Chapter 718 - 665: Love Seed

Chapter 718: Chapter 665: Love Seed

Zhuo Qingfeng came to stay as a guest at Woxue Peak to see Jiang Yuebai. When she opened the door and saw the man outside dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, looking distinguished, for a moment, she was reminded of the time years ago before leaving the Earth Spiritual Realm, seeing him at her small courtyard door like this.

After not seeing each other for many years, Zhuo Qingfeng seemed not to have changed at all. His gaze was still clear, without the slightest impurity, and he looked at her with open and sincere eyes, sparkling with stars and a smile.

"I originally thought of visiting the Heavenly Interence Sect, but I didn’t expect you to come to Guiyuan Sword Sect."

It was as if old friends were reunited, with no awkward pleasantries, just casual greetings.

Jiang Yuebai saw Zhuo Qingfeng covered in white snow, and stepped aside to invite him in.

"Come in and talk."

Zhuo Qingfeng entered the house, and when he saw Yun Shang, he nodded in acknowledgment.

Yun Shang bowed her head, eyebrows lowered, and softly said, "You two talk, I’ll go inside."

After speaking, she took the Glazed Bottle containing the Black Armor Bee and fled, holding Jixiang.

Zhuo Qingfeng smiled and said, "She still seems the same. You, however, have changed a lot. I’ve tried my best, but I still can’t keep up with you."

"Why try to keep up with me? Isn’t cultivation for oneself?" Jiang Yuebai invited Zhuo Qingfeng to sit down and poured him tea.

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded, casually bringing it up, but seeing Jiang Yuebai in person, found her still so unattainable, leaving a slight sense of loss in his heart.

Jiang Yuebai placed the tea in front of Zhuo Qingfeng. "I won’t waste words. Did your Sect Master mention to you that I want to go to Lingfeng Valley?"

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded. "I’ve already met with the Sect Master. He informed me about the Fuyao Immortal Conference and Lingfeng Valley. I know you have your reasons, but I still want to ask, why the sudden interest in going to Lingfeng Valley to seek Sword Lord Zhufeng’s Cultivation Notes?"

Jiang Yuebai raised her eyes, staring intently at Zhuo Qingfeng, making his cheeks flush, feeling slightly uneasy with clenched fists, yet his face remained expressionless.

"Can I trust you?" Jiang Yuebai asked.

Zhuo Qingfeng froze for a moment, then seriously nodded, "You can."

Jiang Yuebai pondered over the entire situation in recent days, making numerous bold speculations.

If the whole matter is a setup, then besides her, Zhuo Qingfeng and Xie Jingshan might be pawns within it.

The situation with Xie Jingshan is the most obvious. Someone altered his destiny, even influencing Xie Jingshan through dreams, causing him to like her.

Yes, she had always known that Xie Jingshan liked her.

However, when they reunited in the Nine Rivers Realm, she sensed a change in Xie Jingshan’s attitude towards her, which led to his awkwardness, unsure how to handle her.

Fortunately, Xie Jingshan later figured it out on his own, reverting to the carefree Xie Jingshan he was, much to her relief.

There was always a blind old man around Xie Jingshan, who continuously urged Xie Jingshan to cut off his affection for her, even to the point of wanting to kill her.

But why did the blind old man, who could easily break into the Merfolk Country, not directly act to kill her?

Jiang Yuebai considered this question. The only explanation is that the blind old man dared not provoke the person ’behind’ her.

The person ’behind’ her could only be Lu Xingyun.

As for Xie Jingshan’s change, Jiang Yuebai thought it began when she experienced Nirvana after her Nascent Soul formation in the Green Dragon Realm, as she had an inexplicable feeling at that time.

It felt like a kite with a broken line, suddenly slackened, and she was that kite.

This was the peculiarity with Xie Jingshan, and then there’s Zhuo Qingfeng’s side.

Seemingly everything was normal. Bearing the same fate as Sword Lord Zhufeng, he showed affection for her in a regular interaction, with no apparent suspicion throughout the process.

