He Qiu fell silent once again.
It was truly uncomfortable to have someone constantly reading his mind, as if every secret thought was being monitored with perfect clarity.
Moreover, having his request rejected before he even had a chance to speak it was incredibly humiliating. He felt like he had lost face.
“Alright, alright. I won’t just read your mind whenever I feel like it from now on~”
Noticing the hint of disappointment in the young man’s eyes, the Lu Ling girl stood up from the edge of the stream.
She then gently patted He Qiu’s head, as if comforting a child whose confession had just been rejected.
In the eyes of a spirit beast, a human’s desire to form a contract with them was inherently a form of “confession,” an expression of affection.
It could be considered a difference in understanding between spirit beasts and humans.
“Don’t be sad anymore. Do you want to know my name? I might be persuaded to tell you~”
“…”
Actually, He Qiu really wanted to say that he wasn’t particularly sad, nor did he consider knowing her name to be any sort of reward.
But seeing that the Lu Ling was being so kind, he gave a nod for the time being.
“Listen closely now! My name is Yun Qing. Yun as in ‘white clouds,’ and Qing as in ‘graceful lightness’!”
Just like his Senior Sister Luo Qianning, the Lu Ling girl inadvertently puffed out her flat chest and slightly raised her chin while introducing herself.
It seemed as though they were both exceptionally confident in their names—or perhaps they simply enjoyed the moment someone committed their name to memory.
“Oh. Yun Qing… I’ve got it.”
Catering to the Lu Ling’s mysterious confidence, He Qiu gave her a response.
He felt it was a matter of politeness.
Though he didn’t truly believe that introducing a name was something that required such a sense of ceremony or pride, he figured it might be a specific custom or habit of spirit beasts.
On the other side, Yun Qing was quite satisfied with He Qiu’s answer.
She sat back down and said with feigned nonchalance, “He Qiu, you must remember my name well, okay? That is, if you still want my help on your path of cultivation.”
“What a strange request…”
He Qiu couldn’t help but mutter.
However, Yun Qing puffed out her cheeks and countered seriously, “It’s not strange at all! Is it that hard to remember someone’s name? This is basic etiquette for interactions between humans and spirit beasts.”
“No, what I meant was, you don’t need to emphasize the importance of it. I’ll remember it firmly… To be honest, memory is the one thing I’m actually quite confident in.”
“That’s good then. If you ever forget my name, I’ll use celestial arts to turn you into a little turtle!”
Humming a little tune, Yun Qing’s mood seemed to improve.
He Qiu spoke up again.
“So, now that I’ve remembered your name, are you willing to lend me your spiritual power?”
“Of course.”
“It’s that simple?”
“Mhm.”
The girl answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, appearing to truly want nothing else in return.
But He Qiu still felt that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Why would a powerhouse with 10,000 years of cultivation help him for no reason?
“Are you sure there aren’t any other requirements? You’re just giving me spiritual power for free?”
“Not really anything special… Oh, wait! There is!”
Yun Qing was about to say no, but then she suddenly widened her golden eyes and looked back at He Qiu’s face.
‘I knew it. As expected, there’s a price to pay, or some kind of contract to fulfill…’
He Qiu swallowed hard, deciding to hear her out first.
If the Celestial Spirit’s request wasn’t too difficult, it wasn’t out of the question to consider making a trade.
Of course, He Qiu was penniless.
The only thing of value he likely possessed was his youthful vitality and future potential.
He probably wouldn’t be able to afford a request from a powerhouse with 10,000 years of cultivation, leading to a falling out.
However, Yun Qing’s intentions didn’t seem as complicated as He Qiu had speculated.
“The requirement is that from now on, you must address me as ‘Sister Yun Qing’!”
“Uh, that’s it?”
“Hmm… Also, even though I promised not to read your mind whenever I want, when you want to complain about me in your heart, you must use ‘Great Celestial Spirit’ as my title, okay? You have to be conscious of it!”
She spoke very seriously, as if it were some major life event, but He Qiu couldn’t bring himself to be serious at all.
This request was simply too easy.
He Qiu had thought it would be like those novels where the protagonist trades away several decades of their lifespan, or where the protagonist is captured and imprisoned as a cultivation vessel.
‘It seems I really am not a protagonist.’
“If those are the only requirements, then I have no problem.”
“Great! Hurry up and call me ‘Sister Yun Qing’ so I can hear it~”
The girl with pale-gold hair happily put her hands on her hips, her round little face practically radiating anticipation.
For a moment, He Qiu suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, seeing glimpses of Luo Qianning in Yun Qing.
These two girls were surprisingly similar in certain traits…
However, Senior Sister Luo Qianning was somewhat noisy and troublesome to He Qiu.
Yun Qing was different; her personality was gentler and more whimsical.
He Qiu liked quiet and gentle things—whether it was the environment, life, cultivation, or even members of the opposite sex and spirit beasts.
“Sister Yun Qing.”
Since they had reached an agreement, He Qiu followed through as promised.
A bit of flattery and calling her “Sister” in exchange for the help of a Celestial Spirit with 10,000 years of cultivation was an incredibly profitable deal.
Furthermore, He Qiu had heard that a Sect competition was approaching.
He was currently in urgent need of progress in his cultivation.
“Such a good boy, Junior Brother He Qiu~”