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Venerable Hanshan said, "Xuanji's obsessive heart might actually save him. Your Luopo Chan Sect need not do anything more. Let Xuanji spend time with him; perhaps this will be a turning point."

Lecturer Hong paused in surprise, then agreed.

After returning, Chi Yu studied the Bright Pearl. It looked like an ordinary pearl, with nothing special about it.

But when Xiaoqiu came in and saw it, he said, "His Highness has one of these luminous pearls too."

Chi Yu scrambled up. "Hmm? His Highness has one too? Then do you know what this is?"

Xiaoqiu said, "I heard it's the Righteous Object for a future Buddha-son."

He paused, then asked with wide-eyed astonishment, "Are you going to become a Buddha-son too, big brother?"

Chi Yu said, "Huh??"

Startled, his first instinct was to find Lecturer Hong, but he quickly calmed down and rejected the idea. "Impossible. Venerable Hanshan said there was no price for taking it. Once I took it, that was that."

Xiaoqiu scratched his head. "Then I don't know. Or I could ask His Highness for you."

Chi Yu stopped him. "No need to ask. It's fine."

He was not about to suspect anything on that front. They had already said it outright; could they still play some trick? That would be seriously underestimating the Buddhist sects of the cultivation world.

In every novel about the Cultivation World Chi Yu had read, the Buddhist sects were peaceful, with very little infighting. They would only emerge when a world-ending catastrophe struck, and they were always firmly on the righteous side.

That was why Chi Yu had such a favorable impression of Buddhist sects. Otherwise, he would not have been tempted to stay here and cultivate.

Cultivating here really was comfortable. His Long Aotian constitution had not attracted any minor cannon fodder to provoke him, and everyone was friendly.

Since Venerable Hanshan had told him to keep it, he would. As for filling it...? He would have to ask the Crown Prince what to fill it with.

No sooner said than done, Chi Yu quickly got up and went to find the Crown Prince.

It was only his second visit to the palace, but Chi Yu acted as though he had returned to his own home. Seeing that the main hall was dark, he took a lamp from his Sumeru Ring and replaced the wick. The darkness soon dispersed, leaving the entire hall as bright as day.

Chi Yu reached Xie Xiyi's door, knocked softly, and called, "Senior brother?"

Xie Xiyi soon opened the door. "What is it?"

Chi Yu took the Bright Pearl from his Sumeru Ring. "Senior brother, I wanted to ask how to fill this Bright Pearl."

Xie Xiyi's golden eyes flickered, and the corners of his lips lifted in a faint smile. "How come you have one too?"

Chi Yu gave him an amused look. "Don't get any ideas, senior brother. I'm not a Buddha-son. Venerable Hanshan gave this to me and said it could help me fulfill my wish."

Xie Xiyi said, "This is the Righteous Object for a future Buddha-son."

Chi Yu said, "I know, but Venerable Hanshan gave it to me. I asked what I needed to pay, and he said nothing. I suppose he has lots of pearls and gave me one because we had an affinity. It has nothing to do with being a Buddha-son."

"..." Xie Xiyi's voice dropped lazily. "I don't know about this thing either."

Chi Yu was rather doubtful. "Aren't you a future Buddha-son? How could you not know? Don't keep it to yourself, senior brother. There's no need for that between us."

As he spoke, he reached out and gave Xie Xiyi a friendly nudge with his elbow.

With his Golden Core Realm cultivation, Xie Xiyi was hardly going to be shaken by an elbow nudge. He simply found it baffling again. He had only exchanged a few extra words with him. When had they become so close that he could touch him at will?

Forget it, forget it. I won't hold it against him.

Xie Xiyi said expressionlessly, "I don't know. Ask again, and I still won't know."

With that, he moved to close the door.

Chi Yu hurriedly stuck his foot into the gap. "Wait, senior brother. I'm already here. Aren't you going to invite me in for a bit?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Aren't you cultivating?"

Chi Yu said, "No. Let's chat."

Xie Xiyi thought for a moment, then opened the door and let him in.

After entering, Chi Yu discovered that Xie Xiyi's inner chamber was pitch-black too. Although he knew Golden Core Realm cultivators did not rely solely on their eyes to see, out of habit, he still fetched a lamp and lit the lamps in the inner chamber as well.

Candlelight flickered in the room, and Chi Yu could see Xie Xiyi's expression clearly now.

Chi Yu sweetly complimented him. "Honestly, senior brother, you're the most handsome man I've ever seen."

Xie Xiyi said, "Handsome? What does that mean?"

Chi Yu said, "Regal bearing, striking looks, fine as gold and jade-a graceful gentleman."

Xie Xiyi said, "To cultivators, these are all superficial things."

Despite saying that, the corners of his lips lifted, and he made no effort to hide it from Chi Yu.

Chi Yu understood then. The Crown Prince did enjoy hearing flattering words after all.

That was only human nature.

Chi Yu laughed inwardly. His gaze strayed to the guqin on Xie Xiyi's table, and he asked, "Since you know music, senior brother, why not play a piece and broaden my horizons?"

Xie Xiyi said, "The person who can make me play has yet to be born. You're no exception."

