Li Guanqi was momentarily taken aback by her words, thinking that it indeed made sense...
With Meng Wanshu's current status and prestige, descending from the Nine Heavens was nothing more than a matter of a single word.
Moreover, if Meng Wanshu agreed to return to Emperor Heaven to cultivate, who knew how thrilled the palace master of Jiuding Heavenly Palace would be?
"All right, then it's settled. You'll stay in Emperor Heaven to cultivate."
Meng Wanshu nodded with a smile. As she put on her clothes, she turned away shyly and said softly, "By the way, I feel like Immortal Elder Yu is very interested in you. Would you consider coming with me to Emperor Heaven? With your talent, Husband, I'm sure any of the top ten clan factions in Emperor Heaven would let you have your pick."
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.
Looking at the woman, he rubbed his nose a bit sheepishly and chuckled. "Doesn't my wife know me best? Compared to rubbing shoulders with those arrogant figures, I'm far better suited to taking root in the soil, until I eventually break through its confines and soar ninety thousand li into the sky! The Ten Lands and the Eight Desolations are probably a better fit for my own path."
Meng Wanshu smiled and nodded upon hearing this. She knew deep down that Li Guanqi was indeed best suited to fighting his way up step by step. Still, she added, "After I return this time, I might have to do some things to awaken a special physique, and then I'll come straight down to find you!"
"Hmm? What physique? And why come down to find me?" Li Guanqi looked at Meng Wanshu in surprise, wondering why she would ascend only to come right back down.
Meng Wanshu's expression suddenly darkened. Her eyes raked up and down over Li Guanqi, and she asked in a playful tone, "What? I'm not allowed to come down?"
Her voice was unnervingly calm—so calm that Li Guanqi half-expected her to pull a giant sledgehammer from her storage ring in the next breath...
"Could it be that you have a lover here in the Ten Lands? Are you so afraid of me coming down, hmm?"
Li Guanqi hastily waved his hands in denial. "How could that be?! Absolutely not! I was just curious why you'd want to come down."
Meng Wanshu scrutinized him again and again, and only let him off the hook when she saw his placid expression and clear, innocent gaze.
"Let me tell you, you'd better watch yourself. If I find out you're fooling around outside... I'll take a pair of shears and snip it right off!"
Meng Wanshu made a vicious snipping gesture with two fingers, sending a violent shiver down Li Guanqi's spine.
He quickly offered an appeasing laugh. "Haha... ha... That definitely won't happen. I'm very dutiful to my husbandly virtues."
Meng Wanshu broke into a radiant smile, leaning close to Li Guanqi with a sweet grin and murmuring tenderly, "Of course. My husband naturally keeps himself pure as jade!"
Li Guanqi nodded with an awkward laugh.
Suddenly, an ice-blue storage ring appeared before his eyes. Li Guanqi froze slightly.
"What's this?"
Meng Wanshu pursed her lips into a smile. "A wife helping out with the household expenses."
Li Guanqi took it and swept it with his divine sense...
"A hundred thousand second-grade immortal crystals... for household expenses?!"
"And all these Heavenly Origin Pills with pill markings?!"
Meng Wanshu smiled. "Oh, right. That True Immortal Breakthrough Pill inside was given to me by Lord Immortal Elder to pass on to you. He really is very interested in you."
Li Guanqi took out the True Immortal Breakthrough Pill and swallowed hard. Curiously, he asked in a low voice, "Just what cultivation realm is Elder Yu at anyway?"
A mysterious smile appeared on Meng Wanshu's face as she held up a hand gesture and whispered, "The Immortal Venerable realm, seventh tier!"
Li Guanqi instantly sucked in a sharp breath.
"Then that means those four cultivators guarding you at all times..."
"Mm. Four Immortal Monarchs at the fifth tier or higher."
Li Guanqi got up to dress himself. Gazing at the graceful, noble woman resting her chin in her hand, he muttered, "Seems my wife is truly valued in Jiuding Heavenly Palace..."
