Chapter 62: Soul Returning Mushroom (V)

Sui Ning’s heart was beating rapidly, her long eyelashes trembling lightly as she gazed blankly at Xie Changzhou in front of her.
The fragrance of light pine and incense filled the air, and he leaned in close to her, smiling with his eyes and saying, “Ningning, will you marry me?”
His gaze was tender and affectionate.
“I will love you for all eternity, and my love for you will never change.”
He lifted his hand, and the soul bell in his palm emitted a clear and pure glow of spiritual energy.
Sui Ning’s gaze fell upon the soul bell.
As if sensing her gaze, the soul bell slowly floated up from Xie Changzhou’s palm and affectionately approached her.
Sui Ning reached out her hand, and the soul bell gently fell into her palm, obediently lying there.
Her body stiffened slightly, and she looked up into a pair of extremely gentle eyes.
Her heartbeat grew faster and faster, and the surroundings became so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing. The contact between the soul bell and her palm was scorching hot, as if igniting a raging flame.
The depth of his emotions almost engulfed her entirely.
Sui Ning’s heart felt a burning sensation, her nose tingled, and her eyes grew slightly red.
A smile spread across her face, and her clear eyes curled with amusement at the corners.
She nodded gently and said, “Okay.”
Xie Changzhou’s heart suddenly melted, his lips curled upward, and his eyes filled with a glimmer of light.
He embraced her tightly, burying his head in her neck and whispering softly, “We’ll get married, Ningning.”
“I’ll do my best to root out the Gui Luan, and when we get married, I’ll make you the wife of the head of the Limitless Sword Sect.”
He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer to his chest.
Sui Ning’s nose felt a bit sour, and she hugged him back, gently rubbing his cold, white face.
“Mm, okay.”
She was willing.
She hoped that the version of herself at that time was still here, and she wanted to marry him once.
Even though they would inevitably have to separate at some point.
Her eyes were moist, and her head was buried tightly in his arms.
*
The sky was just starting to lighten when Sui Ning rushed into Xie Changzhou’s courtyard with the Soul Seal Plate in her hand.
“Xie Changzhou, Xie Changzhou!”
Her voice was slightly excited, and her beautiful face was filled with joy, her dark eyes shining brightly.
Xie Changzhou was meditating in the courtyard, with a pure and clear spiritual energy surrounding him. Du Wang was standing in front of him, his powerful and majestic spiritual energy fluctuating.
Upon hearing her, he retracted Du Wang and opened his eyes with a soft tremble of his long eyelashes, his gaze focused and gentle.
Sui Ning was only wearing an inner robe, with loose hair and a pure and gentle face without any makeup.
He frowned slightly. “Ningning, why aren’t you wearing an outer robe?”
Sui Ning smiled and sat in front of him, interrupting his thoughts with, “It’s hot now, not cold.”
He frowned, somewhat disapproving of her explanation, but before he could say anything, Sui Ning interrupted his upcoming lecture.
She put the Soul Seal Plate heavily on the stone table, making a dull sound.
The antique bronze plate was engraved with vivid and ancient patterns. The pointer in the middle pointed directly in one direction, and a virtual shadow slowly emerged in the air above it.
It looked like a Lingzhi mushroom, but it was much larger than an ordinary Lingzhi and was not the usual dark brown color. It was a bright red color, emitting a faint glow, and surrounded by flying butterflies.
That was the Soul Returning Mushroom.
Sui Ning’s eyes were bright and beautiful, and the smile on her lips could not be hidden. The small dimples on her face were evident.
“The Soul Returning Mushroom has appeared.” Her voice was soft and joyful.
Xie Changzhou stared at the Soul Returning Mushroom in a daze. Soul Returning Mushroom grows on the top of Cangwu Mountain and only matures once every fifty years. However, Cangwu Mountain is vast and continuous, with towering mountains, and it is not certain where the Revival Branch grows specifically.
But the Soul Seal Plate is an ancient artifact that can trace the trail of spirit grass and roughly locate the range of the Soul Returning Mushroom.
At this moment, the location is towards the main peak of Cangwu Mountain.
Sui Ning approached him with a smile in her eyes and said, “Jianzun, we have found the Soul Returning Mushroom. Your cold poison can be cured now.”
Xie Changzhou met her gaze, and there was a smile in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows. He was influenced by her emotions, and his lips unconsciously curled up.
He nodded lightly and said, “Thank you, Ningning.”
He was poisoned by cold poison at the age of 150, and now it has been almost two hundred years. His cultivation is stuck in the middle stage of crossing the tribulation. This search for spirit herbs is just a try.
But unexpectedly, with Sui Ning’s help, this trip went so smoothly.
Less than a year has passed…
He repeated, “Thank you, Ningning.”
Sui Ning smiled brightly and nodded without hesitation: “You’re welcome. From now on, just listen to me!”
Xie Changzhou’s heart softened, and his eyes were filled with affection, as if it were about to overflow.
He held Sui Ning’s hand tightly and said softly, “Okay.”
He seemed to think of something and suddenly laughed. The lustrous and translucent color of his eyes was a bit cunning.
“Ningning is heaven, Ningning is earth, and Ningning is always right,” he said with a smile.
It was the male virtue literature that Sui Ning had admonished him about when she was drunk.

