Pei Jingchao did not mention their encounter at the Sword-Sealing Stone, so Yu Yi also pretended not to know. She turned to look at Pei Jingchao, feigning surprise as she covered her mouth, as if just realizing who he was, and said, "Oh, it's you! You're quite fortunate, young sir. I didn't expect you to still be alive?"
Pei Jingchao smiled and said, "Thanks to your kindness, miss."
Yu Yi quickly waved her hand, "You're too kind, sir. I didn't really do anything remarkable. At the time, I saw you by the roadside and thought you had already breathed your last. Worried that your corpse rotting there would frighten others and pollute the flowers and grass, I dug a hole to bury you."
She lowered her eyes, putting on an ashamed expression, and sighed, "I didn't expect that I had misjudged the situation and buried you alive, nearly causing your demise. I truly don't deserve your gratitude for saving your life."
As she spoke, the smile on Pei Jingchao's lips became somewhat stiff, almost falling off his face.
When he had awakened underground, the soil covering his body had indeed been packed very tightly. The mud was damp, completely blocking his nose and mouth. If his spirit beast hadn't arrived in time, he truly would have suffocated beneath the earth.
However, he had been severely injured at the time. If he hadn't used some breathing techniques to slow his respiration and heartbeat, reducing blood loss, he probably wouldn't have lasted long anyway.
The young lady before him had been an ordinary person without cultivation at the time, so it was normal for her to have misjudged the situation.
Pei Jingchao only needed to recall the look in her eyes when she saw him then to know that she certainly hadn't done it intentionally.
"There's no need for you to blame yourself, miss. If anyone is to blame, it's me for using breathing techniques to suppress my injuries, causing you to misjudge the situation."
To alleviate her feelings of guilt, Pei Jingchao wracked his brains and said very sincerely, "By burying me, Miss Yu actually helped me evade my pursuing enemies, allowing me to wait for rescue. In the end, it was your kind act that saved me."
Could it be interpreted this way?
Yu Yi blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing that they had started chatting in the middle of the street and Yu Yi's attention had completely shifted away from him, Xue Chenjing's expression darkened slightly. He took half a step back, extended a finger from his sleeve to poke Crane Senior Brother, and gave it a meaningful look.
The crane turned its head to look at him in confusion. Xue Chenjing lowered his voice to a whisper and transmitted into its ear, "Tell your master to return to the inn. I'll steam some fish for you to eat."
Crane Senior Brother's small eyes immediately lit up. It nuzzled its head against Yu Yi's shoulder with two "ga ga" sounds and tugged at her sleeve with its beak.
Yu Yi soothingly patted Crane Senior Brother's head, also taking the opportunity to say goodbye.
Pei Jingchao didn't try to stop her, saying, "I will always remember Miss Yu's kindness. If there's ever anything I can do for you, I will certainly repay you. This is my communication token. Please, I insist you take it no matter what."
As he spoke, he took out a jade pendant from his sleeve. The pendant was pure white, with threads of vermilion running through it - a fine blood jade. It was carved in the shape of a flood dragon biting its own tail. The dragon's scales were inlaid with runes, clearly a high-grade magical artifact.
Yu Yi pondered for a moment, glancing at Xue Chenjing out of the corner of her eye. Now that she was already involved, having an extra option wasn't a bad thing.
Although she didn't know exactly how the plot of this book would unfold, in the story of "Tidal Shock," Pei Jingchao and Xue Chenjing were evenly matched opponents. The two books' plots were bound to have some commonalities, and these two were perfect for setting against each other.
So Yu Yi didn't refuse, reaching out to take the jade pendant. "In that case, I graciously accept."
Xue Chenjing stood silently to the side, frowning as he stared at her hand holding the jade.
Seeing her accept it, Pei Jingchao felt relieved. The smile on his face grew even gentler as he said, "If you ever need to find me, just channel some spiritual energy into the jade and call my name. My surname is Pei, given name Jingchao, courtesy name Siguei."
Yu Yi smiled politely, "You've already introduced yourself earlier, Sir Pei."
The young woman's curved eyes were filled with the dazzling lamplight, bright as the moon reflected in water. Her voice, mixed with the clamor of the mortal world, was as sweet as morning dew dripping from flower petals.
Ripples spread across the lake of Pei Jingchao's heart. He smiled bashfully and said, "I've finally found you, and for a moment I forgot myself..."
Yu Yi let out a small exclamation, interrupting his words. As if suddenly remembering something, she offered her congratulations, "Oh, that's right! There was a joyous occasion at Mount Li recently. Sir Pei and Yuxiu Fairy got married. As a mere rogue cultivator, I couldn't go to Mount Li to offer my congratulations, so I can only wish you both a harmonious union and many children here."
Pei Jingchao was stunned for a moment. Coming back to his senses, he swallowed the unfinished words, the smile on his face fading by three degrees.
