"Hm?"
Xie Qing's expression fully conveyed the sense of bewilderment he felt. He could not have expected that Xu Mei knew his mother.
However, the woman did not seem to want to explain much. She mumbled something and eventually concluded.
"For the past three years, she has felt weak, and I thought it was just the usual signs before breaking through to the next stage, and she thought so too. But now it seems that we were both wrong," said Xu Mei, and her face darkened. "It is not ruled out that it is the influence of spiritual poison that has been slowly introduced into the body over several years."
"..."
Xie Qing fell silent. Although he wanted to say that it was impossible, if he thought about it, it was quite realistic. But he did not know what to do.
The influence of spiritual poison is difficult to erase, and even a cultivator at the Core Formation stage can be poisoned, as evidenced by his mother's case. The only possible task was that the poison was special.
"I will conduct an investigation and try to find her. But knowing this cunning snake, she is hiding somewhere," Xu Mei said with a smile.
"I hope so..."
Xie Qing smiled crookedly when he heard his mother being called a snake. In her representation, she was always like a blooming flower, so this was controversial.
Returning to the sect did not take much time for them. Xie Qing was a little tired, but he did not want to sleep, so he decided to drink alcohol to quench his thirst from the negative effects of the bracelets.
"Oh... what a pleasant coolness."
Xie Qing was sitting on an open platform in Xu Mei's pavilion. He was drinking alone because his Master had to meet with the sect master.
The wine was both bitter and sweet. His tongue caressed a treasure trove of flavors that did not overpower each other but rather complemented each other.
His thoughts were preoccupied with the fact that he was currently powerless. Even though his current cultivation level was considered good, for his situation, it was too weak.
Moreover, there was the fact that his mother was on the run and in a dangerous situation. This made him feel pressure.
"Eh... even with my pace, I will have to work hard for half a year to reach the Core Formation stage," the young man sighed and hung his head.
...In fact, in half a year, few people can achieve a significant breakthrough in their cultivation, let alone the fact that this is the Qi Condensation stage, which is rightly considered one of the most difficult.
However, Xie Qing still did not despair and tried to cheer himself up. There were different methods for reaching the peak of Qi Condensation, but all of them were dangerous for the foundation. Short-term gain was never better than long-term gain.
Having finished the bottle of wine, Xie Qing closed his eyes and began to meditate. His mind was in disarray, and therefore it required a great deal of effort just to properly control his Qi.
The effect was good. After five minutes, he had already forgotten about all his problems. His mind was focused only on improving himself.
A vortex of Qi appeared around his body as he actively processed the external spiritual energy, turning it into his own Qi. The process was quite delicate.
Thus, during cultivation, he achieved good results. After two hours of cultivation, Xie Qing opened his eyes, which shone golden for a second, and then returned to black.
"Haa... not bad, this time I have come close to the third stage of Qi Condensation. Most likely, in two days, my technique will take care of itself, and I will reach the third stage," thought Xie Qing, and then cracked his neck, getting up from his place.
"Are you done?"
A female voice sounded behind his back. He turned around, clearly recognizing this voice. She who had accompanied him for a long time...
"Master. Have you finished your business?" Xie Qing asked with a smile, taking a rubber band out of his hanfu to tie his hair into a ponytail. Having finished, he looked at Xu Mei, pointing to the second bottle: "I wonder if the Master would like to accompany her disciple for a drink?"
"Heh... all right. I thought you didn't like to drink," Xu Mei said with a smile, and her body flashed, and in the next second, she was sitting next to Xie Qing.
"I don't like it, but... it would be a sin not to drink on such a night, wouldn't you agree?" Xie Qing smiled, saying this in a carefree voice.
"Well, well."
Since their relationship had become closer, Xu Mei had stopped drinking frequently and spent her time training Xie Qing. She even began to choose clothes and apply makeup, and her hairstyle was new every day.
"You have a very beautiful hairstyle today. It suits you," said Xie Qing as he poured wine into the glasses.
"D-do you think so?" Xu Mei stammered and then blushed: "Thank you..."
"You're welcome. The moonlight is falling on your face, which allows me to see all your beauty. Master, are you sure you're not an Immortal Fairy who has come to capture the heart of a mortal beauty?"
"Hmph... how conceited. Do you think that Immortals would come down to the mortal world for you?" Xu Mei snorted disdainfully.
"Well, why not? If I were an immortal woman, I would immediately rush to grab myself and make myself my husband," Xie Qing said without a shred of shame.
"..."
Xu Mei decided to remain silent and not try to compete with such a high-handed person as he was. After all, it was not that he was lying. It was just... the method was too narcissistic.
And so, clinking glasses, they drank wine while looking at the starry sky. The cultivation world was beautiful in its original form, and cultivators tried to preserve powerful mountains, a clear sky, and air.
The mortal world... that's what everyone calls the world in which Xie Qing and the others live. Although there was no evidence that the legendary Immortals existed, many of them believed in it. Xie Qing was among them.
He could not believe that this world was the only one. Most likely, beyond the heavens, there was another world, or perhaps even hundreds of them. How could the Heavens be limited to a small world where useless mortals live?
Xie Qing yearned to see the world and become an Immortal himself. This was the dream of almost every cultivator. For the rush of the wind of immortality that carried the scent of blood, many still resolutely step onto this thorny path.
They were driven by a curiosity about what was up there. No one knew the truth; everyone seemed to be in a cage. It was oppressive.
However, one thing was known - the one who could surpass the level of Transcendence would see the majesty of the Heavens before him.
Early morning. Xie Qing woke up with a strong headache that came from a hangover. Although a cultivator's body could not get drunk, special varieties of spiritual wine could ignore this protection.
He stood up and looked around, seeing that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. This was a shocking fact for him.
But what shocked him even more was that he was naked.
"What happened?" the young man wondered.
He looked around, and his face froze in shock. He saw that Xu Mei was sleeping naked next to him, her face was red with embarrassment, and a strong floral scent hung in the room.
One thing was clear...
He had messed up!
"I knew that the path to immortality lay through corpses and blood. It seems that I need to accompany you, brothers, in failure. See you..."
To be continued...
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Btw.
The full version of events will be provided. I was just too hungry to fit it into one chapter.