Shou Xin.
Nan Shan returned to the backyard again, and the first thing she did—albeit awkwardly—was apologize to Shou Xin.
“Even though I didn’t ask you to chase after me, the fact that you nearly died because of it is still true, so… sorry.”
She lowered her head and didn’t look at him.
Shou Xin waved his hand.
“Forget it, I can’t be bothered to argue with you.”
Nan Shan instantly brightened.
“I knew you’d say that!”
“Then don’t run off again,” Shou Xin frowned.
“You grew up inland and have never seen the sea your whole life—how did you even dare to charge into the ocean multiple times? Were you not afraid of drowning?”
“I won’t run off anymore, I swear I won’t,” Nan Shan quickly promised.
Shou Xin snorted.
That was the end of that.
“So… you really can’t come into contact with strangers?”
Nan Shan couldn’t suppress her curiosity.
Shou Xin pressed his lips together, silent.
“When did you find out? Why is it like this…? Oh right, Ji Yue mentioned something about your fate being problematic. But then how did you dare come looking for me? There were so many people on Dongyi Island—how did you avoid them and find me on the sea?”
Nan Shan’s questions came one after another, until Shou Xin gave her an impatient glance, and she obediently made a zipping motion across her lips.
Shou Xin said, “I’ve known since I can remember that I can’t touch outsiders. I ran out once when I was little and almost died. After that, I never dared go out again. As for why I dared go out to find you… Ha! You’ve got some nerve to even ask! I was just lucky—otherwise I would’ve died on the way.”
Nan Shan felt guilty.
“W-well I didn’t know you had that kind of issue…”
As they spoke, a short door creaked open in the corner.
Uncle Zhong cautiously poked his head out.
Shou Xin immediately shouted, “Get back inside! The Immortal Lord is coming soon. With that hideous face of yours, do you want to defile his eyes?!”
Uncle Zhong was so startled he quickly shut the door.
A moment later, he cracked it open again, unable to help himself:
“Young Master Shou Xin, I heard you were ill. This old servant was worried… how are you now?”
“None of your business!”
Shou Xin roared, furious.
“Get out! Now!”
Uncle Zhong looked like he wanted to say more but eventually shut the door again.
Watching the old man’s hunched figure vanish behind the door, Nan Shan pressed her lips together.
When she looked down, she saw Shou Xin staring right at her.
She jumped.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What’s that look on your face? Pitying him?”
Shou Xin’s expression darkened.
Nan Shan muttered, “…Every time you’re full of hate like that, I feel like you’re not a kid at all.”
Shou Xin scoffed and turned away from her.
Nan Shan chuckled silently, then reached out to tug his sleeve.
Shou Xin shook off her hand and turned his back.
She tugged again.
He kept dodging.
After five or six rounds of this, he finally gave in with a sigh.
“Aren’t you done yet?”
“You’re not mad anymore?”
Nan Shan cupped her cheeks.
“Then explain something to me—why can’t you touch people, but you’re totally fine touching me? And you live in the same backyard as Uncle Zhong and you’re fine too.”
“You’re the Immortal Lord’s chosen wife—the person I’m supposed to serve—you’re not an outsider. Of course being around you doesn’t affect me. As for that crusty old man…”
Shou Xin’s face twisted with disgust, but he turned away and muttered, “I don’t know why he’s here. He’s just always been around for as long as I can remember.”
Nan Shan looked thoughtful.
“So when you were little, he took care of you?”
“As if!”
Shou Xin looked appalled.
“The Immortal Lord took care of me. From the beginning till now—it was never that old man!”
Nan Shan was surprised.
“Didn’t expect Ji Yue to be the child-rearing type.”
Shou Xin shot back, “You really didn’t see it?”
Nan Shan was speechless.
Ji Yue’s calm and gentle face popped into her mind.
After a moment of reflection, she muttered, “He does have a bit of a nurturing vibe…”
She chuckled to herself at the thought.
Shou Xin looked at her, baffled, then reminded her, “Anyway, don’t say gross stuff like that old man taking care of me. It’s disgusting.”
“Alright, but I’ve got one last question,” Nan Shan raised her hand.
