Under Liu Fengying's guidance, Mu Chen soon found himself inside a private box of a luxurious restaurant situated in the center of the city. As for Fang Tianyi, Liu Fengying had gotten rid of him.

Within the private booth, Liu Fengying sat on the side of the table, opposite to Mu Chen. The table was laid with several dishes. He hadn't enjoyed the food at his for several months now, so he was busy savoring the dishes with a relish. 

Liu Fengying was simply watching Mu Chen eat in a daze with her cheeks cupped in the palm of her hands, and elbows resting on the table. Aside from suggesting Mu Chen some of the newest delicacies in the beginning, she hadn't spoken a word.

"How long are you going to stare at me? Am I that handsome?" Mu Chen teased.

"Uh-huh, really handsome. Even more than before." Liu Fengying replied with a smile as her face glimmered with the shade of red.

Taken aback by Liu Fengying's candid reply, Mu Chen almost dropped the piece of spirit meat that he was just about to eat, making Liu Fengying giggle.

"Since when did you become so cheeky?" Mu Chen was a bit surprised. He would often flirt and tease Liu Fengying and she would just be shy and would never retort back.

"What do you know? You haven't seen me for almost a year!!" Liu Fengying angrily snorted as she sat upright with her hands folded across her chest and glared at Mu Chen.

"Cough….cough...about that…" Mu Chen could only smile apologetically.

"Not only did you not see me, but you also didn't even bother contacting me! Do you know just how worried I was?! And you even ignored the letter I had personally written!!" Liu Fengying seemed to have recalled the past and became really angry.

"I am sorry." Mu Chen knew from experience that when a woman was angry, you should first just apologize, regardless it was your fault or not. You cannot have a conversation with an angry woman.

Unfortunately, even after Mu Chen's apology, Liu Fengying was still very angry.

"Here…" Mu Chen sighed and used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, slightly dipped in some light sauce, and offered it to Liu Fengying.

Liu Fengying blinked her eyes for a while and finally relented. But she only opened her mouth a bit and didn't even lean forward. Mu Chen's face twitched but he didn't complain. Instead, he left his seat and sat close next to her. Mu Chen brought the chopsticks holding the piece of meat close to Liu Fengying's mouth and stuffed it in, who meekly ate it.

After feeding Liu Fengying several times, Mu Chen felt her anger had completely evaporated.

"Although, I am sorry for not contacting you... as I said before, I never received any message."

"You really didn't?" Liu Fengying, who had been enjoying Mu Chen's special treatment, frowned as she looked at him.

"You don't believe me?" Mu Chen glared at her as he casually took a sip of his drink.

"How can I not believe you?" Liu Fengying smiled as she leaned sideways onto Mu Chen's body. Mu Chen even felt something soft press into him as he breathed in the womanly fragrance that wafted into his nose, making him a bit itchy and distracted. 

Seeing Mu Chen not rejecting her advances, Liu Fengying smiled happily as she closed her eyes and continued to lean onto him for a while.

For some time, none of them said anything and simply enjoyed the moment.

"Mu Chen...I love you." Liu Fengying whispered. She was looking at him with her eyes blurred.

Mu Chen froze. The confession was sudden and he didn't know how to react. Although Mu Chen always teased and flirted with Liu Fengying, he had never seriously pursued her, even though he knew Liu Fengying had developed feelings for him. Because of their families, both of them were aware it would be difficult for them to be actually together. So neither of them had taken a step to further their relationship, maintaining a cordial distance. As such, their relationship had always been ambiguous.

But now Liu Fengying seemed to be trying to completely break down the status quo.

"You...why aren't you saying anything?" Liu Fengying pouted when Mu Chen didn't speak for quite a while. 

"Fengying, you know...we can't be together…" Mu Chen sighed as he gently caressed her hair with his free hand.

"You are no longer valued by your Family...you can now marry into my Liu Clan and they wouldn't care." Liu Fengying grabbed Mu Chen's hand and anxiously argued.

