Chapter 369 Cui Mao
The people from Wuxiang Palace had already noticed the flying boat as soon as it arrived.
A strangely shaped treasure ship landed here at Wuxiang Palace, lying prone on the open ground like a ferocious beast.
Several young men and women walked out from there and looked up at the sky.
The burly man among them spoke in a booming voice, "Are you a fellow member of the Temple of War?"
As his voice faded, a clear, curious voice rang out from the still-hovering airship.
"How did you know it was the Temple of War?"
The burly man was taken aback and was about to speak.
The flying boat suddenly descended and landed not far from the treasure ship.
On the deck stood a smiling, handsome young man, who was the one who had asked the question earlier.
The burly man paused, then cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, King Zhongdan." He then replied, "Tianlong Mountain has never liked to travel by flying boat. When it comes up, they always say it's too boring, and they usually only travel by flying birds and rare beasts."
The handsome young man looked enlightened and smiled at the burly man, asking, "How should I address you, sir?"
The burly man said in a deep voice, "I am Cui Mao from Wuxiang Palace."
The handsome young man smiled again: "So it's Prince Cui, how polite."
Cui Mao looked to the side of the handsome young man and realized that an extremely handsome young man had appeared there sometime earlier—no, he had been there all along, but Cui Mao hadn't noticed him until now—
Unconsciously, Choi Subaru revealed a somewhat strange expression.
·
Cui Mao had heard many rumors. If those rumors were even remotely true, then what just happened might be... He didn't notice Wu Dou Wang at first because Wu Dou Wang didn't like to talk to people. And later he discovered Wu Dou Wang's existence because Wu Dou Wang didn't like his beloved Daoist partner focusing his attention on other people.
Many cultivators with insufficient strength or small sects with limited power may not know what Wu Douwang and Zhong Danwang look like, but in any force with some strength, their images will surely circulate, and other cultivators who have already made it onto the Sky Ranking will definitely remember their faces.
Especially in the last twenty years or so, the speed at which this couple has improved has been truly terrifying. One can imagine how astonishing their talent must be. If it were just one of them, perhaps it wouldn't have been so remarkable, but they are also a couple who practice Daoist cultivation—
As a young powerhouse cultivated by Wuxiang Palace, Cui Mao came into contact with many veteran powerhouses in his own faction at a very young age. He would hear them talk about many strange stories and old news that required the attention of these young powerhouses.
When the veteran powerhouses of Wuxiang Palace mention Zhong Wu and his wife, they also mention another couple from Lingxian Sect and War God Hall, namely Xiao Zinuo and Lou Chuan.
Xiao and Lou fell in love when they were young, and now they have been together for over a thousand years, each holding sway over the power of their respective families.
Some older people even recall the geniuses from the two forces that preceded Xiao Zinuo and Lou Chuan.
Choi Subaru was extremely shocked at the time.
Because he summarized it briefly, in the ten thousand years since the two forces were founded, although no new Tongtian powerhouses have appeared, there has never been a break in the line of people with outstanding Nirvana Peak combat power and alchemy skills.
Among those martial arts cultivators and alchemists who form Daoist couples early on, there are often one or two pairs who can break through to the Nirvana level at a relatively young age, then dominate affairs for thousands of years, until they can never reach the heavens and eventually perish.
However, if one does not find a Daoist partner, their progress will be slower, and they will often not hold power in the sect for very long before being overtaken by those who come after them—and those who come after them are almost always in a Daoist partnership.
Furthermore, cultivators from both factions who do not have a Daoist partner often do not stay at the Nirvana Realm or the eighth-level alchemist level for very long, and many of them perish before their lifespan is over.
Of course, it's just that some cultivators who didn't form Daoist partnerships died earlier than those who did. Most cultivators were still alive and well, at most just overshadowed by their fellow disciples and juniors.
That being said...
The couples in the Lingxian Sect and the War God Hall have always been incredibly loving, and it's extremely rare for them to develop misunderstandings and separate later on. Moreover, even if they do separate, it's usually done in a dignified manner, and they rarely become enemies.
Logically speaking, it's not surprising that Wu Shaogan and Zhong Caien are so loving.
However, there seems to be a pattern between the Lingxian Sect and the War God Palace... the stronger and more talented the couple, the more affectionate they are.
I don't know if it's a coincidence...
But Zhong and Wu are indeed the most affectionate couple among those two factions that Cui Mao knows of.
So affectionate that whenever these two appeared together, it quickly reminded Cui Mao and the others of various rumors, and then they all felt that the rumors were not exaggerated at all.
·
Many thoughts raced through his mind, but the strange expression on Cui Mao's face was fleeting.
He smiled at the Zhong and Wu couple and said, "People from Tianlong Mountain are never in a hurry. If you two don't mind, why don't you come and sit down?"
Zhong Cai didn't recognize the man, but she remembered his name.
Cui Mao is the strongest cultivator at the sixth level in the Wuxiang Palace. He is also the Fighting King on the Cangqiong Ranking, ranking thirty-sixth.
Zhong Cai smiled and said, "Then we won't stand on ceremony."
As he spoke, he took Wu Shaogan's hand.
Wu Shaogan moved slightly and landed directly on the deck of the Wuxiang Palace treasure ship with Zhong Cai.
