Meanwhile, about seven or eight streets away from the incident near the restaurant, Meng Qi abruptly halted her steps. The young man in the blue robe, who had been thrown off the building just now, was standing next to her. When she lowered her head, she could see his slender fingers tightly gripping her wrist.
“You…” When Meng Qi stopped in her tracks, the young man stopped too. She, however, fixed her gaze on his elegant profile.
The man turned around. His eyelids were still drooping, and his expression remained indifferent as if he didn’t care about anything. He had been thrown around like that and yet; he didn’t seem angry. He also didn’t ask why when Meng Qi suddenly stopped just now. But when the dense mist emerged from the artifact she had summoned, leaving everyone unresponsive, he quickly arrived by her side and said, “Follow me.”
Meng Qi looked at him. The item she was using was a sixth-realm artifact embedded with a concealing spell. The thick mist produced by the artifact did more than just obstruct people’s vision — it blocked their spiritual senses as well. Besides the person who used the artifact, only cultivators of the Void Comprehending stage and above could still perceive their surroundings within the thick mist.
And yet, this Qi Condensation cultivator seemed unaffected. Holding Meng Qi’s hand, he silently navigated through the streets and alleys, arriving at their current location in no time.
As Meng Qi thought about it, she lightly moved her hand. The young man immediately released her wrist. “Cross this street, then turn left and keep going. You will find a courtyard operated by Jingyuetian there,” he finally spoke. His voice was pleasant to the ears, like the soothing sound of a melodious flute. And yet, he appeared totally apathetic, as if he was disinterested in everything the world had to offer. After speaking, he didn’t wait for Meng Qi’s response and turned to walk away in the opposite direction to Jingyuetian’s courtyard.
The man was quite tall, but he looked very thin. Even though he wore a regular-sized blue robe, it seemed baggy on him. He walked with his hands behind his back. As he walked, the wind lifted his robe’s sleeves, making him appear as though he could be carried away by the wind at any moment. He was merely a Qi Condensation cultivator. He had been humiliated a moment ago, with his arm nearly broken when he was thrown off the building. Nevertheless, he appeared entirely indifferent, maintaining his composure all this time.
Meng Qi silently watched his departing figure and suddenly called out, “Fellow Daoist Yan.”
The young man in the blue robe’s steps hesitated for a moment but didn’t stop. He remained with his back turned to Meng Qi and said softly, “We don’t know each other. You helped me, and I helped you. The debts are cleared, and there’s no need to know each other’s identities.”
Meng Qi couldn’t help but smile. “I’m afraid that’s not possible,” she said.
“Ha—” the young man chuckled self-deprecatingly and finally stopped. But he didn’t turn around. With his back still facing Meng Qi, he asked, “Are you a medical cultivator?”
“Yes,” Meng Qi responded.
“Did my father request your help?”
“No,” Meng Qi shook her head. “I’m only at the Nascent Soul stage right now, and my medical cultivation hasn’t even reached the fifth realm. Your father wouldn’t have requested me.”
“But you are Meng Qi,” the young man finally turned around. Although he looked somewhat lifeless before, the light seemed to have returned to his eyes. He was handsome, but the lack of spirit had dimmed his appearance. However, as he straightened his posture and his eyes became clear, you could see his past self there — the past figure of the proud young man once hailed as the Western Realm’s number one genius.
“Yan Xuan,” he said as he looked at Meng Qi.
“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Yan,” Meng Qi cupped her hands.
Yan Xuan also returned the greeting.
Despite being at the Qi Condensation stage, Yan Xuan was not someone anyone dared to underestimate. He looked like an ordinary young man in his early twenties, but he was a true genius among Western Realm cultivators. While Chu Tianfeng, Qin Xiumo, and others could also be considered geniuses, Yan Xuan was the genius among geniuses. He formed his Core at eleven, reached the Nascent Soul at thirteen, broke through into the Spirit Severing stage at seventeen, and entered the Void Comprehending stage at the age of twenty-two.
Meng Qi was twenty years old this year, but she had struggled and relied on Ji Wujiong’s help to barely reach the Nascent Soul stage. She was not particularly gifted, but not foolish either. She was merely an ordinary cultivator in the vast Three Thousand Worlds, with no comparison to these geniuses.
Of course, Yan Xuan was only at the Qi Condensation stage now and was not on a par with Meng Qi, let alone the other geniuses. He might remain in that state forever, unable to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, which the majority of cultivators could definitely reach with enough work and preservation. But the young master of the Jingyuetian Sect by no means was a waste. When he had been a Void Comprehending cultivator, he single-handedly guarded a boundary crack for three days and nights, preventing the invasion of the devil realm. When reinforcements finally arrived, he had already exhausted himself. Unfortunately, his golden core had also been eroded by devil aura and the power of the boundary, leading to severe damage and almost complete destruction. That’s why he had regressed to the Qi Condensation stage.
His spiritual sea had regressed to the size of a Qi Condensation cultivator, and the aura he could deploy was at the same level. Nonetheless, he had been a Void Comprehending cultivator before, and his experience remained. In fact, he should still be regarded as a Void Comprehending cultivator. This was why he could see clearly through the thick fog that blocked Wei Yuanzhong’s vision and brought Meng Qi to their current location with such precision.
Meng Qi looked into Yan Xuan’s eyes, and he did the same.
“It seems Fellow Daoist Meng is not the type to meddle in others’ affairs.” Yan Xuan suddenly raised the corner of his lips.
Meng Qi used an artifact to summon the thick mist to block Wei Yuanzhong’s vision, but she didn’t intend to take away her senior sister. However, it was clear that when he was about to fall, Meng Qi had already raised her hand. It seemed like she at least intended to prevent him from falling severely.
“I’m not,” Meng Qi replied. “But I am planning to enter the Minor Ten Absolutes Mountain.” She spoke with calm and composure as if she were discussing having a meal. “I’m also planning to reach the summit, and I want to leave the mountain alive.”
Yan Xuan: “…”
“What does that have to do with me?” he asked.
Meng Qi continued, “You will enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain with me.”
“…I won’t.” Yan Xuan said.
“Yes, you will,” Meng Qi said confidently. With a casual gesture, she took out the pendant Yan Shunbei had given her. “I got this from Sect Leader Yan. I need his help on some matters, so I agreed to bring you in and heal your injuries.”
“You sound quite confident,” Yan Xuan coldly observed Meng Qi. “You just said you are only a Nascent Soul cultivator, and your medical cultivation is only at the fourth rank.”
“I’m about to reach the fifth rank anytime soon. By the time we leave the Ten Absolutes Mountain, it will be at the sixth rank,” Meng Qi explained.
“Heh—” Yan Xuan chuckled lightly and refused to comment.
“Even if we hadn’t met here today, I would’ve gone to visit you soon,” Meng Qi continued. “We need to cooperate.”
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