"When did you get back?"
An expression of surprise crossed Yang Shifei's face, his gaze quickly falling upon the table.
There was a black cloth bundle.
"Just arrived." The little girl's pretty face was wreathed in smiles. "I went back to get my clothes."
Yang Shifei also smiled upon hearing this. "So, you're really planning to stay, Miss?"
"I'll stay in the room next door."
The little girl tilted up her delicate chin and, as if urging him, waved her small hand again.
"Bite me~"
Looking at the tender hand swaying back and forth before him and the girl's somewhat expectant, moist eyes, Yang Shifei suppressed an impulse and quickly said, "I didn't ask clearly before. Do you know what this cold energy inside me is?"
He pointed to his right arm. "The cold energy that drilled into me after I 'bit' you."
The little girl blinked a couple of times, tilting her head. "Don't know."
Yang Shifei was stunned. "You don't know the origin of the cold energy? Isn't it absorbed from you?"
But the little girl pouted her pink lips, her small feet dangling beneath her skirt. "I've had it since I was born."
"…"
Yang Shifei was momentarily stunned.
Not obtained through cultivating some technique, but born with this cold energy? Could it be the so-called innate true qi?
"But is it okay for me to absorb this energy?"
Yang Shifei frowned, hesitating. "Will you feel unwell, weak, or uncomfortable?"
The little girl stared at him for a moment, a smile once again gracing the corners of her lips.
"Not uncomfortable. Actually, it's very comfortable."
"?"
Yang Shifei was a bit muddled.
So, when she said 'comfortable' before, she really meant it literally?!
This girl, could she truly have some unspeakable, strange quirk?
Yang Shifei scratched his hair, his expression becoming somewhat peculiar.
"Can you describe what this 'comfort' you speak of feels like?"
"My body feels lighter, my head clearer?" The little girl said with a grin. "But no matter how you put it, my whole body feels comfortable."
Yang Shifei let out a soft "hmm" inwardly, vaguely sensing something was off.
This didn't sound like a description of having one's internal energy drained. It sounded more like…
A great increase in power? Unlocking some shackles?
He sized her up again, pondering inwardly.
Could it be that his absorbing her cold energy wasn't detrimental to her, but rather beneficial to both of them?
"Hey."
The little girl playfully swiped her hand in the air a couple of times like a kitten and tilted her head. "Still not going to bite me?"
Yang Shifei let out a long breath and said with a helpless smile, "All this talk of 'biting' sounds really strange. Let's use a different term next time."
He took her right hand, quickly focusing his mind. An icy chill instantly erupted in his palm.
An agony, as if his flesh and blood were being torn apart, emerged, making him clench his jaw tightly.
This time, he managed to endure for a full dozen breaths before reaching his limit, his hand trembling as he withdrew it.
"Hoo—"
Feeling the cold energy once again suffusing his entire body, Yang Shifei felt incredibly relaxed. Looking at the little girl before him, her eyes were even brighter, and her fair cheeks were flushed with an adorable rosy hue, making her look exceptionally tempting.
Even though he considered his self-control to be decent, he couldn't help but feel a bit parched at this moment.
Such pink, tender skin, what would it feel like to touch… Ahem!
Yang Shifei hastily shook off the stray thoughts.
"If not 'biting', then how about—"
But the little girl tilted her head up and blinked. "Call it 'sippy-sippy' or 'sucky-sucky'?"
Yang Shifei: "…"
This little girl, was she deliberately using suggestive language to tease him?
But looking at her face, so full of innocence and purity, he could only cough lightly twice. "Let's just call it cultivation practice."
The little girl pouted her small lips. "Not fun."
Damn it, she really is teasing me.
Yang Shifei's mouth twitched slightly. He could only pretend nothing was amiss and continue, "Since you're going to stay here, Miss, why don't we get to know each other first?"
"I know you."
The little girl's eyes lit up. She quickly placed her hands on her knees, cleared her throat, and began to sing in a theatrical tone, "Hidden dragon, lone heart with grand ambition, travels a hundred li by night seeking fragrant traces, this is the Luo family's ↓live-in son-in-law↑, Yang Shifei!"
"?"
What the hell, is she performing an opera…
Wait, did ancient times also have dramas about overpowered, live-in sons-in-law?
"How was my singing?"
The little girl leaned in slightly, her face full of curiosity.
Yang Shifei was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.
He had initially thought this girl was mysterious and unfathomable, but after meeting her twice, she seemed to be growing increasingly mischievous and elfish, like a playful child.
"Not bad?"
"Heehee~" The little girl smiled with satisfaction.
Then, she stood up and stretched lazily.
"My name is Yue Rui, don't forget."
The little girl let out a small yawn. "I'm sleepy, going to bed."
"?"
Yang Shifei paused, then looked back at the sky outside. The sun hadn't even set yet.
"Off I go."
Without waiting for a reply, Yue Rui casually picked up her travel bag from the side and, like a phantom, flitted and soared out of the room.
Yang Shifei watched, dumbfounded. He hurried out of the room, only in time to see the door to the adjacent room creak shut.
Did that girl just fly out of thin air…
No, her toes had merely tapped the ground once.
"Is this the so-called movement skill?"
It was no different from teleportation!
Yang Shifei was both shocked and delighted, thinking he might be able to secretly learn from her later.
But on second thought, this little girl named Yue Rui was truly young and innocent. He had exploited her kindness three times by taking her energy, making it seem as if he were deceiving an ignorant child.
"…Forget it, let's slowly build a good relationship first."
