Chapter 42

Still, judging by his shallow understanding of the villain, the man had a nasty sense of humor and a rotten streak. He might simply have been trying to scare him-that was actually quite likely.

So he would put that aside for now.

Let the mind arise without dwelling on anything. Go with the flow!!

Xie Xiyi once again found it inconceivable that Chi Yu had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. For someone this lazy to establish his foundation at seventeen was highly unusual. He warned Chi Yu, "If anyone asks how long you cultivate each day, always say sixteen to eighteen hours. Never say three hours again."

Chi Yu instinctively asked, "Why?"

"Why? Can't you see?" Xie Xiyi gave him a faint smile, indulging his taste for scaring people. "You only cultivate three hours a day, yet you reached the Foundation Establishment Stage at seventeen. That suggests you used vast quantities of natural treasures to flood your body and force your growth. Someone with malicious intentions could easily cut you apart and refine you into pills to absorb the medicinal power remaining in your flesh and blood."

Finally seeing his expression shift, Xie Xiyi's golden eyes gleamed, pleasure flowing through them like honey. "Take the cultivator living behind your quarters. He looks free of worldly desires, calm and restrained, but inside, he's more obsessed with cultivating and advancing than anyone. Be careful. Don't let him discover that your spiritual roots are ordinary and you spend so little time cultivating, or one day he might cut you apart to refine pills."

Chi Yu's heart pounded wildly. "Surely not. That sort of thing doesn't happen. I've never even heard of it."

"Not hearing of it doesn't mean it doesn't happen," Xie Xiyi said mildly. "There's no shortage of filthy business among cultivators. Believe me or not, as you please."

Xie Xiyi had successfully frightened Chi Yu, but he soon calmed down again. "You sound just like those aunties in the mortal world who tell children their parents don't want them anymore. Shouldn't you worry about yourself instead of me? You're an unrivaled genius who reached Golden Core before twenty. Rather than grabbing me to refine into human pills, they'd be better off grabbing you."

Xie Xiyi paused, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. "That makes sense," he said thoughtfully.

Chi Yu: "..."

That makes sense? Was he really thinking along those lines?

A chill ran through Chi Yu. Nothing like that had ever appeared in Divine Path. Even when demonic cultivators slaughtered cities, nine times out of ten it was to refine Blood Prison Pills. Those things were treasures used for cultivation, not something to swallow.

Xie Xiyi glanced at him, took a copy of the Breath-Concealment Method from his Sleeve Dimension, and tossed it to Chi Yu. "This technique can conceal the traces of your breathing exercises. You should always guard against others. Don't casually tell people about your spiritual roots or how long you cultivate."

Chi Yu was a little surprised. "I hadn't even asked you for it-"

Before he could finish, Xie Xiyi took the technique manual back. "Now it's gone."

Chi Yu: "!!"

My generous patron! Nooo!

Chi Yu slung an arm around his shoulders. "Senior Brother Xuanji, give it to me, please, please? I'm begging you. I knew you treated me best. It's incredible-we're just like Boya and Ziqi, finding a kindred spirit through music, a perfectly matched pair of best friends."

Xie Xiyi frowned slightly and flung the manual out as though he could not bear it anymore. "Enough. Shut up. Stop saying such sickening things."

Chi Yu knew then that this approach worked on him and could not help laughing inwardly. The Crown Prince was actually very easy to understand.

He took the manual and casually flipped through it. Finding this one much simpler and comprehensible, he promptly thanked him.

He had milked quite a lot out of the Crown Prince by now. He could not keep doing it. He still had not decided what to give him in return, which was a real headache.

After returning, he remembered that he still had his system panel and tentatively wished for the guitar he had at home. Once he had made his wish, he pummeled the system, once again beating the panel until it flickered with static.

Chi Yu was not worried about breaking it. The system was like an old television: give it a few knocks and it would work.jpg

After beating it, he waited a while, and the system finally spat something out. This time, it produced a newly bought, unopened pack of pure cotton underwear.

Chi Yu: "..."

Seriously, what use are you!!!!

Even unopened, he could not give that as a gift! The Crown Prince was nearly twice his size. Even if he gave it to him, it would not fit!

Useless system!

With no other option, Chi Yu put on the new underwear himself. He stopped fiddling with that lousy system and went to the market, where he found a spirit-treasure guqin to give the Crown Prince in return.

He did not deliver it himself, either, but sent Xiaoqiu with it.

Xiaoqiu wanted to say there was no point, that His Highness would not accept it, but swallowed the words. If His Highness did accept it, that battered old guqin could be retired at once. Perhaps that would be a good thing.

So he excitedly carried the guqin to Xie Xiyi and spoke before he could open his mouth. "Aotian-ge sent you this guqin. It's even a mid-grade spirit treasure. It must have cost quite a bit."

Xie Xiyi reached out and plucked the strings a few times. Although he used no spiritual power, the sound waves still turned into sharp blades and shot out, cutting a deep gouge into a pillar of the great hall.

Xiaoqiu exclaimed with unsophisticated wonder, "That's good stuff! Your Highness, if you don't want it, give it to me. I don't have an offensive magical artifact yet."

