Chapter 562 – The Heavens Are So Far Away (1/2)

In the dark room, Han Qiongzhi touched Li Qingshan’s face with her hand.

Before she knew it, the flagrant youth of the past had already become a man. His jawline seemed to become more defined, while his gaze was as resolute as steel. As her father had said, she was unable to make clear of what it was hiding. The reason for exactly why he was so resolute seemed to be a mystery.

Her instincts told her that during the few years they spent apart, he had been through many things, far more than she could ever know or imagine, enough for him to develop a sense of unfamiliarity.

He was like a statue. He seemed no different on the surface, but as long as she touched him gently, she could tell. The material he was made from was completely different, such that every single detail had become different.

Li Qingshan grabbed her hand and said gently, “You’re no different. You’ve become much thinner.” And much more mature.

Han Qiongzhi let out an interjection of agreement and leaned against him in his arms gently. Li Qingshan embraced her firmly as he thought inside, Qiongzhi, I’ve already become very strong. I can protect you.

Perhaps he was fated to let go of many things on his path to the Nine Heavens, but he refused to let go of this person in his arms. He recalled a line from a movie in his past life, “Who said you can’t roam the jianghu with your wife by your side?”

TL: Referring to the movie “Ashes of Time”, released in 1994.

The room was tranquil. They simply listened to the sound of falling snow outside.

The two of them spent that night fully clothed, listening to the sounds silently.

Li Qingshan did not even have a hint of lust. Instead, he felt extremely peaceful.

In that moment, the battle-hungry, bloodthirsty Northmoon seemed to depart from him. His long-departed heart as a human returned to his chest, giving off warmth.

Only when the sun was about to rise did Han Qiongzhi hesitate and ask gently, “Qingshan, are you hiding something from me?”

Li Qingshan held her by the shoulders, separating them from one another. He stared into her eyes and nodded gently. “I am.”

Han Qiongzhi found the gaze slightly stifling as she also felt vague hints of fear.

Li Qingshan sucked in a deep breath. He had decided to hide it no longer.

At that very moment, he was unable to tell anything that could deceive her. Even if she were unable to accept it, even if she would run out and disclose this secret to the world, he would accept the consequences calmly.

The moment he was about to speak, a hand pressed against Li Qingshan’s lips. He was slightly taken aback, only to hear Han Qiongzhi say, “I’m a little afraid.”

She felt like if she learnt about this secret, it would destroy the feeling of peace and tranquility between them and distance them.

Han Qiongzhi said, “I don’t want to hear it anymore. You’ve refused to tell me this the entire time, so you must have your reason! Tell me when you think it’s appropriate, alright?”

Li Qingshan hesitated for a moment. “Alright.”

Her mind had yet to recover from the sorrow of losing her uncle. If he burdened her with something like that right now, it would probably exceed what she could cope with, which would instead be detrimental to her acceptance.

For the next few days, Li Qingshan and Han Qiongzhi frequently trudged through the snow as they roamed through the nearby mountains and forests. Most of the time, Li Qingshan was the one talking, telling her about what had happened after they separated. He no longer wanted to hide anything, so he covered it up without any lies, leaving many “blanks” in his stories.

Most of the time, Han Qiongzhi listened along quietly. She would ask a few questions every now and then, but she would never question him closely as if she was afraid of bursting this beautiful bubble. It only made Li Qingshan want to protect her even more.

During the other times, Li Qingshan would often spar with the descendants of the Han family in the open space outside the cemetery.

Watching over the grave was not about being cooped up in the building and lamenting all day long. The school of the Military had never placed a particularly great emphasis on these forms of mere courtesy. As a result, they gradually forgave Li Qingshan for his “rudeness”. They would seek guidance from him modestly or gather around him and listen to his experiences with actual combat in the chaos of war.

The battle prowess that Li Qingshan demonstrated was truly powerful. When he fought, he did not use any one-sided power. Their speed, strength, and spiritual qi was roughly the same, yet he could easily emerge as the victor. This left the descendants of the Han family extremely unconvinced with their defeat, yet they were also forced to admire him. The school of the Military respected and admired the strong.

In reality, through the constant sparring, the strength that Li Qingshan used decreased as he went. He obviously did not do this just to gain the recognition of the descendants of the Han family.

Recently, his strength had grown far too quickly. He required some time for consolidation to integrate what he had learnt from the numerous life-threatening battles.

In the beginning, he was still using the same strength as his opponent to fight, but as he constantly suppressed it, he only used the strength of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator towards the end. He completely cast aside his powerful body as a daemon to train his skills in battle.

And while his father-in-law Han Anjun was nowhere close to him in terms of strength, he did come from an aristocratic family with a very deep heritage, so his many skills and ideas in battle still allowed Li Qingshan to benefit tremendously.

They had reached the hundredth day of watching the grave. After this day, they could take off their mourning clothes and return to their usual lives.