One of my fairy-like friends

Mingyan suddenly came to his senses. Right, why didn't he choose a bow as his weapon?

Shooting an arrow through an enemy's head from a thousand miles away... that feeling must be pretty good, right? Mingyan originally just had a casual thought, but the more he thought about it, the more he thought it was good. The bow was indeed a good weapon, and besides, he liked bows very much. Hou Yi could shoot down a sun with one arrow. Although he didn't have many suns to shoot down, killing an enemy with one arrow was not bad either.

Mingyan pondered for a moment, then left his dantian and returned to reality, beginning to consider what he needed to forge a bow that could truly accompany him as he grew...

A piece of wood with extremely high tensile strength needs to be both tough and flexible to make the bow's back. Additionally, a thin rope is needed as the string... Mingyan pondered for a moment, thinking perhaps he could ask Huang Feiyan what materials would be suitable; she certainly knew more than he did...

Mingyan looked at the sound channel used for transmitting messages in the room. The sound channel was located in the corner of the room and was shaped like a megaphone. Mingyan thought for a moment and did not rush to look for Huang Feiyan. After all, Huang Feiyan had not been away for too long. She must have something to do. She didn't have time to accompany him all day.

Mingyan thought for a moment, then left his room again and strolled around the outer courtyard.

The outer courtyard was very large and housed many people. Mingyan's appearance did not cause much of a stir. When Huang Feiyan brought Mingyan back, not many people actually saw him. Many people did not recognize Mingyan, and his cultivation was not particularly outstanding. Apart from his handsome appearance, he did not have any other outstanding features, so he did not attract much attention.

The people in the outer courtyard were in groups of three or five. Mingyan discovered that there were not only cultivators, but also some ordinary people who had no cultivation at all.

Many people are discussing the matter of "Fairy Qingfei," who is presumably Huang Feiyan's comatose aunt... These people are likely guests invited by the Huang family to find a solution to the strange poison in Huang Qingfei's body...

Those ordinary people might actually be highly skilled doctors?

"I heard that the Jade Pool Holy Land is going to hold the Peach Banquet, which is held once every five hundred years. This time, I heard that almost all the major clans and holy lands of the Eastern Continent have been invited."

"Given the relationship between Yaochi and the Huang family, they should also invite the Huang family, right?"

"Nonsense, I heard that the Phoenix Clan Head and the Queen Mother of the West were close friends when they were young. In order to find a way to cure Fairy Qingfei, the Jade Pool Holy Land even brought out all the peaches from the Immortal Peach Tree... But unfortunately, they didn't find anything..."

The Immortal Peach Tree? Mingyan's heart stirred. He wondered how strong the tree was and whether it would be suitable as a bow's back... Hmm, but he figured the Immortal Peach Tree must be extremely important to that Jade Pool Holy Land, and he couldn't obtain it himself... Mingyan shook his head.

"How long does the Peach Banquet last?" someone asked.

"It will be about a year from now, but the Yaochi Holy Land has already started sending out invitations. In addition to the major holy lands and aristocratic families, some well-known independent cultivators have also been invited."

"Your information is really outdated. I heard that the Holy Maiden of Yaochi has already set off for the central region and personally sent an invitation to the Huang family. Judging by the time, she should be arriving soon."

"The Holy Maiden of Yaochi is here in person? I heard that this generation's Holy Maiden of Yaochi has a good relationship with Miss Huang?"

"The Yaochi Holy Land and the Huang family have been friends for thousands of years. The fact that the Yaochi Holy Maiden personally delivered the invitation shows that the friendship between the two families is still very strong."

Mingyan listened for a while but didn't hear anything useful, so he left.

After wandering around for a while, they unknowingly arrived at the back gate of the outer courtyard. Walking inside would lead to the inner courtyard of the Huang family. Ming Yan was about to turn around and leave when Huang Feiyan walked out from inside, followed by a group of female cultivators. They were dressed in palace attire, with graceful figures, and all looked to be around the same age. Each of them had a pale red lotus flower between their eyebrows, making them exceptionally beautiful. What a group of fairies! Ming Yan glanced at them and was about to step aside when he suddenly saw a familiar voice. His eyes immediately widened, and he couldn't look away.

