Shi Jingyu quickly turned his face away, regaining his usual composed demeanor. “The lake water is cold; we should head back early.”
With that, he departed on his own. Jiang Xu watched the receding figure of Shi Jingyu in confusion, turning to the fellow disciples beside him. “The Eldest Senior Brother is acting quite strange today.”
The two unfamiliar female disciples looked at each other and remained silent. Fu Bihan gave them a meaningful glance, and they took their leave.
“Jiang Xu,” Fu Bihan walked over to him awkwardly. “Why did you practically throw yourself into the mouth of that Water Vine earlier?”
Jiang Xu looked at her in surprise. “To save people, obviously.” He no longer held the same “cute” impression of this spoiled younger sister as he did when reading the book; consequently, his tone was much colder. “I didn’t realize you liked places that are pretty on the outside but dangerous on the inside, Junior Sister.”
Fu Bihan’s face flushed crimson. “…You’re the one who ran over here yourself!” Not only did he ruin her plans, but he also got himself into trouble—it served him right!
Yet, for some reason, the image of Jiang Xu falling into the water made her heart feel strangely tight, even though she used to loathe him.
“And didn’t you bring Junior Sister Yan here without permission?” Jiang Xu recalled the last incident and thought this little sister’s methods were actually quite ruthless. He looked at Yan Huan, who was walking behind them, and called out, “Junior Sister Yan, let’s hurry. You have to continue your cultivation soon, right?”
He had to catch up to the Eldest Senior Brother. He had to make sure the male and female leads spoke at least a word to each other today! They were clearly right next to each other just now, yet they were so reserved that they didn’t exchange a single word. His sacrifice of falling into the water was almost in vain.
Hearing him call Yan Huan, Fu Bihan’s eyes rounded. “Jiang Xu, why didn’t you call me!”
Jiang Xu watched with satisfaction as Yan Huan caught up to him. He looked back at the angry Fu Bihan and said, “What are you talking about? I’ve been talking to Junior Sister Yan this whole time; why would I suddenly call for you?”
He looked at Yan Huan and smiled gently. “Junior Sister, let’s go.”
Yan Huan nodded and walked silently by his side. After a few steps, Jiang Xu turned his head back. Fu Bihan’s eyes instantly lit up. “You really—”
“Junior Sister, you should head back and wash your clothes,” Jiang Xu said with a beaming smile, pointing at her hem. “It looks like you got some mud on them earlier.” With that, he turned and strode away.
Fu Bihan looked down at her skirt and stamped her foot in rage. “…You really are a bastard!”
Having failed to find Shi Jingyu, Jiang Xu went with Yan Huan to the disciples’ training grounds. A crowd of white-clad disciples were practicing with their swords. Upon arrival, Yan Huan bid him farewell.
Jiang Xu waved his hand, determined to make her meet the Senior Brother today. “Go ahead and practice, Junior Sister. I’ll just watch from here.”
Yan Huan spared him a glance, cupped her hands, and said, “Then I shall go first.”
Right at that moment, Shi Jingyu appeared from nowhere, walking toward him. Catching sight of him and seeing Yan Huan turning to leave, Jiang Xu panicked. He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Junior Sister, wait a moment!”
This shout caused not only Yan Huan to stop, but also the practicing disciples and even the Eldest Senior Brother to freeze and look over.
Jiang Xu looked at the disciples in confusion. “…Did I disturb everyone?”
The disciples waved their hands in denial and returned to their practice, though they continued to steal glances out of the corners of their eyes.
Jiang Xu turned back helplessly to Yan Huan. Her expression was also a bit strange. He looked down, quickly let go of her wrist, and gave a nervous laugh to hide his embarrassment. “I meant to say, I saw the Eldest Senior Brother coming over…” He turned slightly toward the frozen Shi Jingyu and waved. “Eldest Senior Brother, why aren’t you coming over?”
Shi Jingyu finally withdrew his gaze from Jiang Xu’s hand. He smoothed over the stiffness on his face and paced over slowly. He gave a slight nod, his tone somewhat cold. “Junior Sister Yan.” He then stood closer to Jiang Xu. “Why is Junior Brother here?”
Yan Huan looked at him, then at the grinning Jiang Xu. Her expression shifted slightly, her gaze turning deep as if lost in thought. Jiang Xu, however, cheerfully mentioned her name. “I was just thinking about you, Eldest Senior Brother!”
Just thinking about him? Shi Jingyu froze for a second. A faint blush was just beginning to creep up his face when he heard Jiang Xu continue:
“Junior Sister Yan was just about to go train. I thought since you are so incredible, Senior Brother, if you could give her a few pointers, she would surely make rapid progress with her talent!” He turned to look at the expressionless Yan Huan and blinked. “Right, Junior Sister?”
The blush receded before it could even fully form. Looking at Jiang Xu’s earnest face, Shi Jingyu felt a strange sense of disappointment for some reason. He could only nod slightly.
“…” Yan Huan watched Jiang Xu repeatedly winking at her. She paused before saying, “Senior Brother Jiang is right.” She faced Shi Jingyu directly, her tone sincere. “Senior Brother’s cultivation is profound. It would be my honor to receive your guidance.”
Shi Jingyu smiled faintly. “Junior Sister, you flatter me. Your talent is exceptional; I can hardly call it ‘guidance’.” He then turned to Jiang Xu. “I would certainly be willing to practice with Junior Sister Yan. However, Junior Brother, the Master specifically sought me out to discuss your physical condition. He wants me to accompany you in your practice today to slowly recover your previous cultivation.”
