“This… Of course, I’ll do everything I can to help Xiaoyou. After all, it’s something I want as well.”
Bai Shuanglian paused.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something odd about Hong Lingyan’s words, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Wisely, she decided to ignore the topic and spoke.
“Mm, very good. I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!”
Hong Lingyan looked at Bai Shuanglian with appreciation, nodded in satisfaction, and said.
“So, Senior, what exactly is it that you need my help with for Xiaoyou? Did she encounter some obstacle in her cultivation that you want me to remove for her?”
Bai Shuanglian asked.
“Yes. And no.”
Hong Lingyan shook her head with a mysterious air, then continued under Bai Shuanglian’s somewhat helpless gaze.
“You know that our Spirits have a weakness to sunlight before the Spirit Condensation stage, right?”
“I do, Senior.”
Bai Shuanglian didn’t hide it, nodding openly in acknowledgement.
If it were any other weakness, she might have denied it, since such things were private, and even if she knew, she wouldn’t show it.
But the fact that Spirits are harmed by sunlight was so well-known there was no point in hiding it. It was practically one of the required courses for Exorcists.
If she didn’t admit it, it would only make her look hypocritical.
Though Hong Lingyan looked young, she was still Ling Xiaoyou’s guardian. Bai Shuanglian hoped to leave a good impression on her.
“As long as you know, that saves me the trouble of explaining.”
Hong Lingyan nodded.
“Because for our Spirits, once we reach the Spirit Condensation stage, the weakness to sunlight is reduced, but only to the extent that we gain some resistance to ordinary sunlight. It’s not a complete immunity.”
“That’s why you Exorcists specifically developed a spell called ‘Yang Flame’ to target this lingering weakness and continue to attack our Spirits.”
At this point, Bai Shuanglian felt a bit awkward.
Though it was normal to target an enemy’s weakness, hearing it put so bluntly felt a bit dishonorable—especially since she was speaking to someone on the receiving end.
However, Bai Shuanglian was usually reserved, hiding her emotions and keeping a calm face except when dealing with Ling Xiaoyou, so Hong Lingyan didn’t notice anything amiss and continued.
“So, I want you to help train Xiaoyou’s resistance to Yang Flame.”
Bai Shuanglian froze at her words.
She hadn’t expected Hong Lingyan to seek her out for this, nor had she realized that Spirits could train to resist Yang Flame.
Perhaps anticipating her surprise, Hong Lingyan looked rather smug, hands on her hips.
As expected of ‘master and disciple’—even their proud expressions were similar.
“Surprised? This method is something I came up with after years of research, specifically to counter the Exorcists’ Yang Flame!”
“All you need is Nether Spring Water, mixed with Nether Cold Shade Grass, Juyuan Yang Flower, Yunqing Lotus… Wait, why am I explaining my recipe to an Exorcist like you?!”
Realizing her slip, Hong Lingyan glared at Bai Shuanglian, leaving the latter speechless.
It wasn’t like she wanted to hear it anyway.
“In any case, I’ve already cracked Yang Flame. The only reason I’m telling you this is because I trust you, Lian girl. Remember—never tell anyone else!”
Hong Lingyan looked at Bai Shuanglian seriously.
“I understand, Senior.”
Bai Shuanglian nodded.
She seemed to agree with Hong Lingyan’s words, and in truth, she did intend to.
Though she was an Exorcist, Bai Shuanglian wasn’t like the older generation of her family, filled with hatred for Spirits.
She treated Spirits who hadn’t harmed humans just like ordinary people.
If Ling Xiaoyou had been a malicious Spirit, Bai Shuanglian would have eliminated her, no matter how much she liked her.
But since Ling Xiaoyou was an innocent, adorable, and slightly tsundere little loli, Bai Shuanglian could safely cherish her.
By the same token, she trusted Hong Lingyan not to pass such methods to evil spirits who would harm the world.
Of course, it wasn’t that Bai Shuanglian understood Hong Lingyan that deeply, but rather that she knew her own Ancestor.
The Ancestor Bai Qiuyin had a thing for cleanliness; if Hong Lingyan were truly an evil spirit, no matter how beautiful she was, Bai Qiuyin wouldn’t have associated with her—she would have cut her down with a single stroke.
“Ahem, back to the main topic.”
Hong Lingyan coughed lightly to break the serious mood.
“After all, you know, Lian girl, while Yang Flame isn’t so easy for you Exorcists to master, there’s always the chance someone else with similar skills could show up in the Xuantian Martial Tournament.”
“So, just in case, training for Yang Flame resistance is absolutely necessary!”
“Better safe than sorry!”
Bai Shuanglian nodded in understanding, agreeing completely with Hong Lingyan’s reasoning.
If she had prepared better before facing the demon, she never would have fallen into that predicament.
“I’ve already prepared the medicines and such.”
Hong Lingyan looked at Bai Shuanglian seriously.
“As for you, your job is to control the intensity of the Yang Flame—strong enough to affect Xiaoyou, but not enough to harm her.”
As she spoke, Hong Lingyan looked Bai Shuanglian up and down.
“You should be able to manipulate Yang Flame freely by now, right?”
Bai Shuanglian nodded.
“Good.”
Hong Lingyan looked satisfied.
“So when do I start training with Xiaoyou?”
Bai Shuanglian asked, a bit impatient.
“In a few days, I suppose. Are you that eager?”
Hong Lingyan scratched her head, looking at Bai Shuanglian in puzzlement.
Bai Shuanglian stiffened, then quickly recovered.
“Not eager. I just wanted to clarify so I could prepare properly.”
“Preparation isn’t so urgent.”
Hong Lingyan hesitated, this time scratching her face awkwardly.
“After all, I haven’t told Xiaoyou about any of this yet.”
“Eh? You haven’t… told Xiaoyou?”
Bai Shuanglian was stunned, not understanding what she meant at first.
“That’s right.”
Hong Lingyan crossed her arms and nodded.
“After all, Xiaoyou doesn’t know I already understand what’s between you two.”
The words were a bit roundabout, but Bai Shuanglian immediately caught her meaning.
She wanted to explain, but thinking about what she’d done to Xiaoyou, she figured if Hong Lingyan knew, she probably wouldn’t let Ling Xiaoyou associate with her anymore.
So Bai Shuanglian gave up on that idea.
Of course, she didn’t regret her intimate moments with Xiaoyou.
“That child is shy.”
Hong Lingyan coughed lightly.
“So I don’t plan to let her know I understand your relationship. Let’s wait until the two of you decide to be honest together.”
“As for the Yang Flame resistance training…”
Hong Lingyan stood up, patted Bai Shuanglian on the shoulder with a ‘weighty responsibility’ air.
“I’m entrusting it all to you, Lian girl. I’ll give you the method and medicines, but just don’t tell Xiaoyou I was the one who asked you, okay?”
Without giving Bai Shuanglian a chance to reply, Hong Lingyan waved her hand and prepared to leave.
At the entrance, she paused and turned to Bai Shuanglian.
“If you’re going back to the Bai Family, deliver a message to Bai Qiuyin for me.”
As she spoke, Hong Lingyan narrowed her eyes, exuding a sense of pressure.
“Are you ready, Bai Qiuyin? Next time we meet, you’re the basketball hoop—get ready to be dunked on!”
With that, she vanished, leaving only Bai Shuanglian, stunned by her words.
After a long moment, Bai Shuanglian finally returned to her senses and sighed softly.
“I’m not good at making excuses, either…”