“Senior Brother, what did you bring me here for?” Tantai Yunzhi could not help asking in a low voice, her words drifting through the quiet woods.
Su Yi stopped and turned around. With a flash of light in his hand, the archaic sword Ling Qingyu had given him earlier that day appeared. In the dim light, the blade gave off a cool, clear luster.
“Here, this is for you.” Su Yi offered the sword to Tantai Yunzhi.
Tantai Yunzhi was taken aback and hurriedly waved her hands. “Senior Brother, this is far too precious! It was an apology gift from Senior Sister Murong to you—how could I possibly accept it?”
“Besides... my cultivation is low. I’m afraid I’m not worthy of such a spirit weapon...” She spoke in a rapid rush, losing a bit of control over her volume and even startling several wood frogs in the forest.
Startled, Su Yi suddenly took a step forward, reached out his index finger, and pressed it against her soft, cool lips.
“Shh—”
“Why are you so jumpy? I say one thing and you answer with a mouthful?”
He had gone through plenty of trouble to divert Shang Shuyi’s and Ling Qingyu’s attention toward someone else.
Tantai Yunzhi was slated for great opportunities in this secret realm.
After all, he could easily guess that while the other three sects paying attention to him was one thing, Tantai Yunzhi was likely another.
He had probed Shi Yan and confirmed there was nothing to worry about, but Ling Qingyu and Shang Shuyi were a different matter.
And so, Su Yi lowered his voice and said, “If your Senior Brother gives it to you, just take it. Also, don’t make so much noise—it’ll be troublesome if someone discovers us.”
The touch of his finger against her lips caused Tantai Yunzhi to stiffen all over, catching all her words in her throat.
A rush of heat flared up from deep in her chest, flooding her cheeks and ears in an instant. She could distinctly feel the warmth of Su Yi’s fingertip, as well as the overwhelming presence of him standing so close with his distinct scent.
However, the forest was dim, and Su Yi had not circulated his spiritual energy to enhance his vision, so naturally, he could not clearly see the girl’s blushing cheeks, her trembling eyelashes, or the bashful expression as she held her breath.
Thus, he simply pulled his finger back as if it were the most ordinary gesture and pressed the sword into Tantai Yunzhi’s somewhat bewildered hands.
“The attributes of this sword are balanced and gentle. It contains an inscription to clear the mind and steady the spirit, which won’t clash with your Five Elements Dao Physique. In a pinch, it might even protect your mental state.”
Su Yi explained, his tone returning to normal. “Keep it. We might need it where we’re going next.”
As someone who was constantly exploring the UI interface that served as his golden finger, he had developed a new trick: whenever he opened the interface and placed weapons, materials, or medicinal herbs inside, an item description would appear alongside them.
He had placed the sword into his inventory just moments ago, and it showed up as purple. In the game, purple weapons were sufficient to handle most situations and were more than enough for Tantai Yunzhi’s needs.
At this moment, holding the hilt that still carried the lingering warmth of Su Yi’s palm, Tantai Yunzhi’s heart hammered like a drum.
She lowered her head and replied in a voice as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, “Th-thank you, Senior Brother.”
Seeing her accept it, Su Yi figured that Tantai Yunzhi would now be too embarrassed to turn down any of his requests moving forward.
In fact, he had two reasons for giving her this spirit sword: first, to equip Tantai Yunzhi with a handy weapon.
Second, it was a trade of sorts. He was determined to take the Stalactite Body Tempering Fluid later, so giving Tantai Yunzhi a purple weapon meant he wasn’t shortchanging her.
“Yunzhi, keep an eye out during this period to see if anything seems to be guiding you. If there is, it’s best to let me know,” Su Yi advised. Then, feeling that this sounded a little odd, he added:
“After all, there are evil creatures in the secret realm capable of attacking the mind.”
As he turned to leave, he felt someone tug on his sleeve.
“Since there are evil creatures in the secret realm that can attack the mind,” Tantai Yunzhi said softly, every word clear, “could Senior Brother give Yunzhi an extra layer of protection as well... just like the one you gave Senior Sister Zhao Qian during the day?”
She meant those two talismans—first the ambiguously intentioned Demon-Cleansing Talisman, followed only then by the same Golden Body Mantra everyone else had received.
Su Yi was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered that Tantai Yunzhi was now his mother’s disciple. He asked, “Did my mother tell you that?”
Tantai Yunzhi started, recalling Gongsun Rou telling her to get closer to Su Yi and not let Zhao Qian steal him away, and she couldn’t help bowing her head.
