My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

"Little sister Ying, are you home?"

Cui Ying was having dinner with her family in the main room when she heard Gu Shiyin's choked voice. She dropped her chopsticks and ran out.

"Brother Shiyin, what's wrong?"

Cui Ying rushed to the gate like a gust of wind. Seeing the boy's swollen eyes and sad expression, she was both shocked and anxious.

Judging by the time, Aunt Mei should have delivered the things to the Gu family long ago. Now that Brother Shiyin is at her house and still so upset, could it be…?

"Brother Shiyin, is it that Aunt Gu doesn't approve of our marriage?"

Gu Shiyin nodded and then shook his head upon hearing this: "My mother insists that you buy a dragon-scale horse, magic robes and artifacts, and build a new mansion before she will agree to let you marry me."

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying felt a sense of relief.

"Hey, Shi Yin, you almost scared me to death! I thought your mother didn't approve!"

Cui Ying chuckled softly, tiptoed and kissed the boy's swollen eyes, reluctant to let go.

As a result, Gu Shiyin's eyes turned red, and even his cheeks and ears were almost bleeding red, but he did not lose his mind: "Sister Ying, those things add up to at least a thousand spirit stones. Who would be willing to spend so many spirit stones to find a mortal? My mother is deliberately making things difficult for you!"

Cui Ying turned around, blocking the gazes peeking through the cracks in the doors. She took Gu Shiyin's hand and led him to the quiet grove behind the house. Looking intently at Gu Shiyin's face, she said earnestly:

"Brother Shi Yin, will you be my husband?"

Gu Shiyin's heart raced as he listened, and he blurted out unconsciously, "Of course I'm willing."

"That's it."

Cui Ying wrapped her arms around his waist and threw herself into the boy's broad, warm chest.

"what."

He and Ah Ying had known each other for so many years, and apart from holding hands, this was only the second time they had had intimate contact. Gu Shiyin was startled, his whole body stiffening as if he had been nailed to the spot.

After a long while, Gu Shiyin seemed to have made up his mind. He also reached out and hugged Cui Ying, and the two of them pressed tightly together.

Just then, Cui Ying's alluring voice came from his chest again:

"Brother Shiyin, as long as you believe in me, no matter how difficult the conditions your family proposes, I will definitely fulfill them. Spending my life with you has always been my wish."

Hearing Cui Ying's weak yet firm voice, Gu Shiyin's heart was instantly filled with sweet happiness.

He tightened his arms around her, as if trying to meld the girl into his own body. After a long while, he calmed himself down and murmured, resting his head on Cui Ying's forehead, "Ah Ying, I believe you. I've always believed you."

Smelling the pine and cypress fragrance emanating from the young man, Cui Ying continued, "Brother Shi Yin, wait for me. I will definitely prepare all these things before the New Year, and then I will bring you home in the Dragon Horse Immortal Chariot."

"What kind of dragon-horse chariot is this?!"

Gu Shiyin shook his head and stroked Cui Ying's head with his chin, saying, "I don't want any dragon-horse chariot, I just want my A-Ying. I don't care about anything else, I just want to be by A-Ying's side day and night."

At this point, Gu Shiyin released Cui Ying and looked at her worriedly, saying, "But Ying, where are you going to earn so many spirit stones?"

Two thousand spirit stones—even for his father, a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator, it would take him five years of not eating or drinking to save them at his peak.

Seeing that Gu Shiyin was getting anxious again, Cui Ying could only nod towards the distant, rolling mountains and say:

"Of course it comes from the Phoenix Mountains."

"Is Sister Ying going to Phoenix Mountain to hunt demons and exchange them for spirit stones?"

They all grew up in Shuangling Village, and they could talk for three days and three nights about how dangerous the mountains were. Countless high-level rogue cultivators had perished in the mountains.

Upon hearing this, Gu Shiyin's expression grew even more anxious, and he shook his head repeatedly, saying:

“No, the Phoenix Mountains are too dangerous. You can’t go there, Aying. I’ve been using herbal medicine to strengthen my body and soul since I was a child, and I’ve developed martial arts skills so that I could stand by your side and be with you. If anyone should go, it should be me.”

It's no secret that Gu Shiyin has been using body-strengthening medicinal soups to toughen his muscles and bones since childhood. On the contrary, many cultivators on the Immortal Origin Continent who love their children use this method to improve their self-defense capabilities.

Unfortunately, firstly, the medicinal soups used to strengthen muscles and bones are quite expensive, and require regular soaking to be effective. Secondly, this process of strengthening muscles and bones is extremely painful, and only those with great willpower can persevere.

Gu Shiyin was able to persevere for several years with his mortal body; the hardships he endured were unimaginable to Cui Ying.

However, if she could obtain the legendary Marrow Cleansing Flower, all her problems would be solved.

