A Transaction

Moonlight dappled.

A silent stone forest, a lone man and woman, dry tinder and fierce fire, in pitch darkness.

"What does it have to do with me if you have bruises?" Xiao Ning'er pouted her rosy lips, adding some firewood to the bonfire.

Could it be... that the bruises on Xian Wu's face were the same condition as the bruise on her own foot?

If things were as she suspected, then the source of the ailment that had tormented her for so long might be removed.

Pain, it was truly too painful.

The bruise on her foot had persisted for six or seven months, intermittently sending sharp pains through her.

Although she had endured it with tenacious willpower, that kind of torment was constantly gnawing at her.

She felt like a clam with a pebble stuck in its shell, enduring the grinding pain day and night.

Xian Wu's words were like a light, illuminating the darkness and tearing through the despair that shrouded her.

Although she verbally rejected Xian Wu, her body was quite honest.

Xiao Ning'er slowly took off her shoes, revealing her feet, which were as fair as congealed fat.

On the top of her left foot, a bruise was very noticeable.

Xian Wu knew Xiao Ning'er was a prude who said one thing and meant another, so he wasn't angered by her cold attitude.

He wasn't here to argue, he was here for... Bronze Demonic Spirits.

Xian Wu got straight to the point, "I have a few questions for you, and I hope you'll answer truthfully, after all... this concerns your condition. Classmate Xiao Ning'er, you don't want to suffer from illness every day, so... please."

Hmm... why did that sound a bit like a Japanese accent?

Xiao Ning'er neither nodded nor shook her head, sitting by the blazing bonfire, hugging her knees tightly.

"No response means you agree," Xian Wu smiled and shook his head. Xiao Ning'er was just that kind of person who denied things verbally but acted otherwise; he really couldn't do anything about her.

"First question, do your feet feel like they're burning?"

Xiao Ning'er nodded.

"Second question, do you feel very cold every day, no matter how many clothes you wear, you can't keep warm?"

Xiao Ning'er nodded again.

"Third question, does it feel like you're falling into an ice cave every midnight, as if you're about to freeze solid?"

Xiao Ning'er continued to nod.

"Last question, when did you start cultivating Soul Force at night?"

"About a year ago," Xiao Ning'er's voice was like a mosquito's hum. Every question Xian Wu asked struck a chord in her heart; it seemed her illness could be cured.

She couldn't appear too excited. What if he used her illness to coerce her into offering herself? That would be bad.

However, from their interactions during this time, although Xian Wu was a bit of a scoundrel, he wasn't a bad person at heart.

"Alright!" Xian Wu clapped his hands and sat down opposite Xiao Ning'er, gazing at her across the bonfire.

He got straight to the point, "I know your condition; it's the Extreme Cold Syndrome, just like mine, caused by cultivating Soul Force at night."

"How did you cure it?" Xiao Ning'er buried her head in her knees, her eyes, like stars shining in the night sky, fixed on Xian Wu.

Her beautiful big eyes were filled with longing and pleading.

Xian Wu sat down cross-legged and explained, "I cured it using the Guidance Technique."

"Guidance Technique? I've never heard of it?" Xiao Ning'er's eyes were filled with doubt. Was Xian Wu making it up to trick her? Coming from a prominent family, she had read widely and had never heard of any Guidance Technique.

Xian Wu tilted his head back arrogantly, "Of course, you haven't heard of it. Only two people in this world know the Guidance Technique, and one of them is me."

"And the other?"

"Is my godfather!"

Xiao Ning'er rolled her eyes, "Just say your godfather taught it to you, why beat around the bush!"

"For certain special reasons, my godfather cannot come into contact with women, so your illness can only be cured by me," Xian Wu continued.

"What do you want?" Xiao Ning'er's heart pounded like a startled deer, fearing Xian Wu would say something like asking her to marry him.

"I want you..." Xian Wu deliberately paused, and seeing Xiao Ning'er's cold expression as she reached for her sword hilt, he quickly added, "I want you to give me a Bronze Demonic Spirit."

"A Bronze Demonic Spirit?" A large stone dropped from Xiao Ning'er's heart.

"Deal!" Xiao Ning'er agreed readily.

"Wait!" Xian Wu stopped Xiao Ning'er from rushing, "You need to give me a written agreement. What if you go back on your word later? Your prominent family is wealthy and powerful; I can't afford to offend you."

Xiao Ning'er gritted her silver teeth and shot Xian Wu a fierce glare.

As expected, this guy was a complete scoundrel, a total idiot.

How much was a Bronze Demonic Spirit worth? Her monthly allowance from the family was enough to buy five or six of them. Would she really go back on her word?

"You don't trust me?" Xiao Ning'er asked through gritted teeth.

Xian Wu retorted, "You were just about to stab me with your sword. How can I trust you? After I cure you, you'll just discard me like an old shoe, and I'll have no recourse. No one would believe the words of a lewd and shameless 'Pants-Stripping Fiend'."

"You're quite self-aware." Xiao Ning'er snorted lightly and took out paper, ink, brush, and inkstone from her spatial ring.

"Come here!"

"What for?" Xian Wu stood up, patted his butt, and walked over.

"Get down!"

"……" Xian Wu looked around. "Get down where? On you?"

Xiao Ning'er stuck out her leg and tripped him. Xian Wu lost his balance and face-planted onto the ground.

"Don't move!" Xiao Ning'er spread the paper on Xian Wu's broad back, ground some ink, and began to write.

Xian Wu, with his butt in the air, felt uncomfortable all over, extremely afraid that Xiao Ning'er would ride on his back.

"Done!" Xiao Ning'er put away the paper, ink, brush, and inkstone, rolled up the paper, and held it in her hand.

Feeling the lightness on his back, Xian Wu got up and brushed the dirt off his knees.

"Give it to me." Xian Wu reached out to ask for the promissory note.

Xiao Ning'er put it back into her spatial ring and said with a sly smile, "Getting something for nothing? Dream on! Treat me once first, and I'll see how effective it is!"

"Sure!" Xian Wu nodded.

"The Guidance Technique is a form of massage, requiring… physical contact…" Xian Wu gave Xiao Ning'er a "you know" look.

A blush instantly spread across Xiao Ning'er's cheeks. She frowned and warned, "Let's get this straight: you're only allowed to massage the bruised areas. If you dare touch anywhere else, don't blame me for turning on you."

Seeing Xiao Ning'er looking fierce and ready to devour him, Xian Wu raised his hands in surrender. "My dear young lady, how could I dare? If I touch any other part of you, you can stab me with a knife. If I flinch, I'm not a man."

Hearing Xian Wu say this, Xiao Ning'er slightly lowered her guard.

She sat on the ground and shyly extended her delicate foot onto Xian Wu's thigh.

Holding Xiao Ning'er's delicate foot in his right hand, Xian Wu stared intently at the bruise on the top of her foot, his brows furrowed.

"What, is it serious?" Xiao Ning'er asked nervously.

Xian Wu: "Uh… did you wash your feet?"