### Chapter 185: About Him, It’s All Good
Even though it was just a fleeting moment, Yun Zhonghe caught a hint of melancholy in Xue Yunjian’s crystal-clear eyes. It was like the gaze of a traveler headed for distant lands, filled not just with a yearning for home but also a tangled mix of emotions that tugged at the heartstrings.
This feeling stirred something in Yun Zhonghe’s heart, sending ripples through his thoughts as he felt he could reach into the story hidden behind Xue Yunjian’s eyes.
“Ugh, Master, do you have any more questions? I’m kinda fading here. Feeling super sleepy,” Xue Yunjian yawned dramatically, lazily stretching as fatigue radiated from her very being.
Yun Zhonghe replied, “Why are you always so sleepy?”
Xue Yunjian replied, “Ever since I popped out of the ground, I haven’t been getting enough energy. I need a ton of spiritual energy to fill the void.”
Yun Zhonghe was baffled, “But I’ve given you loads of energy the last couple of days!”
Xue Yunjian shrugged, “That’s just a drop in the bucket! It’s barely enough to wake me up for a bit! Since I emerged, it’s been, what, nearly ten years? If you could get a little stronger, maybe you could fill my reserves, and then I could totally back you up!”
Offering a faint smile, Xue Yunjian’s icy hand brushed against Yun Zhonghe’s chest like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
“By the way, Master, I noticed you’ve been practicing the All-Encompassing Sword Technique, and I might just have a way to help you with that,” Xue Yunjian teased.
Yun Zhonghe’s heart raced, and his breathing got heavier. “Really? Can you help me level up my understanding?”
She yawned again. “Maybe, but I’m about out of juice right now. I need more energy first.”
Furrowing his brows, Yun Zhonghe said, “But can’t you, I don’t know, not drain me every time? Can we go for like a steady stream instead?”
Xue Yunjian raised an eyebrow, “Are you suggesting we form a contract?”
Sighing, Yun Zhonghe considered the idea. With a contract, his spiritual energy would flow into Xue Yunjian smoothly, like a gentle paddleboat on a serene lake—instead of her popping up out of nowhere and leeching it off him!
This way, he’d be under less pressure; his energy would be drawn continuously, but his spiritual root could replenish it in balance, preventing him from getting drained dry.
He had no special treasures to nurture, so this was the perfect scenario for him.
Seeing the wisdom in this idea, Xue Yunjian thought it was a decent plan as well, actually considering binding a contract with Yun Zhonghe.
So, he began the contract ceremony, claiming Xue Yunjian as his very own sword!
With a chant and a motion, he linked his soul with her, bowing to heaven and earth, and promising to wield only one sword for eternity, even as seas dry and mountains crumble…
Once the contract was sealed, Yun Zhonghe flopped back onto his bed, a grin plastered on his face.
He could feel the threads of connection between his spiritual root and Xue Yunjian forming, and some of his energy began to flow out towards her.
Unfortunately, since his spiritual root wasn’t top-notch, the little energy stream he created barely scratched the surface of what Xue Yunjian needed to get moving.
“Contract formed, your contract mark is now imprinted on me, Master.”
“Huh?”
At Xue Yunjian’s prompting, she brushed away her bunny girl attire to reveal her creamy skin on her belly, and lo and behold, a mark appeared!
Wait! Why would the contract mark be there? It felt suspiciously like a shifty silver heart! Is everything alright?!
Logically, the mark could go anywhere the sword spirit pleased, so this was obviously her cheeky choice to place it on her belly—in the shape of a heart no less!
She had such an innocent face, yet her personality seemed totally spicier than hot sauce!
But there she was, very seriously stating, “You get what kind of master you have; it reflects on your sword.”
Yun Zhonghe’s lips twitched, “That’s not right! I’m a truly virtuous master!”
Xue Yunjian smirked, “But you have done… adult things.”
Yun Zhonghe: ?
“Wait, don’t spread rumors…”
Xue Yunjian quipped, “You woke up with dirty pants.”
Yun Zhonghe: ?
That cheeky sword spirit had a mouth sharper than a samurai blade!
He’d love to just zip it shut!
“Oh, and besides spiritual energy, some Xuan Iron materials for refining can also fuel our sword spirit. If you can get me some high-grade Xuan Iron, it’ll speed up my recovery, and with enough, I can even upgrade my form.”
