Inside the Spirit Ship emblazoned with the word "Xuanyuan," Pei Yuhang's expression tightened slightly as he noticed the movements of Fan Ya Fairy in the void ahead.
He recognized her. This Fan Ya Fairy was the very same maid from Shang Miaoyan's palace chambers all those years ago.
Although Fan Ya hadn't dared to make any untoward moves in his presence back then, restrained as she was by Shang Miaoyan's authority, Pei Yuhang had always suspected she was the one who had stolen his missing undergarments and socks from those years.
Furthermore, he knew Fan Ya had a calculating and forbearing nature, far from the gentle and weak woman she appeared to be. He had always maintained a certain wariness toward her...
And as it turned out, he wasn't wrong. She had managed to climb from the lowly status of a mere maid to become a Great Cultivator at the Peak of Nascent Soul Stage. She was even now appearing before him with the noble status of a special envoy from the Yin Yang Sacred Land, sent to establish friendly relations with the Xuanyuan Dao Sect.
All of this was more than enough to prove how much this woman had transformed over the years, and just how extraordinary she was.
'They knew I would be the one receiving the female cultivators from the Yin Yang Sacred Land, so they sent Fan Ya as their special envoy... Is this a coincidence?'
'If this was intentional, then Shang Miaoyan should have come as well.'
'Then again, I haven't heard any news about Shang Miaoyan in seventy years. I heard she received the legacy of some Ancient Great Power seventy years ago and entered a death-seclusion. So whether she has emerged yet is anyone's guess...'
Pei Yuhang knew too little about the Yin Yang Sacred Land at the moment. For a moment, he couldn't make sense of the "chessboard" laid out before him.
The handsome Sword Immortal's brows furrowed deeply, his fingers restlessly stroking the hilt of Silence.
A biting chill emanated from Silence's blade, and along with it came a teasing Divine Sense transmission from Bai Jingjing.
'What are you so flustered for? Weren't you so confident in your master's Divine Ability that conceals karma?'
'It seems you just can't forget those awful memories from the Yin Yang Sacred Land. Even with your increased Cultivation, you're still like a bird that flinches at the sound of a bowstring, terrified of being dragged back and used as a Cauldron Slave. How pitiful.'
'Shut up.'
Pei Yuhang condensed Yang Fire in his palm and fiercely slapped it against Silence's blade.
SLAP—
As the blade trembled, the supremely masculine and potent Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi seeped into the Spirit Sword, Silence, causing the Sword Spirit within, Bai Jingjing, to let out an irrepressible moan, making it impossible to tell if it was from pleasure or pain.
The cold, misty blade condensed large, crystalline droplets of water from the collision with the Purest Yang Qi. They dripped down the length of the sword and onto the floor, accompanied by the Sword Spirit's heavy breathing.
A smile touched the corners of Pei Yuhang's lips, seeing that the little imp inside Silence had finally shut her mouth.
Ever since he had first taken Bai Jingjing in as his Sword Spirit, the Fox Demon Sword Spirit had pestered him day and night.
Because Silence was Pei Yuhang's Lifebound Spirit Sword, Bai Jingjing shared a wondrous "Unity" connection with him.
Bai Jingjing had roughly skimmed through Pei Yuhang's entire life's memories. With all his embarrassing secrets in hand, the little imp of a Sword Spirit would mock him relentlessly, and Pei Yuhang would be too ashamed to even argue back.
Fortunately, not long after, Pei Yuhang had accidentally discovered that the Purest Yang Fire in his body had a peculiar and potent effect on Silence, which possessed an extremely Cold Attribute.
So from then on, whenever Bai Jingjing brought up his embarrassing past, he would condense Yang Fire in his palm and give the unruly Sword Spirit a hard slap, just like a spanking.
Bai Jingjing would usually yield after the first slap. Even if she tried to act tough and hold out, she would be completely pliant after the third, unable to utter a single one of her arrogant little imp remarks.
Pei Yuhang was quite satisfied, seeing that the arrogant fire had gone out of the little imp Sword Spirit.
But just then, there was a knock at his door.
"Sword Immortal Pei, please open the door. I'd like a word."
