"Ninth Sister?"
Wan Lei's eyes immediately widened, and then he thought of Senior Sister Lei Xin's repeated mentions of their youngest sister, his Ninth Sister, and...
The figure wrapped in lightning, ascending through the tribulation, that he had seen in the valley behind the Thunder Peak mountain before breaking into the prison.
"You are Ninth Sister? Then... I saw you before!"
"Yes, Senior Sister Lei Xin told me you came to watch when I was about to undergo my tribulation, but you left for work at the prison after watching for a short while."
"I..."
Wan Lei's intestines were green with regret. If he had stayed a few more hours back then, waiting for Ninth Sister to finish her tribulation, he would have known that Qi Manya was Ninth Sister.
"Since you knew I was in the Five Elements Hall, why did you come directly to the Sea of Bitterness battlefield after your tribulation? Why didn't you wait for me for a day and meet me?"
Before Qi Manya could speak, Wan Lei knew the answer.
"It must have been the Immortal Venerable's idea. At that time, they wouldn't allow anyone who knew me to see me, and they certainly wouldn't allow you.
That scoundrel Immortal Venerable betrayed me!!!"
As soon as the Immortal Venerable was mentioned, Wan Lei's teeth itched with anger.
"Hmph, not at all. You were unwilling to wait two hours to see me, so why should I wait a day to see you? On what basis?"
Qi Manya's lips pouted slightly, and she snorted coldly.
"Besides, what good would it do to see you? What's the point? We'd still live our own lives, I cultivate, you save your little beauty."
"Mmm... I will take you with me to break into prison, and then we will wander the world together."
Wan Lei said after a moment of thought.
"Hmph, you know how to enjoy yourself, don't you? Wandering the world while being served by two women. Why should I give up my great future in the Five Elements Hall and follow you to live a hard life?
Who am I to you that I should go with you?"
"You are my concubine."
Wan Lei chuckled, his face thicker than a city wall.
"I will never be your concubine. You can forget about that in this lifetime. If I were your concubine, Fang Xiaoyu would surely bully me to death."
Thinking of how Fang Xiaoyu used to bully her every day, Qi Manya's pout grew even higher.
She didn't realize that her current demeanor was akin to acting coquettish towards Wan Lei.
Wan Lei smiled and said nothing.
He had previously told the Golden Immortal Venerable Xia Dayu that he would do everything in his power to revive Qi Manya, and after that, he would respect her choice in all matters.
All he wanted to do was protect her and prevent her from being hurt again.
After a moment of silence, Qi Manya's eyes dimmed slightly, and she spoke,
"You saved me this time, and the life you owed me has been repaid. From now on, we are even, and we will go our separate ways..."
Hearing the tone in Qi Manya's voice, as if she was cutting ties with him, Wan Lei panicked and immediately feigned ignorance, saying,
"It's not the same. This time I saved you, which can at most repay you for bringing troops to rescue me this time. The matter in the Ghost Immortal Secret Realm doesn't count, and it can't be repaid. We'll settle it later."
"But you saved my life at the Heavenly Punishment stronghold too."
"But you took the poisoned pill for me that time, so that evens it out. Also, during the Wan Jiao Ranking, when I was besieged by twelve people, it was Liu Clan's patriarch who found me outside and saved me."
"You... you're cheating!"
Man Yao's brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with playful anger, and her lips pouted even higher.
Wan Lei was amused by her cute and charming demeanor, laughing heartily, and gently pinched her little nose. He said,
"Look, the accounts between us can never be settled. If we really tried to calculate, I would owe you even more, and the debt would grow, never to be repaid in this lifetime."
"You owe me so much, how do you plan to repay it?"
"How about offering yourself in marriage?"
"Okay, go dump your Xiaoyu and then come marry me."
"Uh... how about both of us marry you?"
"Pah, shameless."
Qi Manya glared at him with a scolding look. Of course, she also knew that Fang Xiaoyu was the most important person to Wan Lei, and it was impossible for him to give up Fang Xiaoyu for anything.
Qi Manya had witnessed the countless hardships Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu had gone through together, and she knew that Fang Xiaoyu was the most suitable person for Wan Lei. They loved each other to the core.
If she were in Fang Xiaoyu's shoes, she probably would have died many times over. Her own uselessness would not only not be a help to Wan Lei but would become a burden to him.
Just look at the scene just now. If Fang Xiaoyu were here, she would have killed all the Demon Lords alone, but she still had to wait for Wan Lei to save her.
Therefore, Qi Manya had long since come to terms with it. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have told Wan Lei to love Fang Xiaoyu well before her death.
"Wan Lei."
"Mmm?"
"I remember telling you many times, ever since we were at the Thunder Pool in Qishan Commandery, I decided that I would do my best to help you in this life. This goal has not changed for me to this day."
"Mmm, I know, and you have achieved it."
"No, I haven't done enough. I'm still too weak, still this useless, and I still need you to save me.
After I underwent my Immortal Tribulation before, I was eager to come to the Sea of Bitterness battlefield, partly because I didn't dare to see you, and partly because I wanted to improve myself quickly on the battlefield so that I could help you when you need me in the future."
Hearing this, Wan Lei's heart ached.
Qi Manya was still the same Qi Manya as before; her beliefs and principles had never changed.
Forcefully holding back the tears welling up in his eyes, Wan Lei chuckled,
"Your unconditional giving will spoil me. A drop of kindness can turn into a flood of debt. Aren't you afraid that one day I might resent you if you're not good to me?"
Qi Manya shook her head with a smile,
"If one day I'm no longer good to you, it will mean that you have become powerful enough that you no longer need my help. Perhaps by then, you will have already become an Immortal Venerable.
At that time, I will retire to the mountains and forests and quietly do my own thing, living out my life peacefully, like...
Like Palace Lord Ziyan."
"But do you know that Ziyan wanted to retire to the mountains and forests but couldn't? She was always captured and brought back to the Five Elements Hall by the Golden Immortal Venerable."
"Hmph, would you dare to capture me? I'll go and complain to Fang Xiaoyu, and she'll break your legs."
"Hahahaha..."
Wan Lei laughed, then asked,
"By the way, you haven't told me about your experiences yet. Tell me."
"What's so special about my experiences? After I died in the Ghost Immortal Secret Realm, the Ghost Emperor sent my true spirit to Immortal Venerable Mu. After Immortal Venerable Mu returned to the Immortal Realm, he revived me.
Then he had Ancestor Lei Di take me as his personal disciple, and I began cultivating in the Thunder Palace.
However, I usually don't like to go out, so not many people know me. Ancestor Lei Di treated me very well, giving me a lot of resources so that I could cultivate with peace of mind."