Xie Shuci felt that he was a bit confused.

He previously referred to that friend, and then said that the latter might not think that way, so what business is it of his what changes happen to that person?

Xie Shuci retracted his previous thoughts. He hadn't wronged Sikong Ye; that guy was just an idiot.

Chu Guiyi frowned upon hearing this. He had heard of Sikong Ye, but did not know much about him. However, he had been traversing the treacherous waters of secret realms for many years and could not analyze the purpose of Sikong Ye's deliberate approach, so he was naturally uneasy.

Although Sikong Ye seemed to speak without restraint, saying things that were trivial and irrelevant, he didn't mention anything truly important.

Now that things have come to this, we cannot act rashly. We can only take it one step at a time. I believe Xie An shares the same thought.

Elder Meng led the group into the immortal sect, had his disciples arrange rooms for them, and specifically instructed Xie Shuci to rest briefly before having dinner with them. Xie Shuci nodded in agreement and went with the others to rest on a small mountain behind the main peak.

"Xie An, are you alright?"

Xie Shuci and his companion walked at the very end of the procession. When he saw the little blind man's pale face and haggard lips, he couldn't help but frown.

"It's alright," Xie An said, shaking his head.

Xie Shuci looked at his sickly pale face, but this did not put her mind at ease.

Since leaving Tianzhu City, Xie An has often been listless and pale. At first, Xie Shuci thought he hadn't rested well and didn't take it seriously, but now the situation seems to be getting worse.

"Xie An, tell me the truth, what's wrong with you?"

Xie Shuci glanced at the group of people in front of him and, seeing that they hadn't noticed him and Xie An, pulled him behind a nearby rock.

Xie Shuci pressed him against the rock and asked with a serious expression.

Xie An pursed his lips, his dark eyes drooping listlessly to the ground. "Nothing much."

"You're talking nonsense... You're lying. Look at yourself, do you look like anything's wrong?"

"Didn't sleep well."

Xie Shuci was convinced, truly convinced. It was incredibly difficult to pry any truth out of this blind man's mouth.

Xie Shuci nearly choked on his breath. He was so angry he didn't know what to say. He pointed at himself and glared at Xie An, "Am I an idiot?"

Xie An frowned. "Don't talk nonsense."

"So you're just trying to fool me like this?"

Xie An pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Would it kill you to tell me the truth?" Xie Shuci was absolutely furious.

Xie An clenched his teeth, opened his lips as if to say something, but in the end he held back.

"Will you talk or not?" Xie Shuci's expression turned cold.

He didn't want to pressure Xie An, but Xie An's recent behavior was really off.

Xie An sighed almost imperceptibly and said, "I've been having headaches lately, and I can sometimes see blurry light and shadow. Perhaps my eyes will recover soon."

"Really?!" Xie Shuci grabbed his shoulder. "You're not lying to me, really?"

Xie An nodded, "Really."

"So you look so weak because of a headache? You should have told me sooner, you scared me, I thought you had some terminal illness."

Xie An chuckled, "I was planning to tell you when my eyes recovered."

"There's no difference!"

Xie Shuci's face lit up with joy, and the worry in his heart vanished instantly. He threw himself into Xie An's arms and hugged his waist, saying, "You scared me to death! You're not allowed to hide anything from me again."

Xie An placed his hand on Xie Shuci's lower back. "Hmm, don't worry, I'll be fine." Just then, a rustling sound came from the grass behind the rock. Xie Shuci instinctively snuggled into Xie An's arms, looking behind him warily. "Who's there?"

Xie An held him in his arms, his expression calm.

A figure vaguely appeared in the grass. Then, a hand parted the waist-high grass, and the person stood up expressionlessly, holding a lively rabbit in their hand.

Xie Shuci: "..."

The blue-robed cultivator: "..."

He was catching a rabbit, and just as he was about to head back after finally managing to catch the little creature, Xie Shuci suddenly pulled the boy inside, and they started whispering sweet nothings to each other. He was crouching in the grass, his body covered by the spiritual herbs, and for a moment he didn't know whether to stay or leave. He had planned to wait until the two of them left before going out, but the rabbit slipped out of his hands when he wasn't looking, causing him to be discovered.

Xie Shuci looked at the suddenly appearing cultivator with suspicion and tentatively called out, "...Senior Brother?"

