The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 927 - Enmity with the Poison Mountain Stockade, New Year, Marriage Proposal

He had gathered quite a bit of information on the Poison Mountain Stockade over this period of time. This sect was quite similar to the Sky Prison Sect in nature. After all, people who used poison weren't going to leave a very good impression on others. Not other powers would take the initiative to provoke poison-users. Even the powers of such scale like the Sky Prison Sect wouldn't provoke the Poison Mountain Stockade in the past. It was evident that the Poison Mountain Stockade was a dreadful sect.

That was because they use poison. If they didn't, then their strength would be reduced by a lot. He was guessing that they were almost the same as the current Mu Clan, with two peak Grade One Martial Emperor cultivators at most.

If they still had to rely on poison if they met him, then they could only blame themselves for having rotten luck. Qing Shui smiled at him. "She's my woman. What does bringing her to any place to buy things have anything to do with you?"

Mu Qing blushed at Qing Shui's words, yet she had a peculiar feeling in her heart. She felt very warm and happy.

As the master of the Poison Mountain Stockade, Gu Song had had his eyes set on the young miss from Mu Clan for a very long time. When he heard that the 'Flower Crusher' from the Sky Prison Sect had his eyes set on Mu Qing, he went to the Sky Penetrating Mountains once. This woman was already the woman that he had 'secretly chosen' long ago.

In the capital city, no one dared to snatch the woman that he, Gu Song, had set his eyes on. But then he heard that a young man had come to the Mu Clan and got very friendly with Mu Qing. Not only that, he was also very shocked to learn that he had helped Mu Clan to destroy the Sky Prison Sect.

Even so, he didn't believe it. He had a feeling that this was only a rumor because the Old Ancestor of the Mu Clan had passed away. They needed someone courageous to stand up, otherwise the Mu Clan would be in danger.

So he believed that this young man was capable, but definitely not as powerful as rumor had it. Besides, the Mu Clan had an alliance with the Godly Sword Clan. This made him even more suspicious. Perhaps the Mu Clan still had a powerful old man with them.

Gu Song had always been the strongest cultivator among the younger generation. Even without using poison, he could still rank in the top three. If he was using poison, even an early Martial Emperor cultivator wasn't his opponent.

He was conceited, but he believed that he had the right to be!

When Qing Shui claimed that Mu Qing was his woman, Gu Song's face turned ashen because he saw how Mu Qing's expression actually turned bashful and happy. With his countless experiences in reading women, it seemed like the most beautiful woman of the capital city had been snatched by the swiftest.

Gu Song trembled in rage. Although the Poison Mountain Stockade was dreaded by many, it wasn't like he could kill anyone he wanted. Even though poison was a terrifying thing, one would have better poison immunity as their strength increased. Powerful cultivators also carried decent antidotes on them or even accessories that could render poison ineffective.

Qing Shui looked at Mu Qing. She blinked those beautiful autumn-like eyes of hers instead. Back then Qing Shui would have never believed that a capable woman that was as independent and refined as her was capable of displaying such an adorable expression. Just like how he would never believe it if someone had told him now that the lady in the crystal coffin was capable of making such an expression either.

So Qing Shui was very shocked right now. Both of them looked at Gu Song. Gu Song's eyes looked as though there were flames burning within them. A fierce look flashed across his eyes.

Qing Shui had a very powerful spiritual sense. On top of that, his spirit energy was no longer the same as before, so he was able to immediately sense a wave of brutal aura spreading towards him.

Poison!

Qing Shui glanced at the Violet Jade Earrings that hung on Mu Qing's ears and then sensed the poison that was rushing towards them. He knew that everything would be fine, so he stared at Gu Song. "Poison isn't omnipotent. Do not bother me and Qing'er. Otherwise, don't blame me for being brutal."

They hadn't reached the point of having a conflict with each other yet, so Qing Shui didn't want more trouble. Besides, even in his absence the Mu Clan would still be able to handle the Poison Mountain Stockade because they still had the Godly Sword Clan on their side.

