Chapter 16

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Sweetened?
Putting aside their physical resilience, even if their mouths were stuffed with chili peppers, they wouldn’t shed tears, and desserts wouldn’t truly affect them. Moreover—
Su Zhen looked at him suspiciously, “Don’t you also like sweets?”
It was precisely because of his previous remark that she added sugar out of habit, making the dessert slightly sweeter than usual for ordinary people.
But for those who loved sweets, it was probably just right.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s delicious. It surprised me,” Xiao Yu mumbled in explanation.
This man often behaved oddly, and Su Zhen had gradually grown accustomed to it, unwilling to probe further.
Xiao Yu ate slowly and deliberately, savoring each bite seriously. He spent a quarter of an hour on a bowl of crisp cheese without finishing it, not even half gone.
Su Zhen had already taken out a spiritual cultivation manual and sat by the table reading.
The person beside her was moving too slowly and remained unusually quiet.
She gradually immersed herself in the cultivation manual, forgetting his presence, silently beginning to practice as she read.
For Nascent Soul cultivators, voluntarily separating the spirit from the body is difficult and risky when the body is intact.
But for those at the Spirit Transformation stage, astral projection is easier, though still not without danger.
Su Zhen controlled her spiritual energy, slowly drawing out her nascent spirit.
She was very familiar with this process.
As a former Golden Immortal, her spirit could leave the body and travel millions of miles in the blink of an eye, crossing realms effortlessly.
Even reshaping a body was a mere thought away.
With centuries of experience, her speed of spirit projection now surpassed that of any Spirit Transformation cultivator.
The green-clad girl under the tree leaned against the table edge, motionless, as if quietly asleep.
A golden light drifted out from her body, hovering midair.
The golden light took human form, with clear contours, equal in height to her physical body.
She floated beside her body, sitting cross-legged in midair.
Xiao Yu continued to eat the pea jelly at a leisurely pace.
He paid no attention to the changes happening nearby, neither warning her of the dangers nor marveling at her swift spirit projection beyond her realm’s norm.
His indifferent attitude made Su Zhen feel extremely comfortable.
She continued practicing her spells.
—In cultivating spirit magic, maintaining an out-of-body state helps train the spirit’s control of spiritual energy.
After all, some battles occur when the body is damaged; without the body to provide or absorb energy, the spirit alone must rely on its power.
Before the Nascent Soul stage, refinement of roots, solidifying bones and flesh, and opening meridians all strengthen the body.
Once entering the Nascent Soul stage, the focus shifts to strengthening the spirit itself.
This includes using the spirit to absorb energy, expanding the spirit’s energy capacity, and accelerating the body’s regeneration via the spirit.
The spirit is a tangible soul, different from the physical body, so previous methods of strengthening the body cannot be simply copied.
However—
The benefit of a second life is that she had more experience than others at her level.
Though others might receive guidance from their masters, true implementation requires time and effort to find methods that suit oneself.
Su Zhen quietly immersed herself in cultivation.
Logically, such practice is safer alone, as without the body’s protection, being ambushed while projecting the spirit is far more dangerous.
But considering who was beside her, Su Zhen felt no need to worry.
If he wanted to harm her, he wouldn’t need to take advantage of her vulnerability, whether she was at full strength or near death.
Just as she had often projected her spirit before her master.
—Not only did she trust her master wouldn’t harm her, but she knew it wouldn’t matter if he wanted to.
Of course, after she reached the Golden Immortal stage, there was some difference—she could confidently escape from him when at full power.
But by then, they no longer spoke, no longer were alone, and she certainly wouldn’t cultivate openly before him.
After some time, Su Zhen ended her cultivation.
Xiao Yu sat where he was, his plates and bowls empty.
The handsome young man dressed in black rested his cheek on one hand, the other on the table, leisurely enjoying the verdant courtyard.
Since similar scenery existed on Lingxiao Peak, Su Zhen didn’t see anything particularly special here.
She returned to her body, “What time is it? Still today, right?”
Xiao Yu tilted his head, smiling as he examined her, “What if I said you invited me for dessert a hundred years ago?”
Su Zhen showed no expression, “Then I suppose the senior is mocking me—how could a few spells take so long to cultivate?”
“Ah?”
Xiao Yu immediately looked aggrieved, “I didn’t mean that!”
Su Zhen looked at him and suddenly couldn’t help but smile.
