Chapter 17 Concern

The hearty laughter of the uninhibited green-robed Daoist echoed as he strode inwards. Even the layers upon layers of seals couldn't stop Yuan Shi Tianzun, another of the Ten Greats. The woman in green closed her eyes, feeling the stirrings of emotion in a heart that should have been cold and lifeless.

"Didn't I already say I wasn't seeing guests?"

Qingyi Xian frowned and turned around.

The white-haired Daoist stood before her, a gentle smile on his face. He no longer possessed the carefree air from before, only a tender gaze towards his friend who sat beside the secluded spring, her feet in the water, appearing strangely at peace.

"So I asked if you'd be angry."

The bright woman raised her eyebrows.

"And if I said I was?"

"Then I'd be very sorry, but I'd still come."

The white-haired Daoist chuckled and jested,

"Sincerely admitting my mistake."

"Firmly refusing to change."

"And coming again next time."

"You!"

Qingyi Xian felt a moment of frustration, but also a strange sense of relief as the knot in her heart loosened. This deathly, placid serenity was perhaps not true peace. She closed her eyes briefly, then leaned forward, reaching out to tug on the white hair at the Daoist's temples.

A playful smile touched her lips, her demeanor both mischievous and magnanimous. She teased, "Oh? Is that so? But it's strange, rushing in so hastily.

"Could it be that you, Yuan Shi Tianzun, are worried about me?"

"It couldn't be…"

"It is."

The white-haired Daoist nodded.

The smile on the beautiful woman's face froze.

For a moment, she was at a loss.

The white-haired Daoist placed a basket woven with karma beside him, frowned slightly, and answered matter-of-factly, "Is it so strange that I'm concerned about you?"

"I don't cultivate the Dao of ruthless indifference."

"You're my friend. It would be strange if I wasn't concerned."

He casually removed his shoes and socks, stepping into the Scarlet Water Spring. The Daoist sighed lazily, gazing at the scenery. "It truly is a good place, but a little too secluded. Without a trace of humanity, it's easy to become lonely. It's better to go out and wander more."

The woman in green said, "But I've lived here for thousands of years."

She paused, then added,

"And isn't it a little excessive to speak of someone's home like that?"

"What did you bring?"

Wei Yuan slapped his forehead. With a flick of his finger, the contents of the karma basket flew out: fish and shrimp, all crystal clear, as if carved from jade, exuding spiritual energy.

An ordinary human martial artist would gain at least a thousand *jin* (approximately 500 kg) of strength from eating them.

Though there was a limit to the benefits.

For Wei Yuan, they would only satisfy his appetite.

Xian's expression faltered as she saw the basket of fish and shrimp. The green-robed Daoist stretched comfortably and said, "I don't know if you know this, but the fish and shrimp here are extremely delicious. But they cannot be cooked with fierce flames. Eating them as sashimi is the best way to savor their flavor."

Familiar words, a familiar tone.

Xian seemed to see the Daoist of long ago, regretting that he couldn't find any fish or shrimp.

And she also saw the child to whom she had finally told the flavor of these fish and shrimp.

The Daoist and the child of long ago vanished, blurred, and ultimately merged into the white-haired Daoist before her. Jade hairpin, white hair, green robes as always, as if the six thousand years had never existed. It was merely keeping an appointment.

A melancholy smile touched the woman's face as she nodded. "This is the first time I've heard that."

Wei Yuan moved his fingers slightly. Karma was like a blade, fate inescapable.

The fish and shrimp were transformed directly into fish *kuai* (minced raw fish).

Then, the Daoist hooked and wrapped his fingers, tying a knot in destiny and karma.

Thus, the dead fish and shrimp returned to their original state, sent back into the river by him. They wagged their tails in panic, leaving ripples as they disappeared. The Daoist handed over a pair of chopsticks, his voice gentle. "Life and death are fate, and also karma. And since it's karma, there's the possibility of deception."

"Want to try some?"

Wei Yuan said, taking a bite himself, and frowned.

It seemed that cutting with karma left a strange aftertaste. It couldn't be said that it wasn't delicious.

As long as these ingredients weren't given to Yu the Great.

Even making them with his eyes closed wouldn't be unpalatable.

As for Yu the Great…

Don't even mention the fireproof fish and shrimp. Even the Bifang bird itself couldn't understand why it was so unpalatable and fireproof, yet still made into a dish by Yu the Great.

If that thing that even Yu the Great himself spat out could be called a dish.

That thing should be called [Ancient Human Sovereign's Special Weapon Against the Four Fiends - Version 2.0].

The Taotie (a mythical gluttonous creature) hadn't foreseen Yu the Great, or it would have been defeated in one move.

A natural enemy!

But although the raw materials were excellent, the pure base flavor made the strange aftertaste even more noticeable, even more glaring under the taste buds of a god. It was a considerable flaw.

Damn it!

My reputation as the world's number one chef is going to be ruined!

Wei Yuan's mouth twitched as he consoled himself. But at least he had lowered his reputation in front of Zhurong and Xian, so at least he wouldn't have to go into that confinement cell under the Nine Netherworlds.

However, he would inevitably be ridiculed by this fellow.

After all, she was the Master of the Scarlet Water, and she must have eaten countless fish and shrimp from this river.

Xian reached out her chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish *kuai*, and ate it. Her eyes were bright, and she smiled.

"As expected of you."

"Just right."

The white-haired Daoist paused, speechless for a moment.

Qingyi Xian was as cheerful as ever, laughing and talking for a long while. Wei Yuan couldn't find any openings, let alone probe her foundation. She possessed the pinnacle of the Ten Greats, while the Wei Museum Master was currently a piece of trash unable to condense his Dao body. He couldn't detect her foundation at all.

