That squeaky voice startled Nan Ji so much he was dumbfounded.
"Aiya!"
The little girl in the pale yellow dress seemed to remember something, and quickly covered her mouth as she looked at Niu Niu.
Then, she said in a soft, sweet voice, "Hello, big brother!"
Seeing all of this before him, Nan Ji sighed helplessly.
He just couldn't bring himself to be harsh with cute lolis. When did Niu Niu discover this?
"Cough cough!"
Nan Ji cleared his throat and said, "Actually, it's fine if you use your original voice."
"Then, then you won't abandon me, right?"
"Cough cough!"
Things were getting more and more improper.
Nan Ji covered his head helplessly and said, "No, no! Do whatever makes you comfortable!"
"Hahaha!"
Hearing Nan Ji's answer, the girl instantly reverted to her rough voice and laughed loudly.
Her laughter made Nan Ji's heart clench with every peal.
However, looking at the little girl's charming and pitiable appearance, Nan Ji could only slowly adapt.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Three Pure Ones cultivating below Kirin Cliff had complex expressions.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, this little Nan Ji is about to be tricked into becoming a fool!"
Tongtian, though seated, had his black hair flying wildly with excitement.
Yuanshi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.
Laozi, however, shook his head and said, "Although I don't know why the Queen Mother of the West brought Houtu here, Nan Ji has truly put his heart into this."
Over the years, although the Three Pure Ones had been cultivating and recovering, they still occasionally "peeped" at Nan Ji's movements with their divine senses.
It was out of concern, and also out of supervision.
"This child is so unambitious. I'll educate him properly once I emerge from seclusion."
Initially, Yuanshi was very angry when he saw this.
Laozi agreed with his younger brother Yuanshi's view, adding, "Indeed! Nan Ji is already the chief disciple of us Three Pure Ones. Although his talent is mediocre, his cultivation must not be neglected."
Tongtian, however, shrunk his neck and didn't dare to say anything.
He really wanted to tell them that this suffocating feeling was too intense, but his survival instinct only allowed him to think it in his heart.
But with each "peep" from the Three Pure Ones, they discovered Nan Ji building palaces day and night without rest.
Sometimes the sky was clear, sometimes it was filled with stars.
Nan Ji meticulously built the palaces, which caused a subtle shift in the hearts of the Three Pure Ones.
"Nan Ji, as expected of the chief disciple of us Three Pure Ones, his mindset and perseverance are truly extraordinary," Laozi commented.
Looking at the palaces gradually taking shape, especially when he saw the three main halls in the center, Yuanshi knew that his disciple had built them for his three brothers.
He was deeply moved, but still stubbornly said, "Hmph! To neglect rest and recreation like this. Big Brother and Third Brother, don't worry, I will definitely teach him a good lesson when I emerge from seclusion."
Tongtian, however, was not as diligent in his cultivation as Laozi and Yuanshi, so he had more time to "peep."
Seeing that besides the three main halls, there were also smaller side halls half the size next to them, he knew that Nan Ji had reserved them for himself.
Afterward, Nan Ji repaired the mountain roads and gates along Xuanqing Peak, and also built many staggered pavilions and towers within the mountain.
When Tongtian mentioned this to Laozi and Yuanshi, they both thought these were built by Nan Ji for his junior disciples.
Therefore, Tongtian subconsciously said, "I still want to take in more disciples after I come out of seclusion, so as not to let down Nan Ji's kind intentions."
This, however, drew a lecture from Yuanshi.
Later, when Niu Niu, who was also the Queen Mother of the West, another resident of Kunlun Mountain, appeared, the Three Pure Ones were all startled awake.
But then, the Three Pure Ones received a telepathic message from the Queen Mother of the West.
"Senior Brother Yuanshi has taken a good disciple; this construction is truly rare."
"This Palace comes unannounced, I hope the three Senior Brothers will forgive me."
"Please allow this Palace to stay for a few more days, three Senior Brothers."
