System: After the fortune telling, my cultivation level skyrocketed.

"Hmph, I didn't." Xia Jiuyou maintained her dignified demeanor as a saintess, a cold smile playing on her lips, and urged them telepathically, "With so many peers here, what kind of behavior is this? Hurry up and go back!"

"Sigh, a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea." Chen Xuan tilted his head back and finished his drink, his tone slightly mocking. He casually dropped an antique black ring onto the stone bench.

"After that night, I thought we should be closer. Fine, I'll return what I owe you."

Xia Jiuyou watched Chen Xuan's departing figure, her feelings extremely complicated. A thousand words were stuck in her throat, but she couldn't utter a single one.

It wasn't until Chen Xuan returned to the crowd and started drinking with Dao Yi, Zi Xia, and others that she noticed and quietly picked up the ring that Chen Xuan had left behind.

The ring was unclaimed and had not yet been refined. The moment a wisp of magical power probed into it, Xia Jiuyou's pupils suddenly contracted, and her delicate body trembled violently.

“Seven…Seven-Colored Immortal Gold?” She suddenly looked up at the figure in the center of the crowd who was clinking glasses with Han Jiuling—Chen Xuan happened to turn around, a mischievous smile on his lips, and raised his glass to her from afar.

Xia Jiuyou's heart warmed, and she murmured softly, "Chen Xuan, what kind of person are you really..."

"I cannot accept such a treasure... otherwise my Dao heart will be uneasy." She was about to get up when she saw Qingxia and Zixia beside Chen Xuan looking over. She had no choice but to suppress the pounding in her heart, force a smile, and drink the wine in her cup.

This gathering of peers, where they discussed ideas, continued until late at night before finally ending.

The campfire in the distance still flickered as servants and spirit beasts cleaned up the mess before dispersing to various parts of the mountain range to guard and ensure everyone's safety.

As night deepened, a white figure quietly appeared outside Chen Xuan's Northern Underworld Immortal Abode.

Xia Jiuyou stood before the mansion gate, her white dress fluttering gently in the night breeze, further accentuating her stunning figure. After hesitating for a long time, as if making up her mind, she finally spoke in a voice barely audible: "Chen Xuan, are you... there?"

The voice was so soft it was like a dream, as if the speaker was talking to himself.

“Crunch—”

The heavy gates of the immortal abode slowly opened, and suddenly, a warm, large hand grabbed her wrist.

Xia Jiuyou exclaimed in surprise. Before she could react, she was pulled in by a gentle yet irresistible force.

No candles were lit in the inner chambers of the immortal abode; only the bright moonlight shone through the window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

And at this time.

Inside the side hall of the Northern Underworld Immortal Mansion, the candlelight was dim, with only the moonlight from outside the corridor slanting into half a window, casting a cold white band of light on the blue brick floor.

Xia Jiuyou wore a fairy-like white dress with flowing cloud patterns. As the hem of her dress swept across the ground, it stirred up a fine breeze, making her already stunning appearance even more exquisite.

In the past, she was a high and mighty saint, not to be profaned. But now, she was being squeezed between a carved pillar and a wall by a young man in black.

Chen Xuan's kiss came quickly and fiercely, carrying the lingering heat of strong liquor, choking all her words of resistance into her throat.

Xia Jiuyou hummed incoherently, her fair hands pressed against the boy's firm chest, her fingertips turning white from the force, but his arms were as if cast in iron, no matter how she pushed him, they wouldn't budge. Only the force around his waist tightened, pressing their bodies together tightly.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a pair of calloused hands quietly slipped under her skirt, their fingertips touching the delicate skin of her waist and abdomen, and Xia Jiuyou was suddenly jolted awake from her daze.

A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and her inner power suddenly erupted, like an invisible barrier exploding open—with a soft "bang," Chen Xuan was actually forced back half a step by the force.

"Chen Xuan, you bastard!" Xia Jiuyou clutched her chest, which heaved violently. Her breaths caused her chest to arch, and her originally cold voice was now trembling with shame and anger. Her fair cheeks were so red that they could drip blood, and even the tips of her ears were flushed with a translucent pink.

She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her lips, her eyes filled with both shame and anger, wishing she could draw her sword on the spot.

"Huh?" Chen Xuan touched the tip of his nose, standing awkwardly in place. He flicked his finger, and the candlestick under the corridor "poof" lit up with a warm light. The flickering candlelight just reflected Xia Jiuyou's reddened eyes and messy sideburns.

He scratched his head, his tone somewhat innocent: "In the middle of the night, you barged into my immortal abode. I thought you were lonely and came to play along with me."

"Shameless! Despicable!" Xia Jiuyou's chest heaved with anger. He gripped the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white. But remembering Chen Xuan's act of returning the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold, he ultimately resisted the urge to draw his sword.

With a sudden wave of her hand, the ancient ring containing seven-colored immortal gold hurled a powerful gust of wind at Chen Xuan, and she turned and walked out of the hall.

Chen Xuan lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure following closely behind, and reached out to grab her wrist.

Before Xia Jiuyou could struggle, he swept his long arm around her and pulled her into his embrace again—this time, his tone was devoid of any frivolity, his voice deep and resonant like jade bathed in moonlight:

"Alright, I was just kidding. But it's really you, Xia Jiuyou. You got the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold, and now you're actually going to give it back?"

"Let me go!" Xia Jiuyou struggled angrily, her small fists pounding his back, but the force was much weaker than before. "Although I really desire the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold, how can I accept such a treasure for nothing?"

Xia Jiuyou seemed to recall Chen Xuan's previous sarcastic remarks and sneered, "We've only met by chance, what kind of relationship do we have?"

Chen Xuan's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, but after a wry smile, he said calmly, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known about the existence of the Ancient Immortal Array, let alone found the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold and the Seven-Colored Divine Stone."

Chen Xuan tightened his arms, holding Xia Jiuyou's slender waist firmly in his grasp, preventing her from escaping. His gaze was intense as he looked into her eyes, the candlelight casting dappled shadows on them.

"I gained a lot from this mission. After thinking it over, I can't think of anything to thank you for—you were the one who first discovered this celestial gold, so returning it to you is the most appropriate thing to do."

He paused, deliberately softening his tone, "This isn't some kind of 'keeping fee,' it's just that I genuinely want to thank you."