The woman's gaze fixed on Li Xingtian, but he stared back with eyes full of wariness — and a barely concealed urge to kill.
"I approached you first, so clearly I have no intention of making an enemy of you. There's no need to look at me like you want me dead. Don't you know you already look fierce enough as it is?"
Her tone softened slightly. Then she sat down directly across from Li Xingtian and resumed her enthusiastic manner.
"That secret realm is one I discovered first. Strictly speaking, you're the latecomer."
"You don't look like a rogue cultivator to me — those clothes are awfully expensive. Have you reported this secret realm to your sect yet?"
Li Xingtian fought to suppress the emotions churning within him.
Though he'd encountered this damned demoness far earlier in the timeline, and his cultivation was now far deeper than before — backed by divine abilities and top-tier spiritual treasures — that didn't mean his current Nascent Soul self could actually defeat her.
Back then, even his Nascent Soul stage hadn't been considered weak, yet this demoness had used some unknown technique to drain him completely dry.
This demoness had to be at least at the Integration Stage or above. A century had passed since their last encounter... which meant she might very well have broken through beyond Integration.
More than anything, the shadow this woman cast over Li Xingtian was genuinely immense. Lingering dread still coiled in his chest.
Turning hostile right now clearly wouldn't be the rational move.
Under the circumstances, the safest approach was to pacify this damned demoness first, then summon his master — who knew the full story.
And then pin this demoness to the ground on the spot!
To avenge the blood feud from when his pure heart had been violated!
Li Xingtian kept his tone as even as possible.
"Not yet."
"So fierce-looking and so tight-lipped. With a face like that, I bet even with a sect you couldn't find a Dao companion." The woman chuckled lightly, then introduced herself.
"My name is Xu Linglong. This secret realm isn't too difficult, and if you report it to your sect, you won't get much of a share anyway. Why don't we cooperate instead?"
"I arrived early and have already scouted out some of the paths. Plus, my cultivation is slightly higher than yours."
"By all rights, I should ask for a larger share — but I'm generous at heart. We'll split everything fifty-fifty. If the loot is uneven or there's something I particularly want, I'll compensate you with spirit stones or trade from my own collection."
"You won't find a better deal anywhere else."
"What do you say? Interested in teaming up?"
Li Xingtian lightly tapped the wine jar, feigning contemplation for a moment before slowly answering.
"If I report this to my sect, the share might be small, but I'd earn contribution points..."
"Greedy — that's no good." Xu Linglong cut him off. Her slender fingers came to rest on the wine jar beside her.
"Though I haven't joined any sect myself, I know exactly how the major sects operate. Those so-called contribution points aren't even worth a tenth of their stated value."
"What you actually hold in your hand is what matters most. If we find something truly valuable, I'll make up the difference with a thousand spirit stones."
"If that's not acceptable, then go ahead and report to your sect. Tomorrow I'll bring a crowd to dig up this secret realm, and none of us will get anything."
Li Xingtian stared as if trying to pierce through the layers of veil to see the eyes hidden beneath. After a long moment, he slowly nodded.
"Fine. We'll do it your way."
Xu Linglong nodded with evident satisfaction. She reached over and opened the cold-bottle wine that had been sitting untouched, then produced a stack of bowls that had already been placed at the corner of the table.
She took two and set one before Li Xingtian, filling both bowls to the brim.
Xu Linglong's voice carried a note of delight.
"Then here's to a fruitful partnership."
With that, she downed her own bowl in one go.
She lifted the edge of her veil just enough to reveal an exquisite pair of lips and a delicate chin.
Li Xingtian glanced at the wine before him. He hadn't planned to drink it even before Xu Linglong showed up. Now that this demoness was sitting right in front of him...
There was no way in hell he was touching that wine.
Xu Linglong finished her drink and set the bowl back on the table. She turned her gaze toward Li Xingtian, who sat perfectly still — his hands nowhere near his bowl.
Her tone carried a hint of displeasure.
"What's the meaning of this? This is your own wine. Are you looking down on me?"
"My master told me never to eat or drink carelessly while traveling. Whether the food is mine or not doesn't change that."
"Then why did you order it?"
"Sitting here empty-handed would look strange. Ordering a jar of wine makes it look less odd."
Li Xingtian's answer came naturally. It seemed he'd picked up some of his master's talent for spouting nonsense.
