In a small room, in a corner of the *Commander's Mansion*, the aroma of soothing medicine wafted in the air, mixed with the aroma of soy sauce. On a square mahogany table, there was a plate of steaming, oily, fragrant roasted chicken.
On one side of the square table, Xiao Yunluo sat with her arms over her chest, her lavender eyes fixed on Feng Yu Die across the table. Her expression was extremely serious, like a stern mother lecturing her child.
How could a mere idiot do things that she couldn't do, and so calmly?!
She was clearly an idiot!
Every time Ye Anping encountered danger, she failed to help.
Each time she could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
Even in this crusade against the group of demonic cultivators, she did not have any special achievements. She just followed Lianxue all the way and restrained the *Nascent Soul* demonic cultivator with her.
Xiao Yunluo bit her lips lightly, feeling very unbalanced in her heart.
She admitted that she couldn't compare to Pei Lianxue.
After all, Pei Lianxue diligently practiced sword and energy condensation every day, and even trained with Ye Anping since she was little...
But, not to be as good as the second idiot?!
She couldn't accept that, sorry!
---Do you know how much effort she put into getting Ye Anping's love?
---Do you know how many books she read and how many pills she took to enhance her cultivation?
---After forming the core, she even ignored the Elders' advice, abandoned her Sword cultivation skills, and changed to Dharma cultivation.
But the second idiot even kissed Ye Anping in front of so many people, especially in front of Lianxue! And afterward, Lianxue even thanked her!
However, she couldn't do that!
What's more, she had never seen the second idiot cultivate seriously!
Since the *Core Formation* completion, the second idiot either ate roasted chicken or just hung around Pei Lianxue, trying to please her every day, and did not do any serious work!
And yet, the second idiot was still better than her!
*Woo---*
The more Xiao Yunluo thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and her face turned into a round bitter gourd.
On the other hand, Feng Yu Die didn't know what she had done wrong. She could only see that Sister Xiao seemed very angry.
After being stared at by Xiao Yunluo for a long time, Feng Yu Die couldn't help herself. She made a little figure with her right hand and slowly moved with her index and middle fingers toward the plate of roasted chicken on the table.
Alas, just as she was about to touch the plate...
*Clap---*
Feng Yu Die quickly retracted her hand and straightened her back, blinking. Then, she said pitifully, "Sister Xiao, the roasted chicken is getting cold. It won't taste good if it's cold."
"Eat! All you know is to eat!"
Xiao Yunluo gritted her teeth and reached across the table to grab her cheek, pulling hard.
"When did you get together with Anping?"
"Ah..." Feng Yu Die grabbed her hand, looking confused. "What do you mean I got together with Master Ye? I didn't..."
"If you didn't get together, then why didn't you hesitate when you kissed him? Tell me, how many times have you kissed him? Where? When? Tell me the truth!"
"Ouch... Sister Xiao, it hurts..." Feng Yu Die patted Xiao Yunluo's little hand, asking for mercy. "Just... just twice."
"Twice?"
"Once, when Master Ye and I were buried under the mountain, we kissed each other accidentally."
Xiao Yunluo let go of her face and tilted her head, asking. "When you were buried?"
Feng Yu Die rubbed her red cheeks and replied in a small voice, "It was an accident... and I kissed him just now to save him. Young Master Ye treats me well too. I can't just watch helplessly as his life is in danger and do nothing."
"...Is that all?"
"That's it, what else?"
Xiao Yunluo narrowed her eyes. "Don't you want to be his cultivation partner?"
"I'm devoted to Sister Pei. Young Master Ye is... is..." Feng Yu Die stuttered. She lowered her eyes and pondered for a while. "I don't know exactly, but Young Master Ye is very good to me..."
"Just because he's buying you roasted chicken, is he good?"
"He also helped me earn spirit stones and saved me several times. If he hadn't arrived in time, I would have probably been killed by Gu Mingxin. Also, Sister Xiao, he bought your sword for me!"
Her sword...
When Xiao Yunluo heard these words, her heart suddenly throbbed as if an arrow had been shot into it.
Until now, there was still no clue about the ten-thousand-year-old black stone spirit sword her mother gave her.
