Mission: Seduce the Master!

Xie Qing's face was like an open book, perfectly displaying his confusion. He looked at Zhang Mei and politely asked, "What reward are you referring to, lady?"

"Ugh… you know what I mean," Zhang Mei frowned and added specifics: "Your help with the map. That's what the reward is for."

"Ah, I see."

Xie Qing nodded, finally understanding what she was talking about. But he could only scratch his cheek in bewilderment.

"Actually, I didn't expect a reward in the first place," he replied honestly, then weakly smiled and made a joke: "But, if the lady agrees to kiss me on the cheek, that would be a great reward for me."

"…"

Zhang Mei remained silent and did not respond, her eyebrows furrowing even more. Xie Qing could only smile awkwardly.

"It was just a joke. I don't need a reward, believe me." Then, he straightened his posture and added with a smile: "It's my duty as a righteous cultivator."

"Hmm…"

Despite Xie Qing's joke, Zhang Mei's face surprisingly became serious, and she looked as if she was deeply contemplating this.

"She's hard to talk to…" Xie Qing thought, turning away with a crooked smile and scratching his cheek: "Well, it's no wonder. I'm like a child to her, and the Master is an exception, always behaving like a young girl."

And while he was lost in thought, suddenly a clicking sound rang in his ear, followed by a gentle and warm touch on his cheek.

"Hmm?"

Xie Qing startled and looked at Zhang Mei in confusion, who had stepped back from him with moist eyes. The woman made strange sounds, then blushed and disappeared, using teleportation.

"What… was that?"

Xie Qing touched the spot on his cheek where Zhang Mei had kissed him, looking as if he had lost touch with the world.

"I… the one who always had control of the situation… ended up on the losing side?" he thought, then bitterly smiled: "They say a girl's heart is fickle, and a woman's heart is like a fog."

However…

Xie Qing smiled weakly—this time it was a happy smile.

"It seems even thousand-year-old ice can melt if given time, huh?" he thought and squinted, suddenly wondering: "Wait, is this a sign that I can court her? Or is it just part of the reward? Hmm?"

He had never been so confused in his life.

***

If Xie Qing took the whole situation much more calmly than one might expect, Zhang Mei's reaction was quite the opposite—much more agitated. She locked herself in her private room, burying her face in a pillow, then, like a flustered young girl, kicked her feet against the mattress, mercilessly beating it.

If one looked closely, they would notice her ears were flushed red, and her cheeks were burning, turning the color of a ripe apple.

"I'm going crazy…" Zhang Mei thought, astonished by her own actions.

Being the sect leader for so many years, and considering her age, she never expected such boldness from herself. However, instead of feeling only shame, Zhang Mei also felt emotions akin to embarrassment and joy.

This greatly puzzled her. Perhaps this sudden change was related to the man becoming much stronger and more manly? Unfortunately, the woman experiencing these complex emotions did not quite understand the meaning of her own feelings.

"How embarrassing. I don't want to become a fox who steals another woman's husband, especially my acquaintance…" Zhang Mei pursed her lips, awkwardly lifting her head from the pillow and turning onto her back, looking at the ceiling: "Sigh…"

***

The next day, as if nothing had happened, Zhang Mei returned to her usual behavior and showed no sign of embarrassment, despite directly interacting with Xie Qing.

The man was quite pleased with this fact, although he did not notice how Zhang Mei's ears had turned red.

And so, sitting at the table and having lunch, he felt quite calm and cheerfully discussed topics related to the battle with the devilish cultivators.

"Lady Zhang, I received a message from General Liu Hao, which said: 'Thanks to the significant help of Mr. Xie Qing, we have captured some particularly strategic areas, including the enemy's secret bases. There were casualties, but their number did not exceed a thousand. We will inform you of everything daily in the form of a report.

Sincerely, Liu Hao.' That's what he wanted to convey," Xie Qing relayed Liu Hao's report.

"Hmm, hmm. Good, it seems my trust in him was not misplaced," Zhang Mei said in a satisfied voice, pleased with her general's work.

