Dual Cultivation: I Summon Villainesses of Mythic Era-Chapter 43: Visit of the Holy Templar: Zhi Mei
After Elder Xia Fei left, mentioning that she had many matters to attend to, Xuan BaiShe also had a busy schedule filled with schemes.
He intended to patiently wait for the end of the Supreme Dao Sect’s heir selection. His plan was to place his adoptive sister, Xuan Ling, on that prestigious throne, and only then would he discreetly deal with the growing threat of the Dao Executor.
BaiShe was currently in his private courtyard, a sanctuary of peace where the air was saturated with exceptionally pure Celestial Qi. He held a jade watering can, slowly tending to his spiritual plants under the afternoon sun.
His expression was serene. Just then, a guard approached with slight nervousness.
"Young Master, you have a visitor..." the guard began, bowing.
Before the man could finish his sentence, a young woman stepped through the entrance of the courtyard.
She advanced with a nobility that instantly commanded respect. She was a Sidhe of devastating beauty, her skin white like the most expensive porcelain...
Her long blonde hair, streaked with azure reflections, cascaded in wavy falls over her shoulders, framing a face with supernaturally perfect features. Her pointed ears marked her racial heritage, and her deep blue eyes, like bottomless oceans, fixed on BaiShe with intensity.
She wore a light blue and silver armor that hugged her generous curves, accentuating an opulent chest that rose with the rhythm of her breathing.
"Oh..." murmured BaiShe, narrowing his eyes as a polite smile stretched across his lips.
"I apologize for the intrusion, Young Master Xuan... But I needed an urgent meeting and did not have time to announce my visit properly," she declared.
"No need to apologize, Holy Templar... It is with immense honor that I welcome you into my humble residence," BaiShe replied in a melodious tone, gently setting down his watering can.
Zhi Mei nodded with cold courtesy. As an emissary of the Dao Temple, an institution whose influence rivaled that of the immortal families, she had no need to show excessive deference, and their exchange remained rooted in mutual respect. She walked toward the terrace and sat down.
"I see you like plants, Young Master Xuan?" she asked, observing the spiritual flora surrounding them.
"Please, just call me BaiShe... And yes... I have a certain preference for these silent plants over pets, which often lack restraint," he explained nonchalantly.
"Hmm... I suppose this is directly related to your Immortal Sage lineage... a constant pursuit of harmony," Zhi Mei assumed, scrutinizing him.
"I am honored to see that you have inquired about this humble scholar," BaiShe replied, signaling a maid to bring the necessary items for tea.
However, just as the maid was about to serve, BaiShe stopped her with a wave of his hand. He took the utensils himself. With expert gestures, he began preparing the infusion, handling the spiritual tea leaves with precision.
"A young master who prepares the tea himself? That’s quite an unusual habit for someone of your status," Zhi Mei added, visibly surprised that it was not the maid serving.
"I am quite unusual in general, Miss Zhi Mei," he answered with an enigmatic smile.
He placed the two steaming cups on the table and sat down, deeply inhaling the aroma of the tea before taking a slow, appreciative sip.
[Name: Zhi Mei
Age: +200 years
Cultivation: Overlord (5th stage) / Arts: Thorny Lotus...
Physique or Lineage: Soul of the Virgin Lotus (if someone takes her virginity, their souls are bound forever, and if one dies, the other dies.) /
Luck: 20000 luck points /
Title: The Holy Templar]
"Mmmm... I love this unique flavor... Won’t you taste it, Holy Templar?" he asked, observing her from behind his monocle.
Zhi Mei stared at the cup for a few seconds before setting it aside. She frowned, clearly annoyed for some reason.
"I did not come here to chat or exchange pleasantries, BaiShe... Tell me, where is the Devourer hiding?"
"Well... we are all looking for him, Miss Zhi Mei... He might be hidden somewhere in the Upper Realm, or he may have taken refuge in the depths of the Lower Realms," BaiShe replied with a weary sigh.
"You have not uttered the name Lin Feng even once since I arrived... Isn’t he officially the Devourer of this era?" pressed the Holy Templar, her blue eyes piercing the young man’s mask.
"That... I believe only the Dao Temple has the necessary authority to officially declare who the Devourer is or not... My own words as a scholar hold little weight compared to your true expertise," BaiShe evaded with humility.
"I need your personal opinion," she insisted.
She was particularly cold, her tone increasingly resembling a formal interrogation. BaiShe wondered internally if she had begun to suspect his true nature despite the absolute protection granted by his Omega Heart.
"Well... personally, I tend to believe what Elder Xia Fei says... And from my own on-site analyses, he was not the Devourer... He was far too weak to be such an entity... According to the ancient texts I have studied, the Devourer is a being of monstrous power, but above all of unparalleled cunning... Lin Feng was far too simple-minded to bear such a burden," BaiShe explained.
"And yet, you declared in front of all the disciples on the mountain that he was indeed the Devourer?" countered Zhi Mei, her voice turning sharp.
’She suspects something... She is not as naive as the others,’ BaiShe thought, his strategist mind instantly activating to assess the danger. Silence settled over the courtyard, broken only by the rustling of the spiritual leaves. BaiShe set his cup down with a soft clink and raised his gaze toward the Sidhe.
"Is this a casual conversation... or an official interrogation, Holy Templar?"
Zhi Mei smiled: "You misunderstand, Young Master Xuan. I intended to travel to the lower realms and needed some clues about the Devourer since you are the only one who has already confronted him."
"Oh... And is that why, since your arrival, you have been secretly using your art to determine if I am the Devourer?"
"Do not be surprised. Nothing can escape the Third Eye."
He smiled.
"Then let’s lay our cards on the table. I think you are the Devourer and you killed Lin Feng, probably to devour his essence. You made him take the blame, and the fact that you reached Law Master at this age confirms my hypothesis. Even though I don’t have proof yet, I sense that there are some things you are hiding..."
