Yet at this moment, her mind was filled with distracting thoughts, her spirit unsettled, and she did not even realize there was something amiss in her own words.
Fortunately, Zhou Chun saw her gaze drifting and flickering, and realized she might have spoken without thinking, and thus, did not take issue with it.
Instead, he felt a surge of pity.
He immediately spoke in a gentle tone, "I heard about the Mu Family being attacked, and the very first thing Zhou thought of was the well-being of Taoist Friend Ziying and several other members of the Mu Family. Now that I see Taoist Friend Ziying is unharmed, Zhou is relieved."
Perhaps a soft voice indeed has the power to comfort the heart.
Upon hearing these words, Mu Ziying's spirit stabilized, and she finally regained her normal train of thought.
She couldn't help but express her relief, saying, "Ziying was lucky. At that time, I was staying at my husband's house; otherwise, I probably would not have escaped with my life!"
"Oh, has Taoist Friend Ziying gotten married? May I ask which family's fine gentleman is your honored husband?"
A look of surprise flashed in Zhou Chun's eyes as he inquired further.
It was then that he noticed some changes in Mu Ziying's hairstyle, and her face indeed looked more radiant than before, adding a certain charm typical of married women.
However, gazing at her so intently actually made Mu Ziying feel somewhat uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but bow her head slightly and said in a soft whisper, "Ziying was married off by the Clan Leader five years ago into the He Family of Qingzhu Mountain, and my husband's name is He Chengli."
"So it's the fine gentleman of the He Family!"
Zhou Chun nodded, his curiosity was satisfied.
At this moment, he also noticed Mu Ziying's nervousness and realized his prior rudeness.
Coupling that with the subtle gaze of Mu Yuntian and Zhou Jiarui upon him, he knew it was not the time for an extended conversation.
After a moment of contemplation, he reached into his storage pouch at his waist, took out an alchemy bottle, and passed it to her.
He said, "This bottle of elixir can serve as a wedding gift from Zhou to Taoist Friend Ziying. In the future, if Taoist Friend Ziying and your honored husband have the time to visit the Zhou Family as guests, feel free to seek out Zhou, and I will surely fulfill the host's duties."
Hearing this, Mu Ziying repeatedly shook her head and declined, "This won't do, I can't accept it..."
Before she could finish, however, Zhou Chun had already placed the alchemy bottle on the table beside them and left with a flourish.
This left her stunned, staring at the alchemy bottle on the table like she was lost in thought.
After Zhou Chun left, he did not bother to explain anything to Mu Yuntian and quickly departed Biyun Mountain with Zhou Jiarui.
"Zhengchun, do you know that Mu Family girl? It looks like you have quite a special relationship!"
Halfway down the road, Zhou Jiarui, while leading Zhou Chun back to Jiufeng Ridge, couldn't resist his curiosity and began to probe into Zhou Chun's relationship with Mu Ziying.
If Zhou claimed to have taken a liking to Mu Ziying, Zhou Jiarui would not believe it.
Not to mention that it was obvious that Mu Ziying was no longer a maiden; even her Qi Refinement Realm of the fifth level would not be impressive enough to catch Zhou Chun's eye.
But if it wasn't that type of relationship, why would Zhou send her elixirs?
Upon hearing Zhou Jiarui's words, Zhou Chun knew that the other had certainly misunderstood.
He replied, somewhat annoyed, "Uncle Eleven, please do not misunderstand. Nephew came to know Taoist Friend Ziying because I once taught her the Beast Taming Technique at the Mu Family. That bottle of elixir is to make up for the wedding gift for her and He Chengli, Taoist Friend."
"Oh, so that girl is actually the He family's daughter-in-law?"
Zhou Jiarui nodded thoughtfully and indeed did not speculate wildly any longer.
But he soon looked at Zhou Chun and said, "Even if you have nothing to do with that girl, you're not getting any younger, Zhengchun. Once you've succeeded in Foundation Establishment, you should also start thinking about settling down."
"Our Zhou Family is now considered a major clan in Lanzhou, with both strength and reputation not to be underestimated. If you want to find a cultivation partner, there will certainly be many eligible female cultivators from various families willing to marry into the Zhou Family!"
Such words were not the first to be spoken to Zhou Chun.
Not to mention the advice from Zhou Zhengyong in the past, the Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi and other familiar elders of the Zhou Family had also spoken to Zhou Chun on this matter.
However, firstly, Zhou Chun did not have a strong desire to get married, and secondly, he did not wish to settle for just any female cultivator, so he remained politely uninterested in the matter.
At this moment, he said, "Uncle Eleven, I understand your intentions, but let's wait until I have successfully established my foundation before discussing this matter!"
Dragging it out was his plan for now, as these elders, being cultivators themselves, would not nag like those old men and women do daily.
Soon after returning to the Zhou Family, Zhou Chun quickly put the events concerning the Mu Family out of his mind and focused on cultivating and dealing with family affairs.
After some time, Elder Zhou Chongshan suddenly sought out Zhou Chun.
"Zhengchun, I have studied the formation you gave me and have now fully understood it. I have also organized the spells for its arrangement and use. You should learn them when you have time," he said.
Inside Central Peace Hall, Zhou Chongshan patted his storage pouch at his waist and handed over a set of formation arrangement tools and a jade slip that Zhou Chun had almost forgotten about to him.
While handing over the items to Zhou Chun, he also exclaimed, "It's also thanks to the formation classics you offered up. Without the great gains from those books, I would not have been able to understand the use of this formation so quickly!"
"Is that so? Then I truly thank you, Elder!"
Zhou Chun accepted the items and promptly expressed his gratitude.
After seeing off Elder Zhou Chongshan, Zhou Chun then examined the jade slip left for him.
Inside the jade slip, along with the spell for arranging and controlling the formation, was an introduction to its use.
Turns out this set of formation arrangement tools could set up a formation known as the "Eight Gates Mysterious Water Formation," a lethal formation capable of trapping and killing a cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment!
However, this "Eight Gates Mysterious Water Formation" was somewhat complex to set up, quite time-consuming, and required a cultivator to oversee its operation to achieve its full effect.
That's why, when Zhou Chun had killed the Black Dragon Envoy from the Dragon Transformation Sect, the severely injured opponent had not set up this formation.
Now that Zhou Chun had acquired the method for arranging and controlling this formation, he could either sell it or keep it as a trump card, essentially gaining a valuable asset from thin air.
Time flew by, and soon another half year had passed.
By now, of the 108 acupuncture points in Zhou Chun's body, 105 had been opened, and he was only three points away from being able to take the Foundation Establishment Pill and commence Foundation Establishment.
It was also at this time that a major battle erupted in Yunzhou, leading to Zhou Daoyi's successful elimination of two Missionary Envoys from the Dragon Transformation Sect. For this achievement, he received a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward.
With an additional Foundation Establishment Pill in hand, Zhou Daoyi, concerned for his own safety and wary of retaliation from the Dragon Transformation Sect, chose not to stay at the Yunzhou frontline any longer but rather had Elder Zhou Jiarui take his place.
"Now, Zhengchun, you only have one thing to do: seclude yourself for cultivation until you are able to take the Foundation Establishment Pill and exit seclusion!"
Atop Pagoda Peak, looking at Zhou Chun with a serious expression, Zhou Daoyi, who had returned from the battlefield with a Foundation Establishment Pill, directly issued the order for seclusion and cultivation.