Xiao Yu: “……”
He showed no annoyance at being teased; instead, he laughed.
His beautiful blue eyes sparkled under the sunlight, like a sky washed clean by rain.
It seemed that seeing her happy brought him genuine joy.
Su Zhen thought uncertainly.
But soon, Xiao Yu seemed lost in thought again, “I owe you one more time. Next time I’ll make you something else. Let me figure out what you like—”
“Wait!”
Su Zhen was startled, “Owe me? This was just returning the box of pastries from before. Aren’t we square now?”
“No!”
Xiao Yu quickly contradicted, “But I took your Jade Crystal Grass earlier, so when I gave you the pastries, we were even. Now I owe you.”
Su Zhen hesitated, wanting to say that the grass didn’t count, as she planned to discard it anyway since it was just clutter.
But she thought Xiao Yu probably wouldn’t accept that explanation.
Su Zhen: “…Then just give me spirit stones.”
She didn’t lack money at all, but since they couldn’t agree, this back and forth would never end.
Xiao Yu pondered for a moment, “How many do you think I should give you?”
Su Zhen took out a jade slip and consulted a senior sister in her family who dealt in spiritual plants to inquire about the current market price of Jade Crystal Grass.
The senior sister replied quickly, listing prices for various grades of the grass.
Su Zhen handed the jade slip to Xiao Yu, “Senior, take a look yourself; these are average market prices.”
Xiao Yu took it without hesitation, examined it carefully, then flipped his hand, revealing another pale green jade slip in his palm.

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Su Zhen: “?”
She watched him hold up the two jade slips, “Can we add each other as contacts?”
Su Zhen: “???”
Unless jade slips were made together or embedded in the same formation, to communicate, they needed to be infused with spiritual energy and touched to receive messages.
Su Zhen didn’t fully understand what he said but roughly got his meaning, “Senior, as you wish?”
Her jade slip could contact hundreds, even thousands; adding one more was no big deal, especially since most were not close friends.
Many who had known her for decades spoke fewer words than Xiao Yu, whom she had known only for a few dozen days.
—Ding!
Xiao Yu gently tapped the two jade slips together.
Su Zhen vaguely heard the crisp sound, “Actually, if you want to find me, you don’t need this, right?”
Xiao Yu returned the jade slip, “Hmm?”
Su Zhen took it back, “A Sacred Realm expert can seek someone with divine perception across the Nine Realms without leaving their abode. With just a thought, they can send an illusion or communicate through divine sense. My master—”
“Wouldn’t that disturb you?”
Xiao Yu said without hesitation, “If I spoke directly in your mind, what if you were busy and didn’t want to talk to anyone?”
Su Zhen’s unspoken words stuck in her throat.
Su Zhen: “…With your cultivation level, if I’m cultivating, you would sense it.”
When her master communicated, he rarely disturbed her during seclusion unless it was urgent.
Xiao Yu shook his head, “Even if you’re not cultivating, even if you’re free, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be bothered. Maybe you’re shopping, eating, or just want to be alone.”
Su Zhen was momentarily speechless.
Would she be disturbed?
She couldn’t deny there were such times.
But who wasn’t?
Even her master often communicated with her directly through divine sense, not jade slips.
If the jade slip was in a spatial pouch, messages could only be seen when taken out.
Besides, it wasn’t just Immortal Jade Dust who did this.
Quasi-Sacred Realm experts could easily communicate over millions of miles, and Golden Immortals, Celestial Immortals, and Earth Immortals could do so too, differing only in range.
It could be said that many masters, senior brothers, and senior sisters did the same once their strength was sufficient.
Su Zhen’s eyes flickered, “Senior really is different.”
“Don’t think I’m some kind-hearted person,”
Xiao Yu neither confirmed nor denied, “I just don’t want you to feel disturbed by me. As for others, I don’t care what happens to them.”
Su Zhen: “…”
Though they had known each other a short time, various incidents made it impossible for her to deny he was special to her.
As for why, she could not imagine any reason other than what he had explained before.
“If you have urgent matters, you can come directly to me. I probably won’t feel disturbed either, after all…”
Su Zhen cleared her throat, “Forget it. You probably don’t have urgent matters. Even if you did, I couldn’t help. I’ll remove the word ‘urgent.’ If you need me, just communicate with me directly.”
