Chapter 224: Jealous?

Yun Shu widened her eyes theatrically, clutching the blossom to her chest. “How dangerous! Good thing I have you to explain it to me. Otherwise, I’d be a widow by now, ah, wait, I mean…”

Her words trailed off into fake coughing.

Bai Yunxian’s gaze lingered, sharp as a blade, but he said nothing more. Only the faintest shift in his lips betrayed his reaction.

Beast after beast fell.

A Cloud Serpent coiled from above, its scales reflecting like rainbows. Bai Yunxian’s sword cut it in half with a single strike, while Yun Shu cheerfully collected its gallbladder for “cooking experiments.”

A Firebacked Wolf Pack prowled from the shadows. Yun Shu threw a pouch of herbs into the air, creating a choking smoke that blinded them just long enough for Bai Yunxian to decimate the pack leader.

Each time, they walked away with treasures: horns, hides, cores, and herbs that would drive sects to bloodshed. And each time, Yun Shu managed to hide just how much of the battle tilted because of her invisible hand.

By the third day, their bags bulged with loot.

They camped by a cliff where a waterfall plunged into a misty gorge, the roar of water muffling distant roars of beasts. Yun Shu sat cross-legged, happily chewing on preserved fruit while Bai Yunxian sat nearby, eyes closed in meditation, stabilizing the surges in his qi from both the marrow and their constant fighting.

The fox sat between them, twitching its ears nervously every time Yun Shu looked its way. She popped another fruit into her mouth and smirked.

[Ding~ Host, you’re bullying animals again! Bad Host, bad!]

’I didn’t even do anything,’ she retorted inwardly. ’Look at it, trembling like I’m about to roast it on a stick.’

’You really are going to roast it at this rate…’ The system almost sighed at it saw Yun Shu acting like a nuisance.

The fox sneezed, as if it had heard her.

Later that night, when the fire burned low and Yun Shu pretended to doze, Bai Yunxian opened his eyes. He lifted his hand, and the fox slunk forward obediently.

“Tell me,” he murmured, too low for even the wind to carry far, “what did you sense from her?”

The fox whimpered faintly, ears flattening, tails twitching nervously. It rubbed its head against his hand, avoiding the question.

Bai Yunxian’s expression didn’t change, but a storm churned in his chest. The fox was loyal, unafraid of battle or even death. For it to avoid answering meant only one thing: whatever it had sensed terrified it beyond speech.

And yet, every time he looked at Yun Shu, she was smiling, eating fruit, or rambling about pastries and hair ornaments.

’Are you really Lord Yun?’ he wondered, staring at her faintly glowing silhouette by the fire. ’Or someone else entirely?’

Morning came.

The two resumed their hunt, as though nothing lingered between them. And in a way, nothing had to, because when they fought, when they carved their way through beasts and plucked herbs from treacherous cliffs, their movements fell into a rhythm even suspicion couldn’t break.

Where Bai Yunxian struck, Yun Shu supported unseen. Where Yun Shu lingered, Bai Yunxian adjusted his pace as though naturally shielding her.

Together, they left behind a trail of fallen monsters, emptied herb fields, and rumors that would spread like wildfire through the cultivation world.

A pair moving like shadows, harvesting treasures as if heaven itself bent to their will.

And though neither spoke of it aloud, both of them knew:

They made a terrifying team.

*

*

*

The Azure Sect disciples had clearly matured since the last time Yun Shu had seen them. Their robes were still somewhat tattered from battles in the forest, but their gazes were sharper, their steps more stable. When they caught sight of her, their faces lit up with recognition.

“Senior Sister Li!” The youngest, a boy with a freckled nose, practically ran over, his eyes brimming with admiration. “We thought we’d never see you again! Last time… if not for you, we wouldn’t have survived the Black Mist Spiders!”

Yun Shu smiled lightly, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “So you survived after all. Good. I was beginning to wonder if I’d wasted that antidote.”

Her words were casual, but her tone carried warmth that made the disciples stand straighter, pride swelling in their chests.

Bai Yunxian stood at her side, his expression unreadable. His sword rested in his hand, the blade humming faintly as though sensing his mood. The fox perched on his shoulder, tail flicking anxiously, sneaking glances between its master and Yun Shu.

The Azure Sect’s senior disciple, a tall youth with steady eyes, cupped his fists. “Senior Sister Yun, if it is not inconvenient, may we accompany you? The forest grows more dangerous the deeper we go, and…” His gaze flickered toward Bai Yunxian, then quickly away. “…having you nearby would give us confidence.”

Yun Shu tilted her head, pretending to hesitate. The system immediately piped up.

[Ding~ Host, don’t agree too fast, or your jealous Palace Lord will explode! Maybe stall? Flirt? Or, better yet, pretend not to notice his glare at all!]

“You talk too much,” Yun Shu rolled her eyes in her mind. How would he get jealous when he doesn’t even know whether it was Yun Shu or not? It was utterly ridiculous, wasn’t it?

There is no way he would fall for a girl right away; no matter what, he is the mighty male lead of a BL game world after all!

Suppressing a laugh, Yun Shu turned to Bai Yunxian, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “Palace Lord, is it alright? I don’t mind if they come along. They’re children, after all.”

Bai Yunxian’s gaze swept over the Azure Sect group. His lips curved slightly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Children should know when they are overstepping.”

The disciples stiffened under his gaze, feeling as though swords were pressing against their throats. The youngest boy even took a half-step back.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep