After a sleepless night, Xuan Yang poked his head out early the next morning to check on Shen Yan. The other man was still meditating, but sensing Xuan Yang’s approaching presence, he quickly opened his eyes.
Shen Yan intended to ask Xuan Yang about his plans. He rarely stayed in one place for long, but since he had taken on the task of looking after the boy, he decided to prioritize Xuan Yang’s agenda.
Unfortunately, Xuan Yang was utterly clueless. He had set out on his journey without any clear motivation or goal, thinking only that he "couldn't go back too early," lest it be embarrassing.
"Find a tree to sit in and meditate. Those spirit stones are enough for you to cultivate for two or three years."
Xuan Yang thought about it; the logic held up. But if he just wanted a place to cultivate, nowhere was more efficient than Nie Shiyun’s pocket dimension!
"No."
"Why not?"
"Uh, my spirit stones were... were borrowed from Nie Shiyun and the other! This journey isn't just for cultivation; when I go back, I have to bring them even more spirit stones than I took out!" Xuan Yang slapped his thigh, coming up with a goal on the fly.
Shen Yan thought to himself: *He says "borrowed," but he probably just took them, didn't he?* Still, Senior Nie Shiyun and his partner certainly weren't lacking for a few spirit stones.
"Oh. In that case, you should refine some spiritual tools to sell. I see you still have a bracelet on you; the capital should be enough," Shen Yan said flatly.
Xuan Yang’s face instantly turned the color of wilted cabbage. It took him a long while before he spoke. "I don't know how to smith..."
It was a bit humiliating to admit. In the eyes of outsiders, Xuan Yang was a disciple of the Cloud Clear Sect and was as close to Nie Shiyun as a son; he really ought to have learned a trick or two in artifact refining.
"Aren't you a single fire spiritual root?" Shen Yan was somewhat surprised. Not only was he a single spiritual root, but he also possessed the unique Phoenix Essence Fire of the cultivation world, which should be a massive boon to both forging and alchemy.
Poked in his sore spot, Xuan Yang grew a bit indignant. "I can breathe fire, yes, but I'm not very good at handling those things. One mistake and the materials are ruined! The furnace always explodes, too. It’s probably just against my nature!"
To put it simply, he was clumsy.
"So I take it you can't perform alchemy either?" Alchemy and smithing both required extremely delicate manipulation and control over spiritual energy.
Xuan Yang was very reluctant to admit it, but he could only nod silently.
He used his peripheral vision to steal a glance at Shen Yan’s expression. Usually, when Shen Yan came to ask Nie Shiyun for favors, Xuan Yang would follow along with his head held high. Now, being found out that he actually knew nothing of these crafts was quite embarrassing. Moreover, since Xuan Yang had just "discovered" yesterday that the man seemed to have feelings for him, he was sure he must be disappointing him. Thinking of this, Xuan Yang felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
"You needn't be so discouraged. Most people in the cultivation world actually don't know those crafts. If you truly want to earn spirit stones, searching for natural treasures in the wild is also a path," Shen Yan explained. Xuan Yang seemed to feel that not knowing alchemy or smithing was a loss of face, likely because he had grown up around those two seniors, causing his baseline for what a cultivator should be to be skewed too high.
Xuan Yang was surprised. Shen Yan was actually comforting him? This was so unlike his usual style! *As expected, this guy really does have a thing for me!*
Shen Yan had no idea why Xuan Yang’s mood had suddenly shifted from cloudy to sunny, or why he even seemed a bit smug. Adopting the mindset of a mentor to a junior, he gave a general description of materials suitable for sale. His own array skills weren't particularly exquisite—just barely functional enough to earn some pocket change. Most of his income came from hunting demonic beasts while traveling in the wild. Occasionally, if he ventured deep into remote mountains and old forests, he might find one or two top-grade spiritual plants; if luck was on his side, that single find could sustain him for three years.
"But alchemy requires so many spiritual herbs; shouldn't the demand be huge?"
