Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

"Sister Yan, what brings you here?" Zhuang Xing stepped forward and entered the small cubicle.

He saw that Xiao An's skeletal hand held the Yin-Yang Stone, and wisps of white steam rose from the stone.

Upon hearing his shout, Yan Huai'an turned around, and the oppressive chill immediately subsided considerably.

At this moment, Yan Huai'an looked exactly like the Valley Master that Zhuang Xing had seen in Hundred Flowers Valley.

The human form that the Valley Master transformed into was indeed a female warrior with long, snow-white hair, but the Valley Master did not possess the bone-chilling cold that Zhuang Xing felt at this moment.

Similarly, Zhuang Xing also recalled that snowy night twelve years ago, when, under the cover of darkness, the female warrior's sword danced, and it was with her hair, which was as white as ice crystals, that she beheaded the tiger demon.

When the chill dissipated, Yan Huai'an's hair turned from white to black, but some streaks of white hair still remained at the ends.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her gaze ultimately fell on the Yin-Yang Stone in Xiao An's hand.

"Sister, is there something wrong with this stone?" Zhuang Xing asked.

Yan Huai settled down for a moment and nodded.

"Xiao An, Xiao An," Zhuang Xing tried calling out to Xiao An.

A thin layer of frost had formed on the bones, and it shattered as the bones moved.

Then something unexpected happened. With a crack, Xiao An's left arm broke off and fell to the ground, falling off entirely from the shoulder. The small finger bones and the broad arm bones that were originally connected were shattered.

After the bones fell off, Xiao An floated out of the skeleton.

"Xiao An, what exactly happened?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"It seems like Sister Yan helped me." Xiao An came to Zhuang Xing's side.

"Why did you take the stone out? Didn't I lock it in the cabinet yesterday?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"I don't know what happened..." Xiao An said, sounding a little aggrieved. "After you left, Brother Zhuang Xing, I wanted to tidy up the house, but suddenly I felt a little dizzy, like I fell to the ground, and my sister helped me up..."

"My sister asked me where the stone from yesterday was, and I took it out while I was still a little dizzy. Then... then my sister told me to hold the stone properly... after a while I felt much better, and then you came back, brother."

"Suddenly feeling a little dizzy?" Zhuang Xing frowned.

He asked Xiao An when she felt dizzy, and after calculating the time, it was almost exactly when Zhuang Xing's arm started to sting.

Zhuang Xing looked at the female knight-errant, who seemed to know the reason behind it and had even offered her help. He then invited her to sit down outside.

He collected Xiao An's scattered hand bones, which had fallen apart almost immediately after being pieced back together.

These skeletons were not ordinary bones. Even before they were pieced together, they already possessed demonic energy. Logically, since Xiao An's spirit was still present and the yin energy was sufficient, they wouldn't have fallen apart for no reason.

"Brother Zhuangxing... am I going to be annihilated...?" Xiao An asked worriedly. "Please don't tell Father about this, okay? Father will definitely be very worried."

"Brother won't gossip," Zhuang Xing comforted her. "Don't worry, nothing will happen. You're perfectly fine, aren't you?"

Zhuang Xing wasn't sure either. Ghosts were rare to begin with, and Yin-Yang Stones were even rarer. When the two were combined, it was even more surprising.

Few people in the world can clearly explain what exactly happened during this process.

"Does your sister know what's going on?" Zhuang Xing asked Yan Huai'an.

Yan Huai'an looked at the jade stone on the table, which was half black and half white, and slowly said, "Yin and Yang are not in harmony."

Yan Huai'an took out a blank roll of paper from her bag. Zhuang Xing realized that she was going to paint, so he immediately went to the side to grind the ink.

The female warrior drew a circle on the picture, blacking out a small part of the circle and leaving the majority of the circle empty.

She pointed to Xiao An when she saw the blacked-out half, and to Zhuang Xing when she saw the blank half.

Although he didn't say anything, Zhuang Xing understood what the female knight meant. It was the same old problem: his yang energy was too strong, while Xiao An's yin energy was too weak.

Thinking about it this way, the heroine was actually replenishing Xiao An's yin energy.

"Will you make the same mistake again?" Zhuang Xing asked.

Yan Huai'an nodded: "He will commit a crime."

Is there a way to solve this?

Yan Huai'an looked at the stone, then at Zhuang Xing.

Her fingertips gently touched the Yin-Yang Stone, and wisps of white vapor rose from the stone.

After a moment of silence, she nodded.

"There is a way."

"Give me the stone."

Chapter 229 It's alright

After that, Zhuang Xing had a detailed talk with Yan Huai'an, trying to clarify things as much as possible.

This matter did not end simply by handing the stone over to Yan Huai'an.

The heroine meant that she wanted to take the stone to a certain place. The specific method seemed to be to sever Xiao An's connection with Zhuang Xing, so that Yin and Yang would be Yin and Yang respectively, and the two would not interfere with each other, and naturally there would be no more problems of Yin and Yang not being in harmony.

In addition, the female warrior also wanted the Yin-Yang Stone as a reward.

“A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude. Sister saved my mother and my life. If you want this stone, you can have it,” Zhuang Xing said. “But this stone doesn’t just belong to me. There’s also Xiao An’s spirit inside… I want to ask, after Xiao An was separated from me, will she still have any connection with the stone?”

"No more." Yan Huai'an shook his head.

It seems that both Zhuang Xing and Xiao An will eventually separate from the Yin-Yang Stone.