A delicate, soft voice that could melt a man's very bones drifted in, a voice capable of sending an electric jolt through any man.
Pei Yuhang's pupils contracted as he heard that familiar voice.
Outside the door was the special envoy from the Yin Yang Sacred Land, Fan Ya Fairy!
Pei Yuhang swallowed instinctively, his strikingly masculine Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.
'This Fan Ya… What does she want, coming to find me at a time like this?'
'Don't tell me my identity has been exposed?! Master's Divine Ability must have failed!'
Pei Yuhang hesitated, unsure of his next move. He stood frozen on the spot, utterly silent.
KNOCK KNOCK—
The person outside did not leave despite the silence from within. She knocked on the door twice more, with the same moderate force.
Pei Yuhang figured she wouldn't leave so easily, so he decided to speak up and test the waters.
"Fairy Fan, I was in meditative cultivation and didn't notice your approach. Please forgive me."
"You are too kind, Sword Immortal Pei. It is I who was abrupt in coming to disturb you so suddenly."
'If you knew it was abrupt, why did you still come over?'
Pei Yuhang grumbled internally while circulating his Spiritual Qi to calm his agitated blood.
Even though Fan Ya's tone was calm and her words were proper, her voice was still laced with a seductive charm. It was enough to make even an impotent man's blood rush and his vigor stir.
This was the terrifying power of someone who cultivated the path of Yin Yang Fusion and had reached the Peak of the Nascent Soul Stage. Pei Yuhang's Cultivation had currently dropped to the Early-stage Nascent Soul realm, and faced with such a potent charm, he couldn't keep his mind entirely free of distracting thoughts, despite possessing an incredibly resilient Sword Heart.
Perhaps because Pei Yuhang remained silent, Fan Ya took the initiative and spoke again from outside the door.
"Sword Immortal Pei, may I come in to speak with you?"
'Come in? What for…'
"I have an important matter from the Sacred Land that I must discuss with you, Sword Immortal. Please open the door."
Pei Yuhang's brow furrowed, but since it was an important matter concerning two Major Sects, he figured it would be inappropriate to keep the door shut. In the end, he circulated his Spiritual Qi and released the Restriction on the door.
A faint smile graced Fan Ya's lovely face. The moment the door opened, her beautiful eyes locked onto the handsome, white-robed, black-haired Sword Immortal in the distance.
Pei Yuhang sensed the impurity in her gaze and was greatly displeased. With a flick of his finger, a white Spiritual Gauze flew out from his Jiezhi Storage Ring.
The Spiritual Gauze, capable of blocking probes from one's Divine Sense, swirled around and enveloped him, concealing both Pei Yuhang and the bed behind him.
Seeing Pei Yuhang's sudden action, Fan Ya realized her unrestrained gaze had startled and offended the handsome Sword Immortal, and a flash of annoyance rose within her.
'Honestly! It's usually the men who can't stop themselves from staring at me. Why is it the other way around today?'
'It's all his fault for being such a pure, noble, and aloof Sword Immortal. He just gets one's blood boiling…'
"Fan Ya Fairy, please state your business."
Seeing that Fan Ya had remained silent since entering, Pei Yuhang spoke up.
Fan Ya nodded, her demeanor shifting rapidly to become all-business. She took out various documents and began her discussion with Pei Yuhang.
Seeing that Fan Ya was indeed speaking of official matters, Pei Yuhang patiently engaged in the conversation.
About an hour passed before Fan Ya finally gathered the papers before her, stood up, and spoke with cupped hands.
"Thank you so much, Sword Immortal Pei, for clearing up my confusion. Without your explanation of the situation at the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, the matter of our two Sects' alliance might have been delayed considerably."
"It is my duty."
The figure meditating within the white gauze gave a deliberately casual wave, as if dismissing her.
But Fan Ya acted as if she didn't understand, remaining right where she was.
After a few seconds of silence, Pei Yuhang asked, "Fan Ya Fairy, is there anything else?"
Fan Ya chuckled softly and shook her head. Her gaze fell upon the figure seated within the white gauze, a pinkish luster glinting in her beautiful eyes.
"Sword Immortal Pei, I have finished with my business."
"However—
our Sect's Holy Daughter has something to say."