You Have the Final Say

Outside the Peach Blossom Immortal Abode.

Xu Xian had arrived uninvited. Ye Xianyu had slammed the door shut and didn't forget to cast a restriction spell to keep him out.

"Senior Sister, open the door."

"I'm not in."

Xu Xian was speechless. This woman changed her mood faster than flipping a page.

"Stop messing around. I have serious business with you."

"I'm busy!"

"It's not about my niece. It's about Tu Kongkong."

Ye Xianyu's voice drifted out softly. "Regarding the recruitment, you decide for yourself. There's no need to ask me. You need to learn to stand on your own. If you can't even handle such a small matter and only know how to ask questions, are you even capable? What is there to discuss..."

Xu Xian lowered his gaze and spoke bluntly, "She is a demon."

The courtyard fell into a dead silence.

Xu Xian added with more emphasis, "She is a young beast."

The barrier in front of the door vanished instantly.

"Come in."

Xu Xian curled his lip and muttered a few complaints under his breath before pushing the door open.

In the courtyard, Ye Xianyu was lying on a rocking chair, basking in the sun. From time to time, the wind blew, causing a few peach blossoms to fall and scatter.

She tilted her head, her eyebrows slightly raised. "How did you know?"

Xu Xian didn't feel like explaining, so he pushed the credit onto Lu Yuan. "Lu Yuan said so."

"And how did he know?"

Xu Xian sat down nearby, smoothed the corners of his robes, and said casually, "He smelled it."

Ye Xianyu clicked her tongue. "That dog nose of his is really sharp."

Xu Xian rolled his eyes. "He's a deer."

Ye Xianyu thought about it and said, "That deer nose of his is really sharp."

Xu Xian didn't want to waste time with her nonsense and pressed, "Let's talk business. What should we do?"

Ye Xianyu said nonchalantly, "Once she steps onto the Longevity Bridge, the Demon-Slaying Sword will naturally destroy her. It wouldn't be the first time anyway. Just let it be."

She spoke very casually, and her reaction was quite ordinary, as if she had seen through it long ago.

Xu Xian knit his brows slightly and asked, "Did you already know?"

Ye Xianyu glanced at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nonsense. Your Senior Sister isn't blind."

'Just as I thought,' Xu Xian mused.

Ye Xianyu continued to herself, "That child has a divine ability that conceals her aura. It's hard for ordinary people to notice. It's fine for fooling regular folks, but it's not enough to trick me."

Xu Xian didn't look into it further. He had the Pupil of Insight, and it was possible Ye Xianyu had her own special methods of observation.

It was within reason that she could see through it.

After all...

Even Lu Yuan could smell it.

However...

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Ye Xianyu sat up and stared at Xu Xian calmly, answering with a question of her own, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Hmm?"

Ye Xianyu shrugged. "My attitude is very clear. We follow the rules."

Xu Xian's brow furrowed slightly.

Ye Xianyu curled the corners of her lips and stared straight into the young man's eyes, teasing, "As for you... what? Is raising one deer not enough? Do you want to raise a little fox too? And a female fox at that? Hmm... aren't you afraid that eventually, the two of them will give birth to a deer-fox for you?"

Xu Xian rolled his eyes again. What kind of nonsense was this?

"Enough, stop messing with me. Since you know, I don't believe you haven't seen it—this little fox is different from the demon beasts you mentioned. She truly is a young beast, with not a single trace of cultivation ripple on her."

"So... you want to keep her?"

Xu Xian hesitated and said vaguely, "I didn't say I wanted to keep her."

"Oh..." Ye Xianyu looked thoughtful. "I see. You've felt a stir of compassion and can't bear to see her die, is that it?"

The young man fell silent again, thinking for a moment. "Yes and no."

He couldn't quite explain it himself.

He just felt...

That little demon wasn't bad. It would be a pity if she died, but he certainly didn't feel like he absolutely had to keep her.