"Do you understand music?" Xie Xiyi asked.

Xiaoqiu faltered and said sheepishly, "I've learned a little."

"Then don't make a fool of yourself," Xie Xiyi said.

Although he thought little of the guqin, he accepted it anyway.

Even if he did not want it, he could not pass it on to Xiaoqiu.

He took out several Top-Grade Spirit Stones and tossed them to him. "Buy one if you like it. Have I ever left you wanting for anything?"

Xiaoqiu caught them swiftly and grinned. "It's different. It means something when Aotian-ge gives it to you."

Xie Xiyi glanced at him with his golden eyes. He wanted to scold him, but swallowed the words and merely said, "Bootlicker."

Xiaoqiu smiled goofily. "Whatever you say, Your Highness. But you've been pretty close to Aotian-ge yourself lately."

"Do you have nothing to do?" Xie Xiyi said flatly. "Get out."

Xiaoqiu: "Oh-"

He was lashing out from embarrassment.

A few days later, Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi submitted their team application and received a Jade Token. The two of them were assigned to Group D.

Chi Yu asked Xie Xiyi, "Xiaoqiu didn't even enter the Mind-Certifying Terrace. How can he join a team?"

"That doesn't matter," Xie Xiyi replied mildly.

Chi Yu understood. They were allowed to bring in outside help.

As expected, Zhiguan teamed up with Suoluo and Qiye. Those two had also brought in outside help from the Golden Core Realm.

Suoluo and Qiye had a heavy workload and had yet to find anything that could replace adamantine. Chi Yu did not mind. Instead, he asked for the two finished Jade Tokens, gave one to Senior Brother Xuanji, and demonstrated how to use it-

"There's a chatroom in here that can store a month's worth of messages. Whenever I have questions about cultivation, I can ask you, Senior Brother Xuanji!"

Xie Xiyi smiled, a trace of mockery returning to his voice. "If you're sincere, why not simply take me as your master? Naturally, I would spare no effort in teaching you."

Although they both studied at the Chan Sect, they were not fellow disciples of the same lineage. What obligation did he have to teach him?

Chi Yu smiled too. "There's no need to take you as my master. An elder brother is like a father. If you don't mind, I can call you Dad."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

He was so stunned that he nearly lost his elegant composure. "What did you say?"

Chi Yu said quite casually, "I said, if you don't mind, I can call you Dad. Dad-"

Xie Xiyi reached out and covered Chi Yu's mouth, his golden eyes blazing with an intimidating light. "Have you gone mad?" he said quietly. "How could I have a son your age? Say any more nonsense, and you can forget about keeping that mouth."

Chi Yu laughed, finding it surprisingly entertaining to tease the Crown Prince. Didn't the Crown Prince enjoy teasing and frightening him too? This time, he had given him a fright. The tables had turned.

Only after making sure he would say no more nonsense did Xie Xiyi release him and accept the Jade Token. "I'll take this. You can get lost now."

Chi Yu exhaled and sniffed. The lingering fragrance from his hand was delicate and rich; even after he withdrew it, the air was full of its clean scent. Chi Yu could not help asking, "Senior Brother Xuanji, what fragrance do you use? You smell really nice."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

"Get out!" Xie Xiyi said expressionlessly.

Chi Yu studied his expression but could make nothing of it, so he could only say, "All right, I'm going."

At the door, he turned back, his smile growing a little sly. "Senior Brother Xuanji, don't tell me that's your natural scent?"

With a bang, a tea cake came flying at him. Chi Yu dodged backward, and the tea cake struck the vermilion hall doors before dropping to the floor and rolling in a circle. Chi Yu bent down, picked it up, and brushed off the dust. "This tea cake is dirty now. You definitely won't drink it, Senior Brother Xuanji, so I'll take it to drink myself. Thank you, Senior Brother."

Without waiting for Xie Xiyi's reaction, he turned and swiftly slipped away.

Xie Xiyi: "..."

Once again, he wondered-how had he ended up associating with this vulgar dragon?

Just why was that?

Qingxuan came to visit Chi Yu again.

Originally, Chi Yu had had no particular thoughts about Senior Brother Qingxuan, but the Crown Prince was right: one should always guard against others.

The reason he had viewed the Crown Prince differently from the start was that he was the Buddha-son who would defect in the future, and he also had a young boy with him.

Again, the fact that he could travel with a child, and that the child showed no fear or dread toward him, said a great deal. At the very least, he certainly was not a bad person.

That was why Chi Yu felt so relaxed around the Crown Prince.

Although Chi Yu greeted everyone with a smile, beneath that boundless friendliness lay a faint sense of distance.

That was his way of dealing with the world. Smile at everyone, and at least he would not attract hostility for no reason.

Thus, when Qingxuan arrived, although he was a little wary inwardly, he still greeted him with a smile.

He brewed tea for Qingxuan and asked, "Senior Brother Qingxuan, who did you team up with for the Hongbao Trial?"

"My senior brother," Qingxuan said. "He's at the Bitter Truth Chan Abode. The Luopo Chan Sect never said we couldn't team up across abodes."