"Senior, please save Xiuying," Meiling begged, her forehead nearly touching the ground as she knelt before Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu sighed inwardly. Even after skipping the dialogue and cutscene of this scenario, he had still ended up exactly where he feared. Extending his hand, he helped Meiling to her feet gently.
"No need to be so formal," he said, his tone measured. "Just explain the situation clearly, and I'll see what I can do."
Behind his composed expression, Xiang Yu calculated his options. Perhaps this wasn't entirely bad—there might be benefits to extract from this situation. A small, calculating smile tugged at his lips as he reasoned with himself: as long as it wasn't something excessive like marriage, everything would be fine.
Meiling, now standing, bowed deeply once more. "Please marry Xiuying," she stated with unwavering conviction.
Xiang Yu's entire body froze. His smile remained plastered across his face, now looking decidedly unnatural. After several heartbeats, he forced a hollow laugh.
"Hahaha, it seems I'm hearing things," he said, tapping his ear theatrically. "What did you need help with again?"
"Please take Xiuying as your wife," Meiling repeated, her voice even more confident than before.
"Hahaha, I'm really going deaf," Xiang Yu insisted, his laughter growing increasingly strained.
On the sidelines, Xiuying blushed deeply at Meiling's bold proposal. She glanced down at her hands, then tentatively at her chest, remembering the strange warmth she had felt when touching him inside the ice. If it was with him... her blush deepened even more. Perhaps she wouldn't mind such an arrangement after all.
"You female demon!" Elder Huang interjected, materializing between Meiling and Xiang Yu like a protective barrier. "You actually dare to poach the Sect Master's husband?"
"Sect Master's husband?" Meiling echoed in confusion. Was the dynamic of this sect truly so bizarre? Nothing made sense anymore.
Recovering her composure, Meiling addressed Xiang Yu directly. "Grand Elder, forgive my bluntness."
"It's fine," Xiang Yu replied. "I can help you with anything else as long as it doesn't involve marriage." His tone left no room for negotiation on this point.
"Umm, well..." Meiling faltered, her thoughts racing.
She had suspected Xiang Yu possessed a pure yang body, making him an ideal match for Xiuying's pure yin condition. Glancing at Xiuying's unmistakably interested expression, Meiling had thought this solution perfect—the girl would be paired with someone she seemed genuinely attracted to, and the sect master wouldn't care about disrupting the original arrangement since the outcome remained the same.
But what did he mean by "except marriage"? Did he intend to take advantage of Xiuying without proper commitment? She couldn't allow such disrespect toward the sect master's precious daughter.
"Can I examine her condition?" Xiang Yu asked, interrupting Meiling's spiraling thoughts.
"What?" Meiling asked, caught off guard.
"I have some medicine skills," Xiang Yu explained patiently. "Perhaps I can help her without resorting to... other arrangements."
He remembered detecting something unusual when frozen with Xiuying. If his suspicions proved correct, this could become a valuable opportunity—securing high level resources for the sect and potentially forging an alliance with a high-ranked faction.
"Ah, okay," Meiling relented, gesturing for Xiuying to approach.
The girl stepped forward, standing before Xiang Yu with bashful anticipation. Her cheeks flushed with color as she whispered, "If it's you, Xiuying doesn't mind."
"Doesn't mind what? If you want to die that badly, don't take me with you," Xiang Yu thought irritably, though his expression remained carefully pleasant. They were valuable customers, after all—best to maintain appearances.
Without responding to her comment, Xiang Yu gently removed one of her gloves and took her bare hand in his. Ice immediately began spreading along his arm, crystallizing in delicate patterns across his skin. Just like before, he absorbed the cold energy, neutralizing it as quickly as it manifested.
Internally, he noted the usefulness of this energy, though it wasn't nearly as concentrated as when he had been completely encased in ice. Pushing these observations aside, he focused on his primary goal—diagnosing her true condition.
After several moments of careful examination, a satisfied smile spread across his face. His suspicions had been correct...
...
Meiling observed intently as Xiang Yu held Xiuying's hand, her brow furrowed with skepticism. They had already consulted countless renowned physicians about Xiuying's condition, yet none had offered any meaningful solution. This was to be expected, after all, the problem wasn't an illness that could be cured, but a fundamental issue with Xiuying's physique. Unless one could somehow remove or replace her entire physique, how could there possibly be a simple remedy?
