Chapter 48: You're Married? Who Is Your Husband?

Chapter 48: You're Married? Who is Your Husband?

Northern Prefecture, the Land of Extreme North.

There were several snow-capped mountains where the snow never melted all year round. The place was frigid and virtually devoid of human presence, inhabited only by a few demonic beasts that did not fear the cold.

Atop a towering snow-covered peak stood a Daoist temple crafted entirely from white bones, emitting an icy, crystal-like radiance under the sunlight.

This was the renowned White Bone Temple.

The White Bone Temple was not large in scale. In front of the temple lay only a small plaza, flanked by ancient pines and verdant cypresses.

This White Bone Temple served as the living quarters and cultivation grounds of the temple master.

As for the disciples of the White Bone Temple, they resided within the surrounding snow mountains, each possessing their own individual cave dwellings.

With a flash of light, Bai Jing'er holding Chen Ping'an's hand landed in the plaza.

"Brother Bao, we have arrived at the White Bone Temple. This place is secluded, and the disciples of the temple will not come to disturb us."

Bai Jing'er said with a complex expression.

Chen Ping'an walked slowly across the snow, making a crisp crunching sound. He stood beneath an ancient pine, turned around, and asked, "Back then, you were also a disciple of the righteous path. How did you end up joining the White Bone Temple later on?"

Seeing Chen Ping'an bring up the events of the past, Bai Jing'er's exquisitely beautiful face darkened slightly.

"Brother Bao, back then Zixia and I fought, resulting in both of us being severely injured. The temple master saved my life at that time, and I have been cultivating by his side ever since."

She sighed, ripples of complexity emerging within her spring-water-like eyes.

Over the years, she had been dubbed Lady White Bone by the world, a terrifying female fiend whose mere name struck fear into the hearts of others.

However.

She had once been a person with benevolence in her heart. Therefore, after Bai Jing'er became the acting temple master, the White Bone Temple under her leadership had restrained itself significantly, no longer wreaking havoc in the mortal world.

"Zixia..."

Chen Ping'an murmured, as endless memories surged into his mind.

Back then, Zixia and Bai Jing'er, a pair of master and disciple, turned against each other because of him, ultimately engaging in a life-or-death duel at the peak of the Nine Dragons Mountain.

The outcome of that battle remained unknown to him.

However, from that moment on, he had lost all trace of the two women.

"Zixia's whereabouts are unknown. All these years, I haven't known where she is; perhaps she is no longer in this world..."

Bai Jing'er said with a bitter smile.

Zixia was her master, but she possessed immense natural talent, achieving great success in cultivation within a short span of time and eventually reaching a level of strength comparable to her master.

Thus, the battle at Nine Dragons Mountain left both master and disciple grievously wounded.

She was taken away by the Master of the White Bone Temple, while Zixia vanished without a trace.

"The White Bone Fiend harassed the girlfriend of our Azure Cloud Sect's primordial ancestor and completely disregarded our Azure Cloud Sect, so I killed him."

Chen Ping'an收回思绪 (recalled his thoughts), his eyelids drooping slightly as he said flatly, "Now that you are the master of the White Bone Temple, shouldn't you kill me?"

Bai Jing'er burst into tears.

"Brother Bao, how could I ever kill you? As for this position of acting temple master of the White Bone Temple, I can cast it aside at any time." Her attitude was resolute.

"Good."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

He greatly appreciated this declaration from Bai Jing'er.

"Brother Bao, I'm sorry."

Gathering her courage, Bai Jing'er walked up to Chen Ping'an, tightly grasped his large hands, pressed them against her chest, and whispered, "I shouldn't have been so rigid and pedantic, strictly adhering to the agreement with Zixia. If not for that, perhaps I could have found you much sooner."

Here it comes.

Seeing Bai Jing'er apologize, Chen Ping'an felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Back then, he had never done anything to wrong this pair of master and disciple, so naturally, the one who needed to apologize wasn't him.

"Ding! Former girlfriend Bai Jing'er has apologized to the host. Obtained 89 points of purity value. Task completed, rewarded with a grand gift package. Would you like to open it?"

The system's voice rang out.

Chen Ping'an let out a long breath, thinking to himself that it really had to be Bai Jing'er... This little girl was unquestionably sincere in her love for him. Back then, she could turn against her master and fight her to the death, and now she could abandon her position as the acting master of the White Bone Temple.

