"How many of you men are reliable?" Shen Qingmang was so angry that he blurted out, "Why are there more men than women in the world of immortal cultivation? Don't you have any idea?"
Yi Qing was startled by her and grabbed the bamboo flute on the table to defend herself. "Don't get excited, Junior Sister. Has Junior Brother Shi ever let you down? Why are you so angry?"
"You are of a high generation, but why do you only grow in age but not in brains?" Shen Qingmang looked at his defensive posture, sighed, and calmed down a little.
After all, she'd been a teacher for three years. Hadn't she seen enough bizarre parents in remote mountainous areas? Some ignored their children, leaving all responsibility for their upbringing to the teachers, others beat and scolded their children and told them not to worry about it. Qing Zhenren was considered a reasonable person, so she should be content.
Shen Qingmang prepared himself mentally and said, "You think finding a good husband for Ah Rong will protect her for life, but have you ever considered that he might not be able to take good care of her? Monks have such long lifespans, who would dare to promise a lifetime? There are countless examples of couples who have been in love for decades or even centuries and then grow tired of each other. Shouldn't you have seen more than me?"
"My eye for selecting people is quite good. I can definitely find a husband for Ah Rong who is devoted to her. Look, I have already found her a teacher who truly cares for her."
Seeing Shen Qingmang's expression was unmoved, Yiqing touched his nose and said, "If it really doesn't work, I can impose a ban to prevent the other party from betraying her."
"Do you think Ah Rong needs this kind of superficially harmonious relationship? Even if he can protect her, can he really hold her in his arms every day and never leave her side? There will always be times when she needs to face difficulties alone."
"I'll give her many protective magic weapons. Besides, what kind of difficulty could it be? Who would dare to bully someone from our Taichu sect?"
Shen Qingmang rubbed his eyebrows, feeling that it was normal for the Taichu Sect to encounter a crisis.
After reaching their peak, they must decline; after reaching their peak, they must be humiliated. They had dominated for too long, developing a habit of arrogance and pride, forgetting that the Taichu Sect became the largest sect in the field of immortal cultivation not because of its greatest strength, but because of its longest history.
"Qiong Ju understands Brother's love for his daughter. He wants her to be happy and never have to suffer. If there were eternal peace, everyone would be willing to live a leisurely life without fighting or competing. But how can you guarantee that the Taichu Sect will never face a crisis?"
Yiqing's expression changed, and he asked anxiously, "What happened? What rumors did Junior Sister hear? Has there been any unrest recently?"
Shen Qingmang has not yet investigated the future clearly and cannot make any rash judgments, but this does not mean that she has nothing to say.
"How did the Wuyin Sect split off to form the Heshi Sect? How did the Wuxing Sect become independent and form the Zhige Sect? Brother, you don't really believe what's said in the Taichu Chronicles and think this was all a peaceful evolution, right? The Taichu Chronicles is the official history, so it naturally whitewashes the situation. But other historical books can reveal the full picture of the events. The world of immortal cultivation has never been without struggle. Even you and I may not be able to live peacefully in this life. Ah Rong is still young, and he will face even more in the future."
Yiqing fell into deep thought, and Shen Qingmang decided to add more fuel to the fire. "Brother, I have one last question for you. If Ah Rong was a boy, would you raise her the same way you are now?"
"I..." Yiqing was stunned.
"So this brings us back to my original question: why are there more men than women in the world of immortal cultivation these days? You don't need to ask, and I don't need your answer. It's because the world believes that men must work hard and achieve success on their own, while women need to be protected. Some men might say they envy women, because all they need to do is be pretty and cute and they'll be protected without having to work hard. But if you told him he could also seek the protection of a strong woman, do you think he would agree?"
Shen Qingmang paused, then chuckled sarcastically. "He'll just think you're insulting him. Men aren't stupid. How naive of a woman to think she can rest easy just because she has someone to back her up? Let alone whether her partner is reliable, no matter how well someone protects her, won't she face crises herself? Childbirth is a major challenge. If she focuses all her energy on her family and neglects her cultivation, her lifespan will be even shorter."
Yiqing looked up at her and sneered. "Yes, that's why smart women are more cruel than men. They can abandon their own daughters."
This time, it was Shen Qingmang's turn to be stunned. She sensed something from his unusual behavior. "You... Didn't Ah Rong's mother suffer from a difficult labor..."
She remembered that this news was told to her personally by Zhong Yingshao when they were chatting. It was more reliable than the original book.
"I'd rather she had a mother who died young than know she was abandoned." Yi Qing stared at the bamboo flute in her hand, stroking it gently. "She gave birth to Ah Rong and passed away before she even recovered, leaving no words behind. I raised Ah Rong single-handedly. I am her father and her mother. Junior Sister, how could I not love her? How could I not value her? Whether she's a boy or a girl, she's my baby."
"Brother..." Shen Qingmang said, "Doesn't this incident further prove that no matter whether you are a man or a woman, you can only rely on yourself? Because you are strong enough, you raised Ah Rong well. Ah Rong is a very good child. Don't think of her as so fragile that she can't withstand the slightest storm. She is actually very strong."
"Really..." Yiqing took a deep breath, his expression softening. "I'm sorry for making a fool of myself. I beg you not to tell Ah Rong the truth. If she ever finds out...that's a matter for the future. I hope, at least for now, she won't get hurt."
"I know what's going on." Shen Qingmang nodded. "Arong is seriously preparing for the Mengxia Festival. How could my Master spoil her fun? I want her to be happy, too."
"Hey...I wish you were Arong's mother."
Shen Qingmang shuddered, staring at Yiqing with wide eyes. Yiqing quickly realized the ambiguity in his words and waved his hands. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Junior Sister Qingmang, Master Qiongju, I-I have absolutely no improper thoughts about you. I just think you're treating Ah Rong very well. Honestly, you even appeared in my nightmares. That competition between you was truly terrifying..."
"Alright, alright, Senior Brother Yiqing, I didn't misunderstand you. You don't need to explain." Shen Qingmang held his forehead. No one would be happy to hear that they had become someone else's nightmare, right? Even though that was the sin of the past Qiongju.
"That's good. I can't beat your other brothers."
Shen Qingmang smelled the rumors and felt overwhelmed. He lost interest in chatting and said goodbye to Master Yiqing.
As she walked out of the hall, she remembered something and turned back to say, "Brother Yiqing, although it was indeed excessive for Ah Rong's mother to leave without saying goodbye, the pain a woman has to go through during pregnancy and childbirth is also very real. She must have had feelings for you to be willing to give birth to Ah Rong. Even if Ah Rong knew the truth later, she was still a child born out of love."
"Okay. Thank you for your comfort, Junior Sister." Yiqing's expression was gentle as he smiled at her. "Go back now. If you say anything more, I'm afraid I'll really have to argue with your senior brothers."
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