When Nan Xi woke from his slumber, he found himself pillowed on a pair of soft, small buns.
He shifted his head slightly, and the pillow deformed just a little to accommodate his movement.
Nan Xi had to admit—it was quite comfortable.
Warm, soft, delicate, with a faint trace of a milky scent.
Wait!?
His vision slowly focused, and all he could see was skin as fair as snow, delicate and smooth.
He froze for a moment, then slowly raised his gaze upward.
At some point, Xia Xia had squeezed her way above him, her arms wrapped around his head, pressing him into her warm embrace, tightly against her chest.
If he listened carefully, he could even hear the gentle, steady rhythm of her heartbeat.
As for the small, delicate buns he was currently resting on…
The answer was obvious.
But seriously, Xia Xia seemed to have developed a little since the first time they met.
At least now, it didn’t feel as bony as he’d imagined; in fact, it was even a bit comfortable.
See? Feeding her elixirs really did work!
Nan Xi smiled knowingly, then decided to keep feeding Xia Xia elixirs when they got back.
“Mm~”
A soft murmur escaped the girl as she slowly opened her sleepy eyes. Her dazed gaze gradually focused in those emerald orbs, until finally, their eyes met.
Xia Xia blinked.
Nan Xi blinked back.
“You’re awake.”
Nan Xi teased, reaching up to gently pinch her small nose.
In an instant, her cheeks flushed crimson.
The bold embrace around his head recoiled, and she shrank back, crawling slowly into the blanket, burying her face in his chest.
“Why are you so shy now?”
Nan Xi chuckled, continuing to taunt her, making the girl bury her head even deeper.
After a long moment, as if slowly getting used to his teasing, Xia Xia rubbed her face against his chest, then slowly lifted her head, her emerald eyes meeting his.
Suddenly, a shadow passed through her bright gaze. Her cherry-colored lips parted slightly.
“Master, did I lose?”
“Yeah, you lost pretty badly. Compared to your opponent, you were about three Xia Xias behind.”
Nan Xi didn’t hold back, even using her as a unit of measurement, which made her eyes well up with tears, on the verge of crying.
But just then, Nan Xi changed his tone—
“However, that girl named Luluo ended up winning the championship. You were the one who held out the longest against her.”
As he spoke, Nan Xi raised his hand and gently rubbed her little head, half-joking.
“So, you’re the hard-fought runner-up.”
“Hard… hard-fought runner-up?”
Xia Xia was stunned by his words, staring blankly.
“That’s right.” Nan Xi nodded seriously. “But losing means you still need more training. We’re adding extra sword practice today.”
“Mm…”
“Alright, get up and start today’s cultivation.” Nan Xi reached out and lightly patted her perky little bottom.
“Yes, Master!”
Xia Xia nodded vigorously, rolled off the bed, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes to cover up the lovely spring scenery, then scurried off to wash up.
She really was still a kid who hadn’t grown up.
Nan Xi curled his lips slightly, got up from the bed, and draped the peak master’s robe embroidered with “Heavenly River” over his shoulders.
Still, he needed to think about how to train Xia Xia from now on.
As he had expected, her talent in spiritual power cultivation was utterly abysmal—a complete little trash.
But on the other hand, her comprehension in technique cultivation had greatly exceeded his expectations.
Earlier, she had learned the Starless Secret Technique just by listening in.
Now, in just a few days, she had grasped a trace of the essence of his sword art.
Even if it was only a trace, it already showed how extraordinary she was.
Tap, tap, tap—
A crisp knock suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Without looking up, he said,
“The door’s unlocked, Xia Xia.”
But an unexpected voice came from outside, tinged with a hint of seriousness and coldness.
“Peak Master, it’s me, Ji Hongmei.”
Ji Hongmei? Why is she here?
Nan Xi paused, but his body moved first. After tidying up a bit, he sat down calmly at the tea table.
“Alright, come in.”
Creak—
The door swung open with a long, gentle sound, revealing Ji Hongmei’s refined features.
