Chapter 59 Master Xuanxuan

"That's right. She Meier, you have a keen eye," Yan Chixia replied with a calm expression. "My greatest strength is my sharp tongue..."

"And what about your weaknesses?" She Meier couldn’t help but ask.

Yan Chixia answered, "My weakness is that my tongue is too sharp—no matter how lively the conversation, I can kill it in an instant, leaving you speechless!"

"You—" She Meier was so exasperated she nearly jumped up. She had so many things she wanted to say to Yan Chixia, yet now she found herself utterly at a loss for words...

Yan Chixia had truly killed the conversation.

Glancing over, Yan Chixia saw She Meier lying there, puffed up with anger and silent. Understanding that he had gone too far, he felt a pang of remorse. Rarely, he offered her a gentle smile and said, "Heh... She Meier, why are you so quiet now?"

"I have nothing to say!" She Meier replied, deeply annoyed.

Yan Chixia laughed. "She Meier, I’ve just realized you have quite a temper! That’s not good, as the saying goes, ‘Anger hurts the body’—if a person is always angry, it sours the heart and harms one's health, even marring one's beauty..."

"Really?" She Meier couldn’t help but interrupt. "I, She Meier, am one of the greatest beauties in the world—I don’t want to become ugly and unwanted... I won’t be angry anymore! Heehee... Yan Chixia, aren’t you quite the conversationalist? I like listening to you! Go on, keep talking."

"She Meier, when I said just now that Bai Xiaoyue was more beautiful than you, I was only joking." Yan Chixia turned his face, gazing up at the azure sky, his voice mellow and distant. "To speak honestly, She Meier, in this world, you and Bai Xiaoyue are the two most beautiful women I’ve ever seen! The two of you are equally matched, each with your unique charms: Bai Xiaoyue’s beauty is the serene, refined grace of dignity; your beauty, She Meier, is the enchanting allure of a free and unrestrained spirit..."

"Exactly!" She Meier interrupted him again, sitting up with excitement. "Yan Chixia, I see you’re getting better and better at this! Your words about me are spot on: I, She Meier, am indeed a wild and uninhibited enchantress—I delight in letting myself go, never hiding my feelings. If I want to love, I love; if I want to hate, I hate. I never force myself to do things against my will!"

"Indeed!" Yan Chixia picked up the thread. "I know that well—for instance, the last time..."

"Oh!" She Meier blushed, "Yan Chixia, why must you always be so combative... ‘The last time’—which time is that?"

"The time you used the ‘Demonic Music Zither’..."

"And what about it?"

"I was nearly conquered by your ‘love if you want to love’—by the power of the Demonic Music Zither..."

"Heehee... But in the end, didn’t I escape in a flurry, using the ‘Clear Breeze Dispersal’ technique?"

"Of course. Because your methods were unorthodox, and I am a righteous man—evil cannot overcome the righteous, so you lost the upper hand. Still, She Meier, to be honest, your Demonic Music Zither is truly formidable..."

"Naturally!" She Meier replied with pride. "The Demonic Music Zither is a magical instrument crafted with utmost care by my master, capable of playing all manner of sounds to vanquish enemies—among them, the ‘enticing melody’ that can sap a man’s fighting spirit and fill him with confusion... Hmph! If it weren’t for that meddling Bunny Xiaomeng, you would have long since fallen at my feet. And you still claim ‘evil cannot overcome the righteous’?"

"Indeed!" Yan Chixia also sat up, meeting She Meier’s gaze. "She Meier, your master is truly remarkable—her skill in the Dao is profound, and she has mastered the art of preserving her youth. If only she weren’t so icy and aloof, she would be a flawless jade among mortals!"

"Exactly!" She Meier agreed wholeheartedly. "Just as you said, Yan Chixia, my master always puts on a stern face before others, giving off an air of coldness and lofty detachment. Yet she treats me with great kindness and doting care! Heehee... Yan Chixia, there’s something you don’t know—my master is fiercely protective: if I make a mistake, she’ll scold me harshly, but if anyone else criticizes me, she won’t stand for it!"

Yan Chixia nodded. "Yes, that’s the mark of her dominance. But she has every right to be so—she’s at the ‘Celestial Wanderer’ level, and in this universe, how many can claim that?"

"Yan Chixia, you’re absolutely right!" She Meier said enthusiastically. "My master’s Daoist arts are truly profound and her powers vast! While we’re on the subject, let me tell you a secret: the master you saw today wasn’t her true self, but one of her avatars..."

"What?" Yan Chixia was taken aback. "Truly?"

"Absolutely!" She Meier explained. "Yan Chixia, my master’s ‘Avatar Technique’ is formidable: her true self resides in the Purple Cloud Palace all year round, and when dealing with outsiders, she sends out an avatar. She can manifest three avatars at once—each one identical in appearance and voice to her true self, and with nearly equal Daoist power. Moreover, her spiritual sense is extremely powerful: no matter where I am, if she wishes to know, she can find me with a single sweep. However, she rarely uses her spiritual sense to spy on me—she says everyone is entitled to privacy, and to go prying with spiritual sense is most unethical..."

"Exactly!" Yan Chixia interjected. "Because your master cares about her reputation..."

"You—" She Meier glared at Yan Chixia, thoroughly annoyed. "Yan Chixia, what do you mean by that? If my master cares about her reputation, does that mean I don’t? How can we continue this conversation?"

With that, she lapsed into sullen silence.

Seeing this, Yan Chixia hurried to explain, "She Meier, don’t take it the wrong way, that’s not what I meant..."

"Hahaha..." Before Yan Chixia could finish, a loud, wild laugh rang out. "You may not mean it, but I do... Young ones, don’t run—I’m coming for you!"

Both Yan Chixia and She Meier were shocked, leaping to their feet and turning toward the voice. They saw a Daoist priest with flowing hair and fluttering robes, sword in hand, riding a cloud toward them from the sky.

"This is bad—he doesn’t come in peace," Yan Chixia gripped his Scarlet Hero Sword tightly and whispered, "This man rides on clouds and wields formidable Daoist arts. She Meier, be very careful!"

"Mm." She Meier nodded quickly, lowering her voice. "Yan Chixia, I have no true energy left and cannot use spiritual sense. Quickly, use yours to probe and see who this Daoist really is, so we’ll know what we’re up against..."

Yan Chixia had not intended to use his spiritual sense, as it would consume much of his energy and put them at a disadvantage in the coming confrontation. But She Meier’s words echoed his own concerns, and so, summoning his power, he reached out with his spiritual sense to probe the newcomer...

In an instant, he understood, and his expression darkened. Hastily withdrawing his spiritual sense, he whispered, "She Meier, this is bad! Our visitor is at the ‘Golden Core’ stage—one realm higher than either of us..."

"What?" She Meier blanched. "What shall we do, Yan Chixia, I—"

Before she could finish, the Daoist in fluttering robes had already arrived, cloud-borne, standing before them. He appeared to be about sixty, with dignified features; though his expression was mild, his eyes were murderous.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Yan Chixia demanded sternly.

The Daoist manipulated his cloud to descend slowly, speaking with solemn authority, "I am the Venerable Xuanxuan. Having recently acquired an ancient alchemical recipe, I intend to open my furnace and refine pills today, for which I require the hearts of a man and a woman as sacrifice. Therefore, I have come to borrow yours!"