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

Not far from home, Cui Ying spotted a familiar figure on a nearby hillside.

Her face lit up with joy, and she quickly urged the cloud beneath her feet to shorten the distance between them:

"Brother Shi Yin, what brings you here?"

It was just past noon, the hottest time of the day with the sun high in the sky. Although Gu Shiyin was dressed lightly, he was still sweating profusely and looked rather disheveled.

"Little sister Ying, when did you get back?"

When Gu Shiyin saw that it was Cui Ying standing in front of him, he was overjoyed at first, but soon he was at a loss.

He hurriedly lowered his head to wipe away the sweat with his sleeve and quickly tidied his appearance before looking up at Cui Ying. His handsome face was already flushed, whether from the heat or from embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

Cui Ying smiled slightly, then jumped down from the cloud and said with some concern, "In this hot weather, aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke?"

"Who told Ah Ying to come back? She didn't even say hello to me. I've been living in fear these past few days."

After saying that, she took Gu Shiyin's hand and made a hand gesture with one hand.

After saying something somewhat aggrieved, Gu Shiyin also grasped Cui Ying's hand in return.

"Come on, I'll take you home first."

A pure white cloud immediately condensed beneath their feet, lifting them several feet off the ground. Cui Ying then activated her magic, and the cloud shot off back the way it had come.

"I only got home yesterday evening. After eating, I rested at home until noon today. I found that my little golden scorpion had been hungry for several days. I was just about to go and buy it some food and come back to see you tonight. Who knew that you would come before me, Brother Shiyin?"

Gu Shiyin tightened his grip on Cui Ying's hand and whispered, "Isn't it because I missed you?"

Just as Cui Ying was about to say something, she suddenly heard Cui Zhengming's deep voice say, "Is that Shi Yin up there?"

"what?"

Gu Shiyin was startled and hurriedly let go of Cui Ying's hand, shouting loudly down, "Uncle Cui, it's me!"

Cui Zhengming nodded with a smile, then turned and went into the inner room.

A moment later, Wang Rong came out of the main room with a smile and called out to the two of them, "Oh, my little Mr. Gu, come down and sit down, the sun is shining outside."

"Aunt Wang, I've come to bother you again."

After Cui Ying finished using her cloud-riding technique, Gu Shiyin strode towards Wang Rong under the eaves. After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly turned back to look at Cui Ying, who was still standing there.

"Please sit at home for a while, I'll be back soon."

Gu Shiyin nodded understandingly without saying anything.

Just then, Cui Yue and Cui Yan appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Gu Shiyin's arms on either side and saying, "Brother Shiyin, come quickly! We'll take you to see Third Sister's new spirit insect. It's snow-white and so beautiful!"

"Is it the little golden scorpion?"

Gu Shiyin was taken aback, but didn't move immediately, because Cui Zhengming in the main room was waving to them, then smilingly said to Cui Yue and Cui Yan:

"Shi Yin, come in and sit with your uncle for a while and have a chat. Go, make a bowl of wildflower honey, and bring out some of the spirit fruit crystals we bought earlier."

Watching the two little ones skip and hop away to get their things, Gu Shiyin then entered the main room and respectfully sat down to Cui Zhengming's left: "Uncle Cui~"

When Cui Ying returned home with the box of spirit insects, she witnessed this scene of them chatting happily.

Cui Yue and Cui Yan also brought the earthenware jar containing the little golden scorpions to the main room. Several little heads gathered around, occasionally letting out screams of "woo woo ah ah".

"Is this the spirit insect that the little golden scorpion wants to eat?"

"Yes, the little golden scorpion my father bought for my third sister is amazing. It won't eat anything except food with spiritual energy!"

Before Cui Ying could speak, Cui Yue jumped up and waved at her, her face beaming with pride.

After Cui Ying put away her spell and stood in the courtyard, as they entered the main room, Cui Yue hurriedly came over and said:

"Third Sister, are all those spirit insects you're carrying? Will our little golden scorpion have to eat all this every meal from now on?"

Cui Ying nodded and smiled at Cui Yue: "It should be so until it can go out and hunt for food on its own."

