### Chapter 234: Just Rubbing But Not Going All The Way
Listening to Su Xiaoxiao’s inner thoughts, Yun Zhonghe’s brows furrowed deeply.
It was obvious that she was extremely conflicted and in pain inside.
The guilt and remorse for her sister, coupled with her own lack of action, made her feel ashamed and unworthy to face Su Xinghe. Now that Su Xinghe was demanding her to leave the Su family, Su Xiaoxiao had no complaints.
Leaving the Su family would mean she’d have fewer resources, but now, thanks to the sect’s subsidies and the extra perks as Yun Zhonghe’s representative assistant, she could progress steadily on her cultivation journey, needing not to overly concern herself over the resources from the Su family.
But for Su Xiaoxiao, her identity in the Su family carried more profound meaning—it was a connection to her origins and her only remaining familial link to her sister.
Yearning for human connections, even if this one was as thin as a spider web, Su Xiaoxiao wanted desperately to hold onto it, unwilling to let go.
Because deep down, she always dreamed of a moment when she and her sister could meet.
“Then what do you think? Are you really going to leave?”
Yun Zhonghe looked ahead, moving slightly faster than her, but always staying close.
Su Xiaoxiao glanced at him, her eyelids drooping slightly: “I… don’t know. Logically, I should leave the Su family, which would be better for Chenchen, considering my presence has surely caused her a lot of trouble in the family. But…”
“But you don’t want to be separated.”
Yun Zhonghe said coldly.
He used “separated” instead of just “leave.”
Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes showed some struggle, unsure how to express herself. In the end, she only pursed her lips tightly without making a sound.
They walked silently side by side, time seemingly frozen, leaving only their footsteps echoing in the still air.
After a while, Yun Zhonghe finally broke the silence: “Perhaps things aren’t as bad as you think.”
“Huh?”
Su Xiaoxiao looked up in surprise, her gaze locking onto Yun Zhonghe’s profile.
His handsome face shone brilliantly in the sunlight, his skin as smooth as fine jade, gold hair cascading around him, each strand catching the light in an enchanting way, as if he were bathed in a golden aura.
Feeling Su Xiaoxiao’s stare, Yun Zhonghe’s lips curved up in a captivating smile: “Did you know, I’ve been feeling pretty lucky lately. Xiao Xiao, you’ve grown so close to me; maybe my good luck is rubbing off on you too. Soon, you might get a string of great news!”
Good luck…
All along, others always pushed her away, afraid she’d bring bad luck. Yet, no one ever offered her good luck.
These words stirred ripples in her heart, making everything appear brighter.
Seeing her reaction, Yun Zhonghe flashed her a bright smile: “How about it? Would you like to team up with me? Maybe we can rub luck off each other!”
Su Xiaoxiao’s face flushed instantly. She instinctively wanted to lower her head, hiding her eyes behind her bangs, but finally raised her head slowly, revealing beautiful ocean-like eyes, a hint of a smile playing on her lips: “So… please guide me. Let me do some rubbing.”
Just rubbing? Maybe rubbing deeper could produce even more luck.
Of course, Yun Zhonghe knew he couldn’t rush things with Su Xiaoxiao; she was sensitive and had to be guided gently. Ideally, they’d find reconciliation and open up to each other.
Too bad it was already late February, time was limited, and Yun Zhonghe had to take matters into his own hands.
Don’t worry, he promised himself, everyone will get a happy ending!
…
Entering deep into the forest, Wang Hao stopped in a spacious area to instruct his disciples.
He looked around at the surrounding disciples and mentioned a few key points before officially dismissing them, so they could group up on their own.
New disciples gathered in small groups; some had found preferred teammates, while others were still searching. Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao exchanged glances and decided to form a team, heading northeast.
Yun Zhonghe deliberately chose this direction, but to Su Xiaoxiao, he seemed to randomly pick it.
Su Xiaoxiao nodded, saying wherever Yun Zhonghe went, she went too.
She seemed happier now, less gloomy.
None of the disciples had the map of the monster beast forest, relying solely on luck and intuition. Along the way, they encountered several weak monster beasts at the Qi Refinement stage. Su Xiaoxiao could use them to practice.
Though Su Xiaoxiao had both wood and fire attributes, her wood attribute potential far exceeded her fire attribute potential. She focused on the wood-based spell school, where spells leaned toward life healing and defense. In the original story, she was an excellent support, capable of healing and tanking once her defensive magical treasures were maxed.
Her weakness was low offensive power.
So Yun Zhonghe didn’t expect Su Xiaoxiao to fight enemies directly, just hoped she wouldn’t panicked under pressure.
Her biggest problem was inner fragility, making her prone to fear.
Then someone cried out:
“Hey!”
When a Qi Refinement-level monster beast appeared, Su Xiaoxiao unexpectedly charged forward, punching the poor beast’s brain right out!
Yun Zhonghe: ??
Noticing Yun Zhonghe’s surprised look, Su Xiaoxiao shyly shrunk her neck, “I… I want to be strong like Brother Yun, to become a swordsman. But the instructor teaching sword arts said I lacked the talent, suggesting body cultivation instead. So I switched over…”
Yun Zhonghe: “Ah?”
Wait, you’re a big support—why did you abruptly turn into a body cultivator?!!
It’s rumored that the highly respected body cultivator instructor in the Outer Gate had high hopes for Su Xiaoxiao, believing her bone structure was extraordinary, harboring immense potential. She was a rare talent for body cultivation.
And Su Xiaoxiao also mastered wood spells, possessing boundless life force akin to a forest, energy surging within her that amplified her strength far beyond ordinary people. Such talent, if not in body cultivation, would be a waste indeed.
No wonder Yun Zhonghe thought Su Xiaoxiao had put on quite a bit of weight recently, looking fuller.
Turned out she was training her body!
Now transformed from a frail alchemist into a body cultivator, Yun Zhonghe’s imagination ran wild, envisioning scenes: Su Xiaoxiao easily smashing heavy alchemy furnaces, even using her raw strength to mold precious spiritual herbs into pills…
Might she really become a woman who could carry giant pots, muscles bulging and all, capable of snapping sausages effortlessly?
Just thinking about it made one respectful.
“No, no! The instructor says even women doing body cultivation won’t turn into that kind of person; plus, their bodies get even better…”
Su Xiaoxiao feared misunderstanding, explaining quickly so Yun Zhonghe wouldn’t reject her changes.
She’d still be soft where it counts, just as comfortable.
To be fair, from specific angles, Su Xiaoxiao was undoubtedly the best choice for body cultivation, naturally tall with outstanding bones, able to cultivate body and spells simultaneously, strengthening her physical body and spiritual energy. No need for fancy techniques; brute force would do.
Like that fist just now, though appearing weak, it injected tremendous vitality into her body, exploding the moment it collided with the beast.
Yun Zhonghe began analyzing seriously, holding his chin, eyes sparkling with thought: “If you further learned the art of refining tools, crafting tailored gear, your strength could dramatically increase.”
She might even make Yun Zhonghe step back, forcing him to rely on sharp spirit swords to break through.
“Hey? Brother Yun, funny you should say that! I’ve actually thought about it!”
Surprisingly, Yun Zhonghe’s idea aligned with Su Xiaoxiao’s.
She immediately demonstrated a spell, rapidly summoning a perfect wooden armor that barely impacted her mobility while massively boosting her defense. Life force surged within the armor, enhancing her overall power.
Yun Zhonghe stared wide-eyed.
d*mn, how wild her path was; she was drifting farther from being just a healer.