As soon as she saw Nan Xi, she respectfully bowed to him.
“Disciple Ji Hongmei pays respects to Peak Master.”
“Have a seat.” Nan Xi gestured for her to sit across from him. “Is there something you came specifically for today?”
“Mm. I came on behalf of a few other disciples to check on Xia Xia.”
Ji Hongmei nodded slightly. As she spoke, she looked around as if searching for Xia Xia.
“Xia Xia went to wash up. She’ll be back soon.”
“I see.”
Hearing this, Ji Hongmei let out a long breath.
She had witnessed Xia Xia’s collapse yesterday, but since Nan Xi was taking care of her, she hadn’t wanted to disturb them.
Today was her first chance to visit.
Even so, there was still a trace of hesitation in Ji Hongmei’s eyes.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
Nan Xi cut straight to the point. He didn’t like beating around the bush.
“Mm…” Ji Hongmei hesitated, glanced around, then finally mustered her courage. “Peak Master, I’d like to ask you a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you really see Xia Xia as your disciple?”
“Huh?” Nan Xi was taken aback, confused. “Why do you say that?”
Faced with his confusion, Ji Hongmei slowly clenched her fists.
“We all know that Xia Xia is a disciple you only recently accepted. Before becoming your disciple, she was just a miscellaneous disciple whose cultivation hadn’t even reached Late Qi Refining Stage.”
“Even after training for a while, her cultivation has improved, but she’s still within the Qi Refining Stage.”
“The trial at Daye Village School is a competition among the Celestial Pride of various sects, not to mention the enemy Wuxing Sect sent a disciple with Golden Core Stage strength.”
“I really don’t understand why you would let her enter a match she was almost certain to lose…”
Ji Hongmei bit her lip, her clenched hands trembling slightly.
Although they had only known Xia Xia for a few days, they had grown quite fond of this lively little girl.
But Nan Xi had chosen to let her, a Qi Refining cultivator, participate in this competition. Wasn’t that just asking her to get hurt?
She couldn’t understand. She really couldn’t…
…
Faced with Ji Hongmei’s challenge, Nan Xi fell unusually silent.
He slowly leaned back, tilting his body into the chair, staring at the pitch-black ceiling.
After a long while, he let out a long sigh and spoke quietly—
“I knew she would lose.”
“Then why…?”
Ji Hongmei interrupted urgently, but Nan Xi’s next words cut her off.
“But before she lost, I wanted to know how far she could go on her own effort.”
Ji Hongmei suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at Nan Xi, at a loss.
“The path of immortal cultivation is like rowing against the current. I can give her techniques and elixirs, lead her onto the path. But if she truly wants to become a great immortal cultivator as she wishes, in the end, it all depends on her own effort.”
Nan Xi murmured, his mind filled with memories of Xia Xia.
He remembered her foolishly tagging along behind him, calling him “Master.”
He remembered her crying while swinging that spiritual sword that was clearly too big for her.
He remembered her standing before an opponent she couldn’t possibly defeat, stubbornly swinging her last sword even as she got hurt.
“I admit, letting her step onto that stage was a bit of a gamble.” Nan Xi shrugged, his tone softening a little.
As he spoke, he tilted his head to the side and met Ji Hongmei’s gaze.
Obviously, both of them already knew the outcome of this gamble.
“Then…”
Ji Hongmei hesitated a moment before asking again,
“What if Xia Xia didn’t manage to break through her limits as you expected? What would you do then?”
As Nan Xi had said, it was a cruel gamble.
If she won, Xia Xia would surpass her former self, proving she had the potential to go further. But if she lost…
Ji Hongmei lowered her brows, a trace of pity in her eyes.
But faced with her concern, Nan Xi just rolled his eyes at her, his tone turning a bit flippant.
“What else can I do?” Nan Xi put his hands behind his head, looking utterly nonchalant.
“I’ll just take care of her for the rest of her life.”