Chapter 213 – Qingyue Under the Moon
The wind was blowing loudly in the pitch black night. The moonlight was dull and the stars were sparse; it was prime time to secretly sneak around… Ah no, to secretly night crawl.
Tomorrow was the last day for the second round of the group stage. Yun Che, who won ten out of ten matches, had already secured his rank in the top hundred. Yun Che didn’t even think of it as anything special himself, yet Qin Wushang was unbearably full of joy, and that laughing mouth of his had not closed from afternoon all the way till evening. Of course, Cang Yue was also terribly delighted, and when a beauty was delighted, it was naturally much easier to take action.
Perhaps, she would fall to him tonight.
As he thought to here, Yun Che instantly started to laugh lewdly. Just as he jumped off the bed and was about to head out for Cang Yue’s room, the door to his room was suddenly knocked, and Xia Yuanba’s voice came from the outside: “Brother-in-law, are you asleep yet?”
The time wasn’t very late yet, but it was already very quiet outside. In order to not disturb him, Qin Wushang and Xia Yuanba would never visit him at night, unless there was some urgent matter.
Yun Che walked over to open the door: “Yuanba, what is it?”
“Oh, it’s that big sis just came earlier, and wanted me to give this thing to you.” Xia Yuanba took out a small spatial ring, and gave it to Yun Che.
“Your sister? Qingyue came over earlier?” Yun Che took the ring, and said in a surprised tone.
“Mhm.” Xia Yuanba nodded: “Big sis said that you actually don’t need these things anymore, but they are also useless to be carried around on her, and wants me to pass this on to you anyway.”
Something that Qingyue my wife would give to me? What would it be?
Yun Che lifted the ring, and opened his inner vision… In the spacious spatial ring, there only existed three things.
A profound core. Its aura was thick and rich; it was clearly an Earth Profound Beast’s profound core! A chunk of fist sized crystal that looked like purple-colored ice crystals… it was shockingly a Purple Veined Heavenly Crystal! And planted within a transparent jade bottle, was an eccentric grass with a twisted stem, seven sharp and long leaves, as well as a seven-colored brilliance flowing through its entire body…
Seven Profound Gem Grass!!
The inside of Yun Che’s heart violently shook.
Seven Profound Gem Grass, Purple Veined Heavenly Crystal, Earth Profound Beast’s profound core… These were clearly the three things that he had mentioned to Xia Qingyue back then, that could be used to heal his crippled profound veins at time.
Yun Che lifted his head up, and asked urgently: “How long has it been since Qingyue left?”
“Ehm, she just left a little while ago. Brother-in-law, you want…”
Before Xia Yuanba finished talking, Yun Che had already rushed out like a gust of wind, and instantly vanished before Xia Yuanba’s eyes.
Xia Yuanba stood in front of the room’s door, scratched his head with a innocent face, and muttered in a small voice: “Should I have told Brother-in-law right when Big Sis came…”
After exiting the courtyard, Yun Che stopped for an instant, and perceived the remaining threads of ice-cold aura with his incomparably sharp sense. Following the direction that the ice-cold aura had lead to, Yun Che went full throttle, and madly chased. Not long after, under the pitch-black curtain of night, a graceful figure in fluttering snow-colored attire appeared in his vision. He slowed down his footsteps, and quickly shouted: “Qingyue!”
The voice that came from behind made Xia Qingyue stop her feet. She quietly turned around, and her eyes met with Yun Che, who had chased here. In regards to Yun Che’s pursuit, she did not seem to be very surprised. Her charming eyes did not waver, and her voice was soft and calm: “What matter does Sir Yun seek from this Qingyue?”
The form of address “Sir Yun” made the corner of Yun Che’s mouth slightly cramp. He opened his mouth and asked: “Qingyue my wife, I want to ask you a question… Our marriage certificate that I passed over to you that day… is it still there?”
Xia Qingyue lifted her snow-white hand, and lightly stroked her ring. A sheet of flat and undamaged marriage certificate that was meticulously protected within a colorless crystal was taken out by her. With a lifting motion of her hand, the marriage certificate flew toward Yun Che, and landed in his hands… And this sheet of paper, was precisely the marriage certificate between him and Qingyue that was perfectly flawless and undamaged!
A kind of wordless moved emotion birthed in Yun Che’s heart. The existence of this marriage certificate, perhaps could not prove that Xia Qingyue truly held some feelings toward him, but it proved that after the day he left, she protected his last bit of dignity with all her might.
At least, when her husband was in a perilous situation, she, as the wife, did not take the opportunity to forsake him, but had actually went through with the most sacred part of a wife’s duty.
The existence of this marriage certificate, was also proclaiming that they had always been husband and wife, including now.
“That time, you didn’t have the power to protect this marriage certificate, so you passed it on to me. Now, I believe you already have the strength to protect it, so it should be returned to you anyway.” Xia Qingyue said in a light voice.
“Then, do you remember what I said, when I gave the marriage certificate to you?” Yun Che asked in a very quiet voice as he carefully put away the marriage certificate.
Xia Qingyue: “…”
“I said at that time: ‘If you still want to continue being my wife, then protect it; if you want to obtain complete freedom, then destroy it’….” As he spoke to here, Yun Che made a self-mocking laugh: “Actually, when I left that day, I had always thought that your choice would be to destroy the marriage certificate. Because, no matter if it’s for your father’s promise, or repaying the debt of gratitude toward Uncle Xiao Ying, the person you ought to marry was Xiao Ying’s son. However, you had already known that I wasn’t even Xiao Ying’s son at all, and was only a ‘bastard that was picked up’ in their mouths. You totally could have destroyed the marriage certificate, as well as our name as husband and wife in a right and proper way, and then cleanly enter Frozen Cloud Asgard. Why did you choose to instead, protect this marriage certificate?”
