Chapter 9: Shocking! Junior Brother Qi Is Actually Incapable!

Using cleansing techniques to clear both herself and Qi Yan, Yun Zhao flipped through the worn little book in search of the next method.

Watching Yun Zhao’s earnest expression, Qi Yan sat on the steps, a bitter feeling stirring in his heart.

Just now, when the fire spirit power went out of control, she had rushed over without hesitation. Could it really have been an act?

Qi Yan wasn’t sure.

“Qi Yan, look at this method—earth therapy. The specific steps are…” Yun Zhao began.

“Yun Zhao,” Qi Yan interrupted abruptly, “aren’t you cautious about your life? Why didn’t you run just now?”

Yun Zhao paused, puzzled. “Run? Run from what?”

Qi Yan lowered his gaze, playing with his fingers. “It was so dangerous then. You were wearing defensive spirit artifacts—you could have escaped on your own.”

It was just an act, after all. No need to risk herself.

“But you were in danger,” Yun Zhao’s voice sounded above him. “If I had run away, what would you have done?”

“Besides, I wear so many defensive spirit artifacts precisely to protect both of us when danger arises.”

“I’ve said it before—I like you, and I will always, always protect you.”

He lifted his head, she leaned forward, and their eyes met.

[Affection +5, Current Affection: 14]

Yun Zhao’s smile grew even brighter. She reached out her hand to Qi Yan. “Don’t just sit here. Let’s go back inside.”

Qi Yan did not reply but his hand moved on its own to rest in hers.

They strolled slowly toward the house. Yun Zhao sighed, “That was really dangerous just now. You have no spiritual power, so you can’t activate spirit artifacts. If it weren’t for that outfit protecting you, you would have been burned.”

So that was how it was.

Qi Yan parted his lips but said nothing.

Yet the last trace of awkwardness in his heart faded, replaced by a strange ache—it was only the second time someone had protected him.

He glanced at Yun Zhao’s profile. In the moonlight, she was beautiful.

But utterly unattainable.

Inside the house, Yun Zhao bid him goodnight.

“You rest early. Tomorrow we’ll try other methods. I’m heading back.”

Qi Yan sat on the edge of the bed. “Mm.”

Yun Zhao stepped one foot over the threshold, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned back quickly and approached Qi Yan.

“What is it?”

Yun Zhao said nothing but leaned toward him.

Qi Yan instinctively closed his eyes as a warm touch brushed his left cheek.

“You didn’t wipe this off earlier. There, all better now.”

When he opened his eyes again, Yun Zhao had already withdrawn.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the chirping of unknown insects outside.

In the darkened room, Qi Yan lay on his side. Just before closing his eyes, he whispered softly:

“Goodnight.”

Unbeknownst to him, inside Yun Zhao’s room, she had activated a soundproofing formation and was rolling wildly on her bed in a fit of excitement.

“Affection is at 14! I’m amazing!” she exclaimed, as if wanting to announce it to the world and celebrate.

She had expected the task to be difficult, but Qi Yan was surprisingly easy to win over.

“Oh yes,” after calming down, Yun Zhao flipped over with a splash, “I better write down the key points.”

“Host, key points for what?”

Yun Zhao buried her head in her notes without looking up. “The key points to raising affection. Hmm… here’s the third point: saving Qi Yan increases affection.”

“When I have more notes, maybe I can write a strategy book on defeating villains!”

Yun Zhao thought happily.

…

At dawn, Qi Yan was woken by Yun Zhao’s calls.

Seeing her diligently researching ways to help him unseal his cultivation, Qi Yan decided to be magnanimous and not mind her waking him with a gong.

But magnanimous or not, he couldn’t accept being buried in the earth.

His expression was hard to read. “This earth therapy you mentioned—is it just burying me in soil?”

He, a future great demon king feared by all and able to quell a child’s night cry, was actually going to be planted in the soil like an onion by Yun Zhao!

Yun Zhao answered earnestly, “Not burying you, but letting you have intimate contact with the earth, absorbing the essence of sun and moon, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through the soil.”

No matter how eloquently she described it, Qi Yan refused to accept the method.

Yun Zhao shrugged, “Fine, I’ll try another method.”

After attempting five or six methods that looked unreliable—and in fact were—Yun Zhao gave up.

She sighed helplessly, “You really can’t sense any spiritual power at all? Maybe I should ask the elders. Hmm, if only my senior uncle had emerged from seclusion—he might know how to unseal your cultivation.”

Qi Yan shook his head. “I can’t sense anything… but when we used fire therapy yesterday, I did feel a slight loosening of my spiritual power inside.”

Yun Zhao grew more worried. “But it went out of control yesterday. If it weren’t for the many defensive spirit artifacts I wore, we might have been burned alive.”

She was puzzled. “Why did it go out of control? I was controlling it carefully.”

“Because he has a wind spirit root.”

Mu Qianqian’s voice came from behind Yun Zhao. “Fire borrows the wind’s momentum. You can’t fully control the spiritual power, so it goes out of control.”

Yun Zhao turned back with delight. “Senior Sister Mu, is that really the reason? So if I manage it well, it won’t go out of control, and maybe I can unseal Qi Yan’s cultivation?”

Mu Qianqian shrugged. “I don’t know. The reason for the loss of control was told to me by Master. Whether spiritual power can unseal his cultivation... Master didn’t say.”

Yun Zhao pressed, “Has senior uncle come out of seclusion?”

“No,” Mu Qianqian shook her head. “Master just sent me a message.”

She handed Yun Zhao a folded paper. “This is from Master. Collect these spirit herbs and use them in a medicinal bath; it can unseal his cultivation.”

Yun Zhao looked at it. They were all common spirit herbs that could be gathered in one trip to Wood Peak.

She hugged Mu Qianqian suddenly. “Thank you, Senior Sister!”

Mu Qianqian felt a little awkward and gently pulled away. “No need to thank me; thank Master instead.”

Yun Zhao smiled brightly. “I have to thank you both. Thanks for going through the trouble!”

Mu Qianqian noticed Yun Zhao calling her “Senior Sister” directly, much closer than before.

Old memories surged up, making it hard for Mu Qianqian to distinguish between now and the past—what was dream and what was reality.

She deliberately put on a stern face. “Stop the thank-yous. Since it’s still early, hurry to Wood Peak and finish this quickly. Then you can settle down and cultivate.”

Yun Zhao nodded and took Qi Yan with her as they rode their swords toward Wood Peak.

Mu Qianqian watched them leave, then turned to the little boy.

“Little one, don’t you feel Yun Zhao has changed a lot compared to before?”

The boy paused, then slowly nodded. “Indeed…”

Most at Wood Peak had wood spirit roots. The spirit root often reflected the cultivator’s temperament—for example, fire spirit root cultivators were hot-tempered, water spirit root cultivators were gentle.

Wood spirit root cultivators tended to be steady and calm, not easily startled.

But what happened today…

“Have you heard? That top-tier wind spirit root cultivator whom Junior Sister Yun Zhao likes… he’s no good!”