The monk in blue robes had a stern face and blank eyes. "Don't shout nonsense."

After speaking, his gaze first swept over Xie Shuci's face, then looked at Xie An beside him, and finally landed on Xie Shuci's hands wrapped around Xie An's neck and Xie An's arms wrapped around Xie Shuci's waist. Then, with a look of utter despair, he closed his eyes in disappointment.

Xie Shuci immediately realized that he had been expelled from the sect because he had drugged the young master of the Li family, who was also a man. Now that his senior brother saw him with the sixteen or seventeen-year-old blind boy, he probably thought that he had used some means to force the blind boy to stay by his side.

Xie Shuci immediately let go and jumped out of the blind man's arms.

"No, no, senior brother, it's not what you think..."

The cultivator in blue raised a hand, signaling Xie Shuci to stop talking. "You all continue, I'll be going now."

"No... let me explain first. I really didn't force him. It was all his own choice!"

The cultivator in blue robes glanced at Xie Shuci with a detached look. "Pretend you've never seen me. I won't tell anyone else. Farewell."

Xie Shuci: "..."

Before Xie Shuci could speak again, the monk in blue robes walked straight past the two of them and emerged from behind the rock.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, turned around with a complicated expression, and looked at Xie Shuci with a hesitant look. After what seemed like a struggle, he said, "We're out here, so you should restrain yourself a little."

After a pause, he continued, "I heard that he... is blind. Can his eyesight be restored?"

Xie Shuci shook his head subconsciously.

The monk in blue robes breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

Xie Shuci: "?"

Xie Shuci realized what was happening and nodded, saying, "It can be restored, but it will take some time."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator in blue frowned. "Oh no."

Xie Shuci: "..."

What do you mean?

The cultivator in blue robes looked at Xie Shuci and sighed, "Since that's the case, once his eyes have recovered, you must remember not to force him."

"..."

Xie Shuci was speechless. "I really didn't force him. Do I look like that kind of person?"

The monk in blue gave him a meaningful look, his eyes conveying a clear message: Don't you know whether you're that kind of person or not?

The monk in blue robes sighed deeply, shook his head with a weary expression, and strode away.

After everyone left, Xie Shuci said dejectedly, "Do I really look that unlike a good person?"

Xie An said calmly, "It seems you've done quite a few things like this in the past, which is why your fellow disciples view you this way."

"Hey, can you please stop bringing up the past?"

Xie An raised the corners of his lips in a half-smile and strode out from behind the rock.

Xie Shuci hurriedly chased after him. Remembering his senior brother's words, he looked at the little blind man suspiciously and asked, "Do you remember what I look like?"

Xie An: "I didn't see it clearly."

Xie Shuci frowned and pondered for a moment. When he first saw the little blind man, he looked half-dead and probably hadn't paid attention to his appearance. Later, he woke up after a nap and had already gone blind, so he didn't have time to see Xie Shuci at all.

Thinking of this, Xie Shuci's heart began to pound, and he asked thoughtfully, "Little blind man...you're not a very superficial person, are you?"

Xie An looked puzzled, seemingly not understanding his intention. "What makes you say that?"

Xie Shuci coughed lightly and said, "Well, what if, I mean, what if, after your eyes recover, you see me and think I'm not good-looking... Of course, I'm very satisfied with my appearance, but, you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What if, what if I happen to be the type you don't like?"

Upon hearing this, Xie An frowned and pondered for a moment.

When Xie Shuci saw that he was actually thinking about the question very seriously, her heart sank and she felt a strong sense of grievance. She accused him, "Well, little blind man, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. I misjudged you!"

Xie An glanced at him, grabbed Xie Shuci by the collar from behind, pulled him back in front of him, and sneered, "Don't you know whether I'm that kind of person or not?"

Xie Shuci pursed his lips. He knew perfectly well that Xie Shuci was just a little worried and wanted to hear some nice words.

"But you can know a person's face but not their heart," Xie Shuci sighed, feigning profundity.

Xie An chuckled softly and said in a low voice, "I love you no matter what you look like."

Even though this was exactly what Xie Shuci wanted to hear, when Xie An said it, he still felt his heart pounding wildly as if it were out of control. He shrank his neck, his ears burning, and his cheeks flushed red. He slapped away Xie An's hand that was gripping his clothes and muttered, "Not ashamed at all."

