Sometimes, what you worry about really does come true.
After calming down, Xin Yun shielded Wen Jiayin firmly behind her.
She wasn’t afraid to fight Martial Uncle, and if it really came to blows, it was hard to say who would win.
But A-Yin was weak right now, and a battle between tribulation-crossing cultivators could wipe out everything around them.
She had to protect the person behind her, which would naturally put her at a disadvantage.
Luckily, after the Drunken Immortal went crazy for a bit, she sobered up on her own.
The blood-red blade in her hand vanished, and the murderous aura that had been pouring off her gradually faded away.
With the crisis over, Xin Yun finally sheathed her sword and turned to comfort Wen Jiayin, who was still badly shaken.
The Drunken Immortal silently opened her wine gourd and took several hard swigs.
If anyone looked at her right now, they’d notice her hand holding the gourd was trembling slightly.
“Sorry, I lost control for a moment.” The Drunken Immortal’s usual lazy, casual demeanor was gone; her eyes were a little dark, and all traces of drunkenness had disappeared.
“Little Jiayin, that strange fire of yours—where did you get it?”
Wen Jiayin was still in a daze from the fright and hadn’t processed what was happening.
Seeing Wen Jiayin so scared, Xin Yun spoke up, a little annoyed, “I gave Jiayin that fire.
Martial Uncle, do you have a problem with that?”
Facing her own junior, the Drunken Immortal’s tone grew much tougher.
“Where did you get it? Its origin is very important to me.
I’ve been searching for its owner… well, former owner, for a long time now.”
“…Martial Uncle, do you have a grudge with the fire’s previous owner?”
“Something like that.” The Drunken Immortal frowned.
“…I got it as spoils of war during the Immortal-Demon War.
I don’t know its origin, but Martial Uncle, you really shouldn’t pursue this.
Let it go.
As far as I know, that person isn’t someone you can defeat with your current strength.” Xin Yun actually knew a bit about the fire’s previous owner, so even though Martial Uncle had scared A-Yin badly, she couldn’t let her go off and get herself killed.
“Even if I’m doomed to die, I have to try.
If you don’t know, forget it.” The Drunken Immortal couldn’t hide her disappointment at losing a rare lead.
But… even if this clue was gone, it wasn’t completely broken.
Wasn’t there still a possible successor to that person right here? The Drunken Immortal turned her gaze to Wen Jiayin.
That person’s fire had chosen her; surely she could find some clues from this kid.
She’d waited so long already, she didn’t mind waiting a bit longer.
Wen Jiayin shivered, feeling like something dangerous had set its sights on her.
“This is for you, as my apology.” The Drunken Immortal handed Wen Jiayin a small bronze mirror, about half the size of a palm, and quite delicate in appearance.
The mirror was a defensive artifact, especially effective at purifying demonic energy.
Once Xin Yun confirmed its use, she placed it in Wen Jiayin’s hand.
“Take it.”
Wen Jiayin held the little bronze mirror, looking at the Drunken Immortal, who no longer seemed so terrifying, and asked in a small voice, “Martial Uncle, what happened to you just now?”
“My head wasn’t clear, that’s all.” The Drunken Immortal answered honestly.
“When I looked at you, I thought you looked a lot like an old enemy of mine.
Must’ve been my imagination.
It won’t happen again.”
Seriously?! How deep must that grudge be, to want to kill someone just for looking similar? Wen Jiayin instinctively moved closer to her Master for a sense of security.
The original owner’s family should just be ordinary mortals, right? There wouldn’t be any ridiculous family blood feuds, would there?!
“It was my fault today.” The Drunken Immortal lifted her wine gourd and said to Xin Yun, “I’ll do my best to help you with that matter.
And you, stop forcing yourself to do things beyond your limits.”
When the Drunken Immortal turned to leave, her back looked a little lonely.
“I was careless today.
I shouldn’t have agreed to Martial Uncle’s request.
It won’t happen again.” Xin Yun took out some ointment and carefully applied it to Wen Jiayin’s wounds.
The Drunken Immortal wasn’t as considerate as she was—if she didn’t break Wen Jiayin’s arms or legs, that was already merciful.
Even though she’d been pampered by her Master since becoming her disciple, Wen Jiayin wasn’t a delicate person.
These minor injuries could be healed with a bit of spiritual power, and the bleeding would stop in no time.
By the next day, they’d be scabbed over.
