Exclusive Interview

"Xiaoyu, come here for a moment."

After sending off Wen Yulong, Chu Liang went to find Liu Xiaoyu, a gentle smile on his face.

"Hmm?" The young girl blinked. "Brother Chu Liang, what is it?"

At Silver Sword Peak, the situation was such that she called me sister, she called me brother, and I called her master... the three of us each kept to our own way.

"Just like last time, I need a blessing," Chu Liang said.

Liu Xiaoyu tilted her head, feeling that Chu Liang was a bit strange. Why did he keep asking her for blessings every few days? Did he want three hundred and sixty-five blessings a year?

But the kind-hearted girl still closed her eyes and silently wished for his heart’s desires to come true.

Seeing her close her eyes, Chu Liang also calmed himself to reward himself.

His divine sense entered the White Tower’s space, and immediately he noticed a scene vastly different from before. Because one mark could occupy a cage, the White Tower was now crowded with venomous bees, arranged endlessly as far as the eye could see.

Most striking among them was the greatly enlarged phantom of the queen bee.

Though these creatures shared the same origin, their strength varied greatly, and so did the rewards they offered.

Chu Liang first approached the cage of the queen bee phantom and pressed the "Refine" character without hesitation.

Boom—

A flash of light appeared.

A white radiant glow floated out, and Chu Liang caught it. It was a round, white egg-shaped object.

[Mysterious Beast Egg]:

Infuse with true qi to incubate; when the spirit beast hatches, it will recognize its master and become an innate spirit pet.

"Spirit beast?"

Chu Liang was quite surprised.

Could the White Tower actually yield something alive?

Spirit beasts are the "monsters" among demons, beings possessing great power but not needing to transform into humans. The distinction between spirit beasts and demonic beasts not yet transformed into human form has always been vague and often confused.

There were many ordinary spirit pets on Mount Shu, but innate spirit pets were much rarer.

One had to obtain a living spirit beast egg and incubate it themselves. Once hatched, the spirit beast would immediately recognize its master. Innate spirit pets generally had better temperament and intimacy than acquired ones.

Whether this pet was powerful was uncertain, but to Chu Liang, it was at least novel. He might not need the egg, but he wouldn’t mind having one.

What kind of pet did he want?

The image of Senior Sister Jiang flashed through his mind, and Chu Liang quickly shook his head, dismissing such unrealistic thoughts.

He looked up and pressed the "Refine" character beside him again.

Boom—

Another venomous bee phantom was refined, and a jar of fruit tea appeared in his hand.

But Chu Liang noticed this jar’s appearance was slightly different in color. Curious, he tasted it, and sure enough, it had a different flavor than before!

A new taste?

Chu Liang pressed several more times and found several jars with different colors and flavors.

But before, they had been the same...

Chu Liang pondered—was this the charm of the koi fish?

With her blessing, new flavors could be produced?

"Finished already?" Liu Xiaoyu asked softly.

The girl heard Chu Liang close his eyes and then noticed his breathing quicken, feeling a bit odd.

"Alright, I'll treat you to something delicious later," Chu Liang quickly thanked her and slipped back into his room.

Back in his wooden cottage, Chu Liang took out the small white beast egg. Its shell was translucent, revealing a golden substance within.

He attempted to slowly infuse true qi, immediately feeling a warm sensation as if it pulsed slightly, responding to his gift.

No wonder innate spirit pets have higher intimacy; this one already possessed some intelligence. By continuously nurturing it with true qi, it might naturally regard him as its mother.

So he had become a male mother...

Just then, a strange laugh sounded outside: "Hey hey hey!"

He knew immediately who it was.

Chu Liang put away the beast egg and went to the door, seeing Lin Bei standing outside, beaming with excitement.

"Chu Liang! We're about to become famous!" Lin Bei exclaimed excitedly. "The Celestial Pivot Pavilion sent someone to find us!"

...

Whenever a major event occurred, disciples of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion would interview the participants, allowing the Seven Stars Gazette to report accurate news.

But such interviews didn’t happen every time. When Chu Liang and Yun Chao first appeared in the Gazette, no one approached them. This time, perhaps because the Nan Guan City incident was significant, there was a special interview.

Lin Bei was animated all the way.

For most cultivators, appearing in the Seven Stars Gazette was truly a joyous occasion.

But Chu Liang remained calm.

He was suspicious of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion’s relationship with his master and felt a little uneasy.

Soon, they crossed the sea of clouds and arrived at Tongtian Peak. In a quiet chamber within the heavy pavilions, the Celestial Pivot Pavilion’s visitors awaited.

But there was someone else present.

Upon seeing her, both Chu Liang and Lin Bei were surprised.

The Celestial Pivot Pavilion disciple sat there, petite and delicate, with twin ponytails and a youthful face that looked about sixteen or seventeen. Her smile made her eyes narrow cutely.

