Wayfarer

Chapter 465: I'm Helping You

After Xiao Nanfeng finished singing The Moon Represents My Heart, Madam Rouge's snowy-white face grew flushed.

"To think this is the sort of thing you would focus your attention on rather than cultivation! Did you do this to attract the attention of more women?" Madam Rouge accused him as she attempted to hide her momentary infatuation.

"I've been working very hard on cultivation," Xiao Nanfeng replied. "Can't you see how advanced I am now? Who else would have been able to accomplish such a feat within a few years' time? And this love song is from my hometown. I didn't come up with it myself. Many people in my hometown know of it, and I learned it from them."

Madam Rouge rolled her beautiful eyes.

"What? You don't believe me?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Of course I don't! Don't you think I'm aware of what your manor used to be like? You were all but under house arrest. What sort of servant or guard would sing The Moon Represents My Heart to you? They would never dare!"

"Uh..."

Xiao Nanfeng wasn't talking about Marquis Xiao's manor, but rather Earth. That said, he was hardly about to mention Earth to Madam Rouge.

"You must have composed it yourself. Isn't that right? To think you would know how to sing! Come on, I'd like to hear a few more songs," Madam Rouge teased.

"Dream on! I won't sing you more songs even if it means you aren't going to help me. I sang you a song as thanks for traveling all the way here, but that's it!" Xiao Nanfeng refused Madam Rouge bluntly.

"Oho? So you do have more songs, then?" Madam Rouge's eyes lit up.

"Go on, shoo! I'll figure out the star maps here myself and get out on my own. I don't need your help anymore." Xiao Nanfeng feigned anger.

"No, no! Alright, I won't press anymore for today. You'll sing me those songs some other day, won't you?" Madam Rouge quickly smiled to pacify Xiao Nanfeng.

"I won't sing them to you at all," Xiao Nanfeng replied directly.

"Alright, alright. Let's talk some other day, then." Madam Rouge smiled.

Xiao Nanfeng pursed his lips. Madam Rouge was emulating how he had tricked her in the past, and Xiao Nanfeng didn't know how to deal with his own tricks used against him.

"There's something I don't understand. You're stronger than the Peach Buddha, aren't you? I remember it was very difficult for you to enter my mindscape in the first place. You were only able to do so while I was asleep, so why can the Peach Buddha access my mindscape so easily, even without my permission?"

"Ah, well..." Madam Rouge suddenly found herself tongue-tied.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened. "You did something, didn't you?!"

Madam Rouge gave him an embarrassed smile. "I made a minor modification to your mindscape."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mindscape is quite a bit different from others'. It's sealed more tightly than that of most cultivators, and even I had a hard time entering your mindscape initially. I paid a heavy price to do so. When I was about to leave, I thought about how difficult it might be for me to re-enter and decided to leave a peach blossom marker by its exit. This marker provides easy access into your mindscape. I didn't expect the peach tree would take advantage." Madam Rouge smiled wryly.

Xiao Nanfeng grimaced. "So you left the doors to my mindscape wide open!"

"I never expected you would encounter that peach tree. You can't blame me," Madam Rouge demurred.

Xiao Nanfeng was silent for a moment before he retorted, "You've really grown thick-skinned, haven't you, Madam Rouge? If I don't blame you, should I blame myself?"

"Don't worry. I'll deal with it for you later. No one will be able to enter your mindscape at will anymore."

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

Was he supposed to thank her for fixing a problem she had caused, then?

"Where in my mindscape did you hide, anyway? Why couldn't I ever find you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"In the mental world that lies within. Your cultivation isn't strong enough to access it just yet. It's the domain of the strongest Immortals and deities."

Xiao Nanfeng rolled his eyes. "Haven't you seen how fast my cultivation is advancing? I might reach such a realm in just a few months' time."

"Let's talk at that point," Madam Rouge replied vaguely.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. "You're refusing to tell me anything. Are you planning to do something else to my mental world?"

Madam Rouge's eyes widened in panic. "Of course not! Would I do such a thing? You're overthinking matters.

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

He was confident that Madam Rouge was planning something annoying, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Forget it. Save me, please," Xiao Nanfeng requested.

"I can't. It's a function of the natural law left by the heavens—you'll need to find someone to replace you, but I haven't closely analyzed the natural laws here and can't swap you out at the moment." Madam Rouge flapped a hand at him.

"You can't do anything, either?" Xiao Nanfeng was taken aback.

"It's not easy. If I forcibly break this crystal wall, you'd be injured instead."

"Am I going to be trapped here for good, then?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"It's not such a bad thing, is it? You have an avatar aboveworld, after all, and you can even meditate on natural law while you're here." Madam Rouge smiled.

