Giving her an Elixir Pill was one thing, but he had to emphasize it. Lu Sangjiu was highly suspicious that he was deliberately mocking her for being so stingy with the First-rank Elixir she’d offered earlier.

So, even though she didn’t actually need a healing Elixir Pill, she took it anyway, popped it in her mouth, and ate it like it was a candy bean.

Then, with a grateful smile, she said, "Thank you so much for your help. This is the first time anyone has been so kind to me... And I have to say, this Third-stage Elixir of yours works wonders! The second I took it, all the pain in my body vanished!"

As she spoke, a trickle of fresh blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Xie Ningyuan: "..."

’Is she... really okay?’

Lu Sangjiu hadn’t expected that she wasn’t done spitting up blood. Her own body had just contradicted her at the worst possible moment.

But she wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. Wiping the blood from her mouth, she added, "Getting all the bad blood out. I feel even better now!"

Xie Ningyuan: "..."

He was silent, unable to speak.

Having performed her act of gratitude, Lu Sangjiu blushed shyly and said, "You’ve been so kind to me. It feels too formal for me to keep calling you ’sir.’ How about... from now on, I call you Xie, and you can call me Little Jiu?"

’Ugh...’ The words had barely left her mouth when she felt a wave of nausea.

’But I have no choice. It’s just me and Xie Ningyuan here. I have to win him over first. If he gets any funny ideas, it’ll be a huge hassle for me.’

’And the best way to win someone over is to make them think you’re harmless. Nothing lowers a man’s guard like a naive, sweet girl who’s tripping over herself with gratitude.’

But she never, ever expected Xie Ningyuan to hesitate and say, "Well... I am a Buddhist Practitioner, after all. That might not be appropriate, would it?"

’A Buddhist Practitioner???’

Lu Sangjiu was stunned. The shy smile she had so carefully crafted froze on her face.

She looked at Xie Ningyuan in disbelief. "You... you’re a Buddhist Practitioner?"

Buddhist Practitioners in the Cultivation World were different from the Buddhist Sects of the mortal realm; there weren’t many precepts and vows they had to follow.

For example, the most basic rules for disciples of the Buddhist Sects in the mortal realm required them to shave their heads, abstain from killing, and avoid women.

But Buddhist Practitioners didn’t need to shave their heads, and even women could follow the path of a Buddhist Practitioner. As for killing, that was something almost no one in the Cultivation World could avoid.

The one rule they did have to obey, however, was avoiding intimacy with women.

This was a restriction imposed by their cultivation method, similar to how those who cultivated the Path of Apathy could not experience romantic love.

The requirements for Buddhist Practitioners were even stricter, however. They couldn’t just be free of personal, romantic love; they also needed to possess a great, all-encompassing love for all living things to cultivate without obstruction.

Therefore, while Buddhist Practitioners were few in number in the Cultivation World, they were always highly respected.

Lu Sangjiu had dealt with Buddhist Practitioners a century ago. The ones she remembered were all recognizable at a glance, always carrying an aura that set them apart from ordinary people.

This Xie Ningyuan did indeed have a benevolent and peaceful air about him, but Lu Sangjiu always felt he wasn’t quite like other Buddhist Practitioners...

She couldn’t put her finger on what the difference was, but whatever it was, it had never once made her consider the possibility that he was a Buddhist Practitioner.

So now she was not only surprised but also a little skeptical.

Seeing her suspicion, Xie Ningyuan couldn’t help but ask, "What, do I not look like one?"

As he spoke, his lips moved slightly, murmuring a few lines of a Spell. A dazzling Merit Light began to emanate from his outstretched hand...

Anyone could accumulate merit, but only a Buddhist Practitioner had the ability to manifest it as a tangible Merit Light.

Now Lu Sangjiu had no choice but to believe him. And then she remembered what she had just said...

’So, was I just trying to flirt with a Buddhist Practitioner? What’s the difference between that and winking at a blind man???’

Cringing so hard her toes could have dug a hole in the floor, Lu Sangjiu changed the subject with extreme stiffness. "...Mr. Xie, take a look around. Do you think this place might be dangerous?"

’Since he’s a Buddhist Practitioner, I can basically label him a ’good guy’.’

’Buddhist Practitioners might kill, but not without reason. As long as I don’t actively court death, I should be safe.’

’There was a minor hiccup, but the outcome is still satisfactory.’

Xie Ningyuan gave a slight, obvious smile, apparently also finding her change of subject a bit too forced.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to want to make things difficult for her. He simply glanced around, his gaze finally landing on a worn-out meditation cushion nearby.

As he stared at the cushion, the smile on his lips faded, and his gaze suddenly grew profound. After a long moment, he let out a low chuckle. "It seems this was where ’she’ used to meditate and cultivate... There shouldn’t be any more danger here."

Lu Sangjiu failed to notice that when he said this, he didn’t sound like he was talking about a complete stranger...

She only saw Xie Ningyuan walk toward the cushion and hastily followed him.

Not far from the cushion was a bamboo shelf with just a few scattered items on it.

Too much time had passed for Lu Sangjiu to remember everything that was there, but she absolutely remembered the most useful item Ye Zhiyao had obtained from this place.

Her eyes immediately locked onto the Glazed Box on the shelf. Lu Sangjiu quickened her pace, her sense of urgency growing. Just as she was about to grab it, a RUMBLE suddenly echoed from the Stone Gate behind her.

Her heart clenched. She knew Ye Zhiyao and the others were awake. Without sparing a glance behind her, she quickly reached for the Glazed Box.

But the Heavenly Dao’s favoritism was truly off the charts. Just as Lu Sangjiu was about to get her hands on it, Xie Ningyuan, who was beside her, suddenly yanked her toward him. "Watch out!"

She was yanked away, still stunned, only to see a very familiar Flying Sword zip through the spot where she had just been standing and embed itself deep into the stone wall.

The near-death experience was so jarring that Lu Sangjiu forgot all about maintaining her persona. She spun around in a rage. "Qin Yu, are you insane—"

But before she could finish her curse, she heard Ye Zhiyao cry out in alarm, "Oh no! Senior Brother just emerged from the Heart Inquiry Formation, and the lingering Demonic Qi here has affected him! His mind is completely scrambled!"

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’Lingering Demonic Qi? We came in here first, how come we didn’t feel a thing? And even if his mind is scrambled, why did he have to attack *me*?’

’Damn you, Heavenly Dao! Couldn’t you make your favoritism a little less obvious?!’

Staring at the Glazed Box, which was so close she could almost touch it, Lu Sangjiu ground her teeth in frustration. Unwilling to give up, she reached for it again.

This time, before she could even act, Qin Yu’s next attack was already upon her, forcing her to retreat once more.

Xie Ningyuan stood to the side, not offering to help this time. Instead, he cast a thoughtful glance at the Glazed Box on the shelf...

At that moment, Li Qiancheng became fully lucid. Seeing Qin Yu attack Lu Sangjiu, he immediately cast a spell to intercept him. "Bastard! Even if you’ve lost your mind, you can’t attack my Little Junior Sister!"

His move was sudden, and with Qin Yu completely focused on attacking Lu Sangjiu, he had no time to defend himself.

At the critical moment, however, Ye Zhiyao cast a spell of her own, deflecting the attack. She then stood protectively in front of Qin Yu. "You can’t hurt my Senior Brother!"