“Yu Ji, what are you writing?” Feng Huo asked, a strange displeasure stirring within him as he watched Yu Ji’s earnest concentration.
“I… I…”
Yu Ji stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Finally, Yun Shu Nian interrupted Feng Huo.
“Does she need your permission to write something down? Even as a spirit beast, does she have to get your consent for everything?”
“Yu Ji, ignore him. You keep writing,” Yun Shu Nian said. She detested Feng Huo’s stern expression.
Feng Huo was hundreds of years older than Yun Shu Nian, and he would often put on a stern face whenever Yun Shu Nian made a mistake. The psychological impact of this on Yun Shu Nian was as vast as the Burning Abyss.
“She doesn’t need to,” Feng Huo murmured, lowering his gaze.
“No… I…” Yu Ji fumbled, wanting to say something, but ultimately saying nothing at all.
Yun Shu Nian: “Alright, alright. Feng Huo, hurry up and continue.”
Feng Huo turned his head. “Where were we?”
“Talking about asking Zhao Xue for help.” The mention of Zhao Xue visibly weakened Yun Shu Nian’s demeanor.
“Right. The most basic method – the hero saving the damsel. You get a group of people to pretend to be villains trying to abduct you, and then you refuse them.”
Feng Huo’s fan tapped rhythmically against his palm as he spoke, his words flowing smoothly and convincingly.
The most basic method?
Yun Shu Nian clasped her hands over her head, unwilling to accept the term “basic.”
She had sought Zhao Xue with the “most advanced” pursuit methods, yet her heart was filled with unease and confusion.
She had, in a moment of impulsiveness, actually used the most basic method…
It felt as though several ancient swords of suppression had been plunged into Yun Shu Nian’s heart, leaving her dejected and on the verge of tears.
“Are you even listening?” Feng Huo tapped Yun Shu Nian’s shoulder with the tip of his fan.
Feng Huo glanced over and saw Yun Shu Nian covering her ears with her hands, immediately assuming she wasn’t paying attention.
Without looking up, Yun Shu Nian said, “I’ve already used this most basic method of pursuit.”
“What?” Feng Huo hadn’t heard clearly at first. As the words left her mouth, he finally understood what Yun Shu Nian had said.
“What happened? What was Zhao Xue Shang Shen’s reaction?” Feng Huo frowned, asking impatiently, afraid something untoward had occurred, causing Zhao Xue to shun Yun Shu Nian.
Yun Shu Nian didn’t answer immediately, still appearing dejected.
Feng Huo’s mind raced. He recalled how Zhao Xue had gone upstairs after only a few words upon their arrival at the inn. A heavy stone seemed to crush his heart, dragging his warm emotions down to the abyss.
“I don’t know,” Yun Shu Nian said, moving her hands from her head to her face.
Feng Huo’s tone was urgent. “Tell me carefully.”
Yun Shu Nian bit the tender flesh on the back of her hand before slowly and hesitantly recounting the story.
“Master, it seems that everything was as you described, except the evildoer was a snake instead of a person,” Yu Ji said immediately after Yun Shu Nian finished speaking. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Feng Huo, seeking his approval.
“Yes, Yu Ji is right.”
Listening to their somewhat childish exchange, Yun Shu Nian was suddenly reminded of her own childhood, which had been “poisoned” by Feng Huo.
Back then, Yun Shu Nian hadn’t yet turned a hundred. The small child stood on a stone stool and eloquently recounted the entire developmental history of the human, demon, and immortal races from ancient times to the present, leaving no detail unsaid.
Yun Shu Nian remembered how she had then placed her hands on her hips, clearly expecting Feng Huo’s praise.
To her surprise, Feng Huo, who was already five hundred years old, stood on another stone stool beside Yun Shu Nian, also with his hands on his hips, and roared, “Hahahaha, you idiot, I knew all this from the moment I was born.”
She hated him for being such a trickster!
Yun Shu Nian recalled how, after hearing Feng Huo’s words, she had immediately transformed into a phoenix and spat a fireball at him.
When Feng Huo reacted, he was naturally not to be outdone. He also transformed into a phoenix and sprayed fire back at Yun Shu Nian.
By the time they were brought under control, both of them had been reduced to two charred lumps.
The memory abruptly ended. Yun Shu Nian looked at Feng Huo and Yu Ji before her, her curiosity piqued about Yu Ji’s true significance to Feng Huo. Was it merely because Yu Ji was Feng Huo’s spirit beast?
Or did Yu Ji serve another purpose for Feng Huo?
“I call it basic because this method of pursuit is too cliché. The scheme is too obvious. Before they might even fall in love with you, they’ll be eager to distance themselves.”
Feng Huo muttered to himself, then turned and saw Yun Shu Nian lost in thought.
Feng Huo snapped his fingers, but Yun Shu Nian remained unresponsive.
A mischievous idea sparked in Feng Huo’s mind. A wicked smile curled on his lips as he subtly shouted into Yun Shu Nian’s ear, “Zhao Xue has run off with someone else!”
Feng Huo delivered this with perfect urgency and shock.
If not for the inappropriate mischievous grin on Feng Huo’s face, he might have truly deceived her.
Yun Shu Nian had clearly heard Feng Huo’s teasing remark. Her expression instantly darkened.
Her crescent eyes reddened, welling up with tears that, at a glance, easily evoked empathy.
Feng Huo naturally realized he might have gone too far. He quickly retracted his fan and stepped back, speaking softly, “Just kidding, just kidding, I was joking.”
Feng Huo repeated “just kidding” three times, as if he were holding a child by the collar and afraid they might fall if he didn’t offer a stabilizing hand.
He didn’t want to be turned into a charred lump again.
Yun Shu Nian turned her head slightly. “Don’t make jokes like that again!”
“No more, no more!” Feng Huo agreed repeatedly.
Seeing Yun Shu Nian on the verge of tears, Feng Huo’s eyes lit up with an idea.
“Little phoenix, hurry, seize the opportunity! Go and flirt with Zhao Xue now.”
Feng Huo led Yun Shu Nian outward, speaking as they walked.
“Tears can stir a man’s protective instincts the most. If you go to him like this, he might just take you under his wing.”
As Feng Huo spoke, he had already brought Yun Shu Nian to Zhao Xue’s door. Without waiting for Yun Shu Nian’s response, he knocked on the door and immediately stepped aside.
With a creak, the door opened.
Yun Shu Nian’s eyes were now clear of tears, and her face was etched with a stiff, blank astonishment.