Chapter 126: The Sting of Friendship!

Upon hearing this, Bing Shi’en and Liu Zhiqin immediately beamed with joy. Shi Wanqing was stunned for a moment before he also reacted, giving Wen Youhe a thumbs-up with a jubilant expression: "As expected of our eldest martial brother!"

The sect’s mountain-opening ceremony to accept new disciples would take place in half a year. For cultivators, half a year is but a fleeting moment. However, the four martial siblings did not realize that this fleeting moment would lead to their complete disappearance.

After cutting off communication, Yan Shu cautiously looked up at Xiao Jihan, fearing that her favorability rating might drop again. Fortunately, it did not. The favorability rating of 25 (Initial Acquaintance) still hung there clearly.

Noticing her gaze, Xiao Jihan set down his brush and turned to her with a graceful smile: "Is it a pleasant sight?"

Looking at the corners of his mouth upturned and his features, which were more refined than any woman's, Yan Shu nodded quite uselessly: "It is."

Hearing this, the smile on Xiao Jihan’s lips deepened. He pushed the inkstone toward Yan Shu and said with a playful glint in his eyes: "It is a disciple's blessing to please their master's eyes. Since Master finds it pleasant, why not stay and grind the ink for me, so you may look to your heart's content?"

Yan Shu: ...

She knew it! Whenever the male lead smiles, it is either for trickery or theft!

Yan Shu reached out to push the inkstone further away and grinned at Xiao Jihan: "Well, I was planning to take a bath, so I won't delay your copying of the jade slips."

Hearing this, the smile on Xiao Jihan’s face vanished instantly: "A bath?"

Yan Shu nodded: "Yes. All told, I haven't bathed in ten years. Although the Dust-Clearing Charm keeps one clean, the pleasure of a soak cannot be replaced by a spell."

After ten years of living together day and night, Xiao Jihan knew Yan Shu’s true nature well. Seeing the smile in her eyes, he knew she was genuinely planning to bathe. He frowned: "Where do you intend to bathe?"

Yan Shu mentioned the spirit spring she had used last time.

After listening, Xiao Jihan’s expression immediately turned cold: "No! Although that place is remote, it does not mean no one will pass by. Many disciples look for opportunities in the mountain streams!"

"It will be fine," Yan Shu said nonchalantly. "I will simply cast a restriction. If anyone comes, I will leave immediately."

She would have been better off not saying anything; the moment she did, Xiao Jihan’s eyes grew even colder.

Leave? How would she leave? At the thought of that scene, Xiao Jihan refused without a second thought: "Absolutely not!"

Yan Shu felt annoyed. She couldn't understand why her taking a bath was any of his business. Even if she were to be seen, that was her own affair. Besides, as long as she cast a restriction, no one would be able to see her unless their cultivation was higher than hers! At this point, her cultivation was comparable to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm; there were very few in the entire Xuantian Sect who surpassed her.

However, the person before her was the male lead, the "big boss." To protect that pathetic favorability rating, Yan Shu dared not argue with him. She had to act submissive while planning to disobey in secret: "Fine, I won't go then. I'll go see how Qiu Shuoran’s interrogation is going."

"Although Sun Changfeng was the mastermind behind the events in the secret realm, if it weren't for him, Sun Changfeng wouldn't have treated you that way. Sun Changfeng treated him with total devotion and protected him at every turn, yet after the matter was exposed, he remained silent. Sun Changfeng was crippled and became a mortal; never mind taking care of him, he didn't even cast a single glance at Sun Changfeng."

"Such a spineless person—if the judgment is too lenient, it will truly be unsettling. I’ll go take a look; it would be best if he were expelled from the sect."

Yan Shu appeared filled with righteous indignation, even waving her small fist to emphasize her anger. After speaking, she cautiously watched Xiao Jihan’s expression and said: "So... I’m going now, okay?"

Xiao Jihan nodded: "Hmm."

Yan Shu cheered inwardly and turned to leave quickly, fearing that if she moved too slowly, Xiao Jihan might come up with some other trick. However, it turned out she didn't walk fast enough.

