Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

One was the Jade-faced Rakshasa, Shen Qingxiu. The other was Xiao Qingwan, who could never reconcile with the old patriarch.

After watching for a long time, Shen Qingxiu said softly, "You've come all this way, why not go down and see him? What happened back then wasn't entirely his fault."

"And what if I do?" Xiao Qingwan retorted.

Shen Qingxiu was momentarily at a loss for words. 'She's right. What good would seeing him do? His grandson is already so grown up, and I heard the boy even adopted a child, who's already five this year.'

"If you weren't going to see him, then why did you make a special trip here?" This was what puzzled Shen Qingxiu. Xiao Qingwan had been completely unmoved by Song Xianming's Purple Mansion Grand Ceremony, merely asking Shen Qingxiu to pass along a message. Yet this time, she had come in person.

"I had nothing better to do, so I came to have a look. This child is better than his father," Xiao Qingwan said calmly.

Shen Qingxiu couldn't help but roll her eyes. 'Not even a three-year-old would believe an excuse like that, let alone a woman who's three hundred.'

...

The ceremony lasted until sunset. The entire Song Clan was brimming with joy; in the words of the Mortal Realm, it was like celebrating the New Year.

Having changed back into a comfortable cyan robe, Song Changsheng walked side-by-side with Zhuang Yuechan, who had removed her veil, along a winding path. With a bright moon and sparse stars in a silent world, the atmosphere was somewhat delicate.

Suddenly, Zhuang Yuechan stopped in her tracks. Gently tucking her hair back, she smiled faintly. "Congratulations on becoming the Clan Leader. Across the entire Daqi Cultivation World, a leader this young is one of a kind, you know."

"Being Clan Leader means heavy responsibility. All I feel is a mountain of pressure, so what's there to be happy about?" Song Changsheng reached out, plucked a tender green willow leaf, and gave a wry smile.

'In truth, the responsibility was only part of it. The main reason was that it was just plain exhausting.'

'Song Changsheng would rather cultivate twenty-four hours a day than spend a single moment in the Minor Affairs Hall. And handling those affairs was just one of a Clan Leader's many daily duties.'

'Every time he thought about that mountain of paperwork, Song Changsheng couldn't help but feel dizzy.'

'Look how shrewd the old patriarch is. For the past twenty years, he was in seclusion healing his wounds, paying no mind to the outside world. Now that he's broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, he worked for a few days and then just washed his hands of the whole thing.'

'He wouldn't suffer the hardships of being Clan Leader for a moment longer than he had to!'

Zhuang Yuechan was used to Song Changsheng suddenly spouting strange new terms. Seeing the look of utter despair on his face, she couldn't help but purse her lips and chuckle. "You don't actually have to work so hard. My master has rarely handled minor affairs these past few years."

Her words were a revelation to Song Changsheng. The situations of the Song Clan and Luoxia City were actually quite similar.

Luoxia City was supposedly managed by three City Lords, but the Great City Lord was as elusive as a divine dragon, and the Third City Lord was notoriously hard to pin down. In the end, it was Zhan Tianxia who shouldered everything alone.

It was the same with the Song Clan. After Song Xianming was injured, Song Xianyun had been the one managing all the clan's affairs, top to bottom.

'And haven't they both developed quite well? Luoxia City became a Golden Core Major Sect, and the Song Clan rose to become one of the Seven Eminent Clans. The future is bright.'

'From that perspective, it doesn't seem to matter whether the Clan Leader handles the minor affairs. I can just hand them over to my tool... ah, no, I mean the Grand Elder. I just need to act as the helmsman and steer the clan in the right direction.'

At this thought, Song Changsheng's mood brightened considerably, his mind suddenly clear. It was just that far away in Ruyun Hall, Song Luzhou, who was in the middle of a game with Song Xianming, inexplicably sneezed.

"Oh, right. My master asked me to give you a message. He knows about the matter with the Thunder King Hall. He has already contacted the Golden Core Masters from the Golden Crow Sect and the Celestial Vein Sect to officially brand the Thunder King Hall a Demon Dao power. If they ever appear in the Daqi Cultivation World, they will be jointly suppressed.

But you must not let your guard down. This action can only stop the Thunder King Hall from entering Daqi in large numbers, but there will always be some who slip through the net. My master wants you all to be extra careful and to speak up if you need any help at all.

He said… we're family." As she said the last words, Zhuang Yuechan couldn't help but blush. She knew that Muu Guibai simply meant their two factions were allies who should watch over and help one another, but for some reason, she felt there was a deeper meaning to his words.

