Chapter 12

On the mountain of Luoxia, as the sun began to rise, Mengqi looked at the marriage contract Longchen handed over. A trace of reluctance flashed in her beautiful eyes, and her jade-like hands stretched out and retracted, but she never reached for the thin piece of paper.

Longchen smiled slightly, gently reached out, and held Mengqi's jade-like hand, placing the marriage contract in her hand.

When he touched her frost-defying, snow-covering jade-like hands, Longchen couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion, and it took great effort to calm himself down.

"Hold it. You are a kind girl. Although things have come to this, I don't hate you at all," Longchen looked at Mengqi's flawless jade-like face and said softly.

With one hand held by Longchen, Mengqi's delicate body trembled. Instinctively, she wanted to pull her hand back, but she hesitated.

Longchen's words made Mengqi's heart ache, and tears involuntarily streamed down her beautiful eyes. She choked and said, "Longchen, I'm sorry..."

"Indeed, you are a kind girl. I should seize the opportunity."

Longchen felt a surge of joy, but his expression remained gentle, like an older brother. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears from Mengqi's eyes.

It took great self-control to keep himself from being captivated by her perfect beauty. Mengqi's charm was truly astonishing.

If not for Longchen's powerful soul strength, he would have been breathing heavily and his heart pounding like thunder. However, he needed to continue to make an effort.

He smiled slightly and said, "Mengqi, this isn't your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's my father and your father. They really should get married if they like each other so much. Why force us?"

Mengqi, who had been sobbing, suddenly burst into laughter at Longchen's audacious words.

Her eyes sparkled with a smile, like pear blossoms in the rain, beautiful beyond measure. Longchen couldn't help but exclaim, "Mengqi, you are so beautiful."

But he immediately regretted it. "Damn, I still couldn't control myself. My true nature is exposed," Longchen was angry with himself.

Fortunately, Mengqi didn't get angry at Longchen's praise. Her face turned red, and her eyes sparkled with a shy expression, adding another layer of beauty.

"Longchen, if you miss such a beauty, what's the point of living?" Longchen thought to himself.

"Right, I need to be bold and fearless. The bolder the person, the greater the harvest."

Longchen took a deep breath, released Mengqi's hand, but the marriage contract remained in her hand.

"Actually, with your current status, you don't have to consider my feelings. You could just ignore me, as we are from two different worlds.

But you still came. I know you don't want me to keep having false hopes or to face a cruel outcome after endless waiting.

What you did is not wrong; on the contrary, I am very grateful to you," Longchen said, looking at Mengqi and nodding.

"Longchen, are you saying this to ease my guilt?" Mengqi looked at the marriage contract in her hand and said with a slight tremor in her voice.

"No, I'm just speaking the truth. But from today on, I have a grand goal," Longchen smiled.

"What is it?" Mengqi asked.

"From today on, I will work hard to cultivate. When my strength is sufficient, I will come to find you. The marriage contract is null and void, but it doesn't stop me from pursuing you again," Longchen smiled.

Although he was smiling, his eyes were filled with determination. His resolute expression made it impossible to doubt his resolve.

Mengqi was momentarily stunned. It was the first time she had seen someone so boldly confess to her, especially someone who had been deeply hurt by her.

Her heart was in turmoil, unsure whether to reject or accept him.

"You don't have to feel pressured. This is my one-sided wish. A kind person like you deserves for me to protect you with my life.

But before I pursue you, I need to work hard to become a true powerhouse, to have the qualifications to protect you.

For this qualification, I will cultivate with all my might, whether you accept or reject me, I will do this," Longchen said firmly.

Mengqi's face flushed with a rosy hue. Although she came from a humble background, everything changed after joining the sect.

It was the first time someone had been so bold and direct with her. Looking at Longchen's determined eyes, her heart was in turmoil, and she couldn't speak for a moment.

There was hope. Seeing Mengqi's flustered expression, Longchen felt secretly delighted. At least Mengqi didn't show any disgust or aversion, which was a small step forward. He needed to continue to stir her emotions until she was moved.

Just as Longchen was about to continue, a terrifying aura suddenly rose, making his heart tremble.

Mengqi's face changed slightly, and she stepped forward, placing Longchen behind her. Her jade-like hand moved slightly, but she retracted it after assessing the situation.

A huge yellow wasp appeared, nearly fifty feet long, with a surging aura and colorful patterns all over its body, making people's skin crawl.

Longchen was startled. It was a second-stage magical beast, and a very aggressive one called the Blood Fury Wasp.

