Lin Xiao took out the cultivation techniques he had grabbed on a whim and fanned them out in front of him.
One was Copper Skin Iron Bones, one was Flowing Cloud Traceless, and the last was Universal Throw.
Xiao Luoyi’s gaze swept over the techniques and finally stopped at Lin Xiao’s wrist.
There, a pale pink petal-shaped birthmark peeked out from the edge of his wide sleeve.
She quickly lowered her eyelids to hide the emotion in her eyes. When she looked up again, her face showed no trace of any disturbance.
“Thank you, senior,” she said, accepting the techniques with both hands.
“May I ask how to address you, senior?”
“This old man’s surname is Sao, as in the Sweeping Monk. Just call me Old Yu,” Lin Xiao said casually.
“Old Yu…”
Xiao Luoyi nodded.
“This junior is Xiao Luoyi. From now on, I’ll trouble you, Old Yu, to take care of me.”
“…”
Deep in the back mountain, there was an old forest.
Lin Xiao led the way, and Xiao Luoyi obediently followed behind.
“Old Yu.”
Xiao Luoyi looked around and said, “It seems… few people come here.”
“It’s peaceful here. Peace is good for cultivation.”
Lin Xiao, however, was thinking that the game map indicated a hidden spiritual qi point nearby.
The description said, “A forgotten ancient forest, with a trace of earthly vein spiritual resonance.”
This forest was certainly old, but whether it was spiritual remained to be seen.
They walked a bit further and stopped in front of a tree hollow.
The entrance was pitch black, and it was impossible to see what was inside.
“This is the place.”
Lin Xiao stepped inside first, and Xiao Luoyi followed close behind.
The tree hollow was very narrow at first, allowing only one person to pass.
After several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up.
Even though Lin Xiao was prepared, he couldn’t help feeling pleasantly surprised at the sight.
This hidden clearing was surrounded by countless giant tree roots and layers of leaves.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, creating a tapestry of light and shadow.
“What a great place!”
Lin Xiao exclaimed sincerely.
The game’s map attribute “Spiritual Qi +50%” meant nothing when just reading the text.
Only when seeing it in person did he realize this truly counted as a blessed land.
He turned around, intending to boast a bit about this treasure he’d discovered, but his gaze fell on Xiao Luoyi’s hand.
The edges of the cloth she had hastily wrapped were stained dark red by oozing blood.
The words Lin Xiao had prepared got stuck in his throat.
He was silent for a moment, then pulled a brand new handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her.
“Take care of your wound first. Cultivation can wait; your health is more important.”
Xiao Luoyi looked down at the handkerchief offered to her.
After a moment, she reached out with her uninjured hand and took it.
“Thank you…”
Her voice was soft, almost inaudible.
Then, her actions surprised Lin Xiao.
Xiao Luoyi didn’t use the handkerchief to bandage her wound.
Instead, she carefully folded it and tucked it into her inner pocket.
In the center of the clearing was a pool of clear water, so clean you could see the bottom, with a faint spiritual energy shimmering on the surface.
She walked to the pool, used her teeth and good hand to untie the dirty cloth strips, cupped the water, and quietly cleaned her wound.
Lin Xiao: “…”
He had given her a clean handkerchief, but she didn’t use it.
Was the little junior sister reluctant to use something new?
He didn’t ask, and didn’t dare to ask, so he pretended to look at the scenery, but something felt odd in his heart.
That handkerchief—he had only used it a few times.
It was as ordinary as could be.
Xiao Luoyi quickly finished treating the wound, re-bandaging it with a clean piece of cloth she had torn from her own undergarment.
After doing this, she stood up and looked at Lin Xiao without saying a word.
It was as if she was just standing there quietly, waiting for him to speak.
“Shall we begin?”
Lin Xiao was a bit embarrassed by her gaze, so he walked to a relatively flat area and took out the cultivation techniques.
