Chapter 12: I Feel Like You’re Hinting at Me

She suddenly lifted her head to see Xiao Jihan approaching, step by step, with the superior-grade flying sword she had gifted him that very morning dangling from his hand. His phoenix eyes were icy cold, and a murderous aura clung to him, so intense it was almost tangible. Above his head, a vivid red bar flashed rapidly: -95 (Murderous intent surging)!

Yan Shu had no time to dwell on why his favorability had suddenly plummeted by nearly thirty points; she only knew that at this moment, Xiao Jihan meant to kill her!

She sprang to her feet at once, and the Nine-Section Thunder Whip answered her summons, appearing in her grasp. Sensing its master's unease, the whip crackled with a sudden peal of thunder; violet lightning coiled and danced along its length, swelling the whip from two fingers thick to four in an instant.

Xiao Jihan glanced at the thunder whip in her hand, his steps slowing.

Yan Shu watched him edge closer, nerves stretched taut, tightening her grip on the whip. When he was only three steps away, she rasped out, "Disciple, what brings you here? Weren't you going to refine pills?"

Xiao Jihan stopped, gazing at her face, now blackened from being struck by lightning, then gripped his sword and spoke coolly, "Today, I obtained a jade slip and learned the method of alchemy. As it is my first attempt, I found myself at a loss and thus came to seek your guidance, Master. I did not expect to..." He paused, then continued, "Did something happen to you, Master?"

Ha, what a load of nonsense about seeking guidance. With the way he usually looked at her, as if she were a thorn in his side, would he ever come to her for advice?

Besides, in the past, he and the original host had always ignored each other; why would he suddenly seek her out now? He must have been lurking in the shadows, witnessed her being struck by two bolts of heavenly lightning in a row and suffering injuries, and decided the time was ripe to make his move.

Understanding this, Yan Shu smiled at Xiao Jihan, gripping her thunder whip even tighter, though her expression remained effortlessly composed. "Oh, it's nothing. I have invented a method of channeling lightning into my body for cultivation. As a mutated thunder spiritual root, drawing lightning within not only does me no harm but actually increases my cultivation."

As she spoke, she forced the remaining traces of lightning energy from her body into the whip. In an instant, the whip crackled with several sharp bursts of thunder, the lightning coiling about it growing ever more ferocious.

Just then, a transmission echoed across the entire Xuantian Sect from Wen Youhe, the next sect master: "Disciples, do not be alarmed. The thunder is the result of Martial Aunt Yan Shu's self-created lightning cultivation technique. Return to your stations and refrain from idle speculation."

It turned out that the sudden thunderclaps on a clear day had caused an uproar among the disciples. After all, for two days now, Supreme Summit had been struck repeatedly by lightning—neither a tribulation nor divine punishment, but something strange and inexplicable. Sensing the agitation within the sect, Wen Youhe spoke up to clarify.

Hearing Wen Youhe's announcement, Yan Shu was nearly moved to tears—truly a worthy senior brother!

His words could not have come at a better time!

Xiao Jihan listened to the transmission, glanced at Yan Shu's soot-blackened face, then at the thunder whip in her hand. The coldness in his phoenix eyes gradually faded. He sheathed his sword and said coolly, "I am glad you are unharmed, Master. Earlier, I feared you had encountered some trouble."

Once he put away his sword, the frequency of the blood-red bar's flicker above his head slowed, and his favorability shifted to: -66 (Hatred).

Only then did Yan Shu's heart settle. She realized her legs and hands were trembling with weakness. Not daring to show any sign of frailty in front of Xiao Jihan, she managed a smile, "Weren't you going to refine pills? Go ahead. I will join you after I tidy up."

It was the first time he had seen her smile. Yet, with her face pitch-black and only her white teeth showing, topped by a mane of wild, frizzy hair, she looked nothing if not foolish. Only her hands remained slender and delicate, as white as jade.

Favorability: -63 (Hatred).

Yan Shu blinked in surprise. What was wrong with the protagonist? Normally, the more ethereal her appearance, the more his favorability dropped. Now, with her ridiculous look, it had actually increased?

Xiao Jihan's gaze lingered briefly on her hands, then he nodded and said, "I will prepare first, Master."

Yan Shu hummed in assent, watching him depart before she finally allowed herself to collapse weakly to the ground.

She dared not dawdle long. After resting for a moment, she steadied herself, put away the thunder whip and flying sword, tidied her hair and clothes with a dust-cleansing spell, and set off for Xiao Jihan's quarters.

On Supreme Summit stood a grand hall, where Yan Shu resided. Xiao Jihan's room was a small cottage outside the main hall, originally meant for servants.

In cultivation sects, servants were generally outer disciples. Rather than menial laborers, they were more like attendants to the peak masters. Though tasked with chores, they had access to the peak masters and their personal disciples, sometimes even receiving guidance—making the position highly coveted among outer disciples.

Inner disciples felt ambivalent toward these attendants: they looked down on their status and talent, yet secretly envied their access to the peak masters. Some of the more socially adept among the attendants even formed close ties with the personal disciples, earning respect from inner disciples as well.

The original host's situation was unusual. To prevent others from discovering her inner demons, Supreme Summit had no attendants, and she never treated Xiao Jihan as a disciple, simply relegating him to the servants' quarters.

The servants' quarters comprised a small courtyard with two rooms—one, Xiao Jihan's sleeping quarters; the other, converted into a pill-refining room.

When Yan Shu arrived, Xiao Jihan had already prepared everything. The Immaculate Furnace sat in the center, the space meticulously organized, with all the medicinal ingredients and tools arranged neatly.

Truly the male lead of a male-oriented novel—talented in every way. Who would he ultimately benefit, she wondered.

Thinking of this, Yan Shu recalled that in the original novel, many admired Xiao Jihan, but he had no romantic pairings. As the author put it, women only slowed down the hero’s sword.

Nowadays, readers' tastes were getting pickier—whether in male- or female-centered novels, they preferred protagonists who swept all before them. Yan Shu was no exception.

Ahem, she was getting distracted.

She cleared her throat and asked, "What do you intend to refine?"

Xiao Jihan sat cross-legged before the Immaculate Furnace and said, "Blood Replenishing Pills."

Yan Shu: ...

Are you hinting at something?

She glanced at him, thick-skinned, and said, "Heart’s blood is not like other wounds; ordinary medicine cannot restore it. Only the legendary Phoenix Blood or Bodhi Fruit can replenish it. I do not have those, so let us begin with regular Blood Replenishing Pills."

Xiao Jihan had not expected her to mention the heart’s blood so nonchalantly, and his eyes turned cold.

He lowered his gaze, concealing his expression. "That is precisely my intention," he replied coolly.

With that, he activated his cultivation technique, and the Immaculate Furnace floated into the air.

Yan Shu watched as he opened the furnace, added the herbs, and channeled his energy—every movement smooth and practiced, as if he were more experienced than she was. If she didn’t know it was his first time refining pills, she would have suspected he had called her here just to mock her.

For although the original host was born with a natural Dao body and a mutated thunder spiritual root, her mind was far from sharp. Be it alchemy, artifact forging, or talisman crafting, no matter how hard she tried, she never grasped the basics.

To put it bluntly, she was a muscle-bound dunce with overwhelming combat power.