Chapter 87

Wei Shizheng still needed about half a year to complete the "Twelve-Storied Pagoda." Before that, Qin Zhen was not in a hurry to form the Dao Fetus, so she decided to try to open the fourteenth acupoint on the Conception Vessel. However, the later the acupoints were opened, the more difficult it became. This attempt was merely a human effort, leaving the rest to fate.

During the winter hunt at Jietian Ridge, Wei Shizheng secretly kept a batch of demon cores, mostly earth-type, with about twenty fire-type cores, all of high quality and the size of thumbs. The two of them took turns cultivating the "He Qi Zhi Xuan Jing" to refine the demon cores and draw the abundant primordial energy from them.

Another year of spring grass turned green, the air was filled with warmth, and all living things began to flourish. Wei Shizheng's cultivation of the Howling Moon Technique progressed extremely quickly. Refining the acupoints and condensing the primordial fluid seemed as natural as water flowing into a channel. In just a few months, he had already completed the "Ten-Storied Pagoda," while Qin Zhen had yet to break through the fourteenth acupoint.

At first, he felt somewhat smug, but as the primordial fluid condensed drop by drop, the speed increased. It seemed as if some mysterious force was pushing him to an extreme. He felt anxious, and that anxiety was like a venomous snake, coiling around his heart. Wei Shizheng speculated that as his cultivation deepened, the bloodline of the Ba Snake was gradually awakening. Whether the Howling Moon Technique was awakening the bloodline or the awakening of the bloodline was accelerating his cultivation, no one could clearly explain the cause and effect.

Wei Shizheng was hesitant. He didn't know if he could maintain his true self if he continued. The uncertainty and unpredictability of the future made him restless and anxious, losing his usual calmness.

Qin Zhen keenly sensed his unease and found an opportunity to ask about it, but Wei Shizheng evaded the question, unwilling to say anything. What was he really worried about? Qin Zhen didn't think that keeping secrets meant a lack of trust, but she felt disappointed that her senior brother still treated her like a child. She had never felt this way before. She had always been content with his care, so why did she feel resentful this time?

Qin Zhen had grown up.

Wei Shizheng planned to slow down, but he found that every day at midnight and noon, the primordial energy in his body would spontaneously flow into the acupoints, gradually condensing into primordial fluid. He tried many methods, but they were largely ineffective. In the end, he had to deplete all the primordial energy in the acupoints, leaving his body empty, to stop the process.

This was not a long-term solution. What was the problem? When did the primordial energy lose control, and when did his will become a slave to his body? Wei Shizheng's anxiety gradually accumulated, and he became more withdrawn, speaking less. Qin Zhen watched him with growing concern.

One day in late spring, Wei Shizheng sat by a mountain stream, listening to the sound of the water, doing nothing. Qin Zhen carefully sat beside him, took off her shoes and socks, and immersed her feet in the stream. The sunlight shone on her white feet, making them look like jade.

"Senior Brother, I haven't changed my mind."

"Huh?" Wei Shizheng looked at her, not understanding why she said this out of the blue.

"I've grown up a bit."

Wei Shizheng laughed, remembering his initial promise, "When you grow up a bit more, if you haven't changed your mind, I'll marry you." He pinched her chin playfully, "Are you eager to get married?"

Qin Zhen blushed, shook her head, and mustered the courage to say, "I won't change my mind. It's just that Senior Brother always treats me like a child, keeping everything to himself and not telling me. I'm worried... that you were just saying it casually, and one day when you mention it, you'll pat my head and say that children's words don't count."

"Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

"Senior Brother, we've talked about many things, almost everything. Looking back, you only talk about other people's affairs, light-hearted things, and casual chats. You never talk about yourself. I only know that you are a hunter from Laoyaling, and nothing else... This makes me feel like I'm still a child, not grown up, and shouldn't ask about adult matters..."

She had circled around the topic, but what she really wanted to know was why he was so anxious. She wanted to understand, share the burden, and get closer to him, rather than hide in his arms, covering her eyes and ears. Wei Shizheng looked at her for a long time before asking, "Do you want to know?"

Qin Zhen nodded vigorously.

Wei Shizheng began to tell her about Laoyaling, Kuiteng Gou, the hunters, herbalists, woodcutters, fishermen, Old Liu, Mulin, Xinyang Town, the three bridges in town—Shangguan Bridge, Yuanlong Bridge, and Xiapu Bridge, the shopkeeper Song from Chongyuan Hall, the chrysanthemums in the East Garden of the Zhao residence, the training ground, the accounting office, Deng Suanpan, the martial arts manual, Heisong Valley, the feud between the green wolf and the old bear, Deng Shouyi, the Dragon-Cutting Sword, Huyang Ferry, and the first time he met Qin Zhen at the land temple.

These were the things Qin Zhen wanted to know, but not what she most wanted to know. She hugged Wei Shizheng's arm tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, he would leave her.

"Senior Brother, you have something on your mind."

Wei Shizheng hesitated, "I'm thinking about some things and need to make some decisions, but I can't see the pros and cons, and I don't know what to do."

"Can you tell me?" Qin Zhen pleaded softly.

"No."

"No," the two words were calm and decisive. Qin Zhen was startled. Her body trembled, and for a moment, she thought she had offended her senior brother, exhausting all the affection they had shared. She felt tense, wronged, and anxious. She tried to get closer to him but was pushed away without hesitation, being told not to cross the line.

Wei Shizheng stroked her cheek and said softly, "No." He leaned down and kissed Qin Zhen's lips, his mood gradually relaxing. It was time to make a decision. There was no third path between giving up and continuing. He couldn't go back to the past or take a step back. He had to charge forward with all his might.

But he didn't want to involve Qin Zhen. She was still young, like a flower that hadn't yet bloomed.

"Wait for me here, don't follow me."

"Where are you going?"

"Nearby, not far."

It sounded like an evasion, and Qin Zhen sensed a sense of farewell. Something was about to happen. She gazed at him in a daze, reaching out to touch his eyebrows, "I... I'm still too young, I can't help you, and I can't... comfort you. No matter what happens, don't leave me alone. No matter where you go, I will follow you!"

"No matter what happens? No matter where you go?"

Qin Zhen repeated firmly, "No matter what, no matter where!"

"Even if I hurt you, you won't regret it?"

"Even if the mountains crumble and the earth splits, I won't regret it!"

Perhaps in the next moment, the Ba Snake's bloodline would fully awaken. Perhaps he would turn into a bloodthirsty monster. Perhaps he would hurt Qin Zhen, crushing the flower of her youth. But leaving Qin Zhen alone, hiding the truth from her, and letting her live in a world of illusions, enjoying so-called happiness and peace, was that the right choice? There were two types of women: one who traded a brief youth for pampering and enjoyment, and the other who walked by his side, never leaving or abandoning him. Since Qin Zhen had chosen the latter, Wei Shizheng was willing to fulfill her wish.

"Walking by my side will be very hard and very dangerous."

"I'm not afraid."

"Alright, wait for me here. I think it won't be long, and you will see the result," Wei Shizheng pinched her lower lip, "whether it's good or bad."