The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 113

Mystic Crane Mountain was recently decorated with lanterns and streamers, bustling with excitement for the first time in five hundred years.
Besides the annual opening of the Crane Gate, which brought a lively crowd of new disciples to Mystic Crane Mountain, the grandest reason for this festive scene was the upcoming Bonding Ceremony of Venerable Yue Ling!
Venerable Yue Ling had been in seclusion for five hundred years. As soon as she officially emerged from seclusion and went out to travel, she brought back a cultivator who had just formed a golden core.
Everyone initially assumed this was a disciple taken in by Venerable Yue Ling. However, even if she were a disciple, the cultivators of Mystic Crane Mountain were already greatly astonished.
They had seen the cultivator. Her cultivation was ordinary, and apart from a pretty face, there was nothing particularly special about her.
No one knew how Venerable Yue Ling came to favor her.
Just as everyone thought Mystic Crane Mountain was about to gain an elder with low cultivation but high seniority, Venerable Yue Ling personally announced that the cultivator she brought back was the person she intended to bond with.
Mystic Crane Mountain was in an uproar.
More than half a month had passed since this shocking news, and some people still found it difficult to accept this reality.
Especially the disciples who admired Venerable Yue Ling. This matter was simply unbelievable to them. Their incredibly strong Saint Venerable, a person who cared about the world, could be so impulsive in matters of the heart.
She had only gone out for a few days and returned with an ordinary cultivator, declaring her intention to bond with her!
They even suspected that Venerable Yue Ling had been bewitched or was under an illusion, perhaps the other party was a fox spirit.
Otherwise, how could all of this have happened?!
Unfortunately, after Venerable Yue Ling brought the person back and announced the bonding, she took her to Qiongdian Peak. They couldn’t see her, let alone investigate her.
Jiang Qiuhan felt upset at this thought and fiercely tugged at the red silk that was constantly swaying and seemed to be showing off: “What exactly did Venerable Yue Ling see in her to be so infatuated! With such low cultivation, upon entering Mystic Crane Mountain, she probably wouldn’t even pass the assessment for the Soaring Rainbow Tower!”
“Oh dear, don’t pull that red silk! We painstakingly aligned it.” Zeng Siyu pulled her hand away and brought her to the side.
This was a task assigned to her by her master, Venerable Jing Yue Gu Jingyang, to decorate the Immortal Rainbow Platform according to the ideas she had learned from the mortal realm.
The bonding ceremony of Venerable Yue Ling would be held here in three days. Not only would cultivators from within Mystic Crane Mountain participate, but also old acquaintances from the outer sects, and it was said that some demon races from the distant Eastern Region would also be coming.
With such a grand occasion, she couldn’t afford any mistakes in the decoration. Zeng Siyu moved Jiang Qiuhan, who was in a bad mood and might not be able to help and would only be a hindrance, further to the side.
She couldn’t let these people affect the progress. With only three days left, there were still many things to set up, and time was pressing.
“If you’re unhappy, go back and rest. We have enough people here.”
Zeng Siyu knew that many people were unhappy about this bonding ceremony, and her friend was one of them. She hadn’t even come to see the sad scene today.
She could understand Jiang Qiuhan’s current feelings. If her master was the one bonding in three days, she might also be equally sad.
It wasn’t fair to blame them for their sour words. Who didn’t have the grievance of their “god in their hearts” not liking them?
Moreover, Venerable Yue Ling was different from other Venerables. When something happened, she truly took action. Mystic Crane Mountain had been severely weakened after the great disaster in the past. Although the demon race had retreated, there were still the demon beasts and some cultivators from the outer sects.
After it was known that the Mystic Crane Mountain sect was not strong, people from various factions began to attack frequently. In these repeated defenses against external enemies, Venerable Yue Ling was always at the forefront, never waiting for them to be unable to cope before gracefully arriving.
This was the consistent practice of the supposedly hypocritical Saint Venerable Dao Rong. The entire Mystic Crane Mountain had been accustomed to it, only thinking of seeking help when it was absolutely impossible.
But whenever it reached that point, it meant heavy casualties for them.
The situation was completely different now. When something happened, Venerable Yue Ling was always at the forefront, giving them protection and support. Over the past few hundred years, the number of disciples sacrificed in Mystic Crane Mountain could probably be counted on one hand.