"Jing'er, this is not your fault. The fault lies with destiny; it made Zixia your master, caused you to meet me a step too late, and left me a mortal with no way to protect you..."

Chen Ping'an said with deep affection.

Hearing these words, Bai Jing'er felt a wave of sweetness in her heart as she hugged Chen Ping'an, simultaneously crying and smiling.

"Uh, gently."

Chen Ping'an cried out.

"Brother Bao, what's wrong?" Bai Jing'er asked with a puzzled expression.

"You're pressing against me too hard."

Chen Ping'an curled his lips, seizing the opportunity to break free from Bai Jing'er's "clutches."

He was merely at the Golden Body Realm, while Bai Jing'er was at the peak of the tenth tier of the Divine Void Realm. The disparity in their physical body strength was simply too vast; he had almost choked for breath just now.

Pressing against him?

Hearing this, Bai Jing'er's delicate face flushed red. Brother Bao was still just as humorous as he had been back then.

She was just a bit more voluptuous, wasn't she?

To actually say she was poking him!

...

After a while, Bai Jing'er's complexion returned to normal. She looked up and down at Chen Ping'an and asked curiously, "Brother Bao, you didn't have a Dao Seed back then and couldn't cultivate. How did you get through all these years? And how is it that you can cultivate now?"

"A fortuitous coincidence, I suppose. I met a powerful expert who helped reshape my Dao Seed, allowing me to step onto the path of cultivation once again."

Chen Ping'an answered ambiguously.

Some matters were simply too shocking to the world, and he didn't want to tell Bai Jing'er, lest the little girl let her imagination run wild.

Bai Jing'er asked again, "Brother Bao, since you were able to kill the White Bone Fiend Ancestor, your cultivation must have reached at least the peak of the tenth tier of the Divine Void Realm, right?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "More or less. That senior bestowed upon me a treasured artifact capable of forcibly elevating my realm for a short period."

All of Bai Jing'er's doubts vanished, and she pressed no further.

Remembering something, Chen Ping'an deliberately put on a straight face and asked, "Jing'er, you're married? Who is your husband?"

"Ah!"

Bai Jing'er let out a gasp of surprise. Her delicate face turned pale pink, and she replied in a soft, mumbled voice, "The White Bone Temple is a place where demons dance in chaos; many people are completely lawless and dare to do anything. To put an end to the unwanted intentions of certain individuals, I publicly claimed that I was married, and in daily life, I acted extremely ruthless, occasionally taking in handsome young men and pretending to be wildly dissolute. Only by doing that was I able to keep those people in check."

"Being able to maintain your innocent heart amidst this cesspool, it has truly been hard on you."

Filled with deep emotion, Chen Ping'an pulled Bai Jing'er into his embrace with genuine tenderness.

...

A thousand miles away from the White Bone Temple, inside a snow-covered valley, Elder He sat amidst the snow like a statue. Opposite him was a cave dwelling blanketed in heavy snow.

He was waiting for the temple master to emerge from secluded cultivation.

He had also held a secret crush on Lady White Bone for many years, trying numerous times to win her favor, only to end in failure every time.

This time, a pretty boy from the Azure Cloud Sect had managed to capture Lady White Bone's affections, which had utterly infuriated him.

Boom!

The stone door of the cave dwelling exploded, sending snow flying in all directions.

"Hahaha... I've finally broken through!"

An aged laugh echoed from the depths of the cave dwelling.

"This is... the aura of the Void Spirit Realm!"

Elder He's face lit up with overwhelming joy. He hurriedly dropped to his knees in the snow and shouted loudly, "Congratulations to the temple master on breaking through to the Void Spirit Realm!"

The howling wind and snow abruptly ceased.

A figure appeared before him.

The man was tall and thin, with his back hunched high beneath his robes, resembling someone carrying a wok on his back.

"I've finally broken through."

The Master of the White Bone Temple took a deep breath of the freezing air, his mood exceptionally good.

Originally, his natural aptitude was not outstanding, and he had thought he would never break through to the Void Spirit Realm in this lifetime. He had not expected the heavens to lend him a helping hand; after fusing with the dragon bone, he had actually succeeded!

"Get up, Elder He."

He gazed into the distance at the snow-laden ranges and said with a faint smile.

"I have an urgent matter to report."

Elder He remained kneeling on the ground, refusing to get up, and said through clenched teeth, "The White Bone Fiend Ancestor is dead, Temple Master!"