Xu Linglong was momentarily at a loss for words. She shifted to a different question.
"You really do have odd habits. Fine, don't drink if you don't want to. But at least tell me your name, won't you?"
"I've already introduced myself — you haven't said a word. Do you have any sincerity at all?"
Li Xingtian met her gaze directly. He chose not to hide behind a fake name. He wanted this demoness to know exactly who had killed her.
"My name is Li Xingtian."
"But since you put it that way — shouldn't you remove your veil too? Let me see what you actually look like. After all, you've been staring at my face this whole time for free."
Xu Linglong burst into laughter at his words. Her laugh was free and unguarded, utterly devoid of affectation. After a moment, she spoke.
"I thought you were a wooden stump. Turns out you actually have some personality."
Xu Linglong reached up and removed her veil-hat.
It revealed a strikingly beautiful face. Her smile carried a hint of boldness. Her eyes were bright and spirited, radiating an almost righteous air — somewhat reminiscent of Lin Luoyu.
At first glance, she looked much like a fourth junior sister — the very image of an upright, decent person.
Seeing that face again, Li Xingtian felt a moment of daze. Long-buried memories surged and churned in his mind.
In his earlier years, he'd actually wanted to track down Xu Linglong and properly avenge what she'd done to him.
But as time passed and he settled into sect life, meeting his master had felt like the greatest fortune of his life. His path to immortality had seemed so smooth he could almost see the end of it at a glance. He'd also gained a group of junior brothers and sisters — and an eldest senior sister — whom he genuinely adored.
His master had once offered to help search for her, but Li Xingtian felt going to such lengths wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, cultivation came first.
As happy days accumulated, there'd even been a period where Li Xingtian felt he'd almost put the matter behind him.
But now, seeing that face again...
As the memories surged, Li Xingtian realized with absolute clarity — he had never let it go!
Furthermore, Li Xingtian was now one hundred percent certain. This was the person he'd been looking for!
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Li Xingtian's lips.
"You like interesting things, do you?"
"The path of immortality is vast and endless. What's the point without a little fun?" Xu Linglong's eyes glinted with amusement, her smile widening.
"You're quite interesting yourself. Very few people don't freeze for at least a moment when I remove my veil."
"Teaming up with someone as stunning as an immortal — even better deal, wouldn't you say?"
Li Xingtian gave a slow nod.
"It is a better deal. But don't worry — I certainly won't let you take a loss."
"Oh?" Xu Linglong's face lit with curiosity. She was about to press further.
But Li Xingtian had already risen to his feet.
"Two days from now, we meet here. I'll rest for one day and spend the other preparing supplies. We've made an agreement, so let's stick to it — don't try to run off on me."
Xu Linglong's smile was radiant — the kind that reached deep into a person's heart, warm and captivating.
She replied readily.
"I'm not like you sect-bred cultivators. We rogue cultivators live and die by our reputation. You'd better not be the one to go back on your word."
Li Xingtian turned to leave. He tossed a single remark over his shoulder.
"I, Li Xingtian, have never lied to anyone."
Xu Linglong smiled and waved enthusiastically after him. But Li Xingtian didn't so much as glance back.
"Guest, your wine..."
The waiter carefully cradled the wine jar, staring at Xu Linglong's retreating figure. But before he could finish his sentence, she turned around.
That breathtaking face, paired with a soul-piercing smile, left the waiter completely stunned. He stood frozen, gaping at her, the words dying in his throat.
The moment Xu Linglong noticed the waiter, her smile vanished. Her expression turned utterly frigid. She picked up the veil-hat from the table and put it back on.
"Drink all of this."
With those words, she turned and left.
The waiter opened the wine jar and began to drink. After downing the first jar, he started hiccuping and stumbled toward the second jar — the one from which only two bowls had been poured.
Nearly two full jars of wine bloated his stomach to an alarming degree.
When he reached Li Xingtian's remaining bowl, he opened his mouth — and some of the wine already in his stomach sprayed out.
But the waiter pinched his lips shut and, through sheer stubbornness, forced down Li Xingtian's remaining share as well. Then he clamped both hands over his mouth to keep the wine from coming back up.
He held on for a moment.
Then — thud.
The waiter collapsed to the floor. Whether from alcohol poisoning or from being literally burst, it was impossible to say.
The wine he couldn't swallow finally had somewhere to go.