It was only after Aymu and Xie Qingmo had celebrated with song and dance for a while that Li Xuan stopped the two frenzied women.
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
Li Xuan meowed again, and only then did the two barely manage to suppress the excitement in their hearts.
"As per the Holy Beast's command!"
Aymu and Xie Qingmo sat down with beaming smiles, finding Li Xuan more pleasing to the eye the more they looked.
The two of them were ninety-nine percent certain that Li Xuan was the Holy Beast from the prophecy.
Originally, Xie Qingmo was not such a rash person, but influenced by Aymu and the hot dance, she had long since cast aside her previous worries to the ninth heaven.
Speaking of which, at this moment, only the answer "Li Xuan truly is the Holy Beast" could avert all the trouble.
Otherwise, even with her support, even if Aymu's master was the current Saintess, extricating Aymu from this cruel Saintess trial would still come at an unbearable cost.
Many things are like this: opportunities and risks coexist.
"You two shouldn't keep talking to yourselves; hurry up and answer all my questions clearly."
"What's going on with this gem?"
"How was the World-Cleansing Blaze's seed you spoke of digested?"
During this conversation, Li Xuan found that his questions were piling up.
Yet, the ones answering his questions were two flighty individuals who, in the middle of talking, would abandon Li Xuan to go celebrate with song and dance.
It was unclear whether Aymu and Xie Qingmo were peculiar, or if the entire Holy Fire Sect had such a disposition.
If it truly was the latter, Li Xuan would have to seriously consider cooperating with this uniquely styled sect.
"This, this is an important token to verify the Holy Beast's identity!"
Xie Qingmo still said excitedly.
"Just as Aymu said before, the last line of the prophecy indicates that the Holy Beast will control our sect's World-Cleansing Blaze."
"This is an extremely special flame, revered by our sect, passed down for countless years."
"In a sense, the Holy Fire Sect exists solely to guard the World-Cleansing Blaze."
"World-Cleansing Blaze, burn away all evil in the world!"
When the World-Cleansing Blaze was mentioned, a fervent glint flashed in Aymu and Xie Qingmo's eyes.
From this perspective, they were undoubtedly devout followers of the Holy Fire.
"World-Cleansing Blaze, is that the Holy Fire guarded by the Holy Fire Sect?"
Li Xuan silently repeated the term in his mind, committing it to memory.
At this point, Aymu chimed in.
"Li Xuan, this gem is a Holy Fire seed preserved through special means."
"Each Saintess Candidate only has one, and after finding the Holy Beast from the prophecy, it can be bestowed."
"If rejected, it means direct failure, losing the ability to search for the Holy Beast again."
Speaking of this, Aymu said somewhat apologetically.
"At first, I was afraid of being rejected by Li Xuan, so I didn't dare to state it clearly, only giving it as a casual gift; please forgive me, Li Xuan."
Aymu bowed deeply, apologizing sincerely.
After all, if it weren't for Aymu's choice, Li Xuan would not have been drawn into the Holy Fire Sect's affairs.
Meanwhile, Xie Qingmo nodded silently beside her, seemingly agreeing with Aymu's bold action.
Things had reached this point, and it was useless for Li Xuan to blame Aymu anymore.
Moreover, he himself wanted to establish contact with the power behind Aymu.
He just hadn't expected such a powerful beginning, directly becoming a candidate for the Holy Beast.
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but the Holy Fire Sect's rules seemed a bit extreme.
The loser had to pay with their life.
If this was true for the Saintess Candidates, then the Holy Beast they chose would probably also have to stake their life.
"This is a bit tricky."
"I just became Great Xing's auspicious omen, and now I'm being pulled into being the Holy Fire Sect's Holy Beast; Emperor Yongyuan probably wouldn't agree first."
"But anyway, it's all about finding another path for myself, so whether Emperor Yongyuan agrees or not doesn't matter."
"What's important is who can help us."
Li Xuan clearly remembered why he approached Aymu—wasn't it because he felt Emperor Yongyuan was unreliable?
"Li Xuan, now that the prophecy has been confirmed, you have digested the seed and begun to master the power of the World-Cleansing Blaze."
"You are the Holy Beast from the prophecy!"
Aymu gazed intently at Li Xuan, her eyes filled with devout reverence.
Clearly, she was hopelessly convinced that Li Xuan was the Holy Beast of the Holy Fire Sect.
"The power of the World-Cleansing Blaze..."
Li Xuan's heart sank.
If it was truly as Aymu said, that he had inadvertently gained a powerful force, Li Xuan naturally wouldn't refuse it.
But he knew his own situation best.
Aside from the breakthrough in his Yin Yang True Qi recently, Li Xuan hadn't noticed any other changes in his body.