Xia Qingyue’s charming eyes looked straight at Yun Che’s, and did not have even a tiny bit of the intention of avoiding anything. The expression in her gaze was completely tranquil. After these one and half years in Frozen Cloud Asgard, Yun Che clearly felt that Xia Qingyue’s entire disposition had changed so much that it was as if heaven and earth had flipped. In those few days that they lived together after marriage, her gaze was indifferent, cold, and even a little bit loftiness and immaturity was hidden within. But now, the coldness in her eyes was completely replaced by apathy, and was as unfeeling as tranquil water, without the slightest of perturbation. The aura of her energy, however, had become bone-chilling cold.
Other than Frozen Cloud Arts, the Frozen Cloud Asgard’s core profound arts also included Frozen Heart Arts. The latter, could make one calm the heart, and empty the mind. To the extremes, one could achieve a state of truly having no desires, and look disinterestedly upon all life and death, victory and defeat, ambitions, as well as any good and evil in the world…
However, could a human without desire and pursuit, still be considered “human”?
“Qingyue cannot answer this question.”
“Why can’t you answer?”
Xia Qingyue said quietly: “Because what Qingyue thought that time, is already now forgotten. Perhaps, it is because the fate of us as husband and wife had yet to be finished.”
As she said the words “Fate as husband and wife”, these few words that were supposed to carry a sense of sentiment, were spoken with indifference, and without any hint of drifting emotions. And this kind of indifference, gave Yun Che an uncomfortable feeling of suffocation. The Xia Qingyue of the old days was like an aloft ice lotus situated on a snow mountain. Even though the him that time was disabled and insignificant, he still had the incessant intention to probe and tease, and the desire to conquer and pluck her. If not for the unforeseen event that happened after, if given enough time, he firmly believed that he would succeed if they were under the same roof day and night.
But the Xia Qingyue now, gave him a feeling comparable to the bright moon that hung atop the blue sky; still impeccable as always, but was already extremely far away from him, to the point that it was impossible to reach.
Ahhh!! This Frozen Cloud Asgard place, is really harmful!!
As he thought about how Chu Yuechan, who had lived together with him for five months, still left resolutely even after XXOOing, along with the changes in Xia Qingyue… Yun Che’s heart instantly boiled with an impulse to destroy Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Taking in so many peerlessly beauties, yet turning them into otherworldly beings unstained by the desires of the world… It was virtually a place that all men, no matter human or god, would be angry towards in their hearts!
Yun Che’s chest rose up and back down. After calming his state of mind, he said with a peaceful tone: “Thank you for finding me the Seven Profound Gem Grass, Earth Profound Beast’s profound core, and Purple Veined Heavenly Crystal. I know that even if it’s Frozen Cloud Asgard, to find all three of these within one and half years would not be that easy. Moreover, you were only a newly entered disciple.”
“No need for thanks,” Xia Qingyue’s voice was light yet graceful: “Compared to your favor of opening all of my profound entrances, these, can’t be considered much.”
“Me opening your profound entrances, was only expending a few drops of sweat. But you finding all these things for me, was not as simple as just expending a few drops of sweat. However, I indeed should not say thank you, since we are husband and wife.” Yun Che slightly smiled.
Xia Qingyue: “….”
“May I ask you three questions?”
“Please ask.” Xia Qingyue did not refuse.
It had gone deeper and deeper into the night. Even though there were only a few sparse stars in the sky, the round moon was extraordinarily brilliant, and generously poured down its bright moonlight. But as it shone on Xia Qingyue’s body, these flawless and beautiful moonbeams, could only be reduced into the unnoticeable background. Emanating a kind of indescribable and suffocating beauty, the Xia Qingyue under the moonlight was as if a goddess had descended from the heavens. Seeing this figure that was beautiful to the point of almost illusory, to say that Yun Che’s heartbeat did not increase in pace was impossible. He slowly took a breath in, and asked: “In Frozen Cloud Asgard, did you live well?”
“Very well. The Asgard Mistress, Master, Senior Masters, Junior Masters, as well as all the Junior and Senior Sisters all treated me very well.” Xia Qingyue answered in a very succinct manner.
“Mn, then that’s great.” Yun Che nodded: “Second question. I had wanted to know this answer a long time ago. However, at that time, you did not tell me… I want to know, when we married, exactly what realm was your profound strength already at?”
The Yun Che at that time was absolutely sure, that Xia Qingyue’s profound strength was definitely not the tenth level of the Elementary Profound Realm that was shown on the surface. However, the rank of her profound strength at the tenth level of the Elementary Profound Realm was known throughout the entire city, and no one had ever questioned it. Even those of the senior generation, who had strength far surpassing Elementary Profound Realm, thought her as only in the tenth level of the Elementary Profound Realm. It was as if her true strength was hidden with some kind of special method. As for the reason to hide it, Yun Che understood that very well. In a little place like Floating Cloud City, a 16 year old at the pinnacle of the Elementary Profound Realm was already a number one genius recognized by the masses. If the profound strength she exhibited was of the Nascent Profound Realm, or even the peak of the Nascent Profound Realm, it would definitely instigate an unpredictable uproar.
This time, Xia Qingyue did not refuse, and directly answered: “When I was twelve, I met Master. At the age of thirteen, I broke through the Elementary Profound Realm, and stepped into the Nascent Profound Realm. Fourteen, I broke through Nascent Profound, and entered the True Profound Realm. After my marriage with you at the age of sixteen, I was at the pinnacle of True Profound Realm, just like you right now.”
Yun Che: “…!!!”