Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Xu Ming had just walked out of Sanshi Peak when he saw Mo Zhuer approaching him.

Xu Ming frowned slightly and stepped forward.

“Young Master Xu has finally come out~ How do you feel?” Mo Zhuer smiled as she looked at Xu Ming, her charming eyes so alluring they seemed almost tangible.

“How do you know about all of this?” Xu Ming asked.

“About what?” Mo Zhuer tilted her head in confusion, looking somewhat adorably puzzled.

“Oh~” As if suddenly understanding, Mo Zhuer feigned an expression of enlightenment and said, “You must be talking about those people imprisoned in the cave, right? But how does the young master think I would know about them?”

Xu Ming: “…”

At that moment, Xu Ming realized that his question might have been a bit foolish.

Mo Zhuer, being the Saintess of the Black Lotus Sect, must naturally know the inside story. The Black Lotus Sect had assigned her to cooperate with Xia He, the Sect Master of the Tianxuan Sect. How else would she coordinate with him if she didn’t know the details?

“Young Master seems a bit different now.” As Xu Ming was lost in thought, Mo Zhuer leaned closer, sniffing around him like a curious cat. “Hmm~ Your sword aura seems sharper than before, your presence more oppressive, and the Dao energy around you is stronger. It seems like you had some good fortune in there, didn’t you?”

“What’s your purpose?” Xu Ming asked bluntly, ignoring Mo Zhuer’s feline-like curiosity as she sniffed at him.

“Here? Are you sure?” Mo Zhuer playfully glanced behind Xu Ming. “Just now, I saw Xia He flying toward Sanshi Peak. While I don’t know what happened to you there, if the two of us are discovered near here by Xia He, it’ll be troublesome, don’t you think?”

“Let’s go to my courtyard.”

Xu Ming gave her a glance before flying off toward his courtyard.

“Tch, so cold to me most of the time, yet you’re so forceful during our training sessions,” Mo Zhuer muttered, pouting slightly. She had long grown used to Xu Ming’s aloof demeanor. Lightly, she followed behind him.

Upon arriving at Xu Ming’s courtyard, he activated the protective formation, isolating it from any external spiritual sense or sound.

However, Mo Zhuer still felt uneasy. She inserted formation flags at the four corners of the courtyard, setting up another layer of spiritual sense isolation.

“Now can you tell me? What is your purpose?” Xu Ming asked, his eyes locking onto hers.

“Before I tell you my purpose, why don’t you share what you encountered at Sanshi Peak?” Mo Zhuer smiled, though curiosity flickered in her heart.

Logically speaking, what kind of fortune could be in that place? Yet Xu Ming came out with his strength clearly enhanced, seemingly close to breaking through the Dragon Gate Realm.

“What I encountered—shouldn’t that all be within your plan?” Xu Ming questioned.

Mo Zhuer playfully glared at him, feigning annoyance. “Look at you, Young Master Xu. How could what you encountered possibly all be part of my plan? I’m not the City Lord of Tianji City. Even if I were, not even he could calculate such fine details, right?

“I simply wanted you to meet those old folks imprisoned beneath Sanshi Peak.

“Those old folks must have sensed the changes in the formation there and guessed what Xia He is planning.

“Once you met them, they would surely tell you what the Sect Master of Tianxuan Sect might do next. They’d probably even beg you to rescue them.

“That’s why I said, once you met them, you’d believe what I’ve told you.

“And once you walked out of Sanshi Peak, you’d be willing to work with me.

“That’s the extent of my plan.

“Why? Did you perhaps encounter something else?”

Xu Ming chuckled, “Are you truly unaware, or just pretending not to know? I almost died in that place.”

“???” Mo Zhuer’s face was filled with confusion. “As long as you followed my instructions and didn’t touch anything, using the stone I gave you as a guide, how could you possibly encounter danger?”

“…”

Seeing Mo Zhuer’s genuinely puzzled expression, Xu Ming began to think she might truly not know.

“When I went to Sanshi Peak, I did follow your method to enter. But then I got lost. At that point, I…”

Xu Ming explained everything that happened at Sanshi Peak to Mo Zhuer, carefully observing her reaction.

