Chapter 137: She Mei'er's Worries

As soon as Tu Xiaomeng’s feet touched the ground, she clenched her little fists and began to rain blows upon Songta’er’s chest, her face flushed red as she cried out:
“I told you to hug me! I told you to hug me! I told you to hug me…”
“Hee hee hee…” Songta’er couldn’t help but chuckle foolishly. “Xiaomeng, you really are something! You were the one who asked me to hug you, so why are you hitting me? Do you actually want me to hug you or not?”
“You…” Tu Xiaomeng was so angry she didn’t know what to say. She stopped hitting him and said, “You’re driving me crazy!”
“Xiaomeng, don’t be mad!” Songta’er hurriedly put on an ingratiating smile. “My fault, I won’t dare hug you ever again!”
“Humph, that’s more like it.” Tu Xiaomeng’s face broke into a smile. “Alright! Songta’er, I’m not angry anymore!”
Qingxu Zhenren, Yan Chixia, and Bai Xiaoyue all burst into laughter.
At that moment, Qingxu Zhenren’s clear and resonant voice rang out:
“Today’s body-tempering session has successfully concluded. Danzi, Mingzi, Congzi, Chizi, all of you put your clothes on now. Afterward, we will have breakfast together. Once breakfast is finished, you will resume your cultivation… Now, it is time for this master to undergo body-tempering myself.”
With those words, Qingxu Zhenren turned to face the steaming white jade basin, gave a wave of his sleeve, and stored both the basin and the water away into his storage space.
Seeing this, Tu Xiaomeng couldn’t help asking:
“Master, we’ve already used that basin of water. Do you still intend to use it for your body-tempering?”
“Yes,” Qingxu Zhenren replied. “Resources are limited, and not a single drop should be wasted. The water temperature has risen significantly once more, making it perfect for your master to enter and temper his body…”
Having said that, he soared into the sky, heading straight toward his secret cavern dwelling—where he would undergo his body-tempering…
Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta’er all put on their outer garments, shoes, and socks. At that moment, Tu Xiaomeng called out:
“Brother Yan, I’m hungry! Let’s have breakfast right now, shall we?”
“Alright!” Yan Chixia agreed spiritedly. “Xiaomeng, Songta’er, Sister, how about we have our breakfast right here?”

Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta’er all expressed their agreement.
Thus, Yan Chixia used his paper-talisman Taoist magic to summon a bountiful spread of delicious food. They all sat down happily on the grass, surrounding the mouth-watering delicacies that possessed marvelous colors, aromas, and flavors. As they ate with great relish, they eagerly questioned Yan Chixia about the specifics of their journey to the Mysterious Island.
For instance, did they encounter any Sea Soul Beasts on the Mysterious Island?
How did Qingxu Zhenren and Fairy Jiuxiao break the seal?
Were there any dangers within the ancient ruins?
Was the Herb Garden large?
Where were the Seven-Colored Spirit Stone, the Sea Soul Garment, the Spirit Vein, and the Spirit Spring found?
What did the divine avatar of the ancient immortal look like?
Yan Chixia answered every single question without a trace of impatience.
When Yan Chixia recounted how they had suddenly encountered the Ink Flood Dragon at sea, and how both he and She Mei’er had been swallowed whole into the creature’s belly, Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta’er let out involuntary shrieks of terror—especially Bai Xiaoyue, whose chopsticks even dropped from her hand onto the grass.
When Yan Chixia described how Fairy Jiuxiao used her magical treasure, the Ruyi Golden Lotus, to rescue him and She Mei’er, Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta’er all clapped and cheered in delight.
And when Yan Chixia told them how Fairy Jiuxiao used the Soul-Locking Ring to subdue a level-nine Sea Soul Beast, the eyes of Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta’er shone with a brilliant, envious luster.

Mount Li, Zixia Palace.
At this moment, master and disciple Fairy Jiuxiao and She Mei’er were immersed in the Dome Furnace, glowing with radiant smiles as they enthusiastically underwent body-tempering amidst the blazing heat.
The Dome Furnace rested upon a patch of grass in the back garden, the Spirit Spring water within roiling and boiling as billowing white steam constantly billowed forth. The peach-blossom-like pretty faces of Fairy Jiuxiao and She Mei’er, half-hidden within the swirling mists, appeared all the more exquisite and vibrantly tender.
Fairy Jiuxiao and She Mei’er sat facing each other inside the Dome Furnace for their body-tempering. Because body-tempering required absolute concentration and prohibited speech, the master and disciple sat upright with their eyes closed, quietly receiving the fiery baptism of the Spirit Spring water.

Fairy Jiuxiao remained free of distractions, wholly focused on her body-tempering; She Mei’er appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was anything but tranquil. At that very moment, though her body was inside the Dome Furnace, her heart had flown far away to Qingxu Temple on Mount Zhongnan…
She Mei’er realized she could no longer live without Yan Chixia!
Ever since the day, three months ago, when She Mei’er began learning paper-talisman Taoist magic from Yan Chixia, she had been inseparable from him every single morning. As the days and months passed, she had grown deeply dependent on him—whenever she was by Yan Chixia’s side, she felt full of energy no matter what she did, happier than words could express. Yet the moment she left Yan Chixia, She Mei’er felt as though she had lost her soul, wandering absent-mindedly in utter boredom, finding no joy in eating or sleeping!
Sitting now within the Dome Furnace, the mere thought of Yan Chixia set her mind wandering once again.
“Yan Chixia…” She Mei’er inwardly cried out against her better judgment. “Yan Chixia, I miss you! I want so, so much to be with you… Yan Chixia, I’m undergoing body-tempering right now, but what are you doing? If I’m not mistaken, you must be tempering your body too, right? Yan Chixia, I truly don’t understand why I like you so much, yet you don’t like me back? Yan Chixia, what on earth do I have to do for you to like me?”
She Mei’er let her mind run wild amidst her body-tempering. Just as she was lost in a hazy, daydreaming reverie, a piercing, agonizing pain suddenly wracked her entire body. The jolt shocked her so violently that she let out a startled shriek:
“Aiah!”
“Ah?” Fairy Jiuxiao was greatly alarmed. Opening her eyes to take a look, she saw that She Mei’er had been severely scalded by the Spirit Spring water, and she cried out in deep distress: “How did this happen? Mei’er, get out quickly!”
Roused by Fairy Jiuxiao’s warning, She Mei’er snapped back to reality. She sprang up abruptly, leaped clean out of the Dome Furnace, and landed on the grass.
She Mei’er had no clothes on, and her originally snow-white, tender skin had been severely burned by the Spirit Spring water. Her entire body was covered in angry, crimson welts—a truly shocking and agonizing sight to behold!
Upon seeing this, Fairy Jiuxiao was filled with anguish. Instantly halting her body-tempering, she stepped out of the Dome Furnace and flashed to She Mei’er’s side. Calling upon her spiritual energy, she summoned a Great Return Pill from her storage space and brought it to She Mei’er’s lips, urging:
“Mei’er, swallow the Great Return Pill right away!”
She Mei’er immediately parted her cherry lips and swallowed the Great Return Pill. Overwhelmed by a surging tide of emotions, she threw herself into Fairy Jiuxiao’s embrace and burst into loud, bitter tears…