About twenty meters away from Yun Mu, behind a towering ancient tree, a girl sat on the grass leaning against the trunk.
She pressed a hand to her chest, taking deep breaths, and muttering things to encourage herself.
Floating beside her was a tiny figure—Sha Qianmo—who looked almost exactly like her, but with a permanent “I can’t believe this” expression.
“Hey… seriously, Shangguan Xunyi, you’ve already digested the power. It’s already time to meet him.
Why are you suddenly chickening out?!”
Sha Qianmo hovered in midair, pointing at the flustered and strangely messy-looking girl, feeling like iron refusing to turn into steel.
“You’re the last one already, your time with him is the shortest, and you’re still wasting it… Really now—if you can’t do it, just let me take over.”
“You still have the nerve to say that? You spent the whole morning stressing about what your first sentence should be. Of course it’s easy to talk big when you’re not the one controlling the body!”
“That’s not true—I’m floating.”
“…I’m not even going to argue with you anymore.”
With sheer helplessness, Shangguan Xunyi sighed.
It wasn’t that she wanted to be a coward.
Before, when she faced Yun Mu directly, she’d done a whole series of bold things—kissing him, pushing him down, biting his neck.
If Yun Mu hadn’t still been too young—and if they weren’t technically “not married”—she honestly might have devoured him whole back then.
But now… something she used to accomplish with just a little pep talk suddenly felt as hard as ascending to heaven.
She didn’t even dare walk out to see him.
“Sha Qianmo… what’s wrong with me? Am I afraid of hurting Xiao Mu again?”
After a long silence, she finally turned to the one who sometimes knew her better than herself.
“Or maybe I still feel guilty toward him… so now I’m avoiding him?”
“Probably not. You’re absolutely just afraid you can’t control yourself and will pounce on that kid again.”
“Ha?! You—!!”
She reflexively raised her voice, then clamped both hands over her mouth.
“Sha Qianmo don’t just say nonsense! What do you mean I’ll do something improper? When did I become like that?!”
“You aren’t?”
“You bet I’m not!”
“Heh.”
Sha Qianmo narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? Even I’m getting ideas thanks to you.”
“I—ugh… fine. But don’t you dare tell Xiao Mu.”
Having her deepest thoughts exposed, Shangguan Xunyi bowed her head, cheeks burning.
She recalled how she’d secretly used a technique to peek at Yun Mu earlier.
Her face reddened further.
“I can’t help it! It’s embarrassing, I know—but I’ve liked him since we were small. Not only is he good looking, his personality is great, and we just… click. And you’ve seen all that in my memories.”
“Now that he’s cultivating, there’s this scholarly elegance to him… the type who walks as if he stepped out of poetry—‘a gentleman unmatched in the world’… Sha Qianmo don’t tell me you can see him like this and not want to touch him.”
“W-wait—why am I getting dragged into this?! I—I…”
Sha Qianmo finally felt embarrassed too.
Even though she often called Yun Mu “that brat,” she was born from Shangguan Xunyi’s possessiveness and emotions toward him.
So even if she had more logic and discipline, she wasn’t immune.
Their little secret crush on Yun Mu was impossible to hide.
“Huuh… fine. This can’t continue. Like you said, time’s short. Let’s get ready and go see him.”
Xunyi straightened up and pulled a steel mirror from her robe, tidying herself.
“That kid can’t see you right now, why bother fixing your hair?”
“Maybe he can’t. But I still want to look my best. Don’t you?”
She lifted the mirror and froze halfway.
In the very top corner of the reflection— Yun Mu stood behind her.
“Mm. So it is you, Xunyi-jie.”
Before she could even turn, Yun Mu’s crisp voice sounded behind her.
Xunyi sprang up like a startled rabbit, putting the mirror away as she practically teleported behind another tree.
“H-Hi! Long time no see, Xiao Mu!”
“Haha, long time no see, Xunyi-jie.”
He raised his head slightly.
“And… that’s Sha Qianmo, right?”
“Yep, that’s me. But you should call me Sister Sha.”
“Alright, Sister Sha.”
“Mm-hm.”
Sha Qianmo still didn’t look at him—she was just staring at Xunyi in shock.
Didn’t she say she was ready??
Look at her now!
I know!!
But the moment he appeared everything fell apart!
Inside, they spoke telepathically while standing frozen like statues.
Yun Mu, confused: they were just… standing there ignoring him, with strange energy rippling around them.
“So… did you two get along while you were sharing time?”
Sha Qianmo:
“It was fine.”
Xunyi:
“Mostly yes. Well… a couple of small arguments.”
“That’s good. As long as it wasn’t serious.”
He exhaled.
He’d worried about Xunyi—her condition, her sanity, whether she and Sha Qianmo would clash.
Now he felt relieved.
She seemed… well. Better than well, actually—stronger.
“But actually…”
Yun Mu continued, “I’m here to look for my cultivation partner. Have you seen her? Or… are you two…”
“Oh yeah that’s us.”
Sha Qianmo immediately nodded and pointed at Xunyi.
“Mm. It’s us,” Xunyi confirmed, calmer now.
“So… Xunyi-jie, why were you avoiding me?”
“That… because… I…”
“Is it because of the blood-drinking thing? You don’t have to worry about that anymore—look.”
He tilted his neck, showing pale skin with no trace of teeth marks.
Sha Qianmo saw that smooth neck—up close.
And froze.
Her soul vibrated; bloodlust and hunger flared up like a storm.
The one affected by Yun Mu’s blood… wasn’t only Xunyi.
Sha Qianmo’s reaction was worse.
“Sha Qianmo! Calm down!”
Xunyi darted in front of Yun Mu, one hand shielding his neck, the other pressing Sha Qianmo’s forehead, forcefully drawing her essence back inside.
“Was she about to lose control?”
Yun Mu asked softly.
“Not quite berserk,” Xunyi muttered, glaring at Sha Qianmo.
“Just… aftereffects.”
“Ah.”
“But wait—why are you stepping closer—!?”
Sensing her fluster, Yun Mu grabbed her wrist gently and pulled her toward him.
“Xunyi-jie, can you please explain what’s going on?”
“But if I do that I might—”
“Might what? Bite me again?”
He tightened his hold.
“If it’s you, it’s fine. I won’t keel over so easily anymore.”
He pulled her closer—much closer.
Her scent filled his nose.
He didn’t want distance anymore.
So he whispered:
“Want to try… Xunyi-jie?”
Alluring—dangerously so.
“I—I…”
Her already red cheeks flushed deep rose.