Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 183

Mo Zhu’er and Xu Ming simultaneously hurled the sharpened wooden sticks in their hands.

The pointed sticks shot through the dark night like swords, piercing forward with great force.

“Why are you two so tense?”

A moment later, a pair of feminine voices echoed from outside the cave.

Two women walked in, each holding the bamboo stakes that Xu Ming and Mo Zhu’er had just thrown.

Seeing them, both Xu Ming and Mo Zhu’er frowned.

The two women wore long dresses, one in green and the other in white, bearing an eight-to-nine-point resemblance in their facial features. Their figures were identical, making them particularly striking.

Although their beauty was not on par with Qin Qingwan or Mo Zhu’er, they were still attractive. Especially as a pair of sisters, their presence exuded a certain captivating charm.

A gust of mountain wind swept through, and Xu Ming caught a faint scent of seawater coming from them.

In this desolate wilderness, two young women suddenly appearing was far from ordinary. There was no doubt they were anything but simple.

Perhaps they were even here specifically for him.

“May I ask if you are Xu Ming?” the woman in green, Ruo Lan, asked, tossing the bamboo stake onto the ground with a smile.

Mo Zhu’er glanced at Xu Ming suspiciously, her gaze seemingly questioning: Another admirer of yours here to chase you down?

Xu Ming nodded. “That’s me. And you are?”

“Greetings, Young Master Xu,” Ruo Lan said with a slight bow. “Her Majesty would like to invite you to visit. Might I ask if you’d honor us with your presence?”

“Her Majesty?” Xu Ming raised an eyebrow. “Who might your Majesty be?”

“The Dragon Empress of the North Sea,” Ruo Lan replied plainly, without the slightest hesitation.

“The Dragon Empress?” Xu Ming was even more confused. “I’ve never had any dealings with the North Sea. Why would she invite me?”

The North Sea was millions of miles away, requiring a transcontinental flying vessel or even rare treasures to traverse the void. He had no ties whatsoever to the Dragon Empress. Why would she suddenly seek him out?

“Oh, sister, this Xu Ming is being so long-winded! Let’s just knock him out and take him back. Why waste time talking here?” Ruo Ye, the woman in white, said impatiently.

She was clearly uncomfortable on land; the dry air was already irritating her skin. She only wanted to return to the ocean as soon as possible. Every second spent here felt like pure torment.

“Ruo Ye! If you behave so rudely again, I will have to punish you!” Ruo Lan reprimanded her sister sharply.

Ruo Ye opened her mouth as if to retort but ultimately closed it, letting out a dissatisfied huff before turning her head away.

“Truth be told, we don’t know why Her Majesty wishes to invite you,” Ruo Lan said, smiling at Xu Ming. “We are merely following her orders. However, you can rest assured—Her Majesty is not one to harm the innocent or act as a tyrant. You won’t be in any danger.”

“It would indeed be an honor to visit the legendary Dragon Empress of the ages,” Xu Ming replied, “but I must decline. The North Sea is too far, and I have pressing matters to attend to. Perhaps in the future, I’ll have the opportunity to visit and make amends.”

Are you kidding me? Xu Ming thought to himself. You say there’s no danger, but why should I believe you? That Dragon Empress has lived for god knows how long—who knows what kind of temperament she has? I might die in the North Sea without even knowing why.

Hearing his refusal, Ruo Lan frowned slightly. “Young Master Xu, this matter is rather urgent. We sincerely hope you can come immediately. Please forgive us for being insistent.”

“Does the North Sea force its ‘guests’ to visit when they decline?” Xu Ming asked with a faint smile.

Ruo Lan nodded calmly. “If necessary, yes.”

Xu Ming: “…”

Inside the cave, both sides were locked in a tense standoff.

In the next instant, Ruo Ye transformed into a streak of light, darting past Ruo Lan, her pearl longsword thrusting toward Xu Ming.

“Raaawr!” Shen Shengsheng bared her teeth, ready to bite, but was restrained by Xu Ming.

Xu Ming stepped forward, sidestepping to intercept the incoming sword. With a slight raise of his left hand, he struck Ruo Ye’s wrist with precise force.

Ruo Ye’s wrist throbbed with pain, and she reflexively loosened her grip, causing the longsword to fall from her hand.

Xu Ming followed through with a strike to the sword’s hilt, sending the pearl longsword piercing into the cave wall. Seizing the moment, he landed a punch squarely on Ruo Ye’s chest, sending her flying backward. Her embroidered shoes scraped a long mark across the ground before she landed beside her elder sister, Ruo Lan.

Ruo Ye, unwilling to admit defeat, tried to charge forward again, but Ruo Lan held her back.

“Sister! I was careless, but I will capture him this time!” Ruo Ye said coldly, clearly preparing to unleash her full strength.

