After Jiang Wang hurriedly left, Shuanzi and Xiaoxiao stood silently outside the courtyard.
The sunlight at this moment was very gentle, shining on them and driving away the cold in their hearts.
But in some corners, the sunlight was still insufficient.
Shuanzi spoke first, "What do you think Master Dugu went to do?"
"How would I know about Master's affairs?" Xiaoxiao replied.
Another moment of silence.
Shuanzi glanced at Xiaoxiao and took two steps towards her before stopping.
He said, "You...you've suffered."
He knelt in front of Hu Shaomeng and knocked his head on the ground, making a loud sound. Xiaoxiao remembered it clearly. Of course, she understood his intentions.
She had been moved before.But...
"Shuanzi," Xiaoxiao said slowly, "Both you and I are ordinary and mediocre. No one can control their own destiny."
As she spoke, she walked towards the pile of ashes in the courtyard.
"Forget about me. Ordinary people have no future in this world."
"Xiaoxiao!" Shuanzi called out with courage, but inexplicably, his courage suddenly dissipated.
In this courtyard, an innocent girl jumped into the well. Dozens or even hundreds of miners surrounded her, but they didn't dare to mention Hu Shaomeng's name.
What does Hu Shuanzi have to rely on to dare say that he can protect her for a lifetime?
Xiaoxiao was right. The "future" of ordinary people was too fragile.
Relying solely on "love" would at most result in a broken head, useless and powerless.
As the words reached his lips, it finally turned into a question, "What...are you going to do?"
Compared to Shuanzi, Xiaoxiao was much younger, but perhaps due to experiencing more hardships, she clearly saw through the world and remained indifferent. Therefore, she didn't show any emotions.
"Scatter his ashes."
She suddenly turned around and asked Shuanzi, "If we scatter them in the latrine, will he never be reincarnated?"
Her voice was gentle, but filled with deep hatred.
Shuanzi was momentarily stunned, "He...probably won't."
...
The exploration of the mine yielded no results.
Hu Shaomeng's expected reaction did not occur.
It seemed that the other party didn't care at all about what he was doing in the mine.
Patience was a good quality that made opponents more difficult to deal with.
But Jiang Wang was not in a hurry. Time was on his side.
Even if in the end, there were no other secrets, the truth was that the Xi family had reached out to Qingniu Town. He would deliver this result to the Zhongxuan family without any other losses.
For Jiang Wang, his own strength was the foundation.
In the days and nights of cultivation, a few days passed in the blink of an eye.
...
"After pushing open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, I just started exploring the main body of the sea and already sensed the seed of divine power. Its location is the first Inner Palace Realm."
In the Illusory Realm of Tai Xu, Zhong Xuan Sheng said, "But I'm not in a hurry now. I want to fully explore the main body of the sea and maximize its potential before attacking the Inner Palace."
While Jiang Wang was lingering in the Yang Kingdom, Zhong Xuan Sheng had already pushed open the Gate of Heaven and Earth.
And the benefits of the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm were now apparent. He had just started exploring the Soaring Dragon Realm and already sensed the seed of divine power.
The seed of divine power itself also marked the location of the Inner Palace.
This meant that as long as Zhong Xuan Sheng was willing, he could already skip the Soaring Dragon Realm and achieve the divine power of the Inner Palace. Of course, the promising Zhong Xuan Sheng would not make such a choice.
This state was very similar to Dou Yuemei's. However, at that time, due to the situation at Yuheng Peak, Dou Yuemei had to break through the Inner Palace in advance and even broke through five palaces at once in order to obtain the divine power, thus cutting off her path. She could only stop at the Inner Palace Realm for the rest of her life.
But Zhong Xuan Sheng had enough room to calmly explore the main body of the sea and lay a solid foundation for his future path.
At this time, it was the regular sparring between Jiang Wang and Zhong Xuan Sheng. Every few days, they would have such a match, with no reservations on both sides. Since they directly challenged each other without going through matchmaking, there was no worry about the difference in realms.
In order to maximize the use of the power consumed by the Sword Arena, before the start of the battle, they would chat and discuss recent developments.
"My Gate of Heaven and Earth is still in the process of manifestation," Jiang Wang said.
"No rush. The stronger the strength, the harder it is to push open the Gate of Heaven and Earth. I also risked my life to break through so quickly, but it's not perfect." Zhong Xuan Sheng sighed, "But there's no other way. I have to make some sacrifices."
Even though he was busy like a spinning top now, Zhong Xuan Sheng still made time every day to match battles in the Illusory Realm of Tai Xu, of course, using a different set of battle systems after removing the Zhong Xuan family's secret techniques.
He was well aware that strength was the foundation. But there were many family affairs that he couldn't entrust to others.
The communication between the two mainly focused on cultivation, and Zhong Xuan Sheng did not inquire about Jiang Wang's affairs in the Yang Kingdom.
Next was some help and advice for Lian Que. Zhong Xuan Sheng, who was good at dealing with people, naturally wouldn't ignore Jiang Wang's opinions.
After a difficult battle, Jiang Wang left the Illusory Realm of Tai Xu.
Now he had reached the 78th level of the Soaring Dragon Realm in the match battles. The intensity of the battles was much higher. After fighting against Zhong Xuan Sheng, he no longer had the energy to fight another battle.
Crossing a realm and facing a strong opponent like Zhong Xuan Sheng, even though he had just pushed open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, Jiang Wang was already completely outmatched.
