Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Wen Zhongqing looked at his kneeling daughter with a complicated expression.

"You're really sure about this?"

Wen Mei nodded slightly, her face resolute. "Father, my injuries have healed, so there's no need to worry about me. Staying in the family for cultivation won't bring much progress. I don't wish to stop here. Father, Dongling is too small. The essence of heaven and earth's spiritual energy is scarce. Rather than competing with other cultivators in Dongling for limited resources, I'd like to venture out and explore."

Wen Zhongqing was taken aback, not expecting such words from his daughter.

He gazed at his kneeling daughter intently, his eyes sliding over her incomparably enchanting face. He said in a deep voice, "Mei'er, do you know why there are fewer female cultivators than male cultivators on the path of cultivation? Why more men than women achieve great accomplishments?"

Wen Mei hesitated before responding, "It's because women are inherently weaker than men, and they have to consider and take care of many things. Various reasons can hinder a woman's cultivation, whereas men can be more straightforward and unburdened."

"Exactly," Wen Zhongqing said harshly. "Since you understand this, do you know what happens when a woman's appearance is too outstanding?"

Wen Mei's heart trembled slightly. She lifted her gaze to meet her father's.

She opened her mouth, her tone tinged with bitterness. "If a woman's beauty is too striking, it's reasonable and expected if she possesses formidable martial strength and a powerful background. Who would dare to covet her? But without exceptional abilities or a sufficient background to protect her, she may attract unwanted desires and trouble."

"Yes, you understand this logic too. Then do you know that in Dongling, with the Wen family's status, no one would dare to harm you. But once you leave Dongling, on the vast Holy Martial Continent, the Wen family of Dongling is nothing. With your low cultivation and such a captivating appearance, who could protect you?" Wen Zhongqing asked.

Wen Mei's hands hanging by her sides clenched tightly, revealing the veins beneath.

Wen Zhongqing could see her dissatisfaction, and he couldn't help but sigh. "You're the most talented child in the Wen family's generation, and also my proudest child. But you possess a Water-type Heaven Rank Primordial Spirit Root, which is an excellent furnace for male cultivators. If someone discovers your root, it might invite terrible calamity upon you. As your father, I truly don't wish for you to be ruined because of this."

Wen Mei pursed her lips and remained silent.

After a moment, she lifted her head and looked earnestly at her father. "In that case, I'll just ruin this face then."

"Mei'er!" Wen Zhongqing exclaimed in shock.

Wen Mei couldn't help but smile. "Father, as you said, if a woman's appearance easily brings trouble, then let's get rid of it. Compared to the added benefits of looks, I'd rather walk the grand path to the heavens and strive for endless dao. What difference does it make if I have or don't have a partner?"

Wen Zhongqing listened with trepidation, instinctively feeling that his daughter had been provoked by Ning Zhezhou.

He spoke with a deep concern. "Mei'er, although you and Ning Zhezhou were not fated, don't lose heart because of it. With your character, beauty, and Heaven Rank Primordial Spirit Root, why would you worry about finding a suitable cultivation partner? There will surely be outstanding men vying for your attention..."

"Why must I find a cultivation partner? Can't I cultivate alone?" Wen Mei asked softly.

Wen Zhongqing was utterly stunned.

Indeed, his daughter had been deeply affected by the provocation!

Wen Mei knew that her father was, at heart, a rather traditional man. She didn't wish to further upset him, and since she had made her decision, it would not be changed.

Half an hour later, Wen Mei left Wen Zhongqing's study.

On her way, she encountered a group of young disciples from the Wen family who had just returned from the training grounds. Led by Wen Xian, the other disciples followed closely behind her, deferring to her lead.

Upon seeing Wen Mei, they all stepped forward to bow and address her as Miss Fourth.

Wen Mei was the top figure among the younger generation of the Wen family. Whenever these young disciples met her, they respectfully called her Miss Fourth.

Wen Xian's expression suddenly turned grim.

These days, Wen Mei had secluded herself in her room to recover from her injuries and rarely appeared in public. With Wen Mei absent, Wen Xian had become the most outstanding disciple on the training grounds, drawing everyone's attention and obedience.

But now that Wen Mei had reappeared, the situation immediately shifted, pushing Wen Xian back into the shadows as Miss Fifth.

If you're injured, why not take more time to recover?

Wen Mei nodded at the group and left gracefully after offering some encouragement.

Wen Xian called out to her and hurriedly followed, asking with a smile, "Ah Mei, how's your injury? Is it fully healed?"

"It's almost there," Wen Mei replied briefly.

Wen Xian didn't believe her. She glanced at Wen Mei's face, which was excessively pale, with lips so colorless they were barely visible. It resembled the always-ill Wen Qiao.

The thought of Wen Qiao stirred a wave of regret in Wen Xian's heart.

Though Wen Qiao was destined to live no longer than twenty years due to her frail health, she had still married Ning Yuzhou. Given Ning Yuzhou's esteemed position in Emperor Chenghao's eyes, if they could gain Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou's favor, Ning Yuzhou might speak well of their third branch to Emperor Chenghao and support them. With Emperor Chenghao's backing, how could they not seize control of the Wen family?

