Chapter 7: Welcome Home

Flipping my wrist, I retrieved a jade slip and a small pouch from my storage ring. The jade slip contained the Cloud Flowing Origin Scripture, the foundational cultivation manual of our mountain, while the pouch held twenty mid-grade spirit stones that I had scraped together over the years.

"Since you are an official disciple of Lonely Cloud Peak, you naturally need a good Cultivation manual and resources," I said, placing the jade slip and the pouch into her hands. "This is our peak’s foundation scripture. It suits balanced elemental circulation well. Take these spirit stones to draw qi into your dantian and stabilize your first layer of Qi Condensation. Don’t be stingy with them; use them all up."

To her, these were life-altering treasures that a mortal commander’s daughter could only dream of touching.

DING!

[Target Shen Qingxue received the Host’s foundational gifts!)

[Deep gratitude detected! Affection: +10! Current: 70/100 (Absolute Devotion)!]

[Current Multiplier active: 5x!]

[Reward mutating...]

[Cloud Flowing Origin Scripture (Profound Grade) has evolved into: Primordial Five Elements Chaos Sutra (Heaven-Grade High Tier)!]

[20 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones have evolved into: 100 Top-Grade Spirit Stones!]

[System Storage: All rewards deposited safely for Host retrieval!]

A Heaven-Grade Chaos Sutra and a mountain of top-grade spirit stones. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my smug, greedy grin from splitting my face in two. This disciple was an absolute walking treasure tree.

Shen Qingxue stared at the pouch and the jade slip in her trembling palms, looking completely overwhelmed. She looked up at me, her lower lip trembling slightly.

"Master... you took me off the mountain steps when I was half-dead. You gave me an immortal pill that saved my life, and now you hand me scriptures and precious spirit stones without asking for a single thing in return," she said, her voice wavering with deep emotional conflict. "This favor is heavier than the heavens. Qingxue is weak and has nothing to her name... Master, is there anything I can do for you? Even if it costs my life, you only need to give the word."

I looked at the girl standing before me. The setting sun washed over her fair, jade-like face, highlighting the delicate curves of her jaw and the fierce, loyal spark burning inside those dark eyes.

I was never a man who liked dancing around bushes or playing the untouchable, emotionless ancient sage in private. I was lazy, I liked comfort, and more than anything, I loved beautiful women.

"Shen Qingxue," I began, my tone turning relaxed, completely devoid of the detached air of an immortal master. "Do you know why this mountain is called Lonely Cloud Peak?"

She blinked, slightly startled by the sudden shift in topic. "Because... it sits high above the clouds, away from the other peaks?"

"Because for the last thirty years, there has only been one person living on it," I said with a faint smile, leaning against the wooden pillar of the pavilion and looking out toward the sea of mist. "Cultivation is an endless, cold road. Most old monsters tell you that an immortal must sever mortal ties, abandon warmth, and live like a walking corpse made of stone. But I hate loneliness. I didn’t cultivate to sit in a dark cave until I turn into dust."

She listened intently, her dark eyes tracking every shift in my expression.

"I plan to build a family here," I continued plainly, turning my gaze back to her face. "A warm home, filled with people I care about, living comfortably through the long centuries without having to put up walls or scheme against one another. And frankly speaking, Qingxue, you have an indomitable heart, you know what you want, and you are extraordinarily beautiful. You have everything a man could ever desire in a wife."

The courtyard fell dead silent, save for the whisper of the mountain wind rustling the bamboo leaves.

Shen Qingxue froze entirely. Her eyes widened, her pale cheeks instantly erupting into a furious, brilliant crimson. She stood there, completely struck dumb, her lips parting slightly as her brain struggled to process what her transcendent, savior Master had just said so casually to her face.

Seeing her deer-in-the-headlights reaction, I couldn’t help but let out a hearty chuckle.

"Don’t look so terrified, little girl," I said with a teasing smirk, crossing my arms over my chest. "I’m telling you my thoughts honestly, not forcing you into anything. There is zero pressure on you. Even if you want nothing more than a teacher-disciple relationship, that is perfectly fine. In my eyes, a disciple is already family, and as your Master, I will always protect you, feed you the finest resources, and give you the future and the vengeance you deserve."

Shen Qingxue lowered her head, looking down at her own clean hands, then at the simple white robes she wore.

Her entire clan had been slaughtered. Her friends had fled, her homeland had betrayed her, and the mortal world had treated her like cattle. In the entire vast, cruel universe, not a single person gave a damn whether she lived or died, except the man standing before her. He had carried her off the mountain, wiped the blood from her face, handed her celestial elixirs, and spoken to her not with the greedy, predatory sneer of mortal aristocrats, but with utter honesty and respect.

She bit her lip, took a deep, shuddering breath, and lifted her face to meet my eyes. The blush on her cheeks was still burning bright, but the hesitation in her dark pupils was completely gone.

"Master... Qingxue has no home left, and no family to return to," she murmured, her voice soft but filled with unshakeable resolve. "In this life, my soul and my blood already belong to you. If Master does not despise my humble origins and is truly willing to give me a place by your side... then Qingxue would be the happiest woman under heaven."

[DING! Target Shen Qingxue has pledged her life and heart!]

[Affection breakthrough: +25!]

[Current Affection: 95/100 (Tier 3: Unwavering Devotion / Romantic Awakening)!]

[System Investment Multiplier officially unlocked to maximum limit: 10x]

Looking at the blushing, exquisite girl gazing up at me with absolute, unconditional trust, I smiled and stepped forward to pull her lightly into my arms.

"Then it’s settled," I whispered near her ear, feeling her body shiver softly against my chest. "Welcome home, Qingxue."