A Living Treasure? A Great Misunderstanding!

Xu Jinghuai descended from the third floor, his mind a complete blank. Even with his profound wisdom, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what was going on in Luo Qing’er’s head.

In the end, he reached a singular conclusion: He must be disliked.

It made sense when he thought about it. One day she was a pampered little princess in the Dragon Emperor Grotto, living a life where food and clothes were brought to her without effort, and the next, her father unceremoniously dumps her under someone else’s wing. Anyone would harbor a bit of resentment.

Now that Luo Hanhai was gone, he was the target for that spite.

Recalling her behavior from earlier that night—how she deliberately avoided his gaze—Xu Jinghuai felt this theory was highly probable.

Sigh. Thinking of how hard her father worked to secure her future while she remained blissfully unaware, Xu Jinghuai shook his head with a light sigh. He decided he would simply tolerate her little temper.

‘I’ll just have to look after her a bit more from now on…’

With these thoughts, he arrived in the kitchen. With a casual wave of his hand, he used his immortal power to quickly tidy up the remnants of the night’s revelry, then walked over to Yunlai Xia.

She was still out cold, a string of crystalline drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. She was likely dreaming of something delicious, as her tiny cherry-pink lips were smack-smacking rhythmically.

Xu Jinghuai gave a silent chuckle. He carefully picked her up in a bridal carry—choosing a posture that wouldn’t disturb her slumber—and quietly left the Pavilion, heading toward his own little hut.

The night passed without a word.

As dawn broke the next day, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the chimney on the first floor of the Pavilion.

Xu Jinghuai, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed adjusting his breath, sensed the movement and opened his eyes. He looked down to see Yunlai Xia still fast asleep, her hands clutching his thigh like a lifeline.

A helpless smile played on his lips—until he noticed a suspicious wet patch of drool on his pant leg.

His expression instantly shifted from sunny to overcast.

Without a word, he brusquely pried her small hands away to free his leg. Looking at the damp stain on his trousers, he wore a face of pure disgust.

“Guess these pants are going in the bin,” he grumbled, peeling them off and tossing them aside before pulling a fresh pair from his spatial ring.

At this moment, Yunlai Xia, having been “violently” shaken off, began to stir. She rubbed her eyes groggily and looked up—right as Xu Jinghuai was pulling up his new trousers.

She instinctively looked down at herself, found she was in Xu Jinghuai’s bed, and noted her own disheveled clothes (mostly due to her own terrible sleeping habits).

In an instant, she was wide awake. Her eyes went wide as she bounded up from the bed, pointing a finger at Xu Jinghuai in utter disbelief.

“Master! You… you… you actually didn’t even spare your own spear?!”

“Waaaah! My purity is gone…!”

She collapsed back onto the bed, covering her face and putting on a pathetic show of being on the verge of tears. Anyone watching would have thought something scandalous had truly happened.

However, the only response she received was a massive fist to the head.

BONG—

“If you dare speak such nonsense again, I’ll seal you back into your original form and toss you off the peak of Youyun Mountain,” Xu Jinghuai said expressionlessly.

Yunlai Xia shuddered, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she clutched her throbbing head and nodded frantically. “I won’t do it again, Master… I promise…”

Honestly, starting the day with such theatrics; she really only behaved after a good thumping. Her promises were worthless; she was the type of person who forgot the pain as soon as the scar healed. She’d likely be back to her bratty self in five minutes.

Ignoring her, Xu Jinghuai gave himself a final check to ensure his appearance was presentable, then stepped out of the room.

The day’s best hour is the morning. He took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air on Youyun Peak and performed his habitual breathing exercises.

He felt significantly more energized; the lingering buzz from the “Immortal’s Drunk” had completely dissipated after a night of meditation.

Sniff, sniff—

His nose twitched. He caught a familiar scent and looked toward the neighboring Pavilion.

“Xia Jin is up early again.”

He had never required her to wake at a certain hour, but for the past two days, she had been up before even her master. It was clear her daily discipline was exceptional. It was a good habit that saved him quite a bit of worry.

He began walking toward the Pavilion, but before he could reach it, Yunlai Xia—who had clearly recovered from her “trauma”—streaked out of the hut like a starving student sprinting toward the cafeteria at the sound of the lunch bell. She dove straight into the kitchen.

A moment later, the sound of girls’ playful banter drifted out.

“Jin’er! What yummy thing did you make? Lemme see!”

“Eek! Wait… Big Sister Xia, don’t… don’t touch that!”

Sizzle—

“OW! HOT!!”

“Big Sister Xia, I told you not to reach for it. The steamer is very hot…”

Xu Jinghuai: “…”

He paused outside the door, palm meeting forehead. ‘What did I do in a past life to be soul-bound to such a dummy of a spear spirit?’

Entering the room, he saw Yunlai Xia with teary eyes, sucking on her bright red hand. He didn’t even know what to say to her anymore.

Xia Jin noticed him and said hurriedly, “Shizun, Big Sister Xia got burned.”

“Waaaah! Master! Save me, save me, save me!” Yunlai Xia wailed as she tried to bury her face in his chest.

Xu Jinghuai held her at arm’s length by her head, his eyebrow arching. “I’ve seen the damage. But honestly, Yunlai Xia, you are a High-grade Immortal Artifact. How on earth do you get burned by a kitchen steamer?”

“I’m in my spirit form… Master, you know I don’t have my original durability in this body…” she whimpered defensively.

He let go and gave her head another light, exasperated flick. “If you know you don’t have the durability, don’t be so greedy. I’m honestly impressed by you.”

Despite his words, he took her hand. He channeled his immortal power, drawing fresh water from the sink and infusing it with energy to soothe the burning pain. Then, through their soul-bond, he nourished the wound, finally restoring her hand to its original state.

Watching his miraculous healing from the side, Xia Jin’s eyes sparkled with worship and envy. “Shizun, is Big Sister Xia okay now?”

“Mhm, she’s fine. I just hope she remembers the lesson for once.”

Setting Yunlai Xia aside, Xu Jinghuai looked at the steamer on the stove. Although he had a hunch, he asked anyway, “By the way, Jin’er, what’s that?”

Xia Jin looked at the steamer and blushed slightly. “Reporting to Shizun, I heard you say yesterday that you wanted Brown Sugar Mantou to go with your congee, so I tried making some this morning.”

“My skills are still lacking; I failed several times at first and the shapes were all wrong. But this batch should be a success. They’ll be ready to come out in just a moment.”

“I don’t know if they’ll suit your palate, Shizun, but I would be honored if you would try them.”