Chapter 214: Moonlight Bowing to the Moon

The night was dark and windy, the moon dim and stars sparse—a perfect time for... well, not petty theft, but rather, a romantic rendezvous.

Tomorrow marked the final day of the second round of group matches. Yun Che, having secured ten wins in ten matches, was already guaranteed a spot in the top 100. Yun Che himself didn't think much of it, but Qin Wushang was overjoyed, his smile unceasing from afternoon till night. Cang Yue was also naturally filled with boundless delight. And when a beauty is in high spirits, making a move is considerably easier.

Perhaps, tonight she would give herself to him.

At this thought, Yun Che let out a lecherous chuckle. He sprang from his bed, and just as he was about to head to Cang Yue's room, a knock suddenly sounded at his door. Xia Yuanba's voice called from outside, "Brother-in-law, are you asleep?"

It wasn't very late, but the outside was already quiet. Fearing to disturb him, Qin Wushang and Xia Yuanba never sought him out at night unless there was urgent business.

Yun Che went to open the door. "Yuanba, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Sister just came by. She asked me to give you this," Xia Yuanba said, pulling out a small spatial ring and handing it to Yun Che.

"Your sister? Qingyue was just here?" Yun Che asked, taking the ring with surprise.

"Yes," Xia Yuanba nodded. "Sister said you don't really need these things anymore, but they're useless for her to keep, so she asked me to pass them on to you."

Something my wife Qingyue gave me? What could it be?

Yun Che picked up the ring and activated his internal vision... Inside the seemingly empty spatial ring, there were only three items...

There was a profound pellet, its aura rich and mellow—clearly a profound pellet from an Earth Profound Beast! Next to it was a fist-sized precious crystal resembling a purple ice crystal—the Purple Veined Heaven Crystal! Lastly, there was an unusual plant rooted in a transparent jade bottle, with twisted stems, bearing seven long, pointed leaves, with a faint seven-colored light flowing through its entire form...

The Seven Profound Exquisite Grass!!

Yun Che's heart violently trembled.

The Seven Profound Exquisite Grass, the Purple Veined Heaven Crystal, and the Earth Profound Beast's profound pellet... These were unmistakably the three items he had mentioned to Xia Qingyue long ago, items that could heal his then-crippled profound veins!

Yun Che looked up and urgently asked, "How long ago did Qingyue leave?"

"Uh, she just left a little while ago, Brother-in-law, are you—"

Before Xia Yuanba could finish speaking, Yun Che shot out like a gust of wind, vanishing from his sight in an instant.

Xia Yuanba stood at the doorway, scratching his head with an innocent expression, muttering softly, "Should I have told Brother-in-law when Sister was here?"

Stepping out of the courtyard, Yun Che paused for a moment. With his incredibly keen spiritual perception, he detected faint traces of a cold aura. Following its direction, Yun Che unleashed his full speed, giving chase. Before long, beneath the dark night sky, a graceful figure in flowing white robes appeared in his sight. He slowed his steps and quickly called out, "Qingyue!"

The voice from behind made Xia Qingyue stop. She quietly turned around, her gaze meeting Yun Che's. She didn't seem particularly surprised by his pursuit. Her beautiful eyes were calm, and her voice was soft as she asked, "Young Master Yun, what can Qingyue do for you?"

The title "Young Master Yun" made Yun Che's mouth twitch slightly. He opened his mouth and asked, "Wife Qingyue, I want to ask you a question... The marriage certificate I gave you that day... is it still there?"

Xia Qingyue raised her snow-white hand and gently stroked her ring. She pulled out a perfectly flat marriage certificate, carefully protected within a colorless crystal. With a flick of her hand, the certificate flew towards Yun Che, landing in his grasp. It was indeed his and Xia Qingyue's marriage certificate, perfectly intact!

A wordless sense of gratitude swelled in Yun Che's heart. While the existence of this marriage certificate might not prove Xia Qingyue truly harbored feelings for him, it did demonstrate that after he left that day, she had gone to great lengths to protect his last shred of dignity.

At the very least, when her husband was surrounded by adversity, she, as his wife, did not seize the opportunity to abandon him, but instead fulfilled the most sacred aspect of a wife's responsibility.

The presence of this marriage certificate also affirmed that they remained husband and wife, even to this day.

"At that time, you couldn't protect this marriage certificate, so you entrusted it to me," Xia Qingyue said softly. "Now, I believe you have the power to safeguard it, so it's time I returned it to you."

"Then do you still remember what I said when I gave you the marriage certificate?" Yun Che asked in a very low voice, carefully putting away the document.

Xia Qingyue remained silent.

"I said at that time, 'If you still want to be my wife, then keep it; if you want complete freedom, then destroy it'..." Yun Che paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile. "To be honest, after I left that day, I always assumed you would choose to destroy the marriage certificate. After all, whether it was for your father's promise or to repay Uncle Xiao Ying's kindness, you were meant to marry Xiao Ying's son. But you already knew then that I wasn't his son at all—I was just a 'foundling,' as they called me. You could have legitimately destroyed the marriage certificate and annulled our marriage, entering Ice Cloud Asgard with a clear conscience. So why did you choose to protect it?"

Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes met Yun Che's, showing no hint of evasion; her gaze was utterly calm. Over the past year and a half in Ice Cloud Asgard, Yun Che keenly sensed that Xia Qingyue's entire demeanor had undergone a profound transformation. In the few days they spent together after their marriage, her gaze had been indifferent and cool, subtly conveying aloof pride and a touch of naiveté. But now, the coolness in Xia Qingyue's eyes was entirely replaced by a profound placidness, as tranquil as a still pool of water without a ripple. Her aura of power, however, had become chillingly cold.

Aside from the Ice Cloud Art, Ice Cloud Asgard's core profound arts also included the Ice Heart Art. The latter could calm one's mind, rendering their spiritual sea empty and ethereal. At its extreme, one could achieve true detachment, becoming indifferent to all aspects of the world—life and death, victory and defeat, desires, good and evil...

But could a person without desires and pursuits still be called "human"?

"Qingyue cannot answer this question."

"Why can't you answer?"

Xia Qingyue quietly replied, "Because what Qingyue thought at that time, I no longer remember. Perhaps, our marital destiny is not yet complete."

She uttered the words "marital destiny," a phrase that should have carried a hint of intimacy, yet she spoke them so blandly, without the slightest trace of emotion. This very placidness gave Yun Che an uncomfortable suffocating sensation. The Xia Qingyue of the past was like a proud snow mountain ice lotus. Though he was crippled and insignificant then, he still harbored endless thoughts of testing and provoking her, dreaming of conquering and "plucking" her. Had it not been for later unforeseen circumstances, given enough time and living together day after day, he was confident he would have succeeded.

But the current Xia Qingyue felt like a bright moon suspended high in the sky—still perfectly flawless, yet now incredibly distant, too far to ever reach.

Ice Cloud Asgard, that place truly ruins people!

Thinking of Chu Yuechan, who had spent five months with him, even sharing intimacy, yet still left so resolutely; and now contemplating Xia Qingyue's transformation... Yun Che's heart immediately surged with an impulse to utterly destroy Ice Cloud Asgard.

It gathers so many peerless beauties, only to transform them one by one into ethereal beings, untouched by worldly desires or human concerns... It is simply a place that enrages both men and gods in the hearts of all men!

Yun Che's chest rose and fell as he calmed his mind, then he said peacefully, "Thank you for finding the Seven Profound Exquisite Grass, the Earth Profound Beast's profound pellet, and the Purple Veined Heaven Crystal for me. I know that even for Ice Cloud Asgard, collecting all three of these items in just a year and a half isn't easy, especially since you were merely a newly initiated disciple."

"No need to thank me," Xia Qingyue said, her voice light and elegant. "Compared to the favor you granted me by unblocking all my profound entrances, these are insignificant."

"My unblocking your profound entrances merely involved shedding a few drops of sweat," Yun Che said, smiling faintly. "But your finding these items for me was far from simple. Still, I suppose I shouldn't thank you, because we are husband and wife."

Xia Qingyue remained silent.

"May I ask you three questions?"

"Please do," Xia Qingyue replied, not refusing.

The night grew deeper. Although only scattered stars dotted the sky, the full moon was exceptionally bright, generously casting down its luminous glow. Yet, when its beautiful, flawless light fell upon Xia Qingyue, it could only become an unnoticed backdrop. Under the moonlight, Xia Qingyue was like a celestial maiden descended to earth, radiating an indescribable, breathtaking beauty. Looking at this almost ethereal figure before him, it was impossible for Yun Che's heart not to race. He slowly took a breath and asked, "Are you doing well in Ice Cloud Asgard?"

"Very well. The Palace Master, my Master, my Senior Aunt, my Junior Aunt, and all my fellow disciples treat me very kindly," Xia Qingyue replied concisely.

"Good, that's good," Yun Che nodded. "Second question: I've wanted the answer to this for a very long time, but you never told me back then... I want to know, at the time of our marriage, what was the true realm of your profound strength?"

Yun Che had been absolutely certain then that Xia Qingyue's profound strength far exceeded the Elementary Profound Realm Level 10 that she outwardly displayed. Yet, her reported profound strength of Elementary Profound Realm Level 10 was common knowledge throughout the city, and no one had ever questioned it. Even elders whose power vastly surpassed the Elementary Profound Realm believed she was only at that level. It seemed her true profound strength was concealed by some special method. Yun Che readily understood the reason for this concealment: in a small place like Floating Cloud City, a 16-year-old at the peak of the Elementary Profound Realm was already hailed as the top talent. If she had revealed her profound strength to be at the Nascent Profound Realm, or even its peak, it would have undoubtedly caused an unpredictable sensation.

This time, Xia Qingyue did not refuse and answered directly, "When I was twelve, I met my Master. At thirteen, I broke through the Elementary Profound Realm and entered the Nascent Profound Realm. At fourteen, I broke through the Nascent Profound Realm and entered the True Profound Realm. And when I married you at sixteen, I was at the peak of the True Profound Realm, just like you are now."

Yun Che: "...!!!"