Ruo Lan shook her head and stepped forward.

“Young Master, your skills are truly remarkable,” Ruo Lan praised.

Her younger sister was in the Dragon Gate Realm, yet judging from the martial energy Xu Ming had just displayed, he appeared to be in the Heroic Soul Realm.

Even in close combat, her sister—who walked the path of a sword cultivator and had a strong physique—had no chance to retaliate against him.

Ruo Lan could tell that Xu Ming had held back his punch earlier. Otherwise, if that blow had landed with full force, her sister might not have survived or, at the very least, her cultivation would have been severely damaged.

“Not too bad,” Xu Ming replied calmly. “How about both of you come at me together? A single Dragon Gate Realm opponent really isn’t enough.”

“Since the young master insists, we shall oblige,” Ruo Lan said with a nod. “But we hope you won’t complain to Her Majesty afterward.”

The moment her voice faded, nine water pillars emerged seemingly out of nowhere, surging toward Xu Ming.

Xu Ming drew the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword and swung it in a single stroke. The sword energy instantly split the water pillars apart.

“Is he a sword cultivator as well?” Ruo Lan was inwardly astonished.

In the next moment, the tip of Xu Ming’s sword emitted a cold glimmer, and the water pillars froze instantly, transforming into icicles that hung from the cave ceiling like jagged spikes.

With another slash, Xu Ming sent a wave of sword energy toward Ruo Lan. Frowning, she raised her sleeve to block, dispersing the energy, but her sleeve was left with a long tear.

“Such sharp sword energy… Is he truly only in the Cave Mansion Realm?”

Ruo Lan began to doubt Xu Ming’s apparent cultivation.

Based on his martial energy, he was clearly in the Heroic Soul Realm.

And from his spiritual energy, his cultivation as a cultivator was at the Cave Mansion Realm.

Yet his combat power far exceeded both realms!

A cultivator like this was something Ruo Lan had never encountered before.

Ruo Lan and Ruo Ye attacked together. Ruoye, a sword cultivator, engaged Xu Ming in close combat, while Ruo Lan unleashed an array of spells to bombard him from a distance.

Every strike from Ruo Ye’s pearl longsword was accompanied by rippling blue waves, creating a dazzling display.

It was clear she sought revenge for the punch earlier, as Ruo Ye fought with unusual fervor.

However, Xu Ming found her behavior somewhat dramatic. Each time she unleashed a sword technique, she would shout its name aloud.

“Azure Sea Sword Art—Prelude to Water Melody!”

With a flourish, Ruo Ye twisted her sword, surrounding it with surging waves. Her slash descended like a tidal storm.

Xu Ming, on the other hand, only knew one sword technique—the Bingyun Sword Art.

But the Bingyun Sword Art was a fundamental sword technique.

In other words, it lacked distinct named moves, so Xu Ming relied solely on sword energy and intent to fight.

Yet now, Xu Ming felt a faint inspiration. The broad and forceful style of the Azure Sea Sword Art seemed quite fitting for him—almost intriguing.

Activating his Dao Pattern Eyes, Xu Ming studied it closely.

The Dao Pattern Eyes were not merely capable of observing the flow of spiritual energy and martial qi within an opponent, providing a 360-degree field of vision—they could also replicate an opponent’s techniques.

In an instant, the entire “Water Melody” technique of the Azure Sea Sword Art was broken down into slow-motion sequences in Xu Ming’s mind.

Before his eyes, it was as though miniature figures were repeatedly demonstrating the move.

The ingenuity of the technique, the utilization of sword qi, the depth of sword intent—every aspect was imprinted into Xu Ming’s mind in that fleeting moment.

Xu Ming mirrored the motion, twisting his blade, as waves of sword qi covered the longsword in his hand.

“How is this possible?!”

Both Ruo Lan and Ruo Ye were utterly shocked. Just what kind of person was this Xu Ming?

While the Azure Sea Sword Art wasn’t a immortal-grade technique, it was still one of the North Sea Azure Sea Sword Sect’s closely-guarded secrets.

But how could Xu Ming possibly know it?

Not only that, the way Xu Ming executed the technique seemed even more powerful and majestic than Ruo Ye’s!

With a single upward slash, Xu Ming unleashed a towering wave, surging upward to clash against the torrent of sword qi waves from Ruo Ye.

Ruo Lan, sensing imminent danger, quickly chanted a spell. Ruo Ye’s pearl longsword was enchanted with her magic, radiating a dazzling light.

Ruo Ye’s sword qi surged in strength.

“Boom!”

With a deafening explosion, the two waves of sword qi dissipated within the cave.

Both Ruo Lan and Ruo Ye were sent flying backward out of the cave, landing heavily on the ground.

