Ning Xian walked straight to the other side of the stone table and sat down of her own accord, even picking up the teapot to pour herself a cup.
She took a small sip, her movements elegant, yet the sight only made Liu Yuan’s heart beat faster.
After putting down the teacup, Ning Xian finally looked up at Liu Yuan, who was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
"Liu Yuan, you entered the Tribulation Crossing Realm one hundred and forty-six years ago, only to be ambushed in secret by Dao Yi, the master of the Tianji Pavilion."
"Your Dao foundation was damaged, leaving you stuck at the peak of the Transformation Realm ever since, unable to advance a single step."
Liu Yuan’s hand shook, nearly flipping the stone table.
This... how did she know about such a secret?!
Was she truly from the Upper Realm, sent to capture Dao Yi, and had investigated him as well? His face turned pale. "Fellow... Fellow Daoist, this matter... I..."
Ning Xian ignored his panic and continued in a flat tone.
"One hundred and twenty-nine years ago, unwilling to accept defeat, you fought Dao Yi again. After being severely maimed, you only managed to escape by using a secret technique."
Cold sweat broke out on Liu Yuan’s forehead, and his lips trembled. "Fellow Daoist, please listen to me first..."
"Eighty-two years ago, once your injuries had slightly subsided, you heard that Dao Yi had taken a new disciple with extraordinary talent. You attempted to intercept and kill them during their trials."
"Unexpectedly, you were lured into a trap by that disciple and struck from a distance by Dao Yi, who had been lying in wait. You were maimed once again..."
"I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!"
Liu Yuan looked like he was about to burst into tears. Could she please stop mentioning the times he was maimed?
"What does Fellow Daoist want to know? Has that old thief Dao Yi caused some other heaven-shaking disaster? I am absolutely irreconcilable with him!"
"As long as you can get rid of him, I’ll do anything! Regarding the events of those years, I was a victim too!"
He assumed she was an enforcer from the Upper Realm coming to settle accounts with Dao Yi and was checking if he was an accomplice.
He was eager to show his loyalty and draw a clear line between them.
Ning Xian merely gave him a cold glance, took another slow sip of tea, and then deliberately uttered the next sentence.
"Seventy-one years ago, your injuries had just healed when you couldn’t wait to disguise yourself and sneak into a mortal pleasure district. You stayed there for three consecutive months, eventually getting into a conflict with a local wealthy gentleman over a jealousy dispute. You exposed your cultivation, leading Dao Yi to find you and maim you yet again..."
Liu Yuan: "...?!"
His expression became extremely strange. Could she please stop talking?
Why was even this kind of embarrassing nonsense known to her...
...
Ning Xian seemed to feel that she had laid enough groundwork. She finally put down the teacup and stated the true purpose of her visit.
Her voice remained cold and calm. "If you had cooperated earlier, there would have been no need for such trouble."
"I want Dao Yi’s most likely hiding place right now."
"In exchange," she paused and added a sentence that sounded like heavenly music to Liu Yuan, "if this trip goes smoothly, he will die."
Liu Yuan sat blankly on the stone stool, his mind still echoing with words like "pleasure district" and "jealousy dispute."
He only snapped out of it when he heard Ning Xian’s final words.
"Fellow Daoists, that Dao Yi is insidious and cunning; he loves nothing more than taking advantage of people!"
"According to my observations and deductions, he will certainly take action soon. My Junior Brother is about to ascend to the third level of the Tribulation Crossing Realm."
"Dao Yi will definitely pounce like a hyena smelling blood. We can beat him at his own game and... ahem... we can certainly surround and kill him! Hahahaha!"
He seemed to already see the image of Dao Yi’s wretched death, and his laughter was joyous.
"My Junior Brother will be ready to ascend in three days. Why don’t you two stay at the academy for the time being? Allow me to fulfill my duties as a host and treat you as honored guests. It will also make it easier for us to discuss the details of the ambush."
"Only, Fellow Daoist, could you leave Dao Yi’s body to me? I want to torment him properly."
Ning Xian said nothing. She simply stood up and walked straight out of the courtyard.
Fang Xuan naturally followed. Before stepping out the door, he glanced back at the academy principal, who was still exceptionally excited.
This man's hatred... was truly intense and unique.
...
It wasn’t until their figures disappeared beyond the gate that Liu Yuan slumped back onto the stone stool, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Silence meant agreement!
