A Fierce Man Fears a Clingy Woman

On Spirit Pool Peak, a gentle breeze stirred, and all around was quiet and peaceful. Sunlight, like golden threads, cleverly slipped through gaps in the leaves and fell upon the young man in blue meditating beside the pool.

The pool's surface resembled a vast, crystal-clear mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains and the boundless sky.

The sky was sapphire-blue, the clouds white as cotton, and the mountain ranges rose and fell in endless succession, echoing their reflections in the water. From time to time, spirit fish darted lightly through the pool, their lively forms appearing and vanishing beneath the water, leaving behind only faint rings of ripples.

Shen Yuxi sat quietly beside the spirit pool, his tall, slender figure blending into the picturesque scenery.

His gaze remained fixed on the water, wrinkled by the breeze, and on his slightly blurred reflection within it. His heart was filled with confusion. Why exactly did Little Junior Sister fall for me?

He racked his brains and searched his guts, finally grasping the key to it all.

According to the original plot, Eldest Senior Brother should have led this trip to the secret realm.

Yet over the past few years, Shen Yuxi had cultivated like a tireless "grind king." His insane dedication to cultivation had even dragged Eldest Senior Brother into the whirlpool of competition. In the end, Eldest Senior Brother had not led the team into the secret realm as planned, but had instead gone into seclusion to cultivate.

By such a twist of fate, the burden of leading the team had landed on Shen Yuxi's shoulders. The one who saved the beauty had become him, and even the "harem" that should have belonged to Eldest Senior Brother seemed to have wandered off its destined track and muddleheadedly become his.

Once Shen Yuxi understood all the twists and turns involved, turmoil churned within him like rivers and seas overturning. He cried inwardly in collapse, You little brat, don't come any closer!!

Little Junior Sister might look adorable and charming now, but she was actually the orphaned daughter of the Third Elder. Ever since childhood, she had been the treasured darling of the entire Profound Heaven Sect, doted on like the moon surrounded by stars. She was completely a spoiled young lady. Take their last trip to the secret realm—if Little Junior Sister had not been so willful and refused to follow orders, they would not have fallen into danger.

Thinking of this, Shen Yuxi could not help looking toward the distant rolling mountains. Yet the beautiful view could not enter his worry-filled eyes at all.

Little Junior Sister was simply too difficult to deal with. Hitting or scolding her would not do, and ignoring her would not do either. Shen Yuxi was not like Eldest Senior Brother, a master of time management who could soothe an entire "harem" without letting his cultivation fall behind in the slightest. To Shen Yuxi, dealing with a single Little Junior Sister felt like costing him half his life. He was exhausted in both body and mind.

Even the raising-type route doesn't raise them like this! Shen Yuxi wailed helplessly to himself.

But no matter what Junior Sister thought, and no matter how the plot changed, life still had to go on.

Morning mist hung thick in the air.

As usual, Shen Yuxi went to the Sword Trial Platform on Spirit Sword Peak to practice his swordsmanship. He wore a fitted blue training outfit, his posture straight and tall. He moved through flashes of sword-light, his techniques sharp yet elegant, every swing stirring the sound of rushing wind.

After finishing his practice, Shen Yuxi smoothly sheathed the sword across his back with a backhand motion. At that moment, the corner of his eye caught sight of Little Junior Sister waiting quietly nearby.

Today, Little Junior Sister wore a pale pink gauze dress, its hem embroidered with exquisite patterns that fluttered softly in the breeze like flowers blooming in spring. A sweet smile rested on her face, and her eyes brimmed with expectation as she said, "Second Senior Brother, I specially prepared some spirit tea for you today. This tea was freshly picked from Spirit Medicine Peak and is a rare treasure. Drinking it will surely refresh your mind and double your results in cultivation with half the effort."

Shen Yuxi was so startled that his right hand rose by reflex. His wrist twisted deftly, and his spirit sword spun along with the motion before landing securely in his proper grip in the next instant. He turned around and earnestly performed the entire sword routine once more.