This rang a bell in Yun Zhonghe’s mind; he vaguely remembered learning about this at the Yun family academy.
Oh, and didn’t Song Ziwei give him a batch of Xuan Iron just recently? Being a sword cultivator buddy, she must have predicted Yun Zhonghe would need it and generously gifted him a nice batch—perfect for crafting high-quality spiritual swords!
He had originally planned to use this Xuan Iron to forge a better sword.
But now he had this sword spirit to nurture; all he needed to do was give her the Xuan Iron and she’d upgrade herself! That saved him tons of effort.
However, just as he was about to retrieve the Xuan Iron Song Ziwei gave him, Xue Yunjian’s energy hit its limit. Time’s up! Her form began to dim, morphing into a streak of light and returning to her pure spiritual sword shape, resting quietly in Yun Zhonghe’s hand as she dozed off.
“What a quirky sword spirit,” Yun Zhonghe mused, holding the beautiful Xue Yunjian. When grasping the hilt, he could feel a soul connection, making his understanding of the sword deeper than ever.
Perhaps, just as Xue Yunjian said, with her by his side, Yun Zhonghe could successfully merge his comprehension with sword techniques and master the All-Encompassing Sword Technique.
For a sword technique fanatic like him, there was nothing more exhilarating!
……
That night, everyone was buzzing with excitement.
Yun Zhonghe was hyped from bonding with his destined sword and couldn’t sleep.
In Qin Hongye and Tao Jiu’er’s room, they were wide awake too.
Tao Jiu’er wanted to voice her thoughts but, with no decent excuse to go on, she had to silently endure.
I mean, who quietly pokes around in the middle of the night when sharing a room with someone?!
Qin Hongye was making quite the racket; forget the rhythmic splashing sounds, the fiery spiritual energy bursting from her was almost deafening! What was going on? Was she about to go berserk?!
Are all fire-type cultivators this wild? Talk about wild desires!
Tao Jiu’er was terrified to fall asleep, fearing Qin Hongye might leap onto her bed for a little late-night fun.
After all, didn’t she have a history of liking girls?
……
Meanwhile, in Mu Jixue’s room, the moonlight spilled in, illuminating three pensive faces.
Mu Jixue was a ball of discomfort, curled up in bed, furrowing her brows as she mulled over the day’s events, nearly questioning her existence.
Thinking back to their time in Cangzhou City, she always felt overshadowed by Yun Zhonghe’s brilliance. Every time he stole the spotlight!
Now outside of Cangzhou City, opportunities were right in front of her, yet she couldn’t seize them properly and had to rely on Yun Zhonghe for help. Ugh!
Every time Yun Zhonghe appeared, all eyes would be glued to that handsome, wealthy man, with his charming personality that practically shouted “hero”!
In this light, who could possibly resist?
With that thought, Mu Jixue shot a “desperate” look at Su Xiaoxiao, who was beside her.
Stuffed into one room, they had pushed two beds together, forming a “川” shape.
Had this been the original plot, it would have turned into a cozy party for Huang Aotian and his two harem girls—what a lovely memory!
Yet here they were, lost in their own thoughts. Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes were glued to the ceiling, her beautiful sapphire-like gaze seemingly casting reflections of Yun Zhonghe. Strikingly, to her, he seemed larger than life, even blocking out the sun.
It was funny… Yun Zhonghe wasn’t even here!
Indeed…
Mu Jixue was fed up with herself.
If only she were a bit stronger… why was she so sluggish all the time?
“So, um…”
Breaking the silence, Su Xiaoxiao’s voice was soft and timid, her hands clutching the blanket as she buried half her face in it, clearly nervous.
But her curiosity compelled her to ask, “Sister Xue, what kind of person is Yun-ge?”
At that moment, Mu Jixue’s expression practically twisted into knots.
When a girl takes the initiative to ask about a boy, what does that even mean?
Her feelings toward him were bubbling over, and she could hardly contain her shyness in the face of such intense curiosity.
Plus, Su Xiaoxiao was such a timid girl; she’d spoken up, making it clear just how much this mattered to her.
Feeling on the verge of tears from the anxiety, Mu Jixue thought, (╥﹏╥) Aha!!!
