A year had passed in the city of Qingzhou.

The night view of Qingzhou Lake was beautiful. The cultivators here loved to gather around this place after nightfall. Some of them would raft the boats on the lake, while the others would enjoy the cooling breeze on the lakeside. Each of them had their way of taking in the city’s serenity.

A ship was seen hovering on the lake while the sound of the zither could be heard coming from it.

The beauty who played a piece of melodious music with the zither caught the crowd’s attention. Many of them would nod at the person who played the instrument. Some of the young people even looked at the zither player with infatuation, but most would keep their feelings to themselves.

Mr. Hua was the chief instructor of Qingzhou Academy, a well-respected individual at the academy. All the citizens knew him well, especially his daughter, Hua Nianyu, who had a stunning countenance and was admired by many. Although she had many admirers, most of them felt ashamed of their plain appearance and knew they would never match her.

At the same time, some of the bystanders were staring at a man and woman duo behind Hua Nianyu. The man had long silver hair with a handsome face while the woman was gorgeous. She had an even better temperament than Hua Nianyu. Immediately, the people of the city of Qingzhou knew that she was the sister of Hua Nianyu. Staring at the beauties, everyone wondered how did Mr. Hua beget not one but two of such beautiful daughters.

With an attractive appearance that surpassed even Hua Nianyu’s, it was unavoidable that she would be the center of attention.

Naturally, Ye Futian received a lot of hateful glares. Their eyes were green with envy at the sight of him having two beauties by his side while Hua Nianyu performed songs with the zither.

Many of them thought that if they were the ones being treated like that, they could finally die as a happy man.

According to hearsay, this person was the disciple of Mr. Hua, and he loved to brag as well.

“What super VIP treatment he had there,” someone mumbled while rafting their boat past.

“Being born handsome is surely a privilege.” Some of them looked at Ye Futian and then stared back at themselves. The difference between outward appearance made them feel downbeat. After all, his white hair and temperament had only further enhanced his graceful bearing.

Ye Futian paid no heed to the stares of the onlookers. Although the people in the city were looking at him with envy and jealousy, most of them were simple-minded. His perspective had long since changed following the achievement of his current cultivation level.

Leaning against the boat, Ye Futian enjoyed the scenery of Qingzhou Lake during the night. It was reminiscent of those days from him.

He would come here every day to sit on a boat, living the life of an ordinary person while enjoying the sight of people going about in their lives. It was as if he could see himself as one of them.

“We should enjoy this scenery with a good drink, some songs, and recite a poem,” Ye Futian uttered with a smile.

“Be my guest,” Hua Jieyu replied as she curled the corners of her lips.

“It’s a shame that I’m unlearned and have limited literacy,” Ye Futian sighed. Hua Jieyu rolled her eyes to the back of their sockets while Xia Qingyuan let out a chuckle.

“If I were to choose between having beauties in such a breathtaking landscape and the whole world, I would pick the former,” Ye Futian teased after seeing the smiles of the two of them, only to be glared at by them.

However, this was when Hua Jieyu was the happiest, as there was no conflict. Plus, Ye Futian did not have to focus on his mission. So, he got to spend all his time with them. She did not mind sharing this serenity with Xia Qingyuan at all.

A life like this was already considered a dream come true.

It was the same for Xia Qingyuan as well. What more could she ask for?

Time had never been so kind to her before.

Still, she knew this happy moment was only temporary. There was no telling what would happen in the future. Although Hua Jieyu had covered the entire city of Qingzhou with her Divine Power of Colorless Realm, it was impossible that Ye Futian did not realize the things that happened outside. After all, he was the one who created this Heavenly Path.

But since Ye Futian did not mention it, they did not ask anything unnecessary. They would just stay by his side and enjoy this peaceful time.

Needless to say, Ye Futian had known about all the things that had been going on outside. Truthfully, his current condition was somewhat similar to the Human Ancestor during the era of the Six Great Emperors. He was just an avatar formed by a piece of his consciousness. He would first materialize a physical existence, then reform it into a human shape. Xia Qingyuan should be credited for this accomplishment as well. If she had not transformed herself into the Tree of Life, he would need a longer time to spawn his consciousness.

He was waiting for the time of his comeback.

The boat was hovering on the lake as Hua Nianyu played the zither with a gentle smile. It was a magnificent sight to behold.

“Miss Nianyu.”

A voice was heard from a luxurious-looking ship in the opposite. The word “Cao” could be seen engraved in many places on the ship.

The ship of the Cao Clan caught the attention of many onlookers.

The Cao Clan was the nouveau riche in the city of Qingzhou. It had increased its fame rapidly and given rise to several prominent figures in recent years. With the powerful tricks and unique leadership of its patriarch, the Cao Clan soon found themselves among the elites of the city of Qingzhou.

Many of the administrative staff in Qingzhou Academy were hailed from the Cao Clan, for they knew that they had to extend their reins into Qingzhou Academy to grow stronger. Their family clan could only be prosperous and create a legacy this way.

Mr. Hua from Qingzhou Academy was a man of mystery. The Cao Clan could not dig up his background, nor could they gauge his true strength. He had also rejected several of their advances to curry favor with him. Mr. Hua had been leading a recluse life and cared not about fame or power. So, the Cao Clan showed him respect to a certain extent.

The young man who spoke earlier was a member of the Cao Clan, Cao Yuan. He was one of the most outstanding individuals among the younger generation. He knew that his clan had been trying to win over Mr. Hua. His daughter, Hua Nianyu, was a woman with stunning features. He attempted to get closer to her but did not get a chance.

Hua Nianyu could recognize Cao Yuan. So, she nodded at him in response and continued to disregard him.

“I’ve heard a lot about Miss Hua Jieyu. It’s my pleasure to finally see you in person today. I’ve always admired Mr. Hua. I hope you two could be so kind as to accept my invitation to my ship to talk about the stories of Mr. Hua,” Cao Yuan looked at Hua Jieyu and said while ignoring Ye Futian.

Hua Jieyu furrowed her brows in annoyance as a hint of icy glare flashed across her eyes. However, Cao Yuan did not notice any of that. Grasping her hand, Ye Futian turned to look at Cao Yuan and replied, “I’m sorry, but they’re busy today.”

After hearing Ye Futian’s words, Cao Yuan turned to stare at him. According to his intel, the former was the disciple of Mr. Hua, though little was known about him. After a while, he reverted his gaze to Hua Jieyu and Hua Nianyu as if he had not heard Ye Futian’s words earlier.

Hua Nianyu continued to ignore him as the boat slowly moved forward. Soon, their boat went past the other party’s ship and headed to a different location.

As Cao Yuan set his eyes on the boat, slowly getting further away from his sight, a glint of gloominess flashed across his eyes. There was nothing the Cao Clan could not do in Qingzhou.

On the boat, Hua Jieyu glanced at Ye Futian as if she had something to say. Then, he commented, “Why are you allowing small fries to affect your mood?”

After saying that, Ye Futian shot a glance at Qingzhou Lakeside as someone was lighting up fireworks that set off in the sky beautifully. He asked, “Do you still remember when we were 16?”

“Of course.” Hua Jieyu drank in the sight of the spectacular fireworks and quickly pushed the unhappy incident earlier into the back of her mind. Her eyes looked more beautiful than the fireworks as she gazed at them.