Chapter 106: I Want to Stay!

  The residence of Zhuge Yun, built on the summit of a mountain, has a reputation in the minds of the people of Leiyu Continent as if it were a divine mansion, and is named Guidust Residence. In fact, it is far from being as mysterious and luxurious as people imagine, but rather looks very simple and elegant, which does not match his identity as the national teacher of the Qin Shi Empire and the wealthy boss who can rival the country.

  In addition to the various spiritual medicines and spiritual woods planted in front of the gate and behind the courtyard, all the houses are made of Xuan Xin wood, which can emit a faint fragrance. This kind of fragrance, which is naturally emitted without any processing, has the effect of calming the mind and clearing the spirit. For cultivators who live in this environment for a long time, it is very beneficial and can even reduce the probability of encountering heart demons during promotion.

  It's just that in modern times, this kind of wood has been extinct for thousands of years, and no one can confirm whether this statement is true or false. Zuo Xiao Yao had never seen such wood during her travels on the Wind Continent either. It seems that even in this world, this wood is only a specialty of the Thunderstorm Continent.

  Inside the house, there are no redundant decorations, but these everyday items such as tables, chairs and tea sets are extremely exquisite, with understated yet unparalleled luxury. This is indeed a great place to escape from the world. This is Zuo Xiao's understanding of Hui Dust Residence after living here for nearly a month.

  For nearly a month, although the two had intended to send out signals that they hoped their deceased friends could reunite with them soon, there was still no news of Qin Xiao and Luo Hongtian. This left Zuo Xiaoyao and Zhuge Jingyu somewhat disheartened, but they also decided to proceed according to the plan they had previously set.

  Those high-level intelligence personnel who were carefully cultivated by Zhuge Ziyu couldn't find any information about the other party, and since they didn't take the initiative to show up, it was impossible to know where the other party was now. Zuo Xiaoyao also didn't want to follow the previous example, in a situation with no leads, to personally measure the area of Fan Lei Yu Continent on foot again, after all, many hands make light work, even if the tentacles had already extended to some remote towns, Gai Shi would be helpless. She probably wouldn't get any better results either.

  Leaving this world as soon as possible or striving to return to modern times is the top priority for Zuo Xiao and Qin Xiao to achieve their goal.

  "Hmm! These are all good things, Brother Zhuge is so sure, can we really get what we want before we leave this time?"

  Since Zhuge Yu had gotten up early, he was busy digging up those spiritual medicines in the courtyard and carefully putting them one by one into high-quality jade boxes. He looked very cautious. Standing beside him with his arms around him, Zuo Xiao Yao smiled and teased him.

  Because all the qualified spiritual medicine that can be planted here are some extremely rare and precious things, even cultivators can't help but be moved. To avoid suspicion, these spiritual medicines were dug up with their roots and soil, so that they could be transplanted later. If one is slightly careless or not skilled enough, it's easy to damage the spiritual medicine's extremely fragile roots, making it impossible to transplant them alive. So, although she didn't lack these things herself, knowing that she was far inferior to Zuo Xiao Yao in doing such meticulous work, she didn't offer to help, lest her good intentions lead to bad consequences and inadvertently cause trouble.

  After all, she often moved medicine to the Purple Boundary Realm, but her requirements were far from being so high. It was easy to say whether it was good or bad, but other people's medicines were hard to come by. Except for a few that Zhuge Jingyu had found himself several years ago, most of them came from his subordinates and civilians on the Lei Yu Continent. Many of them were solitary and rare, unlike those grown by Zuo Xiaoyao in the Purple Boundary Realm, which not only had enough age but also had many new plants growing naturally.

  Without lifting his head, he continued the movements in his hand, and Zhuge Jiuyu's face replied calmly, "Of course, it is necessary to make good preparations for everything that may happen. As you said, these are good things. If we are lucky enough to return to modern times, I still hope they can help me condense my elixir, transform my body, and even reach the realm of true immortality! It's not okay to be careless!"