Xiao Yu looked at her thoughtfully.
Su Zhen expected him to be pleased, as was his habit, but he looked calm, which surprised her.
Before she could speak, Xiao Yu suddenly asked, “You didn’t finish your ‘after all’ just now. After all, what?”
Su Zhen hadn’t expected him to dwell on this and found it hard to say.
She originally wanted to say: After all, you’re not like my master, who often says annoying things—asking if I could give the sword to the junior sister today, reminding me to protect her at the Immortal Alliance trial tomorrow, and calling me disappointing the day after, saying he should have apprenticed under the sect leader instead.
But why say such things?
Perhaps because Xiao Yu was so easygoing, or because she had never interacted so freely with anyone before, their conversations made her feel relaxed, with fewer worries.
So she sometimes spoke inappropriately and wanted to take it back.
Su Zhen opened her mouth, “After all, senior, you’re different from my master.”
Xiao Yu’s eyes flickered; he stared at her sharply. His lake-like blue eyes seemed to ripple suddenly.
His entire aura shifted, radiating an invisible sharpness, a pressure that surged through the air briefly.
Then it completely dissipated.
After a moment, Su Zhen realized that wasn’t spiritual pressure but pure mental energy.
If he wished, this force could become sword intent and sweep away all of Weiyun Peak, even the entire Tianyuan Mountain, or the entire Eastern Region.
Su Zhen frowned, “…Why are you angry, senior? Because I compared you to my master?”
“No.”
Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and shook his head, “I just suddenly remembered something infuriating.”
Su Zhen blinked, “Did you just read my mind?”
“No, I’m not a charm cultivator. And since you understand mental arts, you’d feel it if I tried to read your mind.”
Xiao Yu shook his head again, “If I said I understand you and can guess what you’re thinking, would you believe me?”
Su Zhen’s expression turned odd.
He might know her past, but unless he knew she was reincarnated, he couldn’t guess her thoughts.
Those were things that happened later.
“And I won’t read your mind. For the same reason.”
Xiao Yu blinked, “Alright, the real reason I’m angry is because of your expression just now. You looked very sad.”
Su Zhen was stunned, realizing that the first sentence meant he wouldn’t read her mind because he wouldn’t intrude, like not sending messages without consent.
“From what you said earlier, I can guess that Xu Ling upset you. Just thinking about it makes me mad.”
Xiao Yu sighed lightly, “That kid really is…”
Su Zhen suddenly remembered her master also called him “kid” when young, and couldn’t help but smile, “Hmm, senior, so you really don’t like him, hence your anger?”
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, “You probably don’t understand cause and effect. But never mind, let’s not talk about him. And don’t give me money anymore; it’s too hard to calculate.”
Su Zhen looked at him.
Xiao Yu: “…Those prices are based on color and harvest time. Your plant must be top grade, but more than that, it’s been nourished by your spiritual energy. How can that be measured by spirit stones?”
“What?”
Su Zhen was speechless, “Others’ plants are nurtured by spiritual energy too, but they still sell for money.”
Xiao Yu shook his head.
He pressed one hand to his cheek, focusing on her.
Dappled sunlight filtered through leaves, casting golden light on the incomparable Immortal Jade Dust’s shining eyes.

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Golden radiance shimmered between his long lashes, making his light-colored eyes translucent with streaks of blue like water.
Xiao Yu smiled faintly, “...Your spiritual energy is priceless.”
Su Zhen: “?”
He said it seriously, as if unaware he was speaking nonsense.
Su Zhen tried to detect some joke in his expression but found none.
Su Zhen: “Senior, when you made that box of pastries, you used spiritual energy too.”
Xiao Yu immediately said, “You just said your Thorn Heart Flower was nurtured by your spiritual energy, unique in the Nine Realms.”
Su Zhen slammed the table, “You gave me three layers in your pastries, but I only made you two kinds. Including the Jade Crystal Grass, that’s fair!”
Xiao Yu was stunned.
After a moment, he raised his finger, “Wait, give me some time to think of a rebuttal.”
Su Zhen: “…”
She shook her head.
She found it ridiculous and amusing, conflicted in feelings, “Senior, don’t bother. You can’t refute me. Maybe that just proves you’re not in the right.”
“Who says?”
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, “Maybe I’m just tongue-tied.”
Su Zhen thought, Your thick skin is really like a city wall.
