I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

14

Just Want to Live Well but Surpassing the Protagonist – 13 Self-Abandonment of Cultivation

“Master Ye, let’s cut to the chase,” said Qin Shimeng, her mood now stabilized by the calming effects of the spirit tea, allowing her to set aside prejudices and converse with Ye Yong.

“Please speak, Miss Qin,” Ye Yong replied, his face the picture of a graceful young master attentively listening.

“I know what your purpose is in breaking off the engagement, and I hope you can stop such childish behavior. It may trouble me, but it won’t affect my resolve, and will only make me despise you more,” Qin Shimeng spoke with a forthrightness that Ye Yong found appealing, yet he couldn’t comprehend why she considered calling off the engagement as childish.

“Miss Qin, I don’t understand your meaning. Why do you find breaking off the engagement childish? Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?”

“Heh, we agreed to be straightforward, yet you still try to beat around the bush with excuses,” Qin Shimeng said with a cold laugh, though the curve of her lips was quite charming.

Ye Yong quickly averted his gaze, looking into the distance: “I’m not making excuses, every word I speak is true. The broken engagement was to give you freedom. If you think everything is my fault, I have nothing more to say. If there’s anything I can do to help or compensate you, I am willing.”

For cultivators, the most unthinkable act is to abandon their cultivation, but for Ye Yong, it was a desirable option. Firstly, he lacked any foundation in cultivation, and secondly, with the Body Forging Manual, he could start anew. If not a divine body, then perhaps a fairy body or something better could be achieved.

Faced with such humility from Ye Yong, Qin Shimeng stared at his face, unsure whether he was acting or serious. Her impression of Ye Yong had been so poor that this contrast was jarring, making her suspect all was a scheme: “Are you serious?”

“A gentleman’s word, swift as a steed,” Ye Yong replied earnestly, looking directly at Qin Shimeng.

In that moment of eye contact, Qin Shimeng felt as if the person before her was not Ye Yong, but someone else. Eyes are the windows to the soul, revealing too many emotions, and cultivators are particularly sensitive to this.

Could he have been possessed? But with so many Nascent Soul and Divine Spirit elders in the Ye family, they must have discussed the broken engagement. If he were possessed, it would have been noticed… Could it be demonic possession? But that usually turns good people bad, not the other way around. Perhaps he had an epiphany?

Qin Shimeng suspected Ye Yong had laid a trap and decided it was best not to fall for it, shaking her head: “There’s nothing I need from you, Master Ye.”

“There must be something, anything is fine, even if you think it’s something I can’t do,” Ye Yong said, his words carrying a hint of persuasion. Abandoning his cultivation would allow him to start over and might even improve Qin Shimeng’s opinion of him, killing two birds with one stone.

Stunned by his words, Qin Shimeng pondered what Ye Yong wouldn’t dare to do: “Would you dare to abandon your cultivation?”

Indeed, Ye Yong’s mention of the impossible made Qin Shimeng think of self-abandonment of cultivation, something a normal cultivator would never consider.

As she voiced the thought, Qin Shimeng found it amusing; how could Ye Yong ever agree to such a thing?

But if this was all part of Ye Yong’s plot, and he had made a promise as binding as a gentleman’s word, perhaps hearing such an impossible request would anger him, revealing his prior deception?

Qin Shimeng awaited Ye Yong’s response, never expecting that he would actually agree.

“Is Young Master Ye truly determined to cripple his own cultivation?” Qin Shimeng was somewhat startled, looking into Ye Yong’s eyes, which seemed earnest.

“Of course. Ye has always done as he says, but after this is done, it will mean that Miss Qin has forgiven my past deeds, and we shall owe each other nothing.”

Qin Shimeng’s body began to tremble slightly, not fully expecting this outcome, unable to believe that Ye Yong would truly do it: “Then you… go ahead and cripple it.”

Ye Yong, already knowledgeable in the complete manual of body forging, had mastered the basic meridians and the location of the Dantian Qi Sea. His hands gathered spiritual energy, ready to strike down on his own Dantian.

Seeing Ye Yong’s unwavering resolve to act, Qin Shimeng immediately intervened.

