663: Chapter 74 Undeterred, the Old Man of Anxi

Inside the Nüwa Temple.

"I thought that once you left with Xu Changqing, you wouldn't come to see me again." Looking at Zi Xuan as she pushed the door open and walked in, the Holy Maiden spoke with surprise.

Zi Xuan replied, "I can't stay for too long. They've landed to rest, and I came here without telling them."

Without telling them?

The Holy Maiden glanced at Zi Xuan, deep in thought.

Then, seeing that Zi Xuan's face didn't hold much joy, she couldn't help but feel puzzled. "You don't look as happy as I imagined you'd be."

Zi Xuan remained silent, and only after two seconds did she speak. "From beginning to end, you never approved of me rekindling my relationship with Changqing..."

Before she could finish, the Holy Maiden interrupted, "Whether I approve or not no longer matters. Besides, this time it wasn't just your wishful thinking; Xu Changqing chose to be with you. It seems your Inner Demon Tribulation... is unavoidable. One must go through the tribulations to achieve transcendence."

"This is all part of a predestined arrangement."

As she finished speaking, she couldn't help but sigh.

Zi Xuan had heard similar words many times and didn't take them to heart at all, simply following the flow of the conversation. "Those are matters for the future; for now..."

"You've already encountered a difficult problem."

The Holy Maiden thought to herself, 'As expected,' her expression remaining unchanged. "What problem?"

Zi Xuan showed hesitation, and after a moment, she asked, "Do you think I... look old?"

She subconsciously touched her cheek, her tone strained.

The Holy Maiden was slightly stunned, then broke into a laugh. Turning to look at the statue of Nüwa, she remarked with emotion, "Both of us are hundreds of years old; how could we not be old?"

Zi Xuan, however, said, "I cannot be old... I have always been careful with my maintenance, but two days ago when Changqing was in a hurry to return to Leizhou, he and I took turns using spells to pilot the flying boat. I found that my Qi recovered much slower than before. Today, I even unexpectedly discovered that some of my hair has turned gray..."

The Holy Maiden said calmly, "Times are different now."

"Qing'er's birth predestined that you would gradually age. Even if you Seal her, it can only delay the process."

"This delay isn't infinite. Over a hundred years have passed now, and it's almost reached its limit."

"It is perfectly normal for you to start aging."

As she spoke, she reached out to lift a strand of her own hair, saying with a sigh, "My hair turned completely white long ago."

Zi Xuan said in pain, "I know, but I can't grow old right away, at least..."

"I still want to live happily with Changqing for a while longer."

Hearing this, the Holy Maiden asked Zi Xuan a Soul-searching question: "If physical appearance is so important to love, then is such a love truly valuable?"

Zi Xuan was silent for a moment before uttering a cliché: "You wouldn't understand."

Holy Maiden: "..."

She felt her fists tighten involuntarily, but eventually she relaxed them and skipped the topic, speaking of a solution: "You know that to maintain your appearance forever, you must find an undying heart."

"And this undying heart is possessed only by the Heavenly Gods or the Demon Lord Chonglou."

"Is that the only way?" Zi Xuan asked.

"Yes," the Holy Maiden confirmed, then reminded her, "But you must think carefully. The Heavenly Gods and Nüwa come from the same place; they cannot be offended. Therefore, if you really want to make a move, your only current option is to target the Demon Lord Chonglou."

Zi Xuan said nothing.

She had known about this method for a long time; it was just very difficult to achieve.

The so-called Heavenly Gods generally referred to the God Race of the Heavenly Realm, but the only one from the same place as Nüwa was the Heavenly Emperor.

He was the Ruler of the Heavenly Realm, with supreme status and unfathomable strength, to the point where even the Holy Maiden dared not speak his name directly and could only point it out euphemistically.

And "cannot be offended" was also a euphemism, because Zi Xuan couldn't even enter the Heavenly Realm, let alone come into contact with the Heavenly Emperor, much less plot for his undying heart.

But things weren't easy on Demon Lord Chonglou's side either.

Zi Xuan had fought Chonglou before. The first time she just lost, and the second time she was nearly killed.

