"No way!" Ji Mingyu stood up anxiously, "Things can’t go on like this."

The little snow mink lying nearby yawning found it strange. All those events before had been endured, and this scene right now seemed utterly mundane to it.

The master’s kindness to Chu Xuan far surpassed those two women. She took him to hunt powerful monsters and gather rare Spirit Fruits. She even let Chu Xuan eat the Silver Scaled Flying Fish, which could extend life by three hundred years.

This was thousands of times better than this table of poor dishes. They contained not even a trace of Spiritual Qi, and the mink wouldn’t bother to eat them.

Ji Mingyu naturally had no time to explain to her pet. Things made with one’s own hands were inherently different, containing something called "sincerity" within.

Back in those days, she never thought of personally making a meal for Chu Xuan. What a failure, such a big failure.

With some resentment, she said, "Why are you walking so slowly? Just these few steps, how long do you plan to drag it out?"

If she could, Ji Mingyu would have used magic to bring the three of them to Wuyou Valley, ideally right now, before they even tasted that meal.

...

Chu Xuan enjoyed every dish at this dinner, trying each one himself before praising it with various expressions.

Words like "delicious and savory," "soft and flavorful" were used.

Gu Haitang and Qingqing were undoubtedly delighted, considering it a pleasure to receive compliments directly from... no, no, from their mission objective/fat sheep.

Then, they started urging him to drink. In principle, Chu Xuan had rarely drunk high-alcohol spirits before, so his tolerance should be poor.

But he discovered last time at the Flying Heaven Tower that he actually had a decent alcohol tolerance, despite having preferred soft drinks over white liquor in his past life.

Of course, in front of the two ladies, Chu Xuan didn’t drink too much, just a couple of glasses.

Qingqing and Haitang also sipped a little, with Qingqing’s face soon blushing. It wasn’t that she got drunk easily; some people’s physique just reacts this way with a small amount.

"Alright~ We’ve gone through three rounds of drinks. Tell me, what’s your purpose?" Chu Xuan asked freely.

"As long as it’s not too excessive, I can fulfill your requests."

He wasn’t foolish. Experiencing the human world was intended to refine his heart, not just for tasting a few mundane dishes.

These two women were bright and noble. They clearly hadn’t truly fallen for him yet did so much for him, which must mean they had intentions.

Chu Xuan didn’t mind; at least someone was willing to do this for him.

This time, Gu Haitang and Qingqing didn’t "deny." After exchanging a glance, they said together, "We’ll talk when we’re in the room."

Clearly, they had a plan. Chu Xuan couldn’t help but get curious—what exactly do they intend to do?

...

Late at night, Chu Xuan brought the two women to the roof of the inn.

He recalled watching "Martial Arts Chronicles" in the past, always envying the protagonists for being able to converse in such places. Now, it was finally his turn.

Gu Haitang and Qingqing cautiously sat on the ridge of the roof, while Chu Xuan lay down, gazing at the starlit night sky.

The gentle night breeze lifted his mood, and he lay there silently, not speaking.

Eventually, Qingqing mustered the courage, moving slightly closer to him: "Chu Xuan, can I ask you a question?"

He nodded gently.

"Well, you know, Lan Cai’er mentioned before that Primordial Monarch Taixu once snatched someone from Hehuan Sect?"

"And did you once transcribe scriptures for the Monarch for three months?"

While speaking, Qingqing felt incredibly anxious, and Gu Haitang did too, even slightly regretting not asking first.

Chu Xuan paused, so it was about this.

The two women hadn’t asked until now; he thought they might never bring it up. They had probably been pondering it all this time.

After all these years, Chu Xuan wouldn’t get angry over someone asking about it. Others had asked before, but he hadn’t answered them, like his cute junior sister.

There was a reason he didn’t answer back then, beyond just not wanting to recall sad past events... 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The longer Chu Xuan remained silent, the heavier the burden became for the two women. Just as Qingqing could barely hold back the urge to say, "Never mind," he finally spoke.

"There’s nothing that can’t be said. It’s just that, she once said that in the future, I must never claim to be her disciple."

"If I uttered even half a word, she’d know, and no matter where I escaped across the nine heavens or ten lands, she’d flay and break me, cast my spirit into the depths, making me suffer eternally."

Chu Xuan spoke calmly, but Qingqing and Gu Haitang were terrified. Such decisive, cruel, even harsh words.

What transpired between Primordial Monarch Taixu and Chu Xuan for her to speak so heartlessly?

Gu Haitang bit her lip, wanting to suggest: Maybe let’s not talk about it.

But her curiosity was too strong; struggling, she couldn’t speak out. Qingqing felt the same way.

"Perhaps you’ve guessed who that person is, but I can’t speak her name; let’s just use ’that person’ instead."

Chu Xuan lay back with hands behind his head, gazing at the night sky, reminiscing about the past.

First was the story of seeking the path at the Flying Immortal Temple and being tricked by Old Taoist Yuan, then captured by Hehuan Sect female cultivators.