  "Brother Zhuge indeed has great ambitions, I'll just wish you an early fulfillment of your wishes here. In any case, let's hope this trip is merely a chance encounter and not a disastrous calamity!"

  "Yes! Everything in the world is caused by karma, but we cultivators are originally going against heaven's will. No matter where the road ahead leads, as long as our hearts are determined, I'm sure we can resolve the cause and effect, escape the predicament, and return to the right path!"

  As he spoke, Zhuge Zhan's body suddenly exuded a shocking aura that shook people's hearts, revealing his strong self-confidence and determination, filled with the domineering air of believing that man can conquer heaven, even though he was still squatting on the ground at this moment, it made people deeply believe that what he said could be done.

  Xiao Yao was momentarily stunned, and it wasn't until now that she suddenly realized what the "something" was that she had been feeling was missing from herself lately.

  The more than 20 years of life experience as an ordinary person in modern times left indelible marks on her, and some perspectives and attitudes towards the world had been deeply ingrained in her mind. Even later, when she inadvertently entered the path of cultivation, possessing strength far beyond what ordinary people could imagine, her confidence doubled, and she would be able to ascend to the pinnacle of cultivation as a goal for her practice. However, she never had the same unwavering determination and extreme self-confidence as cultivators like Zhuge Jingyu, who were born into the world of cultivation from a young age and had this heaven-defying goal etched into their bones.

  Mindset determines destiny!

  This is not an empty word, Zuo Xiao Yao has never doubted her own faith in wanting to go further on the path of cultivation, and she has never doubted that she will be able to overcome all obstacles and setbacks with courage. However, if her mindset is not corrected, she cannot clearly define her direction, and does not have a strong enough desire, perhaps one day, she will not fall under the external dangers, but will be hurt by her own 'heart prison'.

  A clear understanding emerged from the sea of knowledge, and she realized that she had unintentionally buried a hidden heartache for herself in the past. Zuo Xiao Yao suddenly broke out in cold sweat, the path to cultivation was not something that could be achieved by locking oneself away. She had been too neglectful of these things in the past, although she knew it wasn't good, but she never truly paid attention to this problem, being fixated on matters outside of cultivation, always thinking there would be opportunities later.

  But she didn't know that this was a case of putting the cart before the horse, and not deeply exchanging experiences with other cultivators would be extremely detrimental to her own cultivation. It would eventually lead to great disaster, and these were things that her Purple Yuan Boundary couldn't help with at all, and even because of its existence, deepened this hidden danger. After all, in the path of cultivation, the most important thing was still to cultivate both the inner and outer self, and relying too heavily on external objects was not the right way. In this regard, when Zuo Xiao Yao first came to this world, she had already gained a deep understanding, not only losing her spiritual power but also being unable to use the Purple Yuan Boundary.

  At this time, Zhuge Jingyu's unreserved thoughts deeply reminded her that even if the future is unknown, she should remember her goals and be prepared at all times. This determination also made Zuo Xiaoyao feel her own inadequacy from the bottom of her heart. After her spiritual power recovered and she could rely on the Purple Yuan Boundary again, she had once again forgotten the lesson she told herself when she first lost the Purple Yuan Boundary: don't put all your eggs in one basket.

  "What's wrong with Sister Xiao? You look terrible!"

  A crisp voice full of questions, it was Qin Liangke. Zuo Xiaoyao only then came to from her own introspection that originated from the depths of her soul. Her eyes had just cleared up, and she was about to respond when she heard Zhuge Jinyu's voice beside her ear, "Shh, Xiao sister is in luck, it seems like she has entered a state of sudden enlightenment, this is a rare good thing!"

  "It's true! This is a great opportunity, Xiao Jie's talent is really good. I heard the master say that such opportunities are extremely rare. If we encounter such a good thing before breaking through the bottleneck, then the breakthrough in cultivation will be just around the corner. It's just a pity that Xiao Jie is trapped here now!"

