Against Heaven's Will

"Huh? What do I think of her?" Xuefeng repeated confused. "I haven't spent much time with her, but she seems nice from what I can tell in this short time period. Why?" 

"I'm just casually asking," Golden Queen replied with a shrug. "What about her appearance? Do you find her pretty?"

Xuefeng definitely found the questions suspicious but he didn't mind asking. 

"I find you attractive and your daughter definitely inherited your beauty. If I wasn't surrounded by beauties on daily basis then I'm sure I would be smitten at first sight," Xuefeng described honestly. "I hope you don't mind having a secret admirer." 

Although Xuefeng didn't have any naughty thoughts about her, a little praising was always welcome. It didn't hurt to get on her good side. 

"It's not really secret anymore," Golden Queen pointed out as she glanced at his crotch. "Based on your reaction before I can tell you find me pretty. Too bad, I'm already taken and loyal to my husband." 

"That's indeed a pity," Xuefeng nodded and complimented, "You have everything a woman needs to make their man reach Heavens. Master definitely found a gem." 

Golden Queen raised her eyebrows, noticing a certain detail.

"I see you already started to skip all formalities, addressing me so friendly? No more Miss Golden?"

"That's right, but it's only between us," Xuefeng corrected. "It would be strange if we still weren't at least friends after what just happened. Don't you think so?" 

"Mhmm, sure. I don't mind," Golden Queen agreed and stopped paying attention to him, focusing on the Golden Lightning instead. "Get ready." 

Swoosh!

This time the Golden Lightning was sucked at a monstrous pace, cleaning it all within seconds. It made Xuefeng realize she slowed down on purpose to chat with him. 

"My Queen!"

Sect Master Liu's shout reached them as soon as they regained clarity, seeing four people waiting just outside the barrier range. He appeared next to her within a blink and embraced her tightly. 

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern, not even glancing at Xuefeng. 

"I'm fine already. It was just the usual," Golden Queen replied with a cheerful smile. 

He wasn't the only one as Nuwa and Tianshi also appeared next to him, inquiring about his heath. 

"I'm fine too," Xuefeng assured the two before sending a sneaky message with their link, 'I will tell you all the details later. It's a bit complicated.'

'Alright,' they accepted without any questions, listening to Golden Queen's explanation instead. 

"Thanks to Xuefeng, I was able to recover faster. He even identified what's wrong with me." 

"He did?" Sect Master Liu questioned as his gaze finally fell on Xuefeng. "What is it?" 

"Miss Golden's Soul is infected by a weak Curse that parasite on it. Although her life and Soul is not in danger, her mind is. The Curse is irritating her mind which causes such outbursts of anger," Xuefeng reported. 

"Curse? How come we didn't notice?" Sect Master Liu frowned, touching his wife's forehead in worry. "Let me check." 

"No, it's fine," Golden Queen rejected, catching his wrist. "I trust him. I also felt something was off before and his theory matches well. He also helped me right now, so I will believe him."

Sect Master Liu wasn't satisfied with such a reply but he let go of his wife as she wished, turning his attention to Xuefeng again. 

"How did you know?" He asked seriously. 

'Here we go…' Xuefeng muttered, already prepared for the questioning. 

"My wife told me about it so I decided to help. It just happens that my Regeneration Ability can cleanse Souls as well, so it came in handy," Xuefeng explained simply and his palm lit up with Fate Qi. 

He placed it on his forehead and added, "Just like this. I was able to calm Miss Golden's mind with it. My wife also told me it will only worsen with time so I didn't want to wait. It's the least I can do to return the favor." 

Golden Queen bit on her lower lip as if to hold back her reaction. Both of them knew just a palm on her forehead wasn't enough. 

"I see…" Sect Master Liu relaxed at the explanation. "Having a knowledgeable Fate Spirit is indeed great. Give her my thanks." 

'How about we extort him as well?' Ling wondered, causing Xuefeng to smile. 

He thought the exact same thing!

"I'm sorry, my wife told me to pass that she will gladly accept Master's favor in exchange. Don't mind her Master, I just genuinely want to help," Xuefeng expressed as he waved his hand. 

Suddenly, the thought of helping innocently turned into a trade that seemed much less suspicious. Just as he expected, Sect Master Liu laughed, liking this idea better. 

"Hah, Sure! If she can really cure my wife then I will definitely pay her back later," Sect Master Liu agreed happily. 

Golden Queen on the other hand didn't seem to like that at all, glaring at both of them. 

"Honey," She called out sternly as she grabbed his chin. "This is my problem so I should be the one settling with Xuefeng afterward." 

He smiled even more and rubbed her hands. 

"It's okay, it's okay, isn't it? It's just a favor. As long as you are healed, the rest doesn't matter. Don't worry too much," Sect Master Liu assured, getting back to Xuefeng. "What's the procedure?" 

Xuefeng acted all innocent as if he didn't notice Golden Queen's glare and explained, "It's the same as earlier, but instead of targeting the mind, we are nourishing the Soul instead. It's also more time consuming, so we scheduled to meet tomorrow after the Tournament." 

"Alright, perfect," Sect Master Liu snapped his fingers. "Spend the rest of the evening as you wish and prepare for the Finals. Tianshi, you should be training with my daughter, right?" 

"That was indeed the plan," Tianshi nodded, glancing at Xinyu who has been quiet this whole time. 

"Yes, we can start any time soon," Xinyu confirmed only to link eyesight with Xuefeng. "But before we separate, I have one more question to Xuefeng. I have been curious about your quick Cultivation progress. What is your secret?" 

"Well, it's not really a secret but even if I tell you, I doubt you will believe me," Xuefeng replied while scratching the back of his head. "We mostly Cultivate using Dual Cultivation, if you know what I mean."

Not only Xinyu but also his Master and Golden Queen blinked at that news. 

"No way! Is Dual Cultivation really that effective?" Xinyu asked in disbelief. 

"I can only speak for myself. I don't even remember the last time I have been Cultivating normally. Dual Cultivation allows us to replace the boring task with something pleasant and also provides a huge boost in Cultivation Speed," Xuefeng exposed. "If it's not the perfect Cultivation method then I don't know what is." 

"That indeed sounds great," Golden Queen affirmed as she walked up to Xinyu. She hugged her from behind and teased her while stealing a glance at Xuefeng. 

"Xinyu, if it is that effective, how about you try it too?