Just as she lifted her foot, the sound of Xiao Jihan rising from his seat came from behind: "I’ll go with you."

Yan Shu: ...

She turned around stiffly: "You... didn't you say you weren't going just now?"

Xiao Jihan walked up to her and looked down at her: "Not go? So you could sneak off to the spirit spring?"

Yan Shu: ...

Why must the world contain such terrifying creatures as male leads?!

Xiao Jihan did indeed watch her the entire way... Oh no, he accompanied Yan Shu to the Hall of Discipline. Because they had both previously said they wouldn't go, Bing Shi’en simply skipped the interrogation part and directly announced the punishment for Qiu Shuoran.

Since there was no evidence to prove that Sun Changfeng’s actions were instigated or incited by Qiu Shuoran, nor was there evidence that Qiu Shuoran was a co-conspirator—after all, even in the footage recorded by Xiao Jihan’s image stone, there wasn't a single malicious word from Qiu Shuoran—the Hall of Discipline could only sentence him to six months of reflection in confinement.

Hearing this news, Yan Shu couldn't help but snort coldly: "He really is lucky."

Xiao Jihan, the victim, showed no dissatisfaction. He said calmly: "Although it is only six months of confinement, he cannot stay in the Xuantian Sect any longer."

Yan Shu was not stupid; hearing this, she realized why. Sun Changfeng had only one disciple, Qiu Shuoran, whom he had snatched from many other martial brothers. Precisely because of this, he treated Qiu Shuoran better than his own son. Now that Sun Changfeng was a cripple, Qiu Shuoran had no master. But everyone had seen how he treated Sun Changfeng; in such a situation, who would dare take Qiu Shuoran in?

Thus, Qiu Shuoran would naturally be unable to remain in the Xuantian Sect.

Yan Shu curled her lips: "I suspect he won't even finish those six months of confinement."

Xiao Jihan glanced at her: "Are you very concerned?"

Yan Shu looked at him, bewildered: "Why would I care about him? The sooner someone like that leaves, the better."

"Then do not think of it again," Xiao Jihan summoned his flying sword and said calmly: "Let's head back."

After returning, Xiao Jihan continued copying jade slips, and Yan Shu immersed herself in cultivation. There were only two ways to break the seal in her body: either reach the Deity Transformation stage through her own cultivation, or engage in dual cultivation with a man above the Deity Transformation stage to obtain his primordial yang.

The so-called primordial yang refers to a man's first... *ahem*, that thing. The problem was that men above the Deity Transformation stage were already rare, and those who still possessed their primordial yang were even rarer. Even if Yan Shu weren't picky, she couldn't find a suitable candidate anytime soon. Moreover, she had already stepped into the late Nascent Soul stage and was only one-third of the way to the Deity Transformation stage. If she could rely on herself, why rely on a man?!

For the first time, Yan Shu genuinely put her heart into cultivation and truly entered deep meditation. By the time she returned to her senses, several days had passed. As she opened her eyes, she was still met with the sight of Xiao Jihan sitting by the table, copying jade slips.

She found it strange: "It's been so long, why haven't you finished yet?"

Xiao Jihan didn't speak; he simply set down his brush, stood up, and said: "Follow me."

Yan Shu suspiciously followed him to the outer area. She saw him walking without pause, heading straight past the kitchen and toward the back. Wushang Peak had only three buildings: the main hall, two thatched huts, and a kitchen. Now, however, there was a fourth: a spirit spring pool.

Looking at the square, clean, and tidy spirit spring pool, and the pavilion built over it, it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. Yan Shu never expected that after the favorability rating reached a positive number, she would receive such treatment.

What kind of peerless, adorable creature was the male lead?! Was all the frustration she suffered before really frustration? No! That was just "friendly lashes" from a little cutie!

However... Yan Shu looked at the exquisite pavilion that could only have been built by a professional craftsman and fell into deep thought. Since the male lead was so capable with his hands, then... why on earth did he spend ten years squeezing into the same room and the same bed as her?!