The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

This question caused Zuo Qingqiu to fall silent for a moment.

Why?

She couldn't fully understand it either.

Perhaps, in that witch's heart, the "sect" was the entire meaning of her existence, the "anchor" of her life.

Without it, her "existence" itself loses its foundation and becomes worthless.

Therefore, she would rather perish along with the "anchor" in the most tragic way than choose a meaningless and wretched "life".

The choice of defectors, however, is another form of "rationality".

The other party chose "continuation" and "future," even if this "continuation" required abandoning the past, bearing infamy, and staining their hands with the blood of their own kind.

In the eyes of the defectors, only by "living" is there "possibility"; only by "existing" is there everything.

Two options.

Who is right and who is wrong? Who is superior and who is inferior?

Zuo Qingqiu could not make a judgment.

Everyone has their own path, their own convictions, and their own scales for measuring value and meaning.

"Perhaps..." Zuo Qingqiu looked into Xiaobai's pure, confused eyes, and finally just shook her head gently, her voice carrying a hint of etherealness that she herself was unaware of, "It's because...everyone has something they believe is 'worth' protecting, even for which they would give everything."

"Worth it..." Xiaobai repeated the word as if she understood, tilting her head. Clearly, with her simple nature, she could not fully comprehend this complex and heavy emotion.

Zuo Qingqiu didn't explain further, but simply ruffled her hair and led her forward.

Some truths require time and experience to gradually understand.

"Oh, right, sister!" Xiaobai quickly snapped out of her earlier confusion and regained her lively demeanor, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zuo Qingqiu. "Did you get anything fun on your demon-slaying trip? I heard that those villains from the Demon Sect love collecting all sorts of strange and unusual things! Is there anything suitable for Xiaobai to play with?"

Zuo Qingqiu was amused by Xiaobai's quirky thinking and couldn't help but reach out her index finger and gently tap her pert little nose.

"You, all you ever think about is playing." The tone was a loving scolding.

However, when it comes to "fun things"...

Zuo Qingqiu's heart stirred, and she remembered the Xuanhuang Dragon Pearl.

"There is indeed something... that might be useful to you." As she spoke, she thought for a moment and took out the specially made jade box containing the Earth Vein Dragon Pearl from the safest place in her storage space.

The jade box is warm and smooth, slightly heavy in the hand, and has no decorations on the surface, yet it exudes an ancient and dignified aura.

"What is it? What is it?" Xiao Bai immediately came over, her big eyes fixed on the jade box in Zuo Qingqiu's hand, full of curiosity.

Zuo Qingqiu handed the jade box to her and gently opened the lid.

"Buzz..."

The moment the lid was opened, a pure, profound, and boundless aura, seemingly containing the pulse of the earth and the vitality of the dragon vein, emanated from the box!

At the same time, the egg-sized, dark yellow pearl with a precious inner light, its surface shimmering with the shadows of mountains and rivers, and its interior seemingly filled with miniature dragons, was completely revealed to Xiaobai.

"This is..." The moment Xiaobai saw the Dragon Ball, his clear eyes widened in surprise!

She clearly felt that the bloodline of the ancient dragon race within her body was awakened and ignited by an invisible force at this moment, emitting an extremely strong resonance!

It's a longing and aspiration for closeness that stems from the instinct of life!

It was as if this Dragon Ball was a body part she had lost long ago, the most important missing piece in the puzzle of her life!

Almost without hesitation, without even a second thought, Xiaobai's little hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the Xuanhuang Dragon Pearl from the jade box, and then—

"Awoo!"

Xiao Bai opened her small mouth and stuffed the Xuanhuang Dragon Pearl, which was not much smaller than her fist, into her mouth in one gulp. Then, with a movement of her throat, she swallowed it down with a gulp.

The entire process was smooth and swift, completed in one go.

Zuo Qingqiu: "...?!"

Her outstretched hand, which she had intended to use to stop him, froze in mid-air.

For the first time, a noticeable crack appeared on her cool expression, replaced by an emotion that mixed shock, bewilderment, and a hint of amusement.

"Little White!" Zuo Qingqiu's voice rose several decibels, carrying an unusual urgency, "You...you ate it?!"

That's the essence of an entire earth vein's dragon energy! It's a rare treasure of heaven and earth with highly concentrated energy!

Its immense energy is enough to blast a mountain into the sky!

Even a powerful expert at the Purple Mansion level needs to refine it slowly and guide it carefully; it can't be swallowed like candy!

"Uh..." Little White touched her flat little belly, seemingly belatedly realizing what she had done. A hint of guilt appeared on her face, but she quickly retorted confidently, "It's, it's okay, sister! We dragons are naturally sensitive to all kinds of rare and precious herbs. If something can attract me to eat it, it must be good for me! Besides, after swallowing it, I feel warm and cozy in my stomach, it's so comfortable..."

As she spoke, she squinted her eyes comfortably, as if she were truly enjoying the sensation of the warm current spreading through her body.

Looking at Xiaobai's appearance, Zuo Qingqiu didn't know what to say for a moment.

She had never been a dragon and had limited knowledge of the habits of dragons.

Perhaps... dragons really do have this special way of digesting and absorbing nutrients?

After all, according to legend, the ancient dragon race could swallow clouds and spit out mist, eat gold and jade, and drink fine wine, possessing extraordinary digestive abilities.

Moreover, judging from Xiaobai's steady breathing and rosy cheeks, she showed no discomfort whatsoever; on the contrary, she appeared quite content and satisfied, as if...

Are you really okay?

"Really... alright?" Zuo Qingqiu was still worried, so she reached out and placed her hand on Xiaobai's wrist, sending a wisp of pure and gentle immortal energy into its body to examine it carefully.

As expected, after the Xuanhuang Dragon Pearl entered Xiaobai's body, it did not release energy violently. Instead, as if it had found its home, it slowly sank to her dantian. Its surface shimmered with precious light, and it released strands of pure Xuanhuang dragon energy at a gentle and stable speed, nourishing her bloodline, body, and dragon essence.

The dragon bloodline within Xiaobai's body seemed to be activated by this shared dragon energy, becoming more active and pure, autonomously absorbing and refining this energy with extremely high efficiency.

Judging from this situation, the Dragon Ball is not only harmless, but has become an excellent "cheat code" for Xiaobai's cultivation, continuously and stably providing her with the most suitable cultivation resources and accelerating her growth.

Zuo Qingqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his probing immortal energy.

"You..." She shook her head helplessly, tapped Xiaobai's forehead, "If you eat random things again next time, I'll spank you."

Despite saying that, the tone no longer carried any blame, only lingering fear and doting affection.

"Okay, okay~ Big sister is the best!" Xiaobai stuck out her tongue, hugging Zuo Qingqiu's arm affectionately. "And it's really delicious! I feel... I feel full of energy!"

Looking at her smug expression, Zuo Qingqiu couldn't help but ruffle her silver hair again.

Oh well, as long as she's happy.

If something really goes wrong...

At worst, she could find another way to use the power of the True Lord to help her "induce vomiting" it out.

However, judging from this, it seems unnecessary.

-

PS: Next time, a preview of two white-haired lolis's embarrassing scene, and Xiaobai's major crisis~ hehe.