The Black-Clad Woman thought it over for a long while and decided to take things one step at a time. After all, on this Garbage Planet so starved of spiritual energy, there were no spacecraft capable of interstellar travel. Even if she brought Liu Xing under her control, she still could not leave.
She could only wait until her two Nascent Soul Realm grandmasters recovered from their injuries, see whether they could find this place, and then work out a way to leave. Until then, all she needed to do was heal her injuries as best she could.
For now, the one she truly needed to worry about was Liu Xing.
After entering Liu Xing's body, the Spirit-Devouring Beast needed a vast supply of spiritual energy to survive. But Liu Xing was a useless lump incapable of cultivation, and the spiritual energy on this planet was pitifully thin. Heaven knew how long the Spirit-Devouring Beast could survive inside him.
If they could leave this Garbage Planet, the Heavenly Demon Sect's many secret arts would naturally offer plenty of ways to feed spiritual energy to the Spirit-Devouring Beast inside Liu Xing. Here, however, even the cleverest cook could not make a meal without rice.
The Black-Clad Woman vaguely sensed that there had to be something special about Liu Xing's constitution; otherwise, the Spirit-Devouring Beast could never have burrowed into his body. Yet she had never heard of such an unusual constitution and had no idea whether it was good or bad for the beast. Could it sustain the beast until they left this Garbage Planet?
In truth, the Black-Clad Woman's worries were entirely unnecessary, for she had no idea that Liu Xing carried a piece of fire vein spirit jade close to his body. The spiritual energy contained in that piece alone would be enough for the Spirit-Devouring Beast to absorb for a good six months to a year.
Naturally, the Black-Clad Woman then questioned him as thoroughly as she could about everything concerning him. Liu Xing looked utterly guileless and ignorant of worldly affairs, answering almost every question she asked. Shrewd as she was, she never noticed that beneath his honest exterior, he harbored an ulterior motive.
Liu Xing seemed to give an honest account of everything, but in reality, he concealed several crucial details, preventing the Black-Clad Woman from getting to the bottom of who he truly was.
Conversely, Liu Xing gleaned plenty of useful information from their conversation, deepening his understanding of the outside world.
When the old man was still alive, he had known that his days were numbered and had taught Liu Xing everything he possibly could. As a result, Liu Xing had been forced to memorize a great deal of knowledge without understanding what it meant.
Meeting the Black-Clad Woman was like having a window opened through which Liu Xing could learn about the outside world. She could explain many terms and things he had never understood before, and he could then compare those explanations with the knowledge the old man had left him. He benefited immensely.
The Black-Clad Woman was exceptionally intelligent. The more she spoke with Liu Xing, the more she realized that this apparent country bumpkin was actually a clever fellow who could infer three things from learning one.
Although he looked thoroughly rustic and often struggled to put his meaning into words, that was merely because he had so little contact with the outside world. As their conversation continued, he increasingly displayed an outstanding ability to absorb new things, and his understanding of the outside world advanced at a remarkable pace.
The Black-Clad Woman believed their conversation had allowed her to uncover everything about Liu Xing, unaware that he had gained even more from her.
Of course, each had their own agenda, so neither could possibly lay all their secrets on the table. As for who had gained an advantage from whom, that was truly difficult to say.
Finally, wanting to waste no time healing, the Black-Clad Woman apologized to Liu Xing, explaining that she would probably need to occupy his cultivation abode for quite a while.
Liu Xing gave a generous smile and said, "Calling this a cultivation abode is quite an exaggeration. It's just a cave where I shelter. Use it as much as you like, beautiful. I'm sturdy enough to fall asleep anywhere, even out in the wild. And you can rest assured that no large predators around here will come bothering you..."
At that, Liu Xing grinned, showing eight gleaming white front teeth, and declared with a heroic air that seemed to reach the clouds, "...because all those big fellows have ended up in my belly!"
Hearing this, the Black-Clad Woman could not help covering her mouth and laughing. For that moment, her beauty was without equal.
Liu Xing addressed the Black-Clad Woman as "beautiful" whenever he spoke to her, but according to him, he was not being a smooth talker. He simply said whatever was in his heart.
The Black-Clad Woman possessed peerless beauty and had heard countless compliments since childhood, yet she felt Liu Xing's words were the most sincere. After all, living alone on this Garbage Planet, Liu Xing was like a blank sheet of paper, untouched by the deceit and intrigue of people outside. Coupled with her confidence in her own looks, she naturally believed he spoke from the heart.
Amid the Black-Clad Woman's laughter, Liu Xing walked out of the cave. His face still wore that honest, utterly clueless expression, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Old man, you really didn't lie to me. This world truly is boundless, with cultivators everywhere. By comparison, my strength is utterly insignificant. Take the beauty in the cave-even badly wounded, her abilities are so far beyond mine that I can't even glimpse the back of her neck.
I refuse to be weak, but if I want to become strong, leaving Connors Star is something I must do. My lovely beauty, your arrival should give me that chance, shouldn't it?
This beauty calls herself Lu Xuanqing. Never mind whether that name is real or false-she hasn't even told me clearly where she comes from. The funny thing is, she actually tried to draw your origins out of me, old man.
Old man, you never told me where you came from. How could she possibly get that answer out of me?
Old man, don't laugh at me. I'm definitely not blinded by beauty or indulging in my own fantasies, but I can feel that she's very interested in me. I wonder if this is what they call love at first sight?
Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head, because I'm also very curious whether she's interested in me or in the Spirit-Devouring Beast.
Whatever the case, spending time with other people is so interesting. I truly long to go out into the wider world!
At that thought, Liu Xing looked up at the night sky, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened...
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