But every time, her Master would still carefully tend to her wounds.
With this kind of meticulous care, honestly, who wouldn’t get attached?
Because of her childhood environment, Wen Jiayin had developed the habit of repaying kindness with even greater kindness.
So she included Xin Yun in her own circle of protection.
Even though she was still weak, she worked hard to reach that seemingly unattainable goal.
After all, the Carefree True Lord was also a tribulation-crossing cultivator.
If anyone else heard that a little Qi Condensation cultivator like her saw a tribulation-crossing cultivator as an enemy, they’d probably burst out laughing at her arrogance and ignorance.
But Wen Jiayin kept struggling toward the goal of being able to stand against the male lead.
The results she worked so hard for made her Master proud.
Whether it was her Master or Elder Martial Uncle, they only ever praised her, never said a single bad word.
Maybe in the eyes of those elders, it was already impressive for a kid like her to do this well—much better than the other kids in the sect.
But Wen Jiayin knew she wasn’t a child, and she definitely couldn’t compare herself to that brat surnamed Li.
That would be too embarrassing.
She disciplined herself every day, trained hard, and with no one to compare herself to, she thought she was doing okay.
But after today’s fight, she realized she was still far behind! When the opponent’s blade was about to fall on her, she was so scared she couldn’t even move! Just thinking about it was humiliating!
“Master, I embarrassed you.” Wen Jiayin felt she’d let Xin Yun down.
“How could you?” Xin Yun saw Wen Jiayin’s eyes were red, and, not caring about the ointment still on her hands, gently pulled her into her arms. “Were you scared? Don’t be.
You didn’t embarrass anyone.
The other disciples under your Sect Master and Elder Martial Uncle all collapsed on the ground the first time they faced your Martial Uncle’s killing intent.
You did really well.”
“Ugh… but it’s not enough.” That scumbag might not be as strong as Martial Uncle right now, but he was still powerful.
Was she only ever going to be frozen in fear in front of him? Wen Jiayin just couldn’t accept that.
After sulking in her Master’s arms for a while, listening to Xin Yun’s comforting words over and over, Wen Jiayin couldn’t help but blush.
She was being way too childish!
Once she’d sorted out her feelings, Wen Jiayin returned to her usual sunny, lively self, so much so that no one could tell her eyes had been red just moments before.
But Xin Yun knew Wen Jiayin too well—how could she not see through the act? A-Yin definitely still had something on her mind.
“Master, I’m fine~” Wen Jiayin unleashed her ultimate move—acting cute and clingy—leaving Xin Yun completely helpless.
She could only wait for A-Yin to open up to her when she was ready.
But after returning to her little room, Wen Jiayin lay on her desk sighing, then cultivated for a while, and went back to sighing.
“…Can you stop sighing? I’ve heard you sigh at least ten times tonight.” The Drunken Immortal’s voice suddenly rang out in the room, startling Wen Jiayin.
“Mas—Martial Uncle! Where are you?” Wen Jiayin looked around but didn’t see the Drunken Immortal anywhere.
“The mirror.
Use the mirror I gave you.”
Only then did Wen Jiayin pick up the bronze mirror she’d left on the table.
To her surprise, the mirror showed the scenery of Moonwatch Cliff in the sect, and of course, the person sitting there.
“Martial Uncle, drinking at night isn’t good for your health!”
“Heh, you’re young but already sound just like your Master.
What, you’re not afraid of me anymore?” The Drunken Immortal leaned against a tree, gazing at the bright moon, and took another leisurely sip.
“Martial Uncle, you saved me.
I know you’re a good person, so of course I’m not afraid.”
“You’ve got a sweet tongue, kid.
So, what are you sighing about?”
“Martial Uncle… how did you hear me sighing?” Wen Jiayin’s eyes went wide.
Could the Drunken Immortal hear everything she did through this mirror?
“What are you thinking? It’s because you were thinking of me, so the mirror sent your message over.
If you ever want to find me, just talk to the mirror.
Yell for help if you want—if I can get there in time, I will.” The Drunken Immortal wished she could reach through and knock on Wen Jiayin’s little head.
“Oh, hehe…” Wen Jiayin laughed awkwardly, then told the Drunken Immortal what was bothering her.
“It’s good to be ambitious, but haste makes waste, especially in cultivation.
Still, if you really want to improve your combat skills quickly, I do have a way.”
“It’s just… a tiny bit dangerous.”
