Stand Guard for You

"Mm, Miss Wan?"

"I hadn't expected you to still be hung up on something like this."

Yao Wan stood and walked over to Xiao Yan. Her plain-colored long dress swayed faintly in the night, passing before him again and again.

"But I'm actually quite surprised that you told me something so important."

Yao Wan spoke without thinking.

"That's because hiding it from you simply wasn't realistic, girl."

Old Yao spoke up at just the right moment, and an illusory figure of an elderly man condensed within the room.

"Since you already know of my existence, it would be impossible for Xiao Yan to hide anything from you... Not to mention this foolish brat trusts you so much... Sigh."

Old Yao looked somewhat conflictedly at the girl whose face remained concealed beneath a bamboo hat even in the darkness, then let out a helpless sigh.

"I only hope this brat hasn't placed his trust in the wrong person."

"That's because I trust Miss Wan, of course!"

Xiao Yan naturally could not stand hearing his teacher call him a brat and a fool in front of others every day. He was a genius, alright?

"Trust..."

Yao Wan fell silent for a moment. Then she subconsciously leaned against the bed and sighed.

"Don't try to guilt-trip me. And don't think too highly of people, either... There are plenty of treacherous hearts in this world. If you're this naïve, you'll suffer greatly sooner or later."

"Even so, I believe Miss Wan will absolutely prove worthy of my trust."

A faint smile rested on Xiao Yan's lips, as though he had already decided that was how it would be.

"Then gamble on things like that less often in the future. Entrusting your faith to someone else is far too foolish."

Yao Wan's warning only deepened the smile on Xiao Yan's face. Presumably, Miss Wan herself would never understand this.

After all, he was not someone who would casually reveal secrets concerning his fortune and life to others.

Rather, Miss Wan was one of the very few exceptions in his eyes.

"Forget it... Let's not talk about this."

Finding the topic dull, Yao Wan waved her hand.

"What were we talking about just now? Fen Jue, right?"

"Mm. Fen Jue is a cultivation method that can continuously evolve by devouring all kinds of Heavenly Flames."

"Then cultivate it. Why wouldn't you, when you have such a cultivation method?"

Yao Wan answered as though it were only natural. A cultivation method capable of raising its own grade was already enough to demonstrate how strange it was, let alone one that used Heavenly Flames as the basis of cultivation.

"But this cultivation method is very dangerous. Teacher said the odds of success may only be twenty percent."

"Then keep cultivating it. When you face stronger enemies, do you think your chances of surviving will be higher than twenty percent?"

There was a trace of pride in Yao Wan's tone.

"This..."

Xiao Yan paused. He had not expected Miss Wan to say something like that.

"If you cultivate Fen Jue, I can also help you search for other Heavenly Flames."

"But in the end, this is your own choice. There's nothing for me to agonize over. How you choose is ultimately up to you."

"But if Teacher wants to be resurrected, he needs Fen Jue. And if I want to live up to Miss Wan's efforts and catch up to you, I need Fen Jue too."

Yao Wan glanced at him unconsciously. She had wanted to say that there was no need for him to follow her wishes, but Xiao Yan had already made his decision.

Looking at her beneath the bamboo hat, Xiao Yan spoke resolutely. "...Fine. I'll cultivate it."

"Teacher."

"...Brat."

Old Yao fell silent for a moment before emerging from Xiao Yan's Storage Ring.

"I've decided. I'm going to cultivate Fen Jue."

Xiao Yan said.

The matter Old Yao had secretly been urging him toward had finally succeeded. Though it relieved him, he could not help but sigh.

Risking his life for someone else... Too foolish.

"...I'll stand guard for you."

After the cultivation method for Fen Jue appeared in Xiao Yan's mind, he immediately sat cross-legged and prepared to cultivate.

Yao Wan slowly rose to her feet, her slender jade fingers gently settling on Xiao Yan's shoulder.

As a patch of flawless pale skin was exposed to the air, a turquoise-green flame ignited around Yao Wan's body.

"Mm?"

Old Yao was somewhat surprised. He had initially believed that exposing Fen Jue had been a helpless last resort, since there was no way to conceal it from her.

Yet he had not expected this girl to be willing to use even her Living Flame, which had not yet fully matured...

Seeing Yao Wan act this way, Old Yao's previously hesitant heart eased somewhat.

The Living Flame possessed an extraordinarily vigorous life force. If it nourished him, then when Xiao Yan devoured Heavenly Flames in the future, having her stand guard beside him would likely raise his chances of success considerably.

Thinking about it that way, letting this girl learn of Fen Jue's existence was not necessarily a bad thing.

Xiao Yan's eyes were shut tight, his brows faintly furrowed. This was his first time cultivating a cultivation method, and it was such a strange one at that. Though Xiao Yan was extraordinarily gifted, converting his originally attribute-less Dou Qi into the fire-attributed Dou Qi of Fen Jue was no easy task.

But when Xiao Yan felt Miss Wan's palm press against the center of his back, a cool sensation spread from there throughout his entire body.

This was...

Xiao Yan opened his eyes with some difficulty and murmured unconsciously, "Miss Wan..."

"Shh. Don't speak. Focus, circulate your meridians, and convert your Dou Qi."

She had merely been circulating her Dou Qi instinctively, using the life force of the Living Flame to help him complete a circulation cycle. Yet when Xiao Yan first began circulating Fen Jue, her Living Flame seemed to be naturally drawn to it and involuntarily surged into Xiao Yan's meridians.

Had the Living Flame been an ordinary Heavenly Flame with overwhelming destructive power, Xiao Yan would truly have been in danger now.

Still, Fen Jue greatly surprised Yao Wan. Although she knew full well how extraordinary it was, the fact that it could actively draw in her Heavenly Flame proved it was indeed far from ordinary.

"...Fine. If I'm helping, I might as well see it through."

Yao Wan gave up on withdrawing now. Instead, she continued pouring her Dou Qi into Xiao Yan's body, guiding him through his meridian cycles and converting his Dou Qi.

Old Yao frowned at the side, but did not speak to stop her.

Only after the time it took to burn an incense stick did Xiao Yan open his eyes.

"I did it, Teacher! I did it!"

The moment he opened his eyes, he instinctively spread his palm and circulated his Dou Qi. The attribute-less Dou Qi that had once surged from his palm had now transformed into the Dou Qi of Fen Jue.

Xiao Yan immediately looked at Old Yao with excitement written all over his face.

"Mm. But the person you should be thanking now shouldn't be me."

Old Yao's eyes glimmered with gratification, but he still said so.

"...Miss Wan?"

Xiao Yan instinctively turned around and looked back at Miss Wan, who had never been this close to him before.