By late morning, sunlight struck the lush branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows across Shen Yuxi's body.

As always, he sat meditating on a pear tree branch, his eyes half-closed and his breathing steady. He concentrated on wondering when he would finally get to eat the pears.

Then he saw Little Junior Sister skip merrily beneath the tree. She stopped, tilted her head up at a forty-five-degree angle to gaze at him, and said with a brilliant smile, "Second Senior Brother, I heard the spirit fruits on Spirit Medicine Peak are ripe now. Every one of them is plump and round, and they're said to be delicious. Shall we go pick some together later?"

Shen Yuxi calmed his mind and gathered his focus. Cultivators should not indulge in the pleasures of the palate.

At midnight, darkness fell silently over the entire sect like an enormous bolt of silk.

Shen Yuxi sat alone in the Scripture Pavilion, surrounded by densely packed ancient texts carrying the stale scent of passing years. The dim yellow lamplight flickered unsteadily, casting wavering shadows over the pages.

Shen Yuxi forced himself to study the obscure and difficult texts while struggling against wave after wave of drowsiness. The ancient characters seemed to dance before his eyes one by one, making his thoughts increasingly muddled.

"Ah—Second Senior Brother truly is amazing. You can even understand such difficult books. Second Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Sister always says my theoretical knowledge is poor. You're so impressive, so teach me, won't you?" The girl's crisp voice sounded beside his ear.

Shen Yuxi jolted and turned his head. Little Junior Sister had appeared beside him at some unknown time and was leaning slightly closer. The faint scent of her cosmetics lingered at his nose, startling Shen Yuxi fully awake in an instant. He suddenly felt capable again—capable of reading ten volumes in one breath.

"Second Senior Brother..."

Little Junior Sister was like a tiny tail, clinging closely behind Shen Yuxi wherever he went. Her fair cheeks carried a faint blush like peach blossoms blooming in spring, while her eyes overflowed with passionate and sincere affection, blazing like fire. Her mouth rattled on like a string of firecrackers, constantly pouring out all sorts of thoughtful words.

Every word flowing from her lips struggled to convey the incomparable sincerity of her heart.

As for Shen Yuxi, he was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. The moment he sensed Little Junior Sister's presence, he immediately treated her like a great enemy, wind beneath his feet as he searched everywhere for a place to hide.

He groaned bitterly to himself, deeply worried that when Eldest Senior Brother emerged from seclusion someday, he would mistake Shen Yuxi for coveting his "harem." At that point, even jumping into the Yellow River would not wash Shen Yuxi clean.

Little Junior Sister did not retreat in the slightest because of Shen Yuxi's deliberate avoidance. Instead, she became like a little warrior whose fighting spirit had been ignited. Once her stubbornness surfaced, she only grew braver with every setback.

In order to make Second Senior Brother truly understand her feelings, the two of them actually staged a ridiculous farce of "he ran, she chased."

Normally, Second Senior Brother always wore a cold expression that kept people a thousand miles away. When had anyone ever seen him being pestered like this? Though he tried his best to maintain a calm face, his frequent evasions gave him away completely.

This amusing back-and-forth drew senior and junior disciples alike to gather and watch.

At first, everyone merely watched the spectacle from afar on Spirit Sword Peak. Later, after Second Senior Brother had been blocked too many times, he simply stopped leaving Spirit Pool Peak altogether.

Driven by their gossiping hearts, some disciples even followed him all the way to Spirit Pool Peak. Whether they truly found the scene amusing and had merely come to join the excitement, or whether they harbored other motives—such as wanting to hear Second Senior Brother's inner thoughts and dig up more fresh gossip—was impossible to say.

After all that fuss, even Spirit Pool Peak became exceptionally lively.

Though Shen Yuxi's cultivation far surpassed Little Junior Sister's, he could not possibly spend every waking day focusing solely on avoiding her. Did he not still need to cultivate?

And so, after this happened time and again, Shen Yuxi, who had tried to divide his attention between too many things, was eventually caught and stopped by Little Junior Sister.

