The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

Zuo's Three Autumns.

Zuo Qianqiu, Zuo Chunqiu, Zuo Qingqiu.

The three geniuses, all with the character "秋" in their names and all tested to have the highest level of acupoints, seemed to have their fortunes explode in that generation, as if the Zuo family's ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke.

Zuo Qianqiu's father was Zuo Xiuyuan (Zuo Xiuxian's cousin), a clan elder in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and his mother was also a female cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. He had the highest birth, the best resources, and the fastest cultivation. He reached the first level of Qi Refining at the age of nine, and was found to have a Grade A Void Aperture. He was the second person to be honored as the "Young Ancestor," and his fame was unparalleled.

Zuo Chunqiu, with both parents at the Foundation Establishment stage, possessed abundant resources and cultivated diligently. At the age of ten, he reached the first level of Qi Refining, detected a Grade A Void Aperture, and became the third Young Ancestor. Although he was a bit slower than Zuo Qianqiu, he felt it was only natural—after all, Zuo Qianqiu's father was a Purple Mansion cultivator.

But what about Zuo Qingqiu?

She was a poor girl whose parents were ordinary farmers. She grew up by the field and ate the most common spiritual rice. She lived in a simple tile-roofed house.

I heard that before she became a potential cultivator, her family couldn't even afford to hire a cultivator to treat her illness.

What makes this poor girl from a humble background so special?

Why was she able to break through to the first level of Qi Refining at the age of eight, and even discover a Grade A Void Aperture, becoming the first young ancestor of the Zuo family?

Why should she be on equal footing with him?

In terms of resources, he completely outclasses her. A Qi Refining cultivator can save a hundred days of arduous cultivation by refining a thousand catties of spirit rice. Coming from a family with two Foundation Establishment cultivators, he has plenty of spirit rice to accelerate his cultivation progress.

In terms of diligence, he spent almost all his time cultivating, except for the basic needs of maintaining his body! How could she, a girl who also had to help her family and take care of her younger sister, be as hardworking as him?

At that time, Zuo Chunqiu was proud, competitive, confused, and resentful.

His initial feeling towards this girl, who was nominally his "cousin" but whose blood relation to him was so thin as to be negligible (they might have had some interaction five generations back), was one of resistance, and even a hint of contempt.

A peasant is a peasant.

Just because we're of the same generation, both have the character "秋" in our names, and both tested positive for the highest level of acupoints, does she want to be my cousin?

Are you listed alongside me as one of the "Three Autumns of Zuo"?

Do you deserve it?

He remembered the first time he saw Zuo Qingqiu in the meditation room reserved for the "Young Ancestor" of the family.

The girl wore simple clothes, her hair was simply tied back with a strip of cloth, her face was a little thin, but her eyes were bright, like obsidian immersed in a cold pool, calm, and with a sense of detachment and resilience that did not match her age.

When she saw him, she simply nodded politely and called out "Cousin Chunqiu" in a calm voice, without any flattery or fear. Then she walked to the futon in the corner, sat down, closed her eyes, and began to cultivate.

That disregard, that attitude as if he were no different from anyone else, inexplicably stung the proud and arrogant Zuo Chunqiu at the time.

He deliberately walked over and sat on the futon next to her, adopting the posture of an "elder brother" and "senior," wanting to "give her some pointers."

"The Qi circulation route in the third level of the 'Qi Cultivation Technique' requires attention to the dantian..."

He had barely opened his mouth when Zuo Qingqiu opened her eyes, her clear gaze meeting his, and interrupted him directly: "I know. The master said so."

His tone remained calm, even carrying a hint of impatience at being disturbed, before he closed his eyes again.

Zuo Chunqiu choked there, all the prepared words stuck in his throat, his face turning pale and then red.

From that day on, he hated this "cousin" even more.

I hate her background, I hate her "good luck", and I hate even more her aloof and distant demeanor, as if she doesn't care about anything, yet she always manages to do her best effortlessly.

He was burning with determination and cultivated even more frantically, wanting to completely surpass her in cultivation, to prove that he was the true leader of the Zuo family in this generation, and to prove that a peasant is just a peasant, and even if he gets a lucky opportunity, he won't go far.

