nort, Qiao Dongyun was about to say more when he suddenly noticed a fist flying straight towards him."Eh..." Unable to dodge in time, Qiao Dongyun was hit right on the face by the punch, blood trickli...Chapter 1270: Joy and Sorrow from Decades Ago

Back then, I was carefree and lived a wealthy life like a lady of noble birth. However, in my father's eyes, I wasn't an obedient child; I was more mischievous than most girls. Of course, my father also believed that I was smarter than the average girl." A sweet smile appeared on Moon Qingya’s face as she recalled those days which were indeed joyful for her.

"Then what about Aunt Mei" Song Yumei couldn't help but ask, "Did you know each other since childhood"

"I was only six when I met Little Mei. One day, she came to my doorstep asking for food. It's truly strange how we seemed destined to meet despite our different backgrounds—one a beggar girl and the other a lady of noble birth. When we first met, it felt as though we had known each other for years. Then I shared half of my favorite osmanthus cake with her." Moon Qingya slowly explained, "After that, we became best friends."

Song Yumei was taken aback and found it hard to believe: "Sister Moon, are you saying that Aunt Mei used to be a beggar when she was young"

"Yes, when Little Mei was very young, she was an orphaned beggar without a father or mother. She didn't even know her birthday or age; back then, she didn't even have a name." Yue Qingya nodded. "Later on, there was once my birthday, and I told her to celebrate it with me from that day onward. From then on, her birthday became the same as mine, and her age matched mine."

After a slight pause, Yue Qingya continued: "There's a jade pendant on her body; initially, I called her Little Jade. Later when she said 'Little Jade' wasn't good, I noticed how delicate and charming she looked and suggested we call her Little Mei instead. That’s how it stuck and she became Yu Mei. Then she mentioned that she should have a family name too. When I asked her to take my surname Yue, she didn’t think it was suitable; after some thought, she decided on Ye — the moon always appears at night, so 'Yue' and 'Ye' are inseparable. From then on, she had an official name: Ye Yumei."

"I see, Aunt Mei's name came from all this." Song Yumei murmured to herself; merely these details were enough for her to understand that the relationship between Yue Qingya and Ye Yumei could not be compared with their own.

"From age six to eight, Little Mei and I spent two very happy years together. Although others might see us as different due to our statuses, we were the best of friends; there was nothing that we wouldn't discuss or share. Once I told Little Mei that no matter what I owned, she would have half of it, my home being hers too, everything I had belonged to her just as much as it did me." Yue Qingya continued recounting those past days. "I even asked her to move in with us once, but she didn’t agree; she remained a little beggar, while I was still the lady's daughter — yet we stayed the best of friends."

“It was only for two years” Song Yumei sensed something amiss. "What happened afterward"

"What I just said was that in our world, cultivators hold the highest status. Therefore, even though my family is quite renowned in Yan Yun City, we couldn't stand up to a single cultivator." The smile on Yue Qingya's face had disappeared, replaced by a sense of sorrow. "My father offended a cultivator, and as a result, our entire family was wiped out."

"Ah!" Song Yumei gasped in shock; she never would have imagined that Yue Qingya had experienced such a tragic past.

“That day, the cultivator slaughtered my whole family. At that time, Xiao Mei and I were playing at home and we hid in the basement. When I heard my father's agonized cries and those of other family members, I couldn't help but cry out. I was terrified and afraid; I wanted to crawl out from the basement, but Xiao Mei covered my mouth to stop me from speaking. Despite that, I struggled, and then she hit me unconscious.” Recalling this painful memory, Yue Qingya still could not hide her sadness. "When I woke up, only I remained in my home. I threw myself onto my father's body, wanting to die with him since I felt like I had nothing left. But Xiao Mei told me that I still had her; she said she would take care of me."

She looked towards the distance, though unable to see the stone house, the direction was clearly there: "At that time, I was deeply traumatized and in a daze, unable to do anything. Even eating required someone to feed me. From then on, Xiao Mei took care of me alone all by herself. She worried that the cultivator might return, so she kept hiding me in the basement; each day, she would go out to beg for food and bring it back for me. The things she begged for were mixed in quality, but she always gave me the best part. This went on for more than three months."

Unconsciously, an image emerged in Song Yumei's mind: An eight-year-old girl relied solely on begging to take care of another little girl who was also only eight years old. Although she hadn't experienced it herself, she could imagine how incredibly difficult that must have been.

