Chapter 82 I Want You to Have Me

“What?” She Meier couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment. “Yan Chixia, you have the ‘Ruyi Alchemical Furnace’ of the immortal Chisongzi in your possession? Good heavens, this is incredible news! Yan Chixia, tell me quickly—how did you come to possess such a priceless treasure?”

Yan Chixia chuckled. “She Meier, I said the ‘Ruyi Alchemical Furnace’ is in my hands—that’s something absolutely impossible, isn’t it? Don’t you suspect that I might be teasing you?”

“I don’t doubt you at all!” She Meier replied, her voice quivering with excitement. “Because you are Yan Chixia, and no matter what you say, I believe you!”

“Very well! She Meier, thank you for your trust in me.” Yan Chixia laughed heartily, and then proceeded to recount in detail how he came to acquire the ‘Ruyi Alchemical Furnace’.

When she finished listening, She Meier could hardly contain her joy, dancing and clapping as though she herself had obtained the legendary furnace.

“Yan Chixia, you are truly fortunate to have secured the ‘Ruyi Alchemical Furnace,’ the greatest treasure under heaven!” She Meier beamed, her smile radiant. “I’m so happy for you! Say, Yan Chixia, when we return to the Clear Void Monastery, could you let me see it for myself? I’d love to witness the legendary furnace with my own eyes!”

Yan Chixia responded cheerfully, “Of course you may!”

“Oh, Yan Chixia, you’re wonderful! I really, truly like you!” She Meier laughed merrily, her large, sapphire-like eyes sparkling as she gazed at Yan Chixia’s strikingly handsome face. In her heart, waves of affection surged, coloring her cheeks a rosy hue. Unable to restrain herself, she said, “Yan Chixia, I suddenly had a most beautiful thought!”

“What sort of thought?”

“I want you to have me!”

Yan Chixia laughed. “She Meier, are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m perfectly fine. Yan Chixia, I mean it. I truly want you to have me! For you, I’m quite easy to win over, you could have me with just a word!”

“And what would I do with you?”

“What else? Of course, I’d become your wife! Hehe… Yan Chixia, you’re so pure—surely you’ve never been in love before? Actually, neither have I… So, why not use me as an experiment and try falling in love with me? It might help you get a feel for it!”

“What would be the point? I have no desire to marry you…”

She Meier giggled. “Yan Chixia, don’t be so absolute… What if?”

“What if what?”

“What if, by trying it, you actually fall in love with me?”

“That will never happen… She Meier, rest assured, no matter what, I—Yan Chixia—will never fall in love with you.”

“How disappointing!” She Meier said dispiritedly. “Yan Chixia, you really are hopeless—not the slightest bit romantic!”

Yan Chixia couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not romantic, but at least you are… Isn’t that enough? All right, She Meier, enough joking. Let’s attend to our business. This trip to Death Valley has yielded everything we sought. Now, put the ‘Five-Colored Spirit Stones’ you gave me into your Storage Ring, and we’ll return home with our spoils.”

“Very well,” She Meier sighed, resigned. “Yan Chixia, you can choose fifty ‘Five-Colored Spirit Stones’—any that you like. Gather the ones you want, and I’ll store them all together in the Storage Ring to bring back for you.”

“Thank you, She Meier. Then I won’t stand on ceremony!” Yan Chixia replied with a bright smile, and immediately turned his gaze to the pile of spirit stones at his feet, picking out the largest ones.

Before long, Yan Chixia had selected fifty stones. He raised his head and smiled at She Meier. “She Meier, I’m finished choosing. Haha… this is quite a pile—are you sure your Storage Ring can hold them all?”

She Meier smiled sweetly. “Is that all? Yan Chixia, would you believe me if I said I could fit both you and all these stones into the Storage Ring right now?”

Yan Chixia was startled at her words and quickly waved his hand. “No, no, don’t! She Meier, please don’t put me inside. If I were to enter your Storage Ring and be compressed by its powerful magic… what would become of me?”

She Meier laughed gleefully. “Yan Chixia, look at you—so frightened! Don’t worry, I’m only joking. To tell you the truth, the Storage Ring can only hold objects, not people.”

As she spoke, she silently recited an incantation, storing the fifty stones Yan Chixia had chosen into the Storage Ring. Then she selected ten more for herself and stored them away as well. Turning to Yan Chixia, she said, “All done, handsome. Shall we go?”

“Yes!” Yan Chixia nodded, gripping his Scarlet Hero Sword as he stepped into the Ruyi Divine Vessel and sat down in high spirits.

She Meier followed him into the cabin. Once seated, she saw the door close automatically. She opened her mouth to speak, “Ruyi Divine Vessel, heed my com…” but before she could finish, a sob broke from her lips and she began to cry.

Yan Chixia, seated and awaiting the vessel’s departure, was startled by her sudden outburst and quickly asked, “She Meier, what’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

“Yan Chixia, I feel awful!” She Meier sobbed, her words choked with grief. “My heart feels truly miserable!”

“Really?” Yan Chixia, seeing her face streaked with tears and realizing it was no act, grew genuinely concerned. “She Meier, are you ill?”

“No… I’m perfectly healthy… I’m not sick at all…”

“Then why do you feel so upset? She Meier, we’re about to leave Death Valley and see our master and the others again—just thinking about it fills me with joy. You should be happy too, so why are you crying?”

At his words, She Meier’s sobs only grew more bitter. “Of course you’re happy, Yan Chixia, because soon you’ll see Bai Xiaoyue! I know you like her… Once you see her, you’ll pay no attention to me!”

“Oh, so that’s it.” Yan Chixia was torn between amusement and exasperation, and hurried to comfort her. “She Meier, don’t cry! I won’t do as you imagine… Honestly, in the past, I really disliked you. You were always pestering me, and I thought you were a frivolous girl who didn’t know the meaning of self-respect. But now, I don’t dislike you anymore. On this journey through Death Valley, I’ve come to truly understand you—especially when I was wounded by Master Xuanxuan and you risked your life to save me. I was deeply moved… So, in my heart, we’ve long since become friends who have shared adversity. She Meier, since we’re such good friends, how could I possibly ignore you when we return?”