“Senior Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? Did I faint just now?”
“I remember I was doing the test, and then I suddenly passed out…”
Ye Mengyao was not only confused about why she had fainted, but also vaguely recalled hearing an explosion just before losing consciousness.
She was puzzled to find her senior brother leaning over her—and it even looked like he was trying to remove her dress.
But… Senior Brother was such a kind person. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, right? There must be a good reason for what he was doing.
Unintentionally glancing outside, she noticed the sky had already turned dark. This deepened her confusion.
“It’s already this late? Senior Brother, what are you doing here so late at night?”
“…Uh… this…”
Sweat the size of beads formed on Ye Ping’an’s forehead and trickled down his face, landing softly on Ye Mengyao’s dress.
What now? What should I do?
Ye Ping’an had only meant to quietly confirm whether his junior sister was truly a genius or someone with a mysterious origin. He didn’t plan for things to escalate this far.
There was still a chance. The situation hadn’t reached the worst point yet—he just needed to explain things properly!
Wait… explain?
Suddenly, a strange idea popped into Ye Ping’an’s mind.
He remembered a legendary figure among transmigrators—Emperor Yan, known for his “creative” methods.
As a child, that guy had once sneaked into a heroine’s room under the pretense of testing for spiritual energy, using all sorts of far-fetched excuses to get close to her. A true… “innovator.”
But desperate times called for desperate measures. If Ye Mengyao misunderstood him, not only would his efforts to build trust be ruined, but he might not even survive the future disaster he knew was coming.
Worse yet, he might get himself killed by the powerful female lead herself.
Unlike that infamous predecessor, he was just trying to survive. With this excuse in mind, Ye Ping’an calmed himself down a little.
He lowered his voice and asked seriously, “Junior Sister… do you know what your talent level is?”
Ye Mengyao shook her head. After all, the last thing she remembered was the test stone glowing brightly—then she fainted.
She had no idea whether her aptitude was good or bad. But in her limited memory, her senior brother had always taken great care of her—bringing her snacks, playing with her, and even teaching her about the wonders of cultivation.
Deep down, she hoped she could qualify to become a cultivator.
Her eyes were filled with hopeful anticipation. Her small hands tightened nervously.
“Your talent is… acceptable. You can definitely walk the path of cultivation. However…”
Ye Ping’an hesitated mid-sentence.
Ye Mengyao’s face lit up upon hearing that she had potential, but the word “however” made her heart skip.
“Senior Brother, what’s the problem?”
Sigh.
“I wasn’t planning to tell you, but if I don’t say anything now, you might misunderstand in the future…”
Ye Ping’an tried his best to look like someone making a difficult confession. Then he began delivering his revised version of the “explanation,” inspired by that infamous Emperor Yan.
“Strictly speaking, your talent is quite good. But there’s still a gap between you and the true prodigies. Luckily, I happen to know a method to help nurture and strengthen your spiritual channels.”
“With it, even those so-called geniuses won’t be far ahead of you in the future.”
“Nurture… spiritual channels?” Ye Mengyao blinked at him with curiosity.
“That’s right. I’d use my spiritual energy to gradually strengthen your body. But since my cultivation is still weak, the process needs direct contact with the skin to be effective.”
“Originally, I thought I’d help while you were asleep and leave quietly afterward… but now that you’re awake, I wanted to explain everything clearly. I really wasn’t trying to take advantage of you.”
“…Oh, I see!” Ye Mengyao nodded as understanding dawned. So that’s why Senior Brother was in her room, why he had been so close—it was all for her benefit.
Of course it was. He had always treated her well since they met. Why would this time be any different?
Ye Ping’an was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to actually believe him so easily. But then again, she was young and pure-hearted.
He even felt slightly relieved that all the effort he’d put in these last few days to gain her trust had worked.
To be safe, he gently reminded her, “Of course… for your sake, we can’t let anyone else know about this. It’s just between us—no one else must hear of it.”
“Of course, Senior Brother. I won’t tell anyone.”
Then, as if fully convinced, she added eagerly, “Since that’s the case, please let’s begin. I want to nurture my spiritual channels right away!”
Without hesitation, Ye Mengyao began adjusting her clothes herself, moving quickly and without confusion.
Seeing her so calm and cooperative, Ye Ping’an froze again.
“Senior Brother, hurry up! This position is uncomfortable,” she said, shifting restlessly under his weight.
Watching her innocent, trusting expression, Ye Ping’an was suddenly overwhelmed by guilt.
He instinctively stood up and stepped to the edge of the bed.
As Ye Mengyao lay there preparing herself, he found himself torn with internal conflict.
Wasn’t this going too far? Wasn’t this just wrong?
But then he thought of the danger that lay ahead, the eventual fate of their sect as he remembered from the story, and clenched his fists. In the end, he didn’t stop her.
“Senior Brother, come on! I’m ready.”
Seeing him hesitate, Ye Mengyao grabbed his arm and pulled him close again, urging him with sincere excitement.
“Oh—right, I’m coming…”
Faced with her pure enthusiasm and trust, Ye Ping’an swallowed hard.
Even though his main goal was to check for a special mark of reincarnation, now that he’d already explained things this way, he had no choice but to follow through.