Over the past few years, she had actually asked the Elders of the ***Black Star*** Sect to help her find it. However, that cultivator from the ***Seven Slayers*** Sect had mysteriously disappeared along with the destruction of the ***Seven Slayers*** Sect in the **Western Region**.
The swords that followed: one broken, one given to Lianxue, one in the hands of the second idiot.
A year ago, when she had just completed her tribulation, she went to the *Sword Pavilion* of the ***Black Star*** Sect, and as soon as she entered, Mr. Liu, the Sword Master, stared at her with murderous eyes and asked, "Young Miss Xiao! Did you lose the sword I gave you again?"
The look in his eyes, as if he wanted to flay her alive, was so terrifying that even now, she still did not dare to step into the *Sword Pavilion* again.
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips slightly and relaxed. Seeing Feng Yu Die frowning, she asked, "So, how does it feel to kiss Anping?"
"Well... feels like roasted chicken skin, salty and smooth."
"You like it?"
"I like it very much... hehe."
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo immediately reached out and grabbed her cheeks, pulling her face into a big pie.
"Then, why are you saying that you are devoted to Sister Pei? What kind of devotion is this, if you like to kiss Ye Anping?"
"Ay ay ay..." Feng Yu Die begged for mercy hurriedly. "I don't like Young Master Ye. That's not right either. Young Master Ye and I have an agreement..."
Suddenly, Feng Yu Die raised her eyebrows, as if she had realized something, and hurried to explain. "I got it!"
"...You got what?"
"It's because Young Master Ye kissed Sister Pei that I like to kiss Young Master Ye on the mouth!"
?
Xiao Yunluo blinked. "Huh?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I am devoted to Sister Pei. Because Young Master Ye has kissed Sister Pei before, kissing him is equivalent to kissing Sister Pei. Therefore, I like the feeling of kissing Young Master Ye. That's it! I don't like kissing Young Master Ye. I like kissing Sister Pei!"
Hearing this reasoning, Xiao Yunluo felt as if a knot had formed in her brain. She was frozen for a long time before she slowly withdrew her hand and sat down.
However, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that the second idiot's logic was a little scary.
She covered her face and let out a long sigh. "Sigh... Forget it, I don't care about you. Anping asked me to teach you about men and women, here~"
As she spoke, Xiao Yunluo took out three books from her storage bag and threw them next to the plate of roasted chicken on the table. "You can even say you want to borrow a bird? You are not ashamed, but I am. Didn't you see the expressions on the faces of the old doctor and Commander Xu at that time?"
Feng Yu Die slightly shrank her neck and looked at the covers of the three books, which respectively read: *'Mysterious Girl Sutra'*, *'Jade Room Secret Book'*, *'Immortal Palace Erotic Pictures-- Hardcover Painted Edition'*...
"Can't I just borrow the bird?"
"No!" Xiao Yunluo frowned and denied, explaining, "Everything in the world can be divided into yin and yang. The bird is a yang body part with yang fluid inside. When it is combined with the yin fluid in women like you and me, it becomes a child."
"...Yin and yang." Feng Yu Die nodded. "That means Sister Pei and I both have yin fluid, and we need yang fluid to give birth to a child?"
"...Yes!"
"Then, can we borrow the yang fluid?"
?
Xiao Yunluo opened her mouth slightly... Come to think of it, it seemed that this could indeed be borrowed...
She heard that some men who couldn't give birth to a child would go and borrow others'...
Realizing what she was thinking, Xiao Yunluo shook her head like a rattle, throwing her four ponytails left and right. She was almost led astray by the second idiot.
"No!!"
"Oh... Then how can I have a baby with Sister Pei in the future?"
"You ask me?! Think of a way yourself!"
"So there is a way?"
"...No."
"Then, what do you want me to think of..."
"I..." Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath and looked at the roasted chicken on the table. "Eat your chicken, read these three books slowly, and ask me if you don't understand."
"Oh..."
Feng Yu Die nodded in resignation before folding the three books neatly and putting them aside. She then brought the roasted chicken closer, thought for a moment, and asked, "Sister Xiao, do you want to eat?"
"No. You read the books and recuperate. Your injuries aren't light either... Your left palm was..."