Even third-stage magical beasts rarely provoked it, as being stung by its tail could be fatal or leave one severely injured.

After a brief shock, Longchen looked at the beautiful figure in front of him and felt a surge of emotion. "If you can stand in front of me once, I will stand in front of you for a lifetime."

The huge Blood Fury Wasp landed, and a man jumped off its back.

He looked to be in his twenties, tall and slender, with regular features, giving off a noble aura. However, the unhidden arrogance in his eyes marred his overall image.

The man looked at Mengqi with obvious admiration.

"Junior Sister, you haven't returned to the sect for so long. Master is very displeased and sent me to find you," the man said with a smile, but his brow furrowed when he saw Longchen. "Who is this person? Could it be?"

As he spoke, a cold look appeared in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"Don't talk nonsense. I was just asking this gentleman a few questions," Mengqi, who was not good at lying, showed a trace of panic in her eyes.

Turning to Longchen, she said, "Thank you, sir."

After giving Longchen a meaningful look, Mengqi summoned her mount and flew away.

The man glanced at Longchen, coldly snorted, and pointed a finger. A transparent arrow shot toward Longchen's face.

Longchen was still savoring the meaning of Mengqi's look and didn't expect the man to suddenly attack. It was too late to dodge.

The arrow was formed from soul power, intangible but substantial. If hit, one's soul would be shattered, turning them into an idiot.

Longchen was shocked. He didn't have time to dodge and quickly used his soul power to defend. Although his soul power was strong, he had never practiced soul techniques, and the chances of blocking the attack were slim.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, another arrow appeared out of nowhere, colliding with the man's attack, causing an explosion. Longchen was pushed back several steps by the force.

"Senior Brother Qi, attacking a mortal like this, if Master finds out, it won't be good," a girl who had appeared beside them said calmly.

Senior Brother Qi's face changed slightly, but he quickly smiled. "Junior Sister, you misunderstood. I was just testing him. How could I really hurt him?"

Longchen's face was grim. With his soul power, he could tell that the man clearly intended to turn him into an idiot.

Longchen was furious, especially at the man's look at Mengqi, which made him even angrier. Now the man even wanted to kill him, making Longchen grit his teeth in anger.

"This gentleman, this is an inner disciple of the Fenghun Pavilion, with high cultivation. You need to work hard," the girl said, winking at Longchen. Longchen was taken aback. Was she giving him a hint?

"Senior Brother Qi, let's go," the girl said to Senior Brother Qi, clearly indicating that she was leaving with him.

Senior Brother Qi glanced at Longchen, smiled faintly, and jumped onto the Blood Fury Wasp. After they left, Longchen couldn't help but curse, "Damn Senior Brother Qi, I'll remember this."

After his anger subsided, Longchen calmed down. Despite the annulment of the marriage, he had made a good impression on Mengqi.

Most importantly, he noticed that Mengqi carefully kept the marriage contract when she left, giving him greater hope.

However, he also felt a sense of great danger. How many people could resist the charm of a girl like Mengqi? Especially with a pretentious Senior Brother Qi around, it was too dangerous.

What if there were more like Senior Brother Qi, Senior Brother Niu, or Senior Brother Dog? No, he needed to improve his cultivation quickly.

Although he had connected with the Alchemist Guild, it was a neutral force that did not participate in any conflicts. He still had to rely on himself.

Li Hao's words before his death had sounded a warning. If the other party was using his mother and him to control his father, and his father had refused the royal summons several times, it was clear that his father had already understood something. The longer it dragged on, the less value his mother and him would have, making them more dangerous.

Returning home, Longchen locked himself in his room, instructing no one to disturb him. He took out the herbs from his spatial ring one by one.

The copper tripod that Yun Qi had given him at the Alchemist Guild was a great help. As one of the essential tools for alchemists, the tripod contained a lot of knowledge.

Longchen's original tripod was a piece of junk, with poor heat conduction and a significant drain on his alchemy fire.

Moreover, its quality was terrible, unable to seal the earth's spiritual energy, allowing impurities to enter the alchemy furnace and the spiritual energy to escape. It was a wonder if it could produce good pills.

The craftsmanship required for the tripod was very strict, and Longchen's original tripod was clearly made by a common craftsman.

However, a decent tripod cost at least several hundred thousand gold coins, and Longchen couldn't afford it.

The tripod Yun Qi gave him was a first-grade tripod, typically only available to alchemy apprentices.

With this tripod, Longchen felt like he had upgraded. Looking at the new tripod, he nodded.

"It's time to speed up, or my wife will fly away."