The two people gazed at each other through a collapsed hole in the wall, with Yu Yi's questioning words already on the tip of her tongue.
She wanted to ask: What's the situation between you and Xue Chenjing? Are you two a dual personality with one body and two souls, or is this body yours, and you were possessed by an evil spirit and imprisoned in the depths of your heart, allowing Xue Chenjing to occupy your physical form?
She actually had many questions about the two of them in her heart. But Yu Yi hesitated for a moment and ultimately didn't ask.
She remembered when Xue Mingyuan woke up, he asked her, "Did Chenjing hurt you?"
This question showed concern for her, but judging from Xue Mingyuan's tone, he and Xue Chenjing didn't seem to be mortal enemies fighting over possession and rebirth. Otherwise, how could he call him "Chenjing" so calmly, even though Xue Chenjing seemed to quite dislike him?
Yu Yi didn't want to get involved between them; she didn't want to know so much.
The more deeply you understand someone, the more three-dimensional their image becomes in front of you. You'll develop many unnecessary extra feelings towards them, and you can no longer view them as just a "villain" on paper.
Just like moments ago, when Xue Mingyuan was speaking, she couldn't help but be drawn into his words, pondering his situation, and then feeling a bit of sympathy for him.
A person's emotional defenses are very fragile. Once you start to pity someone, it's like a crack forming in a dam, giving others a chance to exploit your vulnerability. Sooner or later, it will burst.
This villain had come to pursue her with a purpose. Yu Yi didn't want to let herself fall into it. Whether it was Xue Chenjing or Xue Mingyuan, the person standing in front of her was the same. They both knew of each other's existence, so she'd better treat them equally.
She hadn't asked Xue Chenjing why his tailbone was removed as an infant, and now she shouldn't ask Xue Mingyuan why he was imprisoned in the mountain temple. In any case, it was their internal conflict, and as long as it didn't affect her, it was fine.
The two of them stared at each other for quite a while. Under Xue Mingyuan's gentle gaze, Yu Yi gave him a faint smile, then averted her eyes. "It's late, I'm going to sleep."
Xue Mingyuan took the hint and turned his head away, saying considerately, "Alright. This hole being open like this might be a bit inconvenient for you, miss. I'll go open another room. Please rest easy."
Yu Yi went back into the room, took off his outer robe, changed into her own clothes, and used her spiritual power to float his robe and belt back to him. "Thank you for your trouble then."
Xue Mingyuan was momentarily stunned, then smiled helplessly as he took back his clothes.
He had thought Yu Yi would ask about his relationship with Xue Chenjing. Wouldn't most people be curious and inquire? But unexpectedly, she seemed completely unconcerned.
He had prepared many things to say, but now these words could only rot in his own belly. No wonder every time at the moment of exchange, he could feel Xue Chenjing's emotions like a trapped beast, frantically charging about but unable to find a breakthrough.
Xue Mingyuan glanced again at the oath stele in their shared inner sea. Without the heavy demonic shadows obscuring it, it stood so conspicuously in the center of their inner sea, its text glowing faintly, containing binding power.
This time Xue Chenjing had lost consciousness without having time to conceal the contents of the oath stele, allowing him to see how he had bowed and scraped, begging pitifully.
His poor little brother, could he really successfully pursue her?
Just as this schadenfreude-filled thought was about to surface in Xue Mingyuan's mind, he heard another voice ring out in his ear.
The system enthusiastically encouraged: "Master, you can do it! If it's you, you can definitely win over the female lead!"
Xue Mingyuan: "..." He gently closed his eyes, dispersing the thoughts in his mind. He put on his outer robe and walked downstairs with an empty head, closing the door behind him.
Little did he know, as soon as he closed the door and left, the person who had already lain down on the bed suddenly opened her eyes.
System voice? Xue Mingyuan also had a system voice!
Yu Yi stared at the bed canopy above, the surprise in her eyes slowly fading. Well, this system voice did thoroughly confirm for her that he and Xue Chenjing were indeed different personalities of the same person, both carrying the same purpose.
She was very glad that she had reined in her emotions earlier and hadn't continued to delve deeper into understanding them out of sympathy for Xue Mingyuan.
