"Brother Xu, look what I brought you!"
Hearing Shi Yunxuan's cheerful voice, Xu Zifan stopped his practice, opened his eyes, waved open the door, and smiled, "What good stuff?"
[Shaohua: Shi Yunxuan is holding an alchemy furnace on her back; the scan result indicates it's a top-grade magic weapon.]
As soon as Shao Hua finished speaking, Shi Yunxuan ran into the room and took out an antique-style alchemy furnace from behind her back. "Brother Xu, I got this from my mother. Do you think it's suitable for you?"
Xu Zifan took the alchemy furnace and said helplessly to Shaohua, "Don't tell me about these things in the future, or all the surprises will be ruined."
He led Shi Yunxuan to sit down at the table, not looking at the alchemy furnace first, but carefully observing Shi Yunxuan's expression. "Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?"
Shi Yunxuan's smile froze, but quickly returned to normal. "No, I just had some unhappy things and wanted to be alone. I'm fine now."
"Really?" Xu Zifan opened the alchemy furnace, stroking the patterns on it. "This is a top-grade magic weapon, why are you giving it to me?"
"Neither my mother nor I like alchemy. She's had this alchemy furnace for over a hundred years and has never used it. I think it's perfect for you; you need it." Shi Yunxuan felt that Xu Zifan was acting strangely today, speaking with a particularly aggressive tone, as if trying to dig out what she was thinking. Shouldn't a normal person be happy and express gratitude upon receiving a favorite magical artifact? What was he trying to do?
Xu Zifan paused for a moment, then looked at her. "There are other people in the Hehuan Sect who are also refining pills. If I'm not mistaken, one of the elders is an alchemist. Why not give it to her, but give it to me?"
Shi Yunxuan looked at him for a moment, then completely relaxed and replied with a smile, "You know perfectly well why you're asking. I like you. Why are you so insistent on getting to the bottom of this today? Now that I've said it, do you still like me, or are you planning to leave?"
Shi Yunxuan smiled at him, but her hand under the table slowly tightened. She was nervous. This was the first time she had liked someone, and she didn't even know how to handle it. Because she cared, she didn't easily express her feelings, but she felt that Xu Zifan had seen through her, so she didn't want to hide it anymore.
[Shaohua: According to monitoring, Shi Yunxuan was very nervous, her heart was beating rapidly, and her hands under the table were clenched into fists.]
[Shaohua, perhaps we should set a "Do Not Disturb" time.]
Xu Zifan grabbed Shi Yunxuan's hand, placed it on the table, and didn't let go. He raised the corners of his mouth and said, "How could you think I would leave? I'm clearly different towards you than towards others."
Shi Yunxuan slowly smiled and immediately grasped his hand in return. "I thought... I thought you liked someone like Yu Shuang. I'm completely different from her, and in the beginning, I was the one who insisted on clinging to you." She held Xu Zifan's hand in both of hers and laughed. "So I was being silly and getting stuck in a rut. I've been thinking about all sorts of nonsense these past few days."
Having received Xu Zifan's reply, Shi Yunxuan's initial anxiety and uncertainty about liking someone was abruptly ended, and she immediately returned to her usual cheerful and bright demeanor. She urged Xu Zifan, "Brother Xu, hurry up and try this alchemy furnace. If it doesn't work, we'll look for another one."
"Um."
Chu Duan left behind many things, but notably no alchemy furnace. It's said that Chu Duan's natal magic weapon was his top-grade alchemy furnace, which shattered when he perished. He never bothered with other alchemy furnaces and never collected them, so Xu Zifan had always used his own ordinary one. The gift Shi Yunxuan gave him was indeed exactly what he desperately needed; perhaps it could even be considered a token of their love?
Xu Zifan noticed that Shi Yunxuan had been acting strangely lately because of relationship issues. With crises looming and many things to resolve, he didn't want to waste time testing their feelings, so he decided to be direct and break the ice himself. They would spend hundreds of years of their lives together.
The new alchemy furnace greatly aided Xu Zifan. He possessed exceptional talent in alchemy and progressed rapidly. With his romantic affairs resolved, he naturally devoted more time to alchemy until a month later when the demonic energy within Shi Yunxuan flared up again. When Xu Zifan arrived, Sect Leader Shi had already suppressed the demonic energy and relieved Shi Yunxuan's pain, but Shi Yunxuan was inevitably still somewhat weak, lying pale on the bed.
Xu Zifan stepped forward, took her hand, stroked her hair, and asked, "Are you feeling better?"
Shi Yunxuan smiled and nodded. "I'm fine."
"Take a rest and recharge," Xu Zifan advised.
Shi Yunxuan nodded again and quickly fell asleep. Sect Leader Shi had been watching them the whole time, and only spoke after Shi Yunxuan was sound asleep, "Zhengyang, come with me, I have something to tell you."
Xu Zifan was somewhat surprised, and got up to go to the back mountain with her. The two stood on the mountaintop in silence for a long time before Sect Leader Shi said, "I heard from Yunxuan that you two get along very well. Zhengyang, what are your plans for the future?"
"In addition to learning alchemy, I also want to learn talisman drawing and array formations, things I've never learned before," Xu Zifan said honestly. "If you want to know whether I will stay in the Hehuan Sect, I will always be by Yunxuan's side."
Sect Leader Shi turned to face him. "Xiang Yushuang killed three of us, and Huo Chongjun's identity is also highly questionable. In the future, we may have to confront the Xuantian Sect head-on. What will you do then?"
