71: Chapter 71 Daily Life, Past Events

"Senior Sister!"

Watching Qingling slowly walk over, Ye Qingxuan felt a sudden pang of guilt rise in his heart.

He had long anticipated that new teammates would join the National Destiny Game, and he was fully prepared for it.

But he never expected that the matched new teammate would actually be Bai Yuekui.

After comprehending the Dao and seeing through the affairs of the world and human hearts, the current Ye Qingxuan was no longer the naive, slow-witted, cold-hearted Daoist of the past who only focused on cultivating the Great Dao and knew nothing of love.

The tenderness and obsession that Bai Yuekui couldn't hide in her eyes whenever she looked at him were things he saw clearly and understood completely.

He had simply been pretending not to notice, deliberately avoiding her feelings.

It was just that before his return, as if possessed, he had helped her 'borrow' some Cultivation Techniques and resources.

Just as Ye Qingxuan was about to speak and explain himself, a lithe figure suddenly pounced.

Qingling's steps were light, bringing with her a faint, fresh scent of vegetation as she threw herself straight into his arms. Her soft body pressed tightly against his chest, instantly cutting off the words Ye Qingxuan was about to say.

To the side, Xiaojiu sat obediently on the bluestone ground, covering its round eyes tightly with its two fluffy paws, its tail drooping down.

It looked like it couldn't bear to watch, its tiny body even squirming slightly.

Ye Qingxuan tightened his arms, holding Qingling securely in his embrace. He lowered his head close to her ear and said gently:

"Senior Sister, while we have some time, let's go for a walk down the mountain."

Nestled in his arms, Qingling raised her hand and gently patted his back, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness:

"You big blockhead, usually so devoted to the Dao and keeping away from the mortal world, where did you get such charm?"

She could easily stay on guard against and handle Yun Huan and Lin Yao calmly.

But Bai Yuekui was different. Every time the National Destiny Space opened, she would be by Ye Qingxuan's side, accompanying him across dimensions. With such a vast distance between them, Qingling had no way to guard against her, inevitably giving rise to a sense of crisis in her heart.

Sensing the emotions of the beauty in his arms, Ye Qingxuan looked up at the sky and explained slowly, hinting at something:

"I Book thought it was just a chance meeting. Out of consideration for our shared Yanhuang Bloodline, I lent her a hand, but I never had any other intentions. I didn't expect the new teammate to be her."

"Are you saying she was..."

Qingling instantly caught the key point, her eyes filled with surprise. But before she could finish her sentence, a warm palm covered her lips.

Ye Qingxuan quickly stopped her from speaking further.

He didn't dare let this matter be spoken of openly.

If the Ancestral Master really did it and directly sent down a Body Integration Stage Incarnation, with his current cultivation, he could only take the beating obediently. He couldn't very well use his trump cards, could he?

To quickly divert this sensitive and dangerous topic, Ye Qingxuan's eyes darted around, and he immediately changed his expression, speaking softly, "Senior Sister, I want to eat barbecue."

A simple sentence, but the effect was instantaneous.

Xiaojiu, who had been squatting on the ground covering its eyes, was instantly filled with excitement.

It suddenly let go of its paws, its ears perking up as its bright eyes shone instantly. Its cat fur puffed up with energy, and it suddenly jumped three feet high.

"Barbecue! Barbecue! Daoist! This meow wants to eat barbecue! A ton of barbecue!!"

Xiaojiu kept circling and jumping around their feet, its crisp cries full of anticipation, drooling with craving.

Qingling looked at the amusing duo of the man and the cat, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, her eyes filled with amusement.

Ye Qingxuan had long since abstained from food; on the contrary, this Holy Spirit Kitten happened to love eating barbecue, never getting tired of it, and was exceptionally gluttonous.

She patted her chest and said generously, "It's rare for you to crave food, and we should indulge Xiaojiu too. Let's go, leave it to this big sister."

As she finished speaking, Ye Qingxuan's eyes suddenly lit up, his gaze locking directly onto the undulating target.

Seeing this, Qingling's cheeks flushed slightly. She gave him a petulant glare and then used her Divine Sense to transmit her voice:

"Your eyes are practically popping out. If you want to look, wait until we get back. Don't make a fool of yourself here and corrupt Xiaojiu."

