“Vulgar.”

Chu Wenfeng, seemingly unimpressed, snorted disdainfully.

“You call this vulgar? It’s just human nature. Why don’t you ask your senior brother if he’s ever thought about it?” Xie Shuci shot a glance at him.

Chu Wenfeng pouted, unconcerned, but couldn’t resist his curiosity and turned to Chu Guiyi with a smirk, “Senior Brother, you surely wouldn’t think like this, right?”

Chu Guiyi, with a gentle and undisturbed smile, looked down and said, “I have thought about it before.”

As soon as this statement came out, Xie Shuci and Chu Wenfeng were both stunned.

Although Xie Shuci considered such thoughts to be normal, he didn’t expect someone like Chu Guiyi, who seemed above such worldly concerns, to entertain them.

Their eyes met, each reflecting intense curiosity.

“Senior Brother, what kind of person would you like to have as a cultivation partner?”

“Gentle or lively?”

Seeing their eagerness, Chu Guiyi smiled wryly and said, “It’s not about the kind of person I want to be with, but rather the kind of person who would end up being my cultivation partner.”

Chu Wenfeng’s mind seemed to short-circuit, taking a while to grasp the meaning behind his words.

Xie Shuci, being a modern person who had seen plenty of romantic quotes online, quickly grasped the meaning of Chu Guiyi’s words.

“I get it! You mean, you have to fall in love with someone to know what kind of person you really like.”

Chu Guiyi pursed his lips, smiling without saying anything.

Xie Shuci couldn’t help but exclaim, “Guiyi, you must be very popular, right?”

Before Chu Guiyi could respond, Chu Wenfeng lifted his chin proudly, as if he was the one being complimented.

“Of course! Our Senior Brother is the most popular male cultivator in Yingzhou. The queue of people pursuing him could stretch from Yingzhou to Bianzhou!”

Xie Shuci knew Chu Guiyi was popular, but he just couldn’t stand Chu Wenfeng’s arrogance, “That’s not about you anyway.”

Chu Guiyi smiled and shook his head lightly, “Wenfeng, don’t exaggerate. In today’s world, who would want to be with someone disabled?”

“Brother, you are not disabled!”

Xie Shuci pursed his lips and softly said, “Guiyi, you shouldn’t think like that. What if you meet someone you like in the future?”

Chu Guiyi looked at him and smiled, “Like? I like birds, but only for the way they soar freely. I neither wish to clip their wings to keep them by my side nor do I want them to give up the sky for me.”

Hearing his words, Xie Shuci and Chu Wenfeng both fell silent.

Chu Guiyi’s rational and clear perspective was a bit difficult for Xie Shuci to comprehend.

“But, won’t you feel sad not being with the person you like?” Xie Shuci asked.

Chu Guiyi lowered his eyelids, “If there is no chance of ever meeting again, I would bid them a proper farewell. If I couldn’t, I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

At this moment, Chu Wenfeng kicked Xie Shuci under the table, giving him a look, then asked, “What about your Xie An? Does he have any thoughts?”

Xie An?

Xie Shuci’s attention was immediately diverted, his gaze shifting to Xie An.

Xie An slightly raised his head, his lips moved as if to say something.

At that moment, for some reason, Xie Shuci suddenly lunged forward and covered his mouth. Xie An raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Xie Shuci glared at Chu Wenfeng and said, “What nonsense are you spouting? Xie An is still young. Don’t corrupt him; he doesn’t have those thoughts!”

Chu Wenfeng, “…”

“Hey, are you being reasonable?”

Ignoring him, Xie Shuci removed his hand from Xie An’s lips, warning, “I’m telling you, you’re still young, you’re not allowed to have such thoughts.”

Xie An’s lips curled into a smile, and he nodded in agreement.

That night, Xie An was bathing in his room, and Xie Shuci, finding an excuse, sat in the hall playing cards with Chu Wenfeng.

As the night deepened, Xie Shuci, yawning with fatigue, suddenly saw a streak of silver light in the night sky.

He thought he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes before looking up again. He saw the silver light swirling in the sky like a tornado, like a strand of the Milky Way falling down, stirring in mid-air. At the same time, a strange wind blew on the ground, causing the window frames to rattle loudly.

“Your turn to play,” Chu Wenfeng urged.

“Look!” Xie Shuci pointed at the sky.

“What now? You owe me ten favors, are you trying to back out…” Chu Wenfeng lazily looked up, but upon seeing the silvery brilliance in the sky like gathering sand, he stood up excitedly, “The Dragon Tooth Secret Realm is appearing!”

“What the hell? The Dragon Tooth Secret Realm? Is its entrance this abrupt?” Xie Shuci exclaimed in astonishment.

Meanwhile, other cultivators in the city gradually noticed the anomaly and started to appear in the streets, jubilant and excited.

Chu Wenfeng nudged Xie Shuci with his foot, reminding him, “What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and call Xie An down. Let’s go together.”

