Lu Qingyun and Qin Keqin were now talking a slow stroll back to the Heavens Ridge Villa. Along the way, they were actually quite awkward and avoided looking at each other.
After some time, Lu Qingyun finally mustered the courage to ask. "Master…"
Qin Keqin said quietly, "We are not in the clan now. Did you forget what you have promise me? You suppose to call me Keqin while we are outside."
Lu Qingyun heaved a heavy sigh, "Your real name isn't Qin Keqin, am I right? You are the Great Saintess Fan Yuqing?"
Qin Keqin paused in her tracks as she turned to look at him quietly, "Is that important? Keqin or Yuqing, is that really important? Am I not your master?"
Lu Qingyun had also paused in his tracks as he said quietly, "Indeed. It did not really matter. You are always my master and shall be."
Qin Keqin gave him a faint smile, "You seem to have many things to bottom up in your heart. Why don't you share it with me? Perhaps you will feel much better after you've shared it with me?"
Lu Qingyun kept quiet. It was meaningless to ask her why she had lie to him. After all, she was a renowned great saintess and that was reason enough for her to hide her identity.
He could have suspected that she was a seventh realm expert after she had single-handedly defeated the ninth rank golden roc on the very first day that they had met. It was not luck at all that she had defeated the golden roc. Moreover, if she was so hard pressed by the golden roc then she would have unsheathed the godly divine sword to defend herself but she did not even see a need to do so and that was because she was the Great Saintess Fan Yuqing, one of the two renowned heroines of the Nine Celestial Fraternity. The other heroine was the Nine Celestial Goddess Ye Jing.
"You are upset with me for not telling you who I am?" Qin Keqin asked melancholy.
Lu Qingyun smiled weakly, "I am just upset with myself. I have thought that Old Saint Wen and you…"
Qin Keqin giggled, "And because of that, you have stormed the Solitary Manor on your own? Because of me?"
Lu Qingyun nodded and smiled awkwardly. "I have thought that…alas, it is all a misunderstanding."
Qin Keqin heaved a soft sigh, "Do you know that what you have done is very foolish? What if you have lost your own life? All because of me?"
Lu Qingyun had a light tremble as he muttered, "Even if I were to lose my life, it is worth it because it is your honor that I'm defending…"
Qin Keqin looked blankly at him, "My honor. Is my honor worth your precious life?"
Lu Qingyun muttered, "Keqin, your honor is everything to me. My precious life is incomparable to your honor."
Qin Keqin chuckled as she hit him on his chest, "If it was not for my mother consort who had taken you away from the Solitary Manor, you would have lost your precious life several times over. Why are you so foolish and stupid?"
When she had hit him lightly on his chest, Lu Qingyun had a jolt. It was not because it was painful as she had only tapped him gently. He was suddenly emotional as he said with a bitter smile, "Because I like you, Keqin."
Qin Keqin had a jolt too as she gasped softly, "What did you just say?"
Lu Qingyun was suddenly awkward. He had accidentally blurted out what was in his heart. It was because he knew that he had no hope of ever winning her heart because their disparities were simply too great and hence he had blurted out what was in his heart.
He quickly stammered, "Master…Keqin…don't get me wrong. You will forever be the master that I will respect-"
Qin Keqin interrupted him shyly, "You…like me? Really? But didn't you already have someone else in your heart? Are you two timing?"
Lu Qingyun protested immediately, "There is no one else in my heart. Only you…"
Then he had suddenly realized that he was creating one blunder after another nonstop…
Qin Keqin gasped again, "Only me? Not Lie Xingyuan? Not Ouyang Xue? Not Leng Qiuyue?"
Lu Qingyun was flustered now and he was extremely awkward by now, "I like you since the very start. There is never anyone in my heart."
Qin Keqin was gasping again and there were flushes on her countenance as she trembled lightly. She thought, "Is this a confession of his love for me?"
Lu Qingyun was now regretting everything that he had said. It was because he could have known that he would be disowned by his master for having lofty thoughts on her and now he could no longer even see her anymore…
"So because you have thought that Zhou Hai and I…you are mad with jealousy? That's why you have stormed the Solitary Manor alone?"