Their second branch was unambitious, how could they compare to their third branch?

Feeling indignant, Wen Xian's dissatisfaction showed on her face, and her tone turned sarcastic as she criticized Wen Mei for failing to live up to her name. The training at the Scale Platform Hunting Valley hadn't brought any resources to the family; instead, it had required the family to spend a great deal of spirit pills on her treatment.

Wen Mei paused in her steps and turned to look at her.

"Why are you looking at me? Did I say something wrong?" Wen Xian spoke with an air of righteousness.

This year's training in the Lintai Hunting Valley had seen many innocent deaths due to the involvement of external cultivators. The Wen family was not spared either; more than half of their disciples who participated were either killed or injured, resulting in significant losses. However, Wen Xian was fortunate enough not to have encountered those outsiders directly. She even managed to bring back considerable resources, earning praise from the elders.

This made Wen Xian feel rather pleased with herself.

Sure enough, it was still their third branch that was the most outstanding.

Wen Mei sighed and suddenly said, "Fifth Sister, don't worry. Dongling is too small for my tastes, and I won't contend with you for the Wen family in the future. If you're capable of taking on the position of the Wen family's patriarch, you're welcome to vie for it anytime. I won't compete with you."

"What?"

Wen Xian looked at her skeptically, thinking she might have misheard.

Wen Mei ignored her further, patting her shoulder as a gesture of encouragement before turning to leave.

Staring after her in confusion and uncertainty, Wen Xian failed to grasp the meaning behind Wen Mei's words. She even suspected that Wen Mei was merely amusing herself at her expense.

It wasn't until half a month later, when Wen Xian learned that Wen Mei had left Dongling without a trace, that she finally understood the implications of Wen Mei's earlier remark. At that moment, Wen Xian also realized that Wen Mei's parting words were both a farewell and a subtle taunt – or so she believed, not willing to credit Wen Mei with such benevolence.

However, Wen Mei had already left. She couldn't find anyone even if she wanted to.

***

With the final stroke, a radiant spiritual glow illuminated the talisman paper, signifying the creation of an Upper Rank Yellow Class Thunderstorm Talisman.

Setting the finished talisman aside, Ning Yuzhou massaged his stiff neck from focusing too intensely and turned to look for Wen Qiao, only to realize that she was not in the room.

Extending his senses, he heard dull thuds coming from the adjacent room, as if heavy objects were hitting the walls.

Ning Yuzhou stood up and headed toward the neighboring room.

The adjacent space was a spacious training room that Ning Yuzhou had specially designed for himself when the mansion was built. Although he wasn't able to cultivate back then, he could still learn mortal martial arts to strengthen his body in preparation for future cultivation.

The door to the training room was ajar, so Ning Yuzhou pushed it open, only to be slapped in the face by a flurry of leaves.

Startled, he brushed aside the vines blocking his path and peered inside. The scene before him was worse than he had imagined. From what he could see, Wen Qiao was dragging a cluster of vines around, chasing after a small rabbit and throwing them at it. It was a chaotic sight.

The demon rabbit was incredibly fast. Despite its efforts to slow down for Wen Qiao, it was still beyond her capability as a cultivator of the Yuanming Realm to catch up. Even with the assistance of the Stone Gold Python Vines blocking the rabbit's escape routes, the agile creature managed to slip away, leaving the rigid vines to smash into the walls and floor, creating a network of cracks.

If not for the fact that the training room had been reinforced with arrays when it was built, it would likely have been dismantled by this person and rabbit duo.

The first to spot Ning Yuzhou was the demonic rabbit.

Upon seeing Ning Yuzhou, the demonic rabbit knew that the alchemist who delivered spirit pills had arrived. It leaped towards him, propelling itself with the vines that flew towards them.

Ning Yuzhou almost got knocked flying by the demonic rabbit and took a few steps back.

As a weak cultivator whose mind was quicker than his body, Ning Yuzhou couldn't overpower the rabbit with brute force. He could only threaten it with spirit pills.

"Next time, I'll ban you from eating spirit pills for a month."

The demonic rabbit: "…"

Wen Qiao saw the demonic rabbit collide with Ning Yuzhou and, knowing how strong its impact was, quickly ran over. She asked with concern, "Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Wen Tuzi, come here and apologize to your brother."

The demonic rabbit glanced at her, then hopped onto her shoulder and crouched there, staring at him with its pair of watery ruby eyes, looking repentant.

Ning Yuzhou blinked, shifting his gaze from the demonic rabbit to the blushing girl.

He hesitantly asked, "Ah Chu, is this Wen Tuzi your...?"

Wen Qiao still held the Stone Goldpython Vine in her hand and stood before him obediently. Her sweet voice was soft as she explained, "Wen Tuzi is its name. Initially, I gave it several names like Wen Tuzi, Wen Xiaotuzi, and Wen Datuzi... Unfortunately, it didn't like any of them, so we finally settled on Wen Tuzi. Also, since it calls me sister, doesn't that make you brother?"