Gu Song didn't expect that the poison he unleashed would be like a stone dropped into the sea. Not only was it ineffective, but it was also discovered by his target. It seemed like his opponent was knowledgeable about poison too or had treasures that could prevent poison. He hesitated. After all, he wasn't an impetuous person. At first, he didn't really believe that Qing Shui had the strength to destroy the Sky Prison Sect. But after seeing how his poison was ineffective against him and also something that the two elderly men had told him, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"We are not his opponent. Don't bring trouble to the Poison Mountain Stockade. Otherwise, we may lose our lives here today."

"Let's go. We are going to meet again." Gu Song gave Qing Shui a look of resentment before he left with his people.

Qing Shui was initially thinking of making them stay. But then his opponent was quite powerful and he wasn't fully prepared for now. Besides, the poison from earlier was directed at him alone.

"Seems like they don't have the intention to lay a finger on the Mu Clan yet." This was also the reason why Qing Shui didn't escalate things.

The Mu Clan still needed time right now. Given enough time, they would be invincible in the capital city. Even the current Mu Clan wouldn't easily be devoured by anyone else. Perhaps in these few days time, he would leave something for the Mu Clan again.

"Seems like there's quite a number of people from the capital city pursuing Qing'er!" Qing Shui teased her. After the people around them had left, Qing Shui and Mu Qing were no longer in the mood to shop, so they turned back.

"This Gu Song is part of the Poison Mountain Stockade. His words are sharp and unkind and he is vicious and merciless. Qing Shui, you must be careful. I fear that he won't let you go when you try to leave," Mu Qing said with slight worry in her tone.

"Don't worry. Believe in your husband's abilities." Qing Shui looked at Mu Qing and smiled.

"I don't have a husband, you big meanie." Mu Qing's face turned red and hastily took a couple of steps forward. There was a hint of a smile on her flushed face and it was intoxicating.

By the time they returned to the Mu Residence, the sky had completely turned dark. Before they could make their way into the house, a trail of brilliant fireworks rose up into the sky in the distance!

That was like a signal. Countless fireworks immediately flew into the skies from the surroundings before they exploded and turned into countless specks of lights.

Qing Shui lifted his head up to watch the fireworks filling up the skies. They were still as stunning as always. He turned his head to the side to look at Mu Qing, who was standing beside him. She also lifted her head and was watching the skies. The brilliant fireworks illuminated her face, causing her to appear dreamily gorgeous right at this moment.

The fireworks in the skies were merely an ornament when they were compared to the beauty by his side. Sensing Qing Shui's gaze, Mu Qing turned her head around and caught Qing Shui staring at herself with slight infatuation. A wave of happiness rose up in her heart. So it seemed like he wasn't as unperturbed as he appeared to be after all…

"Are they pretty?" Mu Qing smiled and held Qing Shui's hand in hers.

"Yes they are, but you are prettier!" Qing Shui gave her a simple and honest smile.

"So a blockhead like you knows how to say something nice too," Mu Qing laughed tenderly before pulling Qing Shui towards Mu Residence.

When the Mu Clan's juniors saw that Mu Qing and Qing Shui had returned, they came over and surrounded them.

"Sister Mu Qing, you're back."

"Brother Qing Shui!"

……….

Mu Qing tried to pull her hand away when she saw the other people from the Mu Clan coming over, but Qing Shui held onto it. He had no intention of hiding their relationship. Since he had already taken advantage of this young miss, he had decided to do something here.

Before he left, he was going to ask the Mu Clan for Mu Qing's hand in marriage and hold a wedding reception to let everyone in the capital city know that she was Qing Shui's woman. This way, many would know how to behave in the future after witnessing his strength.

As soon as they saw Qing Shui and Mu Qing holding each other's hands tightly, they smiled coquettishly at them.

"Good one, Brother Qing Shui. We were just talking about how there's no one but Brother Qing Shui in this capital city who is worthy of our Sister Mu Qing," a youth chuckled. He was Mu Qing's younger male patrilineal cousin.

