Sixteen sixteen

In less than half an hour, Fu Tingyun had cleared out the trash and packed it into the mystical bag worn at the waist of the puppet, just in case the woman returned looking for it—except for the jar of edible candy, which he had thoroughly destroyed.

Although he considered everything in the room to be rubbish, he still kept a few items that seemed slightly useful, discarding only the absolute garbage.

As a result, about seventy to eighty percent of the items in the room were gone.

The remaining objects were carefully sorted and stored away, with all the debris and broken pieces hidden. While still far from the ideal abode in his eyes, it was at least somewhat cleaner.

He put the mystical bag away in the drawer cabinet and then went outside to meditate.

After two days, his spiritual soul’s fusion with the puppet had progressed further.

The range of his spiritual perception was still limited, but it should now encompass the entire territory of the Cloud and Rain Sect.

Fu Tingyun closed his eyes, releasing a thread of spiritual consciousness that extended outward until it reached the outer city wall of the Cloud and Rain Sect.

Everything within the city was within his awareness, should he wish it.

He knew that the woman was also somewhere in the city at this moment, but since he only sought to confirm the exact range, there was no need to deliberately avoid her.

Soon, he discovered her in a clothing shop, accompanied by a reasonably attractive male cultivator.

This must be the Xiahou the others spoke of.

He paid no mind to what they were saying, but because his spiritual consciousness was linked to his five senses, he inevitably caught fragments of their conversation.

He heard the handsome male cultivator say, “So does Junior Sister Xiaoyuan still not have someone she fancies?”

...

Xiahou Che stared unblinking at Su Xiaoyuan, his gaze soft yet resolute, as if determined to entangle her with his unwavering look until he got an answer.

Su Xiaoyuan’s mind instantly froze again. “I…”

Then, inspiration struck her suddenly, and Xiahou Senior Brother began his usual impromptu lesson.

It seemed she was beginning to grasp the subtle art of “exchanging feelings through glances.”

“Senior Brother, were you just teaching me just now?” she asked uncertainly.

Xiahou Che neither denied nor confirmed, but smiled with a mix of helplessness and self-mockery. “So, Junior Sister Xiaoyuan, do you know how you should reply?”

“Uh… honestly?”

“And if you don’t want to tell the truth, but don’t want to lie either?”

Su Xiaoyuan was stumped. She looked up at him dazedly, her eyes like two clear pools, revealing every pebble, fish, and shrimp beneath.

Xiahou Che said, “When faced with a difficult question, you can respond with a question.”

Su Xiaoyuan still looked eager to learn.

Xiahou Che’s eyes rippled like water, “For example, you could ask me, ‘Senior Brother, why are you suddenly asking me this?’”

Su Xiaoyuan’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Oh, I see! Got it! Senior Brother is really amazing!”

Xiahou Che smiled helplessly, twitching the corners of his mouth. “You flatter me, Junior Sister.”

“Please wait a moment, Senior Brother…” Su Xiaoyuan lowered her head and pulled out her handmade notebook and charcoal pencil from her small handbag. “Let me take some notes; I’m afraid I’ll forget when I get back…”

She then bent over, scribbling away.

Occasionally, she paused to think, subconsciously biting the wooden end of her pencil, leaving small teeth marks.

Xiahou Che waited patiently. “No rush, take your time. Junior Sister Xiaoyuan is truly diligent and eager to learn.”

Su Xiaoyuan smiled wryly. “I’m diligent, but if I’m this bad, there’s no way I’ll pass the inner sect trial without effort.”

After filling nearly half a page with dense writing, she hurriedly put away her notebook. “Sorry to have taken up your time, Senior Brother.”

Xiahou Che deliberately put on a stern face and raised an eyebrow. “If you want to make it up to me, help me pick some clothes for the Wushan Festival.”

He glanced around the modest shop, quickly selecting a few outfits, asking the shop assistants to bring them down one by one, then tried each on.

After every outfit, he sought Su Xiaoyuan’s opinion.

Xiahou Che was good-looking, with a great figure—a natural clothes hanger—so everything he wore looked good.

His taste was clearly excellent; even seemingly casual combinations were harmonious and eye-catching.

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Xiahou Che’s styling gave her plenty of new inspiration. Every time he tried on an outfit, Su Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but wonder what her puppet would look like dressed similarly.

Originally, she thought Fu Tingyun suited black, white, gray, and cool tones—restrained and ascetic—but now it seemed that those boldly colored, flamboyantly patterned clothes might have an extraordinary effect on him.

What if she dressed him in women’s clothing...

The thought made her dizzy and flushed, her blood racing, and she couldn’t resist pulling out her notebook to sketch.

Xiahou Che noticed her engrossed in drawing and didn’t rush her, patiently waiting as she sketched the clothes.

...

Fu Tingyun retracted his spiritual consciousness and opened his eyes.

Yet, the residual images of what he had seen with his spiritual sight still lingered.

Su Xiaoyuan’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes as she watched the handsome male cultivator change outfits were vividly etched in his mind.

He refused to be her plaything, so she found a new one for herself.

Last night, she was still troubled by him, but today she was laughing and chatting with that male cultivator.

The fickleness of the human heart was evident.

At that moment, a faint tickle came from the little finger on his left hand.

He lowered his gaze to see the thin red thread formed from her blood droplets entwining again.

Since the first time he had allowed it to approach, every time he meditated and introspected, it would come to entangle him.

Was his wavering mind due to the influence of the puppet body, or had she meddled with the blood pact?

He immediately dismissed that thought.