Xie An raised an eyebrow. "Then pretend I didn't say anything."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci turned around and glared at him angrily, "Don't even think about it! I've already recorded it in my mind. If you dare to go back on your word, I'll bite you to death."

Xie An smiled dismissively, paused for a moment, then pulled Xie Shuci back in front of him and asked, "And what about you?"

Xie Shuci turned around, looking completely innocent. "What?"

Xie An frowned in displeasure. "What if you find out later that I'm not the person you like?"

"You're not the kind of person I like? Then what are you like?" Xie Shuci looked at him with amusement.

"Just answer me."

Seeing his furrowed brows, Xie Shuci couldn't help but want to tease him. He pretended to be puzzled and said, "But isn't this how you look? Are you wearing a mask? Come on, take it off and let me see."

He pretended to touch Xie An's face.

Xie An grabbed his mischievous hand and said, "Answer me."

Seeing that he seemed genuinely concerned about this matter, Xie Shuci shrugged and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that kind of superficial person."

Although he really liked the little blind boy's appearance, he was absolutely certain that he would still like him even if the little blind boy didn't have this face in the future.

He gained so much security from Xie An. As long as Xie An was by his side, Xie Shuci felt completely at ease. He knew he couldn't live without Xie An at all. Of course, he would never tell Xie An this. Fortunately, Xie An was just like him; he was afraid to sleep alone without Xie Shuci by his side.

Thinking of this, Xie Shuci felt as if her heart was filled with honey, and she smiled and said, "No matter what you become in the future, I will love you, I will love you very much, I will love you the most!"

After hearing this, Xie An gave Xie Shuci a deep look and said, "Don't go back on your word."

Xie Shuci disagreed, saying, "I, Xie, never go back on my word."

"Let's go, they should be here soon." Xie Shuci patted his shoulder, feeling much better after receiving the blind boy's promise.

Xie An stood there, his eyes like bottomless black holes, staring intently at Xie Shuci's cheerful back, and murmured, "Xie Shuci, don't lie to me."

The two quickly caught up with Chu Guiyi and the others. Halfway there, they discovered that Xie Shuci and Xie An had not followed and were waiting for them.

Chu Wenfeng leaned against the stone wall, looking at Xie Shuci with a meaningful gaze, and asked, "Have you finished whispering?"

Xie Shuci glared at him. "What nonsense are you talking about? Xie An and I encountered an old man who had accidentally fallen on the road, which is why we couldn't catch up with you."

"Tch." Chu Wenfeng rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with Xie Shuci. "The missing person has returned, let's go."

The group continued on their journey.

Sikong Ye, who had been talking incessantly, suddenly became quiet and walked at the back of the crowd, his eyes occasionally falling on Xie Shuci and Xie An.

He made no attempt to hide his gaze, staring intently at Xie Shuci, making Xie Shuci feel uneasy. Unable to bear it any longer, Xie Shuci turned around to look at him, and to his surprise, the man even smiled shamelessly at Xie Shuci, seemingly about to say something.

However, before he could speak, Xie An pulled Xie Shuci back.

Xie An turned and gave Sikong Ye a cold look. The latter remained calm and even winked at him playfully. Clearly, he didn't believe Xie An was blind at all.

The Meng family disciple led them to a courtyard and said to them, "The rooms have been prepared. You may go in and rest. The family head will send someone to welcome you at the end of the 5-7 PM."

"Then I'll trouble you." Chu Guiyi nodded to the other party.

The disciple left, leaving the five of them standing in the courtyard.

Chu Wenfeng said, "As expected of the number one alchemy family in the cultivation world, the mountains are full of medicinal herbs. You can just pick a couple and use them to make pills."

"Really? I haven't seen any medicinal herbs on my way here."

Chu Wen scoffed, "You? Do you even know what herbs are?"

"Yes, I know him," Xie Shuci said matter-of-factly.

Chu Wenfeng looked at him with a half-smile.

Xie Shuci sighed in relief, "Okay, just a little bit."

Chu Wenfeng glanced at him with disdain in his eyes, then turned to Chu Guiyi and said, "Senior Brother, I'm going back to my room to rest first."

Chu Guiyi nodded. "Go ahead."

“Guiyi, we’re going too.” Xie Shuci greeted them and led Xie An into one of the rooms.