"Even if the Mu Family didn't refuse…would your Liu Clan accept me as their son-in-law? I am no longer a cultivator." Mu Chen said in a gentle tone.

Liu Fengying and Mu Chen before his injury could be called the geniuses of their generation. Mu Chen became a Spirit Gathering cultivator before he was even fifteen, Liu Fengying wasn't much behind and became one soon after she turned fifteen. Even the number of apertures she managed to open, were just slightly less than his.

Two geniuses, a male and female. The male is handsome and the female is beautiful. One would think they could easily become a deity couple. Unfortunately, the reality is very different from fantasy.

The Mu Family, as the bridegroom's family would not let their genius marry outside. 

But the Liu Clan was also extremely matriarchal. Women of the Liu Clan didn't marry into other Families. Even if that wasn't the case, the Liu Clan wouldn't let go of such a genius like Liu Fengying because of marriage.

Both families would naturally want to form strong bonds through marriage, however none of them would be willing to sacrifice their genius who had the potential to shape the future of their family. 

But now Mu Chen was crippled, so Mu Family wouldn't care if he married into another family or not. If not for his specific circumstances, he would have already been outcast and left to live with other mortals. If Mu Family could form good ties with Liu Clan through Mu Chen, they would be too happy to even complain. But, would the Liu Clan be happy to accept damaged goods?

Hearing Mu Chen's reminder, Liu Fengying bit her lips. This act of her's made her look even more adorable. Suddenly, her eyes brightened as she thought of something. "I know! Since we can't marry...I...I will bring you to the Liu Clan as my male attendant."

Mu Chen who had just taken another sip of his drink spurted it all out and looked at Liu Fengying with an incredulous look.

Liu Fengying thought Mu Chen misunderstood what she wanted to say and further explained.

"Don't...don't misunderstand! I didn't mean you to be my servant...it's just something I heard...some powerful female cultivators will have several male companions...so they aren't lonely...you know..." Liu Fengying's blushed and her voice became smaller and smaller towards the end, like a mosquito.

The Liu Clan might object to a marriage, but that didn't mean Liu Fengying couldn't have a male companion. Because this was different from marriage or children.

Marriage signified status. Her husband would have a certain influence and decision-making ability within the Liu Clan. The level of influence was dependent on Liu Fengying's own influence and authority, which was quite a lot since she was the granddaughter of the current Matriarch and was being trained as a successor. So the family could interfere with her decision if it involved her marriage. Other than that, how Liu Fengying lived her personal life was entirely up to her. Now that she was an adult and a true cultivator, even if she lived her life full of debauchery, the Family wouldn't interfere.

"You...how did you even think of something like this?!" Mu Chen placed his cup on the table as he rubbed his forehead. He felt depressed. Although this method was feasible, it was unacceptable for him.

"I...just want to be together with you..." Liu Fengying bashfully replied.

"You know I can no longer cultivate…" Mu Chen sighed.

"I don't care about that. As long as we are together…" Liu Fengying was very adamant.

"Don't you understand? It's exactly because I can not cultivate, that we can't be together! I am just a mortal, while you are a cultivator. In just a few decades, I will be old while you will still maintain your youth. Soon I will die and you will become a lonely widow." Mu Chen looked deeply into Liu Fengying's eyes and stated it plainly.

By cultivator standards, Mu Chen was essentially a cripple now. But Liu Fengying's feelings were still the same towards him. Rather, several months of separation seemed to intensified her feelings for him. This made him feel especially touched, making him realize that Liu Fengying's feelings for him were not only deep but also genuine. 

But the more he sensed her sincerity towards him, the more Mu Chen felt he couldn't accept her feelings, at least not until he had a solution to his current dilemma.

Because Liu Fengying was, after all, a bona fide cultivator. As long as she cultivated well, with her natural talent, she could live for thousands of years. Even if their Family didn't oppose them being together, Mu Chen wasn't sure of the future of such relationships.