Yu Yi turned over, glancing at the large collapsed hole in the wall. She took out her Green Bamboo Sword and hugged it, stroking it gently. This sword had been worn down severely, with crisscrossing cracks meandering up and down from the middle section.
Due to the cracks in the blade, the sword spirit inside was not comfortable. Sword qi was leaking from the fissures. If she didn't hurry up and re-temper the Green Bamboo Sword soon, the sword spirit might jump out and peck her head to bits.
There was still much to do tomorrow, so she needed to rest and conserve her energy. Yu Yi hugged the sword, closed her eyes, and silently recited the Heart Purification Technique, clearing her mind of distractions before falling back into sleep.
Xue Mingyuan walked slowly along the main street of Yinzhou City. After the city patrol had finished inspecting this area, they had removed the barrier sealing off this place. The street lamps that had been lit dimmed once more, and the city settled back into slumber.
The night market had long since closed, leaving the streets empty and desolate, with at most some uncleaned garbage still lingering. There wasn't really much to see.
His solitary figure cast a particularly lonely silhouette on the long, quiet street.
The system asked, "Master, it's almost the fourth watch of the night now, and there's nothing much to see on the streets. Won't you go back to rest?"
Xue Mingyuan shook his head and walked towards the river that ran through the city. "I have plenty of time to rest, but opportunities to come out for a walk like this are rare. I haven't seen such empty street scenes for many years. Before he wakes up, I want to explore as much as I can, feel the breeze for as long as I can."
Hearing him speak like this, the system couldn't help but sigh. To it, although they were both its hosts and should be treated as one, Xue Mingyuan and Xue Chenjing were truly different, like two extremes.
Xue Chenjing was domineering and arbitrary, and also self-righteous. When he did things, he often didn't consider the consequences. It was only after he suffered setbacks and frustrations that he would reluctantly calm down and listen to its advice, which gave the system quite a headache.
If it were Xue Mingyuan, the progress in pursuing the female lead certainly wouldn't be so difficult. Unfortunately, he was completely suppressed by Xue Chenjing, to the point where even seeing such a desolate night scene was a luxury.
The system asked sympathetically, "Master, would you like to see some fireworks? You still have ten points left from the last time you came out. You can exchange them for a bundle of fireworks."
Xue Mingyuan was somewhat tempted, but then remembered that it was late at night, and the sound of fireworks would be too loud and disturb the city's residents' sleep. So he shook his head.
The system sensed his concern and said, "Don't worry, Master. The system can exchange for silent fireworks. There won't be any sound at all."
Xue Mingyuan slowly walked onto the stone bridge spanning the river. The willows on both banks swayed in the wind, and the river flowed gently. There were no stars or moon reflected in the water tonight, and the lights on both banks had been extinguished. The river surface was dark and deep, with no scenery to speak of.
It had been too long since he had seen starlight.
Xue Mingyuan raised his head to look at the deep night sky, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Shortly after he spoke, a burst of white light suddenly appeared not far ahead, shooting straight into the sky. It exploded high up, and the intense light fell as countless lines, blooming silently in the sky like a brilliant flower.
Xue Mingyuan's eyes widened as the fireworks blossomed and gradually faded in his gaze. Just as the sparks were about to dissipate completely, another beam of white light shot into the sky, exploding into silent fireworks.
The deep water surface was illuminated, with brilliant burning starfire both above and below. Xue Mingyuan stared unblinkingly at the quietly blooming fireworks until the last spark extinguished. Only then did he lower his head and say with a smile, "Thank you. It was beautiful."
The system was delighted.
In the shadow of the willows on the riverbank, two cultivators leaned against a tree, holding their swords and speaking in low voices. "These fireworks were quite pretty, and they didn't make a sound at all."
The other person said, "They look good, but without the whistling explosion sound, it feels like something's missing. It's not quite complete."
The first speaker, harboring some resentment about not being able to sleep in the middle of the night and having to follow a Foundation Establishment cultivator around, clicked his tongue and said, "Taoist Priest Shen has already tested him. I don't know why Senior Brother Pei still wants us to keep watching him."
The other person was much more focused. "It's very suspicious that he's not sleeping in the middle of the night and wandering around the city alone. Now he's setting off fireworks for no reason. It's very likely he's signaling to his accomplices."