However, some things are beyond human control.

Zuo Chunqiu's cultivation speed is still considered top-notch among his peers.

But Zuo Qingqiu was even faster.

She was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing all the knowledge and resources she could access, and then transforming them into her own cultivation with astonishing efficiency.

Qi Refining Level 2, Qi Refining Level 3, Qi Refining Level 4... She steadily and rapidly improved, and although she did not deliberately show off, her progress was clearly visible.

Zuo Chunqiu tried his best, but could only barely keep the gap between them from widening too much.

This sense of frustration from "not being able to catch up" has gradually changed as I've grown older and more mature.

He didn't know when it started, but when he looked at the girl who always stayed quietly in the corner, as aloof as a plum blossom under the moon, his disgust and jealousy began to be mixed with something else.

When he entered puberty and began to develop vague feelings for the opposite sex, he found that the person he stared at the most was actually his "cousin" whom he had once hated and despised the most.

She is actually very beautiful.

It's not the delicate and charming kind of beauty, but a clear and pure beauty, like snowmelt from a mountain stream or a solitary orchid on a cliff.

Especially her eyes, which were like deep pools when calm and like cold stars when focused. He bet she must be very beautiful when she smiled...

Unfortunately, he had never seen her smile; she always had a cool and aloof demeanor, like the moon.

But when he occasionally saw a slight smile on her lips, it was as if his whole world was melting away like snow and ice, and spring flowers were blooming, so beautiful that it dazzled his eyes.

She possesses a first-class aptitude and is exceptionally talented.

She is hardworking and resilient.

She is of good character, neither arrogant nor impatient.

Aside from her humble origins, she almost perfectly embodies everything a cultivation family fantasizes about for their future matriarch, and is even more outstanding.

Zuo Chunqiu's thoughts, without him realizing it, changed from "she is not worthy to be my cousin" to "we can cultivate together to reach the Purple Mansion and become a divine couple".

Given his status—both his parents were at the Foundation Establishment stage, he himself possessed a Grade A Void Aperture, and he was a future candidate for clan leader—he thought that pursuing a cousin who was both deceased, talented but of humble origin, would be a pleasant surprise for her, and she should readily agree.

He even began to secretly observe Zuo Qingqiu's preferences, pondering how to "naturally" get closer to her.

The opportunity arose during a small-scale training exercise in the back mountains of the family.

He was thirteen years old then, and Zuo Qingqiu was eleven.

The two were assigned to a group to explore low-level spiritual herbs in a valley.

The mission went smoothly.

On the way back, we passed a hillside covered with purple wildflowers.

As the sun sets, the afterglow paints the sea of ​​flowers in a warm golden hue, creating a beautiful scene.

Zuo Chunqiu felt the time was right.

He stopped and looked at Zuo Qingqiu, who was walking a few steps ahead with a slender and upright figure. His heart raced a little. He cleared his throat and spoke in what he thought was a very "debonair" tone:

"My cousin Qingqiu."

Zuo Qingqiu stopped, turned around, and looked at him calmly with a questioning gaze.

"Um...I..." Zuo Chunqiu took a deep breath, trying to make himself look more serious, "I have something I want to tell you."

"Um?"

"I...I think we're both excellent, both top-tier Void Apertures, and we'll definitely be able to break through to the Purple Mansion together in the future, or even...go further." He organized his thoughts, his face slightly flushed. "So...so I think, when we grow up, I can marry you."

"We...we can be an enviable immortal couple, cultivating together, achieving immortality together, and seeing all the wonders of the world together. What do you think?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zuo Qingqiu with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

In my imagination, my cousin would blush, feel shy, be pleasantly surprised, and perhaps be a little reserved, but in the end she would agree.

However, Zuo Qingqiu's reaction was completely unexpected.

She was taken aback for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding what he was saying.

Then, those clear eyes looked him up and down, her brows furrowing slightly, and a clear look of confusion, and a hint of barely perceptible disgust, flashed across her eyes.

It's like watching a patient who suddenly falls ill and starts talking nonsense.