In her helplessness, Zi Xuan finally stated the true purpose of her visit: "Then what about that Daoist Master Meng Li?"

The Holy Maiden was taken aback. After thinking carefully for a moment, she furrowed her brows. "As far as I know, although a Daoist Master of the Path of the Ancient True Immortals possesses many unfathomable methods, they do not possess an undying heart. Because an undying heart is innate; it cannot be obtained through Acquired cultivation."

"Besides, I remember he is quite close to Xu Changqing. If you try to scheme against him, aren't you afraid..."

Before she could finish, Zi Xuan interrupted, "You've misunderstood. I'm not talking about an undying heart, but his methods."

She then recounted everything about Meng Li maintaining the Fire Ghost King's appearance and helping Tang Xuejian restore her looks.

After listening, the Holy Maiden fell into thought. After a long while, she said, "Based on what you've described, Daoist Master Meng should be able to help you. However..."

"However what?" Seeing a potential lead take a turn just as it appeared, Zi Xuan asked hurriedly.

"However, don't hold out too much hope."

"Why?" Zi Xuan was puzzled.

The Holy Maiden replied, "According to you, Daoist Master Meng's methods are indeed miraculous. But you are a Descendant of Nüwa, unlike the Fire Ghost King or Tang Xuejian. Your appearance issue isn't caused by external forces, nor is it a glitch in your own cultivation; it is an innate Bloodline restriction, a predestined fate."

"Fate is not so easily broken."

Zi Xuan's face darkened, and she whispered, "I don't expect to break my fate and continue to be immortal; I just want to age a bit slower."

The Holy Maiden sneered, "'Just' age a bit slower? How many people in this world wouldn't want that?"

Then, she asked another Soul-searching question: "Are you sure that after delaying your aging, you won't become even more greedy?"

Zi Xuan was speechless.

She wanted to say she wouldn't, but thinking about it, she really wasn't sure.

Seeing this, the Holy Maiden understood. She waved her hand somewhat listlessly. "Fine, do as you wish. But remember, you must not try to force anything with Daoist Master Meng or Chonglou."

Zi Xuan nodded. "I know."

After speaking, she chatted with the Holy Maiden for a few more moments before leaving the Nüwa Temple and returning to the flying boat.

Meng Li, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui had long since finished their conversation and returned to their respective spots to rest. They noticed Zi Xuan's return but didn't show it, pretending not to know.

...

A few days later, the group successfully arrived at their destination—Anxi.

Anxi was by the sea, so the flying boat landed on the shore.

As Meng Li, Jing Tian, and the others stepped off the flying boat, an old man wearing a bamboo hat walked toward them from the shore.

Meng Li turned to look and found the man somewhat familiar. Searching through his memories, he remembered.

Tianji Laoren, Wei Yixiao...

No, it should be... the Old Man of Anxi!

Meng Li narrowed his eyes.

This Old Man of Anxi was a very mysterious existence in the original series. After appearing, he didn't even have a narrative introduction like the other characters, appearing like a background extra. But as soon as he appeared, he saw through the fact that Jing Tian and the others were there for the sacred spirit pearl. He also knew of a great catastrophe in the future and tried to have Xu Maoshan enter a Secret Realm alone to help him avoid the disaster.

Later, he told Jing Tian and the others the story of Shui Bi and Xi Feng and informed them of the way to enter the Underwater City.

Since he possessed unfathomable methods and could know the past and future, he was likely some powerful being.

However, there was no explanation regarding the identity of the Old Man of Anxi in the show.

Even the name "Old Man of Anxi" came from outside the show, rather than being a name used within it.

Because he appeared in Anxi and was an old man, he was called the "Old Man of Anxi."

Nevertheless, although the Old Man of Anxi was mysterious, judging from his performance in the original series, he held goodwill toward Jing Tian, Xu Changqing, and their group.

Furthermore, from beginning to end, he behaved like a guiding NPC.

Thus, while Meng Li was suspicious, he didn't particularly mind.

At this time, Xu Changqing cast a spell to put away the flying boat.

The Old Man of Anxi walked closer and spoke with a smile, "Are you all here to find the sacred spirit pearl?"

...