"Although reconciliation between the two parties would be the best outcome, Lin Changsheng feared hurting Chen Qingyuan's dignity and knew he must handle this delicately.
'Since Elder Yao knows this is a modest gift, please take it back,' Chen Qingyuan said after a moment's contemplation, his face expressionless.
At these words, everyone's eyes lifted slightly, their hearts tightening.
Yao Susu frowned and asked, 'What do you mean by this, Elder Chen?'
'The verbal marriage agreement from years ago indeed shouldn't be taken too seriously. However, if you want to resolve this karma, let Bai Xixue come herself. As long as she comes, I promise not to pursue the matter further,' Chen Qingyuan said solemnly.
He said this to see if Bai Xixue was acting of her own will or under pressure from the sect.
Before going to Tianyuan years ago, Chen Qingyuan had spoken with Bai Xixue. At that time, she had promised to wait for him no matter what, even if it took thousands or tens of thousands of years, with no regrets.
Moreover, Bai Xixue had been just an ordinary disciple then, receiving special training from the East Yi Palace only because of Chen Qingyuan. Much of what she possessed had been given to her by him.
If she truly acted of her own will, he wouldn't resent her. After all, in everyone's eyes, he had been dead - no one could be blamed. Some things are better cleared up face to face.
'Speaking face to face is indeed appropriate,' Yao Susu had thought Chen Qingyuan might try to make trouble, but seeing this wasn't the case, she nodded in agreement: 'I'll have Xixue visit Elder Chen in a few days.'
'Also, if Elder Yao truly wishes to give a gift celebrating my return, one middle-grade spirit vein is far from sufficient.' Though Chen Qingyuan currently had no cultivation, his sharp gaze pierced Yao Susu like a knife, making her uncomfortable: 'When Bai Xixue and I explored secret realms years ago, the treasures I gave her included three high-grade spirit veins, not to mention numerous middle-grade ones.'
Hearing this, Yao Susu laughed awkwardly and quickly took back the middle-grade spirit vein.
Lin Changsheng and the others looked at Chen Qingyuan with complex expressions. Back then, Chen Qingyuan had often returned from his trips claiming to have found nothing, when apparently he had given everything to someone else!
It was only those few times, and no one had questioned further. After all, most of the resources Chen Qingyuan had obtained before were used to build up the sect or secretly given to his senior brothers as private funds.
'If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. Thank you for your sect's hospitality.'
With these words, Yao Susu turned and left.
After she left, Sect Protection Elder Dong Wenjun couldn't help asking, 'Little junior brother, you spendthrift, you actually didn't bring back those good things you found back then.'
'Senior Brother Dong, material possessions aren't worth worrying about so much,' Chen Qingyuan smiled slightly.
Over the years, Chen Qingyuan had still brought many resources back to the sect for its development and to nurture disciples.
'You kid, ah!' everyone shook their heads helplessly.
Even though Chen Qingyuan had become mortal, everyone still treated him as family, neither criticizing nor ignoring him.
This was precisely why Chen Qingyuan considered the Xuanqing Sect his home.
Several days later, East Yi Palace sent people again.
Several elders and more than ten disciples came, with Bai Xixue among them.
The Xuanqing Sect arranged accommodations for the East Yi Palace guests and let Bai Xixue meet with Chen Qingyuan alone.
Bai Xixue wore a light pink floor-length dress, her three thousand strands of dark hair held by a jade hairpin, a pink sash at her waist with a jade pendant hanging from it.
Her features were as if carved from jade, her skin white as snow, her eyes and brows like a painting.
Standing in the room, Bai Xixue's jade-like hands were placed at her lower abdomen, appearing somewhat nervous."
"Why aren't you speaking?" Chen Qingyuan sat nearby, watching Bai Xixue who dared not meet his eyes, his voice cold.
"I'm sorry." Though Bai Xixue had many things she wanted to tell Chen Qingyuan, there was no point now - she could only apologize.
"Does my return make you uncomfortable?" Chen Qingyuan's gaze was calm, feeling that Bai Xixue had become very unfamiliar.
"No, I'm very happy that Brother Chen has returned safely," Bai Xixue said, pressing her red lips together and looking down.
"When the soul lamp extinguished, life was thought to end. You couldn't wait forever for a dead person; I can understand that. Meeting you today, I just wanted to confirm whether the sect forced you. It seems they didn't."
Chen Qingyuan truly didn't blame Bai Xixue - it was simply fate that they weren't meant to be.
"If you had returned earlier, things might have been different," Bai Xixue said softly.
"If I weren't powerless now, how would you and East Yi Palace choose?" Chen Qingyuan shook his head gently. "This has nothing to do with my late return - it's about power."
Bai Xixue wanted to explain, but in the end said nothing, remaining silent.
"Never mind, it's all in the past," Chen Qingyuan said.
Bai Xixue's expression changed slightly, but she didn't respond.
From her demeanor, it seemed she had little genuine feeling for the young sect master of Tianyu Sect - it was more about benefits.
If Chen Qingyuan still possessed his former power rather than being powerless, Bai Xixue would surely have acted differently.
