Trying and Failing, Xiao Wu's Guess

Evening came quickly, and Yu Yan and Xiao Wu once again appeared atop the mountain east of the village.

"Quick, quick, quick! Hurry and see whether the moon has any special energy!"

The moment they reached the mountaintop, Xiao Wu impatiently urged Yu Yan on. She seemed even more anxious than he was.

If they truly confirmed that the moon contained special energy that could be absorbed, then it would be Xiao Wu who had discovered it, not Yu Yan. The joy she felt was hard to put into words.

"There's a high chance it does, but we can't rule out the possibility that it doesn't. You should prepare yourself mentally."

While Xiao Wu was happily anticipating it, Yu Yan gave her a precautionary warning. His usual principle was to prepare for the worst, so that no matter what situation he faced, he would not be too upset.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't say discouraging things when someone else is happy."

Xiao Wu lightly waved a finger before Yu Yan's face, reminding him with great seriousness.

From a rational perspective, there was nothing wrong with what Yu Yan had said. From an emotional perspective, though, it was indeed rather inappropriate.

Fortunately, judging by her expression, she had not been affected by his words.

After considering what Xiao Wu had said, Yu Yan nodded in agreement. "All right, all right. I won't say it again next time."

"Mm, stop talking about that. Hurry up and see whether the moon has any special energy. Quick, quick, quick."

Urged on by Xiao Wu, Yu Yan entered a cultivation state. His spiritual power spread out in every direction as he searched for the special energy cast down by the moon.

Unfortunately, no matter where he looked, he still could not find any trace of Moon Essence.

Unable to find any trace of Moon Essence, Yu Yan opened his eyes and saw Xiao Wu's expectant gaze. He shook his head.

"You didn't find it?"

"So your jinx really came true. What a pity."

Though her words sounded accusatory, Yu Yan did not hear any blame in them. Xiao Wu's tone was more like casual chatter between friends.

"Maybe the timing is wrong. Just like Purple Qi can only be absorbed from the rising Morning Sun, perhaps the moon's energy can only be absorbed at some special time too."

Yu Yan voiced his guess and explained the basis for it.

"That's possible!"

Xiao Wu had been somewhat disappointed, but after hearing Yu Yan's words, she no longer had time to dwell on it. She began thinking about what time the moon might be special.

While Xiao Wu was thinking, Yu Yan was thinking about the same question.

He raised his head and looked at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, his thoughts continuously branching outward.

Soon, a phrase appeared in his mind.

Full and waning moons.

The moon's original form was not a crescent. It should have been a flawless Full Moon.

In the many myths and strange tales Yu Yan knew, monsters would absorb the essence of the moon on nights of the full moon.

Following that line of reasoning, they might have to wait until the night of the full moon to absorb the moon's essence.

"Xiao Wu, I have a guess."

"Yu Yan, I have a guess!!"

Yu Yan and Xiao Wu spoke at the same time, both wanting to tell the other their guess.

Yu Yan wanted to tell Xiao Wu because, without her, he might have taken a long time to realize that the moon, opposite the sun, also possessed special energy.

Besides, after more than two months together, their relationship had made great progress. They had reached the point where they could share harmless little secrets.

Xiao Wu merely wanted to share the joy of guessing the answer correctly, while also showing off a little.

The only thing that annoyed Xiao Wu was that Yu Yan had actually figured out the answer himself. She could not show off now. What a shame.

"My guess might not be right. Why don't you tell me yours?"

Seeing Xiao Wu's vexed expression, Yu Yan pretended to be clueless, hoping she would clear up his doubts.

Xiao Wu stared at Yu Yan for a moment before explaining her guess. It was similar to his: they should try again on the night of the full moon, because the moon would be special then.

The conclusion of a full moon night was not difficult to reach, so it was not strange that Xiao Wu had thought of it.

"Amazing. That's truly amazing."

After hearing her excellent deduction, Yu Yan gave Xiao Wu a thumbs-up and praised her.

"Hehehe, of course. Do you even know who I am? I helped you so much, so remember to make Crayfish for me when we get back. I haven't had any in ages."

Xiao Wu happily swayed her head, her little face full of proud delight. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she also made her request.

Yu Yan had guessed the answer too, yet he was still willing to go along with her and let her show off a little. That was what truly made her happy.

Fish Village was close to the Bala River and rich in all kinds of aquatic produce, so tasty little things like Crayfish naturally found their way onto Yu Yan's table.

When Xiao Wu first tasted Crayfish, she fell in love with the novel food. However, because it was troublesome to prepare, Yu Yan usually did not like making it.

"No problem. You helped me so much, so making you a delicious meal is no trouble at all."

At such a happy time, Yu Yan naturally would not refuse Xiao Wu's perfectly reasonable request to celebrate with a meal of Crayfish.

Under the moonlight, the two small figures swayed their way down the mountain.

Over the following days, there was still some time before the full moon night in the middle of the month, but Yu Yan did not give up on trying to search for Moon Essence at night.

He simply found nothing.

One morning, while they were eating, Old Man Yu pushed open the door and walked in.

"Little Yan, Xiao Wu, eating?"

Old Man Yu looked at the two little ones eating and warmly greeted them.

"Mm, we're eating. Grandpa Yu, would you like some?"

Yu Yan put down his bowl, got up to fetch a chair from the side, placed it near the table, and invited Old Man Yu to sit.

"No, no. I already ate before coming. You two just keep eating."

Old Man Yu sat down and gestured for Yu Yan to continue eating.

"I mainly came to tell you that my son will be back today to help me harvest the fish from the ponds. You two should come over as well and get to know my son."

"Okay, no problem. We'll head over after we finish eating."

Yu Yan nodded in agreement and gave him a specific time.

Xiao Wu kept her head down and ate heartily beside him. Yu Yan's opinion was her opinion.

Helping Old Man Yu harvest the fish from his ponds and meeting his son had been agreed upon beforehand.

"All right, I'll go back first and prepare the tools. Just remember to come."

Old Man Yu had mainly come to tell them this. Now that he had said it, it was time to leave. The two little ones were eating, and there was no point in him lingering here.

"Xiao Wu, eat more. Grandpa Yu has four fish ponds, so we'll have plenty to do today."

"Yu Yan, I see that lots of people in Fish Village have fish ponds. Does your family have one?"

"My family has one fish pond, mainly for raising shellfish. After my parents died two years ago, since I was still young, Grandpa Yu decided to temporarily lease the pond to other villagers. They pay me a certain amount every year, so I'm the one benefiting from the arrangement."

"Sorry, I brought up something that makes you sad."

"It's actually fine. More than two years have already passed. Talking about it again doesn't make me particularly sad anymore, so you don't need to apologize for that."