Xiao Yan considered himself as one of the people who does not covet earthly beauty.
Even if it was someone as beautiful as Xiao Mei, Xiao Xun'er, or that girl Nalan Yanran from yesterday, or even those stunning women he saw at Ningchun Tower when he was taken there by Xiao Ning, Xiao Yan had never felt a hint of lust toward any of them in his heart.
But this ethereal female figure in front of him made Xiao Yan sigh deeply in his heart for the first time.
How could there be a woman with such a perfect and flawless figure in this world?
After being stunned for a moment, Xiao Yan realized how rude it is for him to stare at the woman figure in silence, he then quickly clasped his fists and bowed his head.
"I have offended you! Please forgive me!"
"It's okay, it's okay~ All men react this way when they see me~" The ethereal woman didn't mind Xiao Yan's offensive gaze and waved her hand with a smile. "It's better to say that if you didn't react like this, I would feel sad~"
It could be heard that the ethereal woman was very confident in her appearance, to the point that she can be said to be narcissistic, but, what she said was really the truth.
The appearance of the ethereal woman absolutely had the capital to make her have so much self-confidence!
At this point, Xiao Yan dared not look at the ethereal woman's stunning face again, afraid that he would fall into it again. He respectfully asked,
"May I ask why seniors appear in front of this lowly junior?"
"Aren't you a little too serious, kid? No little girl will like you if you always act formally like this~" The ethereal woman seemed a bit dissatisfied with Xiao Yan's respectfulness and teased him softly.
Hearing her words, Xiao Yan just calmly replied, "Perhaps that is true, but proper etiquette must not be lost under any circumstance."
"..."
Now, the ethereal woman was left speechless upon hearing his words.
She had never seen Xiao Yan act so stiff before, she had observed him before from the ring and he didn't seem this rigid.
'It seems that he is treating me as an outsider.' the ethereal woman thought to herself.
Xiao Yan was generally quite casual when it came to treating those that he considered as his acquaintances, friends, and family, although not to the point of being reckless. However, when dealing with strangers, he always maintained a serious attitude that made it difficult for others to start troubles with him. (Basically, he is so polite and respectful to strangers, even to potential enemies, that only those who doesn't care at all about their reputation would dare to start trouble)
"Let's put this matter aside for now," the ethereal woman shrugged and looked at Xiao Yan. "Do you know where I came from?"
"This junior speculates that senior appeared from the ring that belonged to this junior mother," Xiao Yan replied firmly, having noticed the same aura from the woman and the ring around his neck.
"You have quite an impressive spiritual strength to be able to feel that," the ethereal woman was genuinely surprised by Xiao Yan's answer. She didn't believe that he was just guessing, but must have sensed the aura on the ring to answer so confidently.
At that moment, the ethereal woman became genuinely interested in Xiao Yan.
"Then try to guess again, why did I come out now?" she asked.
"If my guess is correct, then senior must have just awakened and deliberately appeared in front of me while I was alone," Xiao Yan answered, making the woman frown slightly.
"Since you can guess that, you must also know the reason behind your Dao Qi regression problem," she said.
Xiao Yan fell silent. He knew the answer to the question, but he couldn't reveal it because he didn't know what kind of person this senior was. If he answered too meekly, it could offend the woman and lead to her displeasure.
Therefore, Xiao Yan remained silent, unable to answer the woman's question.
This kid is soo composed and steadfast, it is a truly admirable trait to have, he is much better compared to the strong cultivator that she has met before. If it weren't for the fact that she has observed Xiao Yan's for some time, the ethereal woman could hardly believe that he was just an underage child.
Of course, Xiao Yan could choose to answer with 'I don't know.'
But the ethereal woman, who had been observing Xiao Yan secretly for many days, knew clearly that he would never lie, no matter who he was facing.
This kid, not only does he promotes his own belief in righteousness to the outside world, but also strictly adheres to it himself.
If he were to go against his own righteousness, then this so-called righteousness would be a falsehood and would not deserve to be believed in.
It was something that truly came from the depth of his heart, this kid really wanted to spread his own righteous ideology to the world.
'Encountering a child like you makes me feel even more guilty for what I had done you know…'
The ethereal woman sighed deeply, taking without asking is stealing, and she had been constantly stealing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi over the past three years. Xiao Yan had every right to demand an explanation from her, even to be angry at her.
But Xiao Yan did not do either of those, which was one of the reasons why the ethereal woman felt even more guilty.
On the other hand, the ethereal woman was also more willing to put his future in Xiao Yan's hand!
"I'm not interested in playing guessing games anymore." The ethereal woman said softly, and then her expression turned serious as she looked at Xiao Yan and said, "Xiao Yan, I can help you regain your strength back in no time, but in return, I hope you can agree to a condition of mine."
Upon hearing the ethereal woman's words, Xiao Yan's heart couldn't help but be excited.
He wanted to promote his own righteous ideology, and the main foundation that is required to do that was strength!
In this world, no matter what you want to do, having sufficient strength was essential!
"Please, senior, speak of your condition!"
"You need to learn alchemy from me."
!!!
As soon as the ethereal woman's words fell, Xiao Yan's heart suddenly shook.
This senior is an Alchemist!
That's the most prestigious profession in the Douqi Continent!
"Senior, are you an alchemist?!"
"That's right~ as for which rank... Well, it's been too long and I've forgotten about it." The ethereal woman shrugged and continued, "Anyway, as long as you promise to learn alchemy from me, I will definitely help you regain your strength and even assist you on your future cultivation path."
"Would you be willing?"
The ethereal woman's question was completely unnecessary.
Who would refuse an alchemist who personally chased after you to teach you alchemy?
Unless that person's brain was malfunctioning, no one would!
Immediately, Xiao Yan kneeled on one knee and respectfully saluted the ethereal woman.
"This disciple pays respect to the teacher!"
"Hmm~ very good." Seeing Xiao Yan's decisiveness, the ethereal woman nodded in satisfaction, but then showed a bit of dissatisfaction on her face. "But don't call me teacher, it sounds like I'm very old."
Although she was indeed not young, the ethereal woman couldn't stand any words related to aging being associated with herself, even the respectful term "Teacher."
And this made Xiao Yan a little embarrassed.
If not "Teacher," then what should he call her?
The ethereal woman also noticed Xiao Yan's confusion and took the initiative to speak.
"My surname is Yao and my single name is Chen. You can call me Sister Chen, which sounds younger, and I'm not too concerned about those respectful titles."
"This..." Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked uneasily, "Isn't this too disrespectful?"
"Stop! If you want to learn alchemy from me, you have to follow my rules!" Yao Chen interrupted Xiao Yan. Although she really appreciated Xiao Yan's respect for teachers and emphasis on principles and formalities, it was really annoying in some situations.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan asked.
"For my future teacher, Xiao Yan really cannot use such disrespectful titles. Can I respectfully call you Senior Yao?"
"Well... fine, at least there's no 'old' in it."
After thinking for a moment, Yao Chen nodded slightly, agreeing to Xiao Yan's respectful title.
After all, with Xiao Yan's personality, this was already his final concession on this matter.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon, just for $5, you can read till the latest chapter, which are chapter 248.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AnImpossibility