Great Philanthropist

Xie Xuanyi looked at his palm again and slowly clasped his hands together.

He calmed down.

There were two pieces of news.

The good news was that surviving a great disaster was sure to bring good fortune. His great opportunity had arrived—although it wasn't clear what caused it, this body could accommodate golden Qi in the Qi Refining stage. If he could really cultivate like this, he would only become stronger than he was in his past life!

Qi was the source of power for all techniques.

In a duel between two cultivators of the same realm, where the difference wasn't significant, if one side had higher quality Qi... it meant that even if they used the exact same move, the latter's power would be greater!

But this wasn't enough to excite Xie Xuanyi.

What he was truly curious about was:

If he started condensing "golden Qi" in the Qi Refining stage, how would he cultivate in the "Grotto-Heaven Realm," which required condensing golden Qi?

These were all good news.

But the bad news was fatal!

Relying on the natural Qi that wandered between heaven and earth, there was almost no chance of advancing!

"There are two ways to break this situation."

Xie Xuanyi fell into deep thought.

"Either find enough Qi pills and consume and digest them in large quantities. Or find a blessed Grotto-Heaven with extremely high Qi purity to cultivate in."

Neither of these solutions was simple.

The latter was even more difficult. How rare were blessed Grotto-Heavens? And even fewer could help him cultivate golden Qi!

Pills could at least be traded... but he was currently penniless.

Neither of these possibilities could be realized right now.

Thinking of this, Xie Xuanyi smiled wryly. It was true that fortune and misfortune were intertwined. Was this an opportunity or a hardship?

"The top priority... is to go to Carp Tide City in Qing Province and find clues to my natal flying sword."

After making up his mind, Xie Xuanyi re-entered meditation.

Although condensing golden Qi was extremely difficult, Accumulating little by little, building a tower from sand, as long as he put in the effort, he could always light up one or two acupoints.

Before finding pills or a blessed Grotto-Heaven, Xie Xuanyi only had this clumsy method.

"Whoa!!"

Accompanied by a sharp shout, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Deng Baiyi, who had just entered meditation and drawn less than three talismans, was forced awake from her meditation.

She couldn't help but scold, "What's all the fuss about?"

"Miss..."

The carriage driver said with some difficulty, "There seems to be someone ahead."

"Someone?"

Deng Baiyi lifted the curtain and looked out. She saw that the Deng Estate's caravan had already entered a state of rest. Many people had gotten out of their carriages. Deng Chicheng was personally helping a young woman with pear blossom tears, constantly comforting her.

Deng Baiyi was stunned for a moment.

At first, she just thought the girl's face was very familiar. When she saw the pitiful tabby kitten in the latter's arms, she immediately understood why she looked familiar.

This was the wealthy young lady who had asked for help in the forest earlier!

This girl was indeed good-looking, and now she was crying very pitifully, her face full of tears, looking so delicate and helpless... Earlier, when there were robbers harassing her, the people of the Deng Estate didn't dare to help. But now it was different. Several people were comforting her, especially the men.

The most attentive of them was her disappointing old man.

"Miss Shen, don't cry. We're not bad people."

"It's just a broken axle, it's not a big deal."

"Miss Shen just said that she was going to Qing Province. Coincidentally, we're also going to Qing Province... If Miss Shen doesn't mind, why not come with us?"

"Don't worry, I'm the head of the family. What I say goes!"

Deng Chicheng's words floated into her ears.

Deng Baiyi's pretty face turned pale with anger.

Just as she was furious and ready to get out of the car and throw a tantrum, a hand gently rested on her shoulder.

This hand was very warm.

Although it didn't use any force, it calmed Deng Baiyi down in an instant.

Xie Xuanyi, who had been dozing by the window, opened his eyes with interest.

"Heh, I was right, wasn't I… this matter isn't over yet."

If the previous incident was just a small coincidence.

Then this second encounter feels a little too deliberately designed.

"Tu Fei was right, my dad is really getting more muddle-headed as he gets older!"

Deng Baiyi felt very embarrassed. She gritted her teeth and said, "He'll bring just anyone onto the carriage. You wait, I'll make her get lost right now!"

Xie Xuanyi chuckled.

"No rush."

He shook his head, glancing at the situation outside the carriage, "What's meant to come will always come. Some things, instead of deliberately avoiding them, it's better to go with the flow… You just stay in the carriage, be good and wait, don't come out."

Xie Xuanyi climbed out of the carriage.

The previously lively atmosphere immediately cooled down, as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on it.

