Chapter 64 The Princess 2: Let's See Her True Form?
In the private room on the second floor, after listening to Xu Xing's account, Zhao Linglan said with emotion, "I've also heard about exploring the secret realm, but I never expected that you and Senior Brother Shen would be involved. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I can guess how dangerous it must have been. Fortunately, you are both safe and sound."
A few days ago, after everyone left the secret realm, several fellow Daoists from Shuiyun Immortal Capital returned to their sect to report. Xu Xing and his two senior brothers came directly to Luocang City, but unfortunately Zhao Linglan was in seclusion during this time and only came out today to meet them.
Standing close to Zhao Linglan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Xu Xing hugged her arm and said, "My dear Lingling, I've missed you so much!"
Zhao Linglan smiled and said, "It's been several months since I last saw you, and I feel like you've grown quite a bit taller?"
Sensing the aura emanating from Xu Xu, she was slightly taken aback. "Your cultivation level..."
"I have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but it was an accident. You know, I couldn't have cultivated this fast on my own." Xu Xing glossed over the matter, not mentioning Fu Shuang.
Having just reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Zhao Linglan's cultivation was still not very stable, and her mind was in turmoil. Xu Xu always seemed to be very lucky. Despite having five spiritual roots, he had reached Foundation Establishment earlier than her.
Xu Xing didn't notice her strange behavior. He took out two fourth-tier Myriad Spirit Pills, which he had only saved up a few of, along with a bottle each of Clear Dew Pills and Forget-Dust Pills given by the Deer Clan. As he handed them to Zhao Linglan, he said excitedly, "The Deer Clan is really generous. Among so many cultivators present, they gave each of them four bottles of fourth-tier pills!"
Clutching the pill bottle tightly, Zhao Linglan reflected on herself. Xu Xu always thought of her when she had something good. How could she feel envious and let it affect her state of mind just because Xu Xu reached the Foundation Establishment stage earlier than her?
"Our Xu Xu is a master alchemist. What's a fourth-grade pill? We won't lack fifth-grade or sixth-grade pills in the future."
"I'll accept it, no need to be polite." Putting aside her disappointment, Zhao Linglan accepted the pill and then took out a string of Illusion Bells she had bought in the Demon Realm and gave them to Xu Xing.
Xu Xing played with the bell, "Luckily, Li Yuan had the Glazed Token, which brought you all to the Demon Realm, so we can meet here."
She suddenly remembered something, "Right, isn't a single glass token only allowed for two people to enter?"
"Perhaps Li Yuan has two pieces; he's always been generous." Zhao Linglan smiled and glanced at the door. "Why aren't Senior Brother Xiang and Senior Brother Shen back yet?"
"They've gone out to gather information, they should be here soon." Xu Xing didn't think much of it and called over the waiter. "Let's order first, without waiting for them! I'm starving after talking for so long."
In the center of Luocang City, Shen Du and Xiang Yuquan entered a spirit weapon shop. Seeing Shen Du selecting a spirit sword, Xiang Yuquan asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Shen, the quality of the spirit swords here is not as good as the Xuan Yue Sword."
Knowing that the Xuan Yue Sword had been severely damaged in the battle of exploring the Ruins, he suggested, "Senior Brother Chen, why don't you take advantage of this free time and have the Xuan Yue Sword reforged by a weapon refiner?"
Shen Du lowered his eyes to examine the long sword that was quietly floating in front of him, but his thoughts drifted back to the night he had just arrived in Luocang City and the conversation he had with Xu Xing.
"Senior brother, the Xuan Yue Sword was just repaired, and it's broken again. You haven't even had a chance to use it yet..."
Xu Xing lay on the table, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the battered Xuan Yue Sword. She had heard from her senior brother that when dealing with Rong Jun, Senior Wei Sheng had temporarily repaired the Xuan Yue Sword. Although she was too conscious to witness it herself, the situation was dangerous at the time, and Senior Wei Sheng was able to find the time to repair the sword, which showed that her skill in weapon crafting was not low.
Unfortunately, the Xuan Yue Sword was damaged in many battles, and now its blade is dull and devoid of its spiritual light.