“That’s how it went. I, along with a sword cultivator named Jiang Yu, learned the techniques taught by those fifteen cultivators. In the end, we left. In exchange, we’re tasked with finding a way to seize the Tianxuan Mirror and smash it into Sanshi Peak.”

Xu Ming deliberately omitted the detail about the fifteen cave mansions containing vast spiritual power that could push him into the Jade Purity Realm in a short time. After all, this was his trump card—a crucial element of surprise.

He still didn’t fully trust Mo Zhuer.

“I didn’t know there would be so many beasts in their prison, nor did I expect that Xu Cang would still possess such sharp sword aura despite his condition—sharp enough to compel you to negotiate with him,” Mo Zhuer explained hurriedly, her tone anxious, as if afraid Xu Ming might think she had intentionally put him in danger.

“I understand,” Xu Ming nodded, then stood up. He took a teapot to the courtyard, filled it with water, and placed it on the table. After adding some tea leaves, the small formation embedded in the stone table began heating the pot.

Mo Zhuer, now sitting to the side, could only watch as Xu Ming brewed tea slowly, her previously relaxed demeanor noticeably replaced with unease.

“Don’t worry. I don’t suspect you of using me as a pawn to kill someone. If you wanted me dead, all you’d have to do is leak even a hint to Xia He. He could’ve ambushed me at Sanshi Peak and finished me off there.

“I believe that keeping me alive is valuable to you. At least for now, since you want to cooperate with me, we’re in the same boat.”

Once the tea was ready, Xu Ming rinsed the cups and poured Mo Zhuer a cup.

“As long as you understand,” Mo Zhuer replied with a faint smile, her crescent-shaped eyes betraying a subtle sense of relief.

“So,” Xu Ming raised his head, “it’s time for you to tell me what your goal is, isn’t it? The deal between Xia He and your Black Lotus Sect is no trivial matter. Yet, you dare to disrupt his plans. From a certain perspective, isn’t this already a betrayal of your sect? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

“Death? Hahaha…”

Mo Zhuer was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.

“Death is indeed terrifying for us cultivators. Everyone fights so hard, clawing for even the tiniest opportunity. If we die, those treasures we’ve collected will simply fall into someone else’s hands. Isn’t that unbearable? I imagine most cultivators fear death. And yes, I am no exception.

“But…” Mo Zhuer picked up her teacup and took a sip. “What I despise even more than death is having my fate controlled by someone else.

“And to take control of one’s fate, you must constantly increase your leverage, always consider your own interests, and be willing to take risks.”

Setting down her cup, Mo Zhuer fixed her enchanting gaze directly on Xu Ming.

“And right now, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

“So…

“I want the Tianxuan Sect’s dragon vein!”

Xu Ming: “…”

Although he wasn’t deeply knowledgeable about the intricacies of the cultivation world, he was well aware of what a dragon vein was.

Mortal dynasties had dragon veins.

The capital of a mortal dynasty was typically built atop the head of a dragon vein, stabilizing the dynasty’s fortune and destiny.

If a dragon vein of a mortal dynasty were to encounter problems, the nation’s fortune would plummet. Natural disasters, human calamities—every conceivable misfortune would follow, and the dynasty would inevitably fall into decline.

This is why, when war breaks out between nations, the first thought on most people’s minds is how to disrupt the enemy’s capital.

For sects, dragon veins also exist.

Most sects are built among mountains, where the peaks connect to form mountain ranges. The spiritual energy flowing through these ranges merges and channels into the sect, creating its dragon vein.

Once a sect’s dragon vein is established, it cannot be altered.

Similarly, if a sect’s dragon vein were to falter, all the spiritual energy within the sect would dissipate, and the sect’s fortune would rapidly vanish.

Two outcomes would await such a sect.

One: relocate, seek out a new spiritual land, and start over.

Two: dissolve entirely, with everyone going their separate ways.

Without the sect’s fortune, protective formations, or surrounding spiritual energy, cultivation would become impossible.

Hearing Mo Zhuer’s request, Xu Ming found himself in a difficult position.

If Qing Wan weren’t part of the Tianxuan Sect, Xu Ming wouldn’t have hesitated so much.

But Qing Wan had been living there since the age of six—nearly eleven years now. She must have a deep attachment to the sect.

To her, the Tianxuan Sect was like a second home.

