Breaking Her Word

At dusk, the red sun dipped behind the mountains.

Xian Wu hummed a little tune from his hometown, a toothpick between his teeth. Dressed in a white robe and beaming, he strolled out of the Alchemist Guild.

He'd spent the whole afternoon getting cozy with Yang Xin. It had been absolutely wonderful.

Yang Xin wasn't some young girl; she knew what Xian Wu wanted.

But they'd known each other for less than a day. Talking about marriage was far too soon.

Besides, Xian Wu was much too young. He wasn't quite right for her.

Considering the person backing Xian Wu, Yang Xin didn't reject him outright. Instead, she planned to keep him dangling and wear down his time and energy.

The young boy had only just discovered love. In a couple of years, he might lose interest in an "old" woman like her.

If he was still pursuing her then, she would grant his wish.

Yang Xin had hinted at what she wanted: Xian Wu could come back to her with all those ideas once he became a Gold Spirit Master.

Become a Gold Spirit Master?

For Xian Wu, that would be a piece of cake. The thought that he could soon hold his beauty in his arms made his blood boil.

Would his and his precious Yang Xin's child be a boy or a girl?

He passed through the gates of Sacred Orchid Academy, entered the Trial Grounds, and reached the camp in the Rocky Forest.

While waiting for Xiao Ning'er, Xian Wu gathered some firewood nearby.

He'd burned all the firewood at both camps while experimenting last night.

In truth, he could have called off his deal with Xiao Ning'er.

Nie Li had given the Alchemist Guild several pill recipes, and the guild had given him a third of the profits.

After just one week, he'd have enough Demon Spirit Coins to buy a Bronze Demonic Spirit.

He was Nie Li's adopted son. Asking his adoptive father for a little spending money wouldn't be unreasonable, would it?

Besides, Nie Li wasn't stingy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have generously shared top-tier cultivation techniques with everyone.

Still, he didn't want to back out of the deal.

It wasn't that he couldn't bear to part with Xiao Ning'er, that little firecracker. He simply didn't want to go back on his word.

The Xian family were the kind of people who could stand tall and proud, never bowing down once they were on their feet. Even lying down, they'd leave a dent in the ground.

He might usually act like a carefree rascal, but he valued honor and trust above all.

Once he'd promised someone something, he'd do it even if he had to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a pot of boiling oil.

"This should be about enough." Xian Wu nodded at the pile of firewood, stacked as high as a small hill.

He lit a bonfire, practiced his Two-Form Fist, and quietly waited for Xiao Ning'er to arrive.

I feel like I'm practically invincible now, Xian Wu thought.

In close combat, he had the Demon Left Hand, which could break down anything in the world.

At range, he had the Chaos Spirit Devouring Art, which could absorb any kind of energy.

With these two treasures, he was invincible among those at the same level.

The Chaos Spirit Devouring Art perfectly made up for the Demon Left Hand's flaws and shortcomings. Thinking of that, Xian Wu felt even more grateful to Nie Li.

He hadn't made a mistake in accepting Nie Li as his adoptive father.

His relationship with Nie Li was like that of Yao Lao and Xiao Yan in Battle Through the Heavens.

He hoped their harmonious relationship would last forever.

The moonlight was cool and silvery, and the evening breeze stirred gently.

Xiao Ning'er approached with a graceful catlike gait, like a fairy descended from the moon palace.

"Good evening, Xiao Ning'er." Xian Wu smiled brightly and greeted her.

Xiao Ning'er folded her arms across her chest and gave a soft snort. "At least you kept your word!"

"Did you bring it?" Xian Wu rubbed his thumb against his forefinger and asked with a shifty grin. He thought Xiao Ning'er only had the bruise on the top of her foot, and he could clear that up tonight.

Xiao Ning'er furrowed her brows and shot Xian Wu a disdainful glance before taking a round, silvery-white ball from her Space Ring.

A Demonic Spirit Stone! Xian Wu recognized the ball between Xiao Ning'er's fingers.

Ordinary Demonic Spirit Stones were colorless and transparent. Once they contained a demonic spirit, the stone turned a solid color.

Xiao Ning'er's ball—no, her Demonic Spirit Stone—was silvery-white. Xian Wu guessed it contained a Bronze Demonic Spirit of the wind-and-snow element. The City of Brilliance lay within the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, where wind-and-snow demonic spirits were abundant.

And because they were so common... the spirit Xiao Ning'er had wasn't worth much.

Trying to fob him off with a cheap piece of junk—nice one.

Xiao Ning'er caught the disdain in Xian Wu's eyes and snapped furiously, "You idiot, take a good look!"

She marched over and thrust the Demonic Spirit Stone in front of him, fuming. "This is a demonic spirit of the Wind Snow Demon Emperor!"

The Wind Snow Demon Emperor was a sovereign among the demon beasts of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, at the top of the food chain. It could control wind, frost, snow, and rain.

The spirit in her hand was Bronze rank only because it came from a young Wind Snow Demon Emperor.

Even a young one's demonic spirit was worth over a million Demon Spirit Coins. A young spirit could grow alongside its host!

She'd spent all the pocket money she'd saved over the years to get one for him, and he'd actually looked down on it. It was heartbreaking.

"So what? It's still only a Bronze-rank demonic spirit." Xian Wu crossed his eyes as he stared at the Demonic Spirit Stone almost touching the tip of his nose, then reached to take it.

He had no idea how precious the spirit Xiao Ning'er had was. He'd never encountered a demonic spirit before, so he could only judge its value by its rank.

Xiao Ning'er slapped his hand away and put the Demonic Spirit Stone back into her Space Ring.

"You haven't finished treating me yet, so I can't give you this demonic spirit." Xiao Ning'er took a step back.

Xian Wu shrugged. "Whatever. Let's get started. I'm in a hurry to get back to the dorm and sleep. Take off your shoe. Hurry up!" He wanted to finish the deal quickly. He was done trying to warm up to someone who kept giving him the cold shoulder.

"Why are you rushing? I'm not ready yet!" Xiao Ning'er's face flushed.

Although he'd treated her once before, she still felt shy remembering how Xian Wu had held her little foot.

But she wouldn't stay shy for long.

Xian Wu showed no tenderness at all as he roughly cleared the bruise on the top of Xiao Ning'er's foot.

"Done! I've treated you. Give me the Demonic Spirit Stone and we'll be even." Xian Wu pushed her foot away with a look of distaste and held out his large, fanlike hand.

Xiao Ning'er propped herself up with both hands, her body limp and her expression alluring, like a delicate flower battered by a raging storm.

When Xiao Ning'er bit her lip, shut her eyes, and remained silent for a long time, Xian Wu got angry.

"Hey, quit playing dead and pay up! Are you trying to welsh on the deal?"

Xiao Ning'er's bright eyes snapped open, blazing with anger. "What's the rush? You haven't finished treating me!"

"Nonsense!" Xian Wu grabbed Xiao Ning'er by the ankle and lifted her foot in front of her. "Look for yourself. The bruise is gone. I've finished treating you! Don't even think about welshing. We signed an agreement, so you have to keep your word."

Xiao Ning'er's whole body was weak from Xian Wu's treatment. She couldn't break free for the moment and could only let him handle her.

"Let go of me, you jerk!"

"Give me the Demonic Spirit Stone and I'll let go."

"I can't give it to you. There's another bruise on me that you haven't treated!"

"Another one? Where?"

"On..."