Although the Three Pure Ones and the Queen Mother of the West did not interact much usually, they had the connection of listening to the Dao in Purple霄 Palace with her.
Moreover, the Queen Mother of the West was now entrusted by the Dao Ancestor with the responsibility of leading the female immortals of the Great Desolation, so naturally, they had to give her face.
Laozi had no choice but to agree and explained, "We are currently cultivating and it is not suitable for us to leave seclusion. Junior Sister, please make yourself at home."
"It's fine, I'll find some fun myself."
Then, the absurd thing happened: Nan Ji was completely oblivious.
In the middle of it all, Yuanshi, who valued etiquette the most, couldn't stand it anymore and transmitted his voice to the Queen Mother of the West, "Junior Sister..."
"Stop bothering me, I'm having fun!" the Queen Mother of the West replied impatiently.
Yuanshi was so angry that he didn't speak for several days.
Who would have thought that what followed would become even more absurd?
Now, the Queen Mother of the West had even brought Houtu along.
But the Three Pure Ones really couldn't bring themselves to drive the two women away.
Would they thus lose face for the Dao Ancestor, who had established the Queen Mother of the West as the head of the female immortals?
Or would they allow the Queen Mother of the West to obstruct Houtu, a descendant of Pangu like themselves, on Xuanqing Peak?
Meanwhile, Nan Ji was still unaware and continued to ask the little girl in front of him, "So, do you have a name?"
"No, big brother. Can you give me one?"
Nan Ji listened and stroked his chin, only to realize he didn't have a beard.
The mere thought of naming her made him feel uncomfortable, but seeing the little girl's skirt fluttering in the wind, dancing like a flower, an idea suddenly struck him.
"How about... I call you Duo Duo?"
"I like this name! Hehehehe!"
Houtu wholeheartedly agreed with the name, feeling it sounded gentle and cute.
However, this scene, especially Houtu's laughter, still felt jarring to Nan Ji's ears.
"Uh... how about we change it?" Nan Ji asked tentatively.
"No, this one! It feels so right!"
Not only did Duo Duo disagree, but she also took out a huge peach from her person and held it with both hands, saying to Nan Ji, "Big brother, here! This is a gift from Duo Duo!"
Nan Ji grinned when he heard this.
He thought to himself: This little girl is quite sensible!
Nan Ji took the peach. It was as large as two adult palms.
"This peach!"
As Nan Ji carefully examined the peach, he discovered it contained Daoist principles, and its skin had dark purple-gold patterns.
This peach was too beautiful!
"Eat it quickly!"
Houtu, who was Duo Duo, urged him on.
Nan Ji swallowed his saliva. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and loudly said to Niu Niu beside him, "Same old rules! Let's get started!"
"Okay, okay!"
Duo Duo hopped to a spot and, with practiced ease, took out treasures one by one.
A barbecue grill...
A bottle of seasoning...
Small wooden skewers...
It turned out that even though Nan Ji had the cultivation of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, he couldn't give up his worldly desires during these eighty years.
It was precisely because of this that Niu Niu had stayed behind then and came to find Nan Ji every few days.
Presumably, Houtu had heard about this from the Queen Mother of the West long ago, so she also said, "Big brother, I'll help too!"
As the three busied themselves, the meat skewered on the small wooden skewers sent wisps of smoke into the air over the flames, and a rich aroma spread out.
Nan Ji took out a small jade plate and cut the immortal peach and other spiritual fruits into small pieces, placing them among the three of them.
"This is called a fruit platter!" Nan Ji said as he took out two forks and distributed them to the other two.
Before long, the aroma drifted to Kirin Cliff.
"Rebellious disciple!"
Yuanshi suddenly cursed, but he no longer transmitted his voice to the Queen Mother of the West.
He didn't want to be snubbed again and lose face for nothing.
Laozi watched and sighed, "Alas, what a waste! How can a Ren Water Immortal Peach be used like this!"
Tongtian cautiously glanced at the two of them. The words "I want to eat too" ultimately didn't dare to be spoken.
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