Lian Yue was startled by her own thoughts.
As someone who would faint at the sight of a man, she had almost no understanding of the opposite sex.
She had originally thought that cultivation could cure this innate minor problem, but now that she had reached the Jindan stage, she could only rely on her powerful spiritual sense to endure a little longer.
Then, she would faint again.
If she really had to find a man who had left an impression in her memory… there truly wasn’t a single one.
Gu Ze, are you here to tease me on purpose?! In the places Gu Ze couldn’t see, Lian Yue’s expression shifted uncertainly.
She felt a little ridiculous for making her own heart so chaotic.
“Ahem.”
On the other side, Gu Ze cleared his throat and began to state his terms.
“Although I’m just a small Qi Refining cultivator, I happened to receive guidance from a senior and learned of an Ancient Secret Realm that’s perilous but incredibly rich in resources…”
He casually fabricated the origins of his opportunity.
There were many such secret realms recorded in the book that Li Xunmiao had heard of but never had time to explore.
Most were used to set off the wondrous and dangerous opportunities Li Xunmiao had obtained.
Just as well, this information could be used by Gu Ze as a high-value bargaining chip for benefits.
After speaking, Gu Ze patiently waited for Lian Yue’s response. Logically, she would hardly refuse.
But Gu Ze hadn’t counted on Lian Yue being an unusual figure.
“That’s it?” Lian Yue snorted, then said with a hint of pride, “Do you really think I’d go out alone to explore some secret realm? What if there are remnants of male cultivators’ souls inside that Ancient Secret Realm? Wouldn’t I be in danger?
I can earn a stipend just by staying at Yunhai Immortal Pavilion, so why take the risk?”
“This is…” Gu Ze scratched his head, never expecting Lian Yue to refuse for this reason.
Why is every peak master in Yunhai Immortal Pavilion such a shut-in?!
Qingquan was one thing, locking herself away to focus on her Nascent Soul breakthrough, but Lian Yue hid in the depths of the black market just to avoid seeing men.
“Then when I achieve great cultivation in the future, how about I gift you a Jindan Treasure?”
“Don’t need it.”
“A Nascent Soul-level opportunity!”
“I’m not even at Nascent Soul, so what makes you, little brother, think you can reach it? Where would you suddenly get a few hundred years of cultivation?” Lian Yue, with her back to Gu Ze, still rolled her eyes.
Gu Ze was rendered speechless and slumped in his chair, a bit dejected.
“Then what terms do you want?” He almost gave up hope and even started to consider how to face Bai Yazhi’s counterattack, or whether to bribe some disciples of Rouman Peak to suppress Bai Yazhi.
If Lian Yue’s demands were too outrageous, he could only give up the deal for now.
Bai Yazhi was just a Qi Refining cultivator; though he coveted her innate talent, stealing her talent was only an extra, and the real opportunities relied on Gu Ze’s own memories.
There was no need to pay too high a price for Bai Yazhi alone.
But, after a moment of silence, Lian Yue slowly made a request Gu Ze found hard to comprehend.
“Gu Ze, I want you to become my Secret Bosom Friend. You must come here to see me at least once a month and help me practice interacting with the opposite sex.”
“At the same time, I want to set the Three Prohibitions: Without my permission, you may not tell anyone what happens here, may not look me in the eyes, and may not touch me proactively.”
“If you can do all this, I’ll make that Bai-something girl leave Rouman Peak tonight.”
This demand wasn’t difficult, but… why him, specifically? Gu Ze couldn’t understand.
Lian Yue, aside from occasionally selling information, basically never spoke to men. Not to mention those rumors about her Dao companions all over Yunhai Immortal Pavilion—Lian Yue herself found those disgusting.
Actually, Lian Yue felt Gu Ze wasn’t easy to handle; he had too many secrets, and perhaps there was a master behind him giving advice.
But she didn’t sense any malice from Gu Ze. The intuition of a Jindan cultivator was exceedingly sharp—after a bit of divination, it was clear that Gu Ze approached her with all sorts of motives.
After deducing, Lian Yue realized that Gu Ze was not here for her at all; he simply wanted to seek revenge on Bai Yazhi.
A young man with a clear attitude but shrouded in mystery suddenly appeared before her. It was impossible for Lian Yue not to be curious.
Before Gu Ze could answer, Lian Yue abruptly increased the pressure she exerted on him.
“If you refuse, don’t even think about leaving this room. As a dignified Jindan, making a Qi Refining junior like you vanish without a trace is well within my abilities.”
She spoke calmly, making it impossible to tell if she was joking.
Gu Ze could hardly move except for his neck. Bathed in the powerful pressure, he tilted his head slightly: “Xiannü elder sister, are you going to bully the Secret Bosom Friend you picked yourself? A forced melon is never sweet.”
“But a forced melon quenches thirst. We both get what we need, and you’ll gain a new bosom friend. Isn’t that a good thing for you?”
It didn’t sound like a bad deal. But was it really so easy to cultivate such feelings between bosom friends?
