After the two had finished their conversation, the Taoist in green appeared in a flurry. Before they could even greet him, he snatched the Spirit Gathering Orb and left with a hurried back view.
......
Ayu was sitting on the magic ball, chatting enthusiastically with Xiao Jiu. But in the blink of an eye, the magic ball was gone, Xiao Jiu was gone, and Ayu even fell flat on its backside.
Chu Hongluan dispelled the soundproof barrier, picked up Ayu, patted her, and placed her on the table.
"Don't worry, it should be back soon. If I'm not mistaken, your friend is about to have a very, very handsome body!"
"How handsome?! Is he more handsome than me?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Chu Hongluan said mysteriously, raising his expectations to the max with just one sentence.
So Ayu stared longingly at the doorway, and the next moment, the wind howled outside the window!
Chu Hongluan glanced over instinctively!
Then I saw huge metal wings sweep past the window!
Time seemed to slow down dramatically in that instant, so slow that she could clearly feel the profound impact of the scene! Exquisitely fluid structural lines! A powerfully imbued mechanical shell! A dazzlingly beautiful plating!
Absolutely unparalleled! Absolutely unparalleled!
She ran quickly to the window and gazed into the distance!
That magnificent figure had already soared tens of thousands of feet in the blink of an eye! With a flap of its giant wings, it swirled and churned amidst the surging air currents! Then it flew back at breakneck speed!
As it drew closer, those cold, eerie green, rhythmically flashing electronic pupils gradually came into focus, terrifying and awe-inspiring!
The mecha phoenix on her blueprints was now truly taking flight before her eyes, making her heart pound and bringing tears to her eyes!
"Xiao Jiu! Come back!"
It was the voice of the Taoist priest in green.
Upon hearing this, the mecha phoenix let out a loud cry and then shrank at a visible speed until it became a tiny creature. It flew in through the window and perched on Chu Hongluan's shoulder.
"Hey! Thanks for designing my new body! It looks amazing!"
It was still Xiao Jiu's voice.
"Wow—" Ayu looked down at her semi-transparent spirit body, her face contorted with envy.
At this moment, the Taoist in green returned to the third floor, looking visibly more energetic.
"how?"
This question was directed at Chu Hongluan.
"A masterpiece for all time!"
However, no matter what she said at that moment, the tears in her eyes said it all.
The Taoist in green laughed and pulled out a chair to sit down. Noticing Ayu on the table, he was taken aback: "Where did you bring back this earth spirit?"
Ayu was shocked!
"Ah Luan!! How could he see through my true identity at a glance!?"
Liu Jinghong was shocked!
Why are you calling this place spirit so affectionately! We've only known each other for a few days!
Chu Hongluan glanced at Ayu with a half-smile, knowing that he was deliberately retaliating against her for calling him Ayu, but still answered him good-naturedly: "Because he is more skilled than you, Ayu."
Ayu was shocked!
It has lived for tens of thousands of years, how could there be a human whose cultivation is higher than itss?!
Liu Jinghong was shocked!
What?! Why does my junior sister call it so affectionately?! And it's only been a few days!!!
Chu Hongluan told the Taoist in green about the Witch Clan, and the Taoist in green marveled at her amazing luck.
As he spoke, he took out a small pouch from his sleeve. "This contains some seeds from ancient times. If you plant them where the eleven spiritual veins converge, you might be pleasantly surprised."
Since the war between gods and demons, the concentration of spiritual energy in this world has been far less than before, and many ancient spiritual herbs have become extinct. As a weapon refiner with a collecting obsession, he happened to have a small packet of these seeds.
"One cannot accept a reward without merit, this..."
I was just being modest, please don't take it seriously.
"These seeds, if left here, would at most be considered ancient relics. Also, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."
"Then this junior will not stand on ceremony."
"......"
Chu Hongluan accepted the seeds with satisfaction, then stared at the Taoist in green with a smile, looking eager to hear more details.
"I just heard you say that a powerful being's cave has been discovered in the back mountain of the Northern Region Sword Sect. When do you plan to go there?"
"It will be in the next two days."
"How about we bring Xiao Jiu along? Xiao Jiu has been with me in Kunlun for a while now. It's still young, and it needs to see the outside world. Besides, you've designed so many combat functions for it. Wouldn't it be a shame if it didn't get some real combat experience?"
Before Chu Hongluan could answer, Xiao Jiu protested, "I don't want to!!! My benefactor, have you forgotten!? That witch killed me with one slash! You're leaving me with her, and you're not here. What if she bullies me!?"
Ayu, sitting on the table, tilted her head up, seemingly sensing the juicy gossip.
"Um, it seems you died from a self-destruction—" Chu Hongluan kindly reminded him.
"Would you let me go if I didn't self-destruct?!"
No, you won't.
"My benefactor, look! She's started bullying me now!"
The Taoist in green chuckled. "This shows that young friend Chu is honest. She wouldn't even lie to a fool like you, which means she's trustworthy. Now that your positions don't conflict, why would she harm you if I hand you over to her?"
Xiao Jiu thought about it carefully and felt that what her benefactor said made some sense, but something still felt off.
"Don't you want to go out for a stroll?" The Taoist in green added fuel to the fire.
"I do want to... but—"
"No buts." Chu Hongluan grabbed it by the neck and lifted it off her shoulder, placing it next to Ayu. "If you come with me, you'll be my companion, just like Ayu. It'll be good for the two of you to keep each other company."
Just as Xiao Jiu was about to accuse her of choking him, it heard her say that he could keep A Yu company, so it completely forgot about the previous accusation and happily agreed.
Seeing that Chu Hongluan had already taken care of Xiao Jiu, the Taoist in green gave one last instruction: "Xiao Jiu is going out to gain experience, so there's no need to take excessive care of it because of me. Just be careful to keep its soul intact."
The Taoist in green robes' words were automatically translated by Chu Hongluan as: "If there is danger, let it go first. Let it build whatever it wants. If it breaks after it's done, bring it back and I'll fix it. After it's fixed, it'll still be a good bird."
Chu Hongluan nodded with a smile.
Don't worry, she can manage to do that.
Before leaving, Chu Hongluan secretly asked the Taoist in green how to block Ayu's voice in her sea of consciousness.
The Taoist in green glanced at Xiao Jiu, who was chattering away with A Yu, and then turned to touch her forehead, teaching her a mantra.
Finally, he patted Chu Hongluan on the shoulder, his face clearly saying: I understand you.
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