Shen Yan shook his head. "Anyone can find the raw materials for low-grade pills if they put in the effort; they aren't worth much. The demand for mid-to-high-grade materials is indeed the greatest, but many large sects have their own cultivation industries. There isn't much profit left for individuals to scoop up."
Xuan Yang listened to Shen Yan’s explanation, nodding along blankly. He had never known these things before. It wasn't that the people around him didn't teach him, but rather that they truly didn't have the experience of needing to worry about such trifles.
The business of raising demonic beasts didn't seem very successful either, as captive beasts were destined to never reach a high grade. This was the primary means by which most rogue cultivators earned their spirit stones.
Xuan Yang enthusiastically asked how much money could be made this way, but the result left him greatly disappointed.
"Just that much?"
"It’s not a small amount." From Xuan Yang’s exaggerated disappointment, Shen Yan could see just how wealthy Senior Nie Shiyun and his partner truly were.
"Do you usually live off this?" Xuan Yang looked at Shen Yan with concern.
To his surprise, Shen Yan denied it readily. "Not exactly. My main income comes from killing and looting."
Xuan Yang paused, but he didn't immediately clamor to learn this. Growing up beside Nie Shiyun and the other, he was somewhat influenced by them. Nie Shiyun lived quite casually but disliked being high-profile, always saying "better to have one less trouble than one more." Zhai Bairong was even more the type to never strike unless necessary.
In Xuan Yang’s worldview, if the other party didn't target him first, he wouldn't do anything to them.
While Shen Yan mostly engaged in "black-on-black" theft, it was also common for him to kill those with whom he had no personal grudge. Xuan Yang had seen him kill others a few times before, but knowing that everyone had their own way of doing things, he hadn't said anything.
"You disapprove, don't you?" Shen Yan smiled knowingly.
Xuan Yang hurried to put on the face of a man of the world, saying, "It’s just the law of the jungle. We beast races understand that even better than you humans!"
Shen Yan didn't respond further. Xuan Yang had those two seniors protecting him, the rising Cloud Clear Sect behind him, and his own strength wasn't low; he didn't need—and had no reason—to become like Shen Yan. As long as he wasn't foolishly kind, it was enough.
"Let's go," Shen Yan said as he stood up.
"Ah? Where to?"
Xuan Yang followed closely behind, then immediately felt his attitude was a bit too eager! It made it look as if he were wagging his tail to follow the man. He quickly took a few steps back, cleared his throat, and put on an act. "If you're going to the wilderness, I happen to want to take a look as well. I can go with you."
"Then let's go together. Since you seem to know nothing, I'll give you a few pointers." Shen Yan thought Xuan Yang was quite proactive about seeking guidance. Although his attitude was a bit awkward, because it wasn't the first day Xuan Yang had acted "haughty," Shen Yan had long since accepted this childish temperament as the norm.
Seeing Shen Yan reveal a rare, faint smile, Xuan Yang’s heart began to pound for reasons he couldn't explain. *As expected, this guy really does have feelings for me!*
Completely tossing the two Hehuan Valley female cultivators from yesterday to the back of his mind, Xuan Yang defined this as his first brush with romance. He had imagined many times what kind of person would like him, but he never expected it to be someone he had known for a long time.
Though it was very unexpected, it felt surprisingly... not bad.
"What are you dawdling for? I know you're a pampered young master, but do you expect me to carry you?" Shen Yan walked out of the inn and looked back to find Xuan Yang falling further and further behind. The boy was clearly distracted, walking as slowly as a tortoise.
"Wha—What are you saying! In broad daylight!" Xuan Yang was momentarily thrown into disarray. He couldn't tell from Shen Yan’s cold exterior that he would be so passionate when launching an offensive.
Seeing Xuan Yang’s face turn red with indignation, Shen Yan figured he had just made a casual sarcastic remark and hadn't expected the boy to take it so seriously. However, it seemed Xuan Yang had some common sense; a teenager shouldn't be asking an adult to carry him anymore.
