Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

A wave of pity washed over Wang Xuan, and he felt a surge of emotion, as if he wanted to hold her in his arms.

He unconsciously stepped forward, wanting to gently touch the stone statue.

Anu quickly stepped forward, gently tugging at Wang Xuan's sleeve. The silver bell on her wrist jingled softly. Her brows furrowed slightly as she tried to stop him, saying, "Big brother, what are you doing?"

Wang Xuan asked softly, "May I touch her?"

Anu looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes, gently shook her head, and said in a devout and earnest tone, "Big brother, this is the statue of Goddess Nuwa, the most revered deity in our Miao region. It cannot be touched casually."

"I was rude."

Wang Xuan nodded slightly, revealing an apologetic smile. He knew his request was impolite, so he forcefully suppressed the thought.

Anu smiled and said, "Big brother, actually, just standing quietly and paying homage, and sincerely praying for blessings is enough."

Wang Xuan nodded slightly, gazing at the lifelike stone statue, lost in thought, pondering to himself.

If this is the storyline of the TV series, then the stone statues here should be the statues of Nuwa carved by craftsmen.

If this is part of the game's storyline, the stone statue enshrined in this Nuwa Temple should be the physical form of Qing'er.

Back then, when Baiyue awakened the Water Demon Beast, it caused a massive flood. Qing'er exhausted all her spiritual power to seal the Water Demon Beast, and her body transformed into a human-headed, snake-bodied stone statue. It drifted with the flood to the Bai Miao region of Dali, where it was retrieved by the Bai Miao people.

The Bai Miao people did not know that this was the physical body of Qing'er, but only thought it was a sacred image of Nuwa's true form. So they started construction on the spot next to the original ancient altar to build a Nuwa temple and put the stone statue there.

Wang Xuan recalled the previous record of Anu in the "Record of a Hundred Beauties".

The only young master of the Bai Miao ethnic group, he was a disciple of the Holy Maiden.

Based on this alone, it's impossible to tell whether it's the game version or the TV series version.

He asked, "Anu, was this Nuwa Temple built only in recent years?"

Anu looked at him in surprise: "Yes, there was originally only an ancient altar here, and the Nuwa Temple was built later. How did you know that, big brother?"

Wang Xuan casually replied, "Everything here looks quite new to me."

In his heart, he thought, "It seems to be roughly the plot of the first Legend of Sword and Fairy game."

But I've never had any contact with Qing'er, so how could I have such a mysterious connection?

It can't be... time travel, can it?

After all, in the story, Qing'er once used her remaining divine power to send Li Xiaoyao back ten years.

But what kind of bond will I have with Qing'er?

Unable to come up with an answer, Wang Xuan simply stopped thinking about it.

Regardless, he now had another reason to help Zhao Ling'er.

Anu explained with a grin, "That's because we clean it often."

Wang Xuan then asked, "I'd like to come here often in the future. If you're not here, where should I look for you?"

"Hmm..." Anu pursed her lips and pondered, then answered seriously, "If I'm not in the temple, I'm either in the palace, or with my master, or I'm out catching Gu worms."

Wang Xuan was slightly taken aback: "So, we're pretty lucky to run into you here today."

Anu smiled gently, her eyes crinkling, and said, "Hehe, it's alright."

Wang Xuan took out the heart of the thousand-year-old Yin Huai tree, which was condensed from the tree demon he burned.

He handed it to the girl and said with a gentle smile, "This is a gift for you. Thank you for bringing me in today."

Anu curiously took the heart of the thousand-year-old yin locust tree. As soon as her fingertips touched the warm, smooth wood core, she sensed the rich yin energy within.

Whether used to make wooden boxes, as materials for refining Gu poison, or to neutralize Gu poison, it is a rare and excellent spiritual material.

"Wow!" Her eyes lit up, filled with joy, yet she hesitated, unsure whether to accept it, and whispered, "This is too precious."

"Don't be so formal, we're already friends."

Wang Xuan's gaze was gentle, then he looked at Anu with anticipation.

"Mmm." Anu held the thousand-year-old tree heart in both hands, happily swaying her waist, then asked in confusion, "Big brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Looking at the innocent and lovely girl, Wang Xuan smiled and asked, "Do you have any tokens or anything like that? If I come to see you in the future, I can just show it to others so they will know I'm your friend."

Anu raised her hand to stroke her Miao embroidered dress, then glanced at the set of silver ornaments, and touched the bamboo pouch containing poisonous insects and the small cloth bag for snacks at her waist, her face showing reluctance.

"Most of what I carry are poisonous insects used for making Gu poison and snacks." Anu took off the jade bracelet from her left hand and handed it to Wang Xuan. "Why don't you take this jade bracelet? But I don't know if the tribesmen will recognize it."

As she spoke, the girl's cheeks flushed slightly, and she seemed unusually embarrassed.

Wang Xuan accepted the gift without hesitation, then asked, "I've heard that the Nanzhao Kingdom has a type of Gu worm called the 'Heart-to-Heart Gu'? It can be made into a bell, allowing people to sense each other's presence even when they're thousands of miles apart. Is that true?"

Anu smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Yes."

"Do you have one? That would make it easier for me to come find you."

Anu explained somewhat awkwardly, "This is a token exclusively between lovers."

Wang Xuan looked puzzled: "Can't we use it between friends?"

"Usually only lovers would bind this." Anu thought carefully and added, "Moreover, the Heart-Binding Gu is very hard to find; it only grows in the deep mountain Gu caves of the Southern Frontier."

Without hesitation, Wang Xuan suggested, "How about we help you find one?"

Anu gently shook her head: "Big brother, it's not that easy. We must wait until the Dragon Boat Festival, go deep into the Gu cave in the mountains, let thousands of poisonous insects fight and devour each other, and only the pair of twin Gu eggs that survive at the end will have a chance to conceive the Heart-to-Heart Gu."

"Then I'll come find you during the Dragon Boat Festival, and we'll go look for the Love Gu together."

"Huh?" Anu was taken aback, stammering, "But... this is..."

"I just wanted to help you, don't overthink it," Wang Xuan said promptly, dispelling Anu's unnecessary concerns. "Besides, I'll probably be coming here often in the future, and I'll be troubling you quite a bit."

"Oh, oh." Anu raised her hand and patted her not-so-prominent chest, calming her anxiety.

Wang Xuan took one last, deep look at the Qing'er stone statue, then turned to Ao Jin, who had been standing quietly to the side, and said to Anu, "Anu, could you take us to see your home and your master's home so we don't get lost next time we want to find you?"

"sure."

The three of them walked out of the temple and strolled slowly down the street, experiencing the unique local customs and culture.

Anu suddenly asked, "Big brother, is there fighting every day where you are?"