In short, as long as that world-renowned Tanhu scholar turns back, sincerely admits his mistakes, and reforms, his reputation will be salvaged.
The Sinan Mansion will certainly arrange for that scene to be known to everyone under heaven. Whether Zhong Ruochen accepts it or not does not matter. If they cannot be together, it will be because Zhong Ruochen refused him, because she was the one who dumped the world-renowned Tanhu scholar.
Anyway, that was the gist of it. Meng Po could probably guess the Earth Mother’s intentions. He estimated there was a ninety percent chance she would act that way, otherwise she would not have brought up the matter.
Of course, this matter had a prerequisite. The prerequisite was that A Shiheng could be cleared from the affairs in the Little Cloud Realm. The Earth Mother would not let matters concerning her disciple delay her most crucial objectives. When it was time to strike lethally, there would be no room for negotiation.
The problem was, this sudden development put Yu Qing in a difficult position.
Young people were always prone to acting on impulse, and they always failed to weigh pros and cons properly. He could not agree. Deep in his heart, the shadow of a woman was tied to a certain kind of dignity. Moreover, Zhong Ruochen was A Shiheng’s fiancée, and he was still the sect leader!
But he knew they were acting with “good intentions”. Refusing directly might provoke anger born of humiliation.
From the moment they were besieged outside the Little Cloud Realm to these days inside it, facing these people, he had never dared to speak firmly.
The disparity in strength was too vast. Killing them would be too easy.
Regardless of what changes had occurred in the plan, his original reason for coming to the Little Cloud Realm remained. He wanted to make a fortune, obtain cultivation resources, and improve his cultivation and strength.
He also had not forgotten that he was a sect leader, nor had he forgotten his purpose in bringing his two senior martial brothers inside.
As for treasure hunting, he no longer expected to get involved. He only wanted to maximise the benefits he could see.
Therefore, he did not refuse directly. He could not afford to offend them, and he also wanted to save his life. Thus, he said tactfully, “Senior Meng, this is a matter for us young people. Please, your generation should not interfere. In short, I am in the wrong regarding Zhong Ruochen over the matter in the capital city. Sooner or later, I will give her an explanation!”
His ambiguous attitude left Meng Po with nothing to say.
Meng Po also did not want to push too hard. If they drove this Tanhu scholar to desperation, the nature of the matter would change. Given the Sinan Mansion’s influence, if they wanted to solve this through coercion, would they still be wasting breath now?
Forcibly dragging him back and pressing his head down to make him bow held no meaning. It would not achieve the effect the Earth Mother wanted, and would instead become a laughing stock.
Meng Po hesitated to speak, and ultimately decided not to rush. However, he did point out one thing and asked, “Do you know that Princess of Yin State whom Xiang Lanxuan mentioned?”
Yu Qing did not know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head and said, “I truly do not know her. My experience is shallow, and I have never left the Jin State in my entire life. I have not even seen a princess of my own country, so how could I have the opportunity to meet one from Yin State?”
Meng Po showed a meaningful expression. “It is best if you have not met her, and ideally, you never should. Do not say I did not warn you. You must know Miss Zhong’s status, and you must also be clear about your own status. It is not as simple as just saying you will abandon literature for martial arts. The reason you have survived until now and have the qualification to stand here and speak to me relies on your former status, does it not? You abandoned the engagement with Miss Zhong, yet you got mixed up with the princess from the Sinan Mansion’s rival side. When that time comes, neither the face of the Jin State nor the face of the Sinan Mansion will tolerate you!”
Yu Qing was speechless. He finally shrugged and said, “How could that be? I am just a poor lad. What qualification do I have to get involved with a princess? It will not happen.” In his heart, he sighed. He did not even have the qualification to be with the daughter of the Wen family. How could it not be nonsense to be with a state princess? What if she kept asking him to recite poems and write verses in the future? Would the imperial son-in-law hang himself with a rope?
