Warmth

It's impossible to count how many times things like this have happened between Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er. Because of this, Song Daren and Du Bishu didn't pay it any mind. In their eyes, it was just two childish kids fooling around. So, Du Bishu simply smiled and took the bowl from Ye Yun's hand, serving him another bowl of congee. However, this bowl of congee was snatched away by Tian Ling'er once again.

Normally, even when teasing Ye Yun, Tian Ling'er would only do it in the same place once. This time, she actually snatched Ye Yun's bowl again, which greatly surprised the other three in the kitchen. They all looked at her with confusion.

Stared at by the three, Tian Ling'er felt a bit self-conscious, her pretty face flushing slightly. However, she didn't return the congee to Ye Yun. Instead, she picked up a spoon from the side and said with an air of arrogance, "Didn't you say you'd be doing the introductory lessons with us starting today? At your speed, by the time you finish your congee, the sun will be directly overhead. Here, open your mouth." As she spoke, Tian Ling'er scooped a spoonful of congee, blew on it vigorously, and brought it to Ye Yun's mouth.

"Senior Sister!" Ye Yun felt a slight sting in his nose, a faint feeling of emotion swirling in his heart.

"Open your mouth," Tian Ling'er's tone was very calm, but Ye Yun saw the corner of her lips curve into a beautiful arc.

Filled with emotion, Ye Yun took the congee Tian Ling'er brought to his lips in one bite. However, the next second, he widened his mouth in shock. The sound of a ceramic bowl shattering also echoed nearby, because after feeding Ye Yun a mouthful, Tian Ling'er took another bite herself, completely stunning the other three.

"S-Senior Sister, didn't you say... you said you were feeding me?" Ye Yun, regaining his senses, looked at the delicate young girl before him, his words stumbling a little.

"Who told you I was feeding you? I'm only sharing half with you because I can't finish it. Here, ah~ open your mouth." The young girl tilted her head, looking at him with confusion.

Ye Yun: "..." What else could he say? He could only obediently open his mouth. But why did his heart feel so warm and sweet?

Du Bishu clutched his chest and said with a pained expression, "The times are changing, and people's hearts are not what they used to be!"

"Senior Brother, what did you just say? Xiao Yun and I are still young. I'm only twelve, and Xiao Yun is only six. You're decades old, so I don't understand what you're saying." Tian Ling'er put on a show of not understanding and not knowing what he was talking about, but her words dealt tens of thousands of tons of damage to Song Daren and Du Bishu.

From the original work, in the dialogue where Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan discussed Da Huang's age, it could be inferred that Song Daren and the others, who looked to be in their early twenties, were actually not young at all. Song Daren was at least over a hundred years old. This was because Tian Ling'er said in the original work, "Let me calculate, it seems like Fourth Senior Brother was already here when I arrived, so that's seventy years. No, Third Senior Brother said he was also here when he arrived, so that's ninety-seven years." If Third Senior Brother had been in the sect for ninety-seven years, then Second Senior Brother and Eldest Senior Brother must have been in the sect for nearly a hundred years. Therefore, Tian Ling'er's words were extremely damaging to them, as they had lived for so many years yet their cultivation was still inferior to a twelve-year-old girl.

Thinking of this, Ye Yun recalled Qi Hao, who had snatched Tian Ling'er away from Zhang Xiaofan in the original work. Qi Hao had participated in the last sect competition, which was held once every sixty years. Even if he was only in his teens when he participated, he would be nearly seventy now. Tian Ling'er, on the other hand, would only be around eighteen by the time of the sect competition. This was clearly an old ox eating young grass. No wonder Tian Buyi disliked him so much in the original work, injuring him the first time they met and later obstructing him in every way.

Thinking of this, Ye Yun secretly made a decision: he absolutely would not let Qi Hao easily trick the innocent and adorable Senior Sister away. If he dared to be as flirtatious as in the original work, giving gifts and such upon meeting, he would break his legs.

Just as Ye Yun made this decision, Qi Hao, who had just woken up on another peak, inexplicably shivered and tightened his clothes.

A bowl of congee wasn't much, and it was quickly finished with one mouthful each. However, because the two were so young, it was like a normal scene of an older sister feeding her younger brother, with no hint of romance at all.

Tian Ling'er started cultivating at the age of ten. She was twelve this year, meaning she had one more year before she no longer had to chop Black Knot Bamboo. Having chopped Black Knot Bamboo for two years, Tian Ling'er surely had many insights. Ye Yun took a smaller machete from Tian Ling'er and, with a spirit of diligent learning, earnestly sought her advice on chopping bamboo. He wasn't like Zhang Xiaofan, who thought it was just ordinary bamboo that could be chopped down with a casual swing.

Tian Ling'er didn't hold back. She brought Ye Yun to the back of the mountain and began to teach him hand-in-hand how to exert force, how to cut deepest with the least amount of strength, and how to easily pull out a knife stuck in the bamboo.

Ye Yun's small body housed the soul of an adult. Coupled with the system's purification of his marrow and bones, and his thorough transformation, he now possessed the ability to remember anything he saw or heard. Thus, he quickly mastered all the techniques. However, mastering the techniques was useless because his strength was too small. Zheng Xiaofan's full-force swing could leave a white mark on the Black Knot Bamboo, but Ye Yun's full-force swing only made his arm ache without any effect. The Black Knot Bamboo didn't even bend, causing Tian Ling'er, who was watching, to laugh heartily.

After laughing for a while, Tian Ling'er stopped and said, "Junior Brother, you can chop slowly here. I'm going inside. I'll bring you back at noon. Don't wander off. If anything happens, just shout, and I'll come quickly."

"Okay, I understand, Senior Sister." Ye Yun nodded dejectedly.

Ye Yun knew that Tian Buyi having the new disciples chop bamboo was actually to train their bodies. After all, for spells like the "Divine Sword Thunder Control True Spell," without a strong body, one wouldn't even need an opponent to attack them; the residual shockwaves from summoning lightning could cause their bodies to convulse, let alone defeat an enemy.

Since it was for physical training, he shouldn't use the magic power within him. However, despite Ye Yun's strong willpower, his body was simply too small. After only a few chops, his arms began to swell and ache.

Ye Yun understood that his body was too small and still in its growth phase. Continuing to chop could easily cause irreversible damage. Although there were certainly medicinal pills from Tian Buyi that could heal him, doing so would defeat the original purpose of training. Just as he was worrying about this, a warm current suddenly surged from within his body. Wherever this warm current passed, all fatigue disappeared.

"This, this is the magic power within me!" Ye Yun patted his forehead with some annoyance, muttering softly, "How could I forget? I can use magic power to nourish my body. This way, not only will the fatigue be resolved, but I can also continue cultivating without worrying about absorbing too much spiritual energy."

With a solution found, the rhythmic sound of chopping echoed through the bamboo forest once more.