Xue Chenjing finally seized the opportunity, letting out a snort of laughter from the side before chiming in, "Indeed! This was quite the grand event in the cultivation world. Everyone says that Sir Pei and Yuxiu Fairy are childhood sweethearts, a talented scholar and a beautiful lady, a perfect match, as close as glue. They have a love as steadfast as mountain and sea, with hearts as true as heaven and earth can witness. On the day of the wedding, even phoenixes came to sing in harmony, auspicious omens bringing blessings. Truly a couple made in heaven, unparalleled in the world!"
Xue Chenjing took a light breath, then changed his tone, his face full of confusion as he said, "Sir Pei has just gotten married, yet he's 'forgetting himself' on this crowded street. Does Yuxiu Fairy know about this?"
Yu Yi: "..." If you say you haven't practiced crosstalk in private, I won't believe it.
Pei Jingchao: "..." I didn't even know I was this in love.
The two cultivators from the Lishan Sword Sect following behind Pei Jingchao exchanged glances, keeping their eyes down and their minds blank, tacitly pretending they hadn't heard anything.
Regardless of what the people present were thinking, they all had the same thought: your tongue is quite glib, isn't it?
With everyone staring at him, Xue Chenjing's eyebrows flew up. He turned to look at Yu Yi, his eyes curving into a smile, the depths of his gaze twinkling like stars, filled with undisguised pride, as if asking: Master, did I do well?
Yu Yi was laughing inwardly, lowering her head to stroke Crane Senior Brother's head, hiding the corners of her mouth that were twitching from trying not to laugh.
The smile had completely fallen from Pei Jingchao's face. He weakly explained, "The wedding ceremony was interrupted, so Yuxiu and I haven't actually formally completed our union yet."
But such an explanation sounded feeble no matter how one heard it. Pei Jingchao knew that no matter what he said now, it would only make things worse, making people think he truly was a fickle scoundrel.
The real bitterness in his heart was difficult to express. He could only smile helplessly and excuse himself, saying he had other matters to attend to.
After turning a street corner, he suddenly stopped and looked back the way he had come.
The two people and the crane had already left the stall selling velvet flower hairpins. The pair walked side by side in the crowd, surrounded by the brilliant lamplight. The ponytailed youth tilted his head to say something to her, and Yu Yi occasionally turned to look at him in response. The iris velvet flower hairpin in her hair was particularly eye-catching.
The crane bustled about beside them, stretching its long neck from behind to place its head between them and let out a loud cry. The two were startled by the crane's call and covered one ear each in annoyance, giving the crane's head a pat.
Pei Jingchao couldn't hear what they were saying - perhaps they were discussing him - but he did hear the crane's resounding call carrying over the clamorous voices.
He also raised his hand to press against his own ear.
If only she had appeared earlier, even if it was just a month earlier for him to see her, there wouldn't have been that grand banquet at Mount Li.
When Pei Jingchao had lingered in Rounan County, he had thoroughly investigated everything about her.
Yu Yi had appeared in that small town more than four years ago. Based on the timing, it should have been after she saved him. She had left her original residence and soon after arrived in the vicinity of Rounan County.
It must have been because his blood-soaked appearance had frightened her when he appeared there. Worried that his enemies might come looking for him and implicate her, she had buried him and then swiftly erased all traces before leaving so decisively.
Looking at it this way, she was actually a very clever and cautious young woman who knew how to seek advantages and avoid harm.
The "Crane Fairy" was quite well-known in Rounan County. When Pei Jingchao was there, he had visited all the families Yu Yi had helped to exorcise demons and monsters. In such a remote place, the troublemakers were all just minor demons and spirits stealing chickens and dogs.
He had even specifically captured a few small demons that she had released back into the mountains to interrogate them, and gone to great lengths to collect all the talismans she had sold over the past five years that hadn't been consumed yet.
From the grade and power of her talismans, one could roughly deduce when she began her cultivation journey and how her abilities had progressed.
For someone to form a Golden Core in just five years was exceedingly rare in the entire cultivation world. Her talent for cultivation truly delighted him.
It was like discovering a gold nugget among gravel. He had thought she was just a slightly brighter piece of sand, but upon closer inspection, he realized she was a pearl that could shine as brilliantly as himself.
Pei Jingchao's desire to find her grew stronger. Following various clues, he finally located the secret realm hidden deep in the mountains.
Unfortunately, he was once again too late. The owner of the secret realm had already sealed it and left.
Pei Jingchao tried to forcibly break open the secret realm, but the person who created the sealing talisman was more powerful than him. It must have been her master, the Qingxuan Daoist Priest. Unable to break the seal, Pei Jingchao had no choice but to leave in frustration.
The person he had been searching for so earnestly for five years, whose clear bright eyes once looked at him with admiration, now gazed at another. How could he accept this?
Pei Jingchao watched intently as their figures disappeared into the crowd. He turned to instruct the cultivator behind him, "Keep a close eye on them, especially the man. The destruction of the Weapon Tempering Platform must be connected to these two."
Pei Jingchao had carefully examined the collapsed Weapon Tempering Platform. From the moment he struck it with his first sword attack, he sensed that besides Yu Yi, there was another person resisting his sword light.
If it was proven that this man was the one who repelled the demonic energy, his life wouldn't last much longer.
The two cultivators bowed and responded with a "Yes," before vanishing into the neon lights like fleeting shadows.
