A Lifetime for One Fate

Cao Xueyan, holding onto the belief that searching more might reveal other treasures, carefully examined the stone chamber again.

Originally, she had only wanted to cultivate honestly.

She believed that tasting unjust gains would only lead to destruction.

Her life was her own, not a novel’s plot, so she preferred not to do certain things.

But today was special.

She had skipped the killing part entirely and fast-forwarded straight to treasure-collecting.

Pushing aside the tattered clothing, she clicked her tongue in amazement.

Even after countless years, these corpses still retained a surprising degree of completeness.

Even the wounds they suffered in life were preserved.

Their bodies were covered in scars — some deep, some shallow.

She couldn’t tell which wound was fatal.

Perhaps none of them were.

For high-level cultivators, no matter how severe the physical damage, as long as the primordial spirit remained intact, they would not truly die.

These were all settings she had seen in cultivation novels from her previous life.

In this world, she hadn’t even met a Nascent Soul cultivator in person.

She had no way of verifying such things.

She searched several storage bags, but everything inside — pills, artifacts, and other items — crumbled at the slightest touch.

Fragile like morning mist, disappearing with a ray of sunlight or a passing breeze.

Despite searching for a long time, she was still empty-handed.

Seeing only ashes where treasures should have been, she felt like crying.

Such good things, yet none usable.

She had hoped that if she found a lucky item and gave it to Qin Ximo, it might help him greatly.

She couldn’t use them herself.

After the simulation ended, the identity of “Shen Yuemian” might disappear.

In the end, all she truly gained were the stone slabs Qin Ximo had found first.

While she searched, Qin Ximo had already cleared a clean spot in a corner and sat down, studying the stone slabs for a long while.

By the time Cao Xueyan returned empty-handed, Qin Ximo had just begun to grasp their contents.

“There was nothing usable in the storage bags. This place must have existed for over ten thousand years, right?” she asked.

“Perhaps.”

Qin Ximo closed her eyes to rest.

The《Three-Origin Sky-Piercing Art》recorded on the slabs was incredibly profound.

After reading only a short while, her temples throbbed, and her divine sense felt as exhausted as if she had lived through a fierce battle.

“Well? Do you think you can break through to the Nascent Soul stage?” Cao Xueyan asked eagerly.

“Why do you look more anxious than I am?” Qin Ximo opened her eyes and smiled helplessly.

“This cultivation method is too deep. It may take several years before I can succeed.”

“Several years?”

Cao Xueyan’s excitement dimmed.

She had expected someone praised by Senior Xiao Mengfeng as an unmatched prodigy to show at least a bit of genius.

Even if he couldn’t gain enlightenment overnight, surely it shouldn’t take years?

“Outside this cave heaven, the demonic sects are sharpening their blades.

They’re readying for the tragedy that will befall Qingyun Sword Sect twenty years from now.

Right now, some disciples training outside might already have been skinned alive and replaced by disguised demonic cultivators returning to the sect.”

“Look at you.” Qin Ximo sighed.

“Cultivating it fully is difficult, yes.

But finding insights needed for a Nascent Soul breakthrough won’t be hard.

This immortal mountain is dense with spiritual qi.

And that grand formation does more than confuse minds — it contains profundities I’ve never seen.”

“That’s good.”

Cao Xueyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“You little girl…”

Qin Ximo suddenly pulled her into her arms, encircling her with deceptively slender yet powerful arms.

Cao Xueyan pretended to struggle for a moment.

With his cultivation, resisting was pointless.

Qin Ximo closed her eyes again, resting his cheek against her hair.

In a soft voice, he asked, “Since you care so much for me, why won’t you return to Qingyun Sect with me?”

“Th-that’s not the same thing!” Cao Xueyan panicked, squirming nervously.

“How is it not the same?” Qin Ximo tightened his hold.

“You worry for me.

Yet refuse to stay close to me afterward.”

“You know I am Qingyun’s Sect Master.

Even if rumors arose, what would they matter — to you or to me?”

Cao Xueyan melted limply into his arms in despair.

She truly couldn’t go back with him.

If she did, she would expose herself instantly.

Cao Xueyan and Shen Yuemian could never appear in the same place.

Seeing her remain silent for long, Qin Ximo opened her eyes and sighed softly.

“You will not tell me the origin of your fox bloodline… Is it related to this?”

“I…”

Hearing him bring it up, she had no choice but to use it as an excuse.

“My bloodline… actually comes from the ancient Qingqiu Fox Clan. Have you heard of them?”

Qin Ximo thought for a while.

But found no related memory.

She shook her head.

“No.”

Cao Xueyan assumed a sorrowful expression and began spinning nonsense with complete seriousness.

“The Qingqiu Fox Clan were auspicious beasts in ancient times.

Especially the women — they possessed the innate ability to foresee danger and avoid misfortune.

After dual-cultivating with you, I accidentally awakened this bloodline.

Along with it came fragments of inheritance.”

“In that memory, it’s said Qingqiu fox women carry destiny.

After awakening their bloodline, everything goes smoothly for them — everything succeeds.

But only under one condition.

They must remain pure maidens.”

Qin Ximo looked at her doubtfully, rubbing her dazed fox ears.

“There’s such an unreasonable bloodline talent?

If not for that dual cultivation, would you never have awakened it?”

Cao Xueyan rubbed her face against his chest and said, “Dual cultivation wasn’t the only way.

It’s just that my cultivation was too low.

Yours was far higher.

Your pure Yuan-yang energy overflowed, and I couldn’t absorb all of it.

Some leaked into me, and by accident, awakened my bloodline.”

The explanation sounded plausible.

Qin Ximo absent-mindedly twirled a lock of her hair, lost in thought.

He seemed convinced.

But also… not completely.

Cao Xueyan had no idea what he was thinking, so she continued, “Now that my ability to avoid misfortune is gone, only calamity awaits me.

If I go back to Qingyun Sword Sect with you, wouldn’t I bring disaster upon your disciples?”

Qin Ximo fell silent.

In a low, rough voice, he said, “Then what about you?

If calamity comes for you and no one protects you… how will you survive?”

“I was an orphan, wandering outside for years.

Then I was captured by the Hehuan Sect and forced to serve Lu Qianyun, enduring humiliation for so long.

Only when I met you did things change.

I think… everything in life happens for a reason.

You broke my purity and made me lose my bloodline’s gift.

I guess all the good fortune I was meant to receive in this life… was saved up and used entirely to exchange for this fate between us.”

Hearing this, Qin Ximo could no longer restrain himself.

He lowered his head and kissed her soft red lips.

Between the kiss, he murmured word by word:

“A lifetime is so long.

How could it only buy us this one fate?

If you are willing to trust me — I will make this bond last for thousands of years.”