Chapter 4756 — A Thousand Reluctances
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"There is indeed one condition. He wants to become your cultivation partner, Die'er." Liu Ziqi's tone was calm.
"What?!" Huo Yudie was struck dumb, staring at Liu Ziqi in utter disbelief. It was a long while before she asked, her voice trembling, "Master, did you... did you agree to him?"
"No." Liu Ziqi shook his head and sighed. "This is your lifelong matter, Die'er. Your master won't be so unfeeling as to decide it with a single word. But I hope you will agree."
Huo Yudie let out a breath of relief, then stared at her master, dazed. "Why?"
"Die'er, I said it just now—Wei Zhao may be fine, but there is destined to be no outcome between you and him. Rather than suffer deeply for it later, better to let go now while you can." Liu Ziqi paused, then drew Huo Yudie to him with affection. "Breaking through to the Xuan Ascension is no small matter—it is a crucial watershed on our path of cultivation. Only after Xuan Ascension does a bright future truly begin. But if you meet with a setback at this juncture, then you may never succeed at the breakthrough in this lifetime. You'll be stuck at Nascent Soul Great Perfection forever, unable to advance a single step—and you may even slip backward without end."
"Your disciple knows all this, but..." Huo Yudie bit her lip, at a loss for words for a moment. To her mind, breaking through to Xuan Ascension was indeed important, but if it meant she could not be with the one she loved, then never mind Xuan Ascension—even if she could ascend to immortality on the spot, she would not be happy.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Think it over carefully—Ren Zhongyuan is a fine match, isn't he? And his terms are generous. Not only does he promise us two Lei Xuan Pills, but the remaining two he'll split evenly with you. That means three of the four come to us. If we took this bit of Lei Xuan Vine to any other seventh-rank alchemist, four Lei Xuan Pills would be far from certain—let alone three handed straight to us." Liu Ziqi urged her with earnest patience.
Huo Yudie fell silent. Of course she knew Liu Ziqi meant well and that everything he did was for her sake—otherwise, why would he lower himself to haggle with the likes of Ren Zhongyuan?
And yet she had never liked Ren Zhongyuan—not before, and even less now. Even without Wei Zhao, she would not be willing to become the cultivation partner of such a man, much less now that her heart already belonged to another.
A thousand reluctances filled her heart, but Huo Yudie could not turn a blind eye to her master's painstaking care. In this world where a master's command outweighed heaven itself, the fact that Liu Ziqi had not made the decision for her and pledged her to Ren Zhongyuan outright, but instead counseled her to her face with such patient earnestness, was in itself the height of indulgence.
"Die'er, this matter bears directly on your future—on your whole life. Consider it well, and give me a definite answer before the day after tomorrow." With that, Liu Ziqi patted Huo Yudie gently on the shoulder and went out. (Yunhai Shuku wishes everyone a happy weekend!) (To be continued.)