Ye Qingxuan rubbed his nose in embarrassment, laughing inwardly.

Since he comprehended the Dao and broke through his realm, his Dao Heart had become increasingly perfect, but the mundane, human air about him had also grown stronger. He was no longer the emotionless cultivation machine of the past.

Qingling possessed peerless beauty and a graceful, alluring figure. Spending day and night together with such a stunning beauty right beside him, the fact that he could exercise self-control until now was already a testament to his resilient Dao Heart. Any ordinary Cultivator would have found it completely unbearable.

A moment later, the two of them and the cat strolled leisurely into the small courtyard where Qingling lived and cultivated.

The bell hanging around Xiaojiu's neck shimmered with spiritual light, and a robust, bull-like Demonic Beast appeared in the empty space of the courtyard.

This bell was a storage Magical Artifact that Ye Qingxuan had personally refined for Xiaojiu. Not only did it have a massive storage space, but it also came with wonderful functions like precise positioning, defense, and concealment.

Without even thinking, one would know that this robust Demonic Beast was definitely the harvest from Xiaojiu taking Ximo and Disciple Xiyue deep into the Monster Forest to hunt.

Xiaojiu looked up at the Demonic Beast on the ground, its drool almost dripping down. Its little tail wagged frantically as it clamored eagerly, "Daoist! Sister Qingling! This cat wants to eat this! This is delicious!!"

Qingling stepped forward slowly, her fingertips flickering with spiritual light as she calmly and skillfully began to prepare the ingredients. While busy, she couldn't help but turn to tease Ye Qingxuan:

"I really don't know what to do with you. Since ancient times, the Daoist sect has had the 'Four Abstentions,' with beef being the very first. Yet you, as a Daoist Disciple, actually take the lead in eating beef and always manage to come up with a bunch of fallacies to fool people."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister," Ye Qingxuan said calmly. "Even Master tacitly approved, and the Ancestral Master has never questioned it."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the bull-shaped Demonic Beast on the ground, noticing something unusual.

This Demonic Beast was already close to the Golden Core level, yet its aura lacked the typical violent frenzy of a Demonic Beast, instead closely resembling that of a Yao Beast.

Ye Qingxuan voiced his doubt, "This bull is a bit unusual."

Hearing this, Qingling didn't even look up. Her hands kept moving as she replied calmly:

"You only just noticed? Senior Martial Uncle Yuanhui was the first to detect it. Compared to the other world, the Spiritual Qi of the Blue Star is much gentler. All the Demonic Beasts in the Monster Forest are slowly transforming into Yao Beasts."

Ye Qingxuan said no more. With a thought, his vast and majestic Divine Sense instantly spread out, enveloping the entire Monster Forest in a flash.

Everywhere his Divine Sense swept, everything was laid bare to his eyes.

Just as Qingling had said, within the entire forest, countless Demonic Beasts had shed their violent natures. Surrounded by Spiritual Qi, they were all slowly transforming into sentient Yao Beasts.

Just as his Divine Sense was freely scanning the area, a familiar aura entered his perception.

Ye Qingxuan was slightly surprised and murmured softly, "Huh? Why is it him? His cultivation is already at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage?"

His Divine Sense clearly captured a figure quietly guarding the core of the Seal's Formation—it was Zhou Wei of Wudang.

"Who did you say?" Hearing his soft murmur, Qingling immediately stopped what she was doing and turned to look, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Nothing, just saw an old acquaintance."

Ye Qingxuan withdrew his Divine Sense, his expression particularly subtle, mixed with a hint of embarrassment and surprise.

Qingling was quick-witted and guessed who it was in an instant:

"You're talking about Zhou Wei, right? Back then, Master Wang gave him the butian pill. He was already exceptionally talented and had a deep foundation, so it's not surprising that he broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage."

As she spoke, she looked at Ye Qingxuan with a half-smile.

She knew best that Ye Qingxuan's only defeat was at the hands of Zhou Wei. This single loss was enough for this Genius Junior Brother to remember for a very long time.

