Qing Shui stared at the quivering woman akin to the poppy flowers amidst the breeze. His heart was filled with love, as he slowly lowered his head to kiss her lips gently.

  A delicate fragrance traveled to his nose, a scent that Qing Shui particularly adored. The softness of her lips was tender and lovely, sending his mind into a blank as he continued to press his lips against her delicate lips and suck on them gently. He held her in his arms, pressing her against his chest unconsciously with a gentle force.

  Lady Duanmu couldn’t help it, but open her mouth slightly to let out a gasp when Qing Shui embraced her suddenly. He took the opportunity of the moment and slithered his tongue into her mouth, locking his tongue with hers as they continued to share a few kisses passionately.

  They continued to do so without the perception of time before they finally stopped. Qing Shui smacked his lips satisfyingly, enjoying the lovely taste of her mouth as he glanced back at the bashful mature woman in front of him.

  “Ruyan!”


  “Mm!” Lady Duanmu lifted her head slightly, but avoided his glance completely.

  “I have to go now. Do you have anything you want to say to me before I leave?” Qing Shui held her hands and let out a few chuckles.

  “Be careful on your journey!” Lady Duanmu only said one sentence and stopped. Qing Shui couldn’t tell what she was currently feeling, he couldn’t sense her emotions clearly.

  “Do you want me to leave so badly?” Qing Shui smiled. Yu Ruyan couldn’t even see the jesting expression in his eyes, as she continued to avoid his gaze.

  “What are you saying, why would I do that?” Yu Ruyan replied quickly.

  “Then that means Ruyan doesn’t want me to leave. I don’t want to part with you either…” Qing Shui said softly. He wasn’t sure if that was the truth or just a moment of teasing to fluster her heart.

  “Qing Shui!”


  When he regained his composure, Yu Ruyan was already holding onto his neck gently. Without saying another word, she held onto him quietly. It was at this moment that Qing Shui realized the genuine closeness between both of them.

  “Qing Shui, please wait a bit longer. I only have thoughts of you in my heart. Please?” Yu Ruyan pleaded softly, as she buried herself in his chest.

  “As I’ve said before, I will not force you into a decision. But if you encounter anything in the future, remember to look for me. You will know how to contact me with the items inside the sachet I gave you,” Qing Shui snickered.

  “Mm, I will.”


  ……


  Qing Shui left directly from the mountain peak where Lady Duanmu was still standing, as she watched him fly away. He only turned away when her silhouette began to vanish from his sight.

  He didn’t stop by the Cloud Adventurer Guild, but only watched from the outside, observing the finished construction of the building. He didn’t want to announce his arrival to the guild members, as they were still in the middle of development stage. His arrival would only disrupt Yun Duan’s schedules and arrangements unnecessarily.

  Some items he left for her were useful to her cultivation progress. Nonetheless, he made his way towards Cold Ice City to visit the Hai Clan and of course, that woman as well. He wanted to check on her, whether she was living a good life and whether she was still keeping to the words she had said to him before.

  That woman from the Hai Clan was definitely strong. Even if they were to become husband and wife, they would not be together most times. Qing Shui had romantic feelings for her, but he was too busy to delve himself into this relationship. If he weren’t persistent in his cultivation, he would have drowned himself in the comfort of pleasures and lust of the women he met.

  Even so, he had no confidence in himself after a long period of absence in her life. He had lent his help to the Hai Clan once, but that was a long time ago. He wasn’t even sure if Hai Dongqing was still single or that she still had romantic feelings for a man like him after all these years.

  People change, a fact that would remain until this day. Moreover, Hai Dongqing was born a talented cultivator and based on that alone, her powers would only increase faster than normal cultivators. She was one of the beauties amongst the Portraits of Beauty and she was a woman of her own wealth. He decided to pay a visit to her in order to clear some things in his mind, he wanted to know if she was still waiting for him or not.

  Nine Continents Steps!

  The distance between Duanmu City and Cold Ice City wasn’t that far. With Qing Shui’s speed and twice the usage of the Nine Continents Steps, he would only need half a day to reach Cold Ice City.

  The closer he approached Cold Ice City, the more the temperature would drop. When he finally entered Cold Ice City, snow was already falling, showering the whole city in white snowflakes as if giving off a sense of purification to the living souls.

