Yun Xi, the Straight Man

"Alright, alright."

Seeing Xun'er put it that way, Yun Xi reluctantly compromised.

"Oh, right... Yun Xi..." Remembering something, Xun'er suddenly called out to Yun Xi ahead of her.

"Hm? What is it?"

"You just said Old Ling has arrived. If he discovers your existence, he'll definitely tell Father. When that happens, it'll be impossible to explain." A trace of worry appeared on Xun'er's flushed little face.

Just as she had said, if Ling Ying discovered that Xun'er was together with an unfamiliar Soul Body, he would certainly report it to Gu Yuan. Given how highly Xun'er was regarded within the Gu Clan, Gu Yuan might fly into a rage.

Hearing the concern in Xun'er's voice, Yun Xi chuckled. "Don't worry. I set up a Space Barrier within a radius of one zhang around us. Anyone within one zhang can see me, but anyone beyond that can only see you. So there's no need to worry about that."

"That's good." Xun'er grinned.

After an unknown amount of time, the trees on either side gradually thinned out. Once they rounded the last massive tree blocking their path, the view before them suddenly opened up.

At the sight before her, Xun'er could hardly believe her eyes.

Before Xun'er was a huge waterfall. Torrential water crashed down from above like a strip of white silk, battering the boulders below and sending mist spraying into the air.

Below the waterfall flowed a clear stream. Looking closely, they could see quite a few little fish swimming upstream, while the uneven trees along the bank were reflected in its waters.

"We're here. Let's rest here. The surroundings are pretty nice." Stopping in his tracks, Yun Xi looked at the scene before him with a hint of delight.

Xun'er nodded and slowly walked to the side of the stream. She gently sat down on the grass, listening to the water and gazing at the stars filling the sky. Her eyes gradually grew unfocused, and her body slowly relaxed.

On the other side, Yun Xi piled up some firewood and lit it. The firelight illuminated a small patch of grass around them. This warm, peaceful feeling gave him a comfort he had not felt in a long time—one he had only experienced long, long ago.

When he had cultivated in the mountains as a child, he had once saved a little tiger. Thus, the young boy and the little tiger had embarked on the path of cultivation together. They had once gathered around like this to eat roasted meat, play together, and sleep together...

"Ah..." With a soft sigh, Yun Xi stopped dwelling on the past. His gaze shifted to Xun'er, who was sitting on the grass nearby. He slowly walked over and sat down beside her.

The two quietly watched the stars overhead and the shooting stars streaking across the sky.

"Yun Xi, you said you aren't from this plane's continent. Can you tell me about your past? About your background..." Gazing at the stars above, Xun'er finally asked the question.

Yun Xi sighed softly. "Ah, so it's finally come... Very well..."

Xun'er tilted her little face slightly, her star-like eyes fixed on the man beside her.

"Then let me tell you a story."

After clearing his throat, Yun Xi raised his head toward the night sky and spoke softly.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy. His family was a prestigious clan, filled with powerful experts. In that region, they were overlords renowned far and wide, and he was a young master who wanted for nothing."

"Until one day, a group of people calling themselves the Saint Spirit Religion came there. Without a word, they massacred everyone in his clan. In order to let him live, his parents sealed their spiritual power within his body. They also gave him an unidentified fragment and entrusted him to an old man to raise."

"Just like that, his parents and thousands of clansmen were slaughtered. He knew he could not seek revenge, so he quietly cultivated under the old man's guidance. It was only after the old man passed away that he set out alone on the path of cultivation."

"During his journey of cultivation, he saved a severely injured little tiger. The two cultivated together, and in the end... they both became peak experts of that continent."

"And he avenged the blood debt of his parents and clansmen. With one man and one spear, he slaughtered his way through the entire sect. The world called him the White-Robed Spear God."

"That day, he was surrounded and hunted by an even stronger group of people. Only then did he learn that the Saint Spirit Religion he had destroyed was merely a tiny branch in a remote region."

"Even more despairing was the fact that the little tiger who had followed him for decades and taken human form was actually the Son of the Sacred Beast of the Saint Spirit Religion. It was his father who had severely injured it back then, yet by a cruel twist of fate, it had been saved by him."

"With his long spear held at an angle, he faced the enemy alone. Surrounded by countless foes, he ultimately killed it. Gravely wounded, he tore open a Space Crack and escaped to a place utterly devoid of life."

"It turned out that all those people had come for the fragment belonging to his family. Upon learning the truth, he gave a miserable laugh. He no longer had the slightest strength to fight, and just as he was about to self-destruct and perish together with them all, his consciousness inexplicably arrived in another world..."

Quietly listening to Yun Xi's story, Xun'er felt as though she had been drawn into it.

She seemed to see a man dressed in white, kneeling on one knee amid flashing blades and clashing swords. Though he was already deeply surrounded, he was still like the long spear in his hand—rather broken than bent!

Listening to Yun Xi's past, she finally understood how much he had gone through to become as free and easy as he was now.

Her eyes reddened, her nose stung, and tears slid down her cheeks.

Seeing Xun'er cry, Yun Xi's heart felt as though it were being torn apart. He did not know why, but subconsciously, he felt that he could not let the girl before him shed tears.

He raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from Xun'er's cheeks. Pinching her soft little face, Yun Xi said softly, "You're the little princess of the Gu Clan. How can you cry so easily? Honestly..."

Suddenly, Xun'er straightened up. Raising her tear-streaked little face, she asked in a choked voice, "Yun Xi, answer me. Will you always stay by my side?"

Yun Xi froze at her words, then chuckled. "Silly girl, why are you suddenly asking that?"

"Don't change the subject. I'm asking you, will you or won't you?" The sobbing tone in Xun'er's voice gradually turned firm.

"I will... probably..." Yun Xi answered gently, but only he could hear that last word.

Yun Xi himself did not know whether he would always remain by Xun'er's side. All he knew now was that he needed to revive, master spatial techniques, and return.

But he also did not know whether he would be able to leave Xun'er in the future. After all, he bore Xun'er's refinement mark on his body as well.

Rubbing his forehead, Yun Xi smiled bitterly.

Hearing the answer from the man before her, Xun'er broke into a smile through her tears.

"Silly girl, that makes twice now." Seeing Xun'er smile through her tear-streaked face, Yun Xi raised two fingers and spoke mysteriously.

Xun'er paused. "What do you mean, twice?"

"I see you as my own little sister. It hasn't even been a month, and you've cried twice already. Why do you cry so much? Do all girls like crying? I really don't understand."

Yun Xi was rather curious. He had never interacted with girls before, much less made one cry. So when it came to such matters, he was often rather straightforward.

Hearing Yun Xi say that, Xun'er smiled faintly on the surface, but behind her back, an Eight Trigrams Palm seal began to form in her hand.

Yun Xi suddenly felt a chill run down his back, as though something bad was about to happen. And that feeling came from Xun'er before him.

"Hehe, no. How could I possibly li!ke! crying!"

Xun'er spoke with a face full of fake smiles, then blasted the Eight Trigrams Palm she had gathered in her hand toward Yun Xi.

Boom!