It was Xiao Nanfeng's turn to roll his eyes. "Tell me if you know a way! Otherwise, I'll know not to count on you."

"Don't get so mad. I'm telling the truth—you can take advantage of the strength that the heavens have deposited here."

"How?"

"Hold on—tell me how you managed to bypass that formation of natural law first. You did all that with just a wisp of candleflame?"

"Well, after you left, the Divine Emperor and I went exploring in the spirits' Imperial Court..." Xiao Nanfeng began.

"Who's this Divine Emperor?" Madam Rouge demanded.

"Well..."

"You fooled around with yet another woman while I was gone?" Madam Rouge exclaimed in surprise.

"What do you mean, fooled around? I only interacted normally with her. Furthermore, you're aware of the Divine Emperor. She used to live in my ring."

"That beast in your ring? It became a beauty?"

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

"Alright, alright. Continue, please," Madam Rouge immediately added.

Xiao Nanfeng recounted his fight against the Spirit Emperor. Even if he didn't tell Madam Rouge about this, she would be able to learn everything from the black lotus. It was better for him to control the narrative instead.

After hearing Xiao Nanfeng's retelling of the events, Madam Rouge frowned. Unexpectedly, her emphasis wasn't on the relationship between the Divine Emperor and him. "Is your body some sort of shelter for cursed effigies? You gained one more right after sending another away. There's no end to this!"

"Surely it's a coincidence," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"It is rather surprising, and that Divine Emperor really did fight to defend you. It's for the best, I suppose. The more cursed effigies there are by your side, the better you'll be able to protect yourself in the future."

"Protect myself?"

"That's right. The heavens reap the world every ten thousand years, and the next harvest draws near. Without any power to defend yourself, you'll be done for."

"Are the heavens reaping all Immortals without exception?"

"All are but fodder against the heavens, regardless of who you are."

"Oh?"

"Your current cultivation techniques have weaknesses, too."

"They do? What weaknesses?"

Xiao Nanfeng was supremely confident in his cultivation techniques. They might be somewhat sinister, but each possessed incredible strength.

"For instance, your Sky of Ten Suns has a critical weakness."

"Where? The Netherworld Pope mentioned that a Rulai he faced desperately dreamt of obtaining this technique. Just a single sun made him renowned across the world. With ten such suns, wouldn't I be even stronger?"

"These golden crows indeed boast incredible strength, but they're not invincible. If your opponents focus on attacking your crows and destroy them all, you'd be done for."

"They can grow stronger with time," Xiao Nanfeng countered.

"But they can still be defeated. Sky of Ten Suns is a technique that only ever yields ten golden crows. Once they're all defeated, there goes your strength."

"Is that so?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Of course. Aren't you aware that others specifically forged sun-piercing bows and arrows to counter it?"

"The legend of Hou Yi?" Xiao Nanfeng gaped.

"Who's Hou Yi? I've never heard of him. I did hear of a cultivator of immense strength who ruled the world. He cultivated the Sky of Ten Suns. The eponymous suns roamed the world and subdued all living creatures they encountered. The rivers grew dry, the land parched. The ten suns dominated until someone finally forged a sun-piercing bow and arrows, then shot down nine of his suns. His strength diminished greatly; he only possessed one final sun," Madam Rouge recollected.

Xiao Nanfeng blinked. This was different from the tale of Hou Yi that was popular on Earth, but there were surprising similarities.

"In that case, can't I just hide my ten suns if they're in danger?"

"Then your opponent achieves the same goal: weakening you significantly."

"Is there no solution to this counter, then?"

"Oh, there is. It's right before your eyes—but do you dare do it?" Madam Rouge suddenly gave him a sly grin.

"What's the solution?"

"Forge your ten suns into cursed effigies and grant them undying bodies."

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened. "You want me to implant the Records of Life and Death into them?"

"That's right. If your red moon could meld with the red rope, then your ten suns can surely meld with the Records of Life and Death. You managed to tether your red moon to the red rope by taking advantage of the tremendous sources of energy within the Eastern Sea Draconic Palace. I was worried about whether this would be viable here, but you recounted how the Divine Emperor used the strength that the heavens left dormant within the hidden realm to help you graft the candle cursed effigy into your body. In that case, we can repeat that scenario with the Records of Life and Death here."

"I don't possess the Records."

"That's quite alright. The Netherworld Pope and Peach Buddha are still extremely weak, and it'll be easy enough for you to take them down with my assistance. You can help me test out whether this method is viable."

"Hold on, what did you say? Test out?"

"Oh, no, of course not. I'm just intending to help you handle the shortcomings of your Sky of Ten Suns," Madam Rouge corrected herself at once.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned, having seen how Madam Rouge was schooling her features. It was clearly the expression he had worn when trying to swindle her in the past. Was this karmic retribution?