Qing Shui could only laugh along. This youth was indeed good at flattery, to be able to flatter both of them at the same time.

"Brother Qing Shui, when are you going to let us call you brother-in-law?" Mu Xue also giggled at Qing Shui and Mu Qing.

"You damn lass, stop your nonsense," Mu Qing quickly reprimanded her. Although she had an intimate relationship with Qing Shui, she didn't want to tie him down.

"I have already decided to bring up a marriage proposal to the seniors today. If everything goes well, we are going to hold a wedding reception the day after tomorrow," Qing Shui said in a serious tone.

"Alright, I'm going to tell Third Uncle." Mu Qing's male cousin from earlier ran away with a smile.

"Great. I was sure that Qing Shui would definitely be part of our family…..."

………..

Qing Shui looked at Mu Qing who was standing beside him looking blank. "I had already decided on this that day in the formation," he said softly.

Qing Shui's words made Mu Qing give him a glare before she turned away bashfully. Those lips that curled up looking sexy and alluring. They were even more stunning under the skies that were filled with fireworks.

The Mu Clan had only started to light up their fireworks and firecrackers after Qing Shui and Mu Qing had returned. Everyone in the Mu Clan basically came out. The joyous occasion was celebrated along with brilliant fireworks and hearty laughter.

This continued for two hours before it was time for New Year's Eve dinner!

Everyone of different ages gathered in the great hall. The great hall was extremely lively. The dishes served on the table were also extremely sumptuous. They were exquisitely prepared and delicious, most likely the works of a famous chef. This wasn't too surprising, considering the abilities of Mu Clan. Besides, the Mu Clan owned inns and they also had a head chef stationed at their residence all year round.

Qing Shui had become the focal point, maybe because he had mentioned that he wanted to do a marriage proposal. Now, Qing Shui realized that the people around him were mostly staring at him. He must admit that he was impressed by how good the boasting skills of the youth from earlier was.

He could tell that everyone was waiting for him to make some declaration by the expressions on their faces. He stood up slowly. Mu Qian happened to be just right across him and naturally, Mu Qing was beside him.

"Senior, I would like to take Miss Mu Qing as my wife." Qing Shui wasn't too accustomed to things like this, so he could only summon up his courage and say it. He had no idea how other people would do a marriage proposal, but he knew that they would normally ask for blessings from the seniors first.

Mu Qing was so shy that she lowered her head. Mu Qian was also amused by his own daughter's expression. She had grown so much and he had never seen his eldest daughter looking this way ever since she had grown up. Although he was happy for her, as a father, the thoughts of his daughter marrying someone still made him felt a little reluctant even though he was happy.

It was said that a daughter was the lover of her father in their previous life. Father and daughter always had a special bond between them. A father's love was as great as the mountains. The husband that a daughter picked would unintentionally have some traits of her father in him. That was a formless influence. A daughter grew up with her father, so she would be influenced in some way by his speech and actions.

"I will leave Qing'er in your hands. I am not worried and I am happy. I don't have any other requests, I only hope that you will treat her well," Mu Qian chuckled.

"Daddy!" Mu Qing called out shyly.

"Uncle, I will not let anything happen to Qing'er as long as I am alive," Qing Shui promised earnestly.

"I was worried that Qing'er wouldn't get married. This is great." Mu Qian chuckled. He was very pleased that his daughter was able to find this kind of man. He was very satisfied.

"Daddy, is your daughter that bad?" Mu Qing pouted and huffed. Her beautiful face was flushed crimson.

"My daughter is the most beautiful. Come, let us toast to Qing'er for finding a good man."

……..

"Uncle, these are gifts for you all. Consider them presents from me for the marriage proposal. There's one for everyone in the Mu Clan. It can prevent poison and calm the mind. Wearing it will also give other additional effects." Qing Shui took out a slightly larger brocade box and passed it to Mu Qian.

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