She hadn’t expected things to take such a turn. She had nearly lost her life.
But, unexpectedly, that disaster had led her to meet Brother Ping’an. And Brother Ping’an wasn’t just handsome—he was gentle too.
For a young girl who had never experienced any sort of affection outside of her parents’ love, something unfamiliar began to stir in her heart.
If it weren’t for her longing to hear news of her parents, she might have followed Brother Ping’an and left this place altogether.
But finding her parents—that had always been her deepest wish.
She stared at his departing figure for a long time before finally pulling her gaze away and heading back to her small cabin.
On the way home, she couldn’t help but wonder: if Brother Ping’an knew she was a girl, would he start treating her like the other boys in the village—mocking and bullying her?
Or… would he still be as kind as he was now?
She didn’t know when they’d meet again. That thought tugged at her as she suddenly realized something—she hadn’t even asked where Brother Ping’an was from!
If she wanted to find him again someday… where would she start?
She turned around instinctively to call out, but Brother Ping’an was already far in the distance. With a sigh, she gave up.
Hopefully, someday he would come find her instead… or maybe, when the time was right, she’d find her way to him.
Just as she was lost in thoughts of Ping’an, a small boy walked out of a nearby house. Spotting her, he immediately pointed and shouted, “Look! The jinx is back!”
His voice rang out, and doors all around flew open. More boys spilled out into the street, surrounding her like a pack of hyenas.
“Why is the jinx still alive?”
“She should’ve just died already!”
“Jinx! Jinx! Jinx!”
Annoyed by their shrill voices, the girl’s gaze turned cold and sharp. She shot them a fierce glare.
Startled, the boys instinctively took a step back. But emboldened by their numbers, they quickly recovered and resumed chanting.
She ignored them. Without a word, she turned and walked into her home.
After all, these boys only dared to bark like dogs when they were in a group. She had no interest in wasting her energy on worthless pests.
Back inside, she leaned against the door with a quiet thud and made a silent vow:
No matter what… Brother Ping’an must never find out that she was a girl.
She couldn’t bear the thought of him changing—becoming like the others—once he knew.
Deep within the cave.
Ning Yue had been watching little Mengyao’s cultivation. It had been tolerable at first, but after a while, the silence grew dull.
Seeing that everything was going smoothly with Mengyao, Ning Yue decided to go check on the young master.
She was a little disappointed he hadn’t come to secretly peek at her while she was bathing, but… time was on her side. With enough effort, she’d eventually win him over.
Smirking to herself, she stepped through the shimmering light curtain and returned to the narrow cave corridor.
Right as she exited, her eyes landed on a pile of fresh fruit and ingredients neatly arranged on the floor. She chuckled softly.
So he’d made it all the way to the entrance… and still hadn’t dared sneak a peek at her?
The young master really was a gentleman.
If it were her father, he probably would’ve called in a few more people for the show.
She thought back to the things she’d read—books often said that when someone truly cared, they would look away, act shy, avoid eye contact.
Could it be… the young master actually had feelings for her?
Or at least for Mengyao?
Maybe he was afraid of making a mistake, so he’d chosen to stay away. But in his heart, he still had… thoughts.
Because if he really didn’t feel anything, why bother avoiding it at all?
He could’ve just walked right in and bathed with them like it was nothing.
Thinking of little Mengyao’s… still-developing physique, Ning Yue felt sure: the young master must be avoiding her.
Pleased with her deduction, Ning Yue cupped her own generous assets with both hands.
She thought of the young master’s expression during their earlier flight on the sword and couldn’t help but smile victoriously.
She silently thanked her mother for the “blessings” she’d passed down. With this kind of advantage, even if her looks weren’t enough, she’d win his heart in the end.
After all—if you don’t have “big” appeal, how can you win people over?
Once she finished daydreaming, Ning Yue finally remembered she had a task to do.
But upon seeing that the ground held only fruits and ingredients—no firewood—she froze. Was the young master expecting her to use fire talismans to cook?
Fire talismans were only meant for ignition. Their spiritual energy would burn out within seconds. How many talismans would it take to cook a full meal?
That was far too wasteful!
And if she used them all up now, what would they do for the next few days?
Wait… could it be? Had the young master gone out to collect firewood?
Relieved by the thought, she set it aside and got to work. She began preparing the ingredients—slicing, peeling, chopping.
Once everything was ready, she simply waited for his return.
And waited.
And waited.
Hours passed.
Sometimes she sat in the cave. Other times, she went back to check on Mengyao’s cultivation.
But as time dragged on, worry began to gnaw at her.
Was he really just gathering firewood?
How long could it possibly take?
Was he looking for World Tree branches or something?
Or worse—had he run into a wild vixen out in the woods?
Been seduced and dragged off to some den, never to return?
No, no! Ning Yue quickly shook her head. What vixen would be wandering these desolate mountains?
The only thing out here might be ghosts or demons!
Wait—demons…
What if he was in danger?
Even though this was a spiritless region, it didn’t mean there were no beasts. With his pitifully low cultivation level, how could he possibly defend himself?
The more she thought, the more alarmed she became. Why hadn’t she thought of this earlier?
Without another second of hesitation, she ran toward the entrance to search for him—
Only to see the very person she had been worried about, stepping into the cave at that exact moment. In his arms was a bundle of firewood.
Relief flooded her chest. She didn’t even care about the troubled look on his face. She flung herself into his arms and took a deep breath of his scent.
“You’re back! Thank goodness… I was so worried.”
“Oh—uh—yeah,” Ye Ping’an said, quickly composing himself. He reached up and patted her on the head.
“You two were cultivating, so I thought I’d go for a little walk.”
“Next time, you have to say something before leaving! I was scared to death.”
“I won’t, I won’t,” he said, reassuringly.
As Ning Yue snuggled contentedly against him, her expression suddenly stiffened. She pulled back and stared at him closely.
“Wait… Young Master, why do you smell… kind of fragrant?”