Moreover, since nothing that happened here could be spoken of, their relationship couldn’t be made public; otherwise, what Secret Bosom Friend would that be?
Now, not even a helper she could use at a critical moment.
“I accept.” After some consideration, Gu Ze felt the advantages outweighed the disadvantages, so it wasn’t unacceptable.
In an instant, Lian Yue’s gaze softened.
Her sapphire eyes glowed faintly in the dim room, like two cat’s eye stones, pure and timid—one could hardly associate them with the forceful Lian Yue Xiannü.
All her bluster was just a façade, wasn’t it? The instant their eyes met, Gu Ze had this suspicion.
He remembered the Three Prohibitions he had just agreed to; without her permission, he wasn’t allowed to make eye contact.
Gu Ze immediately lowered his gaze, not daring to meet her eyes, while Lian Yue also looked away almost at the same time.
“So, this is what you look like. Actually, you’re pretty pleasing to the eye.” At least Lian Yue didn’t dislike it. Though, whether she liked it or not, staring at a man too long would make her faint.
Strictly speaking, she couldn’t gaze at anything overflowing with Yang energy for long.
Men were out, and so were some purely Yang treasures.
It was no wonder Lian Yue preferred the shadowy depths of Caiyun; there was a reason for that.
Even her name, ‘solitary moon amidst loneliness,’ had nothing to do with Yang energy.
Yet, Lian Yue always felt her heart was light and bright.
“Turns out, Xiannü elder sister is so beautiful. To behold your beauty, I could die without regret.” He closed his eyes and raised his chin, looking like he was about to accept his fate.
“Sweet talker. Who said I’d kill you?”
The pressure on him vanished abruptly. Gu Ze rolled his shoulders, finally feeling much better.
“Thank you, Xiannü elder sister, for sparing my life. I thought making eye contact would be a death sentence.”
“As long as you don’t go too far, I’m not unreasonable. Honestly, I’d like to know, how did you learn all my secrets?” Lian Yue was a little curious.
She turned around in her chair. Two locks of hair were braided and draped over her ears, joining the rest of her long hair in a ponytail at the back.
Her bangs slightly shaded her aquamarine eyes, and her flawless face was a little pale.
Whenever she frowned or smiled, a cute dimple would appear at the corner of her lips.
This innocent yet devastating beauty could easily arouse anyone’s most primal instincts. If this were their first meeting, Gu Ze might have mistaken her for a junior disciple.
“I read about them in books. Still, seeing for oneself is better than hearing a hundred times. If I’d known you were so beautiful, I’d be at your window every day.” Gu Ze’s words were half true, half teasing.
But in truth, he really did read it in a book.
“Just listen to yourself. If you didn’t need my help, you probably would never cross paths with me in this lifetime, right? But precisely because we don’t know each other well, I don’t mind you knowing my secret. In fact, it feels like a relief…” She seemed to be hoping for something, but it dissolved into a sigh.
“Still too young—not suitable to be Dao companions.” She murmured to herself, deliberately using spiritual energy to muddle her words so that all Gu Ze heard was a jumble of noise.
Distance.
“As for Bai Yazhi, I’ll leave that to you, Xiannü elder sister.” Gu Ze didn’t forget their main purpose and pleaded sincerely.
“Don’t call me Xiannü elder sister. In private, just call me Lian Yue. When you call me ‘Xiannü elder sister,’ it always feels like you’re messing with me.”
“And I’ll just call you ‘little brother Gu Ze.’ You don’t mind, do you?” Since they were Secret Bosom Friends, Lian Yue didn’t care about formal titles.
“Lian Yue, whatever makes you happy.” Gu Ze naturally didn’t mind, but being able to address the exalted Xiannü as Lian Yue did feel like the distance had closed a little.”
“Still, he wasn’t sure whether Lian Yue’s so-called Secret Bosom Friend was truly sincere, or just a product of her curiosity.”
“Before Lian Yue lost interest, at least Gu Ze could use her to suppress Bai Yazhi as much as possible, then take Bai Yazhi’s talent.”
That precious system reward, [Loot Chance], was always meant for Bai Yazhi.
Lian Yue chatted with him about the outside world for a while. Gu Ze agreed to visit Rouman Peak in a few days to check on Bai Yazhi’s situation.
***
Leaving the black market and taking the Lingzhou back to Biluofeng, the bright moon already hung high in the sky.
Cool moonlight draped over the mountains; ceaseless streams flowed among the hills, cascading down cliffs as waterfalls, the rapids shattering stones and playing a long, ethereal echo.
Looking into the distance, Gu Ze saw his own courtyard. The shadows of bamboo swayed, and a few heat-shy flowers quietly bloomed.
In the courtyard, Li Xunmiao was gripping Zangtian, standing like a solemn deity beneath the moon, her cold eyes scrutinizing everything that the bright moon couldn’t conceal.
Gu Ze hit the brakes in alarm, hovering not far from his courtyard.
No, this can’t be right.
Li Xunmiao was standing guard in front of his house with a sword—no matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t right!