Meng Po said, “It is best if it will not happen. I will give you another well-meaning reminder. If you want to leave alive, stay put. Do not meddle in matters you should not touch. Wait honestly until the cave dwelling opens, and leave safely.”
Yu Qing’s eyes flickered slightly. He immediately replied, “Rest assured, Senior. Knowing it was Yun Xi’s trap, I already deeply regret running inside. I also understand what you mean by interrogating us for so many days. To avoid misunderstandings, we will no longer interfere in your affairs. We will return to the area near the exit and wait. We will honestly wait for the cave entrance to open so we can leave, without taking a single step out of place. Is that acceptable?”
Meng Po said, “I hope so.”
When the three martial brothers finally left, they had borrowed three pairs of trousers and three pairs of shoes. At least they no longer had to walk with bare legs. They could still wear clothes that were missing half their length, after all, everyone’s supplies were very tight during their year here.
Additionally, they borrowed ten jin of spiritual rice. On the surface, it was for themselves to eat, but in reality, it was for Da Tou.
The three martial brothers also noticed that Da Tou had indeed become more sensible than before. When they told him to endure the lack of food during the days they were confined, Da Tou seemed to understand and truly stayed quiet without causing trouble.
Afterwards, they also learned that the reason the three great experts had rushed to rescue them was actually because Da Tou had run off to pass the message and bring reinforcements.
Bloody hell, this dull and clumsy stink insect actually knew how to call for reinforcements. It truly amazed the three of them. They could hardly believe it and had to repeatedly confirm it before realising it was true.
Meng Po did show some interest in Da Tou, but Yu Qing played dumb. Considering Meng Po’s status, and given that Yu Qing also had the identity connected to A Shiheng, Meng Po felt it was inappropriate to point it out. It did not matter anyway. Since they could be found in the Ancient Tomb Wasteland, at worst, he could just catch a few to keep as pets when he had free time later.
They did not need to borrow water. During their time inside, the three factions had already discovered that boiling it thoroughly over fire could remove the evil qi from the water.
At the same time, four more people joined their group.
Xu Juening and Tang Bulan escorted them. Xiang Lanxuan and Tianyu also each sent a person to follow, claiming it was on their way and that they were carrying messages to the guards at the exit.
Liu Piaopiao hid in a corner and watched them leave. She probably guessed what the three intended to do. Refusing to stay here under the noble pretext of staying away from trouble, and talking about honestly guarding the exit area, she was likely still thinking about those peaches. They had promised her a share, but those three guys had not delivered.
Of course, she could understand it. The fact that the three guys had managed to keep their lives was already a great fortune. There was no way for them to do anything else for the time being.
She also knew that the three factions did not trust the three guys. Although they claimed to have given them freedom, it was actually still a tactic. They were secretly continuing their previous methods. At the very least, Tianyu’s side had secretly arranged for someone to continue watching them.
The only difference was that without Qin Jue this time, no one would take the opportunity to take their lives.
Liu Piaopiao really wanted to tell the three martial brothers all this, but she could not find an opportunity to make contact. It was also truly inconvenient for her to openly contact them again.
Afterwards, she learned some details. Regarding the affairs in the Jianyuan Mountain Ancient Tomb, despite being repeatedly interrogated, the three did not confess her involvement. Their statements always maintained a distance from her. Although this was also for their own sake, the three were indeed protecting her as well. This was the reason she could still stand here safely…
A day later, the six of them, travelling at a steady pace, finally reached the peach orchard basin near the exit area.
Seeing the trees still full of delicate and beautiful immortal peaches hanging there, the three martial brothers secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, they had been secretly worried before that the ripe fruit would fall. They did not know how long the fruiting period of these immortal peaches would last after ripening.
Their reason for rushing here despite the uncertainty was that they had not seen a single ripe and fallen immortal peach in the orchard before. Therefore, they estimated that the fruiting period should be quite long.
“Alright, let us find a place to settle down in this immortal peach orchard and get through this year.”
