Qin Zhongshan and the rest of the group sipped their tea carefully. They felt deep satisfaction with every sip. This was the closest they had ever come to true enlightenment.
In fact, whoever trained in the Empath Sect were definitely those that had run into problems concerning matters of the heart. There would be celebrations all around if they were able to reach enlightenment through their training. However, more often than not, that was not the case.
The Suffering Sea made them better empaths but correspondingly, once they experienced a failed love affair and lost their hearts, the worst-case scenario would be the death of the body and the best-case scenario was being forever trapped by sentimentalism.
Win some, lose some.
However, after a cup of enlightenment tea, they suddenly felt a sense of relief. Their emotional injuries were healed and their lost strength was restored a little bit. The little bit could not be underestimated. It made a huge difference for people at their levels.
“Is the tea to your liking?” asked Li Nianfan with a smile.
“I’ll forever remember this fragrance. It’s truly excellent tea!” said Qin Zhongshan without missing a beat.
“You can have as much as you want. Don’t be shy to ask for unlimited refills,’ said Li Nianfan happily.
“Thank you, Mr. Li,” chorused the group in gratitude.
“You’re too kind. It’s a small matter,” said Li Nianfan with a wave of his hand. “By the way, has the Empath Sect come to the Area of the Gods for further development? In any case, I’m a local here and could help you smooth things over.”
He wanted to help them however he can to repay them for giving him the Double Flying Stone.
Qin Zhongshan pondered for a moment, then sighed lightly. “To be honest, Mr. Li, the Empath Sect originally didn’t intend to come to the Area of the Gods, but… My two children were injured by sentimentalism so I brought them here to find a cure for them.”
“So, that explains the Path Scar on their bodies which normally won’t appear on people with their spiritual cultivation. It must be caused by cultivation backfiring,” said Daji thoughtfully.
“Yes, Chuyue and Yun were the most talented followers of the Empath Sect in decades. At that time, even the Suffering Sea had a feeling they’d be able to transcend the suffering caused by sentimentalism and reach enlightenment. It’s a pity…”
Qin Zhongshan’s eyes darkened but he quickly pulled back his emotions and said, “They were lucky enough to have met Mr. Li who so ever graciously healed them.” He turned to look at Li Nianfan with gratitude while saying that.
Li Nianfan believed that a good deed should go unnamed so he did not acknowledge Qin Zhongshan’s words. This in turn raised his character more in the groups’ eyes.
“They were injured by sentimentalism?” Li Nianfan looked at Qin Chuyue and Qin Yun with undisguised surprise. He never thought these two would fall victim to over-sentimentalism. Especially Qin Yun who spent his days in the opera theatre.
Qin Chuyue let out a sudden sigh. “Qin Yun wanted to fight poison with poison and decrease the power of sentimentalism. Who would’ve thought he’d be unable to pass the final level. I blame myself for that.”
Her tone was filled with sorrow and her eyes became red. “It was all because of that playboy’s fault!” she said with gritted teeth.
Li Nianfan took out the television and passed it to Qin Chuyue. “Here. Use this to tell your story.”
He noticed that tears would fall from Qin Chuyue’s eyes if she continued telling the story. The group was hanging onto her every word, wanting to know the whole story. So, out of kindness, he lent a helping hand.
It would be easier and more fun to watch the story on the television. It would also save Qin Chuyue the effort of telling it verbally.
“This is…”
Qin Chuyue looked at the television, slightly dazed.
An Ultimate Chaos Treasure?
‘Isn’t it blasphemy to use a treasure like this to tell my love story?’ she asked herself.
The rest of the group was surprised as well. No wonder he was the expert—he had a Chaos Treasure for everything!
However, they were mentally prepared this time so they kept their cool. Besides, they were more interested in Qin Chuyue’s love story.
“Daughter, do as Mr. Li says. Tell your story. As a father, I never showed any concern for your love story and that was my sin,” said Qin Zhongshan compassionately.
Qin Yun’s eyes shone brightly. “Quick, sister! Show us your love story so I can figure out where it went wrong. That way, you can die happily without any regrets.”
“Chuyue, you’ll feel better after sharing your story,” chorused Shi Ye.
What else can Qin Chuyue do under their ardent gazes, especially that of the expert?
She bit her lip and nodded determinedly.
She accepted the television and in an instant, the screen displayed the first meeting between her and Ye Shuanghan. The opening scene showed Ye Shuanghan being chased by somebody and Qin Chuyue was the one who saved him from being killed.
After that, Qin Chuyue allowed him to follow her on the journey because of his adorableness. She would tease him from time to time. The two of them trained and killed demons together—rinse and repeat.
Finally, the scene changed. They were taking a boat ride on the lake, flying a kite, stargazing, and entering the woods….
“Huh? Why did you skip over the woods?” asked someone.
“Sister, I need to know exactly what happened in the woods?” Qin Yun gently reminded her.
Qin Chuyue’s face became beet red. “Nothing happened. I only skipped over a few minutes. I swear nothing important happened.” She pretended to be calm while saying that.
“A…few minutes?” Qin Yun widened his eyes. His face changed from disbelief to one of schadenfreude, and finally to indescribable happiness. His effort to keep his laugh under wraps caused his shoulders to shake violently.
“It’s understandable if it’s the first time,” consoled Big Elder. Then, he turned to the sides and his shoulders started to shake as well. “I’ve sparred with him before but I don’t think I can ever look him in the eyes after this.”
Shi Ye nodded solemnly, then, immediately covered his mouth.
The only person who did not laugh was Qin Zhongshan.
His face was red with anger and his eyes were as big as cymbals. “You…you…you’ll be the death of me! How could you make me lose face by getting pregnant before marriage?”
“You’re using the wrong words, father,” corrected Qin Yun. “It’s tasting the forbidden fruit before marriage.”
The rest of the group tried to appease Qin Zhongshan. “Please, don’t be angry, Master. Times have changed.”
Qin Chuyue’s face was still red. She did not dare to look anyone in the eyes.
The scene on the television continued. The couple who was madly in love delayed their practice and so, their journey became something to watch.
It was a rotation on the lake, kiting, stargazing, and the woods.
Kiting, stargazing, and the woods.
Stargazing and the woods.
The woods.
Until one day, when their lives were disrupted.
On that fateful day, Ye Shuanghan discovered a tattered old book called ‘The Art of Sword—Loveless’.
The essence of the book—if there was no woman in one’s heart, one’s swordsmanship would naturally be powerful.
The first page of the book read, ‘How to forget the woman in your heart…’
