"Oh, oh, oh..." He Pingsheng had no idea why Qiao Huizhu wore that expression, so he could only nod. "Then I won't ask!"
Such matters did nothing for his cultivation. He might as well leave them alone.
"Now, here's the problem!"
Qiao Huizhu sat on the stone stool and leaned forward, bringing her face closer to He Pingsheng's.
Then she said softly, "You killed my Dao Companion, and now I have no one to marry!"
"Shouldn't you give me another one to make up for it?"
He Pingsheng jumped as though something had bitten his tail. "I... how am I supposed to do that?"
"He's already dead. How can I give you another one?"
"Does Xiao Bufan have a younger brother?"
Qiao Huizhu's face darkened again in an instant.
She said nothing, simply staring at He Pingsheng for a full dozen or so breaths before saying, "Junior Brother He, you don't look all that stupid to me."
"Can't you even understand what I mean?"
He Pingsheng had calmed down by then. Looking at Qiao Huizhu, he ventured, "You mean... give myself to you as compensation?"
"Pfft..." Qiao Huizhu burst out laughing. "Finally figured it out?"
He Pingsheng's face flushed crimson. "Well... well... wouldn't that be terribly unfair to you, Senior Sister?"
"Don't say that!" Qiao Huizhu said. "Still, it won't be quite so easy for us to become Dao Companions!"
"The ancestor of our Heavenly Talisman Mountain said he respects my choice!"
"But he has one condition for anyone who wants to become my Dao Companion!"
He Pingsheng asked, "What condition?"
Qiao Huizhu said, "The ancestor said we can only formally become Dao Companions once you reach the Golden Core Stage!"
"Huh?" He Pingsheng's mouth fell open. The Golden Core Stage?
Even with a heaven-defying treasure like the Treasure-Gathering Basin,