The two walked hand in hand into the small courtyard. Xia Yueyou made a rough estimate: the courtyard covered an area of about five hundred square meters, and near the center stood a square wooden house that must have measured around a hundred square meters.
Seeing her gaze, Xuanchen curved his lips. "This little courtyard of mine was built nearly fifty years ago. The wooden house is square, and the outer fence is circular, signifying the way of heaven and earth."
He led them to a round stone table in the courtyard and bade them sit.
"No way, you mean you've actually lived here for decades?!" Murong Xue asked, her eyes widening like copper bells in disbelief.
Could this man be a child of destiny? To have reached the Foundation Establishment Realm at such a young age and delayed his aging?
Xuanchen smiled faintly without a word.
"Surely Sir Xuanchen is an almighty Foundation Establishment cultivator skilled in youth-preservation arts?"
Xia Yueyou's voice was light and cool, her tone quite certain. In this age of declining spiritual power, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was fully worthy of being called an almighty expert.
"What almighty expert? I'm merely an idle wanderer living in seclusion amidst the mountains and forests." With that, Xuanchen waved his hand, and a set of tea utensils appeared on the wooden table.
The corners of Xia Yueyou's mouth twitched slightly. Not an almighty expert? Was this feat of levitating objects out of thin air something one could do at the Qi Refining Realm?
Even with a storage magic artifact, one could not retrieve items directly through spiritual sense without reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Please, have some tea."
Xuanchen poured two cups of hot tea and pushed them before the two women.
The little chibi stared blankly at her teacup, lost in thought. Xia Yueyou pressed her lips together in silence; her guard could not be let down so easily.
Seeing how cautious they were, Xuanchen smiled faintly, tilted his head, and drained his cup of hot tea in one gulp. "The two of you didn't come to this primeval forest just for sightseeing, I presume?"
Xia Yueyou nodded. "We entered the mountains to find a spirit herb to save someone."
Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Pardon me, may I go take a look behind the wooden house?" She sensed an even richer flow of Spiritual Energy emanating from behind the cabin.
"Feel free."
Xia Yueyou stood up, glanced at Xiao Xue, who remained seated, and finally walked alone toward the back of the wooden house.
"Hey, mister, did you take a fancy to my sister?" Murong Xue lowered her voice and asked as soon as her sister had walked away.
Given that the fellow had been living in seclusion here for decades, she figured calling him "mister" was fair enough.
"Little girl, take a guess." Xuanchen sipped his tea and bounced the question right back at her.
The little chibi curled her lips. "Hmph, old cow eating tender grass."
That was simply the intuition she had: the man before her harbored improper intentions toward her sister. She couldn't see through him; his eyes were like a veil of mist, concealing his true intent.
At that moment, Xia Yueyou hurried back from behind the wooden house, her eyes filled with surprise. "Sir Xuanchen, would you be willing to sell me one of the spirit herbs you're growing in the back?"
She had discovered behind the house that several second-grade spirit herbs were growing there, and even two suspected third-grade spiritual items recorded in ancient texts!
"Heh, what do you intend to use to buy my herbs? Secular goods are of no use to an outsider like me."
Xuanchen sat in his chair, resting his chin on his arm propped against the wooden table, a hint of a smile curving his lips.
"Sir Xuanchen, what is it that you want? As long as it is within my power, both I and my family will certainly not refuse."
Xia Yueyou's heart sank. The man was clearly setting conditions, yet she had no choice but to agree.
"Very well. As long as you agree to three conditions, I will gift you a second-grade spirit herb." Xuanchen raised three fingers and smiled.
"Sir Xuanchen, please state them." She wanted to see just what kind of demands he would make.
"First, do not call me 'Sir' anymore. Just address me by my name from now on."
"Alright, I agree." Xia Yueyou nodded. What kind of condition was that?
Seeing that he was still staring at her, she finally called out, "Xuanchen."
"Mm, not bad."
Xuanchen smiled in response, stood up, and spread his arms. "Second, I have never experienced what it feels like to hold a woman in my arms. Would Lady Yueyou grant me that experience?"
