Chapter 175: The Female Immortal and the Witch Have Teamed Up

Time truly passes swiftly.

In the blink of an eye.

In a fleeting daze.

The New Year silently drew near.

The peaceful life remained largely unchanged from before.

His sister continued her Zhanjie, the witch tended the Courtyard, the quietly burning bonfire illuminating the silent, tranquil daily life.

Overall, everything was proceeding smoothly.

Occasionally,

an ominous premonition would arise in Xu Xi's heart, sudden and inexplicable, its source impossible to trace.

"Perhaps Cultivating too diligently has unsettled my mind?"

Xu Xi speculated thus.

He continued preparing New Year's gifts.

Thanks to the Red Dragon's selfless contribution, the dragon blood tea tree was successfully cultivated. Simultaneously, Xu Xi had the witch perform a minor time acceleration.

Causing the tea tree, which originally required an extensive period,

to burst forth with dense, pale-red tea leaves in a mere instant.

Thus,

the New Year's gift for his mentor, Li Wanshou, was fully prepared.

What Xu Xi lacked were gifts for his sister and the princess. While he was pondering this, his sister gave an unexpected answer.

"A gift? Elder Brother, I already have that."

Xu Moli said this,

bringing her hands together,

breathing a warm puff of air into the space between them,

gently rubbing and kneading them, then pressing her warmed palms against Xu Xi's face.

She playfully expressed that reuniting with Xu Xi was the best New Year's gift for her.

While touched, Xu Xi flicked his sister's forehead with his finger.

"Mo Li, where did you learn such words?"

Xu Moli, holding her forehead, gave an answer that surprised Xu Xi.

It was from long ago,

back during the first simulation.

A Female Immortal Disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect's Alchemy Hall had once lent the young girl a book titled *One Hundred and Eight Strategies to Capture a Man's Heart*.

Even after all these years, Xu Moli still remembered its contents.

"This…"

Xu Xi fell somewhat silent. If he could turn back time, he would undoubtedly travel back to the period of the first simulation and condemn that Alchemy Hall Female Immortal Disciple to a lifetime of fire-tending labor.

She had led his sister astray!

Following this, Xu Xi began preparing a New Year's gift for Mo Li.

Although the girl repeatedly insisted she truly needed no gift, Xu Xi felt the New Year should have its proper form.

Mo Li could refuse,

but he could not refrain from giving.

Xu Xi lacked neither the funds nor the time to prepare a gift.

In the end, Xu Xi prepared a grand candy assortment for his sister, filling it with all sorts of sweets to replenish her sugar jar.

The sugar jar had been brought from the first simulation.

The candies inside all came from the Mortal markets of the Cultivation World.

Compared to those on Earth in the real world, the variety was far too limited. Now, Xu Xi replenished it with more and sweeter candies.

Finally,

was the gift for Wu Yingxue.

Uncertain when the other party would come to Earth, Xu Xi prepared multiple plans.

Unfortunately, until the day before New Year's, on New Year's Eve itself,

Xu Xi still had not awaited Wu Yingxue's arrival.

"It seems Yingxue won't be coming today."

…

Yanshan City, the Courtyard.

Seated by the window in the warm, comfortable bedroom, Xu Xi quietly listened to the howling wind outside and the faint, indistinct sounds of human voices.

The arrival of the New Year always brings many changes.

Not merely in seasons and celestial phenomena,

but also in the intangible human heart.

At this time of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, people who have toiled for a year briefly find respite on this day, chatting and drinking merrily with family and friends.

That clamorous, bustling atmosphere is not at all displeasing.

More accurately, that is precisely the charm of the New Year. The faint, heartwarming aura of human vitality always washes away weary hearts.

"Mentor, your tea."

A calm voice sounded by his ear,

interrupting Xu Xi's reverie.

"Thank you, Klisa." The witch with ash-silver long hair entered the room. Her movements were steady as she brought Xu Xi a cup of light brown hot tea, securely placed on a saucer.

Amidst the swirling steam, a faint fragrance wafted out.

It was the aroma of dragon blood spiritual tea.

Slightly intoxicating.

Xu Xi took a light sip, finding it quite pleasant, though the production process was a bit taxing on the Dragon.

"I hope my mentor will like it."

After finishing the spiritual tea in the cup, Xu Xi placed the cup back on the tray and stood up.

The New Year had arrived.

It was time to deliver New Year's gifts to A-Niu and Li Wanshou.

"Klisa, I'll trouble you to watch the house. I'll be back later."

"Understood. Please rest assured."

Xu Xi's hand reached towards the Void Realm.

As his fingers curled and clenched, the jianmu sword-staff materialized in his palm.

Faint spatial ripples swept past, enveloping his entire body and transporting him to the outskirts of Yanshan City, where the people of the Qiuhuo Army lived.

And after Xu Xi departed,

the witch remained standing in the room.

Her gaze was tranquil, like a mirror reflecting nothing, yet also as if mirroring all phenomena of the world, silently fixed on the third compartment of the display cabinet.

It was unclear how long she had been staring.

The witch suddenly spoke: "He has arrived."

A voice continued the witch's words: "The same aura as that flower."

Xu Moli stepped out from the timeless Void.

She first glanced at the paper flower, then turned her gaze to the witch. The impending arrival of the Martial Dao Supreme made the Female Immortal recall less pleasant memories.

Such as the well-meaning person.

And the pitiable person.

However, now was not the time to dwell on the past.

Both the Female Immortal and the witch wished to ascertain what mindset the approaching one held, and whether he would harm Xu Xi.

The method to confirm was simple.

A meeting would suffice.

…

"Xi-geer, Happy New Year!"

"Ah, it's the Great Master! Tiger Boy, hurry and greet the Great Master!"

"Brother Xu, I'm here, I'm here!"

After Xu Xi arrived at the outskirts of Yanshan City,

the situation on-site was slightly chaotic.

The people of the Qiuhuo Army remained as simple and honest as Xu Xi remembered. Some even wanted Xu Xi to name their children.

Xu Xi smiled, agreeing to each request.

"Uncle A-Tie, Happy New Year."

"Dog Egg, Happy New Year."

"A-Niu, Happy New Year. How has Aunt Zhang's health been lately?"

Familiar with them, Xu Xi greeted each recognized face, simultaneously retrieving the pre-prepared spatial rings to distribute New Year's gifts to everyone.

Most were prepared for A-Niu.

But Xu Xi had also prepared a considerable amount for the other members of the Qiuhuo Army.

After the distribution, everyone wore smiles, their faces flushed with excitement. Their joy stemmed not from receiving gifts, but from the feeling of being remembered by Xu Xi.

Exchanging pleasantries,

and conversing,

after learning about the recent situation of the Qiuhuo Army and confirming everyone was doing well, Xu Xi smilingly declined their invitations to stay. He continued to use Space Magic, teleporting towards the direction of the capital.

An extremely vast distance lay between Yanshan City and the capital.

Difficult for Mortals to traverse,

reliant only on newly developed flying vehicles.

But Xu Xi was different. Possessing spatial teleportation abilities, empowered by the spatiotemporal perception granted by the Supreme Crown, he effortlessly crossed the immense distance, arriving at the capital's Bureau of Supernatural Administration General Bureau after a long absence.

Before Xu Xi could do anything, an intangible immortal power enveloped him, teleporting him into the deep, folded space within the General Bureau.