Chapter 5: Tonight, the Grove

Qin Changsheng agreed.

Just as he had agreed when Yuyan’s master threatened him to stay away from her.

After all, cultivation requires resources.

To survive, one cannot afford to offend the powerful.

He was merely a mortal who had come from a strange world.

Who could he possibly provoke?

In this world, the strong prey on the weak. Avoiding entanglement in karmic consequences is best if one can manage it. Immortality might be hopeful, but it does not mean invincibility.

If someone kills you, you still die.

Hence, Qin Changsheng always remained cautious.

At first, he was reluctant to bring Wang Yuyan along because the incident with Qinghe had shaken him deeply. That relationship made him feel old.

His greatest guilt was that day in the inn, when Wang Yuyan acted impulsively and he felt a pang of pity.

Later, upon learning that Yuyan had begun her cultivation and being threatened by members of the Xuanyuan Sect, he felt unworthy of such a prodigious daughter of heaven.

So he left on his own.

After spending five years at the Kaoshan Sect, Yuyan had risen to great heights, while he could not even complete his Foundation Establishment.

That profound sense of powerlessness in the mortal world made him realize that the path of immortality was long and arduous. Some would advance first, others fall behind. For those who lagged, the greatest dignity was to leave quietly on their own.

"…"

Leaving the spirit herb field hurriedly, Qin Changsheng followed the Saintess to her abode.

Her name was Nangong Ruoxi.

Seeing the Saintess under the sunlight with her almost transparent clothes, Qin Changsheng suddenly felt youthful again, no longer the aged grandfather he had imagined himself to be.

In truth, discounting the time spent in slumber, his actual life experience was only about thirty years.

For mortals, that was middle-aged; for immortals, it was just the beginning.

Sometimes, watching too many unhealthy sights wasn’t good either. So Qin Changsheng hesitated whether to advise Nangong Ruoxi to wear something thicker. But if he did, would she think him a lecher and kill him?

Yet if he didn’t warn her, his youthful vigor would not withstand him constantly staring.

“If you keep peeking at me, I won’t mind gouging your eyes out,” Nangong Ruoxi said angrily, glaring at him.

The man had been staring at her incessantly, making her feel completely exposed.

Though her clothes were spirit-recognition-proof treasure garments, his gaze made her uncomfortable.

“Uh, is it possible that if I follow behind you without looking at you, I can’t look at the road either?” Qin Changsheng awkwardly took two steps back.

After all, the Saintess was at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

If she attacked, he would surely die without a trace.

“Then you walk in front!” she snapped.

“But… I don’t know the way.”

“Then walk beside me.”

“Alrighty.”

They walked side by side.

Nangong Ruoxi gritted her teeth in frustration but thought such a shield was hard to come byI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.