"We're out of booze, Master!"
"Nonsense! You think I don't know? Last year, when the peach blossoms bloomed on the southern hill, you made Peach Blossom Liquor and buried it at the base of the eastern wall..."
"The Peach Blossom Liquor isn't ready yet; drinking it now would be too harsh..."
"Old Taoist Priest like it harsh!"
Gu Shi Yi had no choice but to dig out the jar of liquor from the wall's base, remove the clay seal from the jar's mouth, and pour the amber liquid into a bowl. The Old Taoist Priest sniffed it. Indeed, there was more of a spicy fragrance and less of a rich depth. Nodding, the Old Taoist Priest said,
"A bit of harshness is good. I like it a little harsh!"
Saying so, he held the bowl with both hands and shakily brought it to his lips. Gu Shi Yi watched, feeling heartache. In just a short while, her master seemed to have aged considerably. The Old Taoist Priest raised his head and drank the bowl of liquor. After setting the bowl down, he wiped his mouth and flipped his hand; surprisingly, he revealed several teeth. Gu Shi Yi was shocked, but the Old Taoist Priest laughed heartily,
"Indeed, I deserve to die, my teeth are falling out!"
"Master!"
Gu Shi Yi cried out with tears in her eyes. The Old Taoist Priest glared at her,
"What are you crying for? It's just going to the Underworld. What's there to be afraid of? Old Taoist Priest have accumulated quite a bit of merits over the years. When I get there, won't I be served with high offerings and ritual papers?"
Gu Shi Yi still cried, her voice tinged with sobs,
"Master, I don't want you to die... or else, don't go. Stay here with me!"
The Old Taoist Priest spat out, and another tooth came out,
"Nonsense! The life and death of a person are predestined. One should live well and die well. If it's time to go, then I'll go. I have accumulated merits in this life, and in the next life, I'll be born into a wealthy and noble family. Would I not be at a loss to stay with you in this world as solitary ghosts and wild spirits?"
Gu Shi Yi had nothing to say but kept crying. The Old Taoist Priest drank another bowl of liquor, and seeing his disciple cry so sadly, he sighed,
"Stop crying. Life and death are but a long separation..."
He paused, then continued,
"You fool, when I felt your bones back then, I knew that you had Primordial Variant blood running through you. Who knows which ancestor of yours was part of the Demon Clan, and with your Pure Yin Body, it was precisely because of this that I took you with me. Now that you've lost your Primordial Yin Body, if you still wish to pursue Great Cultivation, you'll have to rely on your bloodline..."
Seeing his disciple raise her head in surprise, forgetting her tears, he nodded in satisfaction,
"Listen well. Your Primordial Variant bloodline naturally carries a hint of carnal nature. All these years, I forbade you from getting close to men, and even as you near thirty, I did not let you marry off. Do you really think it was just for the Treasure Mirror?"
Seeing his disciple's puzzled face, he sighed,
"I fear if you marry too early, without mature perseverance and learning of carnal knowledge, it might stir the bloodline within you, causing you to fall into the Abyss of Carnal Desire and unable to extricate yourself. Moreover, relying solely on your Pure Yin Force and practicing the Taoist Pure Heart Technique for so many years, you originally would not have faced this calamity..."
The Old Taoist Priest paused, then said,
"Foolish girl, remember this: always guard your Taoist heart, and do not easily break your vow of chastity. The saying goes 'yin harbors yang, and yang harbors yin.' Having lost the Essence of Pure Yin, you can use the method of Absorbing Yang to Supplement Yin to restore your essence. However, ordinary men will definitely not withstand yours. Therefore... you need to find a man with Pure Yang, or a man who practices the domineering Pure Yang Taoism Arts to associate with. Remember this well!"
It was the first time Gu Shi Yi heard the Old Taoist Priest speak of such matters. Tear drops still clung to her face, her mouth wide open in shock,
"Master, do you know... what kind of Great Demon my ancestor was?"
"What kind of Great Demon? In the view of the Old Taoist Priest, your ancestor must have been a Demon King!"
There are countless plants and Spirit Beasts in this world that have gained sentience and shifted shapes; only those who can maintain their human form over a long period and still produce human offspring are great indeed. And those who can produce healthy offspring must certainly have been mighty Demon Kings with profound cultivation!