Little Junior Sister planted both hands on her hips, her face full of firm determination not to stop until she got what she wanted. She raised her head, stared straight at Shen Yuxi, and demanded loudly, "Second Senior Brother! You're avoiding me!"

Shen Yuxi felt somewhat guilty, but his face remained unchanged as he spoke barefaced nonsense. Deliberately avoiding her direct gaze, he looked elsewhere and calmly uttered two words. "I am not."

How could Little Junior Sister let it go? She stamped her foot, her tone becoming increasingly urgent. "I don't care! You have to give me an answer today! At the very least... at the very least, promise that you won't avoid me anymore!"

"Cultivators should not cling to romantic attachments." Shen Yuxi brought out a Buddhist golden saying.

The surrounding senior and junior disciples were dumbfounded. No, isn't that something that should be said by Second Senior Brother—the very person who thinks about playing matchmaker and tying red strings every day?

Seeing that Little Junior Sister had forced him into a dead end and that escape was impossible, Shen Yuxi suddenly had a flash of inspiration at that critical moment. His gaze, sharp as an arrow, swept one by one over the junior disciples who had come to watch every day these past few days.

The junior disciples had originally been whispering among themselves, chatting animatedly. When his gaze suddenly swept over them, their hearts skipped a beat. They instantly understood and began making all sorts of strange movements.

Some hurriedly raised their heads and pretended to admire the white clouds drifting through the sky. Others lowered their heads, staring unblinkingly at the swords in their hands. Still others looked left and right, pretending to search for something.

Everyone avoided meeting Shen Yuxi's eyes, afraid that one careless moment would result in Second Senior Brother dragging them in as "shields" and involving them in this romantic entanglement.

In the end, Shen Yuxi's urgent search for a "savior" stopped upon Eleventh Junior Brother Song Zhiyi, who was slowly making his way up the mountain path.

At the moment, Song Zhiyi was humming a tuneless little song, carrying an exquisite water gourd in his hand as he leisurely headed toward the mountaintop.

Spirit Pool Peak was named for its pools because its waters were naturally extraordinary. There were hundreds of spirit pools of varying sizes across the peak, each with different effects, but without exception, all were highly beneficial to cultivation.

As a disciple of Spirit Medicine Peak, Song Zhiyi often came to draw spirit pool water for pill refining and watering plants. He was considered one of the few disciples relatively familiar with Shen Yuxi.

This time, he had also come to collect spring water, utterly unaware that an undeserved disaster was quietly descending upon his head.

It was not that he lacked social awareness. From afar, he saw Little Junior Sister blocking Second Senior Brother, and judging by the situation, they seemed to have something to discuss. Thinking that less trouble was better than more, he planned to skirt around them from a distance.

However, just as he was about to turn and take another path, Shen Yuxi looked at him of his own accord. His eyes shone brightly, carrying an air that seemed impossible to refuse.

Unable to avoid him in time, Song Zhiyi could only brace himself and step forward, respectfully bowing to them both. "Greetings, Second Senior Brother. Greetings, Little Junior Sister."

"Here to draw spirit pool water?" Shen Yuxi broke the silence first. His tone sounded ordinary, yet it carried a faint trace of urgency.

"Yes." Song Zhiyi answered quickly, his voice crisp and direct. Yet he could not help feeling puzzled. Why had Second Senior Brother suddenly taken an interest in him drawing water?

Little Junior Sister was deeply displeased by the interruption. Her small face, once brimming with expectation, immediately fell, and her lips pouted slightly. Before she could voice her dissatisfaction, however, she heard Second Senior Brother turn to ask her, "Has Little Junior Sister ever visited the spirit pools?"

Little Junior Sister truly had never visited them. After all, Spirit Pool Peak was home to that iceberg-like Second Senior Brother, and it was cold and quiet here every day. Little Junior Sister was lively by nature, like a chirping little bird. She liked bustling places and had no interest in somewhere so deserted and quiet it was almost frightening.

