Chapter Ninety-Nine: Want to Try?

“Think whatever you like. Since you insist on taking him in, I assume you already have a way to deal with the flaw in his body?” Moon Fairy asked then. Qingcheng had already left, and there was nothing left for her to hide, so she raised the matter directly.

Ye Qiu froze at her words, then suddenly remembered what she had left unsaid earlier. Only then did he understand.

“So that kid still has a problem?”

Ye Qiu fell silent for a moment. He could not see what was wrong with Qingcheng’s body. He knew nothing at all about cultivation, so how could he possibly tell?

Moon Fairy seemed to see his confusion and explained, “The Innate Dao Body is indeed a peerless immortal physique, unrivaled under heaven. But unfortunately, this immortal body carries one fatal flaw.

It is short-lived.

According to the records of the Ancient Immortal Scrolls, since the age of the Ancient Immortals, countless peerless geniuses with Innate Dao Bodies have appeared, but most died young.

At first, people thought something had gone wrong in their cultivation. It was only later discovered that this curse of premature death was built into the immortal body itself.

If the person possessing this body cannot reach the Immortal Realm before the age of thirty, then... what awaits them is the ruthless obliteration of the Heavenly Way.

That boy has only just turned twenty, so he has only ten years. If he cannot break through to the level of the Earthly Immortal within those ten years, death is still his only path.”

“What?!”

After hearing this, Ye Qiu was greatly shaken and shot straight up from his seat, turning back toward the rear courtyard. The door had not opened.

He immediately let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, Qingcheng had not heard any of that; otherwise, the blow to him would have been far too great.

Earthly Immortal?

In hundreds of thousands of years, not many had ever reached that realm. How could it possibly be so easy to break through? Let alone when he only had ten years.

No one could hear those words and remain calm. Ye Qiu did not dare claim that his own optimistic nature was enough to accept such a reality.

“Earthly Immortal... Hmm... As expected, the price of heaven-defying talent is just as extreme.”

Ye Qiu lowered his head as he spoke. He felt somewhat unwilling to see Qingcheng die young. When he looked at Qingcheng, it was as though he were seeing that little Ye Dong from years ago, the child who had followed behind him calling him big brother.

Their resemblance was far too great. Aside from the blood-red mark between the brows, they were almost identical.

So Ye Qiu truly did not want him to die. But Ye Qiu seemed to have no ability to save him, and that made things rather troublesome.

“You seem very worried about him?”

Moon Fairy seemed to notice the pity in Ye Qiu’s eyes, and a hint of hesitation appeared in her heart. She could tell that Ye Qiu cared a great deal about this boy.

Should she help him?

Moon Fairy thought it over, and she could not bear to see Ye Qiu like this.

“Heh, not exactly. As the saying goes, saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. The physicians say to carry the medicine chest through the world and save all living beings. The Dao says: so long as the edge of the long sword is not yet worn away, I am willing to open peace again for the common people.

I only did what I was capable of doing. So long as I wrong no one, that is enough. I can face my own heart without shame...”

Ye Qiu smiled, hiding his truest feelings. As a member of the optimistic family, he should not have such a pessimistic mindset.

Moon Fairy smiled softly. “Actually, it’s not as though you don’t understand. Many truths we have never even heard of, we often learn from your lips.

‘So long as the edge of the long sword is not yet worn away, I am willing to open peace again for the common people’... Hmm... To be without shame before one’s own heart—does anyone in this world truly manage that?”

Moon Fairy was asking Ye Qiu, and also herself. After pondering for a long time, she shook her head. She knew very well that she could not do it.

She had her own selfishness. Strip away all the brilliance around her, and she was no different from any ordinary woman. Perhaps it was only because she stood in a different place that she appeared so sacred in the eyes of others.

Ye Qiu froze for a moment. Seeing Moon Fairy shake her head, he also shook his head and said nothing. The two of them both laughed.

“By the way, why don’t you wear shoes? At least put on a pair of socks. Walking like this, doesn’t it hurt your feet?”

Ye Qiu stared directly at Moon Fairy’s two little feet and teased her.

Moon Fairy said casually, “Years ago, some filthy rogue told me that if a girl wears socks, it leads to stinky feet, so I stopped wearing them...”

Ye Qiu: “...”

Didn’t I say that? Did I? It feels like I remember something.

All right, let’s say I did.

Of course, what Ye Qiu had said back then was nothing more than a joke. He had never expected Moon Fairy to take it seriously.

How could a cultivator’s feet possibly smell, especially an immortal maiden’s? That was even more impossible.

How could an immortal maiden have stinky feet? Don’t you think so?

Sneaking a glance at Moon Fairy, he found her smiling at him, and he instantly felt even more guilty.

“Uh... haha, the person you’re talking about must have been a terribly handsome man, a true talent! A brave warrior who dares to seek the truth. To be honest, I really do want to meet him...”

Ye Qiu gave an awkward laugh, forcing out an explanation while not forgetting to praise himself.

Moon Fairy was stunned. This guy... was praising himself by indirection? Could a person truly be shameless to this degree?

“Still, I think this is fine. Such beautiful little feet are quite pleasing to the eye...”

Ye Qiu gave a wicked smile. It had to be said, this woman was truly dazzling—a flawless existence.

When Moon Fairy heard this, she was quite satisfied inwardly, though on the surface she remained as cold as ever, hiding it perfectly.

“Is that so? Want to try?”

Moon Fairy said meaningfully. Ye Qiu swallowed, almost blurting out that he did.

But then he recalled Moon Fairy’s majestic display of divine power in the sky earlier, and the thought died instantly.

Forget it. If I can’t afford to provoke her, I can still run. My life matters. My life matters.

“Cough, another day, another day! I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll be going first. You...” Swallowing again, Ye Qiu took his leave in defeat, leaving Moon Fairy quietly stifling laughter.

“Heh, all courage and no backbone! The little rogue who once feared neither heaven nor earth is gone forever after all. Time has changed so much...”

The night was silent and hushed. Beneath the moonlight, Moon Fairy sat alone on the windowsill, her solitary figure lost in memories no one could guess.

At this moment, the Primordial Heaven was in chaos.

With experts gathering from all directions, the entire wasteland had become bustling and lively, its lamps and fires bright as if it were a scene of great prosperity.

Since the battlefield opened, more and more people had appeared on the wasteland. Some old monsters who had not moved in tens of thousands of years emerged from their caves and entered the battlefield to slaughter one another.

In the tavern, Ye Qiu sat alone in the study, still thinking about the question from earlier.

“Short-lived? Earthly Immortal? Hmm... That really has given me a difficult problem.”

Ye Qiu truly did not know how to solve Qingcheng’s flaw, and could only hide alone in the study, troubled.

If he were really as powerful as people outside claimed, he would not be so distressed.

The problem was that he knew nothing at all! That was what made it so vexing.

“Should I, like Liu Jianchen, take the old road and keep fooling him?”

Ye Qiu suddenly thought of Liu Jianchen, his nominal first disciple. Although he had not taught the boy much, his becoming an immortal seemed to have a rather significant relation to him.

However, Liu Jianchen’s imagination was far too powerful. He did not know whether Qingcheng’s was impressive enough. If not, would he be misleading a promising youth?