239: Should I accept Chapter 19 or not?

Seeing Meng Li ask why he didn't seek help from the Old Woman of Tian Shan for revenge, Wu Ya Zi's expression became complicated, and then he spoke with guilt, "This old man has thought about asking Senior Sister for help over the years, but I feel ashamed before her and really have no face to see her."

Then, he recounted the whole story.

This matter had to be traced back to The Supreme Skill of the Eight Desolations and Six Combinations.

This wondrous skill had the effect of returning one to youth and possessed immense power, but it also had flaws.

The biggest flaw was that every thirty years, counting from the day one started Cultivating the introductory stage, the practitioner would revert to youth.

During this period, the practitioner would completely lose all their power and needed to re-Cultivate, where one day of Cultivation equaled one year, and drinking blood was required to assist the process.

If the blood wasn't drunk for too long, the True Qi would swell and burst, leading to death.

That wasn't all; the duration of the weak period would also lengthen with each reversion to youth.

The first reversion to youth resulted in a thirty-day weak period.

The second resulted in a sixty-day weak period.

The third was ninety days, and so on.

In addition, when The Supreme Skill of the Eight Desolations and Six Combinations was first practiced, it would fix the practitioner's physical state.

The age the practitioner appeared during their first time practicing the Cultivation Technique would essentially be their appearance thereafter.

In a sense, this counted as a method for preserving beauty and could be considered an advantage.

The problem was that the Old Woman of Tian Shan officially began practicing this Cultivation Technique when she was only six years old, so she fell right into the trap.

A person grows up, but her body never developed, remaining perpetually at the age of six.

This was something almost anyone would find hard to accept.

Fortunately, The Supreme Skill of the Eight Desolations and Six Combinations left a glimmer of hope: as long as one successfully reached Major Achievement, the body could break free from the shackles of being fixed and continue to develop.

But there was only this one chance; failure meant the body would be permanently fixed.

When the Old Woman of Tian Shan was twenty-six, her Cultivation Technique was on the verge of Major Achievement.

At that critical moment, her romantic rival, Li Qiu Shui, interfered, causing the Old Woman of Tian Shan's efforts to fail just short of success.

The reason Li Qiu Shui did this was because she was at a disadvantage in the competition with the Old Woman of Tian Shan for Wu Ya Zi.

In terms of status, the Old Woman of Tian Shan was the Senior Sister, holding authority over her.

In terms of Martial Arts, Li Qiu Shui started later, so she was naturally inferior.

In terms of connections, Wu Ya Zi had joined before her, meaning he knew the Old Woman of Tian Shan first.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, a Senior Sister who took care of her Junior Brother was certainly more likable than a Junior Sister seeking care.

Comparing them in every aspect, Li Qiu Shui's only advantage was her normal body and gradually maturing appearance.

If the Old Woman of Tian Shan had returned to normal, her greatest advantage would certainly cease to exist.

People of the Xiaoyao Sect were all admirers of beauty; the first criterion for taking a Disciple was appearance.

Since the Old Woman of Tian Shan was able to be accepted, once she matured, her appearance would undoubtedly be top-tier.

Even if she couldn't surpass Li Qiu Shui, she wouldn't be much worse.

At that point, Li Qiu Shui wouldn't stand a chance against the Old Woman of Tian Shan.

Therefore, she couldn't let the Old Woman of Tian Shan succeed.

If the other party remained a six-year-old dwarf forever, Wu Ya Zi would never be with her.

The situation indeed turned out that way.

Wu Ya Zi couldn't accept his wife being a dwarf, and coupled with unspoken special reasons, he chose Li Qiu Shui.

However, the Old Woman of Tian Shan genuinely loved him and treated him well.

He knew this and understood that her failure was because of him; he had even considered being with her before, but ultimately still chose Li Qiu Shui.

This was human nature, but Wu Ya Zi couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Because of this guilt and unrest in his conscience, he dared not face the Old Woman of Tian Shan, so he moved with Li Qiu Shui to hide in Wuliang Mountain in Dali.

Later, when he was gravely injured after being pushed off a cliff by Li Qiu Shui and Ding Chunqiu, he briefly considered seeking help from the Old Woman of Tian Shan.

But thinking of his choice back then, as well as being betrayed by his wife and Disciple working together, this thought immediately vanished.

The initial guilt remained, and he had no face to explain the full story.