Second Senior Brother neither liked talking nor smiled much. He always looked icy, and unlike the other senior brothers and sisters, he did not dote on her. She had always thought there was nothing interesting about coming here, which was why she had been unwilling to visit.

But recalling her past thoughts at this moment, Little Junior Sister could not help flushing crimson, regret filling her heart.

Her former self had been far too childish. Because of such shallow reasons, she had missed so many chances to spend time with Second Senior Brother—and chances to be alone with him at that! It was an enormous loss. She truly regretted it beyond all remedy!

Her face flushed red as she honestly shook her head, her hair swaying softly with the motion.

The moment Shen Yuxi heard that, he rejoiced inwardly. It's good that she hasn't been! If she had, that would have been troublesome! A trace of barely noticeable cunning flashed through his eyes, and he struck while the iron was hot. "Would you like to see them?"

"Yes!" Little Junior Sister thought that Second Senior Brother intended to take her there personally. A scene of walking alongside him by the spirit pools instantly appeared in her mind, and she was naturally overjoyed, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"Since that is the case, Eleventh Junior Brother—" Shen Yuxi placed one hand on Song Zhiyi's back. It looked intimate, but he secretly exerted force and gently pushed him toward Little Junior Sister. His face, however, retained its unruffled expression. "You lead Junior Sister there."

At the same time, he silently chanted in his heart, You're the chosen one! Go, young man—the glorious mission of saving the world and placating Little Junior Sister is yours!

He eagerly hoped this would successfully divert Little Junior Sister's attention and free him from the awkward chase, as though he could already see the dawn of escape.

Song Zhiyi stood there with a blank expression, utterly at a loss over the sudden development. His large innocent eyes widened round like two glistening black gemstones as he called stupidly, "Second Senior Brother?"

He looked exactly like a startled little deer, his eyes full of confusion and incomprehension. No matter how hard he thought, he could not understand how he had suddenly been entrusted with such an important "task."

Little Junior Sister immediately became unhappy. Her lively eyes widened at once as she glared fiercely at Shen Yuxi, seeming ready to spit fire. The flames of anger in her heart surged higher and higher. What is this! After all that, Second Senior Brother is still single-mindedly trying to avoid me!

In irritation, she reached out and shoved the unprepared Song Zhiyi hard. Caught off guard by the sudden force, Song Zhiyi staggered, his body lurching sharply as he nearly fell. Fortunately, Shen Yuxi reacted quickly and reached out in time to steady him.

Immediately afterward, Little Junior Sister cried out in deep dissatisfaction, "Second Senior Brother!" Her voice was crisp and loud, echoing through the air with abundant coquettish anger and annoyance, as though she wanted to pour out every grievance and complaint in her heart at once.

At Little Junior Sister's cry, Shen Yuxi's heart gave a jolt, like the string of a zither lightly plucked. Yet he put on a stern face. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the broad fabric fluttering in the wind, he said in a deliberately imposing voice, "Do not be willful."

At the same time, he argued confidently to himself. Romance should start from childhood. This senior brother is old already, right? Young people should date young people!

That was completely wrong! Second Senior Brother was not old at all! Besides, although Eleventh Senior Brother had entered Qi Induction slightly earlier than she had, he was the youngest among all the senior and junior disciples. He was only twelve years old, tender as a bean sprout just breaking through the soil. What exactly did Second Senior Brother take her for, pushing Eleventh Senior Brother toward her like that?!

Little Junior Sister's dissatisfaction burst forth like floodwaters after a breached dam.

She desperately wanted to refute Shen Yuxi, but the Sect Master had strictly forbidden anyone from revealing that they could hear Second Senior Brother's inner thoughts. She could only force herself to swallow the words at her lips, holding them in until her little face turned even redder, as if she might explode the next second.

Seeing her displeased expression, Shen Yuxi muttered inwardly again. Little Junior Sister, now you're being a little ungrateful. Eleventh Junior Brother is a little boy! Whether he'll become strong is just a matter of which version you're in, but he's such a refined and lovable angelic little boy. Once you pass this village, there won't be this shop! Don't you understand the joy of the raising-type route? You have no luck!