Among the crowd was a woman also dressed in palace attire. She was tall and slender with a graceful figure. She had a faint smile on her face, and the lotus flower between her eyebrows was more radiant and beautiful than the lotus flowers between the eyebrows of the other fairies. Her facial features were also superior to those of the other fairies. She was no different from Huang Feiyan. She was exceptionally beautiful and had a temperament that was heavenly.

But none of these are the reasons why Mingyan was so focused on it...

"Mingyan? What are you doing here?" Huang Feiyan was a little surprised to see Mingyan standing not far from the door. She then noticed that Mingyan was staring straight at someone behind her. She turned around and saw that there were too many people behind her, and none of them showed any unusual behavior. She walked up to Mingyan and waved gently, "Mingyan."

Mingyan then came to his senses, looked at Huang Feiyan, then at the fairy not far behind Huang Feiyan, remained silent for a moment, and smiled slightly, "Feiyan."

"Come, let me introduce you. Fei Xuan, this is my new friend Ming Yan. Ming Yan, this is one of my few close friends, Ning Fei Xuan." Huang Fei Yan reached out and pulled over the woman whose appearance and temperament clearly surpassed the other fairies, and introduced her with a smile.

Ning Feixuan smiled helplessly and looked at Ming Yan. At first glance, she didn't seem to notice anything unusual, but upon closer inspection, she was surprised. "Have I... seen you somewhere before?"

"A year ago, you saved me in a small village on the western side of Dragon Ridge. I wonder if you still remember me?" Ming Yan looked at Ning Feixuan, somewhat nervous. Indeed, the fairy before him was the one who had saved him that day! He never expected to meet her again in the Huang family!

Ning Feixuan thought for a moment, then nodded gently, "Now that you mention it, I do remember. I didn't expect that you would have reached Taixi Realm in just one year. It seems that I misjudged you back then. You are very impressive."

Huang Feiyan blinked, utterly astonished. She hadn't expected that the person Mingyan was searching for who had saved his life that day was actually her closest friend... What a coincidence...

Mingyan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "If it weren't for the fairy's rescue that day, I would have become a wandering ghost long ago. I didn't even have time to thank the fairy before she left... I will never forget your life-saving grace."

“There’s no need for that.” Ning Feixuan smiled faintly. “Seeing the person I saved that day standing healthy and well in front of me is enough for me.”

Upon hearing this, Ming Yan remained silent for a moment, then nodded without saying anything more. He stepped aside, and Huang Feiyan glanced at Ming Yan with a strange look in her eyes. She then greeted him and led the others to the guest room. Not long after, she returned with Ning Feixuan.

"Feixuan, you go in first. I'll talk to Mingyan." Huang Feiyan said to Ning Feixuan when she saw that Mingyan was still standing there.

Ning Feixuan nodded and walked into the inner courtyard first. The Huang family does not allow outsiders to enter the inner courtyard, so it seems that Ning Feixuan is not considered an outsider by the Huang family.

After Ning Feixuan went inside, Huang Feiyan looked at Ming Yan and said in surprise, "Did Feixuan really save you?"

Chapter Twenty-Three: Jealousy and rivalry

Mingyan nodded, somewhat absentmindedly.

"What's wrong? You've found the real deal, aren't you happy?" Huang Feiyan asked with a smile, her hands behind her back, seeing that Ming Yan was out of sorts.

"Of course not, I'm glad, at least I know who she is now." Mingyan snapped out of his reverie and pursed his lips. "But... Feiyan, she's at the Qi Sea Realm just like you, right?"

“Strictly speaking, she is stronger than me, having reached the full stage of Qi Sea.” Huang Feiyan corrected, “Don’t let her appearance fool you, she cultivates with tremendous effort, and I am ashamed to admit that I am no match for her.”

"...Is she the Holy Maiden of Yaochi?"

