“This kid… he really didn’t have to go that far.”
In the grass, the white little fox scratched her chin.
Honestly, she didn’t care much about things like “harmony between fellow disciples.”
But since Lin Wuming had shown such consideration for her feelings, she couldn’t help but appreciate it.
At the very least, he was thinking about her.
In high spirits, the little fox trotted out of the bushes, her four stubby legs pattering lightly as she ran over to the two.
He Yingying had her mouth half open, stunned by what she’d just heard.
Just last night, her senior brother had been so gentle.
How did he suddenly become so… sharp-tongued?
For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
Meanwhile, Lin Wuming felt something tugging at his pants.
He looked down and saw an extremely cute little fox.
Its fur was pure white, and it was so small that it could fit in the palm of a hand—like a plush version of a cat.
“It’s you?”
Lin Wuming’s reaction wasn’t complete surprise.
He clearly remembered that when he first arrived in the village a year ago, he had run into this little fox at the edge of the forest.
It was clever—so clever that it almost seemed to understand human speech.
It had clung to him persistently, and Lin Wuming had taken a liking to it.
But after he entered the village, the fox turned and disappeared into the woods.
He’d searched for it a few times but never found it again.
Now here it was, reappearing out of nowhere.
The white fox seemed quite happy too.
It rubbed against Lin Wuming’s pants and wagged its tail gently.
“It still remembers me, huh…”
Lin Wuming picked it up, gazing into its gemstone-like red eyes—and froze.
Why did he feel… like this fox’s eyes looked a bit like his senior sister’s?
“No way… That’s impossible. Senior sister is just a mortal. This is clearly a fox. How could it be her?”
He quickly dismissed the thought.
No way the woman who’d lived and trained with him for a year could turn out to be a high-level demon capable of shape-shifting, right?
He cradled the little fox in his arms, and it didn’t resist.
It snuggled against his chest and nestled in comfortably.
“Um… senior brother…”
At that moment, He Yingying finally couldn’t hold back.
Lin Wuming loosened his hands.
Not wanting to fall, she had no choice but to wrap her arms tightly around his neck.
For her current state, this posture was not only physically difficult—it was also a bit embarrassing.
“Oh, sor—”
Lin Wuming caught himself mid-apology, remembered the system mission, and immediately scowled instead:
“What? Are you a baby or something? You want me to hold you the whole way? Seriously, you still think you’re a princess with all this pampered nonsense?”
He Yingying’s heart clenched with grievance—she was on the verge of tears.
She had come here to find a master, hoping that one day she could heal her ruined body, walk the path of cultivation again, return to take revenge, and protect her mother.
But now?
She hadn’t learned a single cultivation technique.
Her body was still broken.
Forget meridian reconstruction—her legs and eyes hadn’t even been healed yet.
The disappointment weighed heavily on her heart.
Still…
This was her last chance.
Aside from trusting her senior brother and senior sister, she had no other path.
Maybe… just maybe, this was all a test from her seniors?
Thinking it through calmly—with senior sister’s knowledge and experience, surely she had already seen through He Yingying’s strong personal motives for joining.
Maybe she even sensed the resentment and hatred hidden in her heart.
And such a state of mind would be detrimental to cultivation.
Senior sister and brother must be doing this for her own good—testing her, guiding her to overcome restlessness before moving forward.
With that thought, He Yingying gritted her teeth and said nothing more.
She absolutely couldn’t let down her senior brother’s intentions.
She especially couldn’t turn around and resent him—that would make her a truly ungrateful person.
She had to rid herself of the bad habits formed in the palace.
She had to earn the genuine approval of her seniors.
“I’m sorry, senior brother. I was being presumptuous…”
“Ah… this…”
Lin Wuming was completely caught off guard by her response, frozen in place.
To be honest, he’d already braced himself for a furious outburst—even considered the possibility that if she cried, he’d just have to harden his heart and not console her.
But now… her reaction made his guilt even worse.
He felt like an utter villain.
Quietly, he moved the little fox onto his shoulder, then reached back to cradle He Yingying’s knees again and continued walking.
He Yingying blinked in surprise, then quietly leaned on Lin Wuming’s back.
A soft smile crept onto her lips.
‘Senior brother really is a good person… Even when he tries to hide it, he can’t.’
She thought to herself.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze filled with hostility—sharp and dangerous.
It reminded her of… senior sister?
But… no way…
Her expression shifted.
Wait—why not?
Senior sister was powerful and mysterious.
Hiding nearby without being noticed seemed completely plausible.
Thinking her senior sister might be secretly watching her, He Yingying immediately became even more determined.
Yes—this was definitely a test.
She must not disappoint them!
And so, the trio—man, girl, and fox—peacefully left the forest.
The journey so far had been smooth, without a single obstacle.
Not long after exiting the woods, the little white fox, still perched on Lin Wuming’s shoulder, suddenly tapped his cheek with her paw.
When he looked at her, she hopped to the ground, wagged her tail, and waved her paw at him.
Lin Wuming scratched his head, then suddenly understood:
“Oh—you want to take a dump? You’re asking us to wait, right?”
“???”
Right now, Bai Bingyun really wanted to jump up and claw this dumb disciple’s face.
‘You’re the one who needs to take a dump! Don’t you know beautiful girls don’t poop?!’
But then again, this was her own disciple…
So she restrained herself.
She just rolled her eyes and turned away, too annoyed to bother explaining.
Lin Wuming watched the little fox leave and scratched his head, still unable to figure out why he got such a dramatic eye-roll from a fox.
“She left again?”
He sighed.
Hopefully, they’d meet again.
If he could keep a fox this cute, she’d be the perfect companion for his adorable junior sister.
But for now… he had to focus on irritating his adorable junior sister.
If he wanted to heal her, he’d need to find a proper city.
He had learned Grandpa Ma’s medical techniques.
With the right herbs and tools, maybe he could actually treat her injuries.
Whether he could or not…
Lin Wuming wasn’t totally confident.
He’d memorized the knowledge, sure, but he had no real experience.
Grandpa Ma’s medical skills sounded impressive—but he was just a village doctor.
Probably not as legendary as he claimed.
To be honest, Lin Wuming was a bit uncertain.
Even if her knees and eyes could be healed, her meridians—that was another matter entirely.
Only true cultivators understood those.
Grandpa Ma had explained some basics, but it was just surface-level theory for mortals.
Even that, Lin Wuming barely grasped.
‘Sigh… I really wasn’t meant to study medicine.’
Old Man Li’s candy-frying technique and Aunt Mu’s dance steps—those he learned well.
If cultivation truly didn’t work out, he could always make a living selling snacks and performing.
At least he could still take care of his junior sister.