Xu Ming, sword in hand, walked out slowly. “You two should leave. As the Minister of Wenwu Qing (Minister of Letters and Arms)

of the Wu Kingdom, I cannot arbitrarily leave to visit another country or meet its ruler. If the Dragon Empress truly wishes for my presence, I would ask that she issue an official request to the Wu Kingdom. If my Emperor consents, I will carry out the mission as commanded.”

Xu Ming refrained from delivering a killing blow.

After all, the Ruo Lan and Ruo Ye sisters had shown no murderous intent toward him from the start. They had likely only intended to knock him unconscious and carry him away.

If that was the case, there was no need for Xu Ming to go to extremes.

Xu Ming wasn’t reckless.

Killing their underlings would serve no purpose. On the contrary, it might provoke unnecessary conflict. If he killed them, he’d essentially be slapping the Northern Sea Dragon Empress in the face. If she flew into a rage and sent assassins after him, things would become far more troublesome.

By deferring the matter of “traveling to the Northern Sea” to the higher-ups of the Wu Kingdom, Xu Ming both expressed that he wasn’t outright refusing the request—only that it was improper in terms of etiquette—and protected himself.

When the time came, if he traveled to the Northern Sea under an official capacity, any harm that befell him would be a matter between nations.

He wouldn’t have to worry about “accidents,” as the Northern Sea would have to answer to the Wu Kingdom for any wrongdoing.

Ruo Lan and Ruo Ye slowly rose from the ground.

Ruo Ye, still indignant, wanted to charge forward again, but her elder sister Ruo Lan held her back.

“The young master speaks with reason. It seems we were indeed in the wrong,” Ruo Lan said with a slight bow. “We will relay your words to Her Majesty. When the time comes, we shall await your arrival in the North Sea.”

“Thank you.” Xu Ming returned the bow. “Safe travels to you both. I won’t see you off. Or… unless the two of you would like to join me for some roast air beast?”

“There’s no need for such trouble, young master. We’ll take our leave.” Ruo Lan smiled.

“Sister!!!” Ruo Ye, still furious, protested.

“Let’s go.”

Without paying further attention to her hot-headed sister, Ruo Lan grabbed her hand and turned to leave.

Once they were far away, Ruo Ye angrily shook off her sister’s hand. “Sister! That Xu Ming may be strong, but if we used the life-bound artifact granted to us by Her Majesty, we could absolutely capture him! How could we just let him go like this?”

Ruo Lan shook her head. “Do you still remember Her Majesty’s instructions before we left the North Sea?”

Ruo Lan turned her head slightly. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten. Her Majesty instructed us not to offend him or make him feel displeased. If he absolutely refuses to come, only then are we to use that artifact to bring him back.”

“Exactly.”

A faint smile played on Ruo Lan’s lips.

“Truthfully, this Young Master Xu isn’t completely opposed to coming to the Northern Sea. He’s merely wary of us and fears we might mean him harm. Once we return and relay the situation to Her Majesty, she will naturally draft a formal letter inviting Xu Ming to serve as an envoy to the Northern Sea. Faced with such an invitation, the Wu Kingdom has no reason to decline.

“Besides, why should we risk our lives to bring him here by force if we can resolve things peacefully? Moreover, didn’t you notice?

“That Xu Ming appears to be severely injured. Toward the end of the fight, his martial qi and spiritual energy were like a taut bowstring, as if they might snap at any moment. If he had fought us to the death and something had happened to him, how would we explain that to Her Majesty?”

Hearing her sister’s analysis, Ruo Ye’s anger began to subside. “Then, Sister, what do we do now?”

“We leave.” Ruo Lan started walking down the mountain. “It’s time for us to serve as envoys to the Wu Kingdom.”

“Humph!”

After Ruo Lan and Ruo Ye had left, Xu Ming could no longer hold back. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Shen Shengsheng yelped in alarm, rushing to Xu Ming’s side and tugging at his clothes. “Awoo! Awoo!”

“I’m fine.” Xu Ming smiled weakly, patting Shen Shengsheng’s head.

“Fine? Really?” A voice dripped with sarcasm. Mo Zhuer leaned casually against the cave wall, her tone sharp. “If those two sisters hadn’t held back, and the fight dragged on any longer, the clash between your martial qi and spiritual energy would’ve torn your meridians and spiritual channels apart. You’d have been crippled for life.”

Xu Ming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned. “If I had died, Miss Mo wouldn’t have survived either. Besides, I didn’t die, did I? Worst case, I’d have abandoned my martial cultivation or spiritual practice. But if something happened to me, Miss Mo, you’d lose your life.”

“You—!”

Mo Zhuer’s chest heaved with fury. Her skirt billowed slightly as she glared at Xu Ming, her tone filled with displeasure. “Follow me inside!”