But if she were just an ordinary person with no connection to Lu Xingyun, it would have been just another ordinary event.

Yet, between her and Lu Xingyun, there’s an elusive relationship.

Amidst the Time River, was it because she entered the past first, attracting Lu Xingyun, thus allowing her younger self to be saved?

Or was it because Lu Xingyun saved her first, leading her to enter the Time River later and return to that past moment?

Except for the Heavenly Dao, no one might be able to clarify this matter.

But one thing is certain, Lu Xingyun indeed saved her, thus changing her destiny, intertwining it with Lu Xingyun’s.

The extent of influence this intertwined destiny would have on her and Lu Xingyun, she, with her current low cultivation and inadequate understanding of the Heavenly Dao, couldn’t find a precise answer.

Perhaps, as she gets closer to Immortal Monarch Chongmin, she can subtly inquire about it.

After comprehensive consideration of these doubts, Jiang Yuebai had a bold speculation.

This speculation slowly emerged after she acquired the "Seven Emotions Technique," an Evil Dao Cultivation Technique.

That technique was practiced by the Fake Chenzhou under Xiong Yanhong, who embedded ’Love Seeds’ into other cultivators, making them hopelessly fall in love with him, nurturing the Love Seeds with affection, and once blossomed, he could harvest the entirety of the other’s cultivation.

Applying the same scenario to Sword Lord Zhufeng, is it possible he intended to use similar means to influence Lu Xingyun, making Lu Xingyun fall in love with him?

Or rather, there wasn’t love between him and Lu Xingyun at all, similar to how Great Power Cultivators need to steal the Dao from each other to get closer to the Heavenly Dao.

Zhufeng wanted to plunder everything from Lu Xingyun, yet couldn’t grasp Lu Xingyun, so he focused on her, whose fate was intertwined with Lu Xingyun, intending to harvest everything in a manner akin to Love Seeds.

Hence, Zhufeng placed Xie Jingshan and Zhuo Qingfeng before her, hoping her fondness for them might affect Lu Xingyun?

Of course, all these are merely her guesses, without any evidence.

Jiang Yuebai set up a sound insulation barrier and used a Space Great Array for isolation, then communicated with Zhuo Qingfeng.

"I’ve heard you’re the only one who delved deep into Lingfeng Valley and received Sword Lord Zhufeng’s legacy. I want to know, was your affection for me before or after receiving that legacy?"

Jiang Yuebai’s straightforward articulation of ’affection’ made Zhuo Qingfeng’s cheeks heat up, though Jiang Yuebai’s gaze was particularly earnest, making Zhuo Qingfeng shy away from any romantic thought, and he pondered carefully.

"It should be... after."

Indeed!

Jiang Yuebai asked in communication, "Have you read Sword Lord Zhufeng’s Cultivation Notes?"

Zhuo Qingfeng’s expression turned stern, sensing something unusual.

"I have... read part of it."

"If my guess is correct, that part concerns some matters between him and Lu Xingyun, right?"

Zhuo Qingfeng’s brow furrowed deeper, nodding his head.

"Can you tell me about it?"

Zhuo Qingfeng thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I don’t know how to say it either. The Cultivation Notes of the Sword Lord weren’t like a Jade Scroll, but rather part of his memory stored in a broken sword, the very sword that was once severed by your Sect’s ancestor Lu Xingyun."

"Are you asking me this to suggest that my affection for you isn’t genuine, but rather influenced by the Sword Lord?"

Jiang Yuebai didn’t respond. Having never truly fallen for anyone, even after living through Ye Shiming’s life and witnessing the love between him and Wuwei Mountain Man, she still didn’t understand how affection for someone is genuinely formed.

Therefore, she couldn’t directly negate Zhuo Qingfeng; it was something only he could come to understand, just like Xie Jingshan.

Zhuo Qingfeng, being exceptionally astute, realized something from Jiang Yuebai’s behavior and some subtle clues, his previously firm resolve now wavering slightly.

"To Lingfeng Valley, to uncover the truth!"