Furthermore, he was unclear about the Old Woman of Tian Shan's current situation.

If he harmed her again this time, Wu Ya Zi truly couldn't bear it.

Therefore, he completely abandoned the idea of sending someone to find the Old Woman of Tian Shan for revenge.

Meng Li felt it was somewhat regrettable.

He had originally planned to start with Wu Ya Zi to obtain The Supreme Skill of the Eight Desolations and Six Combinations through peaceful means.

Now, it seemed the hope was slim.

As for forcing someone's hand, that depended on the person.

Unless absolutely necessary, Meng Li disliked forcing things.

After Wu Ya Zi finished recounting the events of the past, he seemed somewhat dispirited.

Meng Li and Wang Yuyan took their leave when they saw this, suggesting they go down the mountain.

They were returning to the Inn at the foot of the mountain, not leaving Leigu Mountain.

His discussion with Wu Ya Zi was not yet over, and he didn't plan to leave for the time being.

Arriving at the Market Town at the foot of the mountain, Meng Li saw the sky was still early, so he didn't rush back to the Inn and took Wang Yuyan for a stroll nearby.

The little girl immediately transformed into a curious baby.

She had grown up in Manda Mountain Villa since childhood, and her usual range of activity was limited to her home and Canhe Village.

This time was her first real trip away from home.

Since leaving Suzhou, she had seen many lively scenes on the road, but because she was on a mission, she mostly caught only fleeting glimpses and didn't have the leisure to look closely.

Now that she had the opportunity, she couldn't suppress her curiosity, and then...

"Cousin, that candied haw looks delicious."

"Buy it."

"Cousin, this pinwheel spins so beautifully."

"Buy it."

"Cousin, these masks here..."

"Buy it."

"Cousin..."

"Buy it."

When they returned to the Inn, Meng Li looked at the pile of large and small packages, then glanced at Wang Yuyan unpacking them, feeling a sense of déjà vu from his first life.

But he quickly snapped out of his trance.

In his first life, he didn't have a cousin, nor could he be this extravagant.

The next day, Meng Li took Wang Yuyan back up the mountain to continue discussing Martial Arts with Wu Ya Zi.

Besides Martial Arts, they also talked about other things, such as Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua (music, chess, calligraphy, painting), poetry, wine, tea, medicine, growing flowers, and the arcane arts of Qimen Dunjia.

Meng Li felt that Wu Ya Zi was similar to Medicine Master Huang; both possessed great talent and extensive knowledge.

It was just that Wu Ya Zi's natural talent and aptitude were inferior to Medicine Master Huang's, and his methods were the same.

During this time, Meng Li attempted to heal Wu Ya Zi, finding that he could, but the latter refused.

This was because the process was troublesome and inevitably involved pain.

"This old man is already over eighty. Even with years of power in my body, I probably don't have many years left to live, so I don't want to suffer that ordeal."

"Besides, this old man plans to live in seclusion here on Leigu Mountain and enjoy the rest of my life peacefully. Whether my injuries are healed or not makes little difference."

As he said this, Wu Ya Zi looked calm.

Then, he suddenly remembered something and switched the topic: "However, there is one matter this old man has not yet completed."

"What is it, Maternal Grandfather?" Wang Yuyan asked curiously.

Wu Ya Zi stroked the thumb ring on his hand: "Passing on the position of the Sect Head of the Xiaoyao Sect."

Immediately after, he looked at Meng Li and said: "Young Master Murong, are you willing to become the third-generation Sect Head of my Xiaoyao Sect?"

Meng Li: "?"

Becoming the Sect Head of the Xiaoyao Sect was something he had considered.

In his first life, Meng Li had read many fan-fiction works about demi-gods and semi-devils, and in eight out of ten of them, the protagonist would become the Sect Head of the Xiaoyao Sect.

First, reaching that stage inevitably required inheriting all of Wu Ya Zi's power.

This was enough to allow one to ascend to heaven in a single step, equivalent to cheating.

The title 'One of the Two Great Cheats of demi-gods and semi-devils' that Xu Zhu held came from this.

Second, the Xiaoyao Sect nominally included Lingjiu Palace, which consisted entirely of female Disciples, all of whom were attractive.

Furthermore, there were the four sisters of the Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum Swords.

This was practically a natural Crystal Palace.

Now that this matter had fallen to him, should he accept or not?