"Indeed. General Liu Hao is not only an open-hearted person but also possesses outstanding skills—both in the realm of cultivation and in terms of character," Xie Qing said, giving a brief but highly complimentary assessment.

"Oh? This is the first time I've heard you praise someone else. You're usually so arrogant," Zhang Mei pursed her lips, hinting at a smile.

"Don't tease me like that, I was young and foolish back then, couldn't see beyond the first heaven."

Xie Qing pursed his lips when reminded of his youthful mistakes. Indeed, back then, he was so narrow-minded and proud that he paid no attention to others and rarely praised anyone, considering most cultivators beneath him.

However, that time had long passed, and so many years of solitude and constant practice had helped him reevaluate his own values, leading to the current situation where he could think rationally and assess the whole picture.

Seeing Xie Qing's awkward face, Zhang Mei chuckled.

"Oh, come on, I'm just joking."

"Can you really do that?" Xie Qing raised an eyebrow.

"Rude."

"Hehe."

Xie Qing laughed cheerfully, looking as if he had achieved a small revenge. Zhang Mei could only purse her lips in displeasure.

The only thing she thought was that this guy really resembled his Master.

"By the way, is Xu Mei your biological mother?"

"…"

The man decided to remain silent.

***

"Damn, it's cold!"

Xu Mei climbed under the blanket on Xie Qing's bed, wrinkling her cute nose and shivering all over. The man glanced at her and sighed.

"You're a cultivator at the Transcendence stage. Just will it, and the cold won't affect you."

"It's not the same thing!" Xu Mei said, wrapped in the blanket, now looking like a sushi roll. She snorted in displeasure, sniffing: "I hate the cold. However, if you don't feel either heat or cold, you can't enter the perfect state of enlightenment."

"You're just creating a problem for the sake of it."

Xie Qing shook his head, looking helpless, and returned to his writing. This had become a habit for him—recording all his actions in a journal. It helped him reevaluate his steps, and in the future, it could serve as a reminder.

"What are you writing?" a curious voice sounded near Xie Qing's ear.

He merely tilted his head slightly to the side and saw that Xu Mei had rested her chin on his left shoulder. He smirked and replied, "A journal. It's become a habit to fill it out since I was on a mission. It helped me cope with loneliness."

"Oh…"

Xu Mei looked touched and gazed at her disciple with moist eyes, which held a spark. She grabbed his hand and then pulled him onto the bed.

"Um…"

"Hehe… just lie down calmly, disciple," Xu Mei leaned in and licked her lips, looking at the bewildered Xie Qing. She tossed the blanket aside and then, like a predator, bared her teeth: "The master will help you make up for all those years of loneliness!"

"Can you handle it?" Xie Qing asked with a provocative smile.

"Pff, easily!"

…It is said that on that night, the guards noticed a slight tremor in Xie Qing's room, from which an exhausted Sovereign Xu Mei eventually emerged.

Although some rumors circulated, everyone concluded that Xu Mei was simply diligently teaching her disciple.

Although, hmm… it was actually a bit the other way around.

***

The course of the war had significantly shifted. Now that most of the crucial points had been captured, and rumors were spreading among the devilish cultivators that the desired rewards might not exist and their leaders had long since perished…

The morale of the enemy army began to falter, which became a solid reason for the Righteous Dao to make a significant advance, annihilating enemies in its path. Had the war been long?

Yes, a year had already passed. Xie Qing was now 28 years old, and his cultivation level was indeed stuck at the ninth stage of Spiritual Ascension—just one step away from Divine Transformation.

And mentioning Xie Qing, one could not overlook his current situation.

Sitting in the lotus position, naked, he was absorbing Xu Mei's Yin Qi. Initially, due to his low cultivation level, it was extremely difficult and ineffective to use the Dual Cultivation technique.

But now…

"It seems I am ready…" Xie Qing murmured, and confidence gleamed in his eyes as his hands gripped Xu Mei's soft buttocks: "Now I can form the law!"