“Let’s start with Copper Skin Iron Bones…”
In fact, ever since Lin Xiao had “borrowed” the techniques from the Scripture Pavilion two days ago, he had already thoroughly studied them.
Strangely enough, since transmigrating here, he seemed to have naturally awakened the ability to understand the details of cultivation techniques.
Coupled with his understanding of the game before transmigrating, he quickly grasped most of the key points.
He explained the key points to Xiao Luoyi and then demonstrated once.
Xiao Luoyi listened very seriously, then closed her eyes and began circulating the technique.
Soon, a faint metallic sheen appeared on the skin of her arms, and it quickly stabilized.
The entire process was so smooth that Lin Xiao suspected she had already practiced it hundreds of times.
“…You really haven’t practiced this technique before?”
Lin Xiao’s voice faltered.
Xiao Luoyi opened her eyes, her gaze clear with just the right amount of confusion.
“No. Did I do it wrong?”
Lin Xiao: “…”
No, you did it too correctly—so correctly that it makes me feel like I’m the one who got it wrong.
He felt there was no need to explain Copper Skin Iron Bones anymore, so he started explaining Flowing Cloud Traceless.
Xiao Luoyi watched once, then lowered her head to think.
Then, she began her performance.
Her footwork was agile and swift, with natural transitions and even a unique rhythm.
Her figure soon became flickering in and out of sight in this hidden space, as if about to blend into the light and shadow.
Lin Xiao was too tired to be surprised anymore.
He mechanically explained the key points of the last technique, Universal Throw.
He pointed his fingers together and snapped off a dangling aerial root in the distance with a gesture.
When Xiao Luoyi practiced, she didn’t rush to use Universal Throw.
Instead, she repeatedly made the motions with empty hands, sensing the essence of precise spiritual power control.
Then, as if casually, she pointed into the distance.
With a loud bang, a dead tree stump was blasted with a large hole.
Lin Xiao stared at the hole, bigger than his head, then looked at Xiao Luoyi’s calm face.
He felt that Xiao Luoyi becoming the female lead wasn’t without reason.
During a break in cultivation, the two sat down by the small pool to rest.
Xiao Luoyi suddenly asked, “Old Yu, this forest seems like no one has entered for a long time. How did you discover this place?”
“Well, in my early years… when I was traveling around, I stumbled upon it by chance. I found it peaceful, so I came here to sit occasionally.”
“Traveling?”
Xiao Luoyi turned her head, her light purple eyes full of curiosity.
“Old Yu, have you been to many places? Like the snowfields in the north, the deserts in the west, and the mortal kingdoms in the east?”
“Uh… I suppose so, when I was young, I went around.”
Lin Xiao answered vaguely—actually, he wasn’t lying; which map in the game hadn’t he been to?
“Then you must have seen many strange people and events,” Xiao Luoyi said with longing in her tone.
“For example, have you ever met someone who… even when they themselves are not doing well, can’t help being kind to others and doesn’t expect anyone to know?”
Lin Xiao choked on the question and stammered, “Well… the human heart is hard to fathom. Hard to say, hard to say.”
“Is that so?”
Xiao Luoyi sighed softly, looking at the shimmering pool.
“But I think such a person must be very gentle. Just… a little strange.”
“Strange?”
Lin Xiao echoed instinctively.
“Yes,” Xiao Luoyi nodded, almost talking to herself.
“Since he chose to help others, why should he hide himself? Perhaps he should be more honest.”
The hairs on the back of Lin Xiao’s neck stood up.
He forced a smile and said, “Haha, the world is vast and full of wonders. The hardest thing to guess is the human heart. Maybe he has some unspeakable difficulties…”
“It’s still early. Let’s go over how to combine Flowing Cloud Traceless with Universal Throw.”
Lin Xiao quickly stood up, afraid that if the little junior sister kept asking, he wouldn’t be able to cover it up.
He walked back to the flat area convenient for practice.
Xiao Luoyi also stood up and obediently followed.
But her gaze never left that slightly flustered back.
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