Even though he spoke such improper words, his voice was soft and gentle, as if filled with infinite affection, and he teased Sui Ning’s heart like a small brush.

Sui Ning’s face suddenly became hot, her eyelashes trembled slightly with embarrassment, and she lowered her voice in anger, saying, “What did you say? Forget it, forget it!”

She quickly shook off Xie Changzhou’s hand, took back the Soul Seal Plate, and stood up straight, saying, “You go practice on your own; I’m going to find Ah Yan.”

Her voice was slightly angry, and she looked quite flustered and embarrassed.

“Sui Ning–“

Xie Changzhou was taken aback, but before he could finish his sentence, she had already turned and run away, her skirt swaying and her waist-length hair fluttering behind her.

She ran to the gate of the courtyard, suddenly turned her head, and peeked out, saying, “We’re leaving in a few days. Find the Soul Returning Mushroom as soon as possible, and don’t let anyone else get there first.”

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The smile on Xie Changzhou’s lips became more and more pronounced, and his gaze became warm and tender.

On the mountain of swords and in the sea of fire, he is also willing, as long as he can be with her. 

***

The Cangwu Mountains are a range of continuous mountains with undulating peaks and high terrain. The mist and clouds linger around them. 

Looking from a distance, Sui Ning could only see a vast and breathtaking expanse of silver-white, shimmering in the sunlight. 

Upon arriving at the Cangwu Mountains, Sui Ning immediately felt a sudden drop in temperature. Even as a Nascent Soul cultivator, she couldn’t help but shiver. 

She felt a warmth behind her as pure, spiritual energy entered her body and circulated through her meridians, heating her shivering body. 

Sui Ning turned around to face Xie Changzhou, who was looking at her with tender and somewhat pained eyes. 

“Sui Ning, you’ve worked hard,” he said softly. 

Sui Ning shook her head and tightly held his hand. “Are you cold?” 

As she touched his hand, it felt warm and cool at the same time. 

“No, I’m fine,” Xie Changzhou replied with a light chuckle. 

Due to his cold poison, Xie Changzhou’s body temperature had always been lower, but with his realm of crossing the tribulation, the coldness of the Cangwu Mountains didn’t affect him much. 

But Sui Ning was different; she was only a Nascent soul cultivator. The spirit pearl sensed her coldness and emitted a soft and shiny light that penetrated her body. With the nourishment from Xie Changzhou’s spiritual energy and the spirit pearl, the coldness in her body gradually dissipated. 

The Cangwu Mountains were covered in white snow, and the direction indicated by the Soul Seal plate was the main peak of the Cangwu Mountains. They slowly landed on the ground with the help of Du Wang. 

Sui Ning didn’t have such an intuitive feeling from afar until she witnessed the majestic scenery of the Cangwu Mountains after landing. She was deeply moved. 

The snow was falling heavily, and the cold wind was howling, stirring up a snowstorm. The world was pure white, devoid of any other colors. 

Despite the season being in the height of summer, the Cangwu Mountains had been covered in snow for years, and the coldness penetrated her heart. 

Xie Changzhou still held her hand as he looked at the snowscape in the distance with his clear and refreshing eyes. 

“Is Master Ji also here to find the Soul Returning Mushroom?” he asked softly. 

Sui Ning was surprised and followed his gaze to see a figure slowly emerging behind the snow mountain not far away. The person was flying towards them on a sword, but she couldn’t see them clearly due to the distance.

The exquisite and luxurious attire of the Changming Sword Sect, with a fair complexion, well-proportioned features, and slight wrinkles at the corners of the eyes.

Ji Zhiwu?

Suining’s eyebrows furrowed. Why would Ji Zhiwu appear here? The Soul Seal Plate was the first to sense the growth of the Revival Branch, which meant she should have been the first to know.

It was one thing for Ji Zhiwu to quickly learn about the spirit herb’s growth, but how could he also know its precise location?

Could it be…

A chill ran down Sui Ning’s spine, and her gaze towards him turned hostile.

