Ling Luo arrived at the outer sect just as night fell.

She thought that Yue Liangze, with his wooden personality, would still be dutifully enduring his punishment in the pharmacy. So, she quietly snuck into the pharmacy, only to find it empty.

Had he already finished his work?

Ling Luo didn’t want to disturb the senior sister in charge of the pharmacy, so she went to Yue Liangze’s small courtyard instead.

The stone lanterns along the path were already lit. When she reached the entrance, she saw the lights were bright, but there was no smoke rising from the kitchen.

Ling Luo waited for a moment at the door and stood on tiptoe to peer inside. He didn’t seem to be in there either.

She had always come here in secret before, hiding and sneaking around, but now that she was openly standing at the door, she felt a bit irritated when Yue Liangze was nowhere to be seen.

It was already night, and he should have returned to cook dinner by now.

Ling Luo waited patiently for a while, and finally, Yue Liangze returned.

He was holding a black fire tong and carrying a bamboo woven basket on his back as he walked along the small path through the woods. He looked up in surprise when he saw Ling Luo waiting in front of his house.

“Where have you been?” Ling Luo stood up from the stone steps and asked softly, “Not cooking dinner at home but out running errands for others, taking their punishment instead?”

Yue Liangze didn’t understand why she was here, but after a brief silence, he answered, “No.”

Ling Luo glared at him, feeling frustrated. Wooden fool, why is he always so quiet!

Just as she was inwardly complaining, she saw Yue Liangze walk toward the courtyard and heard him explain, “I went to the mountain to pick chestnuts. Just came back. Do you need something?”

As he walked by, Ling Luo could finally see what was in his bamboo basket. The chestnuts that had fallen from the tree were still wrapped in their prickly green shells, which were very sharp. Yue Liangze was using the fire tongs to pick them up.

Ling Luo remembered the chestnut chicken, chestnut porridge, and chestnut cakes he had made for her, and suddenly felt hungry. She nodded and said, “I’ve dealt with Hong Mao and the others. You’re not even going to thank me?”

Yue Liangze placed the basket next to the stone table and looked back at her. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “For me?”

Ling Luo remained calm and said, “Who else? I don’t have any enmity with them. I just couldn’t stand them bullying you.”

Not really, though.

She had merely seen through Hong Mao’s intentions, dealt with him first to prevent him from seeking revenge, and since she couldn’t participate in the martial arts test, she took the opportunity to visit Yun Shouxi.

Yue Liangze stood silently under the moonlight, looking at her for a moment. He lowered his head and said softly, “Thank you.”

“Thank you doesn’t mean much,” Ling Luo stood at the courtyard gate and pointed to the bamboo basket. “I haven’t had dinner yet, and I came all the way from the inner sect to see you.”

The implied message was: Isn’t it hard to invite me to dinner to show your gratitude?

Yue Liangze responded, “Then you should go back early.”

There were curfews for both the inner and outer sects, and he was worried that Ling Luo would be late returning.

At this, Ling Luo was about to explode with anger.

“Why are you so stingy? I chased away the people who were bullying you, and you can’t even invite me to a meal?” Ling Luo fumed. “You even picked so many chestnuts! Is it so hard to make me some chestnut chicken?!”

Yue Liangze was silent in the face of Ling Luo’s sudden outburst.

Just as Ling Luo was about to march forward and seize the chestnuts, she heard him say, “I don’t know how to make chestnut chicken.”

Ling Luo immediately retorted, “Liar! You definitely know how!”

Yue Liangze looked at her and replied with a clear gaze, “Wait until I learn how. I’ll make it for you then.”

Only then did Ling Luo realize that the boy before her was no longer the Yue Liangze trapped on Tianzhao Mountain.

Maybe he really hadn’t learned how to make chestnut chicken yet.

Ling Luo pursed her lips and, not wanting to press the matter further, said, “Alright, then you can make me something else.”

“The chestnuts haven’t been peeled yet. If you’re hungry, I’ll fry a couple of dishes,” Yue Liangze said as he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong, well-defined arms.

“You go ahead and cook. I’ll peel the chestnuts.” Ling Luo walked into the courtyard.

She opened her fan, Yingxi, with a quick flick of her wrist. The half-circle fan glowed with specks of light.