"See, Brother Shi Yin, I told you the little golden scorpion was a picky eater."

Cui Yue glanced back at Gu Shiyin, then squatted down next to the little golden scorpion, smiling as she said, "Little golden scorpion, your lunch is back. You won't have to go hungry anymore."

Cui Ying glanced at it and quickly handed the small wooden box to Cui Yue:

"Alright, then the task of feeding the little golden scorpion is yours. I'd like to have a few words with your brother Shi Yin."

After speaking, Cui Ying communicated with the little golden scorpion for a few more words using her divine sense, and then led Gu Shiyin to her room.

"Little sister Ying, is there something important you want to tell me?"

When Gu Shiyin was alone in a room with Cui Ying for the first time, he immediately became a little shy.

Seeing Gu Shiyin's reserved demeanor, Cui Ying burst out laughing:

"Brother Shiyin, you're nervous. I'm not going to eat you."

Besides a bed, there wasn't much else to sit in the room. After the two of them sat down by the bed, Gu Shiyin asked in a low voice, "Sister Ying, what did you see during your two or three days away?"

The Immortal Origin Continent is home to both cultivators and mortals. Many mortals don't have the opportunity to travel far, especially children from scattered cultivation families like theirs.

Take Shuangling Village for example, many ordinary people may never have left the village before they die.

Gu Shiyin was much luckier than other ordinary people, but apart from visiting Leiyun City twice with his father and brothers, he had only ever strolled around Songlin Market in recent years.

Therefore, when they heard that Cui Ying had gone to a faraway place to do a mission, they were filled with curiosity and anticipation.

After thinking for a moment, Cui Ying began to tell Gu Shiyin about the mountains, rivers, and markets outside, including her recent trip. Of course, she concealed the fact that the strange fish had attacked her.

When Gu Shiyin first talked about the scenery on both sides of the Xiushui River, he looked longing. But when he heard that Cui Ying had saved a boy floating on the river, his eyes suddenly looked a little strange.

Because saving lives often leads to stories of people repaying a life-saving debt with a vow of life itself, whether in the mortal world or the cultivation world.

Like Cui Ying's ancestors, who rescued Cui Ying's great-grandmother while passing by, the two fell in love at first sight and settled down here.

"My silly brother, are you jealous? It's just saving someone. Didn't you say that your eldest sister often rescues handsome cultivators outside and then brings them home?"

"Besides, he lives in the prefectural city, which is hundreds of miles away from our village. We have absolutely no connection. What are you worried about?"

Cui Ying grasped Gu Shiyin's hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

But just as she was starting to believe her own brain, Gu Shiyin suddenly turned around and hugged her:

"I was just worried about Ah Ying, how could I have thought of those things?"

Cui Ying smiled; it was the first time she had ever heard of Gu Shiyin being so proactive.

She let the boy hold her in his arms:

"Once I've gathered enough spirit stones to build the new house, I can start preparing for my dowry. By then, Aunt Gu shouldn't object to our marriage anymore, right?"

Gu Shiyin shook his head, and said with heartache and apology, "Aying, my mother..."

"No need to say anything, Shi Yin, I understand you."

Although she had no children in her previous life, she lived for over two hundred years and witnessed too much fortune and misfortune in the world.

Thinking of this, Cui Ying also gently shook her head and said, "Brother Shi Yin, I want to marry you as my husband, naturally because I want to seek immortality with you."

“Even if your family hadn’t mentioned it, I would have bought those things for you sooner or later. You don’t need to make things so awkward with Aunt Gu over such material things. It’s not worth it.”

Her mother, Wang Rong, had a terrible falling out with her parents back then, to the point that they were on the verge of never speaking to each other again.

Although Wang Shi had never said anything over the years, Cui Ying often saw her mother sitting alone in the courtyard at midnight, weeping, and knew the bitterness in her heart.

Therefore, having been given a second chance at life, Cui Ying already had something more important to do than seeking the path to immortality.

She not only had to be with Gu Shiyin, but also had to ease the relationship between her mother and maternal grandparents, and even change the tragic fate that would later befall her family.