"What brings you to my Wuji Sect, little girl? Are you planning to stay here for a few days?"

Zhao Wuji spoke in a relaxed tone, as if Yu Qiu were a familiar junior to him. His gaze fell on Yu Qiu with a hint of affection and concern.

Li Jianming could also tell that Yu Qiu and Zhao Wuji had an unusual relationship. Yu Qiu appeared neither arrogant nor humble, and did not seem restrained or subservient because of Zhao Wuji's status.

She smiled slightly, bowed to Zhao Wuji, and said, "Elder Zhao, I've come to see you."

"Oh? What do you need me for?" Zhao Wuji asked curiously.

Yu Qiu smiled and said, "Elder Zhao, you have been focused on developing the Wuji Sect all these years. Have you forgotten that this year marks the end of your ninety-year term?"

Zhao Wuji was startled. Under Li Jianming's surprised look, he turned to face northwest, knelt down in front of everyone, and performed eight grand salutes before standing up.

"It's all my fault for getting senile; I almost forgot about something so important. Thank you, Yu girl."

"Elder Zhao, you'd better hurry up and make preparations. My mother asked me to tell you that the Palace Master will emerge from seclusion in three months."

"Thank your mother for me. I know what to do."

"Elder Zhao, we will not linger any longer and will take our leave now."

"You little brat, you think you can just leave my territory so soon? It's not too late to attend tomorrow's disciple selection ceremony."

Yu Qiu said with a wry smile, "You arrived in no time, but it might take us three months to walk there."

"I'll take you there then."

"Never mind, Ming and I have things to do on the way, so we won't trouble you."

"Since that's the case, I won't stay any longer. Take these valuables with you. You still have plenty of time, so don't make yourselves suffer."

With a single stroke of his hand, Zhao Wuji created a spatial rift, from which flew out a large amount of gold and silver, as well as food and household items, filling half of the courtyard.

Although Li Jianming was shocked by this method of hiding things in the void, he couldn't help but feel a little skeptical. "You have a good way of storing these things, but how are we supposed to take them?"

As he was lost in thought, he saw Yu Qiu wave his hand, and a flash of green light appeared, causing all the supplies in the courtyard to disappear.

"Thank you very much, Elder Zhao. The message has been conveyed, so we'll be taking our leave now."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Li Jianming followed Yu Qiu in a daze, walking for an unknown distance. His mind was blank, and everything that had happened today seemed unbelievable to him.

"Ming-ge, what happened to you? Did you get boiled in hot water? Your face and neck are all red."

Looking at Yu Qiu's delicate face, Li Jianming sighed and said, "Qiu-mei, I don't blame you for not telling me your identity after we've been together for so long, but you have a mother. I want to gain your mother's approval, otherwise it will feel like we're eloping all the time. Although I, Li Jianming, am not exactly a gentleman, I don't want to do these sneaky things. I want to marry you openly and honestly, even if your status is noble and vastly different from mine, I still need a goal to strive for."

Yu Qiu was overjoyed to hear this. Over the years, Li Jianming had always been optimistic and positive towards her, only reporting good news and never bad. She knew that Li Jianming had actually been suppressing his feelings. Now that he had vented and opened up to her, it meant that he had been able to face himself and confront reality.

“Ming-ge, this time I will take you to see my mother. Actually, my mother has seen you several times over the years, but she has never shown up. Since she did not separate us, it means she does not object to us being together.”

Upon hearing this, Li Jianming felt a surge of hope and his mood improved considerably. He patted his chest and said, "You scared me to death! Next time your mother-in-law comes, please let me know secretly so I can be mindful of my appearance."

The two went through countless hardships together over the decades. At that time, Yu Qiu was very immature and acted rashly. Li Jianming was injured many times while saving her. If Li Jianming hadn't been so lucky, he would have died at least ten times over. That's how Li Jianming finally won the heart of his beloved.

He also taught Yu Qiu about human relationships and how to conduct himself in society, which gradually changed Yu Qiu's impulsive nature. As a result, their relationship remained unchanged for decades, becoming a legendary tale in the martial arts world.

"Ming-ge, do you know where this is?"

"This is Wanhai City of the Fire Maple Dynasty, what's wrong?"

A complex emotion flashed in Yu Qiu's eyes as he sighed, "A hundred years ago, my mother and I almost froze to death here."

Li Jianming was shocked. He had thought that Yu Qiu had grown up in luxury, which was completely different from his own, who had been raised by beggars and relied on the charity of others. But he never expected that Yu Qiu's childhood was so miserable.

“I moved around with my mother until I was ten years old. My mother was not well-liked by people for some reason, until we ended up in this alley.”

Yu Qiusu pointed to the side, and indeed there was an alley on the right.

“I never thought Qiu Mei had such an unhappy childhood, just like me. You never talk about your father, so I guess it’s all because of him.”

"I have no father! He died a long time ago!"

Yu Qiu said with a look of hatred.

Knowing he had touched a nerve, Li Jianming quickly changed the subject, saying, "So how did you survive?"

Yu Qiu's expression softened slightly, her eyes filled with admiration.

“He appeared right here in this alley, like a god descending into my mother’s world. He not only took us in, but also helped us kill our enemies. He is the god of this world!”

Li Jianming had never seen Yu Qiu with such an expression before, which showed how important that person was to him.

Does God exist in this world?

"What, you think I'm exaggerating?"

Li Jianming quickly smiled and said, "How could I dare? It's just that I've never seen a god. They often say that the cultivation of the Heavenly Realm is enough to become a god."

Yu Qiu was amused by his expression and said disdainfully, "What kind of god is the Heavenly Realm? They are just mortals."

"What about the Shattered Realm?"

"Ming-ge, you're not being honest, what are you doing with your hand?"

In an effort to alleviate Yu Qiu's grief as quickly as possible, Li Jianming's large hands began to become increasingly restless.

Yu Qiu rolled her eyes at him and then said, "I hope you won't be discouraged this time."

"Hmph, so what if I get hit? Haven't you hit me hard enough? I'll just get hit a few more times."

...

Three months later, on the same huge platform atop Tianshan Mountain, a heavenly ladder appeared, and Cao Zhengchun sat in the void.

In order to return to Meng Fan's side and serve him, he went alone to search for mineral veins 100,000 miles deep in the ocean. It took him, a celestial being, ten years to search the seabed before Meng Fan allowed him to return. Therefore, he cherished every mission that Meng Fan gave him. This time was no exception. He waited early by the Heavenly Ladder and meditated with his eyes closed.

"I didn't expect that the first ones to arrive would be two little ones."

Cao Zhengchun's cultivation level is now unfathomable. He suffered from the consequences of karma, so he is devoted to the Dao of Karma. Even with his mind focused, he can still sense two thin lines of karma appearing in Tianshan.

"I'll give you a hand."

Since learning about cause and effect, Cao Zhengchun's personality has changed a lot, and he is no longer so arrogant.

As soon as he finished speaking, without him making any move, an inexplicable force pulled the two figures across an unknown distance to appear on the platform.