Chapter 7 

“You… you.” 

Caught off guard, Chen Linyao couldn’t find the words. Her eyes flicked between the flame in Xie Zhengjie’s palm and his face. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and had no equipment of any kind. Though the flame wasn’t intense, she could feel the faint heat it emitted. 

Xie Zhengjie held his palm open for about ten seconds before flicking his hand, extinguishing the flame. 

Chen Linyao struggled to accept what she had just witnessed. She scanned the room, searching for any hidden tools the young man might have used. Perhaps he was some kind of magician, deftly concealing a trick in plain sight. Her search led her closer and closer to him until she found herself staring at his hand. Without thinking, she reached out to touch it. 

“You shameless woman!” 

Xie Zhengjie yanked his hand back. He hadn’t expected this woman to grab him so suddenly. Other than his mother and the maids who had attended to him since childhood, no one had ever deliberately touched him like this. 

Even the imperial consorts who had flirted with him from afar had only dared to cast suggestive glances. Xie Zhengjie had already considered them bold to the point of indecency. He never imagined he’d be physically assaulted like this. 

“Let me see. What are you hiding in your hand?” Chen Linyao noticed the other party's resistance and felt something was off. In modern society, a little hand contact was hardly a big deal to her. 

“Shameless! Completely shameless! Have some self-control!”

Xie Zhengjie scolded while constantly moving away. But in her 42-square-meter apartment, there wasn’t much space to escape. Chen Linyao eventually managed to grab his hand again. 

Noticing the flush rising to his face, Chen Linyao wasn't oblivious. She searched his hand for a while but found nothing. Finally, she asked,  

“What’s this? You’re embarrassed over a little hand-holding?” Then she remembered something and muttered, “Yesterday, when you choked me for so long, you didn’t seem fazed at all.” 

“That’s completely different,” Xie Zhengjie snapped irritably. Yesterday, he hadn’t seen her as a woman but as a potential threat. 

“Oh, really?” Chen Linyao felt a bit more confident seeing his reaction. Then, an idea to tease him again crossed her mind.

At first, Xie Zhengjie had been caught off guard, but as the young woman moved closer again, he quickly regained his composure. 

This time, Chen Linyao wrapped her arms around his, only to be met with his unimpressed expression. His exasperated look made it clear her antics were no longer having the desired effect. Frustrated, she pouted. 

This isn’t fun at all. 

“How long are you planning to cling to my arm?” 

“What’s wrong? Are you getting embarrassed again?” 

“While I feel I’m being taken advantage of, by the customs of my kingdom, it’s the woman who is considered to be at a disadvantage in situations like this.” 

Chen Linyao immediately released the young man’s arm. 

If she had to humiliate herself to get revenge, she realized she’d be the one losing in the end. 

Though she regained her composure, frustration still simmered inside Chen Linyao. She had found Xie Zhengjie’s weakness, but exploiting it meant putting herself in a vulnerable position.

"You've seen my immortal arts. Now, can you go out and buy some food?" 

Chen Linyao, still unable to find any hidden equipment, felt as though she had lost yet again. But she wasn’t ready to believe just yet. 

“Where exactly are you hiding the device you’re using to make the fire?” 

“Hiding?” 

“I don’t believe you’re actually using some so-called immortal art to light fires. If you reveal the trick, I’ll go out and buy food right away.” 

“Trick? Do you think I’m performing some cheap street magic?” 

Xie Zhengjie’s tone was laced with irritation. It was clear that this woman, having never encountered true immortal arts before, simply couldn’t accept what she was seeing. 

The young man waved his hand again, and the flame appeared once more. He spoke, “I’m not using any devices.”

“If I knew how you were doing it, I wouldn’t be asking.” 

This woman has a decent face, but who would have thought her intelligence wouldn’t match it? He had already demonstrated twice, yet she still wouldn’t believe him. 

Xie Zhengjie sighed and made the flame dance. It transformed into various shapes—a spinning wheel, a serpent, and finally a phoenix that soared around the room before vanishing in a burst of sparks. 

Even with his spiritual cultivation weakened, his control remained impeccable. Creating these shapes was as effortless as lifting a hand. 

“Can your ‘device’ do this? Turn a flame into a fiery phoenix? At most, it can only produce a crude spark, right?” 

Finishing his demonstration, he turned to look at the young woman. She stood frozen, her mouth agape. After a moment, she snapped it shut, turned toward him, and grabbed his hand again. 

“Let’s go on a talent show. Star Road or China’s Got Talent, it doesn’t matter—we’ll win for sure.” 

Xie Zhengjie saw the glitter in her eyes, as if the weight of several bars of gold were hiding behind them.