Xiao Yunluo turned to look at Feng Yu Die's hand, and a trace of surprise flashed across her face.
When she brought Feng Yu Die back, she saw with her own eyes that four fingers and half of her left palm were gone, but now the fingers were on her palm.
"Your hand... what happened?"
"It grew back... hehe~"
Xiao Yunluo was stunned. She knew that there were some rare pills that could regenerate limbs, but the healing process was rather slow, taking months or even years...
She shook her head and said quickly, "Second idiot... many people saw that your left hand was missing. Don't tell anyone, and bandage it yourself later."
Feng Yu Die grinned. "Got it!"
However, Xiao Yunluo frowned. "This is very important. Remember!"
"Oh..."
Xiao Yunluo slowly got up and walked out of the room while Feng Yu Die ate her roasted chicken.
After watching her leave, Feng Yu Die picked up the roasted chicken, hesitated for a while, and then put her mouth on the chicken's belly.
*Chirp~~*
"Hmm?"
*Chirp~~*
*Chirp~~*
"Hmm... that's not right, it's a bit too salty... hmm..."
...
*Creak---*
A small hand closed the door. The sky in the distance was already at dusk, and a few snowflakes fell quietly.
Xiao Yunluo breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like she had really become a mother. She looked into the distance and thought of Feng Yu Die's left palm which should have been cut off.
She had heard Doctor Zhou mention the term "Spring Phase" in the ***Black Star*** Sect before. It was what all the cultivators who studied medicine pursued throughout their lives.
There were thousands of cultivation methods in the world, but each of them had the same goal -- longevity.
Dharma cultivators sought to live as long as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth under the repeated impact of spiritual energy.
Sword cultivators sought the unity of man and sword, becoming themselves the swords that could withstand thousands of years of hardships without breaking.
Ghost cultivators transformed themselves into ghosts, used their skills to reduce the side effects of possessing other bodies, and then extended their lifespans through countless possessions.
Parasite-raising cultivators transformed into insects and could reproduce themselves in billions, like insects.
...
All these cultivation methods had been tested by predecessors.
In other words, there had been people who had successfully ascended to the Immortal Realm through these common cultivation methods.
Nowadays, most cultivators in the world were following the cultivation techniques summarized by their predecessors on the path to immortality, just copying them.
In the books Xiao Yunluo had read before, no one ascended on the immortality path through medicine.
Those medical cultivators had a clear goal, which was to rely on medical skills to become immortal. However, this path could be easily misleading.
The term "Spring Phase" was just a guess by an unknown medical practitioner.
According to the book written by that person, the condition for the appearance of the Spring Phase was that a person's mind needed to be as clean as a piece of paper, like a baby's, because the growth and recovery speed of a baby's body was the fastest.
Although Xiao Yunluo was quite surprised, she was even more worried.
This was because of what she knew; for example, the ***Bright Star*** Sect Patriarch, Zu Yuan.
Although that person was currently at the most powerful cultivation stage, *Void Returning*, he had only formed his core when he was seventy years old, so even after reaching the *Void Returning* stage, his body had maintained its old appearance.
Although he was still a *Void Returning* stage cultivator, no matter whether it was spiritual sense, spiritual energy, or physical abilities, he could not compare to her mother and a few other *Void Returning* cultivators.
It was also because of this that Zu Yuan had to experience the tribulation of *Deification* several times, and he almost died in the process because of these slight shortcomings.
She heard about this from Mr. Qi. Since then, Zu Yuan had been looking for medical practitioners everywhere, hoping that they could rejuvenate his body.
If he were still in the *Core Formation* stage, this wouldn't be difficult. There were many medicinal pills that could rejuvenate the body and bones, but these pills had very little effect on a *Void Returning* stage cultivator.
Xiao Yunluo was now worried that if Zu Yuan knew about Feng Yu Die's spirit of spring, he would most likely try to abduct her by any means.
Her mother was already at odds with that old man Zu Yuan, so she definitely wouldn't hand her over.
A deep obsession would give birth to inner demons.
Besides, even if Feng Yu Die's spirit of spring could really help him, with her current cultivation, she would be sucked dry by that old man Zu almost instantly.
