Chapter 342: Expressing True Feelings

"Delicious, thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang."Qi Shanshan smiled sweetly and expressed her gratitude.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time and seemed a bit estranged. As they ate the pastries, neither of them spoke.

Wang Qingzhi hesitated for a while, then gathered his courage and broke the silence: "Fairy Qi, what do you think of me as a person?"

"You're very good, dependable and capable."

"That's not what I'm asking. What I'm asking is, do you think I'm worthy of becoming your dual cultivation partner?"

Wang Qingzhi's gaze was fixed on Qi Shanshan, his heart pounding, his expression tense.

Qi Shanshan was startled at first, her cheeks flushed. She lowered her head and asked, blushing:

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what do you mean by this?"

Seeing that Qi Shanshan didn't refuse, Wang Qingzhi was overjoyed. Mustering his courage, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fairy Qi, I like you. Truly, I've liked you for a long time. Will you be my dual cultivation partner?"

"Does your mother know about this? Will she agree?" Qi Shanshan asked faintly. Over the years, she had subtly gathered information and knew that the Wang family had two Core Formation cultivators backing them. Wang Qingzhi's parents were no ordinary people; his father was a disciple of a Core Formation cultivator, and his mother was the grand-niece of a Core Formation cultivator. Given Wang Qingzhi's standing, it wouldn't be difficult for him to marry a woman from another cultivation family. As for her, a more polite description would be a rogue cultivator who had sought refuge with the Wang family; a prisoner, to put it harshly.

"My mother must have listened to some slander; she doesn't like you. I've already made up my mind, Fairy Qi. I'll take you away from Wang Family Fort, and we'll find a place where no one knows us to live. I can cultivate spirit grains; I can support you." Wang Qingzhi took a deep breath, speaking with newfound courage, his heart filled with anxiety.

"Take me away from Wang Family Fort? What about my grandfather? Not only is it impossible for us to escape, but even if we did, your relatives would think I kidnapped you from Wang Family Fort. Then, my grandfather surely wouldn't survive. Fellow Daoist Wang, please don't say such things again." Qi Shanshan said, frowning, her tone turning cold.

The Wang family kept Qi Yunmin under strict surveillance. Arrays were set up around his residence, and his storage bags had been confiscated; he couldn't possibly escape. Qi Shanshan couldn't abandon Qi Yunmin and flee. Furthermore, even if Wang Qingzhi could take both her and her grandfather out of Wang Family Fort, they wouldn't get far. Most importantly, without the Wang family's help, it would be extremely difficult for Qi Shanshan to avenge her clan's destruction.

Given the status of Wang Qingzhi's parents, taking Wang Qingzhi and fleeing would be like carrying a hot potato.

"No! I can leave a letter for my mother and the others, telling them the truth. They won't make things difficult for your grandfather, Fairy Qi, I—"

Qi Shanshan interrupted Wang Qingzhi, stating sternly, "Enough, Fellow Daoist Wang. I cannot joke with my grandfather's life. No matter how flowery your words, I will not flee Wang Family Fort with you."

This was the first time Wang Qingzhi had seen Qi Shanshan like this, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

He pondered for a moment, then looked up at Qi Shanshan and asked earnestly, "Fairy Qi, my mother said you approached me with an ulterior motive. Is that true?"

"Yes, I want you to help me avenge my clan's destruction. Are you satisfied with that answer?"

"Is revenge that important to you?"

Qi Shanshan looked at Wang Qingzhi as if he were an idiot, and sneered, "If your parents and sister were killed right before your eyes, and the clan members you grew up with successively fell in pools of blood, would you seek revenge for them, or would you find a secluded place and cling to a precarious existence? Do you know that every time I close my eyes now, I see my parents and my younger brother? Do you know how horribly they died? Have you ever experienced the feeling of losing your closest kin?"

By the end, her expression was deeply agitated, her eyes red-rimmed, and two clear tears traced paths down her cheeks.