Meanwhile, after bidding farewell to Pei Jingchao, the pair returned directly to their inn.
Although Yu Yi had accepted his communication talisman, she didn't give this person much thought. Upon returning, she accompanied Crane Senior Brother for a meal of steamed fish, then had the inn prepare a tub of hot water to wash his feathers and clean his beak.
Usually, Yu Yi used cleaning spells to groom the crane, but every so often, she would wash him with water and carefully tend to his feathers.
Xue Chenjing followed her like a tail. When Crane Senior Brother ate fish, he sat nearby. When Crane Senior Brother bathed, he still watched. When Yu Yi brushed Crane Senior Brother's teeth, he peered into the bird's beak and muttered, "What teeth does it even have?"
Is this really treating it as a mount? It seems more like she's raising an ancestor!
Xue Chenjing rubbed his chin in contemplation. If he were to become her mount, wouldn't it save him the trouble of trying to win her over? Yu Yi would bathe and brush his teeth too, treating him with patience and gentleness. Her favorability would increase rapidly, and the side quest storyline could progress quickly.
For a moment, he once again harbored murderous thoughts towards Crane Senior Brother.
The system was exasperated and scolded disappointedly, "Host, can't you have some self-respect? Please, just try to act like a human being."
Xue Chenjing was unfazed. As long as Yu Yi could like him, he was willing to be anything.
The system mercilessly shattered his fantasy, saying, "Moreover, you can't even fly as fast as Crane Senior Brother right now. Even if you wanted to be the female lead's mount, she might not accept you."
Xue Chenjing was furious with embarrassment and angrily thought, "Shut up."
Yu Yi heard the system's voice and discreetly glanced at Xue Chenjing's gloomy expression.
As expected of someone who could be a villain, he kept pushing the boundaries of her perception of his moral limits for the sake of completing tasks.
After tending to Crane Senior Brother, Yu Yi turned to enter her own room. Just as she was about to close the door, Xue Chenjing finally raised his hand to stop it.
Had he finally reached his limit after following her for so long?
Yu Yi calmly looked up at him. Xue Chenjing frowned and asked puzzledly, "Aren't you going to throw away that jade?"
Yu Yi was even more confused, "Why would I throw it away?"
If she had wanted to discard it, she wouldn't have accepted it in the first place. He had followed her all this time just to ask about this?
Xue Chenjing was silent for a moment, then changed his approach, "If you don't like it, I can help you get rid of it. He won't notice."
Yu Yi yawned, pushing his hand away, "No need. I quite like it. I'm going to sleep now, good night."
The door closed with a creak. Xue Chenjing glared at the door that nearly hit his face, his brows furrowed tightly. He raised his fist, wanting to punch her door, but after holding it in mid-air for a long while, he finally lowered it in frustration.
Xue Chenjing returned to his own room, seething with anger. He slammed the door shut with a loud bang, causing the hinges to squeal pitifully and shower dust, drawing curses from other guests on the same floor.
Ignoring the commotion, he flopped onto the bed like a puddle of mud and asked, "System, what's the favorability?"
The system replied, "Twelve percent."
After a busy day, there wasn't even a slight increase. Yu Yi even said she quite liked Pei Jingchao's jade. What did that mean? He had thought that someone like Pei Jingchao wouldn't pose any threat to him.
Unexpectedly, her taste was so poor, liking all these two-faced characters.
Xue Chenjing lay there conflicted for a while, then suddenly sat up. With a wave of his hand, a tentacle extended from his sleeve, deftly grabbing the mirror on the table and bringing it to him.
The bright surface reflected his appearance: ink-black long eyebrows, a straight nose, well-shaped lips, and eyes that were often praised by others.
Xue Chenjing had always known that in others' eyes, he was considered good-looking. Many people would be especially accommodating towards him upon first meeting due to his appearance, thus lowering their guard.
But now, Xue Chenjing began to doubt if he was attractive enough.
Xue Chenjing raised his hand, rubbing his face with his fingers. Which part wasn't good-looking enough?
The system said, "No, master, you're completely wrong about this. You can doubt anything about yourself, but you don't need to doubt your looks. Your face has already earned you a lot of points."
Xue Chenjing scoffed dismissively, tossing aside the mirror and falling back onto the bed. He closed his eyes and sank into his sea of consciousness. Immediately, waves of demonic shadows surged forth, engulfing him.
She likes foxes, so he could become a fox.
The system sensed his intention and cried out in alarm, "Master, don't be rash! Your Heart Monarch's fire is missing, you can't subdue it now! Once you awaken it, the one who'll be devoured will be you!"
The ancient great demon Nine-Tailed Fox has a violent nature and won't be as obedient as Earth Impurity. At that time, forget about winning over the female lead, it might just eat her in one bite.
"We can use pills to turn you into a fox too. It doesn't matter if you have a few less tails. There's no need to take such a dangerous path, master," the system frantically circled around. "You still haven't opened your newbie gift package. There are many strategies for winning her over in there!"
However, to its surprise, its host calmly asked, "What newbie gift package?"
System: "???"
