"There's a saying that in the Ancient Era, most of the great Daoyuan Niangniang who shook the Myriad Heavens and Worlds were, to a greater or lesser extent, teased or flirted with by You Di. How does it go... 'The amorous monarch, the heartless man, for whom he went mad, for whom he raged; the fickle-hearted You Di, the thief of hearts, playing with the tears of ancient beauties; the Heavenly Wolf of past life, the Qingfeng of this life, born untamed, dying empty; ancient flirtations begetting karma, present-ancient times seeing no new legends.'"
Li Xin Xianzi curled her lip and said, "As for those romantic tales of You Di, I could talk for three days and three nights without eating, drinking, or sleeping, and still not finish. In short, You Di was licentious by nature, fond of leaving traces of affection everywhere. If he took a fancy to you, what's so strange about that?"
"Martial Aunt, I beg you, please stop joking with me, alright?"
Qingqing was on the verge of tears. "Why don't you say You Di took a fancy to you instead?"
"I'd like that, but he'd have to fancy me first."
"Ah!"
Qingqing truly hadn't expected Li Xin Xianzi to actually harbor such thoughts. She exclaimed in surprise, "You really want that?"
"Of course! You Di is the most perfect man in your Martial Aunt's heart. Otherwise, why do you think I've remained single all these years? It's because I wanted to find a man like You Di! It's a pity! A pity there is only one You Di between heaven and earth. Although your Martial Aunt has some looks, I also have self-awareness. I clearly know I don't have the ability or the qualifications to compete with those Daoyuan Niangniang for a man. I couldn't win against them even if I tried. So, I never held out any hope."
Hearing this, Qingqing asked, somewhat unable to comprehend, "Martial Aunt, you just said You Di was the fickle-hearted You Di, the amorous monarch and heartless man. Why are you now saying you want to find a man like him?"
"It's true I want to find a man like You Di, but it's just about finding one. It doesn't mean I want to form a Dual-Cultivation Cultivation Partner with a man like You Di. With a man as licentious as You Di, whoever forms a cultivation partnership with him would be cursed for eight lifetimes. A man as aloof, domineering, free, and untamed as You Di—not even heaven and earth could bind him, let alone a woman. Don't even think about it."
"If you don't want to form a Dual-Cultivation Cultivation Partner with You Di, then why say you want to find a man like him?"
"Silly girl, sometimes when two people are together, they don't necessarily have to become Dual-Cultivation Cultivation Partners. Being lovers, playing with ambiguity, isn't that better? Why become cultivation partners? I think being lovers with You Di, playing that ambiguous game, must be very thrilling... Otherwise, in the Ancient Era, those Daoyuan Niangniang wouldn't have been bewitched one after another."
"Ah! Lovers? Playing with ambiguity?"
Qingqing shook her head. She was a rather traditional woman. Deep down, she could only accept two mutually admiring parties becoming Dual-Cultivation Cultivation Partners. As for things like lovers and ambiguity, she had never considered them.
"If the Great Old Master on this ship really is You Di, do you think I should take the initiative? Go and seduce him? After all, this is a rare opportunity. If I miss it, your Martial Aunt might regret it for the rest of her life."
Hearing Li Xin Xianzi say this truly frightened Qingqing. She cried out, "Martial Aunt, have you gone mad?! He is You Di! You Di, whom heaven and earth cannot tolerate! You Di, who awakened Original Sin! You Di, who may trigger a great calamity in the future! And you actually want to seduce him? Do you think your life is too long?!"
"Right, right, right! You're correct! Your Martial Aunt was confused."
To be honest, Li Xin Xianzi was also startled by the thought that had just surfaced in her mind. She didn't know why such an absurd idea had popped up out of nowhere.
"Now is not the time to talk about such things. At present, we can only act as if this matter never happened. Respond to changes with constancy. First, serve him with good food and drink. Even if we offend the King of Heaven himself, we must not offend him. Whatever he tells us to do, we do. As for other matters, for now, we'll take one step at a time. That's all we can do for the moment."
…
The Great Wasteland was a vast, boundless Great Wasteland.
An endless, boundless Great Wasteland without the cycling of sun and moon.
Those who roamed the Great Wasteland basically had no concept of time.
When Gu Qingfeng woke from his sleep, he had no idea how long he had slept. He glanced at Huode; the old fellow had been sitting cross-legged the whole time, immersed in cultivation.
Earlier, Li Xin Xianzi had laid out a table full of delicacies. Although the three most precious ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruits had been eaten by Gu Qingfeng, the thousand-year Snow Lotuses and other spirit fruits on the table had all been devoured by Huode alone. These things might not compare to the ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruits, but they were still highly nourishing spirit fruits. An ordinary person would have to go into seclusion to cultivate after eating just one, yet Huode had eaten twenty or thirty in one go. If he didn't quickly refine them, not only would it be a waste of precious resources, but there was also the danger of being 'stuffed to death'.
Gu Qingfeng was different. His current physical body had deteriorated terribly since awakening from his ten-thousand-year slumber. Although there were now signs of recovery, it was only a gradual revival. After those three ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruits entered his stomach, it was like mud oxen entering the sea—forget about great nourishment, he didn't even hear a sound. At most, he just tasted their freshness.
With nothing better to do, Gu Qingfeng came to the deck, found a chair, and sat down. Just as he was about to doze off a little, Li Xin Xianzi and High Immortal Qingqing hurried over. Seeing Gu Qingfeng, they first paid their respects respectfully, then cautiously asked if the Great Old Master had any needs.
"Needs? Not really any needs. It's just that your beds are too hard. Waking up from this sleep, my whole body aches."
"Great Old Master, we sincerely apologize. We… rarely sleep on the ship, so… we didn't prepare comfortable daily necessities. However, this humble woman knows a little about massage and percussion techniques. If the Great Old Master does not mind… this humble woman would be willing to serve you."
"Oh, that's too embarrassing," Gu Qingfeng laughed. "You are a noble Immortal. Having you massage me, how could I possibly bear it?"
"Great Old Master, you jest. Being able to serve you is this humble woman's honor."
"Oh, is that so?"
Gu Qingfeng's eyes, narrowed to slits, opened a crack as he looked Li Xin Xianzi and High Immortal Qingqing up and down, seemingly somewhat puzzled by their respectful attitude.
Being scrutinized so brazenly by Gu Qingfeng, both Li Xin Xianzi and Qingqing felt extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps due to a guilty conscience, or perhaps because their hearts were too terrified by You Di's fearsome reputation, at this moment, facing Gu Qingfeng, they stood rigidly, not even daring to lift their heads, afraid he might notice something.
After a moment, Gu Qingfeng didn't ask further. He said, "Since Elder Sister has put it that way, if I refuse again, it would seem somewhat pretentious. Alright, come on. Don't just stand there. Let me see how good your technique is."