After everyone left, Chu Guiyi turned to look at Sikong Xin and said, "Brother Sikong, there's still an hour and a half until dusk. Let's go back to our rooms and rest."

A locust tree stood in the courtyard. Sikong Ye leaped up from his spot and landed on a branch. He looked down at Chu Guiyi and said, "Brother Chu, please make yourself at home."

Seeing this, Chu Guiyi didn't say anything more, bowed and clasped his hands, then turned and walked into a room.

On the tree branch, Sikong Ye raised his arm, a small green snake coiled around his wrist. His gaze, no longer frivolous, became deep and profound. "You like it? It's extremely interesting."

It's true that he likes her. His Dao heart is damaged to such an extent that he can't even detect Qingran's aura.

Perhaps stimulated by Chu Wenfeng, Xie Shuci took out the "Fengshen Danpu" from his small pouch as soon as he entered the room, sat upright at the table, and began to read the records of medicinal herbs.

However, Xie Shuci flipped through the entire book and found no record of any medicinal herbs. All he found were phrases like, "To refine a certain elixir, you need certain spiritual herbs, which can then be placed into the alchemy furnace."

Of course, alchemy manuals aren't written in such plain language, but that's roughly the idea. They don't contain any insights into alchemy, and it's unclear what's so good about this manual.

Xie Shuci thought that he hadn't refined pills in a long time, and these two days at the Meng family's place would be a good opportunity for him to practice.

Xie Shuci put away the alchemy manual and glanced at the little blind man.

Xie An closed his eyes and sat on the edge of the couch to rest and recuperate.

The moment Xie Shuci's gaze fell upon him, he seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes, a red starlight flashing in them. Xie Shuci thought he had misread it and didn't think much of it.

"You're awake?"

"I'm not asleep."

Xie An straightened his sleeves and stood up from the couch.

"After looking for so long, have you gained anything?" Xie An asked as he walked to the table.

Xie Shuci shook his head dejectedly, "No results. The description of the effects of the pills is fairly clear, but there is no record of the herbs."

Xie An took the alchemy manual from his hand and said, "The 'Investiture of the Gods Alchemy Manual' has been passed down for thousands of years. It records many elixirs that have been lost. If you want to learn about spiritual herbs, you can buy another medicine book."

Xie Shuci sighed, "This is the only way."

Before they knew it, it was dusk. Old Master Meng sent a disciple to invite them to a banquet at the main peak.

The five people arrived at the main peak, led by their disciple.

Upon reaching the outside of the main hall, the disciple bowed and said, "The patriarch is inside. Please come in."

"Thank you," Chu Guiyi nodded.

The five people entered the main hall one after another. Inside the hall stood four silver pillars, each inlaid with pearls of various sizes, like a silver river swirling above them.

"The person has arrived."

Old Meng sat in the main seat, stroked his beard, and looked at Xie Shuci and his entourage with a smile.

On the right-hand side, several cultivators in blue robes were sitting. They saw Xie Shuci, as usual, turn their heads away and refuse to look at him.

Xie Shuci felt helpless and had no choice but to accept it.

"I have met Elder Meng."

Xie Shuci and the others walked to the center of the main hall and bowed to Elder Meng, who was seated in the main seat.

Old Meng nodded. "Everyone's here. Please take your seats."

"yes."

Xie Shuci and the others sat down in the empty seats on the left, opposite the several cultivators in blue robes.

“Elder Meng, so the guests you were talking about are them,” said a cultivator in blue robes.

Old Master Meng smiled like a fox and said, "These young friends have been invited to attend the auction held by my Meng family. Naturally, I must do my best to be a good host and entertain them properly."

The cultivator in blue robes was perfectly aware of Elder Meng's intentions; he had simply guessed Xie Shuci's relationship with them. After all, Elder Meng was the only one in the world who knew their true nature.

"By the way, young friend Xie, didn't you have something to say to them?" Old Meng suddenly steered the conversation toward Xie Shuci.

"Huh?" Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment. When he looked up, he saw the men opposite him staring at him with a strange look in their eyes, as if Xie Shuci had done something immoral.

Helpless, Xie Shuci stood up, clasped his hands in greeting to the people opposite him, and said, "Esteemed Daoists, there have been many rumors about you in the city recently. I'm afraid some people with ill intentions are eyeing you. Please be careful."