“Senior, you’re joking. If you were tongue-tied, everyone else should be ashamed they’re no better than mute.”
Xiao Yu laughed, “See, now I really don’t know how to respond.”
Su Zhen sighed, “Then just give up. Isn’t it easier to accept?”
“True.”
Xiao Yu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, “You’re right. We’re even. Neither owes the other.”
Su Zhen relaxed, “Last time I asked what you liked to eat, you didn’t say I shouldn’t repay you or that you had taken my things first.”
Xiao Yu feigned ignorance, “But last time you only asked what I liked, not about repayment.”
Su Zhen narrowed her eyes.
“Alright, I’ll be honest.”
Xiao Yu spread his hands, “Back then, I thought no matter what you thought, I’d been experimenting with plenty of recipes. After finishing yours, I’d make you another box, guaranteed different, so I could wait for your treats with peace of mind.”
Su Zhen looked at him incredulously, “I didn’t—”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean you had to feed me. I mean, whether bought or made by you, if you gave it to me, it counts as feeding.”
Xiao Yu hurried to explain, “Actually, I don’t care about favors. Giving you that box was just to make you happier. Every time I see you, you’re troubled. Anything that makes you feel better satisfies me. It’s not about reciprocation.”
Su Zhen was silent.
“Of course, I’d be happy to accept a return gift, but if it burdens you or wastes your time, then don’t.”
Xiao Yu said calmly, “I’m not doing it for favors or to gain anything… or rather, to gain your happiness?”
Before Su Zhen could reply, he reached up to rub his forehead, “That sounds weird and cheesy. Wait, let me think of a better way to say it.”
Su Zhen was amused, “Don’t bother. I roughly understand you. I know you’re definitely not doing this for gain.”
She paused, “It’s just my habit. Whenever I benefit, I want to repay; if I don’t, I feel uneasy.”
“I know.”
Xiao Yu was unsurprised, “So—”
He hesitated.
Su Zhen waited for him to continue.
He opened his mouth but closed it again, repeating this several times before saying nothing.
Su Zhen was baffled, “Senior, why not just say it?”
“I’m thinking how to say it without bringing up your sad memories.”
Xiao Yu shook his head, “But no matter how I say it, I can’t avoid it.”
Su Zhen suddenly understood a little, “…It doesn’t really matter.”
They looked at each other for a moment.
Xiao Yu blinked, “I guess you don’t fuss over favors with acquaintances or whether to repay. So I blame myself for not being close enough to you.”
Su Zhen couldn’t deny it.
She inevitably thought of her master and many who could be called close to her.
Su Zhen: “We’ve only known each other for a month.”
How much closer could they be?
Su Zhen: “I’ve never known someone so briefly and yet…”
Intimate?
Not quite.
She wasn’t sure how to describe their relationship and hesitated, then looked up to see the man across from her staring at her.
Xiao Yu propped his chin with one hand, his expression full of anticipation, unhidden delight in his eyes.
Su Zhen: “…Saying so much?”
Xiao Yu seemed momentarily stunned, thought for a moment, then brightened again, “Really?”
“Of course. Like cultivators on Weiyun Peak, some have known me for sixty or seventy years but spoken fewer than a hundred words total.”
Su Zhen spoke honestly, “To be serious, my master is the closest and the one I speak to most, but even in our first year, I only said a few words.”
Xiao Yu was unsurprised, “Hmm, you cultivated at home, so you came with skills to the master, and you’re smart, so you didn’t have many questions.”
Su Zhen was silent.
That was true. She had difficulties in cultivation but not many.
She always prepared her questions carefully, limiting them to the fewest words possible, never exceeding twenty to avoid wasting her master’s time or making him unhappy.
Years later, after Zhou Ziheng joined the sect, Su Zhen noticed her master was very patient and didn’t mind if disciples were talkative or slow.
Not to mention years later, when Liu Yunyao came, he seemed the most patient teacher in the world.
“See,”
Xiao Yu sighed, “You’re making that expression again. This time, I really caused it.”
Su Zhen came back to herself, “What expression am I making?”
Xiao Yu tried to imitate but failed, regretfully, “I don’t know how to describe it to you. Maybe three parts disappointment, three parts sarcasm, three parts indifference, and one part casualness.”
Su Zhen: “?”
Su Zhen: “…Senior really has a precise way of calculating.”