“Why do you hate him so much?”
Shou Xin went quiet.
It wasn’t the first time she’d asked—she basically did it every time he picked on Uncle Zhong—but she didn’t really expect an answer.
She was about to head inside when she suddenly heard Shou Xin say coldly, “Don’t you think he’s disgusting?”
Nan Shan stopped in her tracks.
“That man… he’s insane. When you’re sick, he’ll pray day and night, boil some unknown concoction of soup. When your clothes tear, he’ll sew them up, even pricking his fingers and smearing blood all over your garments. When you get hurt, he cries like it’s the end of the world, slapping himself and saying it’s his fault for not taking care of you…”
Shou Xin took a deep breath, calmed himself, and continued, “He always looks like he’s doing everything for your sake, like he cares so much. But who asked him to? Who wants him to do all that extra crap?!”
Nan Shan stayed silent for a long time.
Eventually, she gently asked, “…That’s it? Sounds more like a clumsy old man who doesn’t know how to show love than anything else.”
Shou Xin looked up, and Nan Shan immediately straightened up, practically wearing a “I mean no offense” sign on her face.
“I get it. You wouldn’t understand,” Shou Xin sneered.
“Anyone who hasn’t lived through it wouldn’t. Just know I can’t stand him. Try not to get too close to him either. If he latches onto you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Nan Shan rubbed her nose. “Alright…”
The two locked eyes, a sudden awkward silence hanging between them.
Just as Nan Shan was about to say something to break the ice, she caught a glimpse of Ji Yue approaching from the corner of her eye and immediately straightened up.
Shou Xin noticed too and followed suit.
As soon as Ji Yue entered the courtyard, he saw the two of them standing in a line and chuckled.
“Looks like you’re ready for class.”
Nan Shan said, “…You don’t look too well.”
Ji Yue paused, raised a hand to touch his face, and asked, “Do I?”
“You do! You look really tired.”
Nan Shan nodded earnestly, but when she thought about how he had to endure sounds like thousands of ants crawling into his ears every day, looking worn out seemed perfectly reasonable.
“If you’re tired, you can go rest for a bit,” Nan Shan kindly reminded him.
Shou Xin vaguely felt that her attitude toward Immortal Lord Ji Yue had changed somewhat, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint how.
Ji Yue shook his head slightly.
“No need.”
Nan Shan didn’t insist. She turned to sit down at the desk, but he stopped her:
“We won’t be reading this class—we’re learning how to regulate breath and focus the mind.”
Nan Shan froze and looked back in disbelief.
“Really?”
“Mhm. From this class on, we officially begin cultivation,” Ji Yue said gently.
Nan Shan was still in a bit of a daze.
“But… but didn’t you say we’d wait until I finished reading both books before starting cultivation?”
“That was the original plan, but you can’t wait anymore,” Ji Yue said with a bit of helplessness.
“Didn’t you notice? Your spiritual bone has started to grow.”
Nan Shan’s eyes widened.
She suddenly recalled the intense pain she’d felt after dragging Shou Xin ashore.
Since waking up, the pain hadn’t returned, and she assumed it had just been a cramp.
She hadn’t questioned it further.
But now, seeing Ji Yue’s expression, it didn’t seem that simple.
Sure enough, Ji Yue confirmed her suspicion.
“You have a mortal body and can’t withstand the pain of spiritual bone growth. I’ve only been able to temporarily suppress the growth. First, I need to help you cultivate some spiritual energy to rebuild your flesh and blood—only then can your spiritual bone continue to grow.”
She had known all along that the spiritual bone inside her would eventually grow.
She had mentally prepared herself, but now that the day had come, she still felt overwhelmed.
“It should’ve started growing long ago, but your body was affected by the barrier over Dongyi. You’ve been in a dormant state. Its awakening now is probably because your body has adjusted to Dongyi’s climate,” Ji Yue explained.
“Don’t worry. With me here, your spiritual bone will definitely mature smoothly.”
Nan Shan tugged at the corner of her lips.
Her dry lips stung a little from the motion.
Before she could speak, Shou Xin beside her couldn’t hold back and asked, “Immortal Lord, can I learn too?”