Choi Subaru smiled and gestured behind him.
Soon, several disciples quickly brought over tables and chairs, and also quickly brought over a lot of wine and snacks.
Zhong Cai also took out several boxes of pastries and placed them on the table. After thinking for a moment, she also took out several pots of fragrant tea.
Choi Subang smiled and gestured for them to proceed.
Zhong Cai didn't stand on ceremony and quickly picked up some food to eat.
Wu Shaogan stood to the side, and as soon as Zhong Cai started eating, he followed suit, occasionally putting food on her plate.
Zhong Cai didn't forget Wu Shaogan either; it seemed that whenever she found a dish that tasted good, she would also put some on Wu Shaogan's plate.
Choi Subaru readily joined in the meal, but even the occasional glimpse of their affection made him feel as if he shouldn't be there, as if he were somewhat of an eyesore.
Now, Cui Mao couldn't help but recall the strange expression on the face of a veteran expert from his own faction when the expert mentioned the pairing of Daoist partners in the War God Hall of the Spirit Immortal Sect.
Perhaps, back then, the ancestors of their Wuxiang Palace also encountered the same situation as Cui Mao at this moment.
Cui Mao couldn't help but wonder if it was easy for alchemists and martial arts cultivators to become like this after they formed a Daoist couple.
For a moment, Cui Mao even regretted his youthful philandering.
Cui Mao came from a prominent family. Although he wasn't particularly fond of beautiful women, he would still pick and choose among those who came to him. Since he himself had no intention of finding a Daoist partner, he naturally didn't need to be chaste in this regard.
As a result, Cui Mao now has about ten beauties in his backyard.
But now, Cui Mao himself wants to find a Daoist alchemist partner.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that it will work out. Those beauties have followed him for many years, and some have even borne him children. It would be difficult to dismiss them. And as a result, no outstanding alchemist would be interested in him. He couldn't possibly develop feelings for someone less outstanding, let alone become Daoist partners with them.
·
Lost in his thoughts, Cui Mao fell silent without realizing it.
The two people opposite him, though not deliberately affectionate, seemed a little jarring.
The two sides actually seemed to be "not interfering with each other".
When Cui Mao came to his senses, he realized that although he had been a bit of an eyesore, he was the one who was greeting the guests, and by remaining silent, he had been neglecting them.
Cui Mao glanced at them and saw that there wasn't much wine left in their glasses, so he immediately refilled them.
Zhong Cai smiled and raised her glass to Cui Mao.
Cui Mao also raised his glass and clinked it with Zhong Cai's—then he noticed that Wu Shaogan had also raised his glass to him—so he naturally clinked his glass with Wu Shaogan's and drank it all in one gulp.
After clinking glasses a few times and having eaten a round of dishes, Choi Subaru took the initiative to speak with the two of them.
However, we're not very familiar with each other, and we'll soon be competitors, so even if we were to have a casual chat... we wouldn't get anywhere. And trying to find out what kind of treatment to offer? That wouldn't be quite appropriate...
So, Cui Mao began to discuss combat techniques with Wu Shaogan.
After all, Cui Mao was also a Dou Wang, and the sixth level of the Sky Ranking was even more prestigious than the fifth level. Therefore, many of the battle strategies proposed by Cui Mao were very insightful and ingenious.
Although Wu Shaogan had never sparred with Cui Mao, he could still learn something from Cui Mao's explanations.
After listening for a while, Wu Shaogan nodded slightly and offered his own thoughts.
Cui Mao gained a lot of inspiration from this, and couldn't help but think that Wu Douwang was indeed the top of the list. Even with just a few pointers, he had gained a lot of insights. He thought that if he challenged that guy surnamed Wu again, he might be able to win.
Wu Shaogan was generous with his explanations; in his opinion, chatting with him was always better than chatting with his wife, Acai.
Zhong Cai's current strength is insufficient, so when he hears about higher-level combat techniques, he is even more confused than when he hears about level five techniques at level four. However, it doesn't matter. He still roughly memorizes them and will try to understand them when his strength reaches a certain level.
After listening for a while, it became too complicated to hear clearly, so Zhong Cai started to ponder the pill formulas she had recently researched. She came up with a few new ideas and was just waiting to try them out when she got back.
Wu Shaogan was quite focused while talking to Cui Mao, but at some point, he naturally took Zhong Cai's hand under the table and occasionally squeezed it.
Zhong Cai didn't react much, because he was used to it.
Choi Subaru remained completely unaware, as he was engrossed in comprehending the essence of martial arts...
And so, the atmosphere became very harmonious.
After about half an hour, Cui Mao finished chatting with Wu Shaogan and suddenly realized that he had neglected Zhong Cai, so he immediately found a few topics to chat with Zhong Cai as well.
However, martial arts cultivators and alchemists really don't have much to talk about. Cui Mao felt that since they were already acquainted, he simply took the initiative to ask, "King Zhong Dan is very busy. Does he still have any spots available for those who need pills?"
Zhong Cai replied with a smile, "I still have more than a hundred orders in my hands. If Brother Cui doesn't mind waiting for a year or two, it's fine."
Cui Mao was delighted and said directly, "Waiting a little longer won't hurt. As long as Brother Zhong is willing to take the order, I will be extremely grateful!"
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