“That’s right. She was made the Holy Maiden of Yaochi five years ago, and her cultivation talent is extremely astonishing.” Huang Feiyan nodded again, then tilted her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Why are you asking this? Do you really have any interest in her other than gratitude?”

"I just feel a huge gap between us. Right now, when it comes to repaying her kindness... I don't have anything decent to offer." Mingyan sighed. "Perhaps meeting her too early wasn't such a good thing after all..."

"What? Does this reunion feel different from what you imagined?" Upon hearing this, Huang Feiyan gestured for Mingyan to accompany her for a walk. She walked with light and graceful steps, her smile undiminished. "She's always been like this; she doesn't care much about things outside of cultivation."

“It is somewhat different... but more importantly, I realize that I can't do anything for her now, and I can't repay her kindness.” Mingyan walked side by side with Huang Feiyan, gently shaking his head. Although Ning Feixuan told him not to take what happened that day to heart, and said that seeing him healthy was already a repayment... Mingyan was a serious person. How could he consider this a repayment? How could the life-saving grace be so easily forgotten?

However, the huge gap in strength between the two left Mingyan with no opportunity to repay his debt of gratitude.

Huang Feiyan knew that Mingyan was quite particular about this matter, and if she didn't repay the favor, he would probably remember it for the rest of his life. She smiled and said, "Then work hard on your cultivation. One day, you will catch up with her and be able to help her then."

Mingyan nodded. It was precisely to repay Ning Feixuan that Mingyan embarked on the path of cultivation, so that one day he could help Ning Feixuan.

"By the way, Fei Yan, didn't you ask before which holy land you were interested in visiting? How about... Yaochi Holy Land?"

“That won’t do. Yaochi Holy Land doesn’t accept male disciples.” Huang Feiyan shook her head. “Although Yaochi women can marry outside the Holy Land, they will absolutely not accept male disciples, so… it won’t work.”

"Is that so..." Upon hearing this, Mingyan had no choice but to nod.

"Alright, I'm going back to be with Feixuan now. Don't forget to contact me if you need anything." Huang Feiyan smiled sweetly, bid farewell to Mingyan, and then swayed her graceful figure as she walked into the inner courtyard.

Mingyan silently returned to his room.

So, the goal is clear now... to catch up with Ning Feixuan so that he can help her. Ming Yan's eyes gradually sharpened, and then he closed his eyes and immersed himself in cultivation.

Nothing happened that night, and the next day...

Although there is no difference between day and night for cultivators, most cultivators still prefer to be active during the day. When Mingyan opened his eyes, he heard a lot of noise outside. He hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and went out.

Mingyan's room was in a relatively quiet corner, probably to avoid disturbing him. But today it wasn't so quiet. After Mingyan pushed open the door, he found many people walking towards the small square in the middle of the outer courtyard, which looked very lively. Mingyan had an idea, so he closed the door and followed the group.

On the way, Mingyan asked someone what was going on, "Brother, is there anything interesting to see?"

"Hmm? You didn't know? Yesterday we heard that the Holy Maiden of Yaochi had arrived at the Huang family, and today quite a few people have come here to see the beauty of the Fairy of Yaochi. There were even a few suitors who got into a fight because of jealousy. We were just about to go and watch the show."

"I see." Ming Yan's eyes flickered as he recalled what Huang Feiyan had said yesterday: women from Yaochi could marry outside the palace. Ning Feixuan had red lips and white teeth, beautiful eyebrows and eyes, a tall and graceful figure, and a great figure. It was perfectly normal for her to have many suitors.

"You should know that these young masters from noble families are all quite powerful. The lowest level is at the full stage of Yangling, and there's even one at the initial stage of Qi Sea. Their battles for the beauty's attention will be incredibly exciting. Besides, I also want to see what the legendary Yaochi Saintess, who is said to have outshone all the beauties and barely won the title of the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Continent, actually looks like. Does she also have two eyes and a mouth...? Hmm? Brother, you are quite handsome..."