Yue Liangze glanced at her, and Ling Luo, twirling her wrist, teased, “A top-grade weapon. Isn’t it beautiful?”

You’re jealous, right? You want it, don’t you?

Yue Liangze simply nodded and turned back to the kitchen without showing any trace of longing.

So high and mighty!

Ling Luo mumbled as she sat at the stone table. Using her spiritual energy to control Yingxi, she skillfully and swiftly used the fan to slice off the chestnut shells. The chestnuts that fell were caught gently with the fan’s surface.

She had become quite proficient in using Yingxi now.

If Yun Shouxi saw this, he would praise her for her extraordinary talent.

Yue Liangze returned from the kitchen with a bamboo basket and placed it on the stone table. Seeing Ling Luo use a top-grade weapon to peel chestnuts, he was momentarily stunned.

Ling Luo placed the peeled chestnuts into the bamboo basket and then asked, “You ranked 30th in the written exam, which was good enough to enter the inner sect, but why is your name missing from the list of results announced today?”

Yue Liangze lowered his head and answered simply, “I don’t know.”

He answered clearly, but Ling Luo couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Maybe there’s some misunderstanding. Come, I’ll take you to the inner sect to ask the hall master for clarification.”

“No need.” Yue Liangze, however, turned and walked back into the house. “My only goal was to make Xiu Man fall below the passing mark. That day, you didn’t intervene. Even if I wasn’t punished, I still wouldn’t participate in the martial arts exam.”

“You don’t want to join the inner sect?” Ling Luo asked.

Yue Liangze answered, “I don’t.”

Ling Luo looked at the young man’s straight back and raised an eyebrow lightly.

She raised her hand to fan the air, blowing a chestnut on the ground into the air, only for it to be sliced apart by a spiritual blade launched by Sakura Joy.

Ling Luo asked, “Then why did you join East Island Tianji? The goal of an outer sect disciple is always to enter the inner sect.”

Yue Liangze entered the kitchen, saying indifferently, “To make a living.”

Ling Luo: “…”

For a moment, she couldn’t find a rebuttal.

Although Yue Liangze said this, Ling Luo felt something was off. She knew she wouldn’t get any answers from this blockhead’s mouth, so she let it go for now.

Yue Liangze came out to fetch water and prepare vegetables. Ling Luo watched him busying about, listening to the chopping sound of the knife. The light from the lamps cast shadows on the window, and she found herself staring in a trance.

Not paying attention, a thorny shell that had been blown away by Sakura Joy landed on her hand, and the sharp sting made Ling Luo snap out of her reverie, frowning slightly.

She had been wondering why she had joined East Island Tianji.

At first, it wasn’t to enter the inner sect.

It was because she was being hunted and needed a place to hide.

She also wanted to gain strength and become stronger.

Ling Luo looked at the red spot on her hand where the thorn had pricked her. The pain was slight, but that was all.

She quickly peeled the chestnuts, and by the time Yue Liangze brought the food, she had already finished. She was playing with the all-black jade listening device.

Ling Luo activated the jade by dripping blood, and a circle of fine golden patterns appeared along the edge of the jade.

Yue Liangze didn’t pay much attention. He set the table and served Ling Luo a bowl of white rice, saying, “You can eat now.”

Ling Luo sniffed the aroma of the food, and her stomach audibly growled.

Ling Luo: “…”

Yue Liangze stared at her without blinking.

“Don’t look!” Ling Luo glared at him, putting down the jade and reaching for the food.

Yue Liangze lowered his eyes, feeling a bit amused.

While they were eating, Ling Luo asked where he had found the chestnuts. Yue Liangze replied, “The back mountain.”

“There are countless back mountains here,” Ling Luo puffed her cheeks, “I’ve never seen you go to the practice hall.”

Yue Liangze said, “I don’t want to go.”

“Is it that easy for you not to go?” Ling Luo asked, annoyed. “Won’t the Sect Master come looking for you?”

Yue Liangze replied, “No.”

Ling Luo bit her chopsticks and suspiciously asked, “Do you have some kind of backing? Is a hall master protecting you?”

“My spiritual power is too weak to cultivate. It’s useless to go,” Yue Liangze said calmly, “and I don’t want to go.”