Deng Chicheng, who had been so vocal about bringing someone along, also immediately shut up.

"Wasn't it quite lively earlier? Why is everyone silent now?"

Xie Xuanyi crossed his arms and said with a smile, "Does the head of the Deng Estate want to bring this young lady along?"

"Ah, this…"

Deng Chicheng coughed dryly, then looked at Xie Xuanyi rather awkwardly…

He knew very well that he, the head of the Deng Estate, was nothing in front of Xie Xuanyi.

Whether he could bring someone or not wasn't up to him.

"Young lady, what is your name?"

Xie Xuanyi went straight to the Shen girl, who looked like a pear blossom in the rain, and looked her up and down with his hands behind his back.

This girl exuded an indescribable aura of pitifulness.

She was soaked, her hair hung down, and her face was pale.

At first glance, she was someone in distress, which made people feel pity.

"My surname is Shen, and my given name is Yan. From the Spirit Luo Mountain Shen Clan of Northern Prefecture."

Shen Yan raised her head, biting her teeth. Her clothes were wet, and because the temperature was too low, a thin layer of ice had already formed on them. With a gust of wind, the young girl was trembling all over.

"The Spirit Luo Mountain of Northern Prefecture, there is indeed a well-known 'Shen Clan,' very famous, and very rich."

Deng Chicheng took the initiative to approach, lowered his voice, and carefully reminded, "Immortal Master, we have met this Shen girl before. She was very lucky and escaped a disaster, but unfortunately, her carriage axle broke, and she waded through the water and worked hard to get here."

"…"

Xie Xuanyi glanced at Deng Chicheng coldly, and the latter immediately shut up, knowing what to do.

"You're alone?"

Xie Xuanyi squatted down and asked the first question.

"Yes…"

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment, and then sadness appeared in her eyes.

"Now… I'm the only one left."

Xie Xuanyi said gently, "What happened? You might as well tell me."

"The Shen Clan had a batch of goods to be sent to Qing Province's Great Peace City. The customs documents had already been obtained, and everything was ready except for the east wind. I didn't expect to encounter bandits on the road." Shen Yan's voice choked, and her cheeks became wet again, "The goods are gone, my father, my uncle, A Jiu, are all dead too…"

The matter was very simple.

But coupled with the woman's tears, it seemed particularly moving.

Everyone who heard it was moved.

Except for Xie Xuanyi, of course.

He kept staring at Shen Yan's face, carefully observing her.

It had to be admitted that in terms of appearance alone, this girl was indeed top-notch, and her skin was as white as mutton fat, as if you could pinch water out of it with a gentle pinch.

The rarest thing was the pitiful aura flowing in her eyebrows.

However, Xie Xuanyi was not looking at these things.

He didn't care whether this Shen Yan girl's skin could be pinched to produce water.

He only cared whether this seemingly harmless Shen girl would transform into a hideous, man-eating face in the dead of night.

After watching for a while.

Xie Xuanyi was a little disappointed… This Shen Yan was not a demon cultivator.

Although he had lost all his Yuan Power, his eyesight was still there.

When it came to seeing demons, Xie Xuanyi was always accurate. He had been traveling the world for so many years and had never been wrong once.

Since she wasn't a demon.

So, what exactly is Shen Yan's goal?

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Xie Xuanyi decided to trust his intuition.

Thus, he posed a second question: "Would you like to come with us?"

Thump!

Shen Yan lowered her body, her forehead touching the ground.

She had been waiting for these words.

She sobbed her thanks, "Please, young master, save Shen Yan's life. If I can safely reach Qing Province, Shen Yan will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

Xie Xuanyi smiled. "Alright, get in the carriage."

Both of them answered quickly, with hardly any hesitation.

"???"

The development of events caught Deng Chicheng somewhat off guard.

He had assumed the immortal master's appearance meant someone was about to be kicked out!

Deng Baiyi, who had been ordered to wait in the carriage, was even more dumbfounded at this moment.

What, what, what?

That Shen girl just got into the carriage like that!

Shen Yan kowtowed again, bowing deeply, tears of gratitude streaming down her face. "My benefactor's great kindness and virtue, Shen Yan has no way to repay!"

"Get up, no need for further formalities."

Xie Xuanyi stood up, saying meaningfully, "Back in the day, I was a well-known philanthropist for miles around, always happy to help others... If you really want to repay me, it's not too late to thank me after we safely arrive in Qing Province."

Here is a "squeak" check-in point.