After all, he could clearly sense the power within him simply by closing his eyes and concentrating slightly.
Ice-Cold Breath, Yin-Yang Power, Yin Yang True Qi, and besides these, the Qi and Blood Power contained within his physical body.
But there was no World-Cleansing Blaze as Aymu had described.
Of course, perhaps this wasn't a power as Li Xuan understood it.
But since Aymu said he had digested a part of the World-Cleansing Blaze's seed, his body should have undergone some change accordingly.
Li Xuan recalled the events that had transpired recently, feeling a headache.
According to his memory, this gem had never been taken out after Li Xuan received it.
This meant that the digestion process of the World-Cleansing Blaze seed was completed inside the di hong bone ring.
"Perhaps it's best if it just stays inside the di hong bone ring."
Although a bit passive, it was still a method.
Li Xuan felt a little unwilling and, in front of Aymu and Xie Qingmo, licked the gem wrapped around his tail.
Aside from feeling warm, the World-Cleansing Blaze's seed had no other taste.
Li Xuan tried biting it again, only to find that the thing was incredibly hard and he couldn't bite through it at all.
"Oh my, I can't even bite through it with my teeth!"
Li Xuan's eyes widened in surprise.
After a series of unsuccessful attempts, Li Xuan humbly asked the two:
"Um, do you two know how this thing is supposed to be digested?"
"It's not like I'm supposed to eat it, right?"
For Li Xuan's throat, this World-Cleansing Blaze seed seemed a bit too large, making it difficult for him to handle.
"???"
Facing Li Xuan's question, Aymu and Xie Qingmo both froze, unsure how to react.
"Li Xuan, haven't you already absorbed it?"
Aymu asked, puzzled.
Li Xuan stood up, spread his two front paws, and shrugged vividly.
"To be honest, I don't know what's going on either."
Li Xuan's honest words made the two look at each other silently, then their brows furrowed, and their previous joy vanished.
After a long while, Xie Qingmo finally managed to squeeze out a sentence:
"How is that possible?"
Li Xuan blinked innocently, silently answering Xie Qingmo's question.
Seeing that Li Xuan wasn't joking, Aymu and Xie Qingmo also became anxious.
"Li Xuan, please think back carefully, is there any detail you might have overlooked?"
"Digesting this seed is crucial; controlling the World-Cleansing Blaze is a very important factor in determining the Holy Beast!"
Li Xuan had already thought very carefully before, and he truly couldn't recall how this thing was digested.
"But, but we also don't know how to digest the seed."
"For so many years, no one in the Holy Fire Sect has ever been known to control the World-Cleansing Blaze."
Aymu's words made Li Xuan feel a bit strange; the people of the Holy Fire Sect apparently couldn't control this World-Cleansing Blaze.
Xie Qingmo noticed Li Xuan's confusion and immediately explained:
"According to the legends within the sect, the World-Cleansing Blaze was left behind by an ancient mythical beast. Our Holy Fire Sect is only responsible for serving it, maintaining its eternal vitality to fulfill its mission of purifying the world."
"For many years, although the Holy Fire Sect has mastered some simple ways to use the World-Cleansing Blaze, it's far from controlling it."
"Ultimately, we are merely a group of servants."
Xie Qingmo's explanation gave Li Xuan a clearer understanding of the Holy Fire Sect's position.
"So that's how it is."
In that case, Aymu and Xie Qingmo would also find it difficult to offer Li Xuan any useful advice on the matter of the seed's digestion.
Just as the atmosphere grew somewhat somber, Aymu encouraged him from the side:
"Li Xuan, you will surely understand it in the future."
"No matter how you did it, a part of the seed has indeed been digested by you; this is a confirmed fact."
"I believe that fully digesting the seed is merely a matter of time."
"You don't need to worry too much!"
Li Xuan could tell that Aymu was genuinely speaking from her heart.
It was just that Aymu trusted him too much, almost to the point of blind obedience.
Although Li Xuan appreciated her encouragement, he could only take her words with a grain of salt.
Even Li Xuan himself wasn't comfortable with such a muddled situation.
"Oh right, what are the benefits of me being this Holy Beast?"
After all that talk, Li Xuan still hadn't asked about the most important matter: the treatment.
"The benefits are naturally immense!"
Xie Qingmo, having confirmed from Aymu's mouth that Li Xuan truly digested the seed, dared not question anything else; now he only wanted to quickly stabilize Li Xuan.
If they could truly welcome the Holy Beast back, not only would Aymu's position as Saintess be secured, but Xie Qingmo would also rise in status, further solidifying his position within the sect.
"In this prophecy, it foretells a great calamity soon, and a Holy Beast born under such circumstances will have a status even above the Sect Leader and the Saintess."
