Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

Chapter 1330

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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 pa.s.sed 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 refres.h.i.+ng 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 pa.s.sed 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 pa.s.s 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.

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AST 1420 – Entering The Heavenly Dao Again, Realm Of Drawing Breakthrough, First Level Of Drawing Souls

Of course, Qing Shui did not have any objections. It would be best if the Demon Lord could join in as well, but that possibility was low. He did not have any excessive expectations. Even in terms of Hua Rumei, Qing Shui did not expect her to help him in this front in any way.

Hua Rumei could not wait to try her first bite, she kept blinking towards Qing Shui, "The food looked delicious, but only after the first bite were you able to tell that it tastes way beyond what you can imagine."

Hua Rumei had never thought that a man could have such achievements in cooking, it was definitely a peak existence. Most Imperial Chefs in the World the Nine Continents were normal people or women, there were very few martial artists in this profession. Even if they were good at cooking, they were not this highly skilled. It could be seen that this man was not only innately talented in martial arts, but he was also talented in other areas. He was an existence beyond this world, even she felt ashamed of being inferior. This man was not only an expert in the martial arts, but also in medicine, refining pellets, and cooking. There was nothing he did not know.

Hua Rumei stopped thinking about it and just continued to eat everything.

The woman slowly ate her food, it was very natural and elegant. It was a sight that triggered the senses, an elegant, natural beauty. If not for the natural flow of her movements, it could not be considered elegance.

Though her face did not have any obvious changes, Qing Shui could see a flash of surprise on that beautiful face of hers. She raised her head to look at Qing Shui, and at that moment their eyes met.

"Delicious?" Qing Shui asked proudly.

"En!" The woman lightly nodded. She felt that this man had a small change. It seemed he was more fearless than before, he was now more mature and braver.

"Then you should eat more." Qing Shui laughed as he ate more.

Hua Rumei was surprised by what she saw. This boy"s change was fast. Even the Palace Lord seemed to treat him differently compared to other men. She never ate food with men before, moreover, she would not directly receive things handed to her by men.

But today, everything seemed to have been breaking through the ice. The more it was like this, the more she felt that these two had a relations.h.i.+p that was not known to other people. However, it should not be something ridiculous.

However, Hua Rumei could never guess that it was indeed ridiculous. It was so ridiculous to the point where even if she was audacious enough, she would still not be able to guess it.

Hua Rumei lightly patted her full belly and said, "This was the best meal I have ever had. If someone married Qing Shui then they would be blessed for the rest of their lives, don"t you think so, Palace Lord?"

Qing Shui"s hands were shaking. Hua Rumei and the Demon Lord"s relations.h.i.+p was just like sisters. Most people would not dare to make this type of joke but for her, there was no pressure at all to talk this way in front of the Demon Lord.

This time, the woman did not say anything. Hua Rumei"s words had no effect. This was probably not the first time she had said something along these lines. The Demon Lord"s silence did not make Hua Rumei feel anything being out of place.

After the meal, as Qing Shui cleaned the table, Hua Rumei stood up, "We should do this, the Palace Lord and I did not help much earlier. Let us wash the dishes."

The woman was stunned for a second, and Qing Shui looked at the woman weirdly. The woman nodded her head and said, "It should be so."

Qing Shui ma.s.saged his temples and decided that he should just let them wash the dishes. Watching their two soft and snow-white hands washed the dishes was a type of enjoyment. Hua Rumei took her time, at the start she and the Demon Lord washed their own bowls before was.h.i.+ng the other dishes and pots.

At the end, Hua Rumei took her time with the last bowl she was was.h.i.+ng, seemingly was.h.i.+ng it again and again. Then, the Demon Lord took Qing Shui"s bowl……

At that moment, Qing Shui felt he was seeing a hallucination. He felt that she was just like his own woman. It was only natural for her to wash his bowl, but the Demon Lord was was.h.i.+ng the bowl that he had used.

When Qing Shui thought about this part, it felt like it wasn"t something special. He had already touched her body, and thoroughly at that. But thinking about what happened just now, he felt something that could not be described. Perhaps it was because they were under the influence of drugs. That cool and elegant, yet cold and bewitching beauty of hers. Together with her snow-white soft skin that was smooth to touch, and tender curves like a heavenly jade sculpture carved by the G.o.ds……

"Qing Shui, the expression on your face is weird. What are you thinking about?" Hua Rumei smiled as she reached out her hand to wave it in front of Qing Shui"s face.

Qing Shui finally got his focus back, his face blushed red. He saw that the Demon Lord was also looking at him, her expression somewhat unnatural. It seemed like she had figured out what Qing Shui was thinking about or at least guessed a little bit of it.

"I was thinking that some things that happened can"t be changed. There"s no room for regret, but there must be a way to redeem myself," Qing Shui said with a sigh.

"Depression setting in? Come tell older sister what you did wrong, I will give you some advice." Hua Rumei seemed interested.

The Demon Lord just gave her farewell before returning to her tent.

"Do you really want to listen?" Qing Shui asked and laughed.

"If you want to say it, then I will listen," Hua Rumei said while laughing.

Qing Shui shook his head, "It is alright, there is nothing much to be said. There"s no one that has never made mistakes, these were all from the past when I was young. Maybe making many mistakes was the correct way forward."

"Why is making mistakes the correct way forward?" Hua Rumei and Qing Shui chatted at the table as the sky was getting dark.

