Ji Wen-chuan grinned.

He wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed vying for power and profit, but he wasn’t a detached good person either. If a real opportunity arose, who would refuse?

Power wasn’t just power; it also represented resources, and for cultivators, this was more important than anything else.

“I see,” Ji Wen-chuan leisurely sipped his wine and smiled, “If you support it, then whether she genuinely has a problem or not, I’ll probably stir up some trouble for her.”

Lu Xing-zhou was somewhat speechless. “What does that have to do with my support? I didn’t have much power even back then, let alone now.”

Ji Wen-chuan blinked. “Precisely now you can; back then, it was useless. Now you can directly command the Western Ghost Emperor Yin-feng Lao-ren. Who could you command back then? Only a patsy like me.”

Lu Xing-zhou: “…”

“Everyone isn’t foolish; they’re all watching the Yan-jun’s attitude. Besides, Dong Cheng-bi and Yan Li have a friendship with you,” Ji Wen-chuan no longer cared if Yan-jun was listening and spoke more directly, “Speaking of which, if Si-tu Yue has no other issues, and is simply trying to seize power and exclude you, how do you plan to get revenge? Make her kneel in bed?”

Lu Xing-zhou: “Is that what I’ve become in your eyes?”

Ji Wen-chuan was certain: “Yes.”

Lu Xing-zhou drank, laughing wryly. “Come on, I’m quite picky. That woman’s looks are only passable; she doesn’t catch my eye.”

“That’s because your standards are high. There are plenty of people in Yan-luo Dian who worship her as a goddess.”

“To be honest, after cultivating to Teng-yun, one can improve their skin and temperament considerably. If she’s only ‘passable’ after that, then it’s quite a failure, meaning her foundation is merely average. Yan-luo Dian is overly repressed; after all, there aren’t many women… Hmm, few people have seen Yan-jun’s true face. Otherwise, if you compared them, probably no one would be fawning over Si-tu.”

Ji Wen-chuan smiled. “So you really think Yan-jun is beautiful.”

Lu Xing-zhou lowered his head and drank. “One must respect the facts.”

“Just now you said your standards were high; it seems I overestimated you. Even back when I hadn’t cultivated the Path of Severing Emotions, I wouldn’t bother to look at someone who can’t distinguish between front and back. Even if Si-tu is ordinary, at least she’s a normal woman, right?”

Lu Xing-zhou once again felt that Ji Wen-chuan was going to die.

“How strange, how did our conversation turn into this?” Ji Wen-chuan suddenly felt a bit self-doubtful. “We are both cultivators aspiring to Hui-yang, and we’re talking about such things? Is there something wrong with you or with me?”

Lu Xing-zhou chuckled. “Believe me, as long as one is human, it’s not unusual to talk about these things. The real irony is that the frost primordial spirit hopes to be human, while humans always want to cultivate themselves into something inhuman.”

Ji Wen-chuan was startled, his expression momentarily dazed, then became somewhat serious.

Lu Xing-zhou pulled out a bottle of pills and handed it to him. “Two top-grade Po-jing Dan. Be careful not to use them too soon; you’re not at the critical juncture yet.”

Ji Wen-chuan snapped back to attention and accepted them without formality. “Thanks.”

Lu Xing-zhou patted his shoulder. “Old Ji, you and I should be grateful that at this stage of cultivation, there are still people in the world with whom we can talk about these trivial matters.”

Ji Wen-chuan smiled slightly. “You have a point.”

“Next, I’ll be making a trip to the south.”

“You’re not thinking of going back to Miao-yin Shan to take a look, are you?”

“Where did you get that idea? The south is vast,” Lu Xing-zhou sighed. “I originally had a mission when I left the capital. Even if it’s just a formality, I have to do some of it. Besides, it’s not entirely a formality; there are indeed some things I need to investigate.”

“Understood,” Ji Wen-chuan handed over a jade slip. “This is the formation diagram of our Shan-he Xue-sha Formation, as well as some main county and sect data we’ve gathered during our investigation into this matter.”

Lu Xing-zhou took it, feeling a sense of admiration in his heart. This was tacit understanding.

Ji Wen-chuan poured more wine, and when the flask was empty, he didn’t dwell on it, smiling as he stood up. “The night is deep; let’s call it a day. Honestly, after all these years, it’s truly not easy to see you fully alive again.”

After seeing Ji Wen-chuan off, Lu Xing-zhou had a good night’s sleep, intending to go find Du-gu Qing-li for breakfast nearby.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Yuan Mu-yu sitting in a wheelchair, about to knock on his door. Seeing Lu Xing-zhou emerge, she withdrew her hand.

Lu Xing-zhou was startled. His first thought was, *Is Old Ji still alive…?* His second thought was: “Good morning.”

Yuan Mu-yu said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in to sit? You could chat with Ji Wen-chuan all night.”

Lu Xing-zhou cautiously asked, “You listened?”

“No,” Yuan Mu-yu sighed. “No one likes to be eavesdropped on. Don’t you know how afraid I am of offending you now?”

Lu Xing-zhou didn’t know how to respond to such a humble Yuan Mu-yu, so he could only say, “Come in and sit.”

Seeing Yuan Mu-yu propel her wheelchair herself, Lu Xing-zhou simply went behind her and pushed her in. “Why bother?”