After all, in her previous life, as a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, she had made inquiries from various sources but only received a vague and ambiguous message. Before she could verify its truth, she perished in that mysterious cave.

Thinking of this, Cui Ying also shook her head, raised her small face and asked mysteriously, "Do you know how many spirit stones I earned last time I went into the mountains?"

"How many?"

Before the New Year, his two elder brothers made a pact to go into the mountains to hunt demons. Coincidentally, his martial arts skills had just reached a high level, so he begged to go with them. They wandered around the Phoenix Mountain Range for most of the day and went through a lot of trouble before finally hunting a wild boar demon at the second level of Qi Refining. Afterwards, his two elder brothers gave him twenty spirit stones.

Cui Ying had no intention of hiding anything from Gu Shiyin, so she didn't keep him in suspense and told him everything at once.

"So many spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shiyin immediately gasped in fright, then lowered his voice and looked around warily.

"Ah Ying, are rare herbs and medicinal plants really that valuable?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Cui Ying took out her storage bag directly from her bosom and poured out a large number of spirit stones for him to play with.

Looking at the glittering spirit stone in his hand, Gu Shiyin thought of the pile of valuable things at home.

Honey from a hundred flowers, red crystal sugar, purple grapes, as well as jade bamboo wine and glass tobacco, are not things that ordinary cultivators can afford.

"So, are you convinced now? Are you still worried that I won't be able to come and marry you on time?"

Cui Ying raised her small face and looked at Gu Shiyin with a hint of smugness.

"Ah."

Gu Shiyin felt completely relieved and hugged Cui Ying tightly in his arms once again.

After Gu Shiyin returned home, Cui Ying did not go home immediately, but instead followed the bright moonlight to Zhu Chaoyun's house.

"Brother Chaoyun".

Upon hearing Cui Ying's voice, Zhu Chaoyun hurriedly ran out from the inner room. Following behind him was a middle-aged woman in a white dress.

"Oh, it's Cui Ying. You've come to see Chao Yun! Come in and have some water and rest."

Zhu Chaoyun's stepmother leaned against the porch, smiling broadly as she called out to Cui Ying.

Cui Ying paused, frowned, and a hint of impatience flashed in her eyes. But out of respect for Zhu Chaoyun and his sister, she simply said:

"No need, Auntie. I'll just say a few words to Brother Chaoyun and then leave."

"Alright, come visit more often when you have time."

"Next time."

After Cui Ying finished speaking, she whispered to Zhu Chaoyun, who had already approached, "Is the sun rising in the west?"

Zhu Chaoyun pursed her lips and replied, "You know she's always like this, just ignore her."

After saying that, he spat in the direction of the Zhu family's house, plopped down on the earthen slope in front of the door, and plucked a blade of grass, chewing it haphazardly.

"I heard from the village's wandering cultivators that your aunt asked Mei Gu to bring many nice gifts to the Gu family to propose marriage. So, did the Gu family agree to your marriage to Gu Shiyin? When is the wedding? Is there anything I can do to help?"

When Mei Gu went to the Gu family, she had to pass through most of Shuangling Village.

Getting married is a joyous occasion, so naturally people won't deliberately avoid being seen by others. They'll inevitably run into acquaintances on the way and chat for a bit.

Cui Ying smiled; her visit to Zhu Chaoyun was also related to this matter.

So she took out a brand new cloth bag and handed the forty spirit stones that she had already filled inside to Zhu Chaoyun.

"what?"

Zhu Chaoyun was somewhat stunned.

“It was a five-colored deer hide and a whip. I took it to the city and sold it. I got a total of 120 spirit stones. You, my elder brother, and I hunted it together, so the spirit stones should be split equally among the three of us.”

"How come there are so many!?"

Zhu Chaoyun was quite surprised and said with some disbelief.

After saying that, he looked at the cloth bag in front of him somewhat embarrassedly: "Actually, I didn't do much work. Isn't forty spirit stones too much? I can't accept something for nothing."

"Too much? Here, take one spirit stone."

Cui Ying nodded, pretending to take back the cloth bag.

"No way! I helped you chase after them and carried them all the way. You can't be so heartless, Cui Ying. I was just being polite."

Seeing that the spirit stones in his hand were about to fly away, Zhu Chaoyun didn't care about saving face and quickly reached out to grab the cloth bag.

"Haha, this is the real Chaoyun-ge."

Cui Ying laughed and sat down next to Zhu Chaoyun in a carefree manner, looking up at the pure white moon in the sky.

“Cui Ying, do you know? Everyone in the village is saying you’ve struck it rich. You found some rare treasures in the Phoenix Mountains.”

"Do you want to too?"

Zhu Chaoyun immediately perked up, her eyes shining: "Are you really taking me?"

Cui Ying smiled slightly: "Go and borrow the Cold Light Crossbow from Uncle Zhao in the village. Come to my house early tomorrow morning."