"At that time, once you establish your identity as the Holy Beast, the Holy Fire Sect, from top to bottom, will naturally obey your every command, reverently following the Holy Beast's orders."
Xie Qingmo's words greatly moved Li Xuan.
A Holy Fire Sect capable of nurturing talents like Aymu and Xie Qingmo should not be a small force.
"I wonder about the Holy Fire Sect's strength..."
Li Xuan asked tactfully.
Xie Qingmo immediately patted his chest and declared:
"We rule the Western Regions!"
Li Xuan looked at Xie Qingmo with some surprise, then turned to Aymu, and only when he saw Aymu also nodding slightly did he believe the statement.
At this point, Xie Qingmo added, "The Western Regions Hundred Kingdoms are a scattered mess; they rely on our Holy Fire Sect to secretly guide them and maintain harmonious order."
Xie Qingmo tried his best to emphasize the Holy Fire Sect's presence in front of Li Xuan.
He didn't seek to make Li Xuan immediately feel a sense of belonging, but at least to prevent him from developing ill feelings towards them.
However, the Holy Fire Sect had always regarded themselves as servants of the Holy Fire, and managing the Western Regions Hundred Kingdoms was also to fulfill the Holy Fire's mission of purifying the world.
For them, nothing was more important than the continuation of the Holy Fire's mission.
And for the smooth continuation of the Holy Fire, they naturally hoped to maintain a peaceful environment.
Warfare only harmed their mission.
Therefore, although the Western Regions had as many as a hundred small countries, there had been no major disturbances reported there in recent years.
On the contrary, trade in the Western Regions was very developed, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many Hu Merchant in the West Market of the capital.
After listening to the introduction of the Holy Fire Sect, Li Xuan generally approved of their doctrine; at least they were on a path of peaceful development, which aligned with the Three Little Ones' values.
But this was all Xie Qingmo's side of the story; the specifics would need to be understood later.
Finally, Li Xuan left the Hu Yu House, respectfully seen off by Aymu and Xie Qingmo.
As Li Xuan left, the two of them eagerly inquired about his whereabouts, at least hoping he would leave a contact method.
But Li Xuan had no intention of revealing his identity yet, only saying that he would come to find them again.
Xie Qingmo knew that Li Xuan still didn't trust their Holy Fire Sect, but he also understood that there was no rush now.
After all, haste makes waste.
Moreover, through Aymu's previous words, Xie Qingmo now had his own plan in mind.
"Fang Muyang."
"Isn't that the doctor Aymu found to be the front man?"
Xie Qingmo had his own informants in the Hu Yu House and was very clear about recent events.
Originally, when Hu Yu House was about to be auctioned off, Xie Qingmo had planned to step in and help, buying Hu Yu House and then gifting it to Aymu so she could smoothly complete her mission.
But later, Aymu herself produced the title deeds for Hu Yu House and then found a Great Xing person to act as the new front man for Hu Yu House.
Originally, after the incident with Zhou Mama, Xie Qingmo was unwilling to trust Great Xing people again.
But Aymu said she had something on Fang Muyang, assuring Xie Qingmo that he could rest easy.
From the previous conversation, Xie Qingmo caught a piece of information.
That was, Fang Muyang had also received help from Li Xuan.
Xie Qingmo thought that perhaps he could learn more about Li Xuan from Fang Muyang.
After all, for him, Li Xuan was the prophetic Holy Beast who absolutely could not be lost.
Xie Qingmo watched Li Xuan's disappearing back into the night, his mind filled with thoughts.
Aymu, beside him, triumphantly patted Xie Qingmo's shoulder and then said:
"Uncle-master, you see, I wasn't wrong."
"I told you I found the Holy Beast!"
"You scolded me without question earlier; when the Holy Beast takes his rightful place, I will surely ask him to punish you properly!"
Aymu had the smug look of someone who had achieved their petty desires.
Xie Qingmo scoffed, saying disdainfully:
"Let's talk about it after we've truly welcomed the Holy Beast back."
"Also, keep your mouth shut about this matter."
"There are plenty of people in the sect who don't want you to return."
"Even if you really find the Holy Beast, you still need to be alive to bring him back."
Xie Qingmo's cold water made Aymu very displeased; she pouted and spat out a single word:
"Tch~"
Then, Aymu went to the window, rested her elbows on the sill, propped her chin in her palm, and her expression softened.
"Speaking of which, the Holy Beast is truly gentle."
"He didn't blame me even though I practically forced the seed on him!"
"Oh, how can there be a Little Cat who's so good to me~"
Aymu covered her flushed cheeks, overcome with shyness.
Xie Qingmo watched Aymu acting foolishly again, merely rolling his eyes and pretending not to see.
But thinking that Aymu was very likely the next Saintess, he couldn't help but sigh:
"What a sin!"