Yuan Mu-yu suddenly smiled. “To have you push me, it’s worth it.”

Lu Xing-zhou subconsciously thought of making a joke about “Old Lu’s pushcart” but then realized that they were no longer in a relationship where they could make crude jokes, so he swallowed his words and said instead, “You pushed me for so many years, and I’m only pushing you this once.”

The two fell silent.

Habit remained, but people and circumstances had changed.

Jokes that could once be freely made now had to be mentally vetted for appropriateness before being spoken.

Both felt it.

They arrived at the stone table in the courtyard, where leftover wine and snacks were still scattered. Lu Xing-zhou awkwardly waved his hand, and a gentle ripple of water swept over, leaving the tabletop spotless.

Yuan Mu-yu watched, lost in thought, and whispered, “Your control over your cultivation methods is truly strong now…”

“Still not strong enough, which is why I need to go out and gain experience.”

Both simultaneously recalled the old phrase, “You are my strategist; you don’t need to go out and kill.”

Times had changed; the strategist’s cultivation now was almost on par with the Yan-jun who had spoken those words back then.

Lu Xing-zhou added, somewhat lost in thought, “My cultivation now is almost the same as yours back then, but I always feel that my strength at the same cultivation level is much weaker than yours. Back then, you had an extremely strong oppressive aura just by standing in front of others, but I don’t.”

Yuan Mu-yu smiled slightly. “Firstly, our cultivation methods are different. Mine is the essence of life and death; yours is the art of harmonization. Secondly, the time is shorter. After all, I… cultivated for decades.”

Lu Xing-zhou looked at her smiling face, always finding it hard to equate this charming young woman with an old lady.

He called her “Elder Sister,” but in many situations, he subconsciously treated her like a younger sister. This was especially true because her temperament was like that of an impetuous girl who refused to grow up, which further highlighted this perception.

But now, she seemed to have matured a great deal, with many things hidden in her eyes, unclear.

Her naked offering that day, even the oral sex that he rejected, was probably the greatest humiliation and blow of Yuan Mu-yu’s life, making her seem to grow up overnight.

It was also because of the scene that day that the atmosphere between them now was consistently awkward.

Who could pretend it hadn’t happened at all?

Compared to the casual banter with Ji Wen-chuan last night, this kind of interaction now was clearly much more tiring.

Yuan Mu-yu seemed to sense Lu Xing-zhou’s thoughts, lowered her eyes slightly, and whispered, “I requested the Cha-nü Xuan-gong yesterday and was told to discuss it with you today.”

Lu Xing-zhou hummed in acknowledgment.

Yuan Mu-yu said, “Cha-nü Xuan-gong is derived from the Daoist scripture portion of Yin-yang Ji-yi. The Xuan-nü has made this clear to me.”

Lu Xing-zhou was startled, remembering his question yesterday: *If she allied with Bing-yu Zong for the ice demons, what was the alliance with Cha-nü He-huan for?*

Could it be for his cultivation method?

Yuan Mu-yu said, “The initial alliance with Cha-nü He-huan Zong wasn’t for their cultivation method, but because they had great hidden potential and would be beneficial to the overall plan. Besides, at that time… I wasn’t very familiar with your cultivation method.”

Lu Xing-zhou let out a breath. “So you discovered something later?”

“Not until that day…” Yuan Mu-yu tilted her head slightly. “The day I ‘did that’ with you, I noticed the nature of your cultivation method… and then realized it had certain similarities with Cha-nü Xuan-gong.”

“That… my cultivation method also includes Da Huan-xi Ji-le, which is also in this direction.”

“Da Huan-xi Ji-le could also be a derivative of Yin-yang Ji-yi, sharing the same origin as Cha-nü Xuan-gong. It’s just that one branched into Buddhism and the other into Taoism. If you have Da Huan-xi Ji-le and then fully understand Cha-nü Xuan-gong, combining the two might allow you to deduce the complete Yin-yang Ji-yi.”

Lu Xing-zhou’s heart skipped a beat. “So you want Cha-nü Xuan-gong because…”

“Yes, to help you deduce the complete Cha-nü Xuan-gong.” Yuan Mu-yu handed over a jade slip. “Aside from the Avatar Method, which hasn’t been fully grasped, the other core methods should all be here… You have Da Huan-xi Ji-le; combine them and see.”

Lu Xing-zhou stared at her blankly.

“I told you I would start to consider… what you want.” Yuan Mu-yu met his gaze calmly and said, “Then I found that it doesn’t conflict with my own cultivation at all. In fact, as I did it, my heart became even more peaceful. So I realized…”

“Realized what?”

“I truly like you, not just reminiscing about the old you.”

Lu Xing-zhou pursed his lips, unable to respond to her words.

Just last night he was telling Ji Wen-chuan he didn’t believe it, and today she had confessed directly again.

“You don’t need to believe it, and you don’t need to respond.” Yuan Mu-yu turned her wheelchair directly and headed out the door. “I’m just doing what I want to do.”

Du-gu Qing-li’s white-furred head peeked out from outside the door.

Yuan Mu-yu: “…”

What had seemed like a perfectly normal statement just moments ago suddenly became incredibly embarrassing, making her feel like a conniving mistress trying to intrude.