Meng Wanshu smiled softly and said, "Of course. The Palace Master treats me very well."
A sharp glint flashed across Li Guanqi's eyes upon hearing that. He traced characters in midair:
*Be watchful. Be careful!*
Meng Wanshu's eyes flickered. She nodded with a smile and tapped the air with her jade finger:
*Don't worry. I will.*
Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu exchanged a look, everything understood without words.
After finishing dressing, Li Guanqi furrowed his brows and asked, "By the way, during this past year or so, have you come across any news about the Great Xia Sword Sect? Why haven't I found any trace of it in either Qinzhou or Quping Prefecture? Could it be... all the sect masters of the Great Xia Sword Sect who ascended in the past kicked the bucket?"
Li Guanqi sat in a chair and poured a cup of tea for her. Meng Wanshu smiled faintly and answered softly, "No, it's just that within the Fuyu Lands, you haven't approached the true Zhongzhou region yet. Once you arrive in Zhongzhou, you should be able to find out. As far as I know, the Great Xia Sword Sect's main sect is in the Eight Desolations, while its branch sects are spread throughout the Ten Lands!"
Li Guanqi was taken aback, asking in disbelief, "Uh... you're not pulling my leg, Wife? Is the Great Xia Sword Sect really that formidable?!"
Seeing Li Guanqi's incredulous look, Meng Wanshu couldn't help but laugh. "It's the absolute truth. After I arrived at Jiuding Heavenly Palace, I asked Immortal Elder Yu to investigate this for me. The Great Xia Sword Sect's strength is indeed quite formidable. Not only in the Eight Desolations, but they have branch sects established across all of the Ten Lands, so you don't need to worry too much about Ye Feng and the others; they shouldn't run into any trouble. The only ones... I was worried about before were Pengluo and Jiuxiao, and so far there's only Jiuxiao whose whereabouts remain unknown."
Li Guanqi nodded slightly. He cared deeply about Jiuxiao and wondered where the dragon had ended up.
Meng Wanshu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Still, there's no need to worry too much. Divine beasts are relatively common in the Immortal Realm, so even a true dragon wouldn't cause too much of a stir. There shouldn't be any major problems. Jiuxiao has followed you for a long time and has seen plenty of human cultivators' schemes and deceit."
A flicker of worry passed through Li Guanqi's eyes, and he sighed softly. "Jiuxiao isn't as clever as Pengluo. Thinking about him still leaves me a little worried."
With that, Li Guanqi stood up and smiled. "Elder Yu must be growing impatient waiting outside. I'll go have a chat with Senior, and while I'm at it, check on Uncle Lin and the other."
Meng Wanshu nodded gently and said in a soft voice, "I'll stabilize my cultivation realm first. Later, when you go to see those two Lin family elders, make sure to take me with you."
Li Guanqi nodded with a smile. Such a gentle woman was the Meng Wanshu in his memories.
But... no matter what side of her showed, he loved it all!
Especially everything that happened today in Xutian Palace—it filled him with immense warmth. Meng Wanshu's heartfelt care touched him deeply.
Of course... as for Meng Jiangchu, since Meng Wanshu hadn't brought it up herself, he didn't ask. Across the vast expanse of the Immortal Realm, even for Jiuding Heavenly Palace, tracking down an ascended cultivator was no easy task.
Straightening his collar, Li Guanqi circulated his cultivation method to refine the immortal essence within him as he walked toward the deck by the ship's railing.
The white-haired elder was sitting on the deck with a stool placed beside him, seemingly waiting for Li Guanqi's arrival.
From afar, Immortal Elder Yu waved toward Li Guanqi.
"Brat, come here, come here."
Seeing the elder's stern expression, Li Guanqi had no choice but to brace himself and jog over with a beaming smile.
"Ah, Elder Yu... this junior is coming, coming right now!"
Chapter 1707