"Right, I brought a lot of miraculous medicines from home. See if any of them might help?"
At this moment in the story, the little wife-to-be still cared deeply about her fiancé and doted on him. She only admired and envied Ji Shiyu; her heart was still firmly on Yun Liu's side.
After all, the blonde protagonist had not started loosening the soil at his corner yet.
But Yun Liu did not even glance at the medicines. His gaze was fixed instead on the breathtaking golden-haired girl.
Xiao Xinran's temper exploded at once. She planted her fists on her hips and stepped between them, blocking his line of sight.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you mute?"
"No need. Thank you. If there's nothing else, you should go back."
The young man in white sat quietly by the bed, voice flat, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
"What kind of attitude is that? I'm worried about you!"
Xiao Xinran stomped her foot. The usually gentle, considerate older brother suddenly felt like a stranger. He was still polite, but there was a distance in his eyes that had never been there before.
Just because of that joke she had made earlier?
It wasn't like she truly disliked him.
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Xiao. I am perfectly fine."
"You… what did you just call me!?"
The girl in red froze, staring at him with wide eyes, face full of disbelief.
"Enough, Xinran. Brother Yun is still recovering, and his mood must be terrible."
Ji Shiyu looked troubled. The young couple had clearly fallen out, and she could only stand between them with a wry smile, trying to smooth things over.
The collapse of one's Qi Sea meant becoming a cripple. Add the careless ridicule from the girl he had fought so hard to protect, and anyone would feel miserable.
"Shiyu, even you're taking his side… Humph!"
Xiao Xinran puffed out her cheeks again, spun on her heel, and left in a huff.
The door shut behind her.
...
Once Xiao Xinran left, the room fell quiet. Only two people remained.
The silence stretched for a few breaths. Yun Liu did not look dejected at all. Instead, his eyes grew sharper, like he had finally dropped a mask.
His gaze slid over Ji Shiyu, tracing the lines of her body as if her robes were transparent. It was not lecherous so much as disturbingly familiar, like a tailor measuring a client he had fitted many times before. A faint chill ran down the blonde girl's spine, and she suddenly did not know where to put her hands.
From a certain perspective, the victim really did understand her better than she understood herself. In his previous life, he had even memorized her official character data. Measurements, height, weight, and all the little details… he knew every number better than he liked to admit.
With Xiao Xinran gone, Ji Shiyu could only cough lightly and try to patch things up.
"Brother Yun, Xinran didn't mean it. She doesn't understand how important the Qi Sea is to a cultivator, and she doesn't know what you sacrificed to protect her."
"I know she's just straightforward."
"These past few days, it wasn't that Xinran didn't want to come, but rather…"
Ji Shiyu hesitated, eyes flickering, as if something stuck in her throat.
"I know."
Yun Liu smiled and nodded, repeating the same two words.
There was no need for the blonde heroine to try getting closer. He knew the entire script already.
"I understand how you feel right now," Ji Shiyu said softly. "But don't give up so easily. I've heard there's an elixir that can repair the Qi Sea. It's extremely rare on the market, but if you can find a master alchemist, there might still be hope."
Believe me, there isn't, Yun Liu thought.
He only shook his head, his expression a little hard to read.
"If Miss Ji has nowhere to stay, you can stay at my Yun residence for a few days," he said. "The courtyard is quiet, and there is no one else around."
She had saved his life, so basic courtesy was still necessary. Besides, Ji Shiyu was not a bad person at heart. She was kind and warm-hearted, a bit self-absorbed and radiant in that protagonist sort of way, but not malicious.
"Then… thank you. I'll be in your care."
Ji Shiyu blinked in mild surprise but did not refuse. Although the Yun family was not as grand as the Xiao family, in a small place like Lan City they were still considered a respectable household. The residence was not grand, but it was quiet and private.
As she watched the boy's thin back, a flicker of curiosity rose in her heart.
At sixteen, he had already reached the ninth stage of Qi Refining. Even among the great clans of the Eastern Continent, he would still be considered a top genius, surely an elite inner disciple of the Divine Favor Sect.
A young man who had achieved success so early should have been full of vigor and pride. Instead, a disaster had struck him out of nowhere, crippling his cultivation and cutting off his future. For most people, that kind of blow would have shattered their Dao heart.
But Yun Liu treated it as if it were a small bump in the road and did not seem discouraged at all.
His Dao heart was as solid as rock.
Ji Shiyu was quietly impressed. She knew that if the same thing had happened to her, she would not be this calm. That thought alone made her even more certain of her decision.
"The Divine Favor Sect really is an orthodox Daoist sect, full of outstanding people," she thought. "I've come to the right place."
Her golden hair rustled slightly as something moved within it. A tiny, fluffy head popped out from the shimmering strands.
It was a round little chick with a sharp beak. The tuft of feathers on its head burned with the color of fire, and its black eyes were bright and spirited.
"Domineering… exuding a serious aura," the chick chirped in a childish voice, as if it were offering a serious evaluation.
Its simple, proud verdict echoed in the quiet room. This was no ordinary bird. It was a spirit beast.