His tone sounded as if he were selling an incomparable treasure, every word exaggerated for emphasis. Unfortunately, the other party did not recognize quality. There was even a hint of disappointment that iron had failed to become steel, making Little Junior Sister feel as though Second Senior Brother were pointing at her nose and looking down on her.

...That seems a little reasonable? No, even if it is reasonable, I don't like Eleventh Senior Brother! Little Junior Sister was tangled with conflict, both anxious and angry, and could not help stamping her foot in the uniquely spoiled manner of a young girl.

He had only come to draw some water, yet he had inexplicably become Second Senior Brother's shield. Song Zhiyi's heart was filled with helplessness.

He looked at Little Junior Sister, who was so angry she seemed to be smoking, then glanced at Second Senior Brother, who was deeply guilty—probably? He felt as though he had been thrown into an absurd farce.

He groaned inwardly, ...What exactly is going on? Second Senior Brother and Little Junior Sister are both so childish. Senior brothers and sisters, don't just stand there watching—come save me!

Like a lost little lamb, his helpless gaze silently pleaded toward the senior and junior disciples watching the show from afar. But they seemed to have coordinated it beforehand, each one looking away and pretending not to see. They even deliberately acted as though they were discussing other matters, occasionally letting out a few forced laughs.

Sorry, Eleventh Senior Brother. Sacrifice one person, bring happiness to the whole sect—do your best! Though the disciples in the distance felt somewhat guilty, their curiosity and desire to watch the excitement ultimately won out. They could only silently apologize to him in their hearts.

Shen Yuxi truly had not expected that Little Junior Sister, who normally seemed so innocent and cute, would be so difficult to fool in this matter.

Full of helplessness, he wondered inwardly again, So how did Eldest Senior Brother end up liking Little Junior Sister? Even if we're old bulls, must we absolutely eat tender grass like this brat?

The moment Little Junior Sister heard those words, her entire body froze in place. Her mouth opened slightly, as though countless words were about to burst forth, but when they reached her lips, she did not know where to begin.

Grievance and helplessness surged into her heart like a tide. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and fall silent. "..." Her face was written with frustration. Her once-lively eyes lost their former light, replaced by a dim shadow of disappointment.

She was both angry and upset—angry at Second Senior Brother's attitude toward her, and upset that this was apparently the image she held in his heart.

Meanwhile, Eldest Senior Brother, who was still in seclusion, suddenly sneezed again without warning. The abrupt sneeze pulled him slightly out of his cultivation state. He rubbed his nose, deeply puzzled. "Could I have caught a cold lately?"

The surrounding senior and junior disciples who had heard Shen Yuxi's thoughts looked as though they had discovered a new continent. Their eyes instantly lit up like stars glittering in the night sky.

They were stunned at first, then quickly understood. Immediately, they exploded with excitement. They exchanged looks, their eyes plainly saying, Whoa, so Eldest Senior Brother likes the Little Junior Sister type.

Poor Eldest Senior Brother remained in seclusion, utterly unaware of everything happening outside. He was still cultivating with complete focus, while his reputation was harmed for the second time just like that.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Spirit Pool Peak

Spirit Pool Peak contained countless spirit pools, large and small, each with different effects. Mixing their waters could produce all sorts of marvelous results. However, disciples with cultivation that was too low or insufficient understanding of the spirit pools' effects were not advised to draw water on their own, because not all spirit pool water provided beneficial buffs.

Moreover, though the fish and shrimp in the spirit pools appeared obedient, they were actually elderly senior experts. Disturbing them without permission could easily earn one a vicious beating.

The reason only Second Senior Brother Shen Yuxi lived on Spirit Pool Peak—actually, Second Senior Brother should have lived with the Sect Master on Misty Spirit Peak. But during his first year after entering the sect, Second Senior Brother had wandered off while spacing out and gotten lost. By sheer accident, he fell in love at first bite with the fragrant pears at the summit of Spirit Pool Peak. After that, he personally requested to reside on Spirit Pool Peak.