“Right, right.” Xie Shuci nodded twice and both of them went back to their rooms to fetch Xie An and Chu Guiyi.

Meanwhile, all the cultivators in Manjiang Hall were ready, preparing to head to the site of the Dragon Tooth Secret Realm, waiting for it to open.

When the four of them gathered in the hall, Elder Ye from the Hehuan Sect approached them.

“Little Daoist.” Elder Ye, graceful and elegant, approached them.

Her striking appearance drew the attention of everyone around. 

“Hello, Fairy Sister,” Xie Shuci waved to her.

Ye Changxuan’s lips curled into a smile, clearly pleased with Xie Shuci’s address.

Her smile left a few young cultivators nearby entranced, almost tripping over their own feet.

Approaching them, Chu Guiyi nodded to her, “Greetings, Elder Ye.”

Ye Changxuan nodded back at him.

Then she turned to Xie Shuci, “Little Daoist, I’ve come on behalf of the Hehuan Sect to ask if you’re sure you won’t join us?”

Ye Changxuan had asked them twice before, but Xie Shuci, recalling how their disciples wanted to capture Xie An as a cultivation furnace, felt repelled and had refused each time.

This time was no different. As soon as Elder Ye finished speaking, Xie Shuci shook his head vigorously, “No, no, us mere mortals are not worthy to join a fairy sister like you.”

She chuckled, “Are you afraid that I’ll turn you into a cultivation furnace?”

She laughed softly, her voice taking on a sultry tone, “I could turn over a new leaf and be a Daoist partner for you alone.”

Chu Wenfeng immediately teased, “Whoa, Xie Shuci, didn’t you say you like gentle women?”

Xie Shuci glared at him, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.

Ye Changxuan laughed, not offended, “Alright, I’ll stop joking with you. I actually prefer your brother’s type.”

After saying this, she playfully winked at Xie An, fortunately unnoticed by him due to his blindness.

Xie Shuci’s face turned stern, “Well then, goodbye. I won’t be able to see you out!”

After sending the Great Elder Ye away, Xie Shuci heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Xie An, “In the future, stay away from the Hehuan Sect people, alright?”

Xie An raised his eyebrows noncommittally, not giving a clear answer.

Unsatisfied with the lack of a definite response, Xie Shuci nudged Xie An’s stomach, “Did you hear me?”

Xie An, instead of responding, asked back, “What about you? You called her ‘Fairy Sister’ so sweetly, don’t you like her?”

Xie Shuci confidently said, “Of course, I like her. Who doesn’t like a beautiful woman?”

Xie An’s lips curled into a nearly imperceptible smile, but he said nothing more.

“But I have absolutely no other thoughts about her,” Xie Shuci added.

Chu Wenfeng rolled his eyes, “Aren’t you being a bit too controlling? Maybe your Xie An likes that type. Are you going to approve everyone he dates?”

“Of course.”

Chu Guiyi interrupted their banter, “Enough, we don’t have much time. Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

“Just saying, with my luck, won’t that Qiankun Mirror just fly right into my arms?”

“Keep dreaming!”

Soon, the four of them, along with many other cultivators, gathered under the Dragon Tooth Secret Realm. The silver radiance pouring from the sky created a flowing Milky Way, as if embedding thousands of stars within it, turning the night as bright as day.

Underneath the celestial display, countless cultivators of various attire, with excitement and reverence in their eyes, looked up in awe.

The scene was spectacular and heart-stirring.

Xie Shuci, hidden in the crowd, gazed in awe at the spectacle above. The scene was naturally ethereal, utterly different from anything he had seen on screens before. It was so overwhelmingly real and majestic that he felt a sudden awareness of his own insignificance.

Watching everyone’s eager eyes around him, Xie Shuci felt his blood boil with excitement. He was stepping into a scene he had only read about in books or seen in movies. He was part of this romantic yet dangerous world, one of the cultivators striving for greatness!

Chu Wenfeng glanced around and his expression darkened when he noticed a group of disciples dressed in dark robes approaching them from a distance.

“The Sun family,” Chu Wenfeng said coldly.

Chu Guiyi glanced over indifferently and then dismissively looked away.

Xie Shuci also noticed the group, which seemed to have ill intentions. Confirming they were not coming for him and Xie An, he turned to Chu Wenfeng and asked, “Do you know them?”

Chu Wenfeng’s face was tense as if bracing for a confrontation.

Chu Guiyi nodded calmly, “The Sun family from Yingzhou.”

“They’re your fellow townspeople, huh?”

As soon as Xie Shuci finished speaking, Chu Wenfeng had already stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the approaching disciples.

Chu Guiyi immediately frowned, “Shuci, keep an eye on him for me, don’t let him do anything rash.”

Xie Shuci pointed at himself, “Me, keep an eye on him? Why would he listen to me?”

“Please.”