"I have no objection to teaching you my arts."
Hong Yuan looked at Granny Meng, his voice calm. "But you have only just joined my Myriad Calamities Path and have yet to render the slightest service. Why should you receive my methods?"
"How can you say I haven't rendered any service?" Granny Meng sat down opposite Hong Yuan, propping her chin in her hands as her dark eyes gazed intently at him.
"Rebirth Ferry contributed a great deal this time, and this little woman personally took action to capture the Yinshan Cult Master and the Death-Crossing Venerable. Doesn't that count as getting things done?"
Hong Yuan nodded. "It does! But it isn't enough. Even without your help, the Yinshan Cult Master and the Death-Crossing Venerable could never have escaped my grasp."
Granny Meng blinked. "But without Rebirth Ferry's help, the Tiger-Subduing Sect's disciples might not have escaped unharmed."
Hong Yuan smiled. "I remember you saying something along the lines of 'Rebirth Ferry is Rebirth Ferry, and I am myself'..."
Granny Meng chided him softly. "Surely there's no need to draw such a sharp distinction now?"
"Now is precisely when we should keep public and private matters separate." Hong Yuan casually set the wine flask aside, looking perfectly at ease. "If you truly wish to learn, it's simple enough. I happen to owe you a favor."
Granny Meng fell silent.
She studied Hong Yuan for a while, then suddenly gave a sly smile and a soft snort. "So that's what you're after, Dao Lord. But don't think you can repay your debt to me so easily. I'm not falling for that."
She reached out with a slender hand, took the flask, and gently swirled the wine inside. "I realized long ago that you don't actually attach much importance to your methods