And all of a sudden Qin Keqin was resting her head on his chest, "Qingyun, why didn't you tell me earlier that you like me? So when you say you like me at that time, you really meant it and it is not a tease?"
Lu Qingyun was truly startled that she was suddenly in his embrace, "Keqin…"
Qin Keqin looked up to him as she murmured, "I don't want to be your master. Why are you so dense? It is just an excuse to get you out of trouble. I too, have liked you since the very start."
Lu Qingyun muttered with surprise, "Keqin has also liked me from the very start…I didn't know…how it is possible…am I dreaming?"
Qin Keqin looked at him dreamily, "It isn't a dream. We're finally together…"
Lu Qingyun held her tightly with his trembling fingers. As long as he could have Keqin by his side, there was no need to question her further. Although he did not know why Qin Keqin had added the starforge substances into the divine pills but he was not bothered at all.
It was because she was the maiden of his heart and that he felt that he had known her for a long time…
Qin Keqin muttered softly as she cast him an anxious look, "Let's keep our new relationship a secret first. I don't want my two sisters to know as they are great gossipers. And don't let my mother consort knows as well."
"Fairy Jade Light?" but he quickly replied, "Alright."
Qin Keqin explained sheepishly, "My mother consort is actually very mean and may not like us to be together. You should get into her good books first, am I right to say so?"
Lu Qingyun nodded and sighed, "Yes, I really need to get into Fairy Jade Light's good books…" He was only a lowly fourth realm cultivator while her daughter was only a seventh realm cultivator. Would she agree to their unison?
Qin Keqin was actually thinking, "That Fairy Jade Light is a fake. I need to settle her first. In the meantime, I mustn't let her know anything about Qingyun and I or it will be disastrous for me…"
With that they had walked hand in hand in blissful delight as they headed back to the Heavens Ridge Villa.
Lu Qingyun simply could not believe it that he was actually holding the hand of the maiden of his heart at this moment.
Even Qin Keqin could not believe it as she blissfully thought, "I have finally broken my ill-fated curse? I hope that this time it will last and not fade…"
"Keqin, you really like me? But I am just a lowly cultivator…"
"What does liking you to do with your cultivation level?"
"Because I may grow old one day while you are young forever…"
"That is not a problem right? You just need to cultivate to the fourth realm and you will never grow old. Mm, you seem to have attained to the fourth realm now, am I right?"
"Right but I will pass away before you unless I've attained to the fifth realm…"
"That is easy enough to reach the fifth realm, right?"
"It isn't easy…"
"The Seven Hearts Hollow Pill is almost ready. I'm sure that you will be able to attain to the peaked fourth realm or even the fifth realm after you have taken it…"
"I don't think so…"
"Then I can just make more divine pills to aid you. After all, I am a high level alchemist now…"
"Actually..." There was a long pause from him. He did not want to tell her that her alchemist skills were just so and so hence the long pause.
"Huh? What is that you're trying to say?"
"Nothing…I just want to say that alchemy is too expensive and not worthy of the time. It is better that I cultivate to a solid foundation first…"
Qin Keqin was quite startled when she had returned to the Heavens Ridge Villa. It was because she had received words from the grand elders that they had attacked the Solitary Manor and was actually quite successful.
Even Lu Qingyun was startled that they were just behind his footsteps.
But the credit had to do with an earlier unknown assailant that had taken down two of the golden celestial elders of the Solitary Manor. No one knew who he was but his actions had caused the morale Solitary Manor to plummet and had even caused Supremacy Wen to flee in the cover of the night.
Qin Keqin was actually quite touched but said nothing, "They have actually raided the Solitary Manor because of me? Mm, I am beginning to like this place."
The news of this raid had also quickly spread like wildfire in New Empyrean City that the Heavens Ridge Villa had actually attacked the Solitary Manor and was even successful. It had suddenly become a hot talking point among the commoners and the dozens of celestial clans.