Ancient Strengthening Technique (Web Novel)
chapter-2006

AST 2006 - Infatuation, News

Tianhe Renmo!

Qing Shui was shocked to see Tianhe Clan’s rare talent covered with injuries. After a split second, Qing Shui was astonished for the second time. He could feel the formidable aura from the Scarlet Demon’s Heart. Truthfully, Demon’s Heart was not a good thing, though it could strengthen a person’s cultivation rapidly, it was easy for that person to end in the state of Qi deviation. However, this was a Scarlet Demon’s Heart. Combined with his Scarlet Physique, it would prevent Qi deviation and bring his cultivation to the state of equilibrium.

Tianhe Renmo seemed to have noticed the person in front. He looked at Qing Shui with surprise, suddenly yelling, “Run, get out of the way!”

Afterward, Tianhe Renmo immediately ran to the other direction.

Qing Shui could tell that Tianhe Renmo did not want to involve him, thus Tianhe Renmo avoided yelling out his name. What he had yelled would not draw suspicion to Qing Shui. Had Tianhe Renmo ran towards Qing Shui’s direction, it would have been easier for him to escape. However, he didn’t do it. Now that Tianhe Renmo ran to the other way, it was easier for the chasing group to surround him.

Qing Shui was happy on the inside. This was friendship. If it had been others with ulterior motives, they would have run towards Qing Shui and used Qing Shui as a scapegoat. There was a high possibility that when faced with a critical situation, some people would betray their friends as if their friendships didn’t worth anything. For some people, there was no loyalty as long as the cost exceeded the benefits.

“Brother! This way! I will help you escape!” Qing Shui yelled quickly.

Tianhe Renmo looked at Qing Shui’s confident demeanor, gritted his teeth and ran over to Qing Shui.

Qing Shui looked at the dozens of men behind Tianhe Renmo, the strength of the one leading the group was at the Divine Grade. Qing Shui was unsure of how Tianhe Renmo provoked these men.

Qing Shui took Tianhe Renmo and escaped with Nine Continents Step. They instantly disappeared in front of the chasing group. Though some of the people within the group were confused, there were many formidable martial artists who understood that they escaped by using some sort of treasure.

They appeared within a city. Although Qing Shui was unsure about their exact location, from the surroundings, he could approximately tell that it was probably the Grand Wind City.

This Grand Wind City was named aptly. Every day, large gales blew for half a day at the very least. There were also times that the wind would blow nonstop for days. He could tell with one glance that the buildings were much heavier here.

Tianhe Renmo, who was covered in injuries, and Qing Shui were inside an inn. Qing Shui had already healed Tianhe Renmo quite a bit during this time. After cleaning himself up, Tianhe Renmo no longer appeared as ragged, even though he still looked tired.

“Brother, you have saved me once again.”

They had not seen each other for several years. Though their appearance hadn’t changed much, their cultivation had risen significantly. When he first met Tianhe Renmo, Qing Shui was barely at the False God Grade. Now after all this time, the healed Tianhe Renmo had also stepped into the False God Grade.

Before they knew it, ten years had passed.

Both of them had changed quite a bit. They kept in touch while they were on the Phoenix Dance Continent, but Qing Shui, who was always moving around quite a lot, made it hard for them to meet afterward.

Back then, Qing Shui found out that Tianhe Renmo was fighting for a woman. Though he had broken through to the False God Grade, he was still not a match for his opponent. But how about now? Therefore, Qing Shui asked while smiling, “How is she?”

Ten years ago, Tianhe Renmo was fighting with another person over a woman. That woman had a bit of feeling for Tianhe Renmo, but the other person was overpowering him. This guy was jealous of Tianhe Renmo, thus he took action against him. The accident at that time resulted in Tianhe Renmo’s Qi deviation, causing the destruction of his meridians.

That was when Qing Shui met Tianhe Renmo and saved him.

“Good, we are doing well. However, that guy won’t leave us alone. His clan is big, and their forces are even bigger. This time, he wants me dead, but luckily, I met you.” Tianhe Renmo seemed not to be too worried.

“You mean, all these years, you have been battling with your rival in love?” Qing Shui asked in astonishment.

“Yes, I really want to be with her. In order to do that, I have to take down Xicheng Yeyang and the Xicheng clan. If not, She will have to face many hurdles while being with me.” Tianhe Renmo said bitterly.

“Ha… It is difficult for a man to find the right woman.”

There were men who could only stare at some women longingly, this was especially true for beautiful women. Those without strength were not qualified to possess a beautiful woman. Otherwise, they would only be a prey to the stronger warrior. It was normal to lose one’s life over this matter.

“That’s not it. I’m just devoted to one woman. If I can’t be with her, I would rather not marry for the rest of my life.” Tianhe Renmo said helplessly.

There were many infatuated people in love, but many could not compare with Tianhe Renmo. Qing Shui admired Tianhe Renmo’s dedication, knowing that there were not many men with his level of strength that would remain as loyal as he was. In this world, men with strength would normally have multiple wives.

Many times, Qing Shui felt that he himself was not a good person. Love was worthy of admiration, yet it was also selfish. Qing Shui had no path backward now. Every woman by his side was the best of the best. Having any of them was a blessing, but that resulted in him unable to provide each of them with a complete love.

“How about I assist you in dealing with the Xicheng Clan.” Qing Shui suggested.

“Brother, there is no need. I will take care of this myself. Otherwise, her elders would give me a hard time.” Tianhe Renmo said while shaking his head.

Qing Shui remained speechless for a while. This woman had enslaved Tianhe Renmo’s spirit. She had captured his spirit for twenty years or more. Luckily, people had higher longevity in this world, had it been the previous life, then his life would have been wasted away.

“Alright, I won’t assist you directly, I will only increase your strength. Once you are done with your business, come to visit me at the Great Shang City. You can follow me afterward.” Qing Shui said with a smile.

“That was part of my plan all along. After I’m done I will come to visit.”

……

Qing Shui helped Tianhe Renmo to raise his strength and foundation. This allowed Tianhe Renmo’s strength to rise by a tremendous amount. All in all, It was all due to his body’s constitution, there was no other explanation. If this was compared to a video game, characters with high innate talent were stronger than those of the same level. People were similar to characters in a video game, but the major difference was the comprehension and other unexplainable factors.

Physique was natural aptitude; Maturity and comprehension were innate gifts.

Qing Shui returned to the Imperial Cuisine Hall. Not much change occurred during these last few days, everything progressed smoothly. Every now and then, he would hear some randomly emerging story about the Imperial Cuisine Hall. Sometimes, he would hear about Imperial Cuisine Hall’s benevolence.

Though there were many who would purposely smear Imperial Cuisine Hall’s name, like deliberately creating misunderstandings towards Imperial Cuisine Hall, Qing Shui never defended himself nor the Imperial Cuisine Hall. Everyone had a scale within their hearts, if the scale was imbalanced then, it only represented that it was not within their destiny.

Those who were mediocre would not cause envy. It was impossible to satisfy everyone. Satisfying a portion of the people was already a success.

Qing Shui prepared himself to visit Jade Fragrant Restaurant and inform Yu Xixuan of his return. Though he believed that Jade Fragrant Restaurant’s information network would already know this, he felt that he should go there personally. It showed that he valued the other party.

“So fast?” Yu Xixuan was happy seeing Qing Shui.

“How come I have a feeling that you did not want me to return?” Qing Shui laughed.

“That’s not true. You returned aptly, I have some news. I wonder if you would like to hear it?” Yu Xixuan asked with a smile.