For cultivators, a hundred years isn't really long - just the snap of a finger. If Bai Xixue had truly loved Chen Qingyuan to her core, she wouldn't have changed heart so easily. Moreover, now that Chen Qingyuan had returned, they could have renewed their relationship.
But Bai Xixue hadn't come to discuss love with Chen Qingyuan - she came to sever their ties.
Perhaps a hundred years ago, she had truly loved him!
But now everything had changed.
"From today forward, there will be no connection between us," Chen Qingyuan said thoughtfully.
The room was silent, the atmosphere heavy.
An elder from East Yi Palace knocked gently, indicating it was time to leave.
As she was leaving, Bai Xixue looked up at Chen Qingyuan one last time, noticing he had lost his former vigor and had no spiritual energy fluctuations. At some point, her gaze had shifted from initial guilt to indifference, her internal tension gradually dissipating.
After one last deep look at Chen Qingyuan, Bai Xixue left without a word.
Though Chen Qingyuan had lost his cultivation, he had noticed Bai Xixue's subtle hand movement earlier. She had crushed a jade talisman to notify the accompanying elder to come break the deadlock.
"Sigh! Those years of suffering were for nothing."
In the Tianyuan Forbidden Zone, a lady in red had taken a liking to Chen Qingyuan and wanted to become his Dao companion. However, Chen Qingyuan stated he was already betrothed and rejected her without hesitation.
For this, Chen Qingyuan was tortured in various ways, ultimately leading to his spiritual root being destroyed and his cultivation lost.
According to the lady in red, it was all for Chen Qingyuan's own good.
Although Chen Qingyuan's talent was very high, he still fell slightly short and couldn't reach the highest position. For unlimited future possibilities, his foundation needed to be rebuilt.
"This matter is settled. Time to attend to my own affairs."
Chen Qingyuan hadn't forgotten his agreement with Tianyuan and planned to set out in a few days.
Recently, news of Chen Qingyuan's return from Tianyuan had spread far and wide.
Many powers wanted to learn about the situation within Tianyuan and sent their high-ranking members to Xuanqing Sect. In response, Xuanqing Sect stated that Chen Qingyuan was unwell and wouldn't receive any visitors.
Facing both threats and inducements from various powerful factions, Xuanqing Sect consistently protected Chen Qingyuan, shielding him from these troublesome matters.
Secretly, under the arrangement of Sect Protection Elder Brother Dong Wenjun, Chen Qingyuan quietly left Xuanqing Sect.
Although everyone was curious about Chen Qingyuan's destination, they didn't ask too much, only hoping for his safety.
With Chen Qingyuan's cultivation destroyed, temporarily leaving Xuanqing Sect was indeed a good choice.
He went to a nearby city and bought some travel talismans that could be activated with spirit stones alone, requiring no personal spiritual energy manipulation.
After a full month, Chen Qingyuan finally reached his destination.
Mingyue City, located in a remote corner of the Northern Wasteland, was quite secluded.
At the end of a street in the city was a courtyard, very modest, with few people passing by.
"Who is it?" An aged voice called out when Chen Qingyuan knocked on the tightly closed courtyard gate.
"Open the door and you'll know," Chen Qingyuan replied.
Click—
The gate opened with a harsh creaking sound.
A dark-skinned old man leaning on a cane, stooped and appearing frail, looked Chen Qingyuan up and down before grinning to reveal yellowed teeth: "Young master, have you perhaps come to the wrong place?"
"No mistake. I'm looking for you."
As he spoke, Chen Qingyuan took out a palm-sized wooden tablet.
The moment the old man saw this tablet, his pupils dilated rapidly, his expression instantly changing to one of utmost seriousness.
Then, the old man said solemnly: "Please come in."
This wooden tablet was something Chen Qingyuan had brought from Tianyuan. It was said that the tablet's owner owed someone a great debt, and with this token, the bearer could ask anything of the tablet's master, including his life.
"Young master, where did you get this item?" After entering, the old man seemed like a different person, his gaze sharp as he asked in a deep voice.
"Tianyuan," Chen Qingyuan answered frankly.
Hearing this, the old man dropped his previous wariness and bowed respectfully to Chen Qingyuan.
Then, the old man recalled a recent event: "Could young master be Chen Qingyuan of Xuanqing Sect?"
"Indeed," Chen Qingyuan nodded in confirmation.
"Since young master has obtained the wooden tablet, this old man must honor his promise. What do you command?" The old man prepared himself for the sacrifice of his life, extremely serious.
"Is there any way to help me rebuild my foundation?" Chen Qingyuan explained his purpose.
"Yes," the old man nodded after examining Chen Qingyuan's physical condition.
He had expected some grand task, but it turned out to be so simple.
"Are you certain?" Chen Qingyuan questioned skeptically.
"It's not difficult," the old man said.
"May I ask senior's honorable name?"
Even all the high-ranking members of Xuanqing Sect together couldn't figure out how to help Chen Qingyuan. Yet this old man before him thought it wasn't difficult, causing Chen Qingyuan to show respect and ask with clasped hands.
"Just a worthless old man," the old man smiled self-deprecatingly.