On the Main Peak,
Xia Jiuyuan, unhindered by the Peak Master's order, quickly arrived at the guest reception area.
But as he stood at the entrance of the guest reception area, he hesitated.
From the looks of it, the room owner the system task was looking for was a beast-person, and the beast-people staying here were all participants in the Martial Arts Competition. These geniuses were not to be trifled with.
Should he sneak in and gather intelligence first?
Although he had a magical artifact that could conceal his aura, doing so didn't seem very rational. It would be bad if he was discovered.
Xia Jiuyuan had already sent a message to Fang Hao but had not received a reply.
No, he couldn't wait any longer. Xia Jiuyuan was truly afraid that the next second a 'task failed' notification would pop up, and he would really be sick of the system locking his cultivation level.
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and chose to walk straight in, standing openly at the door of guest room 312.
Who told him he had connections?
Basically, no one in Lucky Peak's inner sect would stop him. If anyone questioned him, he could just throw the blame on Li Shishu.
Knock knock knock!
"Hello, I apologize for disturbing you so late. Xia Jiuyuan of Lucky Peak requests an audience!"
A moment later, the door opened a crack, and a head poked out.
A slightly chubby face, paired with blue beast eyes, white curly hair flowing behind her, fluffy ears perked up, and a tail gently swaying.
What a cute and delicate child!
She put a finger to her lips and tilted her head, asking:
"What is it?"
So cute, his heart was melting!
"I was sent by the Zongzhu to help you solve a problem."
Xia Jiuyuan decisively shifted the blame to the Zongzhu. This was the only normal reason he could think of.
"Problem? What problem? I don't have any problems."
Xia Jiuyuan's eyes narrowed. The red task was indeed not that simple; this child was unwilling to speak! Just as he was pondering what to do,
"However..."
She carefully examined Xia Jiuyuan's appearance and attire, then smiled:
"Come in and talk."
"Um... how should I address you, young lady?"
So far, Fang Hao had not replied to his message, which made it awkward. He was the one who came to find her, yet he was asking for her name.
As expected, this question stunned the cute child sitting nearby.
"You... you don't know me?!"
Bad move. Seeing her reaction, Xia Jiuyuan suddenly regretted his rashness.
But in fact, ever since he received the red task, his mind had been in a state of chaos, completely unable to calm down and think.
"I don't know you. I was sent by the Zongzhu, and logically, I should have learned about you beforehand.
However, I wished to personally form my first impression of you, letting it stem from your true self.
Therefore, I specifically avoided gathering any information about you in advance."
Xia Jiuyuan was spouting nonsense. He only hoped this excuse would fool her.
But the other party looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if asking, 'Do you know what you're saying?'
Finally, she even couldn't help but burst into laughter!
Ah, no, this excuse couldn't be that bad, could it?
"Haha... a good excuse, but I am Liu Xixi. It would be perfect if I weren't Liu Xixi."
!?
Liu Xixi, a hot favorite to win, the number one beast-person, the bloodthirsty White Tiger Evil God.
This—this is the White Tiger Evil God!
Xia Jiuyuan fell into deep thought, looking at that extremely cute face and petite body.
Now he was the clown, coaxing the White Tiger Evil God as if she were a child. And who in the inner sect wouldn't know Liu Xixi?
Xia Jiuyuan didn't like joining in on the fun and basically never left Lucky Peak unless absolutely necessary, but he still knew Liu Xixi.
His impression of Liu Xixi came from what he heard from passersby on the road today, and from Fang Hao's intelligence.
The result was...
Why are all you cultivators talking about how terrifying she is, instead of discussing that she's a white-haired beast-eared loli?!
Ah, it's over. Everyone in Asked the Sect has no 'lewd' thoughts; they've gone crazy with cultivation...
"Xia Jiuyuan, Peak Master of Lucky Peak. Speaking of which, we are competitors, yet you haven't even bothered to learn about me.
I've learned about you, though... Hmm, but perhaps they were jealous of you, as the evaluations they gave weren't exactly positive."
Xia Jiuyuan gave an awkward smile,
"So you are Liu Xixi... I'm not interested in the Martial Arts Competition rankings, so I haven't looked into you hot favorites.
As for others' evaluations of me... well, it's a matter of opinion."
Liu Xixi didn't dwell on it too much. She seemed happy to have someone to talk to and continued to complain:
"You came here knowing nothing. Li Zongzhu really trusts you, doesn't he?"
"Li Shishu said, 'Everything depends on fate.'"
Xia Jiuyuan felt slightly unnatural facing Liu Xixi now; every word he spoke was a lie he concocted on the spot.
"Eh..." Liu Xixi scratched her head, her two beast ears twitching. "But I really don't have any problems."
"Hmm..."
This red task was a bit difficult. As the top genius, if Liu Xixi didn't want to bother with him, he wouldn't find any entry point to help her solve the problem.
Just as Xia Jiuyuan was about to call it a day and try again tomorrow, a message entered his ear:
"Room 312 is occupied by Liu Xixi. She is the biological niece of Liu Le, the Liujing Forest Master.