  The snowflakes were falling slowly and calmly. The temperature in Cold Ice City was lower than usual, retaining the shape of the snowflakes as they fell without melting to the ground. In just a few moments, the ground was covered completely in snow, as if blanketed in a silver-white carpet. The whole world seemed white in that moment, it was majestic and pure.

  Qing Shui strode in the direction of the Hai Clan without being distracted. After clearing some things up here, he would head straight to the Di Clan before finally going back home.

  The Hai Residence was still the same, with just the addition of a few guards in front of the entrance. Their powers had grown exponentially as well. Qing Shui wasn’t in a hurry to go inside, so he decided to roam the neighborhood and have a look around.

  He heard a few things from the neighbors about the Hai Clan becoming the greatest clan in Cold Ice City after all these years. Back then, Hai Dongqing was forced into the idea of marrying into the Luo Clan as a concubine. Even if she did become one, the Hai Clan would still have perished in the end. But now, the situation had turned favorable to the Hai Clan. Ultimately, Tu Clan and Luo Clan had already been destroyed single-handedly by Qing Shui.

  Because of Qing Shui’s intervention, he was able to reverse the course of events with his power and will. When he recalled the situation back then, Luo Di, the strongest cultivator from the Luo Clan, had the strength of a little bit more than two stars. Qing Shui had to use all his debuffing techniques on Luo Di in order to match his strength against his. Compared to his powers now and before, it was unbelievable how much his power had grown over these years.

  The number of people strolling around the street was endless. The street located in front of the Hai Clan was wide and bustling with prosperous businesses. When an umbrella stopped the snowflakes from falling onto his head, he turned around to see who had shared the umbrella with him.

  The familiar graceful face capable of showing various emotions was first to catch his attention. Her hair was tied up high and her beautiful eyes gleamed with an air of elegance, as he stared into them. Her skin was as delicately white as he remembered and her neck was as slender and beautiful as always. This woman had a mature air around her, as she stood face to face with Qing Shui under the dancing flurry of snow.

  Her body figure was delicately poised and graceful, with bosoms perked perfectly in contrast to her slender waistline. Her full buttocks were captivating as well, creating a perfect figure line that even a flowy dress could not hide. Even so, the flowy dress was able to bring out a sense of a celestial descending upon the world of mortals, enchanting and mesmerizing.

  This woman was none other than Hai Dongqing!

  Qing Shui had a deja vu of their meeting once more. He realized this was almost the exact situation as last time, but this time she was pleasantly surprised to see Qing Shui at Cold Ice City instead.

  She was a woman of a picturesque beauty, elegance and nobility!

  Before Qing Shui could say anything, Hai Dongqing quickly let go of her umbrella and leaped towards him by embracing his neck.

  “Qing Shui…”


  Qing Shui returned her embrace by holding onto her delicate body tightly. Naturally, even without words, he understood everything. Hai Dongqing had been waiting for him ever since the day they parted ways.

  “Dongqing!”


  “When I saw you, I thought you were an illusion.” Hai Dongqing lifted up her head and showed him a wide dimpled smile. He felt delighted to hear those words from her mouth.

  Qing Shui felt a skip in his heart. A woman who was still at her delicate age had been waiting for him even in the absence of a promise. However, he suddenly felt ashamed of not doing so in the beginning.

  “Are you still well?” Qing Shui asked, as he took a closer look at Dongqing. She looked the same as ever.

  “I’m fine. After you left, we made some progress in the Hai Clan. It’s all thanks to you, otherwise I don’t think I would be alive to see it,” Hai Dongqing replied with a delighted smile.

  “The gods would not abandon a beauty in distress, so they sent me to punish those useless scum for you.” Qing Shui smiled. He then led Hai Dongqing through the snow by holding her hands and that began to garner the attention from the people in the surroundings.

  “How about you, still well?” Hai Dongqing felt a moment of true happiness, as she clutched onto Qing Shui’s hand while walking side by side with him.

  “I’m fine too. I was on my way home, so I decided to swing by and check on you.” Qing Shui retained his smile, as he glanced towards Hai Dongqing.