Ye Xianyu could guess some of Xu Xian's thoughts and said meaningfully:

"I understand what you're thinking."

"However, your Senior Sister still needs to remind you. Even if she is a young beast, can you guarantee she isn't the orphan of some beast sovereign or beast god from the East Desolation?"

"That little monster seems kind-hearted, even a bit stupid. Let's assume for a moment she isn't faking it and that's truly the case. Can you guarantee she didn't come here to seek revenge for her ancestors?"

Xu Xian remained silent. He had thought about these things, but the answer was something perhaps only the little fox herself knew.

What Ye Xianyu said was indeed not without reason.

"Of course, I'm just speaking casually. You don't have to listen. Just follow your own thoughts."

Xu Xian looked up at the girl in front of him.

"Hmm?"

Ye Xianyu curled her lip and said softly, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not that girl. Whether she crosses the Longevity Bridge or not isn't up to me. Nor am I you, Xu Xian. Whether she is allowed to cross isn't up to me either. That Demon-Slaying Sword listens to you, not me."

"Uh..."

Xu Xian was momentarily at a loss for words. From Ye Xianyu's tone, it seemed anything was fine. Since the decision was truly being left to him, he tested the waters, "Does this matter really not need to be discussed?"

Ye Xianyu rolled her eyes and said with disdain, "Discuss what? Didn't I say that you are in full charge of this recruitment? Make your own decision. What, if you can't even handle this little thing, won't people laugh? Is our sect's Little Grand-Uncle incompetent?"

Xu Xian was speechless. He said pointedly, "Then if I really let this little fox into the sect, what will you do?"

"That's your business."

"What about the rules?"

Ye Xianyu leaned forward and said word by word, "Rules are meant to be broken. Even the ones set by the Master are the same."

Xu Xian was stunned, his dark pupils shrinking suddenly.

Ye Xianyu suddenly smiled and said teasingly, "We don't have the ability to break the rules, so we can only follow them. You're different. You have the ability. If you can break the rules, then go ahead and do it. Your Senior Sister doesn't have your talent, but I certainly won't hold you back or trip you up."

Xu Xian's expression shifted, unable to tell for a moment if these were good or bad words, or if they were true or false. He was completely confused. "Why do I feel like you're hinting at something?"

"Tch..." The girl let out a sound of annoyance and chided, "You're overthinking it. I'm telling the truth. In this world, nothing is set in stone. Time flows, cultivation rises, trees grow, and people age. You are the sect's Little Grand-Uncle. In the future, you will take the burden from my shoulders and become the guide for the sect."

"As long as you feel it's right, then do it."

"Don't worry about the eyes of the world, and there's no need to be bound by so-called rules."

"Go ahead and do it boldly. Your Senior Sister supports you unconditionally."

"As for the Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, and the Pavilion Elders, I don't think there's any need to discuss this with them. After all, this rule was already broken by you four years ago."

"If we can accommodate Lu Yuan..."

"Why couldn't we accommodate someone else?"

"Of course, as I said before, the prerequisite is that you feel it's right. If you have the confidence and the courage to do it, we will support you."

"We don't trust other races."

"But we trust you."

Xu Xian was stunned. For a moment, he lost himself in thought.

It was an unexpected answer, yet it made perfect sense.

They said the older generation was pedantic, but in the Wendao Sword Sect, he, the younger one, seemed to be the more pedantic one.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Ye Xianyu waved her hand in front of his eyes and laughed, "What are you dazing off for? Go get busy. If you delay any longer, it'll be dark."

Xu Xian snapped back to reality, looked at Ye Xianyu, and nodded heavily. "Yeah!"

He stood up.

He gave Ye Xianyu a deep, formal bow.

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I have learned much!"

Ye Xianyu lay back down and waved him off. "Go on. Remember to close the door..."

"And next time, if you come empty-handed, don't bother coming at all..."