“Miss Qin, what do you mean by this?” Besides re-forging his body, Ye Yong also contemplated rebuilding his foundation. The system store had a “Foundation Building Manual” priced at 1000 reversal points.

Although unsure whether crippling his cultivation would increase Qin Shimeng’s favorability, with Wu Xue always by his side, obtaining 1000 reversal points was not difficult.

“Young Master Ye, you’ve won.” Qin Shimeng’s originally fair face turned a shade paler, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Had she hesitated even slightly, if she had been a moment slower, Ye Yong might have truly crippled his cultivation.

Would Qin Shimeng be happy about self-crippling cultivation? Not at all. Although Ye Yong had always overshadowed her, stealing her halo as the proud daughter of heaven, Qin Shimeng did not need such a malicious method to reclaim her halo. Whatever she wanted, she would strive for herself.

Now in the Foundation Building phase, starting over after crippling one’s cultivation would mean falling far behind, and there might even be lingering hidden ailments in the Dantian Qi Sea, affecting future cultivation. Moreover, as the genius of the Ye family, the prodigy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, if she were to cripple her cultivation, not to mention others, the Ye family would certainly not spare the Qin family.

“Young Master Ye must know that I wouldn’t stand by and watch you cripple your cultivation, right?” Qin Shimeng laughed self-deprecatingly, feeling that her attempt to test Ye Yong with such a request was pointless: “But Young Master Ye is bold, not afraid that I wouldn’t have stopped you in time?”

“Ye never expected Miss Qin to intervene.” Ye Yong thought Qin Shimeng would be glad to see him become a cripple.

“Young Master Ye jests. If you truly crippled your cultivation, then the Qin family might no longer have a place in the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Ye Yong hadn’t thought that deeply before, only considering re-training and familiarizing himself with cultivation. Now, thinking about the Ye family’s protectiveness and madness, if something happened to him, even if both parties were hurt, the Qin family would definitely pay the price.

“Then, Miss Qin, would you like to make another request?”

“I have no requests, and I apologize for making such an impolite demand just now. If the annulment is true, and we no longer have any entanglements, that would be the best outcome for me.” Qin Shimeng couldn’t see through Ye Yong today; his intentions used to be easy to guess, but now he seemed like an unfathomable abyss.

“Ye has always kept his word.” Ye Yong glanced at the favorability list; Qin Shimeng’s favorability of -86 had now changed to -62, shifting from extreme loathing to dislike. The reversal points had soared to over 2000, filling him with elation.

Wait, Ye Yong suddenly remembered. In terms of talent and ability, Qin Shimeng far surpassed ‘Ye Yong.’ It was only because the current cultivation technique was incompatible with her constitution that she had fallen behind. Later, when she met the protagonist, that fallen immortal old man gave her a new cultivation technique, which skyrocketed her cultivation.

Ye Yong remembered the name of the cultivation technique; he could completely exchange it for Qin Shimeng in the store. Not for any other reason, but after today, there would be no more ties between them. Giving her such a good cultivation technique would surely increase her favorability. Before parting, Ye Yong wanted to glean one last batch of reversal points from Qin Shimeng.

“If that’s the case, Shimeng takes her leave.” Seeing Ye Yong lost in thought, Qin Shimeng felt there was no need to stay any longer and prepared to leave.

“Miss Qin, please wait a moment,” Ye Yong suddenly called out to her.

Qin Shimeng knew that Ye Yong couldn’t possibly have turned over a new leaf so abruptly; everything must be within his calculations. She had only feigned departure, forcing herself to momentarily drop the disguise.

Qin Shimeng turned around expressionlessly, intending to see what kind of trick Ye Yong was planning to play.

Ye Yong revealed a modest and gentle smile, “For causing Miss Qin such prolonged trouble, it would be remiss of me not to offer some form of compensation.”

Having said that, he took out paper and pen from his storage ring, spending 5 reversal points to exchange for beginner’s calligraphy, and began writing something on it.

Qin Shimeng glanced at it, and it seemed to be a cultivation method. At first glance, she didn’t sense anything, but the more she looked, the more alarmed she became.

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