She was chatting warmly with a woman beside her, who wore a form-fitting long dress and a sheer short jacket, her hair casually tied in a bun with long strands falling softly—radiating an indescribable elegance and grace.

It was Jiang Yuebai.

"Two young heroes from Mount Shu have arrived," the pavilion disciple stood and introduced herself first: "I am Zhang Xiaohan of the Wind-Catching Hall, part of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion. I’m here specifically to interview you regarding your visit to Nan Guan City. I’m a newcomer, so please be kind."

"Of course," Lin Bei patted his chest. "We Mount Shu disciples are the kindest of all. I hope Sister Zhang will be generous and say good things about us."

The Wind-Catching Hall was the department responsible for compiling the Seven Stars Gazette. Its disciples traveled across the nine provinces, gathering news through inquiries and interviews.

If there were a “Should be executed” list in the cultivation world, the hall master, Zhou Yijian, would top it. For decades, countless people had wished him dead, both openly and secretly.

Chu Liang looked at Jiang Yuebai, wondering how she came to be here.

Jiang Yuebai met his gaze with a smile.

Zhang Xiaohan seemed to notice his glance, took Jiang Yuebai’s hand, and said with a smile, "I’ve known Sister Jiang for some time, and since I had business with her, I invited her along. She’s here, so you won’t be nervous, right?"

"Nervous is inevitable..." Lin Bei said. "Senior Sister Jiang is the goddess of our entire Mount Shu sect. For us junior disciples, it’s almost impossible to meet her..."

He glanced at Chu Liang.

Chu Liang, however, sat down calmly, meeting Jiang Yuebai’s eyes with composure.

Damn, he was so natural!

Lin Bei cursed silently.

Jiang Yuebai glanced at Zhang Xiaohan and softly said, "You may begin. I’m just listening; I won’t get in the way."

"Of course not," Zhang Xiaohan smiled, then turned to the two and asked, "First, what was your purpose in going to Nan Guan City?"

"Naturally, it was a demon-slaying mission," Lin Bei said earnestly. "You know, we Mount Shu disciples always take it upon ourselves to exterminate demons and uphold justice."

"But according to our investigation, your demon-slaying task was completed quickly. Yet you stayed in Nan Guan City for several more days. Were you waiting for Miss Xue’s tour at the Nanyinfang?" Zhang Xiaohan inquired.

It seemed she had already been to Nan Guan City and knew quite a bit.

Just as Chu Liang was about to nod, Lin Bei shook his head. "Absolutely not. We were helping a lost girl who had lost her sister. It was during the search for her family that we uncovered the evil conspiracy of the Ding Shan Marquis Mansion."

"Wow, you two are truly chivalrous," Zhang Xiaohan praised before asking, "But we heard you had quite a bit of contact with Miss Xue. Rumors in Nan Guan City say you and the young marquis initially clashed over jealousy during a competition for Miss Xue's favor..."

Lin Bei was stunned. "There’s that too?"

Chu Liang waved his hand emphatically. "Absolutely not!"

Across the table, Jiang Yuebai smiled subtly.

Zhang Xiaohan’s gaze flickered between them. "I heard from the manor’s servant that a handsome young hero even sought out Miss Xue, and the two would close the door to talk and play the zither..."

Lin Bei was shocked again. "I didn’t!"

Who would believe you did? Chu Liang thought helplessly.

He was also a bit troubled—what kind of things were the Celestial Pivot Pavilion disciples asking about? They never asked about fighting evil or their thoughts, only these trivial rumors?

And all this in front of Senior Sister Jiang.

Feeling all eyes on him, Chu Liang knew he couldn’t avoid it and quietly said, "I did listen to Miss Xue play the zither once, but that was it. We didn’t talk... Don’t believe those rumors."

"Oh?" Zhang Xiaohan’s eyes lit up, as if she had caught the key, "Two people closed the door and just played the zither? No talking?"

"Exactly," Chu Liang nodded.

"So, Young Hero Chu could perceive Miss Xue’s thoughts through her music, without words..." Zhang Xiaohan murmured. "Through their repeated musical exchanges, they became kindred spirits..."

"Not at all..." Chu Liang hurriedly interrupted her nonsense. "Miss Xue only played for me alone once—that’s it. Don’t speculate."

"Nonsense!" Lin Bei retorted. "She clearly played for you alone several times!"

"The last time was when she saved my life..." Chu Liang explained.

"Oh?" Zhang Xiaohan seemed to catch another clue and excitedly asked, "Miss Xue saved Young Hero Chu’s life? Such gratitude from a beauty!"

Wait.

Isn’t that phrase used the other way around?

Chu Liang was speechless, pondering how to explain.

Across from him, Jiang Yuebai’s expression was like jade, her eyes smiling warmly...