“What would you learn this for?”
Ji Yue asked.
Shou Xin straightened his back and tried to make himself look taller.
“To protect you, Immortal Lord!”
Ji Yue chuckled but still shook his head.
“Your body isn’t suited for cultivation.”
“Immortal Lord!”
“This is not up for discussion,” Ji Yue said firmly, uncharacteristically serious.
“Go back to your room and don’t delay my teaching.”
It was the first time Nan Shan had seen him so stern.
Feeling a bit uncertain, she raised her hand.
“Maybe we could…”
“Hmph!”
Shou Xin stomped his foot at her and ran back to the room crying.
Nan Shan looked innocent.
“What does this have to do with me?”
Ji Yue was amused by her expression and glanced in the direction Shou Xin had gone.
“Can he really not cultivate?”
Nan Shan asked.
Ji Yue shook his head.
“His body won’t allow it.”
“Alright then.”
Since Ji Yue obviously knew more about Shou Xin’s condition than she did, Nan Shan didn’t push it.
“Then let’s get started. But I’m telling you now—I really have no talent for cultivation. Not even a little. You’re not allowed to get mad at me.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Ji Yue promised.
Nan Shan pouted, thinking, ‘You’ll find out soon enough. Lingye also said he wouldn’t get mad at her, but after she failed to sense her own spiritual energy even after eight hundred tries, he’d ended up so frustrated his face turned dark.’
Unaware of her internal grumbling, Ji Yue waved a hand, making the table and chairs vanish, then looked at her.
“We’ll start with the basics. Close your eyes and try to concentrate. Feel the spiritual energy in your dantian.”
“…”
A nightmare.
The same old nightmare.
She remained silent for a while.
Seeing Ji Yue was serious, she had no choice but to follow his instructions.
The result did not disappoint—meaning she failed again.
Ji Yue stared at her for a long moment and then even asked, “Are you really born with a spiritual bone?”
“I told you, I have no cultivation talent.”
Nan Shan spread her hands helplessly.
Ji Yue was quiet for a moment.
“No matter. We’ll try other methods.”
He then taught her several different ways to sense spiritual energy.
But no matter what method she used, Nan Shan remained completely unaware of any energy within her.
Even the ever-patient Ji Yue looked a bit helpless.
After yet another failure, Nan Shan silently waited for Ji Yue to lose his temper—but he simply looked at her gently and said comfortingly, “Don’t worry. We’ll find the cultivation method that suits you.”
Nan Shan felt a bit guilty, seeing such a kind teacher.
“You have traces of spiritual energy in your body, which means you’ve succeeded before,” Ji Yue continued thoughtfully.
“What method did you use back then?”
Suddenly, a memory of a night spent with Lingye flashed through Nan Shan’s mind, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks.
Ji Yue was still waiting for her answer, but all he got was a flushed face.
He was stunned, then quickly caught on.
“You’re born with a spiritual bone. Dual cultivation with an ordinary person would be useless… the other person must’ve also been born with a spiritual bone… You met another one?”
Nan Shan pressed her lips together.
“Was it the Prince of the Underworld?”
Ji Yue asked.
“…No, it was someone else.” To her, a spiritual bone was both a gift and a curse. She believed Lingye felt the same. Without his permission, she couldn’t admit it was him.
Ji Yue didn’t press further.
He just nodded.
“Dual cultivation is fast, but ultimately not the right path. You still need to put in your own effort.”
“But I don’t even know how to try,” Nan Shan said, a little discouraged.
“I can’t even sense my spiritual energy.”
“Don’t rush. You’re born with a spiritual bone, which means you’re destined to be a cultivation prodigy. If you can’t sense it now, it must be because something is wrong with your body.”
Ji Yue paused and met her eyes.
“Would you let me examine you?”
“Sure.”
A quarter of an hour later, Nan Shan stood at the bedside.
After a long silence, she asked,
“Does it really have to be examined this way?”
Ji Yue looked serious.
“It doesn’t have to be undressed, but if my spiritual power penetrates your spiritual bones, it will generate a lot of heat. If you’re still wearing clothes, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to endure.”