Chi Yu paused. Those words sounded rather familiar, like... something the villain would say.

His heart suddenly lurched, but the moment the thought arose, he rejected it. How could that be possible?

Although Chi Yu kept finding familiar things about the Crown Prince-for example, his voice was just as clear and cool as a mountain spring, its timbre exceptionally pure.

His bearing, for another.

And then there was what he had just said. Neither of them liked being ordered or asked to do things.

But none of that was possible. This was five hundred years ago, before the villain had even been born. Besides, both were in the Golden Core Realm. Everyone knew that once cultivators reached the Golden Core Realm, their bones and height were fixed. Only upon reaching Nascent Soul would reshaping become possible.

If the Crown Prince were the villain, there was no way he would still have Golden Core Realm cultivation after the intervening five hundred years.

Ah, he was overthinking it.

There were indeed no identical leaves in this world, but there were plenty that looked eighty or ninety percent alike. After all, the Great Thousand World held every kind of wonder.

He could not keep thinking other people resembled the villain just because the villain was always on his mind.

After talking himself through it, Chi Yu felt at peace again. Smiling, he said to the Crown Prince, "Senior brother, please. I want to hear you play. I want to hear what music from a mortal royal family is like. Let me experience it. I'll give you five hundred middle-grade spirit stones."

Xie Xiyi laughed. "Pay me, and that makes me a hired entertainer. What a clever little scheme."

Chi Yu denied it. "...That's not what I meant. You're reading too much into it, senior brother."

Although Xie Xiyi had little interest, being begged did stir him a little.

He sat down and placed both hands on the guqin, which had yet to be fully repaired. His well-defined fingers gently plucked the strings, and lilting music soon rang out.

It was like seeing a bright moon emerge from the clouds, shadows of trees swaying in a forest, a gentle breeze approaching, and the stillness of all sounds falling silent. A peaceful joy rose from the depths of the heart.

Then, as the melody changed, it was as though a sudden gale had risen from flat ground, metal and stone clashing, wind and rain impending.

The music grew ever more urgent. Cold flashes of blades and swords flitted through his consciousness, bringing an intense aura of slaughter.

Chi Yu's eyes flew open, and he clutched his chest, gasping for breath.

The music stopped abruptly. Xie Xiyi said thoughtfully, "Your Foundation Establishment cultivation seems fake."

Chi Yu accused him, "You scared me on purpose."

Xie Xiyi corrected him. "Not on purpose. You're just too weak."

Somewhat baffled, he said, "You're very weak. Your divine sense is very weak, like that of someone at the Qi Refining Stage. How did you get this cultivation?"

His golden eyes narrowed slightly as he stared sharply at him. "Whatever cultivation method you use, once you cultivate, you inevitably grow stronger from the inside out. You have Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet your divine sense is very weak. This was only an ordinary piece, but you couldn't withstand it. How strange."

Chi Yu said calmly, "An imbalance in my strengths, perhaps. Aren't you the same? You have excellent natural talent, but you also have a defiant demon heart and an obsessive heart."

This was no secret, and Xie Xiyi was not surprised that he knew. His expression remained impassive. "Those are two different things. With your divine sense this weak, anyone could strangle you to death with theirs. It's your fatal weakness. You should thank me. A casually played tune exposed your weakness."

"Oh." Chi Yu scratched his head and smiled. "In that case, I should thank you."

He leaned over and slung an arm around Xie Xiyi's shoulders like a close friend. "Then, senior brother, do you have any cultivation methods for training divine sense?"

Xie Xiyi: "..."

He was utterly astounded. How could anyone be this shameless?

Asking him for a Foundation Establishment cultivation method was one thing, but he actually dared to ask him for a method to train divine sense too?

The corners of Xie Xiyi's lips curled slightly as he mocked, "Do you only know how to hold out one hand and ask others for things?"

Chi Yu thought for a moment, then held out both hands to Xie Xiyi. "Please, senior brother. If you have a method for training divine sense, give it to me. I'll look after you in your old age."

Xie Xiyi laughed. "I'm only two years older than you, and you'll look after me in my old age?"

Chi Yu laughed too. "I'm joking. We're friends, and friends are there to be troubled, aren't they? We help each other. Maybe I'll be able to help you someday too."

Xie Xiyi said flatly, "Then being your friend really is a losing deal."

Chi Yu said, "How could it be? Do you know who I am? I'm Long Aotian. That name is my guarantee-solid, guaranteed."

Xie Xiyi said nothing. Chi Yu pressed his palms together and pleaded, "Senior brother, please! Help me."

With a cold expression, Xie Xiyi took out a cultivation manual. "Get out right now."

Chi Yu said, "Oh! Thank you, senior brother!"

He picked up the manual, promptly turned, and left.

He had only just closed the door when he came back in. "By the way, senior brother, I took a look, but I didn't really understand it. Explain it to me."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

He found himself utterly baffling-

Why had I paid him any attention in the first place?

A few more days passed, and Zhiguan came to see him.

Chi Yu invited Zhiguan to stay for a meal. Zhiguan gestured, but Chi Yu did not understand and asked, "What do you want to say? Can you write it down?"