Ye Qingxuan rubbed his nose in embarrassment, completely puzzled. "Why is he guarding the Seal instead of cultivating peacefully in Wudang?"

Zhou Wei had left an incredibly deep impression on him.

It wasn't because he had once lost to him, but because this guy's persona was too unique—he was practically an otherworld version of Wang Ye.

He was also the son of the wealthiest man with immense family wealth, similarly lazy, easygoing, and indifferent to fame and fortune, and similarly an orthodox Disciple of Wudang, casual, untrammeled, and aloof from worldly struggles.

When he first met Zhou Wei, Ye Qingxuan had been in a daze for a moment, almost thinking he had transmigrated into the world of "Under One Person".

"It's all because of the Grand Ritual of Luotian."

Qingling could no longer hold it in. Her smile widened, and she doubled over with laughter. "The story of you losing to him back then was dug up by someone and spread all over the internet. The aftermath... Hahaha."

Watching his Senior Sister laugh so hard that she trembled, Ye Qingxuan shook his head helplessly.

With a slight movement of his mind, he split off an Incarnation to step forward and take over Qingling's work of preparing the food.

Then he reached out, pulled the endlessly laughing Qingling directly into his arms, and put on a look of humbly asking for guidance.

"Hahaha! The full recordings of your two matches with him were personally released by his Master, Master Wang!"

Nestled in his arms, Qingling laughed so hard her shoulders shook continuously, gasping for breath, every word laced with amusement:

"Now the entire internet is flooded with his meme emotes. He has gone completely viral. He probably won't have the face to see anyone for the rest of his life!"

Ye Qingxuan gently raised his hand, lightly stroking her back to help her catch her breath.

With Qingling's deep cultivation as a Nascent Soul Cultivator, she naturally wouldn't actually lose her breath from laughing. However, the gentle trembling and rising softness in his arms caused the highly self-disciplined Daoist Ye to feel a sudden wave of restless desire.

Out of curiosity, Ye Qingxuan activated his Divine Sense once more, permeating through the Blue Star's network to precisely locate the match videos circulating online.

Using Divine Sense to mimic electromagnetic waves was something even those at the Golden Core Stage could do, let alone Ye Qingxuan, who was at the Void Return Stage. It was a piece of cake.

The first video was from his childhood.

At just seven years old, Ye Qingxuan's talent was only beginning to show, and his cultivation was still shallow. Despite pushing himself to the limit, he still couldn't shake Zhou Wei in the slightest and ultimately lost.

For a peerless Genius who had yet to grow up to lose against an opponent with a stronger foundation and higher cultivation was, after all, only natural.

But in the second video, the style completely reversed.

It showed Ye Qingxuan, who had completely grown up, sweeping through the entire field. He defeated everyone else with a single slap, except when facing Zhou Wei.

He first sealed his mouth, then bound his legs, pinning Zhou Wei to the ground and rubbing his face in the dirt for a full hour. (Referencing the 'Wang Ye stepped on by Qingxuan' meme)

The two videos were followed by interviews, which refer to Chapter 46, so they won't be written out here to avoid accusations of padding the word count.

There were even more comments below the videos.

[Daoist Zhou is awesome! You're the only person who has ever defeated Daoist Ye. You've got to step up and show some backbone!]

[Daoist Ye was so cute when he was little!!]

[But Daoist Ye is also quite vindictive.]

[First Seal the mouth to prevent begging for mercy, then bind the legs to prevent escape. Awesome.]

[Daoist Zhou's resume: I defeated Ye Qingxuan! Note: The only one.]

[Daoist Zhou's expression is truly priceless. Despair, begging for mercy, the sky falling, hahaha!]

[What a perfect "Qingxuan Stepping on Zhou Wei" meme!]

[This is truly a case of "a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years."]

—

Ye Qingxuan was speechless. It really was a social death scene for Zhou Wei, no wonder he ran off to guard the Seal.

"By the way, Senior Sister, it's been over two months now. How is Lin Lei's learning coming along?"

Ye Qingxuan hadn't forgotten this future Martial Ancestor. All of the Blue Star's thousand years of martial arts Luck were gathered on him, so his rise was only a matter of time.