Words out, Yu Ci immediately finished the fine wine in his cup, using the action to break her lingering gaze.
It was not that he deliberately acted presumptuously, but facing two peerless heroines who yielded nothing to men, if he remained too stiff, he would simply invite ridicule. Another reason was that he truly could not chime in on such topics, so shifting the focus this way was better than continuing the awkwardness.
Even so, he still caught a look, half-mocking and half-amused, from Luo Yuniang, who stood in attendance behind Xue Pingzhi's seat.
Fortunately, once the cup was finished and the conversation restarted, Madam Hua smoothly built upon the flow, smiling, "If outward appearance delights me, I need no external approval; that is true freedom. In the profound gate's cultivation, freedom is paramount. The Primordial Sovereign and I perhaps approach the Dao."
Madam Hua's words still carried a teasing undertone, yet Xue Pingzhi revealed a true, profound melancholy through her calm demeanor:
"In the present world, who can truly be free?"
With that, she raised her cup in a toast to Yu Ci, and continued, "Your esteemed sect's 'Latter Sage' is already the sixth divine lord between heaven and earth. I wonder how he interprets the meaning of 'freedom'?"
For a moment, Yu Ci did not know how to respond. Heaven knew where he was supposed to conjure up the truth of the "Latter Sage"!
In the end, he simply brushed it aside with other words, continuing with a bitter smile, "Do those who love fame in this world always go to such lengths? As a member of the Upper Clarity, I have never known what the 'Latter Sage' is, and as for some 'Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu', it is even more inexplicable. Yet all along the journey, I have