Also, when Venerable Yue Ling had free time, she would go to the Soaring Rainbow Tower to personally impart her insights on cultivation techniques, without any pretense.
Under her leadership, the combat power of Mystic Crane Mountain was now far stronger than before.
With such an excellent Venerable Yue Ling, she naturally had countless admirers. However, no one dared to have such delusions. She was a Saint Venerable, after all. How could she easily bond with someone?
Therefore, when a cultivator with such ordinary cultivation appeared, and was about to become the dao companion of the heavenly goddess in everyone’s hearts, Venerable Yue Ling, they were naturally sad and angry.
Jiang Qiuhan looked at the unsightly red silk, wishing she could burn it with a single flame: “What is the origin of that person named Shi Qingqian? Why would the Saint Venerable fancy her?!”
As she spoke, those with similar thoughts chimed in.
“Exactly. I saw her that day. Although that person looked decent, she wasn’t outstanding. She’s not even as good as our Venerable Jing Yue. I don’t know what the Saint Venerable sees in her.”
Zeng Siyu chuckled inwardly. Although Venerable Jing Yue was her master, hearing others praise her made her feel honored.
But these people were clearly emotional. What did they mean by “decent-looking”? If that was considered decent, then what wasn’t? Although her master was indeed beautiful, if the two were compared objectively, she felt that Shi Qingqian was slightly more attractive.
She only grumbled inwardly and didn’t speak, lest these people become even more upset.
The discussions grew louder and louder. From appearance to temperament to ability, they criticized Shi Qingqian for everything, finally concluding: she wasn’t worthy.
“I don’t know what good fortune she has, to be favored by Venerable Yue Ling.”
Zeng Siyu chuckled again, returning to the original question. She actually knew some things and couldn’t help but feel a little impatient watching these people chatter.
She glanced around. It was just them. Thinking for a moment, she couldn’t resist sharing what she knew with everyone.
“I know some things. Perhaps it’s because her name is Shi Qingqian.”
Her words immediately sparked questions: “Why? What’s wrong with the name?”
“You should all have heard about the great calamity that nearly destroyed Mystic Crane Mountain in the past. It was thanks to the Demon Lord of the demon race at that time that we survived.”
The disciples of Mystic Crane Mountain naturally knew this history, but what did this matter have to do with the current situation?
Seeing the confused expressions on everyone’s faces, Zeng Siyu’s smile deepened. She said with a hint of mystery, “The Demon Lord at that time was named Shi Qingqian, the same name as the cultivator Venerable Yue Ling brought back today.”
“What? Just because the names are the same?” Everyone was confused. What was the big deal about having the same name?
Zeng Siyu lowered her voice. She had heard these things from her master: “Venerable Yue Ling and this Demon Lord had a very close relationship in the past.”
She spoke rather vaguely, but in fact, the relationship between these two was more than just ordinary.
She once overheard her master talking with Lan Yue Venerable of the Medical Cultivation Peak, Lan Fushang, about the past, and only then did she learn that Venerable Yue Ling had once been in love with that Demon Lord.
The few individuals from Mystic Crane Mountain now were all those who had gone through trials together. Naturally, they were clear about each other’s past. Their similar honorific titles also indicated that their bond was extraordinary.
From their snippets of conversation, Zeng Siyu pieced together a vague past. The Demon Lord Shi Qingqian at that time had died for Venerable Yue Ling. Naturally, Venerable Yue Ling could not forget her.
Seeing someone with the same name now, her heart would naturally be stirred.
After hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened. Jiang Qiuhan, in her shock, regretted even more. If she had known that Venerable Yue Ling would have thoughts of bonding because of this, she could have changed her name to Shi Qingqian.
No, it couldn’t just be because of a name. Perhaps it was because of her appearance?
“Do you know what the former Demon Lord looked like?” she asked, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
Zeng Siyu shook her head. How could she know that?
“No matter what she looked like, she’s definitely not as beautiful as our Venerable Jing Yue. If you ask me, if Venerable Yue Ling wanted to find someone for a dao companion bond, she should have sought Venerable Jing Yue. That would be a truly equal match.”
Gu Jingyang didn’t expect the subsequent development to turn out like this. She immediately extinguished the light in the projection mirror in front of her and chuckled awkwardly.
