Ning Xuerou's Gratitude

"I'm not an immortal. I'm merely extraordinarily gifted."

Chen Xiaofan was honestly quite surprised that she had mistaken him for an immortal.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Seeing someone suddenly ride a sword through the air from afar, then kill a Grandmaster-level figure on the spot—mistaking him for an immortal in a moment of excitement was only natural.

If it had been him, he might have thought the same.

"Extraordinarily gifted?" The Emei woman was even more astonished. Unable to believe it, she said, "Merely extraordinarily gifted? I've seen many gifted people too, but none of them were like you—able to ride a sword through the air at seven, able to kill a Grandmaster Peak at seven!"

The shock he had brought her was simply too great. No matter how gifted someone was, she had never seen anyone who could fly at seven or instantly defeat a Grandmaster Peak at seven. Was this really a human being?

"Haha, I really am extraordinarily gifted." Chen Xiaofan summed it up in one sentence, then said, "Do you still need something? If not, I'll be leaving first."

"Ah... don't, don't go yet. Can you stay with me for a while..." Hearing that he was leaving, the Emei woman immediately became dejected and hurriedly tried to keep him.

She still wanted to spend a little more time with him.

To think she had been fortunate enough to meet someone so exceptionally gifted...

"Is there something else?" Chen Xiaofan turned back and asked.

"Um... can I be your older sister?" The Emei woman bit down on her pearly teeth, her cheeks flushing crimson as she spoke those words.

"That?" Chen Xiaofan considered it briefly, then nodded in agreement.

When one roamed the martial world, having one more older sister was no harm.

Chen Xiaofan had quite a favorable impression of Emei Sect disciples—apart from those few scheming women, of course.

"Then from today onward, I'll be your older sister. What is my little brother called?" The Emei woman smiled sweetly, like a pure lotus flower in June.

A moment later, Chen Xiaofan learned that her name was Ning Xuerou. She was a senior disciple of the Emei Sect, with fairly decent talent and passable martial skills. However, Ding Minjun held some resentment toward her. Fortunately, Ding Minjun seemed busy targeting Zhou Zhiruo and had no time to deal with her.

"My name is Chen Xiaofan," Chen Xiaofan introduced himself.

Ning Xuerou silently repeated the name a few times, committing it to her heart.

Chen Xiaofan. What a lovely name.

Afterward, the two found a large stone and sat down.

"Little brother, you saved your sister's life. I truly don't know how to repay you. You're still young... How about this? I have some gemstones here, part of the inheritance my father left behind when he passed away. Each one can be exchanged for quite a bit of silver. Pick a few you like, all right?"

Ning Xuerou took out a small cloth pouch, opened it for Chen Xiaofan to see, and spoke gently.

A life-saving favor deserved repayment as deep as a spring. Unfortunately, he was still young. She felt that giving him nothing at all would be difficult to justify, so she would at least pay some interest first.

Chen Xiaofan looked down and saw thirteen or fourteen glittering gemstones in the pouch—sapphires, rubies, yellow gemstones... a dazzling array, numerous and varied.

His eyes lit up. "What are these gemstones for?"

"They can be set into weapons or armor to increase their value. Of course, their greatest use is being sold for money. Princes and nobles are especially fond of these little things. Once they fall into their hands, their value often doubles several times over. A single sapphire can sell for thirty thousand taels of silver without any problem," Ning Xuerou explained.

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly added, "Right, no one in the entire Emei Sect knows I'm carrying something this valuable. Otherwise, Ding Minjun would definitely scheme to take it from me. After you choose a few and take them away, don't show them off carelessly. Wealth must not be displayed, understand, little brother?"

Chen Xiaofan was moved and nodded.

Thirty thousand taels of silver per gemstone—if he could pick several, wouldn't that mean another hundred thousand or so in earnings?

He had never expected that one casual sword strike would earn him a reward of a hundred thousand taels of silver...

Without thinking further, Chen Xiaofan began choosing.

He reached into the pouch and took one gemstone after another, ultimately taking out five.

"Too few. Little brother, I'll give you two more. Here, take them." Ning Xuerou felt it was not enough, so she took out two more sapphires herself and placed them in his palm.

Chen Xiaofan did not stand on ceremony and accepted them.

"Remember what your sister said. Wealth must not be displayed. Protect yourself well, understand?" Afterward, Ning Xuerou was still worried and gave him another reminder.

She was an adult and knew all too well the deception and intrigue of the adult world.

"I understand. Please rest assured, Sister." Chen Xiaofan did not find her nagging and simply nodded.

Ning Xuerou put away the pouch, then took out a swordplay manual from her robes. "Little brother, I saw that you use a sword. My master passed this swordplay down to me, but I was never able to master it. If it hadn't been for you today, I might already be dead. Consider this swordplay a gift. Here, don't be polite with your sister. Take it."

Before Chen Xiaofan could say anything, she grabbed his hand and placed it in his palm.

Chen Xiaofan lowered his head and saw several large words on the cover: "Emei Swordplay."

He could not help feeling somewhat surprised.

As far as he knew, the Emei Sect had never passed its techniques to outsiders, and men were strictly forbidden from secretly learning them. Yet she had given this swordplay to him directly. It had to be said that she was truly treating him very well.

He opened it and took a look. As expected of Emei Sect martial arts, it lay between masculine strength and feminine softness, able to be soft or hard, placing equal importance on internal and external cultivation. It was a rare, superior Martial Arts Technique.

Such a swordplay manual was worth more than a city, its value impossible to measure.

Just then, an idea suddenly flashed through Chen Xiaofan's mind.