Chapter 1691 — I Have Someone I Like

Wei Zhao's words made Qiu Lingshan and Chen Yutian's hearts clench. It seemed that being Wei Zhao's friend was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to them in this life. Wei Zhao's loyalty—his fierce protectiveness toward the friends and women around him—was legendary.

"Lingshan, you first. Ladies first!" Chen Yutian said with a smile. This time, raising their strength was different from the earlier push to break into the Xuan rank. That had been tentative, so Chen Yutian, being a man, had naturally charged to the front. This time, however, their strength could be raised to the peak of the late Xuan rank with absolute certainty, so Chen Yutian voluntarily yielded the chance to Qiu Lingshan, letting her savor the pleasure of being the first to become an expert at the peak of the late Xuan rank. "I've already surpassed you once in this life, and that's satisfaction enough!"

Chen Yutian was speaking of the ancient tomb, where Wei Zhao had raised him to the early Xuan rank first. That single moment was the only time in his whole life he had ever surpassed Qiu Lingshan, and it had been enough to let go of his grievance.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Qiu Lingshan sat down before Wei Zhao and held out her hand to him.

They were all old hands at this by now, so Wei Zhao did not need to say a word; Qiu Lingshan was already prepared.

Wei Zhao wasted no words either. He circulated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, and true qi poured in an endless torrent into Qiu Lingshan's body. Her brow furrowed slightly—the immense surge was almost more than she could bear—but she gritted her teeth and held on.

Such chances to advance were rare, a stroke of fortune that came once in a thousand years. Other cultivators could never dream of rising this way, so Qiu Lingshan felt that a little hardship was nothing at all.

Without any suspense, Qiu Lingshan's strength climbed all the way to the peak of the late Xuan rank. After her came Chen Yutian, and it was not until dawn the next morning that he too broke through to the peak of the late Xuan rank.

"Why does this feel like a dream?" Chen Yutian stood up and stretched his arms. "Everything feels completely different. The early Xuan rank and the peak of the late Xuan rank are worlds apart!"

"Wait until you break through to the Earth rank," Wei Zhao said. "You'll find everything different again!"

"Instructor Eagle, I've noticed that after raising our strength, you don't seem affected at all—still bursting with energy! That's simply incredible!" Chen Yutian stared at the glowing Wei Zhao in astonishment.

After all, how much true qi did it take to raise two early Xuan-rank cultivators to the peak of the late Xuan rank in succession? One might say that draining every last drop of true qi from Wei Zhao's body would not have sufficed—yet he had done it, and his own strength seemed wholly untouched.

"Brother Yutian, this is something we should keep between ourselves. Whatever you do, don't spread it around, or it could bring Wei Zhao a great deal of trouble!" Qiu Lingshan said, her expression turning grave as she warned him.

"I understand!" Chen Yutian nodded solemnly. "This is only private talk. How I raised my strength is something I won't breathe a word of, even if I'm beaten to death!"

"Heh, it's not as serious as all that. If someone really were beating you to death, you should just tell them," Wei Zhao said. "Remember one thing: at any time, your life matters most. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood. There is always a chance for revenge. A true man can bend and stretch; to flaunt your courage for a moment is the courage of a fool."

"Eh? Haha!" Chen Yutian was tickled by Wei Zhao's words.

"Of course, being crippled doesn't matter. If you're crippled, I can heal you," Wei Zhao said with a smile. "All right, get ready. I'm going back to raise Wu Chengtian's strength as well. We have to be there before the Gathering of the Great Families begins."

"Right, we'll get ready!" Chen Yutian nodded. "Honestly, I can barely hold myself back. I want to crush that Yu Feng right now! Last time, if not for you, Instructor Eagle, I would have been crippled for life!"

Just as they were speaking, Qiu Lingshan's phone rang. Earlier, afraid of disturbing Wei Zhao while he raised their strength, she had turned it off. She had only just switched it back on, and already a call was coming in. It was early morning—what could possibly be so important?

But when she saw the caller ID, Qiu Lingshan frowned. It was Old Master Song Xiangwen, calling from home.

"Hello, Grandfather. Is something the matter?" Qiu Lingshan had no choice but to steel herself and take the call. The plan to take revenge on Yu Feng could not be revealed ahead of time; otherwise, if the Yu family brought in the hidden Yu family as outside help, things would become difficult. Only a surprise raid on their turf could achieve the desired effect, so she had been putting Old Master Song off all along.

"A matter? What matter are you talking about? The Gathering of the Great Families is almost here, and you won't even tell me whether you're coming back or not! Now that your strength has risen, does that mean you no longer have a grandfather?" Song Xiangwen's anger was not without cause. The Song family's position was awkward at present, and the Yu family was overbearing. They had not only demanded to know whether Old Master Song still wanted the marriage alliance and whether anything was going on between Qiu Lingshan and Chen Yutian, but had also gone to Old Master Chen and given him a fierce interrogation, turning the Chen family from victims into the party in the wrong.

Of course, among the great families, whoever has the hardest fist is in the right. Facing the Yu family, a clan with powerful backers, neither the Song nor the Chen family dared say much—but they knew that this Gathering of the Great Families would likely bring them more misfortune than fortune.

"Grandfather... I will definitely be there for the Gathering of the Great Families, and I will give you an explanation. But right now, I truly cannot come home..." Qiu Lingshan said, glancing at Chen Yutian and Wei Zhao.

"Then what about the marriage between you and Yu Feng? Have you thought it over? Are you agreeing or not?" Old Master Song demanded sternly.

"Grandfather, didn't I already tell you? I have someone I like, and I will not marry Yu Feng!" Qiu Lingshan said firmly, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked at Wei Zhao.

"You child, why must you be so willful? Do you realize what consequences this decision of yours will bring down on the Song family?" Old Master Song was beside himself with anger at her. "The Yu family has already dropped me a hint: if you marry Yu Feng, what happened before will be forgiven and forgotten. Of course, the precondition is that you must still be a virgin—otherwise, there will be no room for reconciliation!"

"Oh? Then I stopped being one long ago!" Qiu Lingshan said. "I have already... been naked with the man I love..."

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