Ning Yuzhou: "..."

For a moment, Ning Yuzhou didn't know what to say. He realized that without his notice, something seemed to have changed in his little wife, and this change was astonishing.

Like how the young girl was currently holding the length of the Stone Goldpython Vine. This demonic vine was not only tough but also as heavy as metal. However, the young girl carried it effortlessly, chasing after a rabbit without breaking a sweat. Even her cheeks had gained a slight flush, and despite still looking delicate and weak, she now had a charming and lovely air about her.

The young girl stood there with the demon rabbit, Wen Tuzi, perched on her head. Both of them looked at him with adorable expressions, causing Ning Yuzhou to inexplicably forgive them – as if anything they did could be forgiven.

Even though he wasn't sure what exactly he was forgiving.

Ning Yuzhou cleared his throat softly, suppressing the inexplicable emotions in his heart. With a smile, he asked, "What were you doing just now?"

"Erm... practicing," Wen Qiao replied softly, casting a glance at the ruined training room and feeling a bit embarrassed.

Ning Yuzhou stepped into the training room, originally intending to find a spot to sit down. However, he found that there wasn't a single undamaged area.

Wen Qiao casually tossed the section of Stone Gold Python Vine over and nurtured it to life. The vine quickly branched out, forming a seat. Pulling Ning Yuzhou's sleeve, she sat down and said bashfully, "I plucked this Stone Gold Python Vine from your space. I found that it makes a better weapon than a sword."

Ning Yuzhou observed her skilled and effortless actions, realizing she had discovered her most suitable combat method. She had discarded other weapons in favor of using spirit plants for both offense and defense.

Initially, Wen Qiao did intend to practice with a sword.

She summoned the demonic rabbit to train with her, but the rabbit was too advanced as a sparring partner. Their strength was vastly different, and the rabbit didn't hold back. Wen Qiao couldn't even touch a hair on its body. Instead, it would pounce on her, hugging her legs just like it did in the demon cultivator's cave.

The demonic rabbit still treated her like the motionless sprout she used to be.

In a moment of desperation, Wen Qiao whipped out a section of the Stone Gold Python Vine she kept in her storage bag and instinctively stimulated its growth, allowing it to swiftly wrap around the rabbit that was rubbing against her leg.

The demonic rabbit, caught off guard, ended up bundled into a ball, suspended in mid-air, struggling to free itself.

Upon discovering the effectiveness of this tactic, Wen Qiao abandoned the sword and began using the Stone Gold Python Vine as her weapon, chasing the rabbit everywhere, blocking its escape routes. This chase had been going on until now.

The Stone Gold Python Vine in the space thrived, and Wen Qiao, delighted by the prospect, took a cutting, planning to forge it into a sword. However, before she could do so, she realized the vine was quite suitable as a weapon, especially when it grew many tendrils, making it easy to bind the rabbit.

After listening to Wen Qiao's story, Ning Yuzhou chuckled and said, "Looks like I'll have to find you some high-grade spirit vine seeds in the future."

Wen Qiao looked at him with delight. "That would be even better."

Then, he gently pinched her delicate wrist, finding it hard to believe that such a fragile-looking hand could lift the heavy Stone Gold Snake Vine.

Wen Qiao rubbed her nose. "Maybe my strength increased after I transformed into my demonic form."

She could sense the changes within herself – not only had her physique improved, but her strength had also grown, along with a heightened sensitivity to spiritual plants. The Stone Gold Snake Vine felt like an extension of her body, allowing her to manipulate it effortlessly for her own use.

Following that, Ning Yuzhou examined her and conducted tests, confirming Wen Qiao's speculation.

In its fully transformed beast form, it was indeed stronger than when it was in human form.

Ning Yuzhou pondered and felt that Wen Qiao could perfectly imitate the combat style of a Wood Element Primordial Spirit Root cultivator. As long as she disguised herself well, her half-beast identity wouldn't be easily exposed.

Seeing the couple engrossed in their own matters, ignoring it, the demonic rabbit suddenly leaped towards Wen Qiao, hopping onto her head and settling there like a snowball.

Ning Yuzhou glanced at it and met the rabbit's red eyes. Then, he picked it up and tossed it away.

The persistent demonic rabbit jumped back and clung to Wen Qiao.

This is my little Miao Miao.

Upon seeing Ning Yuzhou's smile fade slightly, Wen Qiao felt inexplicably guilty—though she wasn't quite sure why. Swiftly, she peeled the rabbit off her leg and sternly declared, "Wen TuTu, I'm busy right now. You can't just cling to my legs; it's not convenient."

If not the legs, then how about the head?

"Even the head is not allowed!"

Then where?

"Nowhere is allowed."

"............"

Ning Yuzhou observed the interaction between the human and the rabbit, noticing how effortlessly they communicated. He couldn't help but wonder if, after transforming into an animal form, the language barrier between plants and animals had finally been broken?