He stroked his beard, a smile of excitement gradually appearing on his face at the prospect of his great revenge being fulfilled.
"Hehehe... Old dog Dao Yi, your end is near! The lords from the Upper Realm are personally coming to take you... no, to personally send you on your way!"
"Once I catch you, I’ll make sure you taste my newly developed Yin-Yang Reversal Powder! I'll break your spirit, then... hehehehe..."
"I'll humiliate you until you beg for death, and then I'll bring you back just to do it all over again!"
Hahaha.
His laughter echoed in the small courtyard, startling several sparrows perched on the walls into flight...
...
After leaving Xuanshan Academy, they walked back onto the bustling streets.
"Senior Sister, what are we doing next?"
Fang Xuan held his sword, walking half a step behind Ning Xian as he asked casually.
Ning Xian didn’t stop. "It’s getting late."
Fang Xuan looked up at the sun, which was clearly still high in the sky, and then at the streets which were at their most lively.
"...Late?"
It wasn't even noon yet, Senior Sister.
"Mhm." Ning Xian’s expression remained unchanged, and she even slightly quickened her pace.
"The matter of... cultivation must be handled with increasing diligence. Yesterday... we were slightly lax. Today, we must make up for it twofold."
She spoke with total seriousness, but the slight reddening of her earlobes betrayed her.
Fang Xuan: "..."
"Senior Sister is right to lecture me. However, didn’t you promise before that once we reached the Central Plains main city, you would accompany me to taste the famous local sweet wine?"
He still remembered that when they entered the city yesterday, her eyes seemed to light up slightly when she saw the restaurant’s sign, even if she quickly regained her cold demeanor.
Ning Xian’s footsteps paused, but she immediately continued forward as if nothing had happened.
"How can something like drinking compare to diligent cultivation? Junior Brother, you have just entered the Transformation Realm; this is the time for fierce progress. You must not slack off due to worldly cravings. I am doing this... all for your own good."
The more she spoke, the more she felt she was in the right. She straightened her back, trying to make her profile look more solemn and determined.
In her heart, however, her inner self was nodding frantically: Yes, that's it! Drag Junior Brother back, lock the doors, and cultivate properly! What's the point of drinking wine?
Fang Xuan suddenly stepped forward and reached out to wrap his arm around Ning Xian’s waist.
"Hmm?" Before Ning Xian could react, she felt her body go light as she was scooped up and carried in his arms.
"Since it’s getting late..."
Carrying her, Fang Xuan tapped his foot, his figure lightly leaping onto the rooftops as he sped toward the direction of the restaurant in his memory.
His voice was filled with a smile. "Then we should hurry. We’ll finish drinking and head back early to cultivate. That way, we won't delay either."
Ning Xian was stunned by this sudden abduction and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Put... put me down."
She was a very strict Senior Sister; how could she be forcibly carried by her Junior Brother?
"Didn’t you say it was late? This is faster." Fang Xuan turned a deaf ear, his speed increasing further.
Ning Xian struggled twice but found it futile.
Feeling the warmth of his embrace, her slight indignation soon transformed into a different sensation.
She buried her burning face into the crook of his neck. "Always arguing for the sake of it... you only know how to pick on your Senior Sister..."
...
They sat at a refined table by the window on the second floor of the wine house.
Fang Xuan successfully ordered several signature dishes, plus several jars of "Thousand-Year Drunk" that were said to have been aged for centuries.
Ning Xian sat opposite him. Initially, she kept her face tense, looking out at the street scenery with cold eyes, projecting an aura of 'I am very angry and cannot be coaxed, so don't talk to me.'
Her entire being seemed to radiate the words: "Junior Brother is foolish."
Fang Xuan was in no hurry. He poured himself a cup and took a light sip, praising, "Truly fine wine."
Then, he picked up a drunken shrimp with his chopsticks and placed it on the plate in front of Ning Xian. "Senior Sister, try this. I heard it's also a signature dish."
Ning Xian smelled the wine fragrance right under her nose, and her throat moved involuntarily.
But her dignity as a Senior Sister was still struggling; she pursed her lips and refused to turn her head.
Fang Xuan laughed inwardly and picked up his chopsticks again.
He picked up a piece of tender sliced raw fish, making a gesture as if to put it into his own mouth, only to let his hand "slip," causing the fish to fall onto Ning Xian’s plate.
"Oh dear," he sighed with mock regret...
Rate on N.U.