Ming Yan found it increasingly strange. This man seemed to have a good impression of the several young masters from noble families who were vying for his affections, but his evaluation of the Holy Maiden of Yaochi was somewhat subtle, as if there was a hint of disdain. Moreover, he suddenly started praising his good looks... He was clearly a male... Ming Yan silently distanced himself from him. He had heard that some cultivators had rather strange sexual orientations, so one should never get too close, because even men need to protect themselves when they are out in the world, especially the handsome ones. They would either be captured by those middle-aged female cultivators to be their male concubines, or captured by some male cultivators with special preferences... cough cough.

"Hey! Brother, don't go!"

Ming Yan felt a chill run down his spine and immediately slipped into the crowd.

Fortunately, there were many people, so Mingyan quickly shook off the man with the strange accent and followed the crowd to the square in the middle of the outer courtyard.

The plaza was enormous, seemingly originally intended for hosting various conferences and martial arts arenas. At this moment, a large crowd had gathered around the plaza. Mingyan found a relatively quiet corner to watch the two men interacting in the center of the plaza.

The two men looked expensive and were not ordinary people. One of them was wearing a blue robe and a crown, and was indeed handsome, but his expression was cold. The other was dressed in white, and was elegant and otherworldly. He was also very handsome, but his expression was quite flamboyant. The two were exchanging words.

"The steps of Yangling are still full of people. If I were you, I would have hanged myself long ago." The young man in white among the two men sneered, "I really don't know what kind of good-for-nothings your Mu family has."

"Killing you is as easy as killing a chicken or a dog. Enough with the nonsense, let's get started." The blue-robed young man beckoned to the white-robed young man and said coldly.

Some of the surrounding spectators whispered, "That young man in blue is Mu Chong, the seventh young master of the Mu family. I heard he's the pillar of the Mu family this generation."

"And what about the young man in white?"

"It is Qin Dongli, the third young master of the Qin family. He is already at the initial stage of Qi Sea, but the most famous young generation of the Qin family is not him, but his older brother Qin Dongting. It is said that he has reached the full stage of Qi Sea and is the best among the young generation in the Eastern Continent."

Mingyan frowned. It seemed that these young masters from noble families and holy sons and daughters from holy lands were all around the Qi Sea Realm... He was still far behind them and wondered how long it would take to catch up.

"Mu Chong's actions weren't out of jealousy. I heard that years ago, Qin Dongting crippled the eldest son of the Mu family. Although the Qin family apologized afterward, the feud between the two families was established..."

"Killing chickens and slaughtering dogs? How dare this worthless family speak so arrogantly?" The white-robed young man's smile was cruel. "Do you know how your brother, Mu Bing, begged for mercy in front of my elder brother?"

"I only know how you'll beg for mercy in front of me." Mu Chong remained unmoved, extremely calm, but Qin Dongli was different. Hearing Mu Chong's words, he clenched his fist, runes flashing around his body, turning into streaks of lightning that swirled around him. In a single step, he appeared in front of Mu Chong. His movements were so fast that many people present didn't even see it clearly before Qin Dongli was already in front of Mu Chong. Just when everyone thought Mu Chong was about to be blasted away by a punch, they saw Qin Dongli punch Mu Chong in the face, but his fist actually passed right through his body, and Qin Dongli missed completely.

Qin Dongli was also taken aback, then focused his mind and felt a tremendous force coming from his waist. Caught off guard, Qin Dongli was sent flying backward, almost flying out of the arena. But when he reached the edge of the plaza, the huge plaza glowed slightly, and a faint light curtain rose up and enveloped him. Qin Dongli crashed into the light curtain, quickly adjusted his posture, and took to the air. Looking at Mu Chong, who was still standing on the plaza, his expression became serious. "It seems I underestimated you?"

"I'll wait until you kneel before me and beg for mercy." Mu Chong didn't say much, and his expression was extremely cold, but his words were full of provocation. Veins bulged on Qin Dongli's forehead as he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll trample you into the dirt and then I'll see how you beg for mercy, just like your older brother!"