Saying this, he looked apologetically at Yan Huan and cupped his hands. “I’m afraid I cannot join you.”
Yan Huan naturally had no objections; she preferred practicing alone anyway. Furthermore, she didn’t have much of an “impression” of this Eldest Senior Brother. However, seeing Senior Brother Jiang’s apparent dissatisfaction with the result, she wondered if she should try to argue for him?
While Yan Huan was debating this internally, Jiang Xu’s eyelid twitched. He cursed in his heart: Master, why are you dropping the ball at such a critical moment!
Seeing his poor complexion, Shi Jingyu asked with concern, “Master said that although your body has mostly recovered, you still need to be careful. Are you really still feeling unwell?”
Jiang Xu rubbed his temples and looked up with a forced smile. “How could that be! It’s just a small matter; Master made it sound so serious.” He spun around in place to demonstrate. “Look, Senior Brother, I’m perfectly fine!”
Seeing his lively spinning, Shi Jingyu couldn’t help but reveal a helpless, jade-like smile. His voice softened unconsciously. “Don’t spin anymore, Junior Brother. But a command from the Master must be obeyed. Even if you are fine, the spiritual power lost from your injuries must be restored. We mustn’t leave any weaknesses for future dangers.”
Jiang Xu was solely focused on closing the distance between Shi Jingyu and Yan Huan. He had no heart for these lectures. His mind raced, and he proposed, “How about the three of us practice together?” Seeing them both look at him strangely, he explained, “If Senior Brother only teaches me, it would be quite boring. With Junior Sister accompanying us, it would be far more interesting.” He winked at Yan Huan again. “Isn’t that right, Junior Sister?”
Yan Huan’s brow furrowed slightly, but she didn’t object. She gave a soft “Mm” in agreement. Jiang Xu beamed and said to Shi Jingyu, “See, Senior Brother? Junior Sister wants to join us too! She surely loves practicing with you.”
Finally, I’ve got them together! Jiang Xu gloated inwardly, unaware that the two protagonists he was so desperately trying to pair up were harboring very different thoughts.
However, they both shared a sensitivity toward his use of the word “too.” Shi Jingyu thought: So, Junior Brother also enjoys practicing with me. The blush that failed to appear earlier now faintly surfaced.
Yan Huan looked at the happy Jiang Xu and thought: So Senior Brother Jiang is this bold; he can even express his affection for the Senior Brother in such a casual tone. She nodded secretly; she would have to cooperate with him.
“I think Senior Brother Jiang is right,” she said to Shi Jingyu. “I have long admired your cultivation, Eldest Senior Brother. I shall trouble you today.”
Shi Jingyu smiled warmly. “You joke, Junior Sister. Your own talent is already peak-tier; you will surely reach even greater heights in the future.”
Jiang Xu crossed his arms, watching them praise each other with such satisfaction that his eyes nearly closed. “Being a matchmaker isn’t so hard after all.”
The three agreed to practice together the next day. Jiang Xu returned to his hut in high spirits, hopping along the way. Even the birds in the distance seemed cuter than usual.
Host seems very happy.
A cold voice rang out suddenly. Jiang Xu jumped, clutching his chest, and complained to the fluffy creature that appeared. “I told you to warn me when you come out! What if you scare me to death!”
Usually, 001 wouldn’t bother responding, but today it answered with unusual seriousness. You won’t be scared to death. Even if you were, someone would be there to heal you.
Jiang Xu felt the words were strangely sarcastic, though he didn’t stop to think about who the “someone” was. He glared at 001. “Did you go off for further training or something?”
Ignoring the insult, 001 remained stiff and solemn. I did.
“…” Jiang Xu was speechless. “You say it so seriously I almost believe you.”
That is not important, Host. I am here to remind you of something.
Jiang Xu looked at the fluffy ball’s face, which seemed even more pinched than usual, and couldn’t resist giving it a squeeze. 001 was always serious, but today felt different. “Is it related to the plot?”
…More or less. 001’s large eyes stared at him without blinking. The disappearance of the Spirit Gathering Stone was not an inside job by Lingyun Mountain. It was someone else.
Jiang Xu froze, then said urgently, “You know who it is! Tell me quickly!” He thought of Chu Weiling and frowned. “I’ve been framed!”
But there is an accomplice in the mountains, 001 said mechanically. This person was originally a minor supporting character, but they have appeared ahead of schedule. The system has detected that they harbor intense hatred toward the Host.
Intense hatred? Jiang Xu rubbed his arm. “The original owner didn’t have many friends, but he hasn’t done anything truly evil yet. Why would so many people hate him?”
001 suddenly flew in front of his face. Tonight, the Host must stay with Wen Hexue.
Stay with Master? Jiang Xu hugged 001 in confusion. “Why?”
001 didn’t answer. It only said, Remember to read the book on spiritual cultivation I gave you. With that, it vanished again.
Jiang Xu looked at his empty hands, 001’s words echoing in his mind. What would happen tonight? Why did he have to stay with Wen Hexue? Since 001 said so, it meant Wen Hexue was at least safe for him—perhaps he would even protect him for some purpose.
But why was Chu Weiling’s hatred for him so deep? In the original book, even when Chu Weiling helped take down the blackened original owner, he was just a participant and didn’t have a massive impact. But now…
The sky grew dark. Faint purple and pink clouds clung to the fading light. Birds returned to their nests, their wings cutting through the clouds before disappearing.
Confused and haunted by 001’s warning, Jiang Xu watched the birds turn into tiny black dots. After a long silence, he changed direction and headed toward the Chenxi Pavilion.