Xuan Yi tilted her head and looked him up and down. He didn’t speak, just smiled pleasantly as he gazed back at her. Seeing her deliberately glance several more times at his right hand, his smile only deepened.

“Has Senior Brother Shao Yi been well these years?” She blinked. “The demon race runs rampant in the lower realm—Senior Brother must be careful and avoid getting injured at all costs.”

Shao Yi said leisurely, “I was doing quite well originally, but once this little loach started probing for information, I wasn’t doing so well anymore.”

He glanced absentmindedly at the elaborate and luxurious clothing on Xuan Yi’s body, then said, “Weren’t you supposed to come here for combat and sword cultivation training? Why are you still dressed like this? Where’s your battle attire?”

Xuan Yi touched her sleeve. “I just love wearing this.”

Shao Yi laughed twice and raised his hand to flick away a fallen leaf from his shoulder. “I wonder which battle general indulges you so. Come, let me see how your cultivation has progressed over these years.”

He suddenly struck out like lightning, grabbing toward her shoulder. Xuan Yi instinctively shrank back, but heard him chuckle softly, “Your reaction is too slow.”

She only felt an utterly irresistible force yank her forward. She stumbled and fell headlong against his chest, caught in the iron grip of his arm as it held her tightly. Then the world spun, and her back slammed hard against a Wood Fire Wutong tree. In an instant, fallen leaves fluttered down everywhere. Her chin was seized and lifted high as Shao Yi leaned down, staring at her with a half-smile.

“What kind of combat and sword cultivation training have you been doing? You have absolutely no martial skills at all.” He smiled as he shook her chin. “Now you’re getting a taste of how I used to be bullied?”

Xuan Yi struggled once, and the arm gripping her waist tightened. His entire body pressed toward her, feeling as heavy as Mount Tai.

Shao Yi said in a low voice, “That indulgent battle general must be Junior Brother Fucang, right? Ah, still entangled with him?”

Xuan Yi acted as if she hadn’t heard. She pulled her head back slightly, her gaze falling on his right hand that was gripping her chin. Faint bloodstains showed through the bandage, with wisps of murky energy coiling around it.

She knew it was him. He hadn’t severed the Phoenix Heart Feather’s bond. When she was injured, he would feel it too, and vice versa. No wonder he felt heavier—she couldn’t break free from him.

His hand suddenly applied force. Xuan Yi felt her chin was about to be crushed by him. The back of her head pressed against the Wood Fire Wutong tree, forcing her to look up at him.

Shao Yi carefully studied her full and beautiful forehead, then let his gaze travel down along her nose to rest on her plump lips. Ah, she had grown so beautiful now—indeed a bit more lovely than Fu Luo. At least her past arrogance had some basis after all. That trace of regretful feeling in his heart began to resurface, stirring restlessly.

“Little loach,” Shao Yi’s voice took on a trace of charming seduction, “this appearance really suits my taste. Have you ever dual cultivated yin and yang with Junior Brother Fucang? If you have, would you like to try it with me too?”

Xuan Yi’s face remained expressionless. She suddenly spoke, “Senior Brother Shao Yi, open your mouth.”

He was slightly startled. “Wha—”

Before he finished speaking, a mass of cold and bitter Zhuyin white snow appeared out of nowhere in his mouth. The bitterness made his eyebrows furrow immediately. After a long while, he finally said in a hoarse voice, “…Is this how you treat your life-saving benefactor?”

Xuan Yi’s tone was indifferent. “After more than twenty thousand years, does Senior Brother Shao Yi still only have these tactics? Only by cutting the Heart Feather bond would you be a life-saving benefactor. Let me go, or I’ll cut the wound.”

Shao Yi licked his bitter lips but surprisingly didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he laughed softly twice. “Why not use magic to break free? Could it be that you’ve still been sleeping in all these years? That won’t do. You should cultivate properly and become stronger—only then will your chances of survival be greater.”

Xuan Yi said slowly, “I don’t want to fight so hard that I end up bedridden for half a year.”

Shao Yi gently bumped her forehead with his own. “Just like Xiaolong Jun—neither of you wants to let me see your true abilities?”

Suddenly he felt her exhale another fine breath. The next moment, several extremely thin and sharp tiny ice blades cut back and forth through the wound on his right hand. Shao Yi hissed in pain and could no longer hold her chin. He retreated several inches and looked at her with a helpless frown.

