Xiao Wenchuan left his master's cave with a heavy heart.
The joy of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm had vanished completely. He didn't even feel like sharing the news with Junior Sister Luoshui anymore.
Since the expansion war, every few decades, the monster beast horde would strike the border again. These were the grand narratives: either the human race triumphed or the beasts gained the upper hand.
To the Tianyan Domain, it was just a matter of win or lose.
But when such sweeping stories, which often boiled down to a single sentence, landed on an individual cultivator, they could destroy everything.
The century-long war had swallowed dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators, thousands of Golden Core experts, and countless Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples.
Only those at the Nascent Soul or Golden Core realm could leave any ripples in the story. For the rest, for those in Foundation Establishment or below, their deaths barely made a sound.
And now, he, Xiao Wenchuan, who had just stepped into Foundation Establishment and was considered a potential Golden Core candidate, had run headlong into the beast horde assault.
Sure, every wave of the beast horde came with danger and opportunity. But only if you survived.
At the border, where Foundation Establishment cultivators formed the frontline, he would be among the weakest.
"Damn it. If I'd known, I wouldn't have broken through so soon."
No wonder his master sighed. This disciple had great talent and he believed in him. But his luck… was terrible.
Luck was invisible, untouchable, yet it shaped everything.
Xiao Wenchuan's talent was without a doubt excellent. A middle-grade single fire spiritual root. When he entered the sect, his name had already spread far and wide. Among his peers, those with good roots were only upper-grade dual types. Even a lower-grade single root had slightly better cultivation speed than high-grade dual roots.
Back then, he was surrounded by attention and praise. But five years later, Mu Qingling arrived—someone with a nearly earth-grade single root. Thankfully, she didn't care much for sect matters. That gave Xiao Wenchuan the chance to become the top disciple among the inner sect's elite.
Just when things were going well, another high-grade fire root cultivator appeared, backed by even stronger support. It meant fewer resources for him, and his future as the next sect leader suddenly looked uncertain.
So he discussed it with his master. They decided he should reach Foundation Establishment early and begin taking on real power while the Yu family was still under pressure.
And just like that, the beast horde struck again.
Back in his cave, Xiao Wenchuan looked down at the spiritual sword in his hand and let out a bitter laugh.
'So that's why Master was so generous today.'
Did he feel resentful? Of course he did. He originally planned to stay at the peak of Qi Refining a bit longer. As the top inner disciple, he still had plenty of influence among the others.
But after his master laid out all the pros and cons, he strongly urged him to break through early and secure a good position while the Yu family was vulnerable.
'It's fate.'
Xiao Wenchuan started familiarizing himself with the sword. Tomorrow, he would at least visit Junior Sister Luoshui. She should know that he had reached Foundation Establishment.
Then it would be back to closed-door training. His master said one year, which meant he had at least three.
After one year, those in the late Foundation stage would be called up. Around the second year, it would be the middle-stage cultivators. By the third or fourth year, it would be the early-stage group like him.
******
On the other side, unaware of Xiao Wenchuan's worries, Xu Luoshui was still sitting on the second floor of the Yu family's shop, chatting with Yu Dazhi.
The boy's eyes kept drifting toward the faint glimpse of white beneath her skirt.
It was like knowing he was looking into a pit of desire and downfall, yet unable to resist—pure instinct.
"What are your eyes staring at?" Xu Luoshui teased playfully.
"I'm not staring. I'm looking openly, okay?"
Thanks to the clone intentionally lowering her guard, their conversation had grown much more casual.
Yu Dazhi thought this must be the power of spirit stones.
"If you keep staring, I'll leave."
"A woman dresses up to please the one she likes. You look this beautiful today, aren't you dressed for me?"
"You're such a narcissist. I'm leaving."
Xu Luoshui's cheeks flushed slightly. She stood up and pretended to leave.
Yu Dazhi reached out and grabbed her cool, delicate hand.
"Senior Sister, come on, my good Senior Sister, I was wrong, alright?"
Xu Luoshui seemed startled by his sudden, bold move.
In that moment, as she turned her body from the pull, the distance between them vanished.
They could hear each other's breathing. Yu Dazhi's was especially heavy.
Flustered, Xu Luoshui quickly pushed him away as he leaned in closer.
"I... I still have things to do. I'm not checking the amounts today. I'm leaving."
She turned and dashed down the stairs, her footsteps echoing as she ran off.
Only when she left the marketplace did the redness on her face fade. Her panicked expression also melted back into that familiar, sweet smile. She looked pure and cheerful again, greeting everyone she passed.
******
Back on the second floor of the Yu family's shop, Yu Dazhi watched the figure in white disappear from view before finally turning around.
He called the shopkeeper upstairs.
"Did Senior Sister say anything before she left?"
The shopkeeper replied respectfully, "No, nothing. She just ran out in a hurry, with a blush on her face."
A shopkeeper who could survive in this business clearly knew how to speak to different people. He knew exactly what the young master was really asking.
"Alright. No account-checking today. You can go."
Yu Dazhi looked down at the busy street below. In his mind, that lively, graceful figure was still running away.
"My sweet Senior Sister... you won't escape my grasp. I'll have you on my bed sooner or later. I'll make you pay for every bit of shame and rejection. It won't be long now."
******
Meanwhile, Xu Luoshui returned slowly to her cave. She raised the defensive array with a wave, just like always.
She stripped off her clothes. Then, peeling off her silk stockings, she slowly slipped into the spiritual spring.
Leaning against the edge of the pool, she looked up at the sky outside. Her eyes were blank as her mind drifted.
'The timing's almost right. Now I need to hold back a bit, keep some distance. Between a man and a woman, whoever gives more ends up weaker. Just like now—he's afraid the fish might get away, so he's trying to speed things up in secret. Now that the fish is on the hook, I need to let it struggle. At the same time, give others a chance to join in. If there's no competition or cost, how can something seem valuable?'
In his past life, Cheng Qian might not have been a woman, but when it came to understanding women—especially those skilled in flirtation—he knew exactly how their minds worked.
Experience, after all, teaches everything.
******
The next morning, Xu Luoshui was trying on a new pair of purple silk stockings. They were made by soaking silk in diluted essence oil from spiritual flowers.
She'd forgotten to shake the mix properly before using it, so the stockings ended up with a bit of a gradient color.
She had just finished putting one on when her formation gave a warning. Someone was at the foot of the mountain looking for her. She didn't think much of it. It was usually her Senior Sisters who dropped by in the morning, so she lowered the barrier.
She continued adjusting the stockings. As for what if it's a male cultivator and he sees? Then so be it. Consider it a little gift from her to the sect.
Moments later, Xiao Wenchuan walked into the cave.
And there she was, under the sunlight that streamed into the cave. Xu Luoshui sat with one leg stretched out, sliding on a pair of purple gradient silk stockings.
That scene burned itself into his eyes, and deep into his heart.