"I-I Just..." Yi Chen tried to control his laughter and finally said, "I just didn’t think that it would be so rare to find a man who shares the same values as me."

"Oh, you have no idea, do you?" Gao Zhen asked with wide eyes and continued, "If a woman does chance upon a man like that, it’s almost like finding an ancient artefact!"

She said with a serious expression, much to Yi Chen’s amusement, and continued while shaking her head a little, "No, at times it might be more difficult to find men like that than those artefacts! At least when you encounter an ancient artefact, you can be sure of it and claim it for yourself.

But that’s not the case with these men. The majority of the time, they already have someone in their hearts by the time you meet one..." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She let out a bitter chuckle as she said those words while glancing at Yi Chen.

"Then I’m glad that my wife met me," Yi Chen chuckled to himself at those words, amusement evident on his face.

Seeing this reaction, Gao Zhen let out a soft breath and said, "You really do love her a lot, don’t you?"

"Stronger than words could ever express," Yi Chen answered almost instantly.

"My jealousy towards her has reached the heavens by now," she snorted with a grin and lamented, "If only I had even a fraction of her luck..."

She sighed the next instant and shook her head.

"In the future, if I choose to escape my family’s influence, I’ll most probably choose to remain single throughout my life. I’ll rather die alone than marry one of those men."

Her tone became stronger as she continued.

"Those lecherous bastards are so fixated on the idea that the more wives they have, the stronger they are," She scoffed and exclaimed angrily, "As if something like that would make them stronger! Those insecure pieces of shit!"

"..."

Seeing her vent out her pent-up anger, Yi Chen chose to just remain silent and observe. However, that wasn’t something in his control.

With her breath haggard, she locked eyes with Yi Chen and asked, "Even after that, it’s not those lecherous men whom I hate the most, you know?"

Realising that it was better to tag along, which was reinforced by the curiosity brewing within him, he asked her, "Oh? Then who do you hate the most?"

Hearing just the question she wanted to, she poured out her frustration the very next instant.

"It’s those women! Just how could they willingly accept being used and treated like a tool by those men? Don’t they have even a fraction of self-respect??

In my case, if I return to the guild, then I’ll have no choice in that matter and would be forced into marrying a bastard like that, but just what is wrong with the minds of these women?

The majority of them aren’t forced by circumstances but do so willingly. Just because that scum is good-looking and possesses a higher cultivation?

Do these bitches think of themselves as nothing but objects to be played with by the hands of these men? Heavens! Just thinking about it fills me with anger!"

She exclaimed while clenching her fists tightly, anger and frustration evident in her eyes.

Trying to defuse her emotions, Yi Chen let out a chuckle and said, "It seems Madam Gao has spent quite a lot of time thinking about this issue."

"This..."

It was only then that Gao Zhen became self-conscious and realised what she had just said.

"I-I apologise...I lost myself for a bit there." She said in an embarrassed manner and continued after a brief pause, "However... thanks to this outburst...I think I’ve finally made a decision."

"Oh? What decision?" Yi Chen asked curiously.

"Mhm," Gao Zhen firmly nodded and said the next instant, "I’m going to do just as you suggested earlier. After I’m done with mastering the Abyssal Blackglacial Arts and we are out of this tomb, I’ll go as far as possible to escape my father’s eyes."

"Wise decision." Yi Chen said in agreement and added with a thoughtful expression, "Apart from that, I also think that you’re overthinking a little.

After disguising yourself, no one will be able to recognise you at all, particularly because your Qi’s nature would be completely different from what it used to be, and it would be the same with the Qi Absorption Art and martial techniques that you’ll practice by then."

"Ah..." Gao Zhen widened her eyes in realisation, a smile soon forming on her face. Yi Chen’s words had further reinforced her decision.

"Young Master Chen is indeed right. Thank you for your help." She said with a grateful expression on her face.

"Haha, the feelings are mutual." Yi Chen softly chuckled and said, "Thanks to this interaction of ours, I too have become crystal clear on what I need to do. There’s only one path for me to follow now."

He finished with a confident smile as clarity became evident in his eyes.

"Oh?" Noticing this, Gao Zhen naturally became curious and asked, "And what’s this path?"

To that expected question, Yi Chen’s smile widened as he answered the next instant, "To get stronger."

Hearing the answer, Gao Zhen chuckled softly and said while shaking her head, "Such a typical answer."

"It indeed is." Yi Chen laughed and said the next instant, "Let’s start with our dinner before calling it a day. Starting tomorrow, we’ll have to be back in our focused state."

"I agree." Gao Zhen nodded at those words and took out the food from her storage ring.

A while later, they were done with the meals and with a wave of her hand, Gao Zhen took her leave.

A few seconds later, the silence settled inside the tent, and he let out a deep breath before crossing his legs properly to start with his regular cultivation practice.

However, before that, he decided to check his status panel just for the sake of it.