Xu Zifan looked at her seriously, "Sect Leader Shi, I have already thought about this matter. Sect Leader Xiang has been kind to me in educating me, so I will be more cautious. Xiang Yushuang and Huo Chongjun have some old grudges with me, so I will not hold back against them. As for the conflict between the Hehuan Sect and the Xuantian Sect, I will help the Hehuan Sect."
Sect Leader Shi was quite surprised to hear this answer.
A smile appeared on his face. "Your personality is very suitable for the Hehuan Sect. Since you have already thought about these things, you must have also considered your relationship with Yunxuan. Zhengyang, I hope you will answer me truthfully: if you and Yunxuan become Daoist partners, will it last a long time?"
"Until I die."
"Why? You haven't known each other for very long, and the Hehuan Sect doesn't have a good reputation. How can you make this promise?"
"Because the most important thing in any relationship is a sense of responsibility. If we truly become Daoist partners, we should naturally stay together for a long time. Otherwise, why become Daoist partners? Sect Leader Shi, I love Yunxuan. I will not consider anyone else in the future, nor will I change my mind." Xu Zifan's views on relationships have never changed. He believes in love that grows over time rather than love at first sight. He firmly believes that a sense of responsibility is more likely to make a relationship last than simple love. Starting with liking and ending with responsibility is the best kind of relationship.
Sect Leader Shi looked at the distant mountains, sighed, and smiled, "In that case, I can entrust Yunxuan to you with peace of mind. You and Yunxuan share the same thoughts; she wants a stable home, a stable home forever, and you can give her that."
Sect Leader Shi paused for a moment, then said, "There is a dual cultivation technique that can draw out the demonic energy within Yunxuan's body. Yunxuan knew about this long ago, but she was unwilling to engage in dual cultivation because of the demonic energy and refused to tell you. Today, seeing your concern for her, I have decided to let you know about this." She gave Xu Zifan a jade slip, "This is the technique; you two can discuss it yourselves."
Xu Zifan was speechless. Everything from the Hehuan Sect was strange and unusual. How could dual cultivation allow one to both cultivate and detoxify while drawing in demonic energy? He really didn't know who had originally created these techniques. Seeing that Sect Leader Shi was alright, he accepted the jade slip, intending to go back and study it. He had only taken a few steps when Sect Leader Shi called him back, asking, "Zhengyang, there are rumors that you possess a pure Yang physique. I asked Yunxuan, and she denied it. Is this true?"
Xu Zifan hesitated for a moment, "Will this affect the dual cultivation and the attraction of demonic energy?"
Sect Leader Shi turned around, looked at him, and nodded. "Naturally, Yun Xuan is only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. The Yuan Yang of her Pure Yang Body can elevate her to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, which will inevitably cause the demonic energy to surge. Even if she is not a Yuan Yang, she is still very different from ordinary cultivators. If you have a Pure Yang Body, you must use another cultivation technique in conjunction with this one to successfully draw out the demonic energy."
Xu Zifan stared at Master Shi for a long time. Considering the danger of the matter and Master Shi's credibility, he braced himself and replied, "It is a pure yang body, primordial yang."
Sect Leader Shi tossed him another jade slip and said with a smile, "Then use it in conjunction with this technique. Yunxuan knows what to do. Go."
Xu Zifan felt like he'd been granted a pardon. Could someone please tell him why he'd been discussing virginity with his future mother-in-law? Just how bizarre was this "pure yang body" thing? And the Hehuan Sect—they were both incredibly strange. He absolutely hoped he never transmigrated to an interstellar world with six genders, complete with heat cycles and pheromone attraction—that would be even more bizarre, practically animalistic!
Sect Leader Shi watched his departing figure, understanding his predicament, and shook her head with a smile. Xu Zifan's willingness to tell her such an important matter showed his trust in her and his sincerity towards Yun Xuan, and that was enough. She was also very satisfied with such a son-in-law. Shouldn't a pure Yang body belong to the Hehuan Sect? It would be a waste elsewhere; her cultivation technique could only be used by those with a pure Yang body, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
When Xu Zifan returned to the courtyard, he found that Shi Yunxuan had already woken up. She asked him with some concern, "What did my mother say to you?"
Xu Zifan got straight to the point and took out the two jade slips. "Sect Leader Shi told me the method to draw out the demonic energy, and also gave me a cultivation technique suitable for a pure yang body. She said you know how to use it."
Shi Yunxuan's face instantly turned bright red, and she choked on her saliva. She knew dual cultivation techniques, but she had never practiced them or discussed them with a man! Why was this person so blunt right off the bat?
She coughed a few times and said helplessly, "Brother Xu, sometimes I really feel that you are the true disciple of the Hehuan Sect."
Xu Zifan smiled at her, "I think so too. Maybe I'm just right for the Hehuan Sect. I've adapted very well."
When a young girl falls in love for the first time, she naturally feels quite reserved around the man she likes. Even though she's known as a vixen, she's incredibly inexperienced in this regard and doesn't quite live up to her usual "Hehuan Sect" persona. Therefore, Xu Zifan chose to be the assertive one, waving the jade slip in front of Shi Yunxuan, "When will we hold our Daoist Couple Ceremony?"
Shi Yunxuan stared into his eyes and asked, "Will you spend your whole life with me?"
"meeting."
Shi Yunxuan snatched the jade slip and smiled, "Then let's study the cultivation techniques in the jade slip first!"
As Xu Zifan was pulled into the bed curtains by Shi Yunxuan, he was still wondering how his future little wife had gone from being shy to being bold. After that, he blocked Shaohua's detection, as he needed a lot of time to study those two cultivation techniques.