"OK."

"knew."

"Thanks."

Xie Shuci: "..."

A senior student sitting at the very back glanced at Xie Shuci, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

After speaking, Xie Shuci sat back down. He had wanted to thank them for giving him so many treasures. However, they seemed unwilling to get involved with Xie Shuci, so he decided to find a private opportunity to thank them properly later. Now that he was rich and could refine pills, he could return all the pills his fellow disciples had given him when he could refine top-grade pills in the future.

Nevertheless, Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Looking at his former fellow disciples, he sighed.

Xie An sensed something was wrong, so he reached out a hand and placed it on the back of Xie An's hand, silently comforting him.

Xie Shuci didn't think there was anything wrong with their attitude. The original owner of this body had done countless shameful and stupid things in the past. The fact that they gave him so many pills when he was expelled from the sect was already more than enough. Xie Shuci just couldn't help but feel emotional.

After a hearty meal, Xie Shuci leaned against Xie An, listening absentmindedly to their conversation, with Sikong Ye being the most lively of them all.

This guy was not only very outgoing, but also very shameless in asking questions. He would ask the Xie brothers all sorts of questions. It was only because Xie Shuci and his fellow disciples were good-tempered and patient that they got impatient. If it were anyone else, they would have gotten annoyed long ago.

"Cough..." After an unknown amount of time, a senior brother suddenly walked up to Xie Shuci and the other person with a wine glass in his hand.

Xie Shuci glanced at him, wondering if he was going to look down on her in front of so many people.

Xie Shuci asked, "Is there something you need?"

"It's alright, it's alright." Although the senior brother said this, he did not leave immediately, but looked at Xie An's face again and again.

Xie An remained completely calm, his expression unchanged, and he didn't even blink.

"He really is blind," the senior brother chuckled dryly.

Xie Shuci asked suspiciously, "Is...is there a problem?"

"without."

After saying that, the senior brother picked up his wine glass and returned to his seat, glancing at Xie Shuci and the other person from time to time.

Xie Shuci felt a little confused, but didn't take it too seriously.

However, less than two breaths later, another senior brother slowly walked up to the two of them, his eyes still darting between them.

Xie Shuci felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and couldn't help but ask, "What is it you want? Can you just say it?"

The senior student stared at Xie An for a moment, then asked, "Can his eyes recover?"

Xie Shuci, puzzled, replied, "Yes."

"Oh." The senior brother nodded, and just when Xie Shuci thought he was going to say something, he suddenly walked back without saying a word.

Xie Shuci: "..."

What's wrong with this?

After returning, this senior brother, like the previous one, had his eyes wandering around the main hall, but eventually they would still land on Xie Shuci and Xie An.

Xie Shuci decided to take the initiative and kept an eye on them. When they looked over, he immediately looked back, and the two of them quickly looked away. After thinking about it, they probably felt a little embarrassed, so they glared back at him.

Xie Shuci shrugged and looked away.

Before long, another senior brother walked over to Xie Shuci and Xie Shuci. Without looking up, Xie Shuci said, "Yes, he is blind, but he can recover."

Senior Brother: "..."

“I know, that’s not what I wanted to ask.”

Xie Shuci looked up helplessly. "Then what would you like to ask?"

"Oh, I wanted to ask, how old is he?"

Xie Shuci said, "I'll be seventeen in two days."

"Oh." The senior student nodded.

Just in case, Xie Shuci asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask? Please ask now."

The senior student shook his head thoughtfully, turned around and returned to his seat, so there was one more person who wasn't exactly "secretly" observing them.

Just when Xie Shuci thought it was over, another person suddenly walked up to him. Xie Shuci's patience was about to run out. He took a deep breath and said without looking up, "Blind man, can he get better? Seventeen, we are in love. I didn't force him. You can ask him if you don't believe me..."

Xie Shuci raised his head, and the sound disappeared from his lips.

Chu Wenfeng stood in front of the low table, holding a pot of wine in his hand, looking at him with a forced smile.

Xie Shuci: "..."

"Well... I was just kidding..."

Before Xie Shuci could finish speaking, a senior brother poked his head out from behind Chu Wenfeng:

"Have you ever been married?"

Xie An took a sip of tea and said calmly, "No."

Xie Shuci: "..."