‘Are my thoughts really that obvious?’
She hadn’t expected Su Yi to see right through her little scheme. Her face flushed red, but since things had come to this, she had to see it through.
“Master... did indeed have intentions along those lines.”
“Really?”
Hearing this, Su Yi was secretly pleased. He hadn’t expected his mother had noticed it too.
In the original game, the female lead was an all-around character. But! She had always been weak against mental and illusion attacks, which was why she crumbled after a series of blows in the later stages. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically given her that sword meant for focusing the mind and steadying the spirit.
‘Looks like Mother isn’t just entirely obsessed with finding a daughter-in-law after all; she genuinely wants to cultivate a good disciple. Otherwise, why would Tantai Yunzhi covet that Demon-Cleansing Talisman the moment she saw Zhao Qian get one? She must also believe that more is better.’
‘From the looks of it, having Mother as Tantai Yunzhi’s master has its advantages. At least when it comes to mentoring, she seems to know her stuff, having identified Tantai Yunzhi’s weak point so quickly.’
At this thought, a smile broke across Su Yi’s face. He reached out and lightly flicked her forehead. “I didn’t expect my mother to realize your shortcomings in mental fortitude so quickly. While that sword will help you guard your mind, since you brought it up yourself, adding another layer of protection isn’t a bad idea.”
Pondering briefly, another talisman appeared in his hand.
Unlike the previous Golden Body Mantra and Demon-Cleansing Talisman, this talisman gave off a gentle, milky-white luster, and the runes drawn upon it were far more intricate and profound.
“This is a Calming Spirit Talisman. Its grade far surpasses that Demon-Cleansing Talisman.”
Su Yi handed the talisman over and explained, “Not only can it fend off mental attacks to a certain degree, but it also has the effect of calming the soul and assisting in Dao comprehension. It should be even more beneficial for you in understanding the five elements and stabilizing your Dao foundation.”
He had tapped directly into the store system this time, spending over a thousand High-grade Spirit Stones. This talisman wasn’t a consumable; barring any unforeseen circumstances, it could accompany Tantai Yunzhi all the way to the Nascent Soul realm.
Tantai Yunzhi was at a bit of a loss, blankly taking the Calming Spirit Talisman, which felt warm to the touch and radiated spiritual energy.
It seemed... Su Yi had completely misunderstood what she meant.
Yet Su Yi seemed rather happy?
At that thought, she abandoned any intention of explaining. ‘Oh well, as long as Senior Brother is happy.’
She put it away respectfully and said, “Thank you, Senior Brother!”
Seeing Tantai Yunzhi agree so obediently, Su Yi nodded in satisfaction and said, “Alright, head back first. I’m going to look around nearby for a bit.”
Hearing this, Tantai Yunzhi blinked and asked in confusion, “Senior Brother isn’t coming back with me?”
Seeing that she hadn’t immediately grasped his underlying intention, Su Yi couldn’t help reaching out and lightly flicking her smooth forehead once more.
“Are you silly? Why do you think I called you out alone? It’s because I was afraid Shang Shuyi and that Ling Qingyu would take notice of you. If you go back with me now, wouldn’t all my efforts be in vain?”
He paused, a sly smile surfacing on his face as he continued, “Besides, if I’m out here ‘patrolling’ this ‘perilous’ secret realm at night all on my own, wouldn’t that make me look like an exceptionally conscientious team leader in their eyes, exhausting every effort for everyone’s safety? Perhaps they’ll feel indebted and hand over a few more spirit weapons and divine armaments as thank-you gifts later!”
One could never have too many good things.
Tantai Yunzhi clutched her forehead where he had flicked it. Though it didn’t hurt, Senior Brother’s words brought sudden realization.
So Senior Brother had deliberately distanced himself from her during the day for her own good!
Once she understood, she nodded vigorously, her small face dead serious. “Yunzhi understands! Senior Brother has such deep foresight and does everything for Yunzhi’s sake! Rest assured, Senior Brother, during this period, Yunzhi will definitely make sure to keep her distance from Senior Brother and never let anyone suspect a thing!”
Saying so, she took two steps back with absolute seriousness, putting a noticeable distance between herself and Su Yi.
Seeing her earnest, even somewhat adorable look, Su Yi found it rather amusing. He waved his hand. “Right, good, as long as you understand. Hurry back, and be careful on the way.”
“Yes, Senior Brother!”
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