The cultivator thought for a moment, "If Senior Brother is still suspicious of him, why not just capture and interrogate him directly?" It seemed like overkill to have two Golden Core cultivators tailing a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Perhaps it's out of consideration for the girl by his side," he paused, then added, fearing he might be presuming too much about his senior brother's thoughts, "Maybe the plan is to follow the trail and catch all his accomplices in one fell swoop."
"Let's not overthink it. We'll just do as Senior Brother instructs."
The person on the stone bridge started walking down towards a street, and the two cultivators ceased their chatter and continued tailing him.
It wasn't until dawn broke that Xue Mingyuan returned to the inn where he was staying, sitting quietly in the lobby to wait.
Suddenly, the system popped up a tutorial for the 100-day conquest plan. A light screen appeared in front of him, startling Xue Mingyuan. He glanced at the words on the screen, then turned to look at the attendant in the hall, realizing that others couldn't see the anomaly in front of him.
The system said, "Master, this is the newbie conquest tutorial. Although I think you might not need it, you might as well take a look. It could be useful for reference."
Xue Mingyuan nodded and looked closely.
[100-day Conquest Plan, Days 2-30: Building on your initial acquaintance, seize every opportunity for close interaction with your conquest target. Demonstrate your meticulous care to strengthen your relationship.
Recommended interaction methods: Please refer to the following sub-items. Mark completed items with a tick and uncompleted items with a cross.
Drink together, dine together, travel together, ride together, tour together, share a room, face adversity together, enjoy a view together, choose a gift together, wear matching outfits, share stories from the past, make decisions together, study a cultivation technique together, practice sword techniques together...]
Xue Mingyuan's gaze slid to the bottom of the long list of items on the light screen.
[...cultivate together, sleep together, share life's joys and sorrows, face life and death together.]
Xue Mingyuan's right hand rested on the table, his finger precisely on the last item "face life and death together." He asked with slight surprise, "Is it possible to accomplish so much in just thirty days?"
The system explained, "This tutorial is just for the host's reference. Of course, not every item needs to be completed. However, the items listed here are all conquest achievements that some people have managed to accomplish within thirty days. So, anything is possible, and we should strive for it too."
Xue Mingyuan almost forgot how to read the character for "together," his eyes finally going blank as he nodded.
The system encouraged, "Master has already completed several items last night. You can tick those off."
Xue Mingyuan raised his hand, like a diligent student completing homework, and carefully ticked off the items he had accomplished.
After he finished, the system withdrew the light screen, and the morning light outside grew brighter.
When Yu Yi came downstairs early in the morning, carrying Crane Senior Brother who had been shrunk by a talisman, she immediately spotted the person sitting by the window.
Xue Mingyuan had been watching the street outside gradually come to life. Hearing the system's reminder, he turned his head, stood up, and smiled at her, saying, "Good morning."
Yu Yi could easily distinguish between the two of them just by his smile, and she smiled back.
The crane, still half-asleep, poked its small head out from her arms, tilting back and forth as it examined Xue Mingyuan, seeming to notice his difference as well.
Xue Mingyuan smiled at Crane Senior Brother too, saying, "I asked the innkeeper to prepare some breakfast based on what we ordered before. Is that alright? Or would you like something else?"
As Yu Yi came downstairs, these breakfast items were just being served, still steaming hot. There was a basket of xiaolongbao, sugar-coated flatbread, walnut cake, noodles, rice noodles, and of course, steamed fish for Crane Senior Brother. A large table was set with a variety of dishes.
Besides rice porridge, there was also a snow pear and white fungus sweet soup, its golden broth clearly enriched with ample honey.
Yu Yi expressed her thanks and sat down with Crane Senior Brother in her arms. Watching the bowls and plates being served like flowing water, she asked in surprise, "Why did you order so much?"
Xue Mingyuan coughed lightly behind his hand, his cheeks flushing slightly in the morning light. "I really wanted to try everything, and I accidentally ordered too much. Please eat whatever you like, and I'll do my best to finish the rest."
Hearing this, Yu Yi realized that he had been imprisoned in that mountain temple for so long, unable to frequently control the body. He must have wanted to eat as much as he desired before Xue Chenjing woke up.