"Let's talk to Anping when he wakes up... He should be aware of this, right?"
Xiao Yunluo put the matter aside for the time being. Even if the old doctor told others what he saw just now, no one would believe it. Besides, he saved so many *Snow Guards* in the *Commander's Mansion*. It would be too much to silence him.
When Ye Anping recovered a little, they should return to the ***Black Star*** Sect as soon as possible. Once they were back, they would be safe. When her mother found out about it, she would definitely protect Feng Yu Die.
"Huu..."
Xiao Yunluo exhaled lightly, patted her blushing cheeks, and lowered her head. "It's been almost three years, it should be about time... hmm..."
Mumbling, she looked around and hurried back to the room Xu Mulan had prepared for her, took out a flint and water stone, washed her whole body, and even put on the perfume that she rarely used.
Sitting in front of the dressing table, she put on some light makeup, rouge, and a thin little skirt. Then, she sat in front of the window, looking at the gradually darkening sky and praying as if in a daze. "Lianxue, come back to sleep today! Lianxue, come back to sleep today!"
Because Pei Lianxue's room was next to hers, as long as she went back to sleep, she could secretly go to Ye Anping.
It wasn't that she was impatient!!
But Ye Anping was injured, so she could transfer some spiritual energy to him. This way, he would recover faster, and they could return to the ***Black Star*** Sect sooner.
"Hmm..."
Xiao Yunluo propped her cheeks and listened carefully to the movements outside. The sky in her eyes reflected the Milky Way.
After a while, there were two knocks on the door.
*Knock knock--*
"Yunluo, I haven't slept for a few days, I need to rest. Brother lost consciousness again, so if you are free, go and watch over him, in case he wakes up in the middle of the night..."
?!
Heaven gave her a chance!
Xiao Yunluo's eyes lit up when she heard this, but she still pretended to be calm and replied, "Just let him sleep. It's okay, there are *Snow Guards* here, and I need to rest for a night too."
"Well... then I'm going to bed, good night."
"Good night..."
*Swish-swish-swish--*
The footsteps gradually faded away. Xiao Yunluo suppressed her desire to run to Ye Anping immediately and stood up, pressing her ear against the wall.
*Clattering...*
*---Woosh~~*
Lianxue seemed to be taking a shower...
Lianxue seemed to have finished showering...
Lianxue seemed to lie on the bed...
Lianxue seemed to have fallen asleep...
"!!"
Xiao Yunluo's eyes lit up. To prevent Lianxue from suspecting something, she stuffed a few pillows on her bed and covered the arrangement with a blanket. Then, she jumped out the window and hopped toward Ye Anping's room.
Just as Pei Lianxue had said, two *Snow Guards* with spears stood guard in the front of the room.
When they saw Xiao Yunluo approaching, they slightly raised their eyebrows and hurriedly cupped their hands.
"Miss Xiao, it's so late, why aren't you resting? We're standing guard here. You'd better..."
"Ahem..." Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath. "You guys can leave now. You're also tired from fighting the demonic cultivators before. I will stay with Young Master Ye myself."
The two *Snow Guards* looked at each other and didn't say anything. They cupped their hands and made way.
After seeing Xiao Yunluo enter, the two whispered together. "Should we go?
"Let's go. Didn't Senior Pei tell us to keep an eye on Young Miss Xiao and call her if she comes? She even gave us spirit stones and pills."
"But..."
"Well, sister, we are just following orders. This is someone else's family matter. Young Master Ye is so lucky. He is handsome and his wives are all so beautiful. Alas..."
The two sighed, then put away their spears and slowly headed toward Pei Lianxue's bedroom.
...
*Rustle---*
The room was very warm, and there were several lamps made of flint around the bed, blocking out the snowy and cold air outside the house.
Ye Anping felt something strange moving beneath his cover. He slowly woke up and opened his eyes.
He only remembered that he had fainted once again. Turning to look at the window, he saw that it was already dark outside and thought that he had probably slept for most of the day.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and continue sleeping, he suddenly noticed a pair of purple boots that did not belong to him, neatly placed side by side with his own boots.
?
The next moment---
*Slurp...*
Along with a strange sound, a strange feeling came from the bottom up.