The Xuanwu essence crystals she bought last time had already been used up, and besides, her weapon-refining skills were probably not yet at the level to repair a spirit sword of this grade. Xu Xing was very regretful, "If only it hadn't been used to deal with Rong Jun. A spirit sword repaired by Senior Wei Sheng would definitely be outstanding. I didn't expect that Senior Wei Sheng was not only a ninth-level alchemist, but also so skilled in weapon refining."
Seeing her dejected look, Shen Du smiled slightly. "Does that mean your promise to help me repair the sword is no longer valid? Repairs done by others don't count."
"Who says it doesn't count?!" Xu Xing immediately sat up straight and hugged the Xuan Yue Sword to his chest. "Don't worry, Senior Brother, I can definitely fix it!"
“However…” she belatedly realized, tilting her head, “Senior brother, are you saying that I can cultivate even better than Senior Wei Sheng in the future?”
Shen Du looked away. “Besides you, there are few people in the world who are proficient in both alchemy and weapon crafting. Even if Senior Wei Sheng can craft weapons, he is probably not a high-level weapon crafter.”
Xu Xing chuckled. Who doesn't love to hear praise? Besides, coming from the usually taciturn Senior Brother Chen Du, she found it all so pleasant to hear.
"I know you're just teasing me, Senior Brother." Xu Xing quickly composed himself after a brief moment of smugness. "But since I can refine fourth-tier pills, I should be able to start trying to refine fourth-tier magic weapons. Once I've collected all the necessary materials, I'll definitely return the Xuan Yue Sword to you in perfect condition!"
...
Xiang Yuquan looked at the ordinary, unremarkable second-tier spirit sword in front of him, then at Shen Du, who seemed lost in thought, and hesitated before asking, "Senior Brother Shen?"
"Has this immortal lord taken a fancy to this spirit sword? I see that you have an extraordinary air about you, and you certainly have good taste. The price is negotiable!" Seeing the two of them standing in front of this spirit sword that hadn't sold for several months, the shopkeeper approached them with a smile.
Shen Du snapped out of his daze, drew his sword, flicked the blade, and touched the hilt. His movements were fluid and natural, as if he were seriously selecting a spirit sword. Neither Xiang Yuquan nor the shopkeeper could tell that he had just been staring blankly into space.
How much is this sword?
Thinking he could rip off this clueless person, the shopkeeper twitched his beard and rubbed his hands together. "Immortal Lord, is this your first time in the Demon Realm? How about this, I'll just charge you four hundred and fifty mid-grade spirit stones? Consider it a good deed!"
"The hilt and blade are not well connected, the blade is too thick, and the material is still inferior smoky blue sand."
With a slight flick of his wrist, Chen Du sheathed his sword and looked at the shopkeeper, who was staring wide-eyed. "One hundred yuan."
"How can you haggle like that? We're just a small business..."
The shopkeeper had barely begun his usual platitudes when he saw Chen Du turn to leave. He quickly said "Hey, hey" twice, muttering things like "not making money" and "help me introduce other immortals over," while deftly collecting spirit stones and settling the bill.
One hundred it is, as long as I can sell it!
After buying the spirit sword, the two walked towards the restaurant. Xiang Yuquan glanced at Chen Du from time to time, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"how?"
"It's nothing, I just feel that Senior Brother Shen seems to have changed quite a bit." In the past, Xiang Yuquan would never have imagined that this aloof swordsman who would only say one word and not a second would be able to bargain with the shopkeeper so calmly.
“I learned it from her.”
Shen Du didn't say his name, but Xiang Yuquan immediately realized who he was referring to. He smiled and said, "Then we'd better hurry up. If we don't go back soon, our hungry Junior Sister Xu might blame us two senior brothers for not being considerate."
"She wouldn't do that."
Xiang Yuquan was taken aback. It was just a joke, and Shen Du was not oblivious to that, yet he still explained it so solemnly. Thinking of the situation between the two in the secret realm, he seemed to understand something...
When they returned to the restaurant, the steaming hot food had just been served. They were all cultivators; apart from Xu Xing, the others were either fasting or taking fasting pills. They didn't care much about the taste of the food, as long as it replenished their spiritual energy.
Thus, in the private room, Xu Xing was engrossed in his meal while the other three took only a couple of bites before putting down their chopsticks.