Zhuang Xing thought that even without the stone, Xiao An was not without a place to stay; at least she could hide in his bones.

Zhuang Xing couldn't possibly bleed himself every now and then just to balance Yin and Yang. He was going to grow up. As his cultivation progressed and he aged, his Yang energy would only become stronger. But Xiao An's Yin energy would have a hard time improving. Yin ghosts were not tolerated in this world. It was already difficult for them to survive. If they wanted to increase their cultivation, they could only rely on opportunities.

In a few years, the imbalance of Yin and Yang will lead to more strange occurrences, and it may not just be dizziness.

Zhuang Xing will also be affected. Today it's a stinging pain in his arm, but next time, it might not just be a stinging pain, but a real pain like having a knife cut into his arm.

Giving this stone to Yan Huai'an and severing ties would be a good thing.

However, without the Yin-Yang Stone, Xiao An will be just an ordinary ghost and probably won't be able to be exposed to sunlight anymore. In the future, when the sun comes out, he can only hide indoors. Even if he possesses a bone and goes out to bask in the sun, he will feel weak.

But at least I can keep my actions under control, so I don't suddenly feel dizzy like I did today.

It's best to resolve this hidden danger as soon as possible. Zhuang Xing felt that this matter was like seeing a doctor. If you don't get rid of the disease when it's small, it will become bigger and you won't be able to get rid of it at all.

"Then I'll have to ask you for help, sister," Zhuang Xing said.

Yan Huai'an nodded and put the stone into his arms.

Zhuang Xing thought that the stone was not very useful on him, so it would be better to give it to the female knight.

He asked the female knight how far the place was and how many days it would take to get there. The female knight said it would take a month.

It takes a month to get there, and two months to go back and forth. Two months is neither long nor short. Zhuang Xing can definitely find the time if he wants to. He just needs to go and tell the old Taoist priest that he can go down the mountain.

He thought about it and made an appointment with the female knight-errant to set off the day after tomorrow.

There's no need to rush. This matter isn't urgent, but even if it is, you should try to be prepared before leaving home.

With a solution in hand, Xiao An was no longer so panicked.

The unknown is the most terrifying thing. Once she knew what was going on and understood the reason, she calmed down.

What happens next will remain the same.

Even if the sky falls down, people still need to eat.

Zhuang Xing went to the chicken coop, retrieved the chicken that Uncle Wei had killed, and returned to the kitchen to heat the oil in a wok.

He added a lot of spices to the chicken. This time, he wouldn't make stewed or stir-fried chicken. He deboned the chicken, cut it into small pieces, coated it with egg and fine flour, and then fried it in oil.

The fish was steamed. The fish was already fresh, and when steaming it, wine, ginger, and garlic were added to remove any fishy smell. After it was cooked, it was drizzled with a sauce made of soy sauce and vinegar, making it a delicious dish.

While steaming the fish, I also cooked a vegetable soup with radishes, cabbage, and green beans, and then added a spoonful of lard. It tasted delicious.

First, blanch the pork belly in boiling water until it's half-cooked, then slice it, add garlic sprouts, and stir-fry a simplified version of twice-cooked pork.

The steaming hot dish of three dishes and a soup had an enticing aroma of oil.

However, although the meal was lavish, Xiao An was not as cheerful as usual, watching him demonstrate his cooking skills.

After what happened that morning, she naturally felt sad and uneasy.

Zhuang Xing had no solution to this; he couldn't even cook something delicious to appease Xiao An.

Thinking about it again, the thought of such a sumptuous meal, which she could only look at, might make her feel even worse.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was rather somber that day.

After the meal, Zhuang Xing pieced Xiao An's hand bones back together and put them back in their original place.

Xiao An crawled into the bone and took two steps, and nothing else happened.

She was smiling, but not as naturally as usual.

Zhuang Xing promised not to tell Uncle Wei about this. He would say that when they went down the mountain, he would say that he was exorcising a demon and that he wanted Xiao An to come down with him for some fun. Xiao An's smile disappeared, replaced by an expression that looked like she was about to cry.

If she were an ordinary little girl, two lines of tears would probably have already rolled down her cheeks.

Zhuang Xing said everything would be alright. That man-eating tiger, the Great Sage, was so majestic, but in the end, the heroine still beheaded him with a single sword stroke. The heroine is very powerful; she'll definitely be fine.

Xiao An nodded and went back into the stone.

In the afternoon, he baked a cake for the female knight-errant as promised.

When Zhuang Xing brought the freshly baked cake to the table, he saw the Yin-Yang Stone in the female warrior's palm and examined it closely.

In those dark eyes, the crystal-clear stone was reflected, emanating an imperceptible chill. The stone only emitted this chill when it was in her hand.

When Yan Huai'an saw him arrive, he put the stone away.

"Sister, have a taste," Zhuang Xing said with a smile. "I think my skills are better than before, this cake should taste even better than before."

Yan Huai'an looked at his face, blinked, and suddenly reached out and touched his forehead.

Her hands were icy cold, as if they had been soaked in cold water.

“It’s okay,” she said.

For some reason, Zhuang Xing suddenly felt a sense of relief in his heavy heart.

In the evening, Yunling came home, and Zhuang Xing told her what had happened. He said that he was going down the mountain the day after tomorrow and that he would feel more at ease if he could resolve the matter as soon as possible.

"Are you leaving the day after tomorrow?" Yunling asked.