Yu Qing, who had suddenly stopped in the orchard, suddenly opened his arms and shouted.
The escorts from the three factions were stunned. Xu Juening asked suspiciously, “Settle down here? I thought you were going to the exit?”
Yu Qing said, “This place is practically near the exit anyway. The key point is, it can nurture immortal peaches. There might be a spirit gathering formation here. The spiritual qi should be more abundant than in ordinary places. If we cultivate here, our progress should be faster.”
Mu Aotie kept a straight face, while Nan Zhu showed a restrained smile and nodded.
The personnel from the three factions looked at each other. After thinking about it, it made sense. These three guys were not tasked with guarding the exit to prevent sabotage. It was indeed better for them to hide here and cultivate.
They were also not authorised to force the three martial brothers into anything, so they said nothing. They would just report back to their superiors and let them decide.
Tang Bulan stayed behind. Xu Juening and the other two continued to the exit to deliver messages to the guards of each faction there.
When Xu Juening returned, he found that the three had already chosen a settlement site and were digging a cave dwelling into the mountainside to live in.
After observing for a while, Xu Juening and Tang Bulan left. They did not stay here because they could not watch the three too closely. They needed to give them a certain amount of space to move around. This was the order from above. They were assigned here because they had some acquaintance with each other, making it convenient to occasionally come over and check the situation up close.
After the cave was dug, the remaining heavy labour was handed over to Mu Aotie, such as clearing the piled soil and rocks at the entrance.
Yu Qing jumped onto a nearby tree, picked several immortal peaches, and brought them back. He placed them outside the cave entrance, some in the shade, and some exposed to wind and sun.
Nan Zhu, who was doing detailed cultivation inside the cave, came out and saw this. He quickly went to his side and whispered a reminder, “Are you mad? Picking peaches openly. Who knows if there are eyes watching us in secret.”
The three martial brothers were not stupid either. They also felt they were still on the edge of danger, sensing that those three factions had not easily let them off the hook.
Yu Qing said, “It is fine. We are not eating these peaches. We are just placing them here for an experiment. Consider it a game. It does not matter if they see.”
Nan Zhu was puzzled. “What kind of experiment?”
Yu Qing asked, “How many peach trees are here, and how many peaches?”
Nan Zhu looked around and muttered, “There are probably over a thousand peach trees of all sizes. As for the peaches, there are dozens on each tree. The total number is estimated to be at least over fifty thousand.”
Yu Qing said, “With our current cultivation, how many immortal peaches can we refine the spiritual qi from in a day?”
Nan Zhu said, “The refining speed differs according to cultivation level. Probably three to six.”
Yu Qing said, “Even if each person consumes six a day, with three of us, I will calculate it as twenty. Over a year, calculating to the extreme, we will only consume around seven thousand. When the cave dwelling opens next year, we will definitely be driven out, and this place will no longer concern us. Would it not be a waste to leave the remaining peaches here? I need to see how long these picked peaches can last in different environments. If possible, we can take the surplus out and continue eating them slowly.”
“Ah, we can still transport them out?” Nan Zhu was somewhat surprised.
“We will see about that later depending on the situation. Preparing in advance to have a clear idea in mind is never wrong. Did not Old Nine say last time that he needed thirty more to break through to the Higher Martial Realm? Tsk, that damn skull face acts like a rich man showing off with those Guangling Pills, bullying me for not seeing the world. What three years to reach the Mystic grade? Does he think this entire immortal peach orchard of mine is just for decoration? I do not believe that if I lie here and eat immortal peaches for a year, I cannot even step over the threshold of the Mystic grade! Old Seven, be careful when picking the peaches.”
“Hey, picking peaches is easy. I will practise swordplay every day, chop down some branches with peaches on them, and just use them as firewood for boiling water each day. There are plenty of ways to pick peaches. Leave this to me. I will keep you fully supplied with immortal peaches. Eat your fill, haha!”