“Then why is Tianji keeping you here?” Ling Luo still didn’t believe it. “You don’t cultivate, and you have no talent. They should have kicked you down the mountain by now.”

Yue Liangze answered, “They keep me around to do odd jobs.”

Ling Luo: “…”

She swallowed a mouthful of food, her thoughts complicated.

The first sword cultivator of East Island Tianji, reduced to doing menial tasks in the outer sect. Was East Island Tianji overconfident, or just blind?

Wait, no, this guy’s spiritual power is weak right now, unable to cultivate. East Island Tianji might not know that he’s a hidden gem, but she knows.

Before he learns all the formidable sword techniques, she might as well enjoy herself first.

So Ling Luo smiled brightly, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Yue Liangze, saying, “Learning swordsmanship isn’t just about seeking spiritual power. Even if your spiritual power is weak, you can still make something of it.”

“At most, it’s a bit lacking in techniques and hand seals.”

Yue Liangze raised his eyes to look at her, and Ling Luo continued, “With more practice, you’ll at least be able to defend yourself when someone bullies you.”

She added, “But you can’t practice alone. It’s only useful when two people spar with each other.”

Yue Liangze: “Mhm.”

Ling Luo patiently said, “After we finish eating, I’ll practice with you.”

Yue Liangze replied, “No need.”

Ling Luo didn’t listen, saying, “I won’t use spiritual power, just sword techniques.”

“No…”

“Hey,” Ling Luo tapped her chopsticks against the bowl and said seriously, “Senior Brother, I’m only trying to help. In the future, when I join the inner sect and you’re still outside, what will you do if someone bullies you?”

Yue Liangze fell silent.

Who was it that had said he wasn’t a senior brother and that she couldn’t call him junior sister?

Seeing Ling Luo’s serious expression, Yue Liangze didn’t refuse anymore.

He thought she was being sincere.

After dinner, Yue Liangze went back to the kitchen to tidy up, while Ling Luo picked a branch of hawthorn from the tree, waiting to spar with him.

The crickets chirped loudly at night. Ling Luo trimmed the extra branches, casually swinging them a few times.

Yue Liangze finished washing his hands and came out holding a wooden sword.

The yard was large enough for the two of them to exchange a few moves.

Ling Luo said, “I’ll only use the basic moves from Tianji.”

After speaking, she took the initiative and attacked Yue Liangze with her sword.

No spiritual power, only sword techniques.

Yue Liangze calmly blocked her strike.

The wooden sword clashed with the hawthorn branch, not making the usual sharp ringing sound, but instead a dull thud.

Ling Luo had seen Yue Liangze practicing basic moves before, but she hadn’t seen him fight with a sword.

Now that they were sparring, she realized his use of the sword and his understanding of techniques weren’t bad at all.

The outer sect of East Island Tianji didn’t teach nothing—there were lessons on footwork, techniques, spells, curses, and the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth. There were many, but when one entered the inner sect, they would specialize in just one or two.

Both of them specialized in swordsmanship, but their talents in other fields were not low either.

True geniuses weren’t restricted by spiritual power.

After a few exchanges, Ling Luo realized Yue Liangze learned quickly. The sword techniques that she had pressed him with, he soon returned with equal force.

Ling Luo laughed awkwardly. “Senior Brother, you seem very experienced in combat. You must have practiced with others a lot, right?”

Yue Liangze tilted his head, dodging her strike, and said softly, “Today’s the first time.”

Ling Luo: “…”

The first time and you’re this good?

What are you showing off for?

She stopped sparring.

Ling Luo’s moves became fiercer, and her speed increased sharply. Yue Liangze was caught off guard. In the next moment, his weapon was disarmed, and he was knocked back onto the ground by the hawthorn branch.

The night breeze blew, and the hawthorn blossoms outside the yard drifted in with the wind.

Yue Liangze pushed himself off the ground, looking at the girl standing at the front of the yard.

Wasn’t she supposed to be using only the basic moves?

Ling Luo had already turned to leave, tossing the hawthorn branch aside. She left behind a light remark: “Senior Brother, you still need to practice more.”

Yue Liangze remained silent.

His mind was flipping back and forth between Ling Luo genuinely wants to spar and Ling Luo is just messing with him.