Yang Shifei rubbed his face, composed himself, returned to his room, and changed into the coarse cloth clothes he had brought from the village, intending to do some more training before nightfall.
To make a name for himself in this world, even with the assistance of the cold energy, he couldn't afford to slack off in the slightest.
Rather, it was precisely because he had this cheat-like cold energy that he had to seize this unparalleled opportunity to take control of his own life.
In this vast pugilistic world, in a life spanning a hundred years, it would be a pity not to live freely, dispensing justice and vengeance, and not to harbor grand ambitions.
To put it bluntly, if his fists weren't big enough, his heart would be terrified.
The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and the night breeze began to rise.
"Hoo—"
Yang Shifei had already run dozens of laps around the courtyard, his forehead lightly beaded with sweat.
After eating the dinner Tanxiang had delivered and resting briefly, he began his second round of training.
He recalled the man in black he had seen last night. His footing shifted, and in an instant, he leaped and flipped in mid-air.
The moment his toes touched the ground, his legs tensed abruptly, exerting force, and his figure shifted sideways several zhang as if sliding, his left arm swinging back in a horizontal elbow strike as he spun.
The force generated a wind that made his sleeve flap loudly.
Yang Shifei panted twice, thoughtfully rotating his arm.
Although he had no cultivation technique to guide him, the real combat last night had, more or less, allowed him to remember the moves his opponent had used.
To be precise, it was the method of exerting force.
How to push off when running, how to concentrate power when punching—every step and every fist technique was worth savoring in detail.
For Yang Shifei, who had never encountered martial arts before, the more he pondered, the more interesting it became, as if a great door to the martial path had opened before him. Even peeking at a tiny fraction of it brought him endless rewards.
"But this person's most stunning skills were those saber strikes—sharp and overwhelming, making them difficult to parry."
Yang Shifei looked at the long saber, the lethal weapon, placed not far away, and frowned slightly.
He indeed remembered the stances of the man in black's saber strikes clearly. But the saber wound on his right arm hadn't healed yet, so it wasn't good for exerting force.
"Let me try with my left hand first—"
Knock, knock.
It was a knock on the door.
Yang Shifei wiped the sweat from his face, put on his outer robe, and quickly went to open the door. However, standing outside the courtyard was not Tanxiang, but an unexpectedly graceful and slender figure.
"…Miss Luo?"
"Am I disturbing you, Young Master?"
Luo Xian'er was dressed in a simple yet elegant traditional skirt tonight, a sheer shawl draped over her arms. Her exquisite, jade-like face remained cool.
Yang Shifei quickly stepped aside to make way. "Miss Luo, please come in. May I ask the purpose of your visit tonight?"
"Young Master, please don't be a stranger." Luo Xian'er moved with light, lotus-like steps, her figure swaying as she walked into the courtyard. "I've been busy with some matters these past few days and rarely had any free time. Then last night's incident occurred. All this back and forth has indeed led me to neglect you, Young Master. It is my oversight."
Yang Shifei couldn't help but chuckle. "Miss Luo, you exaggerate. I'm not that sensitive."
"…Hmm, that's true."
Luo Xian'er nodded slightly, her gaze quickly drifting to the long saber not far away. "Is that… the weapon dropped by last night's assassin?"
"Yes, it is." Yang Shifei led the young woman to the main hall. "It fell into a pile of weeds at the time; I only found it this morning. I heard Miss went to the yamen today. Would you like to take this saber back as evidence?"
"No need. The matter is already concluded. Young Master need not dwell on it too much."
Luo Xian'er smoothed her long skirt and sat down with dignified grace. "The Feilin Gang will definitely not trouble you again in the future."
Yang Shifei smiled. "I am indebted to Miss for her protection."
"Apart from last night's assassin, I also learned about the Clear Moon Pavilion incident from Tanxiang."
Luo Xian'er retrieved a ledger from her flowing, veiled sleeve and handed it to him. "With Young Master serving as Clear Moon Pavilion's accountant in the future, I can also rest much easier."
"…"
Yang Shifei solemnly accepted the ledger, his expression serious.
After a moment of silence, he looked directly into her deep, beautiful eyes and said in a heavy tone, "No matter what, I've only been at the Luo Residence for a few days. Can Miss Luo truly trust me?"
"Young Master has been quite good these past few days. What reason would I have to doubt you?"
Luo Xian'er blinked. "Besides, Clear Moon Pavilion isn't very important to me. Just small money."
Yang Shifei: "…"
Seeing his subtly hesitant and conflicted expression, Luo Xian'er's eyes flickered, and she took out a small booklet from her sleeve.
"What is this?" Yang Shifei carefully accepted it, a look of confusion on his face.
But when he saw the characters 'Forest-Piercing Triple Layer Art' written on the cover, his expression immediately turned to one of shock.
"I heard that Young Master has visited many sects these past two days, so I presume you are also quite interested in practicing martial arts."
Luo Xian'er pursed her lips and murmured, "When that assassin was apprehended, this secret manual was found on him. I thought of bringing it back for Young Master, so you can try practicing it."
Yang Shifei was momentarily speechless, a wave of gratitude inevitably rising in his heart.
This female ghost of a young miss was practically a treasure.
Even if she were to reveal her terrifying true form right now, he'd feel like going up and hugging her.
"Young Master, don't be too happy just yet."
But Luo Xian'er shook her head. "I came tonight because there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you, Young Master."
Yang Shifei was taken aback, then quickly let out a laugh. "Miss, please speak."
"I want you, Young Master, to help me establish a martial arts sect."
"…Huh?"