If the sect were destroyed, and Xu Ming played a part in its downfall, how would she feel about him?

“Xu Ming, I know what you’re hesitating about.”

Seeing him with his head bowed, frowning, Mo Zhuer clicked her tongue in irritation. She didn’t even bother calling him “Young Master” this time.

“Is that childhood sweetheart of yours really so important to you? I’m not asking for her life. Wherever she is, she can still cultivate. If the Tianxuan Sect is gone, she can simply join another sect.

“And now, you’re hesitating just because of how she might feel?

“Have you considered whether you can truly stop Xia He on your own?”

As she spoke, Mo Zhuer rose from her seat, moving to stand beside Xu Ming. The soft curves of her chest pressed against his back, the elasticity of her figure unmistakable.

“Xu Ming, you can’t do it. You need me. Without me, you won’t be able to obtain the Tianxuan Mirror, and you might not even be able to protect that childhood sweetheart of yours.”

Her cheek brushed against his, and her delicate, fair hands slipped under the collar of his robes, slowly trailing downward.

“What’s wrong? Are you really willing to watch your childhood sweetheart die right in front of you?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Ming firmly grabbed her wandering hands.

“Think it over carefully,” Mo Zhuer whispered, biting his ear softly. “I’m sure you’ll give me a satisfactory answer.

“And besides…” Her tone turned playful. “It’s time for cultivation, isn’t it? You wouldn’t want your spiritual energy and martial qi clashing during a future battle, would you?”

Mo Zhuer released a faint trace of her spiritual energy.

Since she and Xu Ming had dual cultivated twice, their spiritual energies were already connected. Adding to this was the irresistible allure of her Luo Shen Physique, especially for a man like Xu Ming, who had already tasted its pleasures.

Xu Ming’s defenses began to crumble, his breathing growing heavier.

He was fully aware that Mo Zhuer was influencing him again.

But he also realized he was powerless to resist his own desires.

Compared to the first and second times, he succumbed even faster this time.

It was as if a voice in Xu Ming’s mind kept whispering over and over: “You’ve already done it twice, what difference does a third time make?” “Cultivating with her is entirely to better deal with Xia He, not because of your own desires.” “You’re doing this for Qing Wan.”

When the final voice faded, all rationality disappeared completely.

Xu Ming grabbed Mo Zhuer by the wrist and yanked her over. Losing her balance, she fell onto his lap.

Perhaps it was the simmering frustration Xu Ming had always felt toward her, but now that he had lost control, it seemed he was venting it all at once.

The sound of fabric tearing echoed through the courtyard. Shredded pieces of clothing fell to the ground, revealing Mo Zhuer’s snow-white legs.

Mo Zhuer bit her lower lip tightly and tilted her head back.

For the next half hour, the courtyard was filled with tension.

When it was over, Mo Zhuer retrieved a fresh set of clothes from her storage pouch and dressed herself again.

Regaining his senses, Xu Ming looked at the mess around him—the scattered remnants of clothing on the ground, the overturned teacup on the table, the liquid pooled beneath it. He wasn’t even sure if it was tea anymore.

Though his spiritual energy and martial qi felt thoroughly refreshed, his head throbbed with discomfort.

This time, he had fallen faster and harder. His resistance to Mo Zhuer was growing weaker.

This wasn’t just bad—it was dangerous. Xu Ming even began to suspect that, one day, she might completely take control of him.

“I’m leaving now~” Mo Zhuer said with a smile, her gaze lingering on Xu Ming. “I’m very satisfied with your performance today. Don’t worry—I’ll find the second volume of the Great Path of Hehuan soon. Then, we can ascend the path to greatness together.”

As she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, Xu Ming dodged. She didn’t seem to mind, letting out two soft hums of amusement. Gathering up her formation flags, she turned and left the courtyard.

It wasn’t until she was out of sight that Mo Zhuer’s composure faltered. Her legs buckled, and she gritted her teeth, leaning against a nearby tree for support. Her cheeks flushed crimson.

“Did I make him angry? He was so rough this time…”

Her fingers dug into the tree bark, and she whispered through clenched teeth, “Qin Qing Wan…”

Mo Zhuer’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph! I’d like to see what’s so special about this woman that he can’t stop thinking about her!”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!