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

"You..." Zuo Qingqiu paused, seemingly trying to think of the right word, but in the end she simply said, "Are you too tired from cultivation and have developed inner demons? Go back and recuperate properly."

After saying that, she stopped looking at him, turned around, and continued walking forward.

His steps remained steady, his back still straight, as if what he had just heard was not a confession, but a trivial "The weather is nice today."

Zuo Chunqiu froze on the spot, the color draining from his face instantly, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe, even his heart felt a sharp pain from the cold.

got rejected.

No, it wasn't even a rejection.

It was simply not taken seriously.

His confession, which he thought was deeply affectionate and a perfect match, was probably no different in her eyes from a child playing house, saying, "I'll be the father, you'll be the mother, and he'll be the son."

He was overwhelmed by immense shame and anger almost instantly.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, staring intently at Zuo Qingqiu's departing figure, his eyes gradually darkening.

good very good.

Zuo Qingqiu, you look down on me, don't you?

You think I'm not good enough for you, right?

You wait!

I will definitely work even harder to improve!

They will definitely become stronger than you, so strong that you'll have to look up to them!

I'll make you regret it then!

I'll make you cry and beg to marry me!

I'm going to tear off your cold mask and turn you into a sweet wife who can only snuggle in my arms and softly call me "husband"!

At that moment, the boy's pride and admiration were completely distorted into a fanatical desire to conquer.

-

However, before Zuo Chunqiu could become powerful enough to "conquer" his opponent, another unexpected event occurred.

When Zuo Qingqiu was twelve years old, she somehow managed to persuade the clan elders to allow her to participate in the entrance examination of the distant Taihua Gate.

When the news came, his first reaction was anger and disdain.

Giving up the prestigious position of "Young Ancestor" of the Zuo family and its abundant resources, he went to a strange sect to start from scratch.

That's absolutely stupid!

It's true that Taihua Sect is a first-class sect, but it's a place where geniuses gather and competition is fierce. What can an orphan girl with no background do there?

They probably won't even be able to get through the door, and will end up coming back looking disheveled, having even lost their position as the young patriarch!

He was certain that Zuo Qingqiu would regret it, fail, and come back to him begging for help when she had nowhere else to turn.

So when the clan elders subtly inquired whether he also had the idea of ​​going to Taihua Gate to participate in the assessment, he shook his head vigorously without hesitation.

Are you kidding me?

He is the young patriarch whom the Zuo family has been grooming with all their might, and the future leader who will inherit the family business and lead the Zuo family to even greater heights!

How could I be like that ignorant peasant, running off to live under someone else's roof with an uncertain future?

He was reluctant to give up the generous treatment and high status the Zuo family had given him, and he was also afraid of the risks of leaving his familiar environment and facing unknown challenges.

He chose to stay, continuing to cultivate under the protection of his family, enjoying the glory and convenience of being the "Young Ancestor".

From then on, he and Zuo Qingqiu were like two straight lines that briefly intersected and then quickly separated, heading in completely different directions, gradually drifting apart, and eventually becoming worlds apart, never to meet again.

During this period, Zuo Qingqiu returned to the Zuo family after successfully establishing his foundation and then his Purple Mansion.

The first time, she reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of twenty-five.

Zuo Chunqiu was in seclusion at the time, attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and missed the opportunity.

After she left the country, all she heard was that when she returned, her family's attitude was lukewarm, and she and her sister seemed to have had a falling out before she left in a hurry.

The second time, she was over a hundred years old when she entered the Purple Palace.

Zuo Chunqiu was in seclusion at that time, attempting to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, and missed the opportunity again.

I only vaguely sensed a powerful aura of the Purple Mansion descending and then departing, which shook me, but I had no chance to see it.

The two missed opportunities felt like fate was deliberately playing tricks on them.

Until Zuo Lengqiu passed away.

At that time, Zuo Chunqiu was stuck at the peak of the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm and was in seclusion, trying to break through to the middle stage of the Purple Mansion realm in one fell swoop.

Suddenly, a vast and powerful thunderous pressure, filled with destruction and rage, enveloped the entire Cuiwei Mountain as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in!

The pressure was far stronger than that of an ordinary Purple Mansion!

It instantly jolted him awake from his deep meditation, causing his blood and qi to surge, and he almost suffered a qi deviation!

He rushed out of his secluded cave in horror. Looking up, he saw dark clouds covering Zuojia Valley, with lightning flashing wildly and terrifying purplish-black lightning brewing in the clouds. The overwhelming power of the heavens made all the Zuojia cultivators tremble, and the mortals knelt on the ground in fear.

It's Zuo Qingqiu!

She's back!

Moreover... his cultivation level has actually reached the peak of the late Purple Mansion stage!

Only one step away from perfection!

The earth-shattering, thunderous pressure and the undisguised, overwhelming rage were clearly due to the death of his younger sister, Zuo Lengqiu.

Zuo Chunqiu stood in his own courtyard, looking up at the terrifying scene in the sky that resembled the descent of a thunder god, feeling the oppressive force that made his soul tremble, and his heart turned cold.

The gap... is too big.

The peak of the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm and the peak of the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm seem to differ by only two minor realms.

However, on the path of cultivation, the gap in strength between each minor realm becomes as vast as an insurmountable chasm as one progresses.

At the Purple Mansion level, being just one minor realm apart often means an overwhelming advantage, let alone being two minor realms apart!

That's almost the difference between being instantly killed and being instantly killed!

He and Zuo Qingqiu are no longer on the same level.

The "goal" that he could have easily caught up with just a little effort has now become a "mountain" that he needs to look up to and even fear.

At that moment, the resentment, defiance, and desire for conquest accumulated during his youth melted away like ice and snow under the sun in the face of the absolute difference in cultivation level and the majestic power of heaven, leaving only endless bitterness.

She was still so dazzling and powerful. Even in her rage, she was like a goddess of the heavens who wielded supreme thunder, making people dare not look directly at her, yet unable to help but yearn for her.

If... if I were brave enough, and took advantage of her return, I could put aside my ridiculous pride and arrogance, and go see her, even if it's just to say a few words, catch up, or... muster up the courage to confess the feelings I've kept buried in my heart for so many years...

Is there even the slightest possibility?

After all, they were still of the same clan, and there was still that little bit of affection they shared from their childhood.

No matter how strong she is, she's still a woman, and perhaps... she gets lonely too? She needs someone she knows well, someone who can walk alongside her?

This idea, like wild grass, grew wildly in his heart.

After Zuo Lengqiu's funeral, he went back to his room without saying a word, changed into his best and most presentable clothes, combed his hair, and even prepared his words before heading towards the old house.

However, the closer he got to the old house, the slower his steps became, and the courage in his heart deflated like a punctured balloon.

He recalled many years ago, by that sea of ​​purple flowers, the undisguised confusion and disdain in her clear eyes.

He recalled his years of "mediocrity"—stuck at the peak of the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm for decades without being able to break through. Although he had some power in the family, it was insignificant compared to her status as an elder of the Taihua Sect's Offering Hall, the peak master of Zixu Peak, and a great cultivator at the peak of the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

He recalled the rumors circulating in the clan about her aloof and unapproachable nature.

What if... what if I get rejected again?