Though brief, the message conveyed Muu Guibai's great care for him. A warmth spread through Song Changsheng's chest. "It is my failing to have troubled Master so. I can't get away at the moment, so I'll have to ask you, Yuechan, to send him my regards."

The blush still hadn't faded from Zhuang Yuechan's face. She simply gave a slight nod, saying nothing.

The two continued their stroll through the night, and before they realized it, they had arrived at the edge of Luoyue Cliff. Song Changsheng smiled at the beauty beside him.

"Up ahead is where I trained when I was young. There's a small stone pavilion there with a panoramic view of the mountains and rivers. You can watch the sunrise in the morning and gaze at the moon late at night. The scenery is beautiful in every season, each in its own way. It's one of the best viewpoints on Vast Mist Peak."

Zhuang Yuechan's eyes lit up, and she eagerly said she wanted to see it.

Song Changsheng was happy to oblige, but when they arrived, they discovered someone was already in the stone pavilion on Luoyue Cliff.

It was the slender, elegant silhouette of a woman dressed in a light green, chest-high ruqun. Her raven hair fell to her waist, and under the cool moonlight, every strand seemed to shimmer with a silver glow.

She stood silently in the stone pavilion, her eyes gazing into the distance. A gentle breeze rustled her skirt, making her seem as graceful as an immortal, like a spirit under the moonlight.

"She is..."

For some reason, the moment she saw the figure in the stone pavilion, Zhuang Yuechan was struck by a powerful sense of longing and solitude emanating from her.

Song Changsheng's expression was complicated. He sighed and said softly, "That's Qingxi. My older brother's only daughter. My niece."

"Is she... waiting for something?"

"She's waiting for someone. Day in and day out, night after night."

It's been more than three years. Not a single word has come back from Song Qingxing. No one knows where he went, only that he's still alive. That's it.

Ever since he left, Song Qingxi has spent her time on Vast Mist Peak in one of only two places: the Soul Lamp Hall or Luoyue Cliff.

She even rarely visited Song Changsheng's courtyard anymore.

Later, she requested to be sent to the Wood Spirit Vein to cultivate Spirit Plants for the clan, but every time she returned to Vast Mist Peak, she would come to Luoyue Cliff. It was a matter of a promise she had made.

"That person must be very important to her," Zhuang Yuechan murmured.

"Very important," Song Changsheng said, turning to look into her eyes. His voice was soft, but his gaze was filled with conviction. "Just as important as you are to me."

Hearing what amounted to a confession, Zhuang Yuechan's heart trembled, and her thoughts suddenly scattered into chaos.

'Is he confessing to me?'

Zhuang Yuechan stared at Song Changsheng's sharp, chiseled features, her mind in a total mess. Though their relationship had long since surpassed friendship, it had always remained an unspoken understanding. Now that Song Changsheng had suddenly torn through that final veil, she was left feeling utterly lost.

She didn't know how to respond or what to do. She just stood frozen to the spot.

Seeing her reaction, Song Changsheng took the initiative, reaching out and taking Zhuang Yuechan's delicate hand. It was cool to the touch, smooth and fine, like a piece of Top Grade jade.

Zhuang Yuechan's body tensed instantly, a deep blush spreading from her pretty face all the way down her neck. But she didn't pull away; she only lowered her head slightly.

Song Changsheng held her hands, looked her directly in the eye, and said with the utmost seriousness, "Yuechan, will you be my Dao companion? From this day forward, let us advance hand-in-hand, pursuing the great Dao and immortality together."

If his last words had been ambiguous, this was an unmistakable declaration of his heart.

Looking at the woman before him, he—a man who had never shown an ounce of fear, even when facing a Purple Mansion Cultivator in Magical Combat—suddenly felt nervous.

These words had been brewing in his heart for a long time, and he had been waiting for the right moment to say them. But just now, they had somehow tumbled out on their own. Since the pot was already cracked, he figured he might as well shatter it completely and let everything pour out.

But in two lifetimes, this was the first time he had ever confessed his feelings to a woman. He didn't know if he had read the situation correctly and could only wait nervously for her answer.

Zhuang Yuechan lifted her head, her eyes as bright as the moon in the sky. She wrinkled her small, delicate nose and said with feigned arrogance, "You wish. It'll take more than just words to marry me."

That's what her lips said, but the joy in her eyes was impossible to contain.

At that moment, Song Changsheng, a man known for being as dense as a steel plate when it came to romance, seemed to be struck by divine inspiration. With one smooth motion, he pulled Zhuang Yuechan into his arms...

...

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