Chapter 528 - 263: Meeting You Again When the Flowers Fall

Chapter 528: Chapter 263: Meeting You Again When the Flowers Fall

About a year later, Chu Xuan found an opportunity to visit Wuyou Valley again.

His thoughts were mainly preoccupied with the young lady there, as during the Celestial Evil Period, he had fewer reservations, predominantly driven by his desires, wanting to flirt whenever he saw a captivating beauty.

Li Qiu Yue, after obtaining the fundamental cultivation technique, reorganized her Dao foundation and magical power, leveraging the characteristics of substituting upper and lower ranks, significantly advancing her strength.

Moreover, she could seamlessly continue the cultivation of "Wuyou Inquiry Heart Sutra" in the future without any hidden dangers.

Thanks to regaining the sect’s heritage cultivation technique, Li Qiu Yue gained more influence within the sect. After experiencing a period of scheming and intrigue, her character matured, no longer showing her emotions and thoughts easily.

Chu Xuan arrived under such circumstances, and Li Qiu Yue was delighted to see him again, much less wary than before, expressing gratitude to him.

Chu Xuan accepted it calmly and strolled and chatted with Qiu Yue in the moonlit mountain path.

That night, they talked about many topics, mostly Li Qiu Yue speaking softly, while Chu Xuan listened for the most part.

Regarding the specific content, he found it quite ordinary when he heard it back then, merely talking about her life experiences since childhood, her tone light and casual as if randomly picking a topic to chat about:

Being chosen by her master due to her talent at a young age, focused on cultivation within the sect, later the sect suffered calamities, her master died in battle, she had to step up and assume responsibility, and only after truly standing in this position did she realize how challenging it was...

Having met many people, Chu Xuan was able to sketch a preliminary understanding of her character after just two interactions:

Seemingly gentle but internally steadfast, persistent, calm, stubborn, not easily yielding before outsiders.

Such women are often underestimated at first glance, but only through actual interaction can one realize her strength and complexity.

Thus, Chu Xuan grew increasingly interested in her, rendering secret support and assistance to Wuyou Valley to gain Li Qiu Yue’s favor.

For instance, sending Spirit Stones, Spiritual Objects, Spirit Medicine, and even the Mountain Protection Array, as well as children with cultivation aptitude...

For Chu Xuan, who was thriving at the time, these "little gifts" amounted to little, but for Wuyou Valley, they were like timely aid during a crisis.

These were nominally acquired through Li Qiu Yue’s "connections."

She tirelessly upheld the entire sect with her "meritorious efforts," consolidating power into her hands in a short period, successfully suppressing and disbanding dissenters with remarkable skill.

Normally, a man’s attentiveness toward a newly acquainted woman is often driven by his desire to win her over.

However, within Li Qiu Yue’s heart, she believed that Leng Yu Bing, despite his flirtatious reputation, wasn’t so superficial.

Even though she learned of his true identity as the famous Demon Monarch of the Celestial Evil, known for being charming and amorous, the impression from their first meeting remained deeply etched in Li Qiu Yue’s mind.

Moreover, during their daily interactions, Leng Yu Bing’s behavior appeared gentlemanly; she felt he wasn’t as frivolous or lascivious as rumored.

...

It was during this period that Chu Xuan proposed inviting female cultivators to host a "Hundred Flowers Banquet," claiming it could further extend Wuyou Valley’s influence and facilitate alliances for future support.

His idea was intriguing, inviting female cultivators but not exclusively for females.

The superficial reason was "diverse voices," "maintaining an open attitude," but in reality, it was a unique threshold that heightens curiosity.

Female cultivators attending could bring male companions and feel more prestigious; male cultivators, meanwhile, would be curious and eager to find ways to participate in an event exclusively invite female participants.

Li Qiu Yue found this proposal brilliant and started organizing swiftly.

Though Wuyou Valley’s influence limited the participation for the first Hundred Flowers Banquet, it was a remarkably successful gathering for enjoying flowers and discussing Dao, with everyone leaving satisfied.

The reputation of the event spread afterward, making more recognize Wuyou Valley and anticipate the next banquet.

Seeing this, Chu Xuan felt a sense of accomplishment, considering the "timing" ripe for advancing his relationship with Li Qiu Yue.

Thus, soon after, Chu Xuan jokingly tested Li Qiu Yue’s feelings.

However, she declined, stating that their bond was one of "gentlemen’s friendship."

To be honest, based on his understanding of Li Qiu Yue’s character, such responses were expected, but he nonetheless felt somewhat disappointed, realizing she was indeed hard to win over.

He decided to leave and let things cool down.

However, soon after, Chu Xuan got busy with various major affairs, including overt and covert disputes with the righteous path, particularly against Shangguan Yu from the Profound Celestial Sect, who constantly caused trouble. With such busyness, he lost interest in pursuing romances.

Mere years later, the second major battle between good and evil erupted, giving Chu Xuan even less time. Although Li Qiu Yue sent invitations twice, he declined due to being genuinely busy, not merely brushing her off.

Moreover, Chu Xuan expended efforts managing a harem around him, rendering Li Qiu Yue to a peripheral figure in his heart’s priority.