She had originally refined this projection mirror that could observe scenes and hear sounds everywhere. She had placed projection beads in various corners of Mystic Crane Mountain to record images, and then gave Lan Fushang a projection mirror. Now she had taken another one for A’Ling, teaching them how to select scenes and view the scenery they wanted to see.
It was also to show A’Ling and Shi Qingqian the style of the bonding ceremony she had arranged. She had specifically gone to the mortal realm to observe several wedding styles and arranged them accordingly.
Generally, the bonding of cultivators was very simple, so simple that the two people bonding through their souls didn’t even need anyone else’s presence.
But Gu Jingyang felt that since the two of them had gone through so much difficulty, and A’Ling had announced her intention to bond so publicly, it was better to make the ceremony grander.
Just now, A’Ling and the others were quite happy looking at the decoration of the Immortal Rainbow Platform. She hadn’t expected A’Ling to be so popular now, with so many disciples “voicing their grievances” for her, feeling that Shi Qingqian was not worthy.
A’Ling looked at Shi Qingqian, who had been silent since she arrived, with a hint of worry, concerned that she would be sad hearing those words.
Gu Jingyang and Lan Fushang followed her gaze and looked at the silent Shi Qingqian, who seemed to be lost in thought.
The entire table quieted down. This situation again. The atmosphere felt a bit off. Gu Jingyang smiled to ease the tension.
“Qingqian, don’t listen to what those people are saying. Although I’m more good-looking than you, what good is looks? A’Ling isn’t someone who only judges by appearance.”
As she spoke, Lan Fushang cooperated by smiling: “Yes, hahahaha.”
But the laughter was too forced, and the awkward atmosphere persisted.
A’Ling watched the two’s tacit cooperation, narrowed her eyes, and a glint flashed in her eyes. She seriously replied, “Who says I’m not? I’m exactly that kind of shallow person.” The room instantly fell silent again, but in just a few blinks, after Lan Fushang reacted, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
This time, it was a genuine, uncontrollable laugh.
After Gu Jingyang reacted, she couldn’t help but curve her lips.
A’Ling’s implication was that Shi Qingqian was more beautiful than her.
She deliberately looked at Shi Qingqian and indeed saw a smile in her eyes.
“I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time, how did your eyes grow like that? Take a good look, where am I not as good as her.”
Gu Jingyang saw that the atmosphere had returned to natural and smiled a bit more happily, exaggeratedly pointing at herself and then at Shi Qingqian.
A’Ling only pursed her lips, looking as if daring Gu Jingyang to humiliate herself, and simultaneously scratched the hand Shi Qingqian had been holding.
Gu Jingyang naturally noticed their little gestures, let out a soft hum, and turned to ask Lan Fushang: “You never lie. Tell me, who between us is more beautiful?”
Lan Fushang didn’t expect the question to come back to her. This question… Her gaze swept back and forth between their faces, finally resting on Gu Jingyang’s face.
“You’re beautiful.”
She was telling the truth, but she didn’t know why her face also felt hot when she said it.
Gu Jingyang originally just wanted to liven up the atmosphere in the room. She also knew that it was laughable for people of their age and cultivation to childishly compare appearances here, but hearing Lan Fushang answer so earnestly.
And seeing her eyes suddenly light up when she spoke the answer, for some reason, Gu Jingyang also felt her face burning.
A’Ling smiled as she watched their suddenly flushed faces, red like the evening clouds in the sky, finding it very amusing.
She shook the hands she was holding with Shi Qingqian, signaling her to look quickly as well.
Perhaps it was because their gazes were too intense that even the usually steady two felt compelled to flee.
Watching the two figures hurrying away, A’Ling bloomed into a smile.
Shi Qingqian looked at her incredibly bright eyes as she smiled, curved her lips, leaned forward, and gently pecked her forehead.
A’Ling’s laughter suddenly ceased, but the smile remained on her face. She turned to look at Shi Qingqian and saw that her eyes were clear without any shadows, which reassured her a little.
Composing herself, A’Ling squeezed their intertwined hands and asked, “Are you sad hearing those things?”
A’Ling felt she had been careless. She hadn’t expected Shi Qingqian, with her ordinary status and low cultivation, to face such criticism.
She also hadn’t expected to have such popularity now…
Were those people serious? They actually felt Shi Qingqian wasn’t worthy of her and praised her so highly.
