Li Qingshan was surprised. Although he was a disciple of the school of Novels, his primary route was still the school of the Military’s simultaneous cultivation of qi and body. There was probably no better master for him within all of the Ruyi commandery than Han Anguo.

  The effects of possessing a good master were as clear as day. For example, he might be able to obtain the second half of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean from a good master’s mere order. Cultivation could only be transformed into authority and influence over time after all.

  From this perspective, Gu Yanying might have been even better. As the daughter of the Hawk God, she had a limitless future ahead of her, but Li Qingshan was not stupid enough to mention another woman in front of Han Qiongzhi.

  And, no matter when, he would never be willing to lower his head before a woman. Others might have to grovel and compromise for a woman that they liked, but he insisted on holding his head up high for that woman to see.

  While Han Qiongzhi’s words seemed nonchalant, she had her intentions. It seemed to hint that if he became the son-in-law of the Han family, he would basically be able to join the influential clan of the Han family and borrow their strength.

  He could not help but admit that this was a little tempting! And, Li Qingshan was rather moved by this too. No matter what, when a woman considered for you, it was something worth being happy over.

  “Thank you!”


  “What’re you thanking me for? I’m just saying. I’m not going to introduce you to him. If you want to take this path, you’d better go plead with my father yourself!” Han Qiongzhi’s face became even redder under the lamp. I, Han Qiongzhi, still haven’t reached the point where I need to use my family to interest a man. Pah, why am I trying to interest him? What’s so impressive about him anyway?

  Though, he did have a valiance of doing whatever he wanted that the people of the Han family lacked, and he was more determined and self-disciplined than those disciples of legalism. He did not take her stubbornness too seriously, and when it mattered, he had stood up for her, confronting death fearlessly…


  For a moment, she was filled with mixed emotions, losing her usual casualness and nonchalant attitude. However, he remained quiet about all this, which made her tempted to grab him by the neck and get to the bottom of what he was thinking.

  Li Qingshan was not a love sage of infatuation, but he still knew that a lone man and woman spending time together and talking to one another at night would not be that simple.

  A beauty under the lamplight gave off quite the charm. He had never been someone who was overly cautious. If he was interested, he would do whatever he wanted to. He grabbed Han Qiongzhi’s hands and said gently, “Senior sister Han!”


  Han Qiongzhi shuddered, but she did not pull her hand back. She asked while trying to act like everything was fine, “What’s up?”


  Li Qingshan joked inside, I just think I’m getting a little ahead of myself when I haven’t even reached the ninth layer yet.

  Both of them had only treated what they said back then as a joke, but they had never thought there would be a moment when it would come true.

  Han Qiongzhi bit her lip and shot a glance at him, but she felt extremely happy inside. She had never been particularly good at concealing her thoughts, so this delight was naturally given away by her expression.

  Li Qingshan went even further now. He conveniently wrapped his arm around her waist, and their shadows projected onto the wall by the lamplight merged together.

  Their postures were similar to when Li Qingshan had forcefully pulled her in and uttered those brave words in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, but their mental state differed vastly now.

  Just like last time, Han Qiongzhi broke free and called out, “If you have something to say, then say it! What’re you touching me for!?” However, she was not irritated at all. She was just completely flushed.

  “I- I’ll be taking my leave first!” Han Qiongzhi rushed away in a hurry.

  Li Qingshan laid on the bamboo floor with his hands cushioning his head. He smiled as he shook his head. “Interesting!” Perhaps before long, there would be someone to warm his blankets in this humble abode of his.

  Snow fell outside the window. Looking at the pitch-black sky, he thought of the black ox again. He could never forget about his original benefactor. If it were not for the black ox’s assistance, how could he reach such a distant world and make a beauty like her fall in love with him?

  Before he knew it, another year had almost passed again. In a few days, he would be eighteen. He would go from being a boy to a real man.

  The future was something he had to consider. Did choosing a master mean there would always be a moment when he would have to separate from Xiao An? After all, it was impossible for him to become a monk, but he did not want to get in the way of Xiao An’s development either.

  Oftentimes, the cause of separation was not overwhelming pressure or obstructions. Instead, it came with various different pursuits. He had his secret to hide and that half a dream that conflicted with the person before him. As a matter of fact, if his marriage fell apart, there might be the miserable fate of being hunted down by his brother-in-law, his father-in-law, and maybe even his future master awaiting him!

  Every single thing, every single matter, was enough to bring a person to their wits end, which was why he had only thought about it slightly before deciding to not think about it. Everything would work out in the end. All he had to do was follow his heart and take large strides forward!

  Was he supposed to say to Han Qiongzhi, “I think we should focus on studying, no, cultivation, right now, and we shouldn’t have these distractions!”? Unless there was something wrong with his head or he was impotent, he would never say something like that.

  Deep into the night, the dharma assembly continued.

  The monks knew no exhaustion. They were all serious as they spoke, and their gazes wandered around. They treated the others as their opponents. Right now, they were no longer just contending over the buddhist dharma, but a once-in-a-century genius too.

  Without any doubts at all, they believed that Xiao An’s existence could determine the fate of an entire temple or even a sect.

  Their discussion about the dharma continued, but it seemed rather half-hearted now.

  At this moment, an old man appeared in front of the hall. His beard and hair were grey, draping down his head and face. His arms drooped down beside him, his eyes were dull, and his face was dazed. If it were not for his kasaya, no one would have imagined he was a monk too.

  The One Thought master beamed. He lowered his head deeply. “Master!” His urgent message had not gone to waste. Despite being thousands of kilometers away, his master had rushed over so quickly.

  The monks all cried out and bowed in a hurry. One Thought’s master? Wasn’t that the Annihilum Light Chan Master? It was rumored that he practised the Great Scripture of Annihilum arduously in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, and it had already been several decades since he left the temple. Why would he come here?

  However, the old monk that the One Thought master called “master” turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to all of it; it was as if he was an imbecile. He directly arrived before Xiao An.

  Xiao An raised her head. Their eyes met, and the old monk’s eyes suddenly erupted with resplendent light, completely drowning out the light that the lamps in the hall flickered with. They were like two shrunken suns.

  The old monk said in an extremely hoarse voice, “Are you willing to go to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga with me to cultivate?”


  The monks immediately gave up on their thoughts. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was the greatest buddhist sect renowned throughout the Green province. As head monk of the Bodhi courtyard, who could contend against the Annihilum Light Chan Master? And, just who could turn down his invitation?

  They had never expected the One Thought monk to make such a decisive move when he struck.

  As a matter of fact, even the One Thought master himself had never expected that his master would leave the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga because of this. He had no other choice either. Originally, he planned on taking her to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to see his master after she had reached Foundation Establishment.

  He also never expected that his master would not ask Xiao An anything or give her any tests, directly granting her the highest recognition and inviting her to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to cultivate.

  The hall, or even the entire island, had fallen completely silent as they awaited her reply.

  There were no doubts over her reply. The chan monastery would gain another supreme genius, and before long, the influence and power of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga would become even more consolidated, even more unshakeable.