Ye Anping's eyes widened. He slowly pulled open his quilt, propped himself up, and looked down.
A pair of starry lavander eyes reflected in his eyes.
"..."
"Hmm?"
"Yunluo, you..."
*Boo~~*
"Anping, are you awake? It's okay, just lie down, I'll help you recuperate." Xiao Yunluo smiled, blushing. "You need to have a good rest. This is the duty of your cultivation partner."
Ye Anping hesitated to speak, and after a long time, he managed to utter a sentence. "Yunluo, I am still injured..."
Xiao Yun Luo narrowed her eyes and revealed a charming expression.
"I'm giving you my spiritual energy so you can recover faster, wouldn't that be better? Besides, it's been almost three years, Anping. I've been following your instructions for three years and I haven't read those books once..."
"..."
Ye Anping bit his lips slightly. He could control his hands and feet, but he couldn't control...
However, it was also at this moment that the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. There was also a clattering sound, like iron sliding on the ground.
*Clatter---*
Ye Anping realized who was coming, closed his eyes, and lay back down.
Xiao Yunluo was a little confused when, with a "bang", the door was opened, and her confusion turned into fear.
A voice that sounded like it was demanding her life followed.
"Yunluo!!!"
"Ah?!" Xiao Yunluo was scared silly. She could only clench her legs, sit up, and wave her hand as she shouted, "Lianxue, wait, listen to my explanation..."
*Clatter---*
Pei Lianxue stepped over the threshold with her right foot and slowly walked toward the bed, dragging the sword Xiao Yunluo had given her before.
"Ah... oh..." Xiao Yunluo didn't know what to say as she nervously watched Pei Lianxue getting closer and closer. Almost crying, she hurriedly looked at Ye Anping. "Anping, you... say something, help me persuade Lianxue... I..."
However, at this moment, she realized that Ye Anping, who was awake a moment ago, had his eyes closed tightly as if she had just imagined it.
Pei Lianxue came to the bedside and slowly brought her face to Xiao Yunluo's.
"Yunluo."
"Lianxue... I... Woo------"
"You lied to me...You said you wouldn't fall in love with my brother. You clearly said so!"
"I..." Xiao Yunluo was so scared that tears flowed out. "Lianxue, this is all your brother's fault!"
Ye Anping: ?
Pei Lianxue turned her head thirty degrees. "Eh?"
"Why was he so handsome, so reliable, and so gentle to me?! I... I couldn't control myself! Lianxue, no man I have ever met since I was a child was as good as him... I..."
Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath and clenched the *'future'* in her small hands. "I like your brother! I like Ye Anping! I will only marry him!"
Ye Anping: ??
Xiao Yunluo's little hands squeezed tighter and tighter because of fear, and Ye Anping, who was pretending to sleep, looked more and more blue.
Pei Lianxue pouted slightly as she heard this and raised the sword in her hand.
"Ah! Lianxue..."
"Take your sword back, the one you lent me before..."
"Ah?"
Pei Lianxue looked away. "I'm the First Lady, you understand?"
"Oh..."
Xiao Yunluo was a little dazed, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses, but her hand finally released the *'future'*. Ye Anping, who was playing dead, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lianxue... you..."
"I'm angry! But..." Pei Lianxue looked at Ye Anping and continued, "What to do if my rotten brother is so outstanding?"
Then, she reached out and grabbed Xiao Yunluo's face. "I'm the First Lady!"
"Ah... um."
"Humph... Brother is still injured. Get off him first!"
Xiao Yunluo froze slightly. "Lianxue, this way his injury heals faster. Why don't... why don't... why don't you come too?"
Ye Anping clenched his fists when he heard this. *Xiao Yunluo, what are you teaching my sister?! How could my sister agree?*
"Hmm..."
*Hmm???*
Seeing Pei Lianxue nod, Xiao Yunluo's eyes lit up. She quickly threw the sword to the side and pulled Pei Lianxue's hand, letting her grab the *'future'* as well. "Lianxue, I'll teach you... You rub gently like this..."
...
Ye Anping was speechless. He didn't even know if he should 'wake up'. After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to pretend to be asleep. Therefore, he kept silent and closed his eyes, bearing all this alone...