"The mistakes made when someone was young, the heavens would forgive. Because the mistakes were made while young, they can fix it and redeem themselves when the person gets older. This way, they will have things to do. They would never feel emptiness since there was something for them yearn for. Making mistakes when they were young, there would be good memories to look back on when they are old. It will be something memorable, and they would not feel that their life was bland…"

"I can"t tell if your words sort of make sense. Seems like I should make some mistakes, or else I would feel sad," Hua Rumei looked at Qing Shui and said seriously.

Qing Shui shook his head, he had heard these words before in his previous life. Though it was usually considered as a digression in a chat, it did have some principles. He finally understood the principles of it when he was in this place. At his current age, with his children getting older, Qing Shui could understand that there were many mistakes that he could not make any more.

"There"s a price to pay for making mistakes, else people would make many mistakes. Some mistakes can be made, but some should not be made at all. Even making it once would result in not even having the chance to make regrets."

"Oh? Do you feel like you just accomplished something by teaching your older sister?" Hua Rumei laughed.

"Of course. Otherwise, why would the older generations love to teach the younger generations?" Qing Shui also laughed.

After they chatted for a while, Hua Rumei and Qing Shui left to return to their own tents. Qing Shui entered his own tent, then he directly went inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Cultivate!

However, Qing Shui discovered that his heart was in a mess, he could not calm down. His head was filled with the Demon Lord"s figure, he did not know why this was happening. His mind was just filled with the Demon Lord"s silhouette from today, especially during the scene when she was was.h.i.+ng dishes.

Qing Shui, who could not calmly cultivate, took out his Golden Calligraphy Brush and Moonstone Ink Slab. He also took out some paper, and he started drawing after he prepared the ink.

The drawing was, of course, of the Demon Lord.

Qing Shui didn"t improve on his Realm of Drawing for a long time. This time, he just followed her silhouette in his mind and began drawing it.

He was no longer attached to the realm of his Drawing, what he wanted was to draw the figure of her that resided within his mind. When he was bored, he could take a look at it and reminisce.

While he was indulged in his art, he began to recall the start of the experience. He added the little bits of understanding he had gained, a bit of love, tenderness, and longingness, all of these feelings.

The brush in his hand drew on top of the beast skin, he was not drawing with overconfidence and ease, nor was he drawing with force. He was drawing with a sense of harmony, one that captivated people.

Heavenly Dao!

As someone who had already entered the Heavenly Dao, Qing Shui once again walked forward a giant step.

The Heavenly Dao was hard to grasp, it was its mysterious power. However, he could borrow power, a lot of power!

By the time Qing Shui stopped, he noticed that his remaining time within the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was more than half gone, but this drawing was the one that Qing Shui was most satisfied with. Now, he was happy. He now advanced in the level of his Realm of Drawing and had broken through the level of Drawing Bones.

Qing Shui had been at the level of Drawing Bones for too long, he had been prepared to not have any breakthrough in it. Moreover, the time he had spent cultivating his Realm of Drawing arts had been less and less. He had never thought that he would have a breakthrough now, especially since there had been no hints of it.

The level of Drawing Souls!

As he thought about it, Qing Shui felt that it was a bit surreal. He looked at the woman in the drawing, and it gave off a feeling like it was alive. He was certain about the feeling it gave off, it was even more than just being vivid and lifelike.

Qing Shui had suddenly broken through to the level of Drawing Souls. It was said that the level of Drawing Souls would be able to draw out actual souls, but it was too surreal. Qing Shui felt that it was more like a breakthrough to another realm. The drawings were even more captivating, but whether it could draw something that was alive, he did not know. The possibility was low. Qing Shui"s level could bestow the person within his drawing with essence, qi, and spirit. After he thought about it for a while, he felt that this was not possible since it did not adhere to the Heavenly Dao.

Qing Shui looked at this drawing. It didn"t matter who was looking at it, they would feel shocked. This was definitely the highest tier drawing within the World of the Nine Continents. Breaking through was a good thing, as Qing Shui was mostly doing it for Heavenly Talismans. He was not doing it for drawing pictures. Thus, Drawing Souls was about the essence of the drawing. Being able to draw an even deeper level of things, it could help capture unspeakable things.

Qing Shui discovered that he was not tired at all and even felt comfortable himself. This made him shocked again. This time, the breakthrough did not increase his strength but his storage of essence, qi, and spirit had doubled. This was terrifying. His burst damage did not change, but his battle endurance doubled……

As the amount of essence, qi, and spirit he could store within his body had increased, his resistances also increased. If he got one point higher he would break through again, thus, the benefits were big.

Right now, Qing Shui"s state of mind was calmer. However, his heart was still in a mess, even if it got a bit better. The woman had a destructive power even just by standing there without moving. She could make men lose their appet.i.te and completely disheartened.

Qing Shui had felt this feeling before, having her was like having the world while losing her was like losing his own life.
That was why there would be people who wanted the beauty but not their dynasty, since losing one"s livelihood could make the dynasty useless. There was no one to share their happiness.
……

The second day, Qing Shui woke up early and started to practice his Taichi Fist from afar. His Heavenly Dao seemed to have advanced by quite a bit, even his Taichi Fist seemed to also carry a natural bearing.

A golden Taichi Golden Qi enveloped Qing Shui"s surrounding and just like water, it moves along with his fist. This Taichi Golden Qi was the most flexible and yet the most firm. It would moved with the flow of his movement, with firmness and Yang energy.

Each fist from Qing Shui was like in its own realm. He seemed to be practicing without the world"s influence, it was a sight to behold. People would not dare to underestimate his ability.

The Demon Lord and Hua Rumei stood outside their tents as they watched Qing Shui from afar.

"How is it? Bringing him has brought our chances of victory up huh?" Hua Rumei said happily.

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