A light shone from Qin Dongli's dantian, and a long spear suddenly flew out, instantly reaching Mu Chong's side, seemingly intending to pin Mu Chong directly to the ground!

The spear did indeed pierce through Mu Chong's body, but when it passed through him again, his body was like a shadow, visible but untouchable. After the spear passed through, Mu Chong stood in place without suffering any harm, which was extremely strange!

"What kind of technique is this?!" people around the square exclaimed. Mu Chong had repeatedly dodged Qin Dongli's attacks in this mysterious and unpredictable way, which was truly bizarre.

"Could it be that Mu Chong carved some kind of formation here?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! This is the territory of the Huang family. How could Mu Chong possibly do anything here? He probably has some kind of magical technique!"

Qin Dongli was also surprised and uncertain. He reached out and withdrew his spear, then landed on the ground, gripping the spear with both hands, wary of Mu Chong. "You have quite a few tricks up your sleeve."

"You can still kneel before me and beg for mercy now." Mu Chong remained largely emotionless, coldly staring at Qin Dongli.

"Hmph! Even if you can use your tricks to evade my attacks, can you evade them for a while, or for a lifetime? Sooner or later, your spiritual energy will be exhausted. You are just a Yangling Manjie, unable to generate your own spiritual energy. In my eyes, you are nothing but a dead dog!" Qin Dongli was short-tempered. Mu Chong's few words provoked him so much that veins popped out on his forehead, and he looked like he was gritting his teeth.

"Fellow Daoists, you should stop here. There's no need to fight to the death." At this moment, a melodious and peaceful voice came.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "The Holy Maiden of Yaochi has arrived!"

Mingyan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of fairy maidens from Yaochi walking in the distance. They looked like they had mistakenly entered a celestial palace, but Ning Feixuan was nowhere to be seen. However, there was one person hidden in the mist, hazy and indistinct. Only her voice, which sounded like celestial music, could be heard, but her figure could not be seen... It must be Ning Feixuan, but she seemed to not want to appear in public anymore.

"Why is she shrouded in mist? Everyone says that the Holy Maiden of Yaochi is famous throughout the Eastern Continent and is the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Continent. Why doesn't she show her true face? Is the legend false?" Some people whispered among themselves. Qin Dongli seemed to hear this. Qin Dongli's wild gaze swept over them and he said coldly, "Whoever dares to gossip about the Holy Maiden, step forward and slap yourself in the face, and I will spare your life!"

This person is quite protective of Ning Feixuan... Ming Yan glanced at Qin Dongli and memorized his appearance.

"Since the Holy Maiden has spoken, I will naturally accept." Mu Chong's expression softened, and he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to the Holy Maiden of Yaochi. "I wonder if the Holy Maiden would be willing to visit the Mu family?"

Qin Dongli sneered, "Going to visit your good-for-nothing older brother?"

Mu Chong glanced coldly at Qin Dongli, but did not immediately turn back to look at the Holy Maiden of Yaochi, ignoring Qin Dongli.

"Thank you for the invitation, Young Master Mu. However, I have come to invite the Huang family to the Peach Banquet at Yaochi. Afterwards, I will return to the Yaochi Holy Land, where I have many affairs to attend to. I have no time to visit the Mu family. The Mu and Qin families should also receive invitations later. I hope you two gentlemen will not forget to attend the Peach Banquet at Yaochi." The Yaochi Holy Maiden was hidden in the mist, her voice very pleasant. When he reunited with her, he was too nervous and excited to notice her voice. Now, listening to her voice was a real treat. Ming Yan's lips curled up. She was so beautiful, had such a lovely voice, and was also kind-hearted. It was truly a joy to have such a benefactor.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Marrying Her

"Since the Holy Maiden has invited me, I will certainly go." Qin Dongli smiled upon hearing this, sheathed his spear, and then glanced at the surrounding crowd. "Anyone who dared to gossip about the Holy Maiden just now, step forward! Don't make me come looking for you, or you'll be in for a world of hurt!"