Before Xia Yueyou could say anything, Murong Xue couldn't sit still any longer. She jumped to her feet and shouted, "Hey, mister, you're being a scumbag!"
"If it's just hugging a girl, this young lady will hug you! Don't you dare pressure my sister."
The little chibi's chest heaved with anger. Countless young masters and scions in Kyoto were coveting her sister, yet none of them could even earn a single glance from her. And now this guy? The very first thing he does is demand a hug.
"Little girl, I have no interest in you."
Xuanchen flashed a seductive smile, his gaze fixed intently on the blushing, delicate beauty before him.
"Well? Have you decided?"
Xia Yueyou clenched her fists, a resolute expression settling on her face. She unstrapped the hiking backpack from her back, stepped forward in one swift motion, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her head in his chest for a moment.
Just as she tried to pull back from his embrace, a large hand wrapped around her waist while another pressed against the back of her head, pulling her tightly and firmly into his arms.
A tall, poised handsome man in traditional ancient attire and a woman in military-green outdoor sportswear embraced tightly, the scene strikingly poetic and beautiful.
The little chibi dropped her jaw in utter astonishment.
Xuanchen closed his eyes slightly, quietly feeling the soft warmth of the person in his arms. The smile on his lips was as gentle as a spring breeze, and it was a long while before he finally released her.
A flush bloomed across Xia Yueyou's cool, fair cheeks. After being held in place earlier, she hadn't even thought of resisting, and instead felt an inexplicable sense of comfort and security rising within her.
Xuanchen sighed with emotion. "No wonder heroes since ancient times have had trouble passing the test of a beauty. With such warm, fragrant jade in one's arms, who would ever want to bother with those vexing troubles?"
Hearing this, the flush on Xia Yueyou's face deepened, making her look utterly enchanting.
"As for this third condition... hmm... let me think."
He cupped his chin with his hand, his fingertips brushing against his lips with casual intent.
Xia Yueyou clenched her fists tightly. If he dared to make an outrageous demand like stealing a kiss, she would definitely smash her fist right into his face!
Catching her movement out of the corner of his eye, Xuanchen smiled inwardly, knowing he shouldn't push her too far. "I can't think of it right now. We'll log it for later, and when I think of it, I'll come find Lady Yueyou to cash it in."
Xia Yueyou's delicate brows furrowed. If he didn't spell it out now, who knew what kind of demands he might come up with later? What if they were even more outrageous? Just as she was about to retort, she saw him wave his hand, and a spirit herb emitting a faint radiance appeared in his palm.
"This is a second-grade spirit herb, a five-hundred-year-old Purple Spirit Lingzhi. It can repair the Foundation Establishment spiritual platform. Take good care of it."
Xia Yueyou hurriedly rummaged through her bag for a square jade box she had prepared in advance, carefully placed the Purple Spirit Lingzhi inside, and snapped it shut. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief—at least this trip wasn't in vain.
Xuanchen snapped his fingers, and Xia Yueyou felt a sudden wave of coolness wash over the arm that had been clawed by the wolf king. She pulled back the gauze to take a look, and the gruesome wound had vanished completely!
"Lady Yueyou, your objective has been met. You are free to stay or go as you please." With that, he turned directly and walked into the wooden house.
Murong Xue stepped forward and asked slyly, "Sis, what was it like hugging a big handsome guy? Was it super comfortable?"
"Thud."
The poor little chibi took a knock to the head and rubbed it while looking pitifully at her sister.
Xia Yueyou put on a stern face. "Xiao Xue, if I hear any rumors about what happened today after we get back to Kyoto..."
Though she left her sentence unfinished, Murong Xue knew the consequences all too well. She covered her backside and nodded repeatedly. "Sis, don't worry. I won't say a single half-word about it."
"Hmph, you'd better not. Xiao Xue, watch the luggage outside. I'm going to go discuss something with him."
With a cold, aloof reply, Xia Yueyou stepped forward and walked into the wooden house.
Since Xuanchen could heal her injuries with a snap of his fingers, a thought had bloomed in her mind: to invite him out of seclusion!