Of course, this battle with the current Zhong Xuan Sheng also provided Jiang Wang with more room for improvement.
Jiang Wang's own Gate of Heaven and Earth was still in the process of manifestation and now had a rough appearance.
It was an ancient stone gate, tall and heavy.
There were faint inscriptions on the gate.
Jiang Wang had tried to crash into it, but the gate remained unmoved.
Each person's Gate of Heaven and Earth could only be seen by themselves, and others could only see a phantom at most.
The feedback from the Heaven and Earth after opening the Gate of Heaven and Earth was the foundation for cultivators to survive in the fog of ignorance.
The stronger the Heaven and Earth Island that manifested, the safer it was to explore the main body of the sea.
After carefully using the Dao Yuan to wash the Gate of Heaven and Earth, Jiang Wang temporarily ended his cultivation.
He heard the footsteps of the maid Xiaoxiao.
His heart moved, and he pushed open the door and walked out.Xiaoxiao was about to knock on the door when she saw Jiang Wang. She reported, "Master, the young master of the Hu family is here, asking to see you outside the courtyard."
He's quite patient for someone so talented. Jiang Wang thought to himself.
Out loud, he said, "I'll go greet him."
The courtyard was very small. He had barely taken a few steps when Hu Shaomeng, waiting outside, heard him and greeted from afar, "Has the envoy been comfortable these past few days? If there's anything unsuitable, please let Shaomeng know so I can make improvements."
"I come from a humble background, I'm used to staying anywhere."
Jiang Wang invited him into the courtyard, "Come in and have a seat."
The two sat facing each other in the main hall. The maid Xiaoxiao timely served fragrant tea and then withdrew.
She had been busy sewing clothes recently and had already made two robes for Jiang Wang.
Hu Shaomeng glanced at the empty courtyard and asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied with the maid? My family just bought a songstress from out of town the other day. How about I send her over to you?"
Jiang Wang thought to himself, what songstress? Could it be a stepmother your father found for you...
The man kept calling him 'envoy', which was respectful. But Jiang Wang understood that to some extent, it meant that the other party essentially only respected the heavy Xuan family he represented.
"I appreciate your kindness, Young Master Hu. But I'm used to being alone and not used to having so many people around." Jiang Wang avoided this boring topic and asked, "What about you, Young Master Hu? Isn't your cultivation at the Fishing Sea Tower demanding? You've been staying in Qingniu Town for quite a while. Is it because the hometown environment is particularly nourishing?"
"Hahaha, it's not busy at all. As long as our cultivation level keeps up, the sect doesn't restrict us too much." Hu Shaomeng said, then changed the subject, "By the way, with your elegance, you must have come from a prestigious sect. May I ask which one?"
"Just a nameless cultivator, figuring things out on my own."
"You truly are a prodigy blessed by the heavens!"
Hu Shaomeng seized the opportunity to flatter him, showing no embarrassment at all.
For some reason, Jiang Wang felt a bit uneasy. It seemed like there was something unusual around him, but upon careful observation, he couldn't find the source.
So he just smiled perfunctorily and asked directly, "May I ask why Young Master Hu came to see me today? Is there something you need?"
"It's like this." Hu Shaomeng sighed, seeming quite melancholic, "I heard that you were the victor of the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm, so I came to inquire. Do you know my senior sister, Zhu Suyao? She's a genius cultivator from our Fishing Sea Tower and also participated in the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm."
"Oh?" Jiang Wang didn't rush, and followed his lead, "What are her characteristics?"
"My senior sister..." Hu Shaomeng's face showed a nostalgic expression, "She's a very gentle person. When I first arrived at the Fishing Sea Tower, she took good care of me. Unfortunately, she had an accident during a journey and was left with a hidden illness, unable to progress beyond the Heaven and Earth Gate."
"Her temperament gradually became extreme. This time, when the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm reopened, she put in a lot of effort to enter, hoping to find a solution to her hidden illness there."
Hu Shaomeng's voice was low, "Unfortunately..."
Jiang Wang didn't remember anything about the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm, so of course, he had no impression of his senior sister. He didn't even know that the female cultivator who died first from the death qi poison was Zhu Suyao from the Fishing Sea Tower.
"What's your relationship with your senior sister?"
Hu Shaomeng nodded, "We had feelings for each other before, but we separated due to some misunderstandings. Actually, I've been waiting for her all this time, but I didn't expect..."
Jiang Wang was confused, not understanding why he suddenly started telling him all this.
He could only comfort him half-heartedly, "Please accept my condolences."
Just then, he suddenly felt a fluctuation of Yuan power.
"Who's there?"
Jiang Wang flicked his finger, and where his gaze fell, a flame flower burned the space.
A figure that seemed both real and illusory stumbled out, revealing a petite and pretty girl.
Such a strong illusion technique! She was hiding nearby without being detected.
Jiang Wang finally understood where the anomaly he had sensed earlier came from. He stood up, made a hand seal, and was about to capture this person.
Hu Shaomeng suddenly rushed out and stood in the middle, "Wait!"
Hu Shaomeng's eyes were still immersed in the previous pain, his face showed a hint of shock, and his voice, in addition to the pain and surprise, carried a subtle gentleness, "Biqiong, why are you here?"
Although he didn't know the whole story, seeing this scene, Jiang Wang suddenly understood.
This kid is using my place as a stage! Using me as a supporting role for his play.
What a performance!
Joyful text.