"Then, we should hurry...before you are old, you should let me conceive a couple...no...a dozen kids. Then I wouldn't be lonely, even after you die…" Liu Fengying blushed as she brought her face closer to Mu Chen's in anticipation. Mu Chen could even feel her body temperature rise and her breath becoming fiery.

"Silly girl, what are you thinking...did you even listen to what I even said?"  Mu Chen poked Liu Fengying's forehead with his forefinger in exasperation pushing her back.

"You...why are you like this to me?!" Liu Fengying rubbed her forehead in dissatisfaction.

"Fengying, listen to me...you have a long life ahead of you...unlike me...being with me...you can be happy for a while...but it will only haunt you for the rest of your life…"

Mu Chen wasn't kidding. Although they had yet to experience it personally, Mu Chen had heard a few tragic stories about loving couples among whom one had a much longer lifespan than the other, due to one reason or another. It always ended as a tragedy, where one person would desperately try and find ways to prolong the life of his partner.

"Then what about Sister Mei?! Aren't you still together?! Why can't we be the same?" Liu Fengying pouted.

"Mei'er? What about her?" Mu Chen was surprised.

"Hmph! Don't pretend to be ignorant! Although you didn't contact me, I already met with Sister Mei several times. She told me everything…Since she can be with you, why can't I also be with you?" Liu Fengying snorted as she glared at Mu Chen.

"Mei'er...her situation is different from yours..." Mu Chen still tried to convince Liu Fengying.

"I don't care about that...anyway Sister Mei also supports my decision…" Liu Fengying interrupted.

Mu Chen was rendered speechless. It looked like these two girls had reached some decision behind his back.

Seeing Mu Chen absent-minded, Liu Fengying took the opportunity to hug him and bury her head into his chest.

"Besides, who says your situation is without hope? I and Sister Mei will work hard to find a solution…so...d-don't leave me alone." Liu Fengying's voice started quivering at the end and she began to sob.

Hearing her cry, Mu Chen suddenly felt suffocated and felt his own nose turn sour. It was as if someone was trying to rip out his heart. Liu Fengying's sobs shattered what little resistance he had set up.

"Silly girl...I am still here...why are you crying?" Mu Chen pulled Liu Fengying into his lap as he consoled her and gently caressed her back. Liu Fengying continued to cry for a while, before she finally quieted down.

"Have you calmed down?" Mu Chen gently whispered into Liu Fengying's ears.

"Un…" Liu Fengying lightly hummed in reply. But she still didn't lift her head.

Mu Chen couldn't see it, Liu Fengying's face had already turned deep red as she sat on his lap. Due to her emotional outburst, she didn't even realize when Mu Chen lifted her into his lap. She had never been this intimate with him before, so she was very embarrassed. So she continued hiding her face by burying into Mu Chen's chest. But it only exacerbated the situation as Mu Chen's masculine scent entered her nostrils. What made her even more embarrassed was that she enjoyed this feeling very much. Sitting on Mu Chen's lap with his arms around her, smelling his scent-it made her giddy with joy. So she was all the more reluctant to break this moment.

Although Liu Fengying had calmed down, Mu Chen continued to caress her for a while. Finally, he pinched Liu Fengying's chin and slowly lifted her face which had turned red, towards his so that their eyes met.

"You won't regret it?" Mu Chen solemnly asked as he looked deeply into Liu Fengying's eyes.

He had given it a lot of thought. He had some misgivings in the past. But Mu Chen realized that it didn't matter if their families allowed them to be together or not. As long as they had enough strength, it would not be an issue.

"I won't!" Even though Liu Fengying was shy, her determination was unquestionable. 

Mu Chen smiled as he lowered his lips to close onto Liu Fengying's, lightly kissing her. Liu Fengying's response was enthusiastic and the light kiss soon turned into a passionate one.