Hearing this, Wang Qingzhi's expression turned somber.

Putting himself in her shoes, if he were Qi Shanshan, he too would think of revenge.

"I have one last question for you: putting my background aside, have you ever liked me?" Wang Qingzhi's gaze was fixed on Qi Shanshan, his heart filled with apprehension.

Qi Shanshan was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Yes. I was quite happy with you. At least, you didn't treat me like a prisoner."

Wang Qingzhi let out a long sigh of relief and said earnestly, "Good. Your words are enough. Just you wait; I will definitely convince my mother and the others. I won't marry anyone but you."

He stood up, about to leave.

Qi Shanshan called out to Wang Qingzhi, gently biting her red lip as she asked, "Fellow Daoist Wang, am I worth all this? What do you like about me?"

Wang Qingzhi gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "I don't like artifact forging, talismans, array formations, alchemy, or puppet crafting. I only like farming. Others, out of respect for my parents, naturally won't say anything openly, but I know they don't think highly of me, believing that farming has no future. Fairy Qi, you are different from them. When I'm farming and raising fish with you, I feel very grounded and happy."

Wang Changsheng was the Wang family's most skilled puppet crafter and artifact forger, and also had the highest cultivation level. As Wang Changsheng's son, Wang Qingzhi had ordinary aptitude and little talent in artifact forging or puppet crafting. Wang Ruyan had also arranged for Wang Qingzhi to learn alchemy and talisman crafting, and even invited Wang Changyue to teach him array formations, but Wang Qingzhi couldn't learn them and had no interest. He preferred farming and raising fish, enjoying such a leisurely life.

Wang Mingyuan and Liu Qing'er had advised him more than once to learn a skill. With only farming, it would be difficult for Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan to help him establish his foundation. The yield of spirit grains per acre was limited, and Wang Qingzhi couldn't significantly increase spirit grain production, making it extremely difficult to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill from the family.

Wang Qingzhi was determined to farm; he felt there was much joy in it. He didn't want to follow the path planned by his elders; he wanted to decide his own future.

Qi Shanshan was skilled at raising spirit fish and spirit clams. The spirit fish and spirit clams sold for a good price, and his elders had praised Wang Qingzhi greatly. Wang Qingzhi knew his choice was correct; among the hundred arts of cultivation, as long as one mastered a single skill, farming could also lead to a good future.

Regarding the matter of Qi Shanshan, Wang Qingzhi refused to back down. It wasn't so much that he particularly liked Qi Shanshan, but rather that he didn't want to live according to the path his elders had planned. He was grown up now and wanted to live the way he liked.

Qi Shanshan was deeply moved by his words.

"What if your mother firmly disagrees? She is your mother, after all."

Wang Qingzhi smiled slightly, full of confidence, and said, "Grandpa and Grandma dote on me the most. I'll go beg them, and my mother can't possibly ignore what Grandpa and Grandma say, can she? Fairy Qi, in this life, I, Wang Qingzhi, will marry no one but you."

Hearing this, Qi Shanshan bit her red lip, and tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.

Wang Qingzhi's devotion was indeed rare.

Just then, a man's voice suddenly rang out: "Marry no one but her? You speak with great arrogance."

As soon as the words fell, Wang Changsheng walked in, his expression stern, his face slightly tired.

He had spent over a year, almost without rest, finally rushing back to Wang Family Fort.

As soon as he returned home, Wang Ruyan recounted the events of the past few years. Learning that Wang Mingli and others had been killed by cultivators from the Qin family, Wang Changsheng was deeply grieved. However, he was somewhat surprised to learn that his son had fallen for Qi Shanshan and had argued with Wang Ruyan several times because of her.

To be honest, he didn't know his son very well. Firstly, he had been busy with cultivation and clan affairs. Secondly, Wang Qingzhi was a man of few words; when they were together, he could barely utter ten sentences in half a day. Wang Changsheng wished to understand him better but had no means to.