Judging from the current situation, after today's conversation, Xian would probably invite him to tour the mountains and rivers, chat for a moment, and then send him off with a smile, before closing the seal again and disappearing.

What should he do…

To figure out her situation, to understand Xian's current foundation?

And to understand what that scene pointed to by karma was?

The white hair.

The dissipation of life force.

The white-haired Daoist was silent for a long time, watching the woman in green finish the fish *kuai*, then clap her hands. Her eyes were as bright as ever, and she said with a smile, "Forget it. It's rare for a friend to invite me, so I won't stay in seclusion here. The scenery of this Scarlet Water and Green Mountain is pretty good. Yuan Shi Tianzun, why don't we stroll around together?"

She raised her eyes with a provocative glance, just as she had in the past.

If it were any other day, Wei Yuan wouldn't care, but the previous karmic premonition still swirled around in his mind, unable to dissipate, making him feel uneasy. His expression became serious, and he slowly told himself,

He couldn't be reckless.

He needed to speak gradually, to attack from the side, to inquire with unwavering calmness.

Asking directly would be the worst strategy.

He needed reason, he needed calculation!

He needed the decisiveness to know the autumn by the falling of a single leaf!

He was silent for a moment, then asked directly, "How's your body?"

Yuan Shi Tianzun was expressionless.

My brain doesn't know that stuff!

Xian paused, then couldn't help but laugh brightly, her lips curving up. Amused, she said, "Me? I'm the Master of the Nine Netherworlds, the master of life and death. Even the souls of all the worlds must return to the Nine Netherworlds after death. One of the Ten Greats, transcending life and death."

"We've already agreed that you'll belong to me after you die."

"What? You're concerned about me now?"

She put her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, outlining a graceful curve, her voice soft and teasing.

"What, what?

"Do you miss me? Do you want to come to the Nine Netherworlds now?"

Wei Yuan looked straight into the woman's eyes and said frankly, "I once fought against a being from the Turbid World."

"When he used karma to try to distort and interfere with my consciousness, I saw you, already with a full head of white hair, and felt worried. That's why I came to see if there was something wrong."

Xian smiled helplessly and replied, "Of course there's nothing wrong with me."

"Since we're friends, don't you trust me?"

"What kind of friend is that? Wei Yuan, just trust me this once, okay?"

The woman's expression was gentle, and her eyes were sincere.

The words had already been said to this point, and the conversation had reached this stage. It was time to give way. After all, even the trust of friends had been brought up. The white-haired Daoist looked at her and nodded. "Is that so?"

"Of course, I'm willing to trust my friends."

He stood up and said, "After all, in one of my reincarnations, I followed Master Kong to travel the entire Nine Provinces. Master Kong said, 'I examine myself thrice daily,' and one of them is whether I have been unfaithful in my interactions with friends. Master Kong taught by example, and I remember it all."

"However, Master Kong also said that he once saw Yan Hui stealing rice and became angry."

"Later, he learned that his own eyes had deceived him."

"Yan Hui was cooking at the time. He accidentally dropped some rice on the ground and it became covered in dust. It wouldn't be good to give such rice to his teacher, but it would be a pity to throw it away. So even though it had fallen on the ground and become dirty, he had to secretly eat it himself."

"Master Kong sighed that even the things he saw with his own eyes sometimes couldn't be trusted."

Xian smiled and agreed, "So you should listen to Master Kong's words."

"Seeing isn't necessarily believing."

"What you saw was just what your opponent wanted you to see. It was false."

The white-haired Daoist glanced at her, and his aura suddenly became upright and sharp, like the bamboo of Nanshan, piercing the clouds. He said slowly, "Wrong. However, Master Kong meant that even seeing isn't necessarily believing, let alone the words of others. In any case, you must personally investigate the truth before you can believe it. Xian, the current me doesn't believe what you're saying!"

The woman in green pursed her lips. "Really, I'm really fine."

She sighed and said, "Besides, this is my own business."

"If this situation really happens, and I don't even care about my own life, then you shouldn't care about me either."

The white-haired Daoist answered calmly, "You don't care."

"I care."

"Anyone who stands in the way of your life, even you, I won't stop."

"I want to save you, and you can't stop me!"

"You!"

The woman in green paused. Then the Daoist waved his sleeve, and the sound of wind rustled through the bamboo. With wooden hairpin and white hair, he invited, "After this, I will be going to the Southern Sea. This matter may be unavoidable, but to prevent accidents, I hope you can come with me."

Then, even if she was really lacking in foundation, he would definitely be able to see it!

And then take action in time!

With the methods that Nuwa had taught him, and with Yuan Shi Tianzun by his side, as long as there was karma, there would definitely be a way to save her!

Xian looked at him and said, "What if I refuse?"

"I don't want to go to the Southern Sea."

The white-haired Daoist thought for a moment, lost that imposing manner, scratched his head and smiled, "Well, if you refuse, then you refuse."

"Well, Zhurong has already secretly broken through to the peak of the Ten Greats hundreds of years ago, and he controls annihilation. His strength is extremely high. But I have only just broken through, and my state is unstable, and I haven't been able to condense my Dao body yet.

"This trip is extremely dangerous. I'm afraid I won't be able to cope alone. I will encounter all kinds of crises, and I might even fall there."

He suddenly began to recite these words in a monotonous tone, like an elementary school student reciting from a textbook.

Then he leaned forward slightly, his hand behind his back, pressing down on his waist-length white hair. He extended one hand in invitation.

"This trip is dangerous, and I am just a weak scholar who needs someone to accompany me for protection."

"I wonder, Xian, the Illuminator of the Nine Netherworlds… no."

"Xian, the Master of the Scarlet Waters of Zhongshan, would you be willing to come with me?"