Fang Yi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're nobody special to me, so why should I tell you?"
"If you didn't know, that just means you couldn't force me to show my true strength before."
Ling Qingzhu's brows rose involuntarily. For some reason, hearing Fang Yi say, "You're nobody special to me," left her feeling uncomfortable.
When she suddenly realized it, she was startled. It seemed something really had gone wrong with her cultivation of the Supreme Induction Art.
She was pure of heart and free of desire. How could a single remark from Fang Yi stir her emotions?
"All right..."
For some reason, Ling Qingzhu's tone grew a little subdued.
Fang Yi seemed not to notice Ling Qingzhu's gloomy mood. He rose and said, "Now that you've broken through to the Nirvana Realm, shouldn't you return to the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace? There aren't many resources out here for you to cultivate with."
"Have a cup of tea and clear your head."
Fang Yi poured Ling Qingzhu a cup of tea, then raised his own cup in a gesture. Ling Qingzhu narrowed her beautiful eyes. He was seeing her out.
Even if she was above worldly affairs, she knew what that meant.
What exactly did this fellow mean? He had used the Nirvana Heart to lure her here and left a Five Emperor Great Demon Seal on her lower back.
And after letting her break through, he was sending her straight away?
This was nothing like the warmth Fang Yi had shown her before, but Ling Qingzhu naturally wasn't one to cling to him either. She snorted. "If you have something to say, say it directly. Have tea?! If you want me gone, just say so!"
Ling Qingzhu picked up the tea and lifted her veil, revealing her breathtaking face. She poured the tea fiercely past her red lips.
She looked as though she were treating the tea as Fang Yi himself. Then she put down the cup.
She was about to leave, but suddenly stopped. Without turning around, she asked, a little apprehension in her voice, "For next year's sect exchange, will you come to the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace?"
"We'll see. You could suggest to the Palace Master of Taiqing Palace that you come to the Dao Sect."
Fang Yi gave her an equivocal answer.
Ling Qingzhu said nothing more. She mounted the Azure Sky Lotus and vanished into the sky as a streak of azure light.
Fang Yi wasn't annoyed either. He chuckled, took a sip of tea, and considered his next objective.
"Young sect master, why didn't you agree to Young Palace Master Ling's request? I get the feeling she rather hoped you would."
Gu Mo appeared silently behind Fang Yi, looking somewhat puzzled. Fang Yi raised an eyebrow. "Martial Uncle Mo, you're that nosy too?"
"Uh, I was only asking. If you don't want to say, then forget it."
Gu Mo thought Fang Yi had lost interest in Ling Qingzhu.
After all, everyone in the Dao Sect knew Fang Yi had sought Ling Qingzhu's hand in marriage.
He had heard that Ying Huanhuan had gone on about it for a long time and had even started avoiding Fang Yi somewhat.
As for Ying Xiaoxiao, that girl had been fairly normal, though he had heard she was spending much longer at the Pill River.
Now that Ling Qingzhu seemed to have changed a little, why had the young sect master gone cold? Fang Yi set down his teacup and smiled. "It's no secret."
"With a woman like Ling Qingzhu, being too warm only has the opposite effect. I was warm to her before just to leave an impression. All the things I did were only to make her accustomed to it..."
"But habit is a frightening thing, especially for someone like Ling Qingzhu. Now that I'm a little cold to her, her thoughts will run wild instead..."
Fang Yi tapped the table and chuckled. "I want more than Ling Qingzhu herself. I want her heart too."
"One hot, one cold-that's the great Dao. It's true of cultivation, and it's true of picking up girls."
Fang Yi chuckled. Getting into the spirit of things, he added, "Elder Mo, you've been single for so long. Watch and learn!"
Gu Mo suddenly said, "If the sect master knew what you were thinking, what do you suppose he'd think?"
Fang Yi's expression stiffened.
Gu Mo continued, "Don't tell me you're treating Ying Huanhuan and Ying Xiaoxiao the same way?"
Fang Yi's expression stiffened again.
"Better take it easy, young sect master. I'm afraid you won't die in the Nirvana Realm, but at the sect master's hands."
Looking at the rigid Fang Yi, Gu Mo chuckled. Young man, your granduncle is still your granduncle.
When I was young, I played wilder games than you.
And you want to teach me?
With that, Gu Mo vanished from the spot.
Fang Yi shook his head and summoned the maid waiting at the door, asking her to thank the city lord for his hospitality over the past few days.
The next moment, he turned into a streak of Five Elements light and flew south, leaving the maid to lower her head and lament that nothing had happened between her and such a young heaven's chosen.
Sure enough, those storybooks are all lies!
What Dao Sect heaven's chosen would ever fall in love with a maid like me?!
Fang Yi moved through the air at ease, but his speed was far from slow. With the Thunder Emperor Precious Technique, he could turn into lightning; with the Great Five Elements Technique, he could merge into the five elements of heaven and earth.
A Form Creation Realm cultivator would have needed several days to reach the Great Desolation Commandery, but he arrived before dusk. He knew nothing about the area, however.
He could only descend at random into a city that looked reasonably large, heading straight for one of the buildings at its very center.
It was a tall, lavishly decorated building, and the presence of a Form Creation Realm cultivator came from within.
The next moment.
Fang Yi paid it no mind and landed directly at the building. There he saw a figure sitting cross-legged, dressed in a black gown, her figure graceful.
Her skin was as white as snow, and her smooth black hair was loosely held up by a simple jade hairpin.
Though her features were not as exquisite as Ling Qingzhu's, she had a charm of her own. Fang Yi said mildly, "Sorry to disturb your cultivation. I want to ask you something."
His words startled Mu Qianqian out of her cultivation. Her eyes snapped open. "Who?!"
"Don't panic. If I wanted to do anything to you, you'd already be twitching. I'm asking for directions."
Fang Yi chuckled. Mu Qianqian quickly gathered her wits and said respectfully, "What can I do for you, Senior?"
"Where is this?"
"The Great Desolation Commandery?" Mu Qianqian ventured.
"Of course I know it's the Great Desolation Commandery. I'm asking what city this is."
"Great Puppet City."
Great Puppet City?
Fang Yi remembered that the meditation cushion containing the Ancient Qiankun Formation had appeared here.
He was already here.
He might as well see what the Ancient Qiankun Formation could do.
He also remembered who she was: Mu Qianqian, an Innate Charm Body known for her powerful physique.
She was a supporting character with a little screen time early on. The really absurd thing was that the Great Yan Dynasty's heaven's chosen were in the Qi Creation Realm, and Mu Qianqian was also in the Qi Creation Realm at the time.
That showed just how much the Great Desolation Commandery had to offer. One could only say that wherever a child of destiny was born was a treasured land.
It had everything.
The Innate Charm Body did count as a special physique. Of course, it couldn't compare to the tyrannical Fiend Demon Body and could even be considered nothing more than a cultivation cauldron.
One could only say that those who knew the pleasures of an Innate Charm Body knew.
Since this was Mu Qianqian, things would be easier. He said, "Help me find something: a meditation cushion. It has a concentrating effect for Talisman Masters, and spiritual power alone can't reveal what its exterior looks like."
"Yes!"
Mu Qianqian muttered inwardly, How am I supposed to find that? But she had no choice. She could only look.
Someone whose presence made even a Form Creation Realm cultivator like her uneasy was probably in the Creation Realm, or even the legendary Nirvana Realm.
She was about to leave when Fang Yi suddenly called her back. "Oh, right. Find me some ornaments women like, preferably red and black ones."
"Yes."
Mu Qianqian nodded. That was something she was good at. Swaying her graceful figure, she hurried away.