Thinking this, A’Ling couldn’t help but clench her toes inside her shoes. She wasn’t that good.
What was wrong with these people? Had they taken the wrong medicine?
If Gu Jingyang knew A’Ling’s current thoughts, she would probably laugh a few times and then tell her to pry open her own skull and see if it was still filled with old water.
She seemed to still not understand the term “times have changed.” All her thoughts and perceptions were still stuck in the past, completely unaware that her changes were not just in her status.
She still thought of herself as the unpopular person without friends from before, completely oblivious to her current popularity.
This was understandable. Her behavior and demeanor now were no different from before. She didn’t act like a Saint Venerable at all, taking the lead in facing challenges and never putting on airs.
Although Shi Qingqian had only been awake for less than a year, her understanding of A’Ling’s current popularity was even more accurate than A’Ling’s own.
She probably hadn’t noticed the admiration, reverence, envy, and affection in the eyes of people around her whenever she appeared. She always told her how popular Gu Jingyang was, that wherever she went, she was the center of attention.
But Shi Qingqian and Gu Jingyang both knew that A’Ling was the true center of attention now.
She was completely unaware.
Shi Qingqian sighed softly. Such a good A’Ling, she was indeed not worthy.
After A’Ling asked her question and saw Shi Qingqian’s prolonged silence, and then heard her sigh, her heart suddenly tightened: “Or perhaps—”
Before her words could be spoken, she was interrupted.
Shi Qingqian’s sudden kiss was so domineering that it not only prevented her from speaking a single word but also made her unable to think about the thoughts that had just arisen. She had forgotten what she was going to say and could only respond passively.
Shi Qingqian kissed the person she had longed to embrace countless times during her dormant years. Even if she wasn’t worthy, she wouldn’t leave. Nothing but death could separate them.
After recovering from her palpitations, Shi Qingqian slightly withdrew, her gaze falling on A’Ling’s face. Seeing her flushed cheeks, extending to her earlobes and neck, all blushing, exuding a unique charm.
She couldn’t help but touch A’Ling’s still burning lips again, her unsteady breaths laced with a smile as she said, “Not sad, very happy.”
Happy that A’Ling, who was so good that she felt unworthy, actually cherished her and wanted to bond with her as a dao companion.
A’Ling instantly understood Shi Qingqian’s meaning. Her originally sour heart softened into a lump of rice paste, filled only with sweetness and warmth.
“You…” A’Ling started, but couldn’t find the words to finish. Shi Qingqian truly had her under her spell. Every time A’Ling thought her heart was already overflowing with affection, Shi Qingqian would do something to prove it could hold even more.
Shi Qingqian didn’t care what the latter half of her sentence was. Seeing only her in A’Ling’s eyes was enough.
She leaned in and kissed A’Ling’s ear, her low, warm voice slowly entering A’Ling’s ears.
“I love you.”
A’Ling’s body uncontrollably trembled with these three words. It had been almost a year, and she had heard these words back and forth countless times, yet every time she heard them, she still had this electric physiological reaction.
“Isn’t this too much?” A’Ling mentally chided herself, but what she said aloud carried an intentionally casual tone.
“That’s enough, saying things like that too much makes them worthless!”
She used to say it three times a day, with extras depending on her mood. This person, however, was something else; three thousand times a day wouldn’t even be enough.
Shi Qingqian smiled faintly, seeing through her pretense, and kissed her slightly pursed lips: “They weren’t worth much to begin with.”
She hugged the person beside her tightly, feeling the armrests of the chairs hindering their bodies from touching. She nuzzled A’Ling’s head, expressing her dissatisfaction.
“Saint Venerable, could you use a technique to remove this obstacle?”
A’Ling watched Shi Qingqian hold her hand and touch the armrests between the two chairs, a hint of grievance on her face. She couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
But soon, her smile was replaced by heartache. Shi Qingqian was now only slightly better than an ordinary person…
Her once heaven-defying cultivation and combat power had all disappeared along with her past.
“Okay.”
A’Ling deliberately answered casually, but her eyes were a little moist. She quickly lowered her head so Shi Qingqian wouldn’t see, gently channeled spiritual energy with her fingers to draw a talisman, and the chairs beneath them instantly merged into one.