"Take this," Xiang Yu said, extending a dark pill toward Xiuying.
Meiling's first instinct was to intervene—who knew what this pill contained? Yet after a moment's hesitation, she decided not to interfere. It would be disrespectful to reject the Grand Elder's assistance after specifically requesting his help. Besides, despite her reservations, a tiny spark of hope flickered in her heart. What if it actually worked?
Xiuying accepted the pill without question, her trusting eyes fixed on Xiang Yu as she swallowed it in a single gulp. For several heartbeats, nothing seemed to happen. Then, miraculously, the frost that had been continuously forming where Xiang Yu touched her hand simply... stopped.
"This is..." Meiling couldn't complete her sentence, stunned by what she was witnessing. She tentatively reached for Xiuying's hand, expecting the familiar bite of cold that had accompanied every touch since the girl's early childhood. Instead, her fingers met warm, normal skin. Not merely absence of cold, but genuine human warmth. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Don't get too excited," Xiang Yu cautioned, his voice tempering their growing elation. "Although she's normal for now, it's just a temporary solution."
Internally, Xiang Yu was glad that he had refined another qi absorption pill earlier. Xiuying's dangerous physique, though seemingly untreatable, ultimately operated through qi mechanisms. During his battle simulation against her, he hadn't suffered the freezing effects despite making contact with her.
He concluded that when qi was actively being utilized, as in combat, there was no excess energy to overflow and manifest as ice.
Of course, he couldn't expect her to remain in perpetual combat mode. That's where his qi absorption pill proved invaluable—it continuously drew in her excess qi, keeping it actively engaged rather than free to form ice. The principle was simple once understood.
"Only temporary?" Disappointment clouded Meiling's features, her brief moment of jubilation fading. "How long will it last?" she asked anxiously.
"I don't know either," Xiang Yu admitted. He gestured toward the table where his spirit food still steamed invitingly. Despite being frozen earlier, the dishes had retained their spiritual potency perfectly. "Why don't we find out together?"
"Grand Elder, you should've told us sooner that your pill refining had improved. This way, we could've bought higher-level resources," Elder Huang remarked as she delicately savored each bite of her meal, appreciation evident in her eyes.
Xiang Yu nodded thoughtfully, setting down his chopsticks. "I was just about to discuss that today. Not only has my alchemy improved, but my blacksmithing has advanced significantly as well." He paused, his expression turning more serious. "I'll need more materials to start mass-producing spiritual weapons for the sect."
Elder Huang's eyes gleamed with unmistakable pride. "As expected of the Grand Elder," she praised, her tone carrying genuine respect rather than mere formality.
On the side, Meiling sat completely absorbed in her food, utterly taken aback by the casual exchange. The conversation flowing around her seemed surreal. What the hell? This guy not only excels at cooking, medicine, and alchemy, but blacksmithing too? He had just mentioned refining spiritual weapons as casually as one might discuss the weather, and they were acting as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Spiritual weapons were quite significant—even their rank-five Golden Edge sect didn't possess many of them. Yet here he was, talking about mass-producing them as if describing a simple daily chore. She strongly suspected he was also responsible for those formidable formations she'd been sensing throughout the sect grounds. Just what couldn't this senior do?
She wondered if this was what a Grand Elder was truly supposed to be. Looking back at her own sect's leadership, their Grand Elder suddenly seemed woefully inadequate—merely staying in seclusion and contributing nothing of value. The contrast was stark.
The three of them—Elder Huang, Xiang Yu, and his master—continued their conversation while Meiling and Xiuying ate in appreciative silence, savoring spirit food of a quality they'd never before encountered. Even the typically exuberant Xiuying remained quiet, completely entranced by the extraordinary flavors dancing across her palate.
After they finished their meal, Xiang Yu rose to collect the utensils. As he gathered the dishes, he felt the ambient temperature begin to drop. Unlike before, when the air had nearly crystallized with cold, this was merely a subtle change that most cultivators would overlook entirely. But Xiang Yu, having absorbed vast quantities of yin energy from Xiuying, had become exceptionally sensitive to temperature fluctuations. He immediately glanced in her direction.
