Cultivating with Bragging System-Chapter 648 - 296 Xiao Qingyu: I Want a Child_2

On the principle of not letting free things go to waste, Wang Xiu collected some of the treasures before he left, filling several Space Rings. Of course, most of these Magical Treasures were no longer of much use to him. Now, only true Immortal Artifacts could significantly augment his combat power. Treasures at the Sacred Artifact Level were no longer sufficient. To put it bluntly, most of those magical treasures weren't even as useful as his own physical body. Only a few with special effects, like extreme fire or cold resistance, would he keep on hand for emergencies.

The ones he gave to Wang Lianshan, however, had been carefully selected. She wouldn't even need to activate them herself; their effects would manifest just by being worn. Their main purpose was to keep her safe.

"Alright, that should do it," Wang Xiu said. "Go back and take a close look at the items I gave you. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me before I leave."

Hearing this, Wang Lianshan bit her lip slightly and asked, "Master, are you really leaving?"

"What else?" Wang Xiu replied. "Did you think I was joking with you before?"

Wang Lianshan shook her head, her expression reluctant. "Then Master, how long will you be gone?"

"How long?" Wang Xiu looked up, gazing at the star-filled night sky. "It'll have to be at least a thousand years from now, I think."

The young girl fell silent. For someone whose life had only just begun a decade or so ago, a thousand years was a span of time too foreign, too remote for her to even imagine.

A graceful figure appeared at the courtyard entrance, standing quietly under the starlight, seemingly aglow and serene.

Wang Xiu said to Wang Lianshan, "There is a vacant palace complex on the eastern slope. Go pick one you like and settle in."

Wang Lianshan murmured an "Oh," and walked toward the courtyard exit, her mood somewhat dejected. Suddenly, she spun around, pouting as she pleaded, "Master, can I ask you for a favor?"

Wang Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Speak."

"Can I... not use this name?" she asked pitifully. "If not, could I at least change the characters? Maybe change the 'Lian' to the one for 'lotus', and the 'Shan' to the one for 'coral'?"

The corner of Wang Xiu's mouth twitched. He waved his hand dismissively. "Do as you wish."

The young girl beamed, her steps becoming much lighter as she disappeared into the twilight.

Xiao Qingyu slowly approached, watching the girl's retreating figure. She chuckled softly. "I'm only just learning of this now. Why on earth did you give her a name like that? She's such a pretty, clever girl, and you've named her like a burly man!"

Wang Xiu pursed his lips. "A name is just a label. When my master named me, he certainly didn't ask for my opinion."

Xiao Qingyu covered her mouth and giggled. "How can you compare? She's a girl!"

Wang Xiu feigned a sigh. "See? This is why women are so much trouble."

At his words, Xiao Qingyu's brows furrowed slightly as she raised her hand in a threatening gesture. "You rascal, what are you saying?"

Wang Xiu hurriedly begged for mercy. "Senior Sister, spare me! I wasn't talking about you. In my heart, you're not a woman; you're a fairy, not to be compared with mortal women!"

Xiao Qingyu chuckled. "Such a smooth talker. You're a Master now, not to mention the Saint Heir of Sanqing, a Great Ability of the Soul Travel Realm, and the foremost prodigy of the Cangyuan Realm. Shouldn't you pay a little more attention to your image?"

Wang Xiu looked at her. "Never mind being the Saint Heir. Even if I one day become the Sanqing Great Emperor, the way I am with you, Senior Sister, will never change."

Hearing this, Xiao Qingyu paused. She met Wang Xiu's gaze, tenderness overflowing in her eyes. "Promise?"

Wang Xiu nodded. "I promise." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xiao Qingyu smiled brightly, and the starry sky seemed to grow even more resplendent. "The starlight is perfect tonight. Walk with me, will you?"

Wang Xiu nodded his head. "I'd be delighted."

The starlight was indeed exquisite. Dim, twinkling lights blanketed the black-gemstone sky, showering down a glow as gentle as a spring rain. To walk beneath it was to feel as though you were wandering through a sea of stars.

The great marsh on Spirit Turtle Peak was unchanged from years past. Its surface was perfectly still, reflecting another night sky. The sound of chirping insects only amplified the profound tranquility.

"I don't know what to say to you. You're usually such a smooth talker, couldn't you have just humored the girl? Just told her you'd be back soon?"

"I could lie about anything else, but not about this. If I deceived her, letting her languish in hopeless waiting, that would be true cruelty. It's better to tell her the truth from the start."

"A thousand years! That's a long time even for us. For her, how can it be anything but cruel?"

"...She chose this path herself; no one forced her. As long as she works hard enough, the things I left her are more than enough to see her through until I return." Wang Xiu took a deep breath, looking at the water's placid surface. It was as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps trying to convince himself. "It's only a thousand years. That's not so long."

"And... what about me?"

Xiao Qingyu suddenly stopped walking. Her beautiful eyes locked onto Wang Xiu's, the emotion within them like ripples spreading through his heart—ripples of reluctance, of helplessness, of an indescribable complexity.

Wang Xiu was silent for a moment before speaking. "Senior Sister, your talent is immense. You're already a Great Ability of the Soul Travel Realm. I've also specially prepared many Magical Treasures and Holy Medicines for you, which will surely help you step smoothly into the Saint Manifestation Realm. You... you don't need to worry about your lifespan."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," Xiao Qingyu interrupted.

Wang Xiu fell silent again. For the first time, he found the gaze of the woman before him somewhat terrifying, making his heart race.

Xiao Qingyu turned and walked to the edge of the lake. A night wind suddenly swept past, rustling her dress. The long fabric clung to her body, revealing her stunning figure. Bathed in the starlight, she looked like an ethereal goddess, untouched by the mortal world, utterly mesmerizing.

"Over the years, Master, our junior brothers and sisters, our uncles... they've all left, one by one. The Sanqing Immortal Sect has more disciples than ever, yet I feel more desolate than before.

"I know everyone has their own path to walk. The Immortal Path is vast, and we are all just travelers passing through, destined to accompany one another for only a short part of the journey...

"I understand the logic of it all. But I just can't bring myself to face it so calmly."

Her voice was cool and faint, like the wind skimming across the lake, sending endless ripples through Wang Xiu's heart.

"After waiting so long for you to come back, Junior Brother, now you're leaving too.

"Sometimes I get frustrated and think, 'Why me? Why does it always have to be me?'" she said, her lips curling into a self-deprecating smile.

Wang Xiu remained silent for a long while before saying, "I'm sorry, Senior Sister."

Xiao Qingyu turned her head to face him, her hair fluttering around her face in the wind. "Don't apologize. I don't like hearing it."

Wang Xiu said no more.

"Leave a gift for me," Xiao Qingyu said. "Something to hold onto. A thousand years... is a very long time."

"Whatever you wish for, Senior Sister," Wang Xiu said. "As long as it's within my power to grant, it shall be yours."

Xiao Qingyu said slowly, "I want a child."

"What?" Wang Xiu uttered.

The words had barely left her lips when Xiao Qingyu waved her sleeve, parting the vast lake to reveal a deep pit below. With a gentle tug of her hand, she pulled Wang Xiu down into the depths with her.