She wanted to scream at Su Xiaoxiao, “No way are you allowed to be friends with Yun Zhonghe!”
Yet saying that would make her feel like a downright villain.
Oh, the agony of wanting to say it but feeling too cruel to do so!
If she said that, it would not only disappoint Lin Zhongyu but could also turn Yun Zhonghe against her.
Now that would be the ultimate tragedy.
But Su Xiaoxiao’s question placed Lin Zhongyu in a blissful state, proving to be an excellent sign for furthering Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao’s connection.
She felt compelled to respond.
However, since Su Xiaoxiao was asking Mu Jixue about it, Lin Zhongyu felt it was inappropriate to answer on her behalf, so in Mu Jixue’s moment of despair, she kicked her straight into a deeper pit.
“Xue, why don’t you share your stories about Yun-ge?”
Mu Jixue’s eyes widened as she glanced toward Lin Zhongyu, flabbergasted.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, nothing…” Mu Jixue’s eyes welled up with tears, shaking her head like someone who’d just been snatched, “My neck’s a bit sore; this pillow is uncomfortable.”
“Is that so? I think it’s fine,” Lin Zhongyu replied, glancing at Su Xiaoxiao, “How about you?”
Su Xiaoxiao jerked back, “It’s okay.”
Lin Zhongyu picked up on the hints; Mu Jixue was clearly fibbing.
She was at a loss for words.
Is it possible this girl still had problems with Yun Zhonghe, even after all this time? Is she about to repeat her old mistakes?
Despite Mu Jixue’s reluctance, in this atmosphere, she finally murmured, “That guy… he’s just okay, nothing special…”
Turning her face away, she wore an unwilling expression, resolutely biting her lip, “He only stepped in to help when Xiao Yu was in trouble.”
“Once, I misunderstood him and yelled at him, even had a falling out with Xiao Yu, and he came in to smooth things over, gifting me a third-grade spiritual herb…”
“He even gave us his chance to enter the Xuantian Sect for selection…”
“When we went out for training and landed in danger, he saved us, absorbing a fatal blow for us…”
Mu Jixue had started off unwilling to compliment Yun Zhonghe, but the more she recounted their experiences, the more she realized, aside from being good, he just kept getting better!
Even Lin Zhongyu was taken aback. Though Mu Jixue had once viewed Yun Zhonghe with prejudice, she was surprised to see that she had remembered all his efforts!
Xue, isn’t this proof you see how great Yun-ge is?
Su Xiaoxiao was also stunned. She had thought Yun Zhonghe’s behavior might have had ulterior motives, but it seemed like he actually was just this kind of person.
Is there really such a perfect individual in this world? And she just happened to meet him?!
“Hmm???”
It was then that Mu Jixue finally realized her words were doing the exact opposite of what she intended, and it only made Su Xiaoxiao care about Yun Zhonghe even more!
(╥﹏╥) Aha!!!
Panicking, Mu Jixue scrambled to add, “He… he’s done some bad stuff too! Like shoving a bunch of pills down our throats, saying we couldn’t be friends if we didn’t take them! And he, like, took my recovery pill! Well… even if he compensated me with more Foundation Establishment Pills…”
“And then, and…”
He peeked into my meridians!
This was one thing Mu Jixue couldn’t possibly voice out loud.
Su Xiaoxiao fell silent, trying to muster her words for what felt like ages before weakly squeaking out, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
(╥﹏╥) Aha!!!
Mu Jixue’s violet eyes started to glisten with tears.
Was she gonna cry from sheer frustration?
This is impossible!
This is too impossible!
This question was totally beyond her reach.
Yet while Mu Jixue floundered in confusion, Su Xiaoxiao was slowly feeling more mixed emotions.
She realized Yun Zhonghe was simply too remarkable, and a wallflower like her felt utterly out of his league.
Could they really be friends?
As Mu Jixue struggled, Su Xiaoxiao hesitated, and Lin Zhongyu found herself troubled too.
Though she had hoped for a four-way bond, it seemed Mu Jixue and Su Xiaoxiao weren’t really syncing.
She sensed that there was an unbridgeable gap between them.
“Should I find a chance for them to talk one-on-one?”
Lin Zhongyu’s thoughts aligned perfectly with Yun Zhonghe’s.
Now, they just had to figure out how to create that opportunity for a heart-to-heart.
