Volume 1 Chapter 14: The Protagonist, Heart Aflutter

Volume 1 Chapter 14: The Protagonist, Heart Aflutter

The next day.

Drip… drip…

The gentle plinking of dew falling into puddles echoed softly, adding an ethereal tranquility to the room.

On the bed by the window, Feng Yudie slowly opened her eyes. Turning her head, she saw the sky outside was still gray and hazy. She couldn’t tell what time it was.

Xiaotian, who had been sitting on the windowsill, noticed she was awake and immediately flew over to her bedside, asking with concern:

『Yudie, how are you feeling? Is anything hurting or uncomfortable?』

Feng Yudie tried clenching her fists, then scooted toward the edge of the bed and attempted to stand. But the moment she got to her feet, her legs gave out and she plopped right back down.

"Still a bit weak in the legs, but I’m feeling much better."

Xiaotian perched on her shoulder, resting against the back of her head. 『You don’t even know how close it was, Yudie. If that boy and his junior sister had been just fifteen minutes later, your soul would've completely dissipated. I was worried sick.』

“Well, I survived, didn’t I?” Feng Yudie flopped back onto the bed with a relieved laugh. “Hmph, I really am a child of destiny—ran into a demonic cultivator and still made it out alive.”

『Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming. Ever heard of ‘there’s always someone stronger’?』 Xiaotian rolled its eyes at her.

“What? Aren’t you always telling me I’m chosen by fate?”

『You are—chosen by fate, bearer of the Immortal Emperor’s bloodline, and the only one who can see me. But do you know what that boy and his junior sister did to save you?』

“What did they do?”

Xiaotian grinned crookedly. 『They took down the demonic cultivator who attacked you. Together. I saw it with my own eyes—the two of them burned him to cinders.』

Feng Yudie thought she’d misheard. “That demonic cultivator was in the Pseudo-Nascent Soul realm, wasn’t he?”

『Exactly.』 Xiaotian nodded. 『Even now, it seems unbelievable. Neither of them has especially outstanding spiritual roots, but their cultivation speed is leagues above others their age. That boy’s at the third layer of Qi Refining at fifteen, and the girl is already at the peak of Qi Refining at just fourteen.』

“…”

『And more than that, they actually killed a Pseudo-Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivator—that’s skipping two major realms. Sure, he was injured by Old Nine before, but even so, it says a lot about their strength that they could finish him off.』

“Really?”

『Saw it myself.』 Xiaotian nodded solemnly and flew in front of her with arms akimbo. 『That boy—fine, he’s only at the third layer of Qi Refining. He couldn’t beat you. But that girl, the one named Pei? You wouldn’t last five moves against her. Believe it or not.』

Xiaotian wasn’t just trying to boast about others—it wanted to knock some of Feng Yudie’s overconfidence down a peg.

Competition breeds pressure, and pressure fuels growth.

It had always felt that what Feng Yudie lacked most… was a rival.

Her talent was too exceptional. Over the past decade, she had crushed practically every peer—often even those ten years older—without breaking a sweat.

This run-in with a Core Formation demonic cultivator had taught her a valuable lesson. And that girl Pei could serve as the perfect motivation.

“So Miss Pei is that strong…”

『Exactly. There’s always someone stronger.』 Xiaotian nodded gravely, slipping into a lecturing tone. 『That’s why you need to work even harder, got it? Your talent is better than Pei is, so in the long run you’ll surpass her. But if you keep slacking off like this, daydreaming about roasted chicken and fooling around, you’ll completely waste those heavenly spiritual roots of yours…』

But instead of being chastened or discouraged as Xiaotian expected, Feng Yudie… started blushing for some reason.

Xiaotian furrowed its brows. 『Why are you blushing?』

Feng Yudie covered her face, smiling shyly.

"Miss Pei is so pretty, and so strong… and she even saved me. I feel like…"

『Feel like what?』

“I… I think I’m in love with her.”

Xiaotian froze on the spot, expression stiff. Then, with a sigh, it pinched the bridge of its nose and promptly flew over to kick her on the forehead.

『YUDIE!! I’m telling you this to give you a sense of urgency, not to make your heart flutter! If you don’t start working harder—』

“I know, I know!” Feng Yudie waved her hand, grinning. “But come on, Xiaotian, I’m a girl in her blossoming years. How could I not feel something when I meet a girl like her? And she saved my life!”

Xiaotian looked deadpan.

『Yudie, that Ye lad saved your life too. If you said you had a crush on him, I’d at least understand. But falling for that Pei girl?』

“Men are all no good.”

"…"

Feng Yudie giggled foolishly.

“Xiaotian, do you think Miss Pei likes me too?”

『Like hell she does. You think all girls are into other girls like you?』

“But she sat by my bed all yesterday… and even peeled an apple for me!”

As she spoke, Feng Yudie pulled out an apple core from under her pillow—the one Pei Lengxue had given her before leaving. Xiaotian’s face twitched uncontrollably.

『…You kept that apple core under your pillow all night?』

“Yup! Miss Pei peeled it for me.” Feng Yudie smiled and bit her lip. “I figured if I kept it under my pillow, I’d dream about her.”

"…"

At that, even Xiaotian was at a loss for words.

Then again… Feng Yudie is a fifteen-year-old girl. It wasn’t exactly strange for her to feel something after meeting someone powerful and beautiful.

But… no, this wasn’t normal at all!

A girl falling head-over-heels for another girl?

If her master, the lofty True Immortal Tai Xu, ever found out, she’d probably whip her backside red.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. The maid, Xiao Die, stepped in carrying a bowl of medicinal congee.

Seeing Feng Yudie awake, Xiao Die beamed and said, “Miss Feng, you’re awake? The young master had this medicinal porridge specially prepared for you today. It’ll help you recover more quickly.”

“Mm? You’re… Miss Xiao Die, right? Miss Pei mentioned you yesterday.”

“Yes, Miss Feng. Please, just call me Xiao Die.” She walked to the bedside and handed over the bowl. “If you need anything during your stay at the Hundred Lotus Sect, just let me know. The young master instructed me to take good care of you, so there’s no need to be too reserved.”

“Then please thank Young Master Ye for me.”

Xiao Die nodded with a gentle smile.

“If you really want to thank him, it’d be better to say it in person. But for now, please drink the porridge first. After that, I’ll help you wash up and change clothes. The ones you were wearing were soaked in blood and couldn’t be salvaged, so the young master had me bring you new ones.”

Hearing her repeat “young master” this and “young master” that made Feng Yudie feel like Ye Anping was trying to curry favor through his maid.

Wanting to change the subject, she quickly asked, “Um… speaking of which, where’s Miss Pei?”

“Miss Pei is likely practicing swordsmanship with the young master at the training ground.”

“…Can I go watch them later?”

“Of course. Once you finish your porridge, I’ll take you over.”