  Hai Dongqing stopped in her tracks for a moment and tightened her grip on Qing Shui’s hand. “Qing Shui, I’ve waited for you of my own will. No matter what the reason, I only know that I like you or love… you. I don’t want you to feel burdened by my words. If you don’t love me, then we can still be friends. I will still be happy nonetheless. I’m willing to do anything for you.” Hai Dongqing continued to walk slowly, as she tugged Qing Shui’s arm.

  Qing Shui wasn’t taken aback by her words because she had said something similar before. He stopped his pace and extended his hand to touch the gentle cheeks of her face.

  “My heart is now filled with the thoughts of you. I’m fond of you and I want to see you happy. I want to be with you and I want to hold you… Is this love, I wonder? Even if it isn’t, I don’t want to let you go. You are mine for the rest of your life.” Qing Shui glanced at the shy expression of the woman in front of him after he was done.

  “I will forever depend on you then.”


  “If I have a beauty like you to depend on me, then I must have prayed to the gods a lot in my past life.” Qing Shui lifted her up and swiveled twice around the snowy grounds.

  The snow was getting thicker. When they returned to the Hai Residence, the snow was already half a foot thick on the ground.

  “Clan Head!”


  The entrance guard called in respect when he saw Hai Dongqing approaching the door.

  Hai Dongqing waved her hand and went inside with Qing Shui.

  “Not bad. Hai Clan had made the right choice. Our Qing`er is still the most suitable person to become the head of the Hai Clan.” Qing Shui had gotten used to calling her Qing`er.

  Hai Dongqing curved a charming smile when she heard Qing Shui calling her Qing`er. Soon after that, Qing Shui was able to meet Hai Long, Hai Dongying, Hai Shiya and the old ancestor of the Hai Clan. When they knew that Qing Shui had come to visit, all of them rushed to see him without hesitation. After all, Qing Shui had given them a chance to rise up again, a grace of rebirth. They were not the types to be ungrateful and they would never forget those who had helped them when they were in the pits of agony. Qing Shui was a perceptive man, he would not be easily swayed by flattery.

  Hai Shiya was now a mother of three and Hai Long had managed to get himself a wife, a daughter from the Cheng Clan from Cold Ice City. She was an elegant, yet charming woman.

  “Qing Shui has finally come back. Dongqing talks about you every day, you know,” Hai Dongying said in a cheery voice.

  “Brother, stop your nonsense or I will tell sister-in-law,” Hai Dongqing puffed in embarrassment.

  “It’s good that elder brother Hai and old ancestor are here. I came here today to make a marriage proposal to Dongqing.” Even though this was not the first time he had made a marriage proposal, he still felt a bit awkward but less nervous with his approach.

  Hai Dongqing’s parents had already left the living world long ago. Her brother was essentially her guardian and a father figure to her, so as a gesture of respect, he wanted to ask for Hai Dongying’s permission for his little sister’s hand.

  The old ancestor of the Hai Clan gave a wide smile without saying a word when Qing Shui mentioned a marriage proposal. Hai Shiya, on the other hand, laughed out heartily and said, “Aunt, say something. I knew aunt would fall in love with Qing Shui sooner or later.”


  “Foolish girl, stop talking nonsense…” Hai Dongqing was shocked, but more pleasantly surprised at the current situation. She didn’t expect Qing Shui to propose a marriage when he swung by the residence.

  “Fine, I will stop. But aunt, I think you should make a chubby baby soon. By then, you will have lots of fun playing with the little kid every day.”


  “Alright, fine… I will stop!”


  “Qing Shui, as long as Dongqing is willing, then you have our full blessing. Dongqing, I’m giving you the final decision. Make a statement now,” Hai Dongying chuckled.

  “Brother, why are you teasing me.”


  “Alright, alright. Qing Shui, Dongqing and I lost our parents when we were young. She’s tough for sure, but she’s still a woman. She couldn’t tell the world her sufferings and she didn’t even have the privilege to act like a spoiled kid. All I wish for is you to treat her well. Make her the happiest woman and I will be thoroughly satisfied.” Hai Dongying said as he smiled. He already had faith in Qing Shui. If Qing Shui truly loved Dongqing, then his sister would be happy being together with him.