Chapter 127: He Has Learned to Answer in Advance
After the previous misunderstandings and the experience of being mocked by Xiao Jihan, Yan Shu began to be more cautious, no longer daring to think that Xiao Jihan had feelings for her.
She attributed all her doubts to the fact that they were friends and that he was mentally unwell, and that she could comfort him in that regard.
Surprisingly, thinking this way made the world seem much broader.
Who said men and women couldn’t have pure friendship?
She and Xiao Jihan shared a purely platonic friendship—after sleeping in the same bed for ten years, their relationship remained pure and innocent beyond doubt.
Xiao Jihan looked at her and asked softly, “Do you like it?”
Yan Shu quickly nodded, “Yes, I do!”
She truly liked it.
This mountain spring water from the spiritual spring on the mountaintop, although not as perfect as the constant temperature spring water, was a blessing for cultivators; heating the spring water was only a matter of moments.
Most importantly, it was fresh water, so she could bathe here every day, no longer relying on just a dust removal technique to wash away loneliness.
Seeing her happy, Xiao Jihan also smiled faintly, saying, “As long as you like it, consider it my birthday gift to you.”
Yan Shu was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then a wave of emotion surged within her.
The male lead...
He was truly kind.
In this world, not everyone would repay kindness to those who had wounded them deeply for a year, who had drunk their heart’s blood for a year, with such grace and forgiveness.
If it were her, even if the other party had reformed, she could at most have ended all contact for life.
Yan Shu glanced at Xiao Jihan, her expression serious: “Xiao Jihan, you really need to be more careful from now on. Never trust anyone so easily!”
Xiao Jihan looked at her quietly and said calmly, “I won’t.”
Because the only one he trusted was her.
After giving her the gift, Xiao Jihan returned indoors to continue copying the jade slips, while Yan Shu happily went to bathe.
The mountain spring water was clear and comfortable; after heating with spiritual power, it was no different from the spiritual spring water. The only slight drawback was that she had no clothes to change into.
Unconsciously, she began to look forward to the day she descended the mountain in a little over half a month.
Two days later, Xiao Jihan finished copying the jade slips for the tenth time.
He went to the main hall and handed the copied materials to Wen Youhe.
Wen Youhe flipped through them and nodded, “Have you memorized all the contents inside?”
Xiao Jihan nodded, “I have.”
Wen Youhe observed him; no matter how he looked, he seemed irritating, but setting aside his coveting of the young junior sister, he was indeed a rare young talent—the very best among young talents.
After a moment of silence, Wen Youhe said, “You are truly exceptional, perhaps the best among the younger generation. With such talent, you should focus on cultivation and not let mundane matters delay your future.”
He emphasized “mundane matters” heavily, almost spelling it out plainly.
Hearing this, Xiao Jihan lowered his gaze and did not argue, softly replying, “Yes.”
Seeing this, Wen Youhe said no more and waved him away.
Xiao Jihan left the main hall with a calm expression, but as soon as he stepped outside, his face turned cold.
In the past, he still held hope that when the mother consort returned, Wen Youhe and the others would accept the fact that he and Yan Shu were already together. But now, he no longer thought so.
If they would not accept it, then there was no need to wait; even waiting longer would be futile.
When he saw the mother consort, he would marry her properly, becoming true husband and wife.
Though it might cause her some hardship, it didn’t matter—once the child was born, Wen Youhe and the others would have no reason not to recognize it. Then he could hold a proper wedding for her.
Before the child was born...
It was better not to come back!
Having planned everything, Xiao Jihan scheduled his departure from Xuantian Sect to Hanzhou.
Back at the Supreme Peak, Yan Shu truly experienced what it meant for disciples to bear their burdens.
With Xiao Jihan around, she didn’t have to worry about anything, though she hadn’t worried much before either.
But there was a world of difference between being cared for perfunctorily and being cared for wholeheartedly.
These days, her main activities were cultivation and sleeping every few days.
Whether sleeping or cultivating, no one hurried her awake; whenever she opened her eyes, a steaming, fragrant meal awaited her.
After meals, she took it upon herself to clean up, and then bathed in the pool, occasionally swimming if she felt like it.
By nature, she was a laid-back person; though there were few entertainments, such days were blissful and made her reluctant to leave.
The only flaw was that Xiao Jihan’s favorability rating remained stuck at 25 points.
His favorability no longer rose as easily as before; back then, a few words of loyalty would increase it, but Yan Shu tried expressing loyalty as before, only to receive indifferent responses, as if her words were nonsense.
For example, one day she said to Xiao Jihan, “Do you know what I like most?”
Xiao Jihan glanced at her, “What do you like most?”
Yan Shu: “I like you the most.”
Xiao Jihan: “Oh.”
Yan Shu: “Do you know the difference between you and a fish?”
Xiao Jihan: “What difference?”
Yan Shu: “Fish live in water, but you live in my heart.”
Xiao Jihan: “Oh.”
Yan Shu: “There’s something on your face.”
Xiao Jihan: “Something good-looking?”
Yan Shu: ...
Very good—true to the male lead, he even beat her to the punch!
Yan Shu felt somewhat defeated; as a straightforward woman, she had said every line she could think of to show loyalty and affection, but Xiao Jihan was unmoved and even learned to answer first.
So she confronted reality: if she stayed passive, her favorability wouldn’t increase. To raise it, she needed opportunities and stimuli.
For now, she would conserve her energy and wait for the right moment to make a big move!
Unexpectedly, that opportunity came sooner than she thought.
Xiao Jihan’s Tribulation of Lightning Ascension to the Transformation Spirit stage arrived.
That day, while she was bathing, a fierce wind suddenly blew, and the sky darkened. She sensed a familiar aura.
Heavenly thunder.
Unlike the playful thunder that teased her before, today’s thunder was overwhelming. The entire sky above the Supreme Peak was shrouded in storm clouds, and darkness fell instantly.
Such a grand display immediately reminded her of when Xiao Jihan underwent the Nascent Soul lightning tribulation.
The final Nascent Soul tribulation nearly cost her life. Now that Xiao Jihan was ascending to the Transformation Spirit stage, this thunder would be even more formidable.
Thunder roared. Yan Shu immediately rose from the water, donned her clothes, and, holding the thunder whip, headed outside.
Xiao Jihan sat cross-legged on the clearing outside the great hall.
The fierce wind whipped his clothes and hair, and with his pale skin, red lips, and calm, cold expression, he looked not disheveled but proudly unrestrained.