Today, he had just observed her attending the Gu technique class and the talisman and array class, witnessing her struggle awkwardly with some simple minor spells.

She was incapable of casting any Gu magic or curses on him.

Fu Tingyun looked coldly at the fragile, spider-silk-thin red strand—so delicate that a slight movement of his finger would snap it.

If he tugged gently, their inexplicable bond would be severed along with her life.

Everything would return to normal.

As he hesitated, the slender thread brazenly wrapped around his finger a few more times.

Why was he hesitating?

He opened his eyes, stood, expressionless, and returned to the room, sitting cross-legged on his mat.

Soon, the sun dipped behind the mountains, the last pink-purple hues fading into deep indigo at the horizon.

The moon rose slowly, climbing above the treetops.

She had not returned yet.

Fu Tingyun stood, approached the cabinet, pulled open the drawer, and took out the mystical bag.

Spiritual fire ignited in his palm, and the icy flame engulfed the bag instantly.

To dissolve these items with weak spiritual power, there was no need for the melting abyss; a palm fire sufficed.

In an instant, the bag and its contents were completely burned, leaving no ashes.

After all, she had gained plenty on this trip to the city; likely, new rubbish would soon replace the old, so it was best to clear the space early.

...

After Xiahou Che finished trying on the selected outfits, he asked, “Junior Sister Xiaoyuan, which one do you think is best?”

Su Xiaoyuan said, “They’re all beautiful. With Senior Brother Xiahou’s great taste, your picks are certainly better than mine.”

Xiahou Che smiled, his eyes curved gently. “Choose what you like.”

Su Xiaoyuan replied bluntly, “I like them, but it doesn’t matter; the clothes should be what Senior Brother Xiahou likes to wear.”

Xiahou Che couldn’t help but laugh and patted her head. “Junior Sister Xiaoyuan, what I meant earlier was that these clothes are meant to be worn for you.”

“Ah?” Su Xiaoyuan was slow to catch on, then exclaimed, “Ah!”

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She lowered her head in embarrassment. “Sorry, I’m really slow.”

“Indeed, very slow,” Xiahou Che nodded.

Sure enough, Su Xiaoyuan sighed inwardly.

“But that’s also what makes you most endearing,” Xiahou Che shifted his tone.

“Thank you for the encouragement, Senior Brother Xiahou,” Su Xiaoyuan said wistfully. “If I were as good as you say, I wouldn’t have failed the entry exam.”

“Being lovable alone isn’t enough to pass the entrance test; it’s also for the disciple’s protection,” Xiahou Che explained. “A pure girl like you must learn to protect yourself, because you attract the wrong kind of attention too easily.”

He winked, half joking, “Like me, for example.”

“But Senior Brother Xiahou is really nice.”

Xiahou Che smiled.

Before he could say more, a voice called from outside the shop: “Xiaoyuanci, where are you?”

Su Xiaoyuan quickly apologized and excused herself, running out and waving her arms. “We’re here—”

Because communication devices in the cultivation world were expensive, she and Ruan Mianmian couldn’t afford one, so they had to rely on shouting to find each other outside.

Soon, Ruan Mianmian pushed through the bustling crowd and arrived.

“How’s it going?” Su Xiaoyuan whispered into her ear. “Did you find Song Jinshu?”

Ruan Mianmian shook her head angrily, gritting her teeth. “I was almost on his trail, but then his scent drifted into the Perfume Street, and I couldn’t pick it out anymore! Achoo!”

She sneezed several times before recovering. “But I’m pretty sure that was his scent!”

“But why would he come here?” Su Xiaoyuan was puzzled.

Ruan Mianmian had no clue either. “I don’t know. After he sent my family a letter to break off our engagement on his own, his mother kicked him out. No one knows if he went back afterward.”

She herself had run away from home and had to hide from her family while searching.

“Forget it, I’m not thinking about him anymore! It’s giving me a headache!”

Ruan Mianmian punched her head, making a loud thudding sound that startled a nearby young couple.

She laughed heartily and rubbed her stomach. “I’m hungry. Let me buy some good food and treat you and Senior Brother.”

In the end, Xiahou Che insisted on taking them to the best restaurant in the city, the Scarlet Truth Pavilion, for a grand feast.

In the clothing shop, Su Xiaoyuan couldn’t resist and helped Fu Tingyun buy a more low-key outfit—a white robe with cloud patterns edged in silver thread, paired with his new hair ribbon.

This outfit and the ribbon cost a full two hundred superior spirit stones, thankfully with Ruan Mianmian’s bargaining skills and Xiahou Senior Brother’s VIP status.

At the Scarlet Truth Pavilion, she tasted delicious golden custard pastries and honey-soaked flower cakes, quietly ordering one of each to share—half for Ruan Mianmian’s breakfast and the other half to bring back to Fu Tingyun.

Leaving him alone at home until so late and making him do chores made her feel inexplicably guilty.

When they returned to the sect, the full moon was already high in the sky.

After dinner, Su Xiaoyuan had a couple of small cups of fruit wine and felt slightly tipsy.

Carrying her shopping haul and humming a song she liked in high school, she opened the door.

“Fu Tingyun, I’m back from hunting—”

Before she finished, she suddenly felt something was off.

Though it was pitch dark and she couldn’t see clearly, there was an inexplicable emptiness.

She reached for the lamp, dropped a spirit stone into it, and the light gradually brightened.

The small room was still dim but enough for her to see the surroundings.

Su Xiaoyuan opened her mouth but made no sound.

Dizziness overwhelmed her, her body swayed, and the bundle of clothes in her hand fell to the floor with a thud.

Her home had been robbed.