Martial Cultivator

Saving money was not an easy task, but for Chen Chao, the most challenging part was not the act of saving money itself. It was the uncertainty of whether Sword Qi Mountain would agree to help him reforge his saber once he had accumulated a large sum of money. After all, that mountain had been devoted to forging flying swords for generations. Asking them to forge a saber now might be met with rejection for various reasons.

In fact, Chen Chao's action might even be seen as a provocation.

However, Chen Chao really could not think of any other place in the world besides Sword Qi Mountain that could help him reforge this broken saber.

With so many doubts in his mind, Chen Chao followed Song Lian to the courtyard near where the woman was staying. Song Lian suddenly stopped and began to hesitate: "You go in first and take a look, see how she thinks now. I'll go in later?"

Chen Chao frowned and said, "Didn't she say she'd wait for Your Excellency when you left? Why is Your Excellency acting so fearful now?"

Song Lian shook his head and said softly, "I believe she's willing to wait for me, but if... if she really fell for someone else, I have nothing to say either. I won't disturb her."

Chen Chao sighed. He could understand Song Lian's feelings, so he did not say anything. Instead, he walked alone towards the small, low courtyard.

The courtyard door was open, so Chen Chao pushed it and entered. As he stepped into the courtyard, he did not see any laundry hanging around. Before Song Lian left, he had asked Chen Chao not to let the woman wash clothes for others anymore. Otherwise, with the arrival of winter, her days would become even harder. Chen Chao had taken this matter to heart and resolved this problem.

Now, entering the courtyard, Chen Chao called out, and immediately, there was a sound from inside the house. The woman peeked out and, upon seeing Chen Chao after a long time, she was especially happy. She quickly pulled Chen Chao into the house and brought out a small stove. After lighting it, the two sat around the stove. The woman asked softly, "It's been a long time since we last met. Did you go on a long trip?"

She had always been this way. Chen Chao had not come to see her for so long, but she did not feel Chen Chao had forgotten about her. Instead, she believed that Chen Chao must have had some matters to attend to, so he could not come over.

Chen Chao nodded, saying with a laugh, "I went on a long journey and just returned to the Divine Capital. Originally, I wanted to visit you, Elder Sister, before the New Year. But unexpectedly, there were too many matters at the office, and I couldn't get away."

At this point, Chen Chao slapped his forehead, saying with some embarrassment. "I came to see elder sister empty-handed, that's really embarrassing."

The woman smiled faintly, not minding at all. The skygold coins that Chen Chao had brought over before had been enough to cover her expenses for several years. Even if Chen Chao did not bring anything, she did not think it mattered. Even if he came here to eat and drink every day, she would not mind either.

The two chatted about daily life, and Chen Chao patiently avoided mentioning Song Lian.

Finally, the woman could not hold back any longer, and asked cautiously, "He didn't die in the Northern Frontier, did he? I heard there was a great victory there, but despite the victory, why haven't we received any news from him? Could it be... that you're here today to..."

At this point, the woman's eyes had already become somewhat moist. After Song Lian left, she had been thinking about this matter every day and was extremely worried. She even went to several major temples in the Divine Capital to pray for Song Lian's safety.

Chen Chao wanted to speak but swallowed the words back.

The woman now seemed even more convinced that something had happened to Song Lian. Tears welled up in her eyes, and it looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"It's okay, tell me. I can handle it."

The woman looked at Chen Chao, still wanting an answer.

Chen Chao shook his head with a wry smile. "Lord Song is not dead. Elder Sister is just too worried."

The woman looked puzzled and turned to Chen Chao, asking, "Then why hasn't he come back yet?"

Chen Chao glanced outside, gesturing with his eyes for the woman to go and see for herself.

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then got up and walked towards the door.

Soon, she arrived at the courtyard door, standing in the yard. She was silent for a long time, lost in thought. Eventually, she slowly pushed open the door and stepped outside.

Song Lian stood nervously not far from the entrance.

As their eyes met, tears inexplicably welled up in the woman's eyes, unable to be restrained. Sensing this, she quickly turned away and used her sleeve to wipe away the tears from her face. However, no matter how hard she tried to wipe them away, the tears in her eyes could not be dried.

Song Lian walked over, looked at the woman before him, and opened his mouth as if to speak, but could not find the words.

He felt regret at that moment, wondering why he had thought she might have fallen for some other guy, why he had thought she might have forgotten him. He should have been absolutely certain. At this moment, he even felt like he should just die.

As the woman turned around to face this Left Guard Commander, she asked softly, "I heard you guys won a war in the North?"

Song Lian nodded, saying, "It was a rare great victory. For many years to come, perhaps there won't be any more deaths in the North."

The woman continued to inquire, "So, how many demons did you kill?"

After a moment of thought, Song Lian replied, "I didn't count carefully, but it must have been around eighty to a hundred."

The woman murmured softly, then said, "You're very impressive."

Song Lian was momentarily at a loss for words.

The woman just looked at him like that, not saying anything either.

The two of them continued to look at each other like that.

Chen Chao leaned against the door, watching the two of them, thinking to himself how tiring it was for these two people to have a conversation. Song Lian was also an illogical person, he was even more cowardly than himself.

After a long while, the woman finally spoke again, her voice very soft as she said, "My name is Liu Ying."

It was a very ordinary name, perhaps reflecting the ordinary life of the woman.

Song Lian was taken aback for a moment, then immediately said, "My name is Song Lian."

After saying this, Song Lian wished he could slap himself for not remembering that he had already told her his name.

But the woman did not seem to mind, she just looked at Song Lian and asked, "Do I still look alright?"

The woman now had the appearance of middle age, but one could still vaguely see her beauty when she was young. She could not be described as a great beauty, but she was rather attractive; at least not ugly. Even at her current age, the woman before them was still rather attractive.

Song Lian nodded and said, "I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world."

This statement even made Chen Chao click his tongue in commendation. Well, well, for Song Lian to say such words himself, it truly surprised Chen Chao.

The woman's cheeks blushed slightly as she continued looking at Song Lian, biting her lip.

Song Lian stood there blankly, not saying a word.

Chen Chao sighed inwardly again. Damn it, at this time, are you really not going to say anything?

Just as Chen Chao sighed inwardly, the woman wiped her face and said, "I really like you. Can you marry me?"[1.]

The woman had endured a difficult life in the first half of her life. Before meeting Song Lian, she felt that living her life like this was not bad at all. Many people in the world were unwilling to accept their fate but could not change their destiny. However, there were also many people who had the opportunity to change their fate but were unwilling to take action. The woman had never considered herself a courageous person, especially at this age, and falling in love with such a good man made her even more hesitant. However, she generally understood that some things, once missed, would be regretted for life. So she lifted her head and asked this question.

Song Lian was taken aback, looking at the woman, and was silent for a long time.

The woman's eyes were full of disappointment, and her voice became quieter too, "Is it a no?"

Seeing her disappointed expression, Song Lian quickly spoke up, "I should be the one asking you."

After saying this, he straightened his back. This martial artist who was one of the top experts in the world said seriously, "I really like you. Will you marry me?"

The woman's tears welled up again, streaming down her face, rendering her unable to say a word, only nodding continuously.

Of course, why not?

The most difficult thing in this world was when you liked someone and that person happens to like you back.

Of course, even more challenging was when the person you liked was willing to be with you, but you were also determined to be with them.

Regardless of societal judgments, regardless of bystanders' interference, when you like someone, you should be with them, forever and always.