, honestly. Girls understand girls better—at least it'd be more interesting than staring at your face all day!" As she said this, an unmistakably wistful expression appeared on Ziling's face.
Seeing Ziling like this, the heavy stone in Chu Feng's heart finally dropped away. Over the time they'd spent together, he had come to realize that Ziling was someone who loved boldly and hated fiercely—at the very least, she had truly been willing to throw herself into danger for his sake.
So Chu Feng found himself growing fonder and fonder of Ziling. He wanted to make her his wife, to spend his life with a woman like this.
"Then what were you just thinking about?" Chu Feng asked with a grin.
"Hmm, I was thinking about something rather daring. But I can't put it into practice until I break through to the Heaven Martial realm, so I'm not telling you yet," Ziling said with a mischievous smile.
"Tch, keeping secrets from me now? How stingy. Oh well, girls are always stingy. Not like us men—we're so generous. Come, come, let me tell you a secret," Chu Feng said in a mysterious tone.
"What secret?" Ziling asked, curiosity piqued.
"Actually, if you just slept with me—let me have my way with you—my cultivation might take a huge leap forward." Chu Feng spoke shamelessly, but his expression was dead serious.