Miss Loser is too enchanting

Zi Xiao looked at Yong Xing with a smile, and said, "Little Douzi is being rude, the Heavenly Venerable shouldn’t mind. However, if he says the girl isn’t here, then she truly isn’t. If the Heavenly Venerable doesn’t believe it, you can try feeling for yourself as Little Douzi suggested."

Yong Xing looked at Zi Xiao, gave Taotie a signal with his eyes, and Taotie nodded, beginning to extend his consciousness over the entire palace, then radiating outward. After a while, he shook his head at Yong Xing.

Zi Xiao watched their actions, said nothing, and once Taotie had finished, he smiled and said, "What Little Douzi said is true, if he dared to deceive you, I would be the first not to spare him!"

Yong Xing said regretfully, "It seems I won’t have the opportunity to meet your wife this time."

"Haha, that girl, she knows only to play all day long. If it weren’t for her injury this time, she wouldn’t have stayed put here for so long! Alas, I wish she would be more proactive and practice cultivation seriously. Her current level, ah, it’s embarrassing to even mention."

With a wistful expression, Zi Xiao said.

Yong Xing smiled, when suddenly Taotie spoke, "Venerable Lord, how come I smell the Fire Spirit Pearl? Isn’t the Fire Spirit Pearl supposed to be in the Lamari Flame Mountain? Venerable Lord, when did you obtain this treasure? Share with us so we can all rejoice for you!"

With his eyebrows raised, Yong Xing said, "The Venerable acquiring the Fire Spirit Pearl is truly a joyous occasion! That is something from the Creator God, very coveted indeed. The last time I visited Lamari, I got burned by it. I wonder, Venerable Lord, how did you manage to obtain it? Could you possibly show it to us so we may admire it?"

"Hahaha, the Fire Spirit Pearl wasn’t obtained by me, the girl got it herself. It’s precisely because she went to subdue the Fire Spirit Pearl that she got so severely injured," Zi Xiao said, looking pained.

"Oh? The Fire Spirit Pearl only recognizes the Creator God, could your wife be the reincarnation of the Creator God?" Taotie said, feigning surprise.

"Pfft—" Qie Yue spat out a mouthful of tea, laughing loudly, "Such speculation? If she were the Creator God, could she have been messed up by her own pearl like that?"

Taotie was taken aback by Qie Yue’s words, his face fell immediately, but since his expression was usually cold, it wasn’t noticeable, so Zi Xiao, Qie Yue, and Hei Zi all ignored him.

Yong Xing apparently still had doubts about Zi Xiao’s words, and said, "I haven’t visited you in quite a while, I wonder if there have been any changes."

Zi Xiao clapped his hands and said, "Indeed, it’s been a long time since your last visit, there have been some changes. Why don’t we go for a walk outside, and then have them prepare some food and drinks, and have a few cups together?"

"Great, haha!" Yong Xing agreed.

So a group of them went outside to wander around, ostensibly to tour, but in reality, it was for Taotie to reconfirm whether Dugu Qianye was there or not.

Zi Xiao and the others turned a blind eye to Taotie’s actions. Without letting them search, they would not be satisfied! Anyway, with Dugu Qianye inside the Refining Demon Pot, they would not be able to detect her!

Having walked around, Taotie ultimately shook his head at Yong Xing. Seizing the opportunity, Zi Xiao said the food and drinks were ready and led Yong Xing and the others to the dining hall. They ate a few bites and drank a few cups of wine before Yong Xing left with Taotie and Gong Shi. Even on their way out, Yong Xing had Taotie continue to sense for Dugu Qianye and the Fire Spirit Pearl.

"Master, do you think Zi Xiao was telling the truth?" Gong Shi asked Yong Xing.

"How can we trust what Zi Xiao says?!" Yong Xing said grimly, looking towards Zi Xiao’s Royal Palace, "If Taotie can’t smell the Fire Spirit Pearl, it’s certain that he found a way to hide her."

"Could that woman be the reincarnation of the Creator God?" Taotie asked.

"Regardless of whether she is or isn’t, we cannot let her live. Better safe than sorry," Yong Xing said. "That woman must still be here. Contact Qiong Qi and have someone here keep watch, ready to assassinate at the right moment!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Yes, Supreme One!"

The three of them spoke and disappeared into the Nine Heavens Mysterious Realm.

In the Royal Palace, Qie Yue looked at Zi Xiao and asked, "Do you think Yong Xing believed what we said?"

Zi Xiao, with hands clasped behind him as he watched the direction where Yong Xing had vanished, replied, "With his temperament, how could he possibly believe us? It’s just that he didn’t find Little Yeye here, so he had to pretend to be convinced. Right now, who knows what he’s arranging! Watch, he will act very soon. You two, make sure the people below keep a close watch."

"Understood," Qie Yue and Hei Zi answered in unison.

Inside the Refining Demon Pot, Dugu Qianye and Mang Qianjun looked at the pitch-black dish in front of them with troubled expressions and said, "Nian Hua, do we really have to eat this?"

Nian Hua served the last dish and said, "Just try it, maybe I cooked these two dishes well?"

"You said the same thing the previous times, and yet either it was unbearably salty and bitter, or shockingly sour, or just plain undercooked. It’s a miracle we haven’t gotten diarrhea from it. If you make us try again, it could kill us!" Dugu Qianye lamented woefully.

She had completely given up on teaching Nian Hua how to cook by now. At first, she thought cooking was simple, but in Nian Hua’s case, it was like a world war, with two kitchens burned down and not a single dish turned out edible. Mang Qianjun had learned just by watching, yet she hadn’t! Dugu Qianye couldn’t help but sigh on more than one occasion—despite her prowess in alchemy, why couldn’t she grasp cooking? Weren’t both about controlling the heat?

However, Nian Hua was enthusiastically persistent, wanting Dugu Qianye to teach her different styles of cooking, and most crucially, she wanted them both to taste test! Even though Nian Hua followed Dugu Qianye’s instructions to the letter, the dishes that Dugu Qianye made were delicious, while Nian Hua’s cooking could be fatally unpalatable!

"The previous times were the previous times; this time, it must taste a little better," Nian Hua said optimistically, pushing the plate towards them both, her face full of anticipation. "Just help me try it again."

Dugu Qianye and Mang Qianjun exchanged miserable glances and slowly picked up the chopsticks beside them, stirring the dark dish in the plate, unsure of how to proceed.

"Can we just not eat it?" Dugu Qianye asked Nian Hua, holding up a chopstick with something resembling potato strands on it, not recognizing the black stuff on them.

Nian Hua shook her head and replied, "You can’t not eat it!"

"Alright then!"

Just as Dugu Qianye was preparing to nobly sacrifice herself, Dudu suddenly appeared in the kitchen and announced, "Master, Yong Xing and his group have left the Nine Heavens Mysterious Realm!"

"Really?" Dugu Qianye immediately put down her chopsticks and said, "Let’s go out and check on the situation." After that, she led Nian Hua and Mang Qianjun out of the Refining Demon Pot. Upon exiting, both Dugu Qianye and Mang Qianjun heaved a sigh of relief. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Let’s head back to the Royal Palace first," Mang Qianjun suggested.

Dugu Qianye nodded and looked at Nian Hua, asking, "Do you want to come with us?"