Meiling had also noticed the shift, her worried eyes already checking Xiuying for signs of relapse. "Grand Elder, the effect wore off," she announced with barely concealed disappointment. "It's only been half an hour."
Xiang Yu nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin with deliberate gravitas, fully embracing his role as an elder. Inwardly, he noted that the duration was shorter than anticipated but still reasonable given Xiuying's exceptional cultivation talent. Her naturally high qi reserves had likely consumed the pill's capacity faster than an ordinary patient would.
"It's just as I expected," he declared with a knowing expression, as if he'd calculated this precise outcome.
"Grand Elder, is there something you can do?" Meiling asked, her voice carrying a hint of desperation. "Even if the pill's effect is just temporary, it's still something remarkable." She leaned forward earnestly. "Do you have any more? I'll buy them—just name your price."
When Xiang Yu heard this, a triumphant smile threatened to break through his composed façade. Got you, he thought, before quickly schooling his features back into a benevolent facade.
"Hahaha, no need to be so formal," he replied with humility. "The pill isn't particularly difficult to make. As long as you provide the necessary resources, I can produce them for your sect without charge."
Hearing this unexpected generosity, Meiling's face brightened considerably. The Grand Elder's magnanimity exceeded her expectations.
"I just need you to do one thing for me," Xiang Yu continued smoothly.
Meiling tilted her head in confusion, wondering what he might request. A slight blush colored her cheeks. Was it that kind of request?
Noticing her discomfort, Xiang Yu hastily continued, "Our sect has recently advanced in rank," he explained, "but we lack connections." After consulting with his martial aunt, he'd come to understand that despite their newfound wealth, they remained without reliable trading partners. The existing market viewed them as merely fresh prey—a fat piece of meat to be devoured. They needed some insurance so they didn't end up on the chopping block.
Before he could elaborate further, understanding dawned in Meiling's eyes. A knowing smile spread across her face as she pressed her arm to her chest.
"Leave it to me," she declared confidently. "I will personally recommend that our Sect Master form a trade alliance with the Azure Cloud Sect. We'll purchase everything you produce." Her expression grew even more assured as she added, "Once I inform the Sect Master about his daughter's condition, he'll definitely agree without hesitation."
...
Xiang Yu was genuinely surprised by Meiling's enthusiastic response. Was she truly that confident the sect master would agree? After hearing about the arranged marriage for Xiuying, he had assumed her father was the classic uncaring parent who viewed his daughter as merely a political asset. From Meiling's reaction, it seemed his assumption might have been incorrect.
"That's good," Xiang Yu acknowledged with a measured nod. After a moment's consideration, he added, "Actually, I might have a way to completely cure her condition."
Meiling's eyes widened dramatically, her composed demeanor cracking. "Is that true?" she asked, leaning forward, hope and skepticism warring in her expression.
"Well, yes," Xiang Yu replied, carefully choosing his words. "But it requires some additional research."
In his mind, he calculated the situation precisely. He did indeed have several methods that might potentially work, but he deliberately withheld them for two critical reasons: first, he didn't yet fully trust these visitors, and second, he wasn't entirely certain of success.
By revealing just enough—that a permanent solution existed but wasn't immediately available—he established a protective boundary. If the sect master suddenly decided to take over their sect instead of forming an alliance, this information would serve as valuable leverage.
The underlying message in his statement was clear: I have something you desperately want, but it's not yet available for the taking just yet. Meaning you still need me. He thought to himself that Meiling seemed like a smart person so she should be able to understand what he was getting at.
Meiling studied his face intently for several heartbeats before bowing deeply, her expression suddenly serious and formal. "I understand. I will report this to the sect leader," she declared.
Xiang Yu smiled faintly, satisfied that they had reached an understanding. "Thanks for your understanding," he replied with a smile.
Meiling returned a smile as well.
Meanwhile, Elder Huang and Elder Guo observed this exchange with visible confusion.
"What are they talking about?" Elder Guo whispered, his brow furrowed in bewilderment.
"No idea," Elder Huang responded with a slight shrug.
After an awkward pause, Elder Guo leaned toward her, a mischievous sparkle entering his eyes. "So... round two?" he asked suggestively.
His question was answered by an immediate yelp of pain as Elder Huang pinched him sharply.
"niger!" she scolded before launching herself into the air, leaving Elder Guo looking sheepishly after her retreating figure.