"It took me over three months to gradually recover from the blow. Then, I started preparing myself to accept reality; Xiaomei planned to take me away from Yan Yun City and go somewhere else. But just as we were about to leave, I met another person." The sorrow in Yu Qingya's tone slowly faded away; that tragic past was long gone, and she could now remain calm. "That other person was a cultivator from the Ethereal Immortal Gate. It was then that I learned my father offended that murderer of my family because he helped this cultivator from the Ethereal Immortal Gate."

"So after that, you started your journey as a cultivator" Song Yumei softly inquired at this moment.

Yu Qingya nodded slightly: "That cultivator felt indebted to me and took me to the Ethereal Immortal Gate. During my aptitude test there, I was found to have extraordinary talent, and so the headmaster of the Ethereal Immortal Gate accepted me as his personal disciple, elevating me from an ordinary little girl to a disciple under the gate's leader."

"What about Auntie Xiaomei" Song Yumei couldn't help but ask.

Yu Qingya said with a hint of helplessness on her face: "She came along with me to the Ethereal Immortal Gate, but her aptitude didn’t suit the cultivation methods there. The Ethereal Immortal Gate originally didn’t want to take her in as a disciple, but I told Master that I wouldn't separate from Xiaomei; so he still took her on board." "I thought among the many cultivation techniques at the Ethereal Immortal Gate, there would be one suitable for Xiaomei. But over two years passed and she was still unable to step into the world of cultivation, while in those two years I made great progress and Master handed me the best cultivation technique from the Ethereal Immortal Gate—what you've practiced as the Ethereal Heart Method.

"Then, how did you end up misunderstanding each other" Song Yumei asked again.

"I've always been trying to tell Xiao Mei that even if she can't cultivate, I would take care of her just as she took care of me back then. I also told her that I would definitely find a cultivation method suitable for her修煉。Even I taught her the Elusive Heart Method, which is strictly prohibited by our sect." Yue Qingya's tone carried a hint of bitterness. "But in the year we turned ten, Xiao Mei told me she wanted to leave the Elusive Immortal Gate because she knew there was another sect that suited her very well."

"What sect is it" Song Yumei couldn't help but become engrossed in the story.

"That sect is called the Sun and Moon Immortal Sect, but it has another nickname: the Double Cultivation Sect. And our Elusive Immortal Gate directly refers to this sect as a demonic sect—it's a place that has always been despised by the Elusive Immortal Gate." Yue Qingya spoke in a low voice. "Because of this, I strongly opposed Xiao Mei going there, but she seemed very determined, and then something happened that led me to say a word that I still regret to this day."

"What did you say" Song Yumei asked anxiously.

"I told Xiao Mei that if she went to the Solar-Lunar Immortal Gate, we would no longer be friends but enemies." Yue Qingya slowly exhaled. "I merely thought this would make Xiao Mei reconsider her decision, yet I didn't know that because of my words, she hated me for nearly thirty years. Until now, she still hasn't forgiven me, as she feels that I betrayed her and our friendship."

Song Yumei remained silent; she didn't know what to say, as she believed neither Yue Qingya nor Ye Yumei was entirely wrong, with the only difference being their different circumstances.

"The Solar-Lunar Immortal Gate has a unique cultivation technique called the Ice Moon Heart Scripture. Originally, this scripture is suitable for girls with extremely yin constitutions to cultivate. However, the Solar-Lunar Immortal Gate devised an alternative method that made it feasible for ordinary girls to practice it, but there are significant side effects—after reaching adulthood, these girls would have no choice but to engage in dual cultivation with a male cultivator; otherwise, they could die from yin fire burning their bodies." Yue Qingya continued. "This is also the reason I most didn't want Xiao Mei to cultivate this scripture. Fortunately, despite her practice of it, she maintained her purity and made remarkable progress—less than ten years later, she became the youngest expert in the Solar-Lunar Immortal Gate. Afterward, she sought me out for a decisive confrontation to prove that her choice was right."

"Then who won" Song Yumei seemed quite interested in this matter.

"No one won." Yue Qingya gently shook her head. "That final battle inadvertently triggered an unknown formation, opening the passage to this world, and we ended up here. However, after arriving here, we didn't stay together; I once believed Xiao Mei had died until a few months ago when I discovered she was still alive."erience the pain of being consumed by them as well, and turn you into neither man nor woman!" Song Yumei’s cold voice echoed at this moment.Xia Tian instantly became enraged. This woman was too outrag...