She nodded understandingly and removed the talisman from Crane Senior Brother. "It's alright if you can't finish it all. We have Crane Senior Brother here, and he can eat a lot."
The crane returned to its original size as it landed on the ground, proudly raising its neck and letting out a cry. No problem, leave it to me, I can eat a lot!
Xue Mingyuan smiled and first bowed to the crane in thanks, "Then I'll trouble Crane Senior Brother."
The crane's small eyes sparkled as it approached, twisting its long neck back and forth to examine him closely. Xue Mingyuan indulgently allowed it to look.
Now Crane Senior Brother could be certain that this person was indeed different. If it had been Xue Chenjing, it would have been grabbed by the neck and shaken dizzy long ago for staring at him like this.
The two people and one crane enjoyed their breakfast happily. After leaving the inn, they prepared to go to the Unmasked Tower to purchase the refining materials Yu Yi needed.
Xue Mingyuan was holding Xue Chenjing's storage pouch, but he didn't know how to unlock the spiritual lock on it. Unable to open the storage pouch, he had no other magical tools to help him fly, so he could only rely on his spiritual power to fly, which was far slower than Crane Senior Brother's speed.
Yu Yi had promised him last night, so she couldn't leave him behind and go ahead on her own. Her Green Bamboo Sword was severely cracked and couldn't be used for sword flight, so she had to make room for him on Crane Senior Brother's back, with the two of them squeezed onto one crane.
Xue Mingyuan sat behind her and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, it seems I'm causing you trouble."
As he spoke, his breath stirred the wisps of hair by her ear, making Yu Yi's ear tickle. She couldn't help but shrink her neck a bit. "It's alright. Crane Senior Brother is very capable. He once carried a big brown bear, so carrying an extra person is nothing for him."
"A brown bear?" Xue Mingyuan chuckled. "Why did he carry a bear?"
Crane Senior Brother proudly cawed, urging Yu Yi to proclaim its glorious deed.
Unable to resist its calls, Yu Yi said, "When we were still at Cloud Mountain, Crane Senior Brother had his eye on a beehive full of honey. He was planning to wait until it was full before bringing it back for me, but a brown bear beat him to it."
The crane let out a loud cry.
Yu Yi stroked its neck and chuckled, "Crane Senior Brother was very angry, and the consequences were severe. It decided to exile that bear, so it pecked the bear unconscious, carried it on its back for hundreds of miles, and dropped it in a remote mountain valley. I had to give it several baths when it came back."
"Crane Senior Brother is indeed very impressive," Xue Mingyuan said, barely containing his laughter as he listened to the story.
Hearing his suppressed laughter, Yu Yi turned her head slightly. From the corner of her eye, she could see his eyes crinkled in a smile, with a hint of tears from laughter at the base of his eyelashes.
She quickly turned her gaze back to the front, focusing intently on what was ahead.
Crane Senior Brother, flattered by the praise, flapped its wings even faster. To demonstrate its prowess, it arrived at the Unmasked Tower earlier than expected.
The two dismounted from the crane's back. This time, Crane Senior Brother didn't transform into a duck. Yu Yi shrunk it and put it in her purse. They dropped spirit stones into the lantern and entered the Unmasked Tower.
This time, Yu Yi chose a cat mask. Xue Mingyuan turned to see her happily stroking the illusory cat tail she had sprouted. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up a rabbit mask and put it on his face.
As the mask adhered to his face, it covered part of his features, while the exposed parts changed slightly to match the mask. Xue Mingyuan's eyes turned red, two soft rabbit ears hung down from either side of his hair, and a fluffy white rabbit tail sprouted from his lower back.
When Yu Yi turned her head, she first saw the rabbit tail on his bottom, then looked up to see the two rabbit ears. She gripped her restless fingers and said, "It's rare for people to choose the rabbit mask."
Xue Mingyuan was surprised. "Why is that?"
Yu Yi thought to herself, "If you looked in a mirror, you'd know why."
Out loud, she said, "This mask makes one appear too vulnerable. Others might be tempted to bully you when they see it."
For instance, she herself was now fighting the urge to pinch his ears and tail.