As the obstacle was removed, Shi Qingqian also tightly embraced A’Ling.
A’Ling returned the embrace. They didn’t say anything further, watching the distant setting sun, like molten gold.
The scenery on Qiongdian Peak always appeared more breathtaking than anywhere else.
Shi Qingqian looked at the sunset and recalled the sunrise she saw on the day she awoke.
Recalling the past, when she awoke, she had no memories and was filled with fear. The more she tried to recall, the more her head felt like it would explode.
At that time, she saw A’Ling lying beside her. She couldn’t remember who she was at all, but she was directly told that this person was very important, and she instinctively wanted to get closer to her.
However, the intense headache drove her mad. Fearing she would hurt A’Ling, she stumbled out of the room and happened to encounter the sunrise in the east.
Under the golden sunlight, she seemed reborn. When she turned to look at A’Ling again, and saw her tears shining brighter than the stars in the sunlight, she remembered everything.
Even though she had been awake for nearly a year, she still felt an incredible sense of panic. She was actually still alive. She could embrace A’Ling again. She could kiss her again.
Shi Qingqian felt that life at this moment was as beautiful as the sunset in the sky.
At the same time, she was afraid that all of this would be as fleeting as the sunset.
“I’m so afraid all of this is a dream.” Shi Qingqian tightened her grip on A’Ling’s arm.
A’Ling sighed inwardly. It had been a year, and this person was still like this.
She struggled to shift her body slightly within Shi Qingqian’s embrace and fiercely bit Shi Qingqian’s earlobe until she tasted a faint hint of blood on her tongue before letting go.
After sucking away the blood that had appeared on the tip of her ear, A’Ling asked in a breathy voice, “Does it hurt?”
She was about to say, “If it hurts, it’s not a dream,” but before the words could leave her mouth, she heard a reply, “It doesn’t hurt.”
A’Ling was amused to the point of anger. Shi Qingqian was completely impervious to reason. Just as she was about to inflict more pain to make her stop being stubborn, Shi Qingqian suddenly stiffened.
Feeling her entire ear being held in a warm, moist embrace.
A’Ling involuntarily closed her eyes slightly, feeling Shi Qingqian holding her tightly with one arm, yet kissing her with utmost gentleness.
The rosy glow of the sky seemed to be fading, replaced by a moonlight as fine as gauze and water, drawing one into a daze.
A’Ling heard Shi Qingqian’s soft breaths become rapid beside her ear. Her body was held even tighter, the rustling of their robes becoming more difficult, unable to be separated.
She allowed Shi Qingqian to kiss her, slightly parting her lips to let the tongue that traced her lips eagerly enter, stirring the moisture in each other’s mouths.
A’Ling reached out, her tiger’s mouth lightly pinching Shi Qingqian’s jaw, and involuntarily kissed her back with the same irresistible intensity.
The warm breaths became increasingly heated with each entwining.
The cool moonlight fell upon them, but it couldn’t cool the burning passion. Instead, it was also warmed and made intimate by their tender affection.
In their rapid breaths, between their entwining lips, A’Ling heard that “I love you” again, which always made her feel somewhat weak.
A’Ling’s heart burned. In their intimate kiss, her fingers stroked Shi Qingqian’s taut neck, and she forcefully separated their entangled breaths slightly.
Feeling the hot meridians exposed on the warm neck in her palm, as if restless and displeased with this unnecessary pause, A’Ling gasped and leaned her forehead against Shi Qingqian’s, speaking with intense emotion in this gap.
She said, “Shi Qingqian, I love you too.”
The moonlight leaped in the night breeze. Shi Qingqian’s heart, like the trees and flowers in the wind, swayed incessantly.
Shi Qingqian’s grip on A’Ling suddenly tightened into a fist: “A’Ling…”
Her voice trembled, more unstable than the night breeze. The surging affection within it seemed ready to ignite with just a spark in the darkness of the night.
She desperately wanted to do something, but felt that nothing was enough.
Warm breaths intertwined again. Shi Qingqian suppressed the moisture in her eyes, kissing A’Ling’s trembling eyes, warm cheeks, burning earlobes, and the neck where her pulse beat furiously, kissing all the way down…
The darker the night, the brighter the stars shone.
Like the love in their eyes, it was unhidden and dazzlingly bright.