  Unaware that Xue Yao had woken up, Qin Liangyu let out a low sigh of emotion at Zhu Jiuyi's reminder.

  "This little girl knows quite a lot!"

  "What a young girl, when I think about it, I really have the qualifications to be an aunt now, alas! Time is unforgiving!"

  Zuo Xiaoyao couldn't help but burst out laughing at the words, with her pitiful innate talent, adding up the time she spent cultivating in the Zi Yuan boundary, that age was truly astonishing!

  "Sister Xiao, are you done meditating? Did I disturb you?"

  Qin Liangke now knows Zuo Xiaoyao's true name, but still habitually calls her 'Xiao Jiejie', treating her with the same familiarity as before. In the hearts of the people on Leiyu Continent, she can be a saint who is dignified and mature in appearance, as she herself said, not looking at her appearance, her age does qualify her to be a 'big mom'. However, in front of Zuo Xiaoyao and Zhuge Jinyu, she has always maintained the bright and lively personality of the past, with a pure heart and a kind soul, which is very likable.

  Smiling and nodding, seeing the two looking at her with eyes full of envy, Zuo Xiao Yao shook her head again and said "Actually, it can't be considered as sudden enlightenment, so there's no need to mention anything about being disturbed. It's just that I suddenly realized my own inadequacies all along, did some self-reflection, so I'm a bit distracted. Speaking of which, I really have to thank Brother Zhuge, otherwise, if I had waited until I realized it myself, it might have been too late!"

  Qin Liangke grabbed her arm and waved his hand, saying "It doesn't matter if it's not a sudden enlightenment this time, as long as it can benefit Xiao Jie's cultivation, we won't bother Master Zhuge with our affairs. I'll go talk to Xiao Jie about some private matters first!"

  Zhuge nodded slightly, his expression serious as he instructed, "Please proceed. After you're done, Xiaoyao, just remember to convey the main gist of our conversation to me, and consider it your thank-you gift!"

  The three of them burst out laughing, and the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became more harmonious. Even when mentioning "private words", there was a hint of gloom between Qin Lian's eyebrows, while Zuo Xiao Yao repeatedly responded with "yes".

  "I... I want to stay!"

  It's not "want" but "must", as soon as Zuo Xiao Yao walked into the training room in Gui Chen Residence, she heard Qin Liang's voice pause for a moment before continuing to declare her decision with determination.

  For the past month, every time it was mentioned that they would be returning to modern times, Qin Liang's unenthusiastic reaction had already led Zuo XiaoYao and Zhuge Jinyu to vaguely guess that Qin Liang had thoughts of staying behind. They just didn't expect her to make a decision so quickly. "Why?"

  "I know that this time you left, you must be determined to not give up until you achieve your goal, even if it means sacrificing yourselves. And as for Master and Lü Shīshū, although they haven't come looking for us yet, I think that once you openly head into the Wasteland, they will likely go to meet up with you too. I suppose this is also what Xiāo Jiějiě and Zhūgě Qiānbei have planned."

  Xiao Yao nodded and said "Not bad, although I'm not sure, I indeed had such thoughts. But what do these have to do with your decision to stay?"

  Unlike her usual optimistic and cheerful self, Qin Lian's face was solemn as she spoke in a low, bitter tone, "Actually, I've always known, Master, and even Uncle Qin, why they came to this Stormy Continent but never showed up, never came looking for me. They...they were waiting for me to make a decision all along! But this time, I'm destined to disappoint them, perhaps for the rest of my life, I'll never have the chance to gain their forgiveness!"

  ps：

  Thank you for the support of Luyu, Jianghai Huihechu and Yixiannanshou. I'm really sorry for this leave. Next, I will speed up, just came back a bit busy, after stabilizing, updates will be powerful, absolutely no empty promises, please forgive me!