"Sigh—" Xu Xing raised his head from the bowl, looked at the three of them, and suddenly sighed deeply, "If only Senior Brother Zuoqiu were here too."
Being with these three people who practiced fasting made her lose her appetite and feel quite lonely. If Zuoqiu Xu, who also loved food, were here, the two of them would surely be able to come up with ten ways to cook a certain spirit beast's meat while enjoying a table full of delicious and colorful demon realm specialties.
"Judging by the time, he should have already returned to his sect."
Zhao Linglan immediately understood why Xu Xing had suddenly brought up Zuo Qiuxu. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "I'll eat with you."
Xu Xing smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Lingling understands me best!"
Seeing that Xu Xing continued eating with no decrease in appetite, Chen Du quietly withdrew his hand from the chopsticks.
"We did order a bit too much, though. What about Tuanzi? Let Tuanzi and the others eat with us?"
"Uh..." Xu Xing hesitated, feeling guilty, and said, "Tuanzi and Qing have been arguing with me lately and are ignoring me..."
"A quarrel? What's wrong?" Zhao Linglan asked in surprise.
Xu Xing tried to call out the names of the three beasts with her divine sense, and sure enough, only Yin Xue responded, while the other two completely ignored her.
Tuanzi and Qing are both straightforward demon beasts. They were angry with her because Xu Xing never released them to fight enemies during the exploration of the secret realm.
They didn't understand. Silver Snow was a fourth-tier demon beast, and it was understandable that it couldn't show itself due to the suppression of the secret realm. But Tuanzi and Qing were both second-tier demon beasts and were not restricted by the secret realm. Why didn't their master summon them?
Xu Xing had never kept pets in her previous life, but now that she had three beast pets, she fed them as pets and never ran out of beast spirit pills. When she encountered demonic cultivators before entering Luohu City last time, she had Yin Xue take action because Yin Xue's cultivation level was overwhelming, and she didn't have to worry about it getting hurt. Most of the time, Xu Xing was unwilling to let her beast pets take risks for her; she preferred to protect them herself.
Both sides wanted to protect each other, and neither could convince the other, resulting in a stalemate.
After Xu Xing finished explaining the whole story, Zhao Linglan shook her head. "Xu Xu, you're wrong. They are pet beasts, but they are also your partners! You only want to protect them and prevent them from fighting, but what if something happens to you? They can't live alone either."
Zhao Linglan was unaware that Xu Xing's contracts with his pet beasts were special and wouldn't result in the beasts dying if the master died, but what she said was correct.
Xiang Yuquan also spoke up, "Junior Sister Xu, demonic beasts have a fighting instinct. Fighting can help them grow faster. Keeping them as pets is not a good thing for them."
"I understand, I'll have a good talk with them."
As the group chatted in the private room, it grew late. Shen Du escorted Xu Xing back to his room. Before leaving, he looked at Xu Xing, who seemed to have something on his mind, and suddenly whispered, "Tuanzi and the others don't care about getting hurt. They just want to fight alongside you, and so do I."
Fighting side by side? Xu Xing thought Shen Du was implying something. She looked around, pulled Shen Du into her room, and carefully closed the door, using a soundproofing technique.
Shen Du froze instantly. What did she mean by that?
"Junior Sister Xu, I..."
"Senior brother, you guessed it!"
Xu Xing, like a thief, took out the snowflake crystal that Wei Shengyue had left in his backpack. "Look, this is what Senior Wei Shengyue left for me, but I'm not sure if it's the key to the Guixu Secret Realm, so I decided not to tell Qianqian and the others yet, lest I get my hopes up for nothing."
"There are too many cultivators secretly watching us outside the Guixu Secret Realm right now. Let's find another opportunity to try it out later!"
It turned out she had misunderstood her meaning.
Shen Du couldn't tell whether he felt more relieved or disappointed. He looked down at what Xu Xing was holding and was about to speak when he heard Xu Xing ask in confusion, "Hey? By the way, Senior Brother, why don't you call me Xu Xu anymore?"
"..."
The sudden knocking on the door rescued Shen Du from his predicament.
"Fairy Xu! Fairy Xu, are you there?"
Xu Xing immediately put away the snowflake crystal and raised his voice, "Who?"
"I am Yunlan of the Snake Clan. We met in the secret realm last time. I have something important to discuss with you. May I come in?"
