Chapter 791: Did You Swap Yue’er’s Body?

　　As if he didn’t hear the resentment and murderous intent in the babyish voice, Rong Xiu laughed and nodded. “I pay my respects to you all. It’s been a long time since we last met, but you seem to be even more spirited than before.”

　　Whish!

　　All of a sudden, the sand was swept into the air to form a long sword. It was sent flying in Rong Xiu’s direction, aimed straight between his glabella. The scorching air tore open to form a black gash, and bitter coldness swept in.

　　Rong Xiu calmly looked up, his deep-set eyes as pure and unfathomable as the starry night. A hint of seriousness finally appeared in those cold, lazy eyes as he gripped a silver sword in his hand and swung it down.

　　Whoosh!

　　It was a simple move without any superfluousness that gathered a terrifying force and sent it crashing down. Sparks flew as the sword aura tore the air to meet the other sword aura head-on.

　　Scalding sand flew about in the air as if a hurricane had just swept by, and two ruts instantly formed on the sand surface.

　　Clank!

　　Following the crisp colliding sound, the two sword auras burst into countless streams of light as the violent force from the impact spilled everywhere.

　　Xue Xue immediately hid its head under its paws. The long training at the Red Moon Desert had honed its instinct to hide from the sand and wind. Although it was looking a little dirty, it wanted to salvage as much pride as it could in front of its master. Even though its fur blew about in the air violently, it remained standing strong in the wind—all thanks to the recent training it had undergone.

　　After a while, the wind slowly died down. Xue Xue reemerged from the sand, shook its body hard, and turned to look at its master.

　　Rong Xiu—who was standing in the same spot with his feet slightly sunken into the ground by half an inch—tidied his clothes. From how clean and new his clothes still looked and how they didn’t have a single grain of sand on them, it was clear that he had no trouble dealing with the earlier attack. Cupping his fist in his hand, he said with a smile, “Thank you for your guidance.”

　　A moment later, the person with the baby voice said, “That explains your arrogance… Your cultivation base has improved by a great deal over the years.”

　　“You’re mistaken. How am I arrogant when I don’t even dare to offend any of you?” Rong Xiu raised his eyebrows slightly and spoke in a sincere manner.

　　Dugu Mobao snorted.

　　Lao Xiao couldn’t resist saying, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re arrogant or not, but the fact that you still look the same… is as annoying as ever!”

　　He sounded pretty jealous when he said that.

　　“Lan Xiao, even for once, can you talk about something other than appearances when you meet somebody?” asked Diwu Zhangze.

　　“No,” answered Lan Xiao flatly.

　　“…Forget the question.” Diwu Zhangze felt that he must’ve been out of his mind to even hope that Lan Xiao could change that habit of his. Lan Xiao wouldn’t be Lan Xiao if he could kick that habit.

　　Rong Xiu wasn’t bothered or angry at Lan Xiao’s remarks. On the contrary, his smile deepened. “Thank you for the compliment.”

　　“It’s annoying that there’s a man who’s even more shameless, narcissistic, and better at talking than me in this world,” lamented Lan Xiao. He prided himself on being the best in these aspects, but he would always end up losing to Rong Xiu and thus feeling upset and exasperated as a result.

　　“How old are you already? Can’t you stop it, you sickening pervert?!” said Dugu Mobao. Is that what’s important here?! What’s important is Yue’er!

　　“Who are you calling old?!” Lan Xiao fumed. “Well, you’re not wrong either, considering that you have to grow for another few hundred years in order for you to reach my waist—Ow!”

　　After letting out that yelp, Lan Xiao kept his silence.

　　Looking at the void in front of him, Rong Xiu said, “We haven’t met in years, but you’re not even going to come out to meet me?”

　　Dugu Mobao snorted. “We’ll naturally come out if Yue’er is here, but there’s no need for us to meet since you’re here alone.”

　　Rong Xiu rubbed his glabella out of helplessness and amusement. They’re still the same as ever…

　　“Rong Xiu, you’re a smart person, so you should know why we called you here.” Dugu Mobao’s voice sounded much more serious, and it even carried a hint of coldness. “What happened to… Yue’er?”

　　The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

　　Body stiffening, Xue Xue dared not move the slightest bit. Despite the sweltering heat around it, it felt a bone-chilling coldness coming from all directions at that moment. It looked at its master somewhat worriedly.

　　Rong Xiu’s expression blanched a little. He stayed silent for a long time such that Dugu Mobao and the others thought that he wouldn’t answer the question. Finally, he said, “Yue’er and I did make a promise to visit you soon, but a lot of things happened in the last few years. Hence, we weren’t able to do so. For that, I seek your kind forgiveness.”

　　Although it sounded like he was talking about some sort of unrelated matter, one could detect the rippling waves of emotions in his seemingly calm voice if they listened carefully. It was as if this moment of peace would shatter at any time.

　　“What happened afterward? What exactly happened?” asked Lan Xiao anxiously after a moment of silence. Seriously, why can’t he say everything in one go?

　　Rong Xiu paused. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you the details now. It’d be more appropriate if you ask her about it when you see her.”

　　“Y-you’re not going to make yourself clear?” Lan Xiao asked in surprise.

　　“It makes no difference hearing the story from you or Yue’er, so can’t you just say it now?” said Diwu Zhangze. Those two have such a good relationship with each other that it doesn’t matter either way.

　　“It’s better for her to explain it to you,” answered Rong Xiu in a tactful but firm manner as he shook his head. The implications are huge. Knowing everything now may not be a good thing for them. Besides, there are a lot of things that she herself doesn’t know yet…

　　From Rong Xiu’s firm attitude, the others knew that they wouldn’t be able to get an answer out of him.

　　“Fine, have it your way. We’ll be able to meet Yue’er soon anyway. We can ask her about it when we meet her.” Lan Xiao snorted. “Big Baby, stop helping him to tame his fiend! Let Xue Hua go back with him while we stay here and wait for Yue’er to come.”

　　Xue Xue—who had been forgotten by them—became teary-eyed once more. I can finally leave this wretched place?!

　　Rong Xiu said earnestly, “Thank you for taking care of Xue Xue, but I’ll be staying here for the time being as well. So… I’d like to leave Xue Xue here to accompany you a little longer. What do you think about it?”

　　Xue Xue looked at its master incredulously, as if it couldn’t believe the latter had just sold it out right in its presence.

　　Dugu Mobao, however, said, “Xue Xue can stay. It’s also fine if you don’t want to tell us anything, but I have one last question for you: Did you swap Yue’er’s body?”