As Chu Feng closed his eyes, he tried to sense the feeling of the water striking his body, attempting to grasp the power contained within its softness.
Gradually, sword intent began to spread around him, and strands of illusory sword qi encircled his body.
Seeing this, a faint glow emerged from the silver-white mark on Zi Xin’er’s forehead. Light radiated from her delicate hand, and the sword intent from her body slowly began to guide Chu Feng’s sword intent.
Just as he was struggling to integrate his comprehension into his sword intent, a beam of light lit up in the pitch-black sea of consciousness. The chaotic sword intent inside his body, like headless flies, surged toward that light in an instant.
Whoosh—
The five-colored sword qi absorbed all that sword intent, and its five-colored glow became even more dazzling.
Zi Xin’er, sensing the change in the young boy’s sword intent in her arms, hadn’t expected this little guy to grasp the method so quickly.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she had ever been this physically close to a man and it was a child, no less.
Since childhood, she had grown up in the inner sect of the Holy Land, and even after becoming an adult, she had never seen a man. It wasn’t until she reached fourth-rank cultivation and was sent on Holy Land missions that she came into contact with the outside world.
When men looked at her, their eyes were usually filled with greed and desire. Some were coveting her status as a saintess, others her beauty.
It wasn’t until one particular mission, during an investigation, that she discovered a group of women imprisoned by demonic cultivators. Enraged, she wiped out the entire demonic sect. That was when she met Lu Xiyue.
To her, Xiyue became the first true friend she had ever made.
When she first heard Xiyue talk about taking in a beloved disciple, she didn’t think much of it and simply responded with indifference.
Even when Xiyue brought the boy to her, pleading for treatment, she only helped because he was Xiyue’s disciple.
Her thoughts didn’t begin to change until that one strike during the duel with the outer sect elder when a mysterious figure appeared, exuding an ancient and powerful aura. That moment sparked her curiosity and made her decide to meet the boy.
She hadn’t expected their first meeting to be so awkward. This little guy just happened to stumble upon her while she was bathing.
What intrigued her most, however, was that unlike those other men, this boy’s eyes showed no trace of greed when he saw her. Instead, they were filled with shyness and purity.
After all, when Chu Feng first saw Zi Xin’er, he was so moved by her sacred presence that he felt a sense of guilt, like he needed to confess before a holy mother.
As Zi Xin’er continued to guide Chu Feng, she began to notice the boy’s astonishingly monstrous talent in the way of the sword. She was quietly surprised. Not only was he not rebellious like Yuejun, but he was also obedient and well-mannered, and had even completed the Nine-Pattern Sword Foundation.
All of this made her increasingly fond of him….if only he weren’t a boy, she thought with a trace of regret.
At this point, Zi Xin’er had started to see Chu Feng somewhat like a child of her own. That was why she could interact with him so intimately without the slightest sense of awkwardness or restraint.
The two of them remained perfectly still like that for a long time, the only change being the growing concentration of sword intent around them.
***
No one knew how much time had passed when the sword intent surrounding the boy slowly receded back into his body. Inside him, the five-colored sword qi suddenly flared with brilliant radiance. It was dazzlingly bright.
Chu Feng slowly opened his eyes and was shocked to discover that not only had his sword intent advanced, but his cultivation had also risen to the peak of the second rank.
“Not bad, little one.”
A familiar, mature voice sounded in his ear. As he felt himself still wrapped in that soft curved warmth, the blood that had only just calmed in his body began to stir violently once more.
He quickly suppressed the stirring thoughts in his heart. Aunt Zi had been so kind to him….not only in healing him but also guiding his cultivation. How could he possibly harbor any disrespectful thoughts toward her?
He must respect Aunt Zi just as he did his master!
“Thank you, Aunt Zi. I’ve finished cultivating.”
He immediately got up. If he stayed any longer, he feared he would lose himself in this gentle embrace.
As her arms suddenly emptied, Zi Xin’er felt as though her heart had emptied along with them.
Watching Chu Feng hurriedly putting on his clothes, Zi Xin’er slowly stood and walked over to the little one’s side. Her delicate hands helped him fasten his belt and smooth out the wrinkles in his clothes, as though she were dressing her own child.
Chu Feng hadn’t expected Aunt Zi to help him get dressed, and his mind began to wander.
Once his clothes were properly on, he quickly expressed his thanks. “Thank you, Aunt Zi.”
Zi Xin’er gently patted the little one’s head. “Little one, no need to be so polite.”
Looking into the boy’s bright eyes and feeling the youthful vitality radiating from him, she suddenly thought…boys weren’t so bad after all.
Feeling Zi Xin’er’s touch, Chu Feng couldn’t help but marvel. She truly was his master’s friend. Her habits were just like his master’s. His master loved to pat his head, and so did Aunt Zi, always doing it without warning.
“Aunt Zi, what should I do next?”
Withdrawing her slender hand, Zi Xin’er replied, “Little one, next you can go back and get some proper rest.”
As she finished speaking, the white silk nightgown on Zi Xin’er instantly transformed into her usual white robes. Immediately after, the space around them began to distort.
By the time the space returned to normal, Chu Feng realized he was already standing at the entrance of the main hall. Outside, the sky had long since turned pitch-black.
Chu Feng looked at Zi Xin’er beside him and said gratefully, “Thank you for your guidance today, Aunt Zi.”
“Little one, with your talent, even if I didn’t teach you, you would’ve figured it out on your own eventually. I simply helped you do in advance what you would’ve done in the future.”
Zi Xin’er said, looking at Chu Feng.
Just then, Chu Feng sensed someone approaching. Turning his head, he saw three figures appear in his field of vision.
Leading the way was a beautiful woman, followed by two young girls. The one at the very back seemed to be about the same age as him.
When the beautiful woman saw Chu Feng, her eyes were full of shock. She probably hadn’t expected a male to appear here at the residence of the Holy Master.
However, since even the Holy Master had allowed this young man to be here, she knew it wasn’t her place to say anything.
“Greetings, Holy Master.”
The beautiful woman bowed respectfully to Zi Xin’er as she spoke, and the two female disciples behind her quickly followed suit.
Seeing this, Chu Feng didn’t linger, not wanting to get in the way of Zi Xin’er handling her affairs.
“Aunt Zi, I’ll head back now.”
Zi Xiner gave a slight nod. Seeing this, Chu Feng turned to head back the way he had come. Having visited a few times already, he still remembered the path.
However, just as he brushed past the last female disciple, the cold yin energy within him that was almost completely cleansed suddenly stirred.
Chu Feng: !!!
His steps halted, and he froze on the spot.
Chu Feng quietly turned his head, releasing his spiritual sense and locking onto the last female disciple.
After a thorough inspection, he didn’t find anything unusual.
Was it just an illusion?
His hand moved to his chest. The last time the yin energy had suddenly reacted was when Lin Ruo had been near him.
And now, the cold yin energy had suddenly stirred again. Could it be… Lin Ruo this time as well?
But this was the core area of the Sacred Land of Yaochi. Aside from Aunt Zi, the only ones present were those three women.
Could it be that one of these three… was Lin Ruo?!
After thinking it over for a while, Chu Feng lifted his foot and slowly walked away again. It didn’t seem likely. All three were clearly women, while Lin Ruo was undeniably a man. How could that be possible?
Though that’s what he told himself, he still couldn’t shake the unease in his heart.
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