Outside the door, Yunlan, who had changed into the new clothes that his boss had taken him to buy that afternoon, waited anxiously. His originally messy braids were now neatly combed and tied high behind his head, making him look exceptionally energetic. In the short few breaths while waiting for Xu Xing to open the door, he adjusted his clothes again and again.
Snake Clan?
Xu Xing thought of her white scales and seven-leaf lingzhi mushrooms. Perfect timing, she also had something she wanted to ask them.
Seeing Xu Xing's thoughts, Shen Du nodded slightly, silently said "I'm here," and then concealed himself in the room.
Xu Xing removed the soundproofing spell and opened the door, revealing a young and handsome snake-clan boy holding a star mist flower he had just picked from outside the city. Yun Lan awkwardly touched her hair ornament. "Xu... Fairy Xu, do you still remember me?"
He did look familiar. Xu Xing thought for a moment and then exclaimed, "It's you! The one who gave me his seat in front of the Blazing Flame. Is there something you need so late?"
Back then, his messy hair was braided into several small braids and wildly spread over his shoulders, which Xu Xing thought was quite unique. Now that he has suddenly changed his hairstyle, she almost doesn't recognize him.
Yunlan's eyes darted around. After holding back for a long time, she finally closed her eyes, handed over the flowers, and said with a look of grim determination, "I'm willing!"
"?"
Xu Xing, who was nearly splattered with a huge bouquet of flowers, looked bewildered and asked, "What are you willing to do?"
"Beast... Beast Spirit Pill..." Yunlan opened her eyes and stammered, "You gave me a Beast Spirit Pill, doesn't that mean you want me to be your beast pet?"
"I thought about it for a long time after I got back. Although being a beast pet is a disgrace for the demon race, if it's you, I... I'm willing!"
Shen Du, wary of the snake clan's unpredictable actions towards Xu Xing: "..."
Tuanzi and Qing, still sulking: "..."
"Um...you might have misunderstood."
Xu Xing chuckled twice. "I didn't mean that. I didn't know you didn't need Beast Spirit Pills. I'm sorry if I offended you. It's all a misunderstanding!"
She thought that the demon race and the beast race were similar and could both use the Beast Spirit Pill, so she sent a bottle, but she didn't expect it to cause such a big misunderstanding.
Seeing that Xu Xing refused outright, Shen Du, who had been silently observing, finally resisted the urge to show himself and stop him.
Don't want him as a pet?
Yunlan was dumbfounded. Yunxi had specifically instructed him to first build a good relationship with the princess, and then find an opportunity to reveal her identity and bring her back to the snake clan. But now he had failed at the first step. How could he get close to the princess?
No! My first independent mission absolutely cannot fail!
Yunlan pursed her lips, recalling Yunxi's words, "...Lan! Take the initiative, you know? Her Highness the Princess seems kind-hearted; she'll definitely take pity on you!"
He took a deep breath, his face flushed, and insisted, "Even though it's a misunderstanding, I'm still willing to be your pet."
"I am from the Golden Serpent clan, nineteen years old this year, and at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. My original form is very beautiful; you can take a look before you consider it..."
Seeing Yunlan about to transform, Xu Xing, who hadn't expected a giant snake to appear in the room, quickly waved his hand, "No! Really, it's not necessary!"
Wait, this snake clan is so strange! Why do they insist on making her their pet? Do they have some kind of unusual fetish?
Xu Xing's mind raced with a series of thoughts, and his gaze towards Yun Lan became strange.
Unexpectedly, the princess was so resistant. Yunlan, who had humbled himself and offered himself as a pet only to be rejected, felt aggrieved. His eyes reddened, and his ponytail drooped listlessly. He whispered, "Am I really that annoying to you?"
Xu Xing was always one to respond to gentle persuasion but not force. Since the other party suddenly showed weakness, she felt embarrassed to speak harshly. Thinking that she could also take this opportunity to learn how the snake clan transforms, she hesitated and said, "Then... let's see the original form?"
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Author's Note: Yunlan, who combed his hair to look like an adult and put on a handsome robe, was not only rejected but also suspected of being a pervert: Waaaaaah!
Yunxi: Your Highness, please let me explain. We snake people are not perverts!
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