Chapter 30: The Devil Instructor’s Delight

Xiao Jihan opened his eyes to see a slender and elegant, yet supple and fair hand, holding a vividly red spiritual fruit before him. That delicate hand, skin as smooth as jade, with fingertips soft and lustrous, made the fruit appear even more glistening and inviting.

His initial impatience was suddenly subdued. Glancing at Meng Yu not far away, whose face showed suppressed emotion, Xiao Jihan changed his mind and reached out to accept the fruit. “Thank you, Master.”

Yan Shu saw her favorability score increase by three points—now it was -39 (Dislike)—and breathed a sigh of relief. The male lead truly was petty; it seemed she’d have to share any good food with him from now on.

Watching Yan Shu walk away, her steps noticeably lighter than before, Xiao Jihan lowered his gaze. He looked at the fruit in his hand and took a slow bite.

Liu Zhiqing glanced at Xiao Jihan, then leaned toward Yan Shu, who had just sat down again, and whispered, “It seems your relationship with him has eased somewhat?”

It had moved from hatred to mere dislike—was that not an improvement?

Ah… the most humble supporting female in history—who else could it be but her?

Yan Shu nodded slightly. “It seems so.”

Liu Zhiqing let out a breath of relief. “It’s good to see some improvement; don’t be too hasty, just take it slow.”

The conversation sounded a bit odd, as if both Yan Shu and Liu Zhiqing were currying favor with Xiao Jihan.

Recalling how earlier that morning Liu Zhiqing and Bing Shien had given pills and a heart-guarding mirror, Meng Yu hesitated before asking, “It seems both of you, Masters, take particular care of Junior Brother Xiao?”

Liu Zhiqing didn’t explain much, only instructed, “It’s a long story. Just remember to treat him well.”

Hearing this, Meng Yu felt a weight lift from his heart. It wasn’t as he had feared. He glanced at Yan Shu and replied quietly, “I understand.”

Sun Changfeng, listening to their exchange, began to calculate inwardly. It seemed he ought to advise Qiu Shuo Ran to leave Xiao Jihan alone for now.

After finishing the fruit, Meng Yu packed away the table and chairs. The four of them meditated and rested in their original spot as Liu Zhiqing formed a seal and cast a barrier to encompass them.

Night gradually fell, and rain began to pour down.

The disciples, who had been sitting cross-legged and recovering, looked up as a fine drizzle started to fall from the sky. At once, they leapt up like grasshoppers thrown into hot oil.

They wailed that their spiritual energy had hardly recovered, and there was no way to ward off the rain. Even if they could, they wouldn’t dare waste what little remained, as they’d need it for sword-flying the next day.

Sitting dry and comfortable beneath the barrier, Yan Shu watched the disciples hopping about and finally understood what Senior Brother Liu and the others meant earlier about the hardships these disciples were about to face.

Among these disciples, most had been favored children of heaven in the mortal world—served by attendants, shaded by umbrellas when it rained, their lamps lit as soon as night fell. Many had learned to draw spiritual energy into their bodies before joining, using it to shield themselves from wind and rain.

Now, with their spiritual energy depleted and no umbrellas at hand, they dared not use what little they had regained to ward off the elements, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and endure.

Yan Shu glanced at Liu Zhiqing, whose expression was calm and unaffected. It suddenly dawned on her that this journey must have been deliberately chosen for the sake of honing these disciples.

No wonder Senior Brother Liu was called the devil instructor.

Unlike the new disciples who were jumping about, the more seasoned ones calmly withdrew umbrellas from their storage pouches and opened them, clearly well accustomed to situations like this.

The new disciples could only look on with envy.

Some of the more sociable and lively ones sidled over.

“Senior Brother, you must be tired after flying on your sword all day. Let me hold the umbrella for you.”

“Senior Sister, with your beauty, you ought to be pampered. Let me hold the umbrella for you—just rest.”

“Senior Brother…”

“Senior Sister…”

All around, the flattery of the new disciples rang out. Just for the sake of an umbrella, they threw all dignity aside. “Serving Senior Brother is a blessing for a junior,” and “How could Senior Sister’s delicate hands be used to hold an umbrella?”—they used every excuse they could think of.

Yan Shu watched the lively scene ahead, the corners of her lips curving into a smile.

She turned her gaze toward Xiao Jihan, only to see him sitting alone to the side, entirely uninvolved in the bustling scene before him.

The rain was falling harder now; what had begun as a gentle drizzle was turning into a steady downpour, and showed every sign of intensifying.

Seeing Xiao Jihan’s dark hair already wet, Yan Shu decided not to miss any chance to gain favor. She formed a seal, and a spiritual barrier capable of blocking wind and rain enveloped Xiao Jihan.

At that moment, an umbrella suddenly appeared in Xiao Jihan’s hand.

Snap!

The umbrella opened.

The barrier descended.

Xiao Jihan looked at the umbrella in his hand, then at the bluish-violet spiritual barrier covering him, and lifted his gaze toward Yan Shu.

His phoenix eyes were cold and filled with disdain.

Yan Shu awkwardly withdrew the barrier.

Why didn’t he open his umbrella sooner if he had one? It wasn’t as if she’d gone out of her way to be meddlesome.

Favorability: -42 (Dislike)

Huh?

She’d lost three points?

Startled, Yan Shu hurriedly recalled the barrier.

Favorability: -45 (Dislike)

Yan Shu was nearly in tears. Brother, do you want this barrier or not?!

If not, how about I take it back and you return my three points of favorability?

Of course, she only dared to say this to herself.

Xiao Jihan looked away, put the umbrella back in his storage pouch, and closed his eyes once more.

Favorability: -35 (Dislike)

Yan Shu was speechless. Whoever said women’s hearts were hard to fathom had clearly never met Xiao Jihan. Compared to him, women’s hearts were as transparent as glass!

She didn’t dare look again; if he decided to deduct more points, where would she go to reason?

The rain intensified, drumming loudly on the barrier overhead.

A flock of disciples huddled under a few umbrellas like chicks, shivering as they braved the wind and rain.

A vivid illustration of what it meant to be weak, helpless, and pitiful.

The rain didn’t stop until the latter half of the night. The bedraggled disciples quickly straightened themselves up.

Only then did they realize that apart from Liu Zhiqing, Yan Shu, Meng Yu, and Sun Changfeng, there was one other who hadn’t been affected by the downpour—Xiao Jihan.

Seeing the bluish-violet, lightning-tinged spiritual barrier around Xiao Jihan, everyone was envious: who cared if he had a pseudo-spiritual root of four elements—he had Elder Yan on his side!

Even Qiu Shuo Ran couldn’t help glancing at Sun Changfeng. Both were teachers, after all…

Sun Changfeng actually hadn’t wanted to withhold help, but Qiu Shuo Ran had been squeezed in with the other disciples. If he’d cast a barrier, he’d have had to cover them all. The rain itself was meant to be part of their training, and after a day spent using spiritual energy, he had little left. If he used any now, he might not have enough for tomorrow.

Faced with the choice between pride and his disciples, he decisively chose the former.

The miserable night passed quickly. At dawn, Liu Zhiqing acted as if nothing had happened, cheerfully asking, “How did everyone fare yesterday? Did anyone manage to obtain a core?”

The disciples: …

Their expressions perfectly conveyed: I have something I really want to say, but I don’t know if I should.

Yan Shu’s lips curved faintly. She seemed to understand the joy of being a devil instructor.