Chapter 058: Still Just a Child

The rain fell harder and harder, drumming against the umbrella with a crisp patter. Though Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan walked beneath its shelter, they still used a touch of spiritual power to ward off the wind and rain. The reason was simple: both had a mild obsession with cleanliness and disliked the sticky dampness.

They chatted idly as they made their way toward the place Yu Wenche had mentioned. Yan Shu dared not speak too deeply, for she knew Xiao Jihan was a sensitive soul. Especially when it came to his past—those memories were a dark history for him. Even his experiences after joining the Xuantian Sect had been far from pleasant. Yan Shu pondered, deciding that while she still held a place as a person in his heart, she would seize the opportunity to settle certain uncertainties.

She spoke earnestly, “If, in the future, you encounter something that makes you doubt me, could you not rush to condemn me? Could you ask me first, give me a chance to explain?”

Hearing this, Xiao Jihan recalled all that had happened in recent days. He realized he had indeed wronged her many times, and more than once harbored murderous intent against her. She was aware of this too; otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked him so painfully last night. He remembered the confusion and anguish in her eyes, her resolute gesture as she sliced her palm. Trusting another was hard for him—especially someone who had hurt him for a year—but in the end, Xiao Jihan nodded and murmured, “Alright.”

Yan Shu’s smile blossomed; she had earned her second reprieve! Watching her radiant joy, Xiao Jihan averted his gaze, feeling awkward, and asked softly, “How is your injury?”

Injury? Yan Shu paused, then realized what he meant. She waved her hand before him. “It’s almost healed. I was afraid of pain, so I didn’t cut deeply. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have forgotten.”

Xiao Jihan lifted his gaze. The illusion pill had softened her usual icy beauty, leaving her features delicate and more vivid than any flower. Her slender fingers danced before him, a white scar just visible in her rosy palm.

He was silent for a moment, then took a porcelain bottle from his storage pouch and handed it to her, a little uneasy. “This is a wound salve I made myself. If you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind!” Yan Shu snatched the bottle before he finished.

It was no joke—this was something crafted by the male lead himself, and given to her personally. It meant their “boat of friendship” had set sail; she was overjoyed, how could she possibly despise it? She hurriedly opened the bottle, dabbed some salve onto her palm, and carefully stored it away, flashing him a brilliant smile. “Thank you, it works wonders!”

She wasn’t lying. As the chosen one of this small world, Heaven’s favored child, anything she practiced was blessed. Even a simple wound salve worked better than ordinary ones. Just applying it brought a cool sensation and a tingling itch—the sign of healing.

Watching her carefully tuck away the bottle, Xiao Jihan, who had only intended to let her use a bit of the salve, thought: …Well, let it be a token of apology.

Yu Wenche’s location was not far. After half an hour’s walk, they saw Yu Wenche and the group from the Primordial Sect in the distance.

The first to spot Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu was a disciple of the Primordial Sect, who exclaimed, “Wow, look at those two cultivators ahead—what a divine couple! It’s raining, yet they haven’t used spiritual power to ward off the rain, but walk together beneath an umbrella!”

At her words, everyone turned to look at Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu. With their keen vision, a few gasped, “Their looks are exceptional—walking together, they’re a perfect pair!”

“If you look closely, they have used spiritual power to ward off the rain, but only for their feet and the parts outside the umbrella. Still, they share one umbrella; that’s not just an umbrella, it’s love!”

“I bet, even if they haven’t declared themselves Dao partners, they’re both interested in each other!”

Hearing the chatter, Dan Zhiqing’s lips curled slightly. She glanced at Yu Wenche, unsurprised to see his gaze turn cold, all his usual warmth vanished.

Dan Zhiqing coughed deliberately, then turned to scold the disciple, “What nonsense! Perhaps it’s just the camaraderie of fellow disciples.”

A disciple argued, “Even if they’re siblings, real siblings…”

But before he could finish, their senior brother abruptly stood up and walked toward the pair beneath the umbrella. The sudden move made the Primordial Sect disciples sense something amiss and fall silent.

Dan Zhiqing bit her lip in frustration, stood up, and hurried after him.

Yu Wenche approached Yan Shu, glancing at Xiao Jihan under the umbrella, then turned to Yan Shu with a smile. “You’re here.”

Yan Shu returned his smile. “I’ll be troubling you these next couple of days. Last night, Xiao Jihan and I were trapped in the valley, fought fiercely all night, and exhausted our spiritual power. It hasn’t recovered yet, and night is coming soon. We had no choice but to seek you out.”

Yu Wenche listened and then examined Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan carefully. He saw that while they had used spiritual power to ward off the rain, it was only for their feet and the parts outside the umbrella.

The gloom in his heart suddenly dissipated. He took a delicate folding umbrella from his storage pouch and handed it to her.

Yu Wenche offered it naturally, and Yan Shu accepted it just as naturally. After taking it, she smiled at him. “Thank you, I’ve never left the sect before, so I didn’t prepare such things.”

“No need.” Yu Wenche smiled, then looked at Xiao Jihan. “It’s been years. You’ve grown up. Do you still remember me?”

Xiao Jihan glanced at Yan Shu stepping out from under the umbrella, then turned to Yu Wenche, “I remember, Ancestor Yu Wen.”

WHAT?!

Ancestor Yu Wen?!

Yan Shu was stunned, staring at Yu Wenche, “You… you’re so…”

She wanted to say, Are you that old? But realized it would be rude. Besides, this was the world of cultivators—even she was over a hundred years old, yet looked barely twenty. Age couldn’t be calculated as in her previous life.

So she stopped halfway, and awkwardly changed her words, “You have such a high seniority?!”

Yu Wenche was clever enough to know exactly what she nearly blurted out. He clarified, “Cultivators live much longer than mortals. Though I’m over two hundred years old, among cultivators I’m still considered young.”

He emphasized “over two hundred” and “young.”

Yan Shu immediately understood—not only women, but men cared about their age too!

To be fair, her third senior brother, Liu Zhiqing, was over five hundred but looked not even forty. Yu Wenche was indeed a young man.

By that count, Xiao Jihan, barely twenty, was a mere baby before her and Yu Wenche!