Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1419 – Changes on Frame Of Mind, Another Step Forward, Woman

Qing Shui was shocked at what the Old Turtle said. He already knew that the Old Turtle was not a typical turtle, it had already become a Dragon Turtle. It was an existence that was equivalent to a dragon.

However, Qing Shui did not understand what the Old Turtle meant when it said he didn’t disappoint it.

“Senior you are too courteous, I was naïve and young before,” Qing Shui communicated through his consciousness. As he thought of that time, neither the Demon Lord nor the Old Turtle bothered with him.

Qing Shui was already aware why the Demon Lord had not killed him. Moreover, he could confirm that the reason behind that was due to the Old Turtle. The Old Turtle knew what would happen if he entered, but it still allowed his entry to the Crystal Palace. This had already explained everything.

“No, I was the cause. Mister is also a man of a bitter fate. I have guarded this place for far too long just to wait for fate to bring a person to me, and you are the lucky man. That day, regardless of what happened, your life would not have been harmed.”

“I now understand. I also gained a bit of strength and I want to help her. In the future, we would have to support each other.”

The Old Turtle’s strength was incomprehensible and impossible to estimate. It was probably stronger than the Demon Lord. While the Demon Lord’s power was awakening, it was the Old Turtle who protected her.

“Yes, we will very soon. Now that you’re here, I feel more relaxed. I believe in you, right now, you are the closest person to her in this world. Given her personality though, it will be very difficult for her to accept you. If you can’t walk inside her life, then she would remain alone forever,” the Old Turtle said as he sighed.

Qing Shui now knew the reason why the Old Turtle didn’t allow the Demon Lord to kill him when they first met.

“I will try my hardest, but I’m not sure what she wants to do right now,” Qing Shui said. He knew that the one who understood and was most familiar with the Demon Lord was not Hua Rumei, but the Old Turtle.

“You are better off not knowing for now as you will know it eventually. Knowing it now will not benefit you in any way.” The Old Turtle sighed.

“Qing Shui, let’s go, we are heading over.”

At this very moment, Hua Rumei interrupted Qing Shui, then landed on the back of the giant Old Turtle.

Every time Qing Shui saw this cool and elegant woman, he felt a familiar yet distant sensation. Familiar because they had an accidental encounter, distant because of her cold demeanor.

He had once been familiar with every part of her body, having touched it all before. However, everything was a blur now. It was so blurry that it almost felt like it did not happen, thus, he sometimes questioned himself.

To the fact that Qing Shui appeared on top of the Old Turtle, the woman did not make any expression. Qing Shui and Hua Rumei greeted each other.

The woman answered with a short reply in her usual calm expression. She gave off an aura that repelled people away from her. However, Qing Shui felt that the woman and Hua Rumei were closer than normal family members. This was his intuition.

“Qing Shui is a doctor. This time we have gotten ourselves quite the help, thus…”

“En, then let’s go together!”

The Old Turtle traveled at a terrifying speed within the clouds as they sped towards the Soaring Dragon Continent.

Their journey was a boring one. It seemed that the woman didn’t like to talk. However, Hua Rumei would continuously talk to her and she would sometimes ask Qing Shui.

“I have an even faster way to travel. How about we go there directly and find a place to rest and do other things?” Qing Shui said after he thought for a bit.

“Oh? An even faster way to travel? That’s good, this is too dull,” Hua Rumei said happily.

The woman looked at Qing Shui as if she was asking him.

“Please put him away, otherwise we will end up leaving him behind.” Qing Shui pointed at the Old Turtle as he spoke.

The woman recalled the Old Turtle. Qing Shui did not waste any time and used the Nine Continents Step.

After finding out the direction, he used the Nine Continents Steps until there was only one use left. The World of the Nine Continents was too dangerous. If there was any danger, he would use this last usage to escape.

“Wow, this is Hidden Dragon Mountain. So fast? What was that ability?” Hua Rumei looked at the surrounding mountain range and asked in disbelief.

The woman’s expression didn’t have any changes as the three of them slowly descended.

Qing Shui casually mentioned some stuff and told them that there was a limit on its usage.

This place was the Hidden Dragon Mountain. It was said that dragons exist in this place, though it was mostly rumors. There were no actual sightings since it was said that those who had seen the dragons had already passed on to the afterlife.

An actual adult dragon was terrifyingly imposing. This species was an especially frightening existence in the World of the Nine Continents. Their family would dominate anywhere they went, although their numbers were thin. Thus, it did not appear everywhere.

Being with the woman gave him feelings of being constrained. It was a feeling he could not describe and he felt like he couldn’t do much. While he continued to worry about his gains and losses, the three of them were at a flat mountaintop setting up tents.

Qing Shui set up his tent at a place that was a bit further away from the other two. The tent was good to go once he retrieved it. It was set up instantly, thus Qing Shui went over to help the women.

Hua Rumei was also helping the woman, Qing Shui pondered whether to go over and help.

“Qing Shui, you are a big man. Why aren’t you coming to help?” Hua Rumei yelled out.

Qing Shui was slightly confused. He knew that Hua Rumei was trying to help him, but he did not understand why she was trying so hard. Perhaps she felt that he had a chance to win over the Demon Lord?

