This part is described in great detail, and the two women, deeply moved, couldn’t help but imagine how desperate they would feel if they were in such a situation.

Qingqing said angrily upon hearing this, "That old Yuan got off too easy with death."

Gu Haitang also frowned, "This Min Xinlan is unscrupulous too. It seems that just as the master is, so is the disciple."

Chu Xuan smiled, "Actually, I also imagined that if I really joined the Hehuan Sect, I might have risen to power, flipping clouds with one hand and summoning rain with the other, step by step."

"It’s just that this process might not be so quick, requiring about ten to twenty years of patience at the outset."

Qingqing shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this, "No, that’s not good."

Gu Haitang deeply agreed, thinking that if it happened that way, the two would never have met.

"Of course, I must say, someone appeared and rescued me from the sea of bitterness, changing my life..."

In the subsequent narration, Chu Xuan did not go into such detail, mainly talking about his cultivation experiences in the Langhuan Grotto Heaven, omitting any mention of ambiguous or intimate matters, nor would he speak of the Six Souls Banner.

He simply said, "Later, for reasons I still don’t understand, that person personally crippled my cultivation and expelled me from the sect."

"To this day, I still don’t know where I went wrong, nor do I understand why she was so heartless."

The two women felt puzzled by his words, yet they could sense that Chu Xuan was not lying.

So they did not question him but listened intently to the continuation of the story.

"...Just like that, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace by my mentor, officially becoming a member of the palace."

Qingqing nodded after hearing this, looking at Chu Xuan with even more admiration, "A resolute heart in pursuit of the Dao, no wonder the Master of the Floating Clouds made an exception to take you as a disciple."

Gu Haitang also said, "Ordinary people would have given up hope long after facing such dramatic changes and being hit successively."

Chu Xuan chuckled, "Alright then, that’s how it is."

"You have to keep this a secret for me in the future. No one else can know, understand?"

Qingqing naturally nodded repeatedly, and Gu Haitang immediately agreed, then she remembered about her family...

Wait, Chu Xuan’s experiences only prove more that he couldn’t have any ties with evil sects, right? Otherwise, how would an esteemed senior like the Primordial Monarch Taixu accept him as a disciple?

As for being expelled from the sect... anyway, it has nothing to do with evil sects, and it sounds more like emotional entanglement; therefore, there’s even less reason to let the family know.

Gu Haitang decided silently, so be it, she wouldn’t tell anyone about this; it was a little secret between her and Chu Xuan.

Of course, it would be even better if that demon woman didn’t know either.

...

Afterward, the two women became even friendlier towards Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan smiled and simply said, "You two won’t treat me like she did, will you?"

"How could we!" Qingqing’s eyes widened, "You treat me well, and I’ll treat you well too."

Gu Haitang, however, gave her a sidelong glance, resisting the urge to expose her immediately.

She never trusted this woman, believing that the latter’s objective hadn’t been achieved yet, hence temporarily flattering Chu Xuan.

Qingqing returned the look, undeterred, thinking that this woman was definitely up to something, though she couldn’t ascertain her intentions towards Chu Xuan.

Someday, I will find evidence, and then let’s see how you deny it.

Seeing the two women’s eyes spark with animosity, Chu Xuan quickly sat up, breaking their line of sight.

"Alright, let’s talk about something else; could you tell me about your past?"

The two women nodded and chose some interesting past stories to share.

After hearing them, Chu Xuan felt that he knew a bit more about them, and he contentedly went back to rest.

The two women initially intended to leave too, but once Chu Xuan left, they leaned close together, whispering.

"What do you think?"

"How about you?"

They looked at each other and said in unison, "Sure enough, Chu Xuan had feelings he shouldn’t have had towards the master/monarch, right?"

After speaking, the two women felt a bit troubled. What if at the Peony Banquet, Chu Xuan is really taken away by the Primordial Monarch Taixu, then what should be done?

Although Qingqing and Gu Haitang inherently didn’t trust each other, at this moment, they agreed that they had to unite against any outside threats, ensuring that Chu Xuan wouldn’t be taken away; otherwise, their hopes and objectives would be dashed.

...

In Wuyou Valley, Ji Mingyu remained silent, and even the little snow ferret could sense something was amiss; it seemed Chu Xuan was very concerned about the events of the past.

Ming Yu suddenly picked up the ferret, stroking its head as she softly said:

"I have something for you to handle; make sure the follow-up is done properly."

The little ferret nodded repeatedly, initially worried that it might not be up to the task, but after listening, it felt like it wasn’t particularly difficult?

In any case, as long as Chu Xuan comes to Wuyou Valley, this kid should hurry up; it’s just this last stretch after all.

...

The next day, Chu Xuan calculated the time; in ten days, it would be the day of the Peony Banquet.

If he flew at full capacity using Sword Flight, he could arrive in at most two days.

He’d better arrive at Wuyou Valley three days in advance to prepare.

Before that, he still needed to set aside two days for Core Formation.

So he only had three days left to continue fortune-telling at the stall.

Well, let’s see which guests he might encounter over these three days.

On this day, Chu Xuan, accompanied by the two women, arrived at a village called [Niugu Village]. The village was near mountainous areas, requiring about ten miles of barefoot walking to get to the nearest town.

Thus, a fortune teller like Chu Xuan was quite rare in such a secluded mountain village. The villagers couldn’t help but gather around, men and women, young and old, all came out to see the commotion, despite Chu Xuan being a young man with no hair on his face.