Ji Zhiwu still wore a gentle smile on his face as he courteously bowed to Xie Changzhou. “Greetings, Jianzun.”

Xie Changzhou nodded slightly, his clear gaze fixed on Ji Zhiwu without a word.

Ji Zhiwu remained unfazed, lightly fanning himself as he looked at the two before him. His gaze fell upon the hands of Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou, who were holding each other, and his expression flickered for a moment before he discreetly concealed it.

Xie Changzhou’s gaze swept over him calmly, unruffled. “Master Ji has been following us on this journey. I presume it’s to search for the Revival Branch as well.”

Sui Ning’s heart sank. Indeed, Ji Zhiwu had been following them all along on this journey. As a Mahayana stage cultivator, he might have gone unnoticed by her, but Xie Changzhou had clearly spotted him from the start.

But why did Xie Changzhou not speak up and allow Ji Zhiwu to follow them?

He clearly knew that Ji Zhiwu was not a good person.

Sui Ning glanced at Xie Changzhou, who stood straight and tall beside her. Her eyes held a hint of confusion.

Xie Changzhou tightened his grip on her hand and sent a message through their connection: “Sui Ning, don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Sui Ning could only calm herself down.

“Hahaha, Jianzun and this young lady are…”

A hearty laughter echoed, and Ji Zhiwu raised an eyebrow, his eyes carrying a trace of playfulness and mockery.

Xie Changzhou’s expression remained unchanged. “She is the Sect Master’s wife of the Limitless Sword Sect.”

Ji Zhiwu blinked, his surprise evident, but he spoke with a more pronounced smile. “Congratulations,Jianzun.”

His deep gaze landed on Sui Ning, sending a shiver down her spine.

He was smiling, his expression sincere and reserved, but ever since learning about his hidden intentions, Sui Ning couldn’t help but be wary of him.

Under his intense gaze, Sui Ning felt an inexplicable urge—a desire to gouge out his eyeballs.

Sui Ning furrowed her brows, and there was a hint of coldness in her dark eyes.

Xie Changzhou held her hand, his warm eyes still fixed on Ji Zhiwu. “Master Ji, did you have a smooth journey with us?”

Ji Zhiwu’s smile faded a bit, and he squinted slightly.

“Jianzun, I’m not following you.”

Xie Changzhou didn’t respond. He walked slowly towards them, fanning himself lazily. “I heard that the Soul Returning Mushroom had grown, so I came to Cangwu Mountain. I happened to meet Jianzun on the way, and I thought I’d talk to him when we landed. I didn’t expect him to speak first.”

Sui Ning felt speechless. Such a shameless person was hard to come by.

It was up to him how he wanted to speak. He had counted on Xie Changzhou’s character not to care about this kind of thing.

But Sui Ning didn’t expect that Xie Changzhou would not let Ji Zhiwu fabricate the truth this time.

He spoke calmly: “Master Ji, there’s no need to exonerate yourself. I sensed your breath as soon as you left the Limitless Sword Sect. The Changming Sword Sect is so far from the Limitless Sword Sect, and it was really hard for Master Ji to come all this way–“

He paused, and a hint of darkness flickered in his clear eyes as he spoke each word.

“Stalking.”

Sui Ning suppressed the laughter at the corners of her mouth, and her eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.

Xie Changzhou always managed to find the most insulting way to express himself without being too heavy-handed.

The master of a major sect was actually guarding them at the entrance of the Limitless Sword Sect. Such a behavior that lowered his own status, spoken in such a casual tone by Xie Changzhou, made Ji Zhiwu’s face turn green in an instant.

His face darkened, and he no longer bothered to pretend. He said coldly, “If Jianzun wants to think that way, then I can’t do anything about it.”

Suining frowned and muttered, “Why is this word so lacking.”

Ji Zhiwu’s eyes became dark and dangerous: “Jianzun must also be here for the Soul Returning Mushroom, so let’s see who gets it first.”

Xie Changzhou nodded and stood straight in place, speaking calmly, “You won’t get it.”

Ji Zhiwu’s lips twitched, and he could barely suppress his anger. His pure white face gradually turned red.

Xie Changzhou looked at him calmly and confidently and said, “The Soul Returning Mushroom is guarded by a Snow Demon. You are only at the Mahayana level and cannot defeat her. You will be killed by her.”

Sui Ning couldn’t help but laugh out loud. With a smile in her dark eyes, she looked up at Xie Changzhou next to her and silently gave him a thumbs up in her heart.

Ji Zhiwu’s eyebrows furrowed, and his aura spread out, causing the white snow to swirl around him.