Seeing Ren Ting-ting's gentle demeanor, Ruri Hyuga gradually relaxed. She looked at the girl with curiosity and asked, "You said your Senior Brother brought you here. Did you become an apprentice in that Zombie World? Who is your master? Is it Uncle Jiu?"
"It's not Uncle Jiu, it's Auntie Zhe. I wanted to study under Uncle Jiu at first, but then I thought about his disciples, Qiusheng and Wencai. I didn't want to be pestered by those two, so I went with Auntie Zhe instead.
After joining her, I found that her appearance had changed quite a bit. Both she and Uncle Jiu have already reached the Celestial Master realm. Besides, Qiusheng and Wencai have been sent away to manage other Taoist halls."
"Once I heard that, I knew the 'plot' might have changed. When I heard Uncle Jiu had a genius disciple, I got even more nervous. It wasn't until I met my Senior Brother a while ago that I finally relaxed. Though I haven't known him long, he really isn't a bad person. Oh, right, you know about the Land of Demons, don't you...?"
"Ahem!" Hearing Ren Ting-ting mention the Land of Demons, Qiu Xia cleared his throat and shot her a warning glare. What is wrong with this girl? She has no filter at all, just blurting out everything.
Seeing Qiu Xia intervene, Ren Ting-ting didn't dare say another word. Beside them, Ruri Hyuga was lost in thought. The Land of Demons? Did Qiu Xia have something to do with the changes there?
The transformation of the Land of Demons over the last few years had been a major focus for every nation. As experts in reconnaissance, the Hyuga Clan had naturally sent people to investigate, but because of a powerful barrier surrounding the country, outsiders couldn't see anything happening inside.
After a moment of silence, Ruri Hyuga turned her gaze toward Qiu Xia. "Sir, I still don't know how to address you?"
Qiu Xia gave her a playful smile. "Not worried that I might harm you anymore?"
Ruri laughed softly. "You're joking, sir. If you wanted to do something to me, you would have acted long ago. In this situation, what use is there in worrying?"
"At least you've recovered your courage. However, I hate trouble, so I won't be sharing anything about myself."
"How can you say that, Senior Brother? I think Ruri is a nice girl, I" Ren Ting-ting started to protest, but she was cut off by another sharp look from Qiu Xia.
"If you can stay quiet, you can stay and enjoy a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. If you can't, we're going back immediately, and you will spend the next month in secluded cultivation."
Ren Ting-ting pouted unhappily. "Why do you have to be like this?"
Realizing she had provoked Qiu Xia's displeasure, Ruri Hyuga didn't dare say anything more. The room fell silent as they began to eat. After finishing two bowls of ramen, Qiu Xia placed the money on the table, took Ren Ting-ting by the hand, and walked out of Ichiraku Ramen. The moment they stepped out, they vanished from Konoha and returned to the Land of Demons.
Upon their return, Qiu Xia looked at Ren Ting-ting with a stern expression. "I don't know if you're truly naive or just blinded by your feelings, but I'm warning you: make friends all you want, but do not casually reveal my business. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless. Even when making friends, you don't just dump all your secrets the moment you meet."
"Do you even know what kind of person Ruri Hyuga is? Do you think 'sisterly friendship' is always rock solid? Just look at those Korean dramas you girls lovethey are full of schemes and calculations. You don't need me to tell you this. If you just calm down and think for yourself, you'll realize it too."
Qiu Xia's reprimand caused Ren Ting-ting to slowly cool her head. She realized he was right. Why had she been so biased against Qiu Xia while opening her heart to a stranger like Ruri Hyuga the moment they met?
Was it her own impulse, or had Ruri used some kind of Genjutsu or other means? She had seen enough dramas to know that even "best friends" could plot in the shadows. Even if she and Ruri became close, who was to say Ruri wouldn't scheme against her?
Seeing her calm down, the tension on Qiu Xia's face softened. "For the coming month, work hard on your cultivation. Try to break through to the Earth Master realm. After this month, Qiusheng and Wencai can stay in this world,
but you have to go back. Your father is still there, after all." (Qiusheng's aunt had moved away with her husband for business shortly after Qiusheng became an Earth Master, so he had no reason to worry about his family.)
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Ruri Hyuga had returned to the clan compound with Hinata Hyuga. She immediately called out her secret bodyguards to question them about Qiu Xia and Ren Ting-ting. To her shock, the guards reported that during the time she was inside eating ramen, they hadn't seen a single person enter or leave.
This intelligence left Ruri in deep thought. Had that man controlled the guards and the Anbu from the very beginning so they wouldn't notice him? Or had he erased their memories of that time as he left? Whichever it was, the man was a formidable monster to deal with.
That Ren Ting-ting seemed simple-minded; a few words could likely coax a mountain of information out of her. But Ruri wondered if that was just a facade. Regardless, she had to remain on guard.
Based on the current information, that man likely possessed a "cheat" that allowed him to travel between worlds. While she didn't know how many worlds he could access, it was certain that the Zombie World was one of them; otherwise, she wouldn't have met Ren Ting-ting.
The Daoist Arts of the Zombie World didn't seem particularly powerful, but that was only within its own world. Who knew what kind of strange chemical reaction would occur when brought into this world? Would it be weakened or strengthened? It was impossible to know, but judging by the man's untraceable movements, he was definitely not weakhe might even be terrifyingly strong.
If he planned to stay in this world for a long time, she was bound to cross paths with him again. She still didn't know his true identity or his organization. The only certainty was that the Land of Demons was likely his base. Since she knew nothing about the internal situation of that country, her top priority was to increase her own strength. Only with power would she have a seat at the table.
The days passed one by one. After their trip to Konoha, Qiu Xia kept Ren Ting-ting in the Land of Demons to cultivate. Although her mental energy wasn't as vast as Qiu Xia's, she was supported by the massive amount of natural Qi in the environment and the specially grown vegetables. Her cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Within that month, her meridians were cleared one after another, and she successfully forged the Azure Lotus Creation Physique.
On the night before they were set to return, she used the Azure Lotus Creation Visualization Method from the Azure Lotus Creation Art to officially break through to the Earth Master realm.
Already a great beauty, Ren Ting-ting's looks and temperament rose several levels higher after achieving the Azure Lotus Creation Physique. She looked like a literal goddess. Every time she stood nearby, Qiusheng and Wencai turned into drooling fools. However, given their behavior, no one with a modern mindsetRen Ting-ting includedwould ever look twice at those two.
Since this return trip meant staying in the Zombie World for another month, Qiu Xia spent time helping Miroku with her cultivation as well. After absorbing a portion of Moryo's power, Miroku had reached the peak of the Earth Master realm.
Over the years, with Qiu Xia's help, she had been refining her soul to its absolute limit. Recently, she had successfully broken through to the Celestial Master level.
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