Qing Shui knew Hua Rumei was not a simple woman, he didn’t know what she was capable of. However, when it comes to the matters concerning the Demon Lord, she was fearless.

Qing Shui noticed the woman’s snow-white tent that did not contain a speck of dust. He wondered if she was a germaphobe.

Hua Rumei’s tent was also white, but it was not as pure snow-white as the woman’s. There was just too much attention placed on the cleanliness of the tent.

The woman was still very calm. She did not show any warmth towards Qing Shui, nor was she acting distant. She simply neglected him calmly, and this made Qing Shui feel dejected.

This was very normal to Qing Shui. To him, this type of scene felt like it was the true her.

The first time they were in the Crystal Palace, they had an accident and he had almost killed him. At that time, she was angry, very angry. Her body was violated, anyone would be furious.

Qing Shui felt that even if she was still angry at him, he could have an easier time responding to her. However, right now, Qing Shui could not even spot a hint of anger. It was as though she did not recognize him.

However, the day he visited the Demon Lord Palace to see her, she seemed to have quite a few words for him. It seemed like she was concerned. As he thought up to this point, he felt a bit of warmth in his heart. She seemed to not have forgotten about him.

Her body’s first time was taken by him. If she did not have amnesia, she would not forget.

Woman’s thoughts were hard to guess. A woman like the Demon Lord was even harder to guess. He did not know where to start. Furthermore, Qing Shui felt that she did not know how to handle problems between a man and woman.

“I will go make some food, you guys come over after a bit,” Qing Shui told Hua Rumei and the Demon Lord.

“Alright, we will come support you in a bit,” Hua Rumei said with a smile.

The Demon Lord just nodded.

Her action made Qing Shui surprised. However, he realized that this woman didn’t ignore him since the beginning. When he took the initiative to make conversation with her, she would still provide an answer to him by her expressions. She was not ignoring him. However, her cold demeanor made people retreat after they said one or two lines.

It made people feel uncomfortable and inferior.

As he lightly sighed, Qing Shui walked away to a location a short distance away. He knew that the matter with the Demon Lord was not an easy one to solve. He made the preparations to deal with it for a long-term, but he still felt that it was a delicate situation.

In terms of the Demon Lord, he was not in love with her to the point where he would jump into the fire and back for her. However, what he wanted was to take responsibility as a man, and he seemed to have slowly understood some things. It did not matter whether he would be together with this woman, he needed to help the Demon Lord Palace regardless. He did not care if he had to become enemies with the world.

Even the Old Turtle had mentioned that if this woman did not choose to marry him, she would be alone forever!

After he thought through some things, Qing Shui suddenly felt that a bit of weight on his shoulders had been lifted. He had released one thing that gnawed his mind. She didn’t kill him before, then she would not kill him in the future. If he did not have to worry about that anymore, why is he still weighing his gains and losses?

As he thought about this, Qing Shui smiled. His demeanor had changed. He didn’t need to force himself anymore, to tread around her with so much care. He could be a bit more honest, a bit more audacious. He could do no worse, to express himself according to his own wish was better than what he was doing now.

After he found an area with clean, empty grounds, he retrieved his cooking utensils from the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal. He also retrieved different fish and shrimp from the pond, together with several herbs and vegetables. He was in a good mood so he would properly prepare a large meal.

The Jade Steamed Buns only needed to be reheated a bit and they would be ready.

Afterwards was the fish soup, All Aspect Nourishment Soup, Rainbow Trout Fish, and other seafood dishes. Qing Shui’s cooking skill was superb. With the addition of rare spices, it was fragrant beyond imagination.

By the time the two women arrived, everything was almost ready.

The area was covered with an enchanting scenery. The air was refreshing and there was not a speck of dust. Though they were at the peak of the mountain, only a light wind blew by. The greenery was luscious and compared to the busy streets of the city, this was an otherworldly location that was like a scenery in a painting.

Qing Shui had already set up the chairs, and they were the luxurious kind. These were all collected from the Southern City Furniture Store. His Ancient Strengthening Technique also had the ability to make furniture, however, he had not practiced it. He would only research it if he was bored.

As the two ladies watched Qing Shui set up everything, plus seeing all the fragrant dishes, they thought they were hallucinating. Ignoring the fact they were in the middle of nowhere, even the highest tier restaurants would not receive such an impact on them.

Qing Shui was efficient, and as they saw the table constantly be filled with steamy, delicious dishes, Hua Rumei said after she paused for a second, “To be trained to this degree in making food, and especially for a man, this is beyond my imagination. You seem to know quite a few things.”

“In the future, you will know that I can make even more delicious foods. Come, try them.” Qing Shui passed a bowl of soup to Hua Rumei. He then scooped out a bowl for the woman. Qing Shui did this so naturally, as he did not require much extra thought for this.

The woman was surprised, she did not think that Qing Shui would directly pass the bowl to her instead of placing it in front of her. She reached out her hand to receive it and lightly said, “Thank you!”

This left Qing Shui in a bit of shock as he exclaimed, “No need to be courteous, I am very happy.”

Hua Rumei laughed, “Everyone will be here for a very long time, being too overly courteous would make things difficult. How about I’ll be the support for you and help things along, then we can all eat comfortably. How about it?”

“Alright!” Qing Shui was, of course, happy to do so.