Liu Le himself has no children, and Liu Xixi is his only junior at the moment.
Junior Brother Xia wants to make a move on Liu Xixi?!!
Be absolutely careful not to act recklessly!
She is very dangerous, not just because of her background, but because of herself!
But! But! If you really want to make a move on her, it's not impossible.
Do you know that ever since this little girl came to Asked the Sect, she has stayed in her room except for participating in competitions? This is problematic no matter how you look at it!
Besides her, other beast-people who came to our Asked the Sect have gone wild with fun, after all, their beast race doesn't have the flourishing culture that our human race does.
Hehe, I know of at least four geniuses in the finals who have invited her to 'study and comprehend the Dao' together, but unfortunately, they were all rejected. I hope Junior Brother Xia can succeed."
Fang Hao's message was long, but it entered his mind in an instant. After getting the information, Xia Jiuyuan couldn't help but curse the system in his heart.
So this person is not only the number one genius but also the young miss of Liujing Forest!
Why did the power division book he read not describe her much? It seems Asked the Sect's library needs to be updated.
But thinking about it now, the system's so-called problem couldn't be solved by the two World-Destroying Experts of the Forest of No Return, and it wants him to solve it?
If World-Destroying Experts couldn't do it, then he certainly couldn't either.
He could only say, 'System, you better have a real solution!'
As things stood, thinking about the loli's high status, if he retreated today, it would be difficult to pester her again in the future.
Setting aside everything else, if he shamelessly approached her relying on his status, wouldn't he truly become a dissolute young master!
And if she got annoyed and beat him up, he really wouldn't have any way to stop her!
Damn it, go for it! This loli beast-girl looks so easy to talk to; there must be some hidden reason!
"Liu Xixi, Asked the Sect is vast, and the human race is beautiful. Why not explore the scenery you've never seen before?"
Xia Jiuyuan was hinting to Liu Xixi that Li Shishu sent him because of her abnormal behavior of staying cooped up in her room.
This reason was barely plausible. Half the reason for holding the Martial Arts Competition was for the exchange between the two factions. Now, if people from their side acted like this in Asked the Sect, could it be that Asked the Sect's hospitality was problematic?
Turning a private matter into a public one.
"Ah?"
Liu Xixi understood Xia Jiuyuan's implied meaning. Because of Li Zongzhu, she hesitated and didn't directly refuse.
But in Xia Jiuyuan's eyes, it seemed like there was a chance?
Did Liu Xixi really need to hesitate? With her status, she could easily make up an excuse to refuse. Who could do anything to her?
After all, Liujing Forest had two World-Destroying Experts, while Asked the Sect only had one, putting them at a disadvantage.
What could happen if a junior like her didn't give Li Shishu face?
But now that she was hesitating, Xia Jiuyuan believed this at least indicated that she herself wasn't averse to going out together. So, he struck while the iron was hot:
"It won't take long and won't delay tomorrow's Martial Arts Competition."
Seeing that the other party was still hesitating, he chose to be direct:
"Actually, it's also a public matter that Li Shishu assigned to me... So if you come out with me, it's also a public matter."
Liu Xixi's eyes lit up. "Public matter... Oh, right, a public matter. If it's really a public matter, then there's nothing I can do..."
With that, she closed her eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly waiting for something, then revealed a cheerful smile,
"Let's go, let's go!"
..................
Main Peak Hall,
"Li Canghuang, you blocked my message. What is the meaning of this?"
"Liu Le, the child is not small anymore. Since she wants to go out and play, give her some freedom..."
"I don't let her interact with others to protect others' safety!
And some of you humans are not safe. Some organizations have strong opinions about us beast-people..."
"Those organizations have long been listed as cults by me. They will be executed upon sight."
"Let's not talk about that for now. I ask you, what do you mean by letting this Xia Jiuyuan contact my niece?"
Li Canghuang's mouth twitched. How could he know why Xia Jiuyuan inexplicably went to find Liu Xixi? But he had to take responsibility for this.
Who told him he was the Shishu!
"You also know, this Xia Jiuyuan is He Zhongqiu's disciple. I can't see through him. You saw the competition during the day; how special those people he picked up from Lucky Peak are.
My thought was, could he solve your niece's problem?
So I just mentioned it to him. Whether it works out or not depends entirely on fate."
"A problem we can't solve, he can solve? Are you serious?"
"It's fate, you know..."
"Even if what Li Zongzhu said makes 'sense', why didn't you inform us both beforehand? After all, regardless of the intention, it concerns Xi Xi, and we have the right to know in advance."
The one who spoke these words was the second World-Destroying Expert of Liujing Forest—Jing Yu, who was also Liu Le's wife and Liu Le's external brain.
Her question hit the nail on the head, leaving Li Zongzhu momentarily speechless.
Facing their angry glares, Li Zongzhu, who was racking his brain for an excuse to appease them, had only one thought:
You rotten brat Xia, you better have a real reason, or I'll beat your butt raw!