The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

Honghe Mountain Villa is not far from Chaoxia Mountain; it took three days to reach it after descending the mountain.

Hong Tianxing has gradually recovered and looks no different from an ordinary person. He was very happy to see Su Zinong and called out from afar, "Young Master Su, please come in quickly. Look, I can eat, drink, and walk now..."

Looking at the way he walked, Su Zinong noticed that his steps were light and brisk, even stronger than those of ordinary people. It seemed that he had recovered some of his cultivation and had reached the level of two stars. He said, "That's good, that's good."

Su Zinong prescribed him a lung-tonifying medicine. Madam Hong asked in confusion, "I remember you said before that Tianxing's kidney meridian was severely damaged, so why are the medicines you're prescribing now mainly for tonifying the lungs?"

"Oh, Madam Hong, don't worry, I didn't prescribe the wrong medicine. When the child is deficient, nourish the mother; metal generates water, so nourishing the lungs is the right thing to do. Senior Hong has already nourished his kidneys a lot, so this time we'll nourish his lungs and it will have unexpected effects. In addition, we can eat more poultry and practice some basic Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian exercises and light body techniques."

At that time, each sect and family was unwilling to reveal their own martial arts techniques. Su Zinong extracted a basic technique from the Divine Smell Technique of Baiyun Fort, copied it down, and gave it to Hong Tianxing to practice.

Once Hong Tianxing started practicing, he couldn't stop. His cultivation level recovered incredibly quickly, and he advanced to a minor realm in just a few days.

"What kind of divine skill is this?" Hong Tianxing asked.

"It's just some basic exercises for the lung meridian from a small family; it's not a magical skill. It just happens to be the right treatment, so the effect is so rapid," Su Zinong said.

There was no news of Huang Chenghe at Honghe Manor, but it couldn't be said that there was no gain at all, because Madam Hong gave them two red spirit stones when they left.

Su Zinong gave two pieces to Chaoxia. These red spirit stones were very beneficial to her cultivation, as they shared the same attribute. Chaoxia refused to accept them, and after much back and forth, Su Zinong insisted on stuffing them into her pocket. Her face was already flushed, and she was quite shy.

Next, we went to the vicinity of Zhangdingcheng Green Wave Villa.

Su Zinong disliked the manor intensely and didn't want to go, so he asked Chaoxia to inquire. Huang Chenghe was very popular, and even the gatekeeper knew him, so when Chaoxia shyly went to ask, the gatekeeper told her that he had indeed never seen Young Master Huang.

There's no other good way besides asking door to door.

“This kid, and Danfeng, are both grown up and still so mischievous. It’s worrying. We’ll have to find them and give them a good spanking,” Su Zinong said.

The two headed north, slightly to the east.

Chaoxia didn't talk much along the way, but whenever Su Zinong spoke to her, she would always smile and tilt her head, appearing extremely docile.

Su Zinong wondered which young man would be lucky enough to marry such a wonderful wife in the future. Wasn't she a natural-born virtuous wife and loving mother?

"Did you used to come down the mountain often?" Su Zinong asked curiously.

“No,” Zhaoxia shook her head. “I spend most of my time cultivating on the mountain. Sometimes Danfeng will bring me down, and I’ve also come down with my master and senior brother, but I’ve never come down the mountain alone.”

"If you ever find yourself navigating the world alone, you'll have to be a bit tougher. Don't be as gentle as you are now, or you'll get bullied," Su Zinong said with a smile.

Su Zinong was already adept at praising girls in this roundabout way, and he wondered if he had learned it from Huang Chenghe.

After traveling north for two days, they arrived near Tianqi Mountain. Su Zinong dared not go there, and he guessed that Huang Chenghe would not go there either, so he detoured to Qinghe Mountain Villa in the northeast direction.

Two days later, they arrived at Qinghe Mountain Villa.

This was Su Zinong's third visit to Qinghe Mountain Villa.

The first time was when Huang Chenghe came to report that the Heavenly Demon Church had attacked the mountain villa in the south; the second time was when he came with Miss Mo; and this is the third time.

Qinghe was the one who received them again. "What a pity, my father is in seclusion again, so I will receive them myself," Qinghe said calmly, still maintaining her otherworldly and detached demeanor. However, in the past two years, she had grown up a lot, becoming even more graceful and elegant than before.

"Oh, it's alright. I just came to ask if Huang Chenghe has visited your estate in the last four months," Su Zinong asked. At this moment, he removed his human skin mask, and even Qinghe couldn't help but take a second look.

"You must be Young Master Su Zinong? You didn't take off your mask last time, but I recognized your voice." Qinghe smiled and said, "You are indeed as handsome as the legends say! Brother Chenghe hasn't been here recently."

"Oh, Miss Qinghe, you flatter me. You are so beautiful that you seem otherworldly. Have you been practicing Qi cultivation all this time?" Su Zinong asked tentatively.

"Yes." Qinghe's eyes flickered, surprised that Su Zinong had so accurately pinpointed the key to her training. "Did Brother Chenghe tell you?"

“No,” Su Zinong shook his head and said, “He never tells me who practices what kind of qigong. It’s a secret, and he will keep it for you. I’m just guessing from your complexion. Your qi is very strong, and the wood element is overpowering the earth element, which may affect your digestion and appetite. You could try practicing some basic exercises for the stomach and spleen meridians occasionally, or move around more. That might help you make better progress.”

"Thank you for your advice, Young Master Su. It seems you are indeed very learned. Please come into the manor for some tea before you leave!" Qinghe said.

“That should be the case, but Huang Chenghe has been out of contact for the past few months, and the people at Huanghe Villa are very worried about him. I have an urgent matter to attend to when I come out to look for him. Once I find him, I will definitely come with him to visit him.” Su Zinong politely declined.

Su Zinong bid farewell to Qinghe and left with the morning glow.

“That girl is really beautiful. Even I, a woman, can’t help but feel a fondness for her,” Chaoxia suddenly said.

"Zhaoxia, what are you trying to say?" Su Zinong smiled. "Do you want to ask me if I like her?"

The rosy dawn flushed her face, and she remained noncommittal.

“You haven’t been out in the world for long, so you don’t understand people. Qinghe is indeed as beautiful as a fairy, and everyone loves her. I do like her looks, but I see her cold demeanor, and she might be full of scheming. I can’t see what she’s thinking at all. That kind of person is too scary. If I had to choose between you and her, I would definitely choose a warm and gentle woman like you. Haha, just kidding, don’t mind me!” Su Zinong said with a smile.

The next familiar place nearby is Qintian Village.

Although Su Zinong didn't want to go, Huang Chenghe had a close relationship with Qin Tianzhuang, so he still had to ask.

After traveling for two days, they arrived at Qintian Village, where Chaoxia went to inquire.

Qin Tianzhuang also said that Huang Chenghe had never been there.

"Sigh, I really don't know where that kid will go!" Su Zinong complained.

Chaoxia didn't complain. As long as she followed Su Zinong, she seemed happy all day long, finding everything down the mountain interesting and novel.

One day, in a large restaurant, I overheard someone mentioning that the selection of the new top ten young monks was about to begin.

Chaoxia couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Su was shortlisted as one of the top ten young cultivators last time. With your current cultivation level of late-stage five-star cultivators, you should be able to advance even further. Will you participate in the selection this time...?"