Blood immediately soaked through the bandage, dripping onto his jade-colored long robe. Shao Yi couldn’t help but sigh, “I can endure it, but doesn’t your right hand hurt? I feel sorry for you.”

“Occasionally hurting a bit is quite refreshing and invigorating.”

This vicious little loach was even this poisonous to herself.

If his right hand really got torn apart, he finally slowly released her and unwrapped the bandage to look at the ghastly wound. He shook his head. “Truly frightening.”

Xuan Yi drew her right hand back into her sleeve. The severe pain made her expression gloomy. “My life is in your hands—who’s frightening? You deliberately got injured to return to the upper realm—could it be just to check on my cultivation?”

Shao Yi leaned against the Wood Fire Wutong tree and said slowly, “Little loach, time is running short. You’re not strong enough yet—you’d better work desperately hard. If Junior Brother Fucang continues to indulge you like this, next time let me be the one to temper you. I’m not as easy to talk to as Junior Brother Fucang.”

Xuan Yi stared at him. “What do you mean time is running short?”

Shao Yi looked back at her teasingly. “I quite like the aura of the Wood Fire Wutong trees and don’t want to leave just yet. But I don’t want to keep going back and forth with this little loach. If you don’t leave soon, I’ll just have to continue discussing dual cultivation of yin and yang with you.”

Xuan Yi drew in a breath. She really wanted to freeze him solid and stuff his mouth full of white snow to interrogate him, but this was Yuhua Hall, where gods came and went from Zhengze Academy. It really wasn’t appropriate.

“Still not leaving?” Shao Yi sighed faintly. “Come, let’s chat about dual cultivation of yin and yang. In the past, I liked to undress the goddess first, but if it were with you, I would first undress myself…”

“I’d rather undress your skin,” Xuan Yi coldly interrupted him.

He glanced at her with seeming patience and continued, “Then have you lie in front of me…”

“Then knock out your teeth one by one.”

Shao Yi abruptly fell silent, narrowing his eyes as he stared at her. She met his gaze calmly, tranquil and unruffled.

“I suddenly realize now,” he said, each word emerging lightly, “being a brute would actually be quite nice.”

Xuan Yi said flatly, “I’m truly terrified, Senior Brother Shao Yi.”

Shao Yi looked at her for a long time, but in the end only smiled. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a voice call to him from outside the Wood Fire Wutong grove: “Shenjun, everything is prepared.”

Xuan Yi immediately turned her head and saw two divine officials standing not far away. Their clothes were embroidered all over with golden Xuanniao birds—they were actually battle general divine officials of the Qingyang Clan. They looked extremely cold and, upon seeing her, didn’t even bow or greet her.

Shao Yi turned and walked away, saying as he went, “Very well, I’ll be going first then. Little loach, I look forward to encountering you in the lower realm this time.”

The lower realm? What did that mean?

Xuan Yi wanted to pursue the question, but then felt it was meaningless—after all, he had brought martial general divine officials with him. After pondering for a long time without figuring it out, she simply stopped thinking about it. She slowly walked out of the Wood Fire Wutong grove, treading on the withered leaves. After just a few steps, she suddenly discovered a familiar figure standing in a daze outside Zhengze Academy—it was actually Zhi Xi. She immediately called to her, “Senior Sister! Did you come to see Senior Brother Gu Ting?”

Zhi Xi suddenly turned around, her face pale. The news of Gu Ting’s injury had actually given her such a great shock. For a moment, Xuan Yi didn’t know what to say, but then saw her first stare at herself, then her gaze gradually softened, and finally large tears began falling.

Xuan Yi had never known how to comfort a weeping goddess. After standing there for a long while, she could only hand her own handkerchief to her.

Zhi Xi didn’t take it. She quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and said in a low voice, “I’m going to see Junior Brother Gu Ting.”

Although Xuan Yi had just come out of Zhengze Academy, since Zhi Xi had come now and looked so lost and distraught, she embraced her arm and said gently, “Let’s go together then.”

Zhi Xi stiffened for a moment, then nodded. She walked silently with her into Zhengze Academy, then suddenly spoke in a low voice, “Xuan Yi… you’re not a child anymore now. You should…”

“What?” Xuan Yi didn’t hear clearly.

“No, it’s nothing.” Zhi Xi shook her head and stepped into the hall.