Chapter 425

Chapter 425: Conquest Achieved

No information had come from Long Yunshuang’s side yet, and Zhou Luo remained unknown as to what stage the Wang residence’s succession struggle had reached.

But currently, it appeared it would still take a long time to reach a conclusion.

Sitting on the stone stool in the garden, Zhou Luo leisurely stroked Little White on the stone table. The smooth fur felt extremely comforting.

After so many years passed, with his help as a Beast Tamer, Little White had successfully advanced from the mid-stage to the late-stage, its strength greatly increased.

Five years had passed in the blink of an eye. The business over at Tian Xia Pavilion hadn’t seen much change, and after suffering repeated suppression, Fang Li had yet to counter with any known measures.

Now within the entire Immortal City, Tian Xia Pavilion ranked as the most flourishing business, followed by Zhou Luo’s Yao Yuan Pavilion and the industries of the Lin Family.

Since establishing cooperation with Wan Gu Sect, he had completely monopolized the industry concerning Gu insects; even Tian Xia Pavilion couldn’t gain control over the supply channels.

Consequently, the newly appointed head of Tian Xia Restaurant had approached Zhou Luo multiple times.

He had learned from Hong Han that during the initial cooperation agreement, it had been stipulated that the Gu insect distribution channels were to be exclusively controlled by the cooperating party.

However, as Long Yunshuang had handed most authority to Zhou Luo before her departure, unless Zhou Luo consented, the head truly had no ground to stand on.

As he pondered these industry matters, a figure slowly approached from not too far away.

It was a woman. She wore bright garments that exposed large areas of snowy skin, her delicate face remained impassive and tranquil.

She approached like a gentle breeze, leaving no trace of her aura along the path.

The woman was none other than Ye Qian.

For five years, she had resided within Zhou Fu, and her relationship with Zhou Luo had become far closer than before.

She stood at the corridor, looking at his broad back, and said softly, "It’s time for dinner."

"Alright."

Zhou Luo smiled as he stood up, turning to walk towards the dining hall.

Over these five years, though he hadn’t completely won her over, success was now just one step away.

Particularly throughout this period, he had selflessly provided her with numerous materials for forming the Golden Core, significantly boosting her progress.

Moreover, throughout the past year, he had not forgotten to add a kind of poison that deepened emotions each time he supplied these materials.

This poison was something he specifically concocted. It was odorless and tasteless, minimally toxic, yet capable of subtly influencing her feelings.

Zhou Luo’s own cultivation had stagnated during these five years precisely because he lacked a dual cultivation partner.

Therefore, in this matter, he had no choice but to employ certain measures. Combined with the lingering effects of the love poison she had ingested all those years ago, Ye Qian’s feelings towards him were finally undergoing a transformation.

Upon reaching the dining hall, his concubines had prepared the spiritual food.

As Zhou Luo took his seat, he inquired, "Have you broken through recently?"

Originally at late-stage Foundation Establishment, her cultivation over these five years, aided by the various materials, had brought Ye Qian close to the Golden Core formation stage.

This process would naturally be extremely protracted.

Facing the question, Ye Qian responded with a touch of helplessness, "Cultivation here is still too slow."

Although the core area of the Immortal City rested atop a Second Level spiritual vein, it paled in comparison to the conditions at Biquan True Sect.

Despite receiving support from all sorts of materials during these five years, she had encountered a bottleneck and remained incapable of breaking through.

Hearing these words, Zhou Luo’s eyes flashed. He knew the opportunity had come.

Then he looked seriously at her and said, "Since that’s the case, how have you considered that dual cultivation technique?"

Fundamentally, the troubles she faced were problems with her cultivation speed, and the dual cultivation technique could solve them well.

As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Qian froze, clearly not expecting him to say this at such a time.

Over these five years, she had finally seen clearly what kind of person he was.

She knew he was a very emotional and inherently kind-hearted person.

So, she gradually let down her guard towards him, changing from her previous cold demeanor, becoming more certain that she could successfully break through to Golden Core with his help in the future.

Before this, she thought to wait until she became Golden Core before repaying him.

But she never expected him to ask her to dual cultivate with him.

She actually knew about that The Fusion of Dragon and Phoenix Technique long ago and truly knew that this dual cultivation technique could help her.

However, after all, this was dual cultivation. It wasn’t just two people sitting there and that was it.

So, psychologically, she had never been able to cross this threshold.

When Zhou Luo saw her like this, he sat up straight, his expression very serious, and said, "Ye Qian, the reason I say this is because I am sincere."

"Whether you believe it or not, from the first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you."

"Otherwise, at that time, I wouldn’t have saved you even though I knew the other party’s cultivation level was higher than mine."

"Later, when I learned you were expelled from your sect because of me, my heart was filled with immense guilt, which is why I invited you to Qinyuan City."

"Over these five years, my love for you has never diminished, and I believe you can see it too."

"If we are together in the future, I promise I will always be good to you."

In the dining hall, Zhou Luo’s words were forceful and deeply sincere. His magnetic voice fell on Ye Qian’s ears, making her body tremble slightly.

She looked at him with some disbelief, completely unprepared to imagine that he had so many thoughts in his heart.

At this time, the poison Zhou Luo had administered earlier was slowly taking effect.

Under the intense emotional impact, her mental defenses were collapsing.

Her beautiful eyes gazed at him, shimmering with a glimmer of light, her heart feeling extremely complicated.

At this moment, she didn’t know what expression or words to use to face him.

Only when those words reached her ears one by one did she realize that he had held such thoughts about her all these years.

At this moment, Ye Qian was like a flustered little girl.

Although she was a late-stage Foundation Establishment powerhouse, when it came to matters of the heart, she had always been inexperienced.

Over these five years, living closely with him day and night, in reality, they were no different from partners in the world of cultivation.

Moreover, he had done so many things for her, which deeply moved her heart.

Just as she didn’t know how to answer, Zhou Luo stood up, walked directly to her, looked at her with utmost sincerity, and spoke again: "Ye Qian, become my partner. Let’s cultivate together."

The gentle voice was like a spring breeze brushing past, moistening Ye Qian’s heart.

She raised her head, her delicate face gazing at his deep, starry eyes, pursing her lips, her beautiful eyes shimmering with an unknown glimmer of light.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The entire dining hall was silent. Even the sound of the wind outside seemed to have disappeared.

Only Little White crouched by the window, quietly watching this scene.

After an unknown time, perhaps a moment, perhaps a very long while, Ye Qian’s lips moved slightly.

"Okay."