Xu Xian turned around suddenly and saw a stranger—a young girl. She had silver-white hair tied into two long ponytails with white ribbons that reached down to her waist.
Her features were as delicate as a painting against the backdrop of the emerald mountains. She wore a light blue dress with a small green bag slung over her shoulder, adding a touch of youthful vitality to her appearance.
Her eyes were large and clear. Looking into them was like standing by a slow-moving stream in the height of summer; the water was so transparent one could see all the way to the bottom.
A line of text hovered over her forehead.
[Core Formation Stage · Middle Stage]
She stood with her hands behind her back, tilting slightly on her toes as she giggled. "It really is the Little Grand-Uncle! I thought I’d mistaken you for someone else."
Her voice was ethereal, like the song of an oriole in a hollow valley.
Xu Xian paused for a moment before asking, "And you are?"
The white-haired girl gave him a deep bow and said sweetly, "Greetings, Little Grand-Uncle. My name is Yao Xiaoxiao. I’m a disciple from the Elixir Hall on Falling Cloud Peak."
Xu Xian looked thoughtful. "Oh!"
Yao Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Does the Little Grand-Uncle know me?"
Xu Xian shook his head. "I don't."
"Ah!" Yao Xiaoxiao looked slightly embarrassed but quickly smiled again. "Well, perhaps it's because the Little Grand-Uncle doesn't go out much. I'm actually quite famous, you know."
Xu Xian remained silent.
Yao Xiaoxiao paused before adding, "Of course, I’m a little less famous than you."
Not intending to linger, Xu Xian asked, "Did you need something from me?"
Yao Xiaoxiao waved her hands dismissively and smiled. "Nothing at all! I just wanted to say hello to you."
Xu Xian straightened his posture, adopting the air of a weathered elder. "Mm, alright. I’ll remember you. But for now, I have to go. You go ahead and play."
However, Yao Xiaoxiao gave a large hop and bounced in front of him. "Where are you going, Grand-Uncle? I can give you a lift!"
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow. "That works. I was just heading to the Elixir Hall anyway."
"What a coincidence!"
"Quite the coincidence indeed."
Yao Xiaoxiao was delighted. She twirled her finger in the air, and fireflies of light swirled around as a large jade gourd artifact appeared out of thin air.
She beckoned him. "Little Grand-Uncle, please!"
Xu Xian looked at it with novelty.
Although not every disciple in the mountains used a sword, and he would occasionally see others using different artifacts like boats, ruyi scepters, compasses, staves, or even a single leaf...
He had only ever seen them from a distance.
This was the first time he had been so close to a magic artifact other than a sword.
He couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. He reached out to pat it and praised, "This gourd of yours is quite nice. It has a celestial air about it."
Yao Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes into happy crescents as she introduced it proudly. "This is a jade gourd. My grandfather gave it to me. It flies very fast and very steadily."
Xu Xian said seriously, "Steady is good. Steady is very good. Safety is paramount."
"Mm-hmm! Let’s go, Little Grand-Uncle..." Yao Xiaoxiao glanced around and laughed. "Otherwise, people are going to start looking at us like we’re monkeys in a show."
Xu Xian glanced sideways and saw many disciples passing by, staring in their direction and whispering among themselves. He was already used to such attention and found nothing strange about it.
"Alright, let's go."
Unlike a sword, the jade gourd could be ridden. It even had cushions on it that were soft to sit on, giving him a full sense of security. Xu Xian liked it very much; he thought that once he learned how to fly, he would have to get an artifact like this for himself.
Controlling a sword was too risky.
You had to stay standing the whole time—it was exhausting.
Under Yao Xiaoxiao's control, the jade gourd soared straight into the clouds, leaving the noise behind.
However, the discussions behind them only grew louder...
"Was that girl just now Yao Xiaoxiao, Elder Yao's granddaughter?"
"Yeah. Only the descendants of the Yao family have that white hair. Plus the jade gourd—there’s no mistaking it."
"Hehe, she’s really cute..."
"I’d advise you not to get any ideas. Careful that Elder Yao doesn't drag you back and turn you into a specimen."
"Tsk, what a shame. Such a fine cabbage being rooted up by a pig."
"Who’s the pig and who’s the cabbage?"
"Are you stupid? Obviously the guy. He looks eighteen already, yet he's only at the qi refining stage..."
"That man is the Little Grand-Uncle, Xu Xian."
"Ahem! What a handsome man and beautiful woman—truly a match made in heaven!!"
Above the green mountains and amidst the clouds, the jade gourd moved steadily forward. Yao Xiaoxiao bragged, "Little Grand-Uncle, do you know how I recognized you?"
"Have you seen me before?" Xu Xian asked tentatively.
"Nope."
"Then how..."
"I guessed!"
"A very accurate guess."
"Heehee, it wasn't actually that hard. Disciples at the qi refining stage either entered ten years ago or five years ago, and there aren't many of them anyway. Since you're so handsome, you had to be the Little Grand-Uncle!"
Hearing this, Xu Xian’s posture stiffened with a jolt of pride. He praised her sincerely, "I must say, you have excellent taste."
He felt that this girl was quite alright.
Yao Xiaoxiao's smile grew even sweeter. She seemed like a simple-minded young girl, and in many ways, she truly was.
"Thank you for the compliment, Little Grand-Uncle."
Changing the subject, she asked, "By the way, Little Grand-Uncle, what are you going to our Elixir Hall for?"
Xu Xian spoke plainly. "It's nothing much. I'm about to reach foundation establishment, so I'm going to get a Foundation Establishment Pill."
Yao Xiaoxiao suddenly hit the brakes, nearly tossing Xu Xian off the gourd.
"Why did we stop?"
Yao Xiaoxiao looked back at him with an innocent expression. "I have Foundation Establishment Pills!"
"Hmm?"
To Xu Xian's confusion, she fished a small medicine bottle out of her bag, shook it in her hand, and said triumphantly, "Look! Foundation Establishment Pills."
Then, she simply handed it over to him with great generosity.
"Here."
Xu Xian was stunned.
"For me?"
"Yeah!"
Without waiting for him to refuse, she grabbed his hand and forced the bottle into his palm, not forgetting to add grandly, "There are ten in here. If that's not enough, I'll get you more."
The moment they touched, Xu Xian’s whole body shivered. He lowered his gaze, subconsciously looking at her hand. A trace of daze flickered in his eyes.
It wasn't because of the gift.
It was because her hand was incredibly cold.
Though the contact was brief, it felt as though he had thrust his hand into a snowbank in the dead of winter.
He lost himself for a moment.
"Little Grand-Uncle..."
Xu Xian snapped back to reality. He looked at the bottle in his hand and then at the girl before him. He swallowed hard and said blankly, "I don't have any merit points."
Yao Xiaoxiao burst out laughing. "I don't want merit points."
Xu Xian was overwhelmed by her favor. "You're giving them to me for free?"
"That's right!"
"This... isn't very appropriate, is it?" Xu Xian hesitated.
Yao Xiaoxiao patted her modest chest and said generously, "I refined these myself. They don't cost many points. Just take them, Grand-Uncle. No need to be polite with me... Consider it a junior's tribute to you."
Seeing how magnanimous she was, Xu Xian stopped hesitating and smiled.
"Alright, since you are offering so sincerely, I won't refuse. I'll take them..."
He paused, poured out a single pill, and handed the rest back. "However, one is enough. I don't need this many. Take the rest back."
Rate on N.U.