Being viewed entirely as an independent "giant infant," if Xuan Yang knew what Shen Yan was actually thinking, he would have protested with all his might: *Even if I look like this, by human standards, I reached adulthood long ago!*
The two walked side-by-side... though their heights differed quite a bit; they didn't quite reach shoulder-to-shoulder. Xuan Yang’s legs were shorter, and he had to walk briskly the whole way to keep up with Shen Yan’s pace.
Shen Yan caught a glimpse of Xuan Yang struggling to keep up and found it a bit amusing, but he didn't slow down because of it.
Once outside the city, the two could finally fly on their swords, no longer needing to worry about leg length. Xuan Yang felt a wave of relief as he tossed out his flying sword. Compared to driving a piece of metal, it was naturally more comfortable to fly with his own wings, but over the last few years, Xuan Yang’s true form had grown larger with his cultivation and age. His appearance was extremely unique, and under Nie Shiyun’s terrifying warnings, he didn't dare reveal his original form lightly.
He had originally intended to maintain a distant and cold attitude in front of Shen Yan, but the travel time was truly boring. Xuan Yang soon couldn't help but break the silence, starting to grumble about the stifling feeling of wanting to transform but being unable to.
"Nie Shiyun said to be careful, so I don't dare fly outside often. Sigh, you must really want to see it, right?"
"...It's alright." Shen Yan had no idea why Xuan Yang would say such a thing.
Xuan Yang said smugly, "You don't have to be so modest. I understand. After all, I'm the only phoenix in the cultivation world! And among phoenixes, my feathers are particularly beautiful. Ordinary people couldn't see them even if they paid."
"You just said you're the only one. How do you know you're the most beautiful?" Shen Yan accurately pointed out the flaw in Xuan Yang’s logic.
"You wouldn't understand. Even though I was born in the cultivation world, we Divine Beasts have inherited memories from birth. Even if I haven't seen them, I know what ordinary phoenixes look like."
In short, those other colored phoenixes weren't good-looking; they were tacky. Meanwhile, he was covered in a very high-class black that shimmered with luster—what one might call "shimmering, multi-hued black."
He didn't quite understand it himself, but it was a term Nie Shiyun had told him, so it couldn't be wrong.
This was also the first time Shen Yan had heard of such things. He always maintained clear boundaries in his interactions with others; although he had known Nie Shiyun and the others for many years, he had never asked about Xuan Yang’s origins. Now that Xuan Yang had opened the chatterbox, he didn't even need Shen Yan to ask or agree; he just rattled off his background all on his own.
"Even though my mother is probably still alive, she hated me enough to throw me away, so I don't want to go sucking up to her! I hate that father who scatters his seed everywhere, too. If I ever go to the Upper Realm, I'll definitely curse him to his face to feel satisfied," Xuan Yang said, getting more worked up as he spoke.
Shen Yan found it miraculous. Humans wouldn't understand the concept of "being abandoned" before they reached the age of reason. But a demonic beast that had gained sentience could perceive the outside world even while in the egg, not to mention the wondrous racial inheritance of Divine Beasts. To understand the fact that one was abandoned at the very moment of birth—he didn't know whether to call it lucky or unlucky.
"Senior Nie and his partner treat you very well," Shen Yan remarked with feeling.
"They're alright. Since I was little, I've had... uh, why am I talking about them!" Halfway through, Xuan Yang suddenly remembered he was still "running away from home" and hurriedly hid the proud expression that had accidentally slipped out. "I've said so much, you should talk about yourself too. What about you?"
"There's nothing much to say." Shen Yan hadn't expected Xuan Yang not to know. He had revealed his life story to Nie Shiyun decades ago. He figured it was because Xuan Yang was too young at the time, and Nie Shiyun felt there was no need to tell him such things, and later never bothered to mention it.
Xuan Yang watched as Shen Yan’s expression turned cold. He didn't know which sentence he had gotten wrong and was feeling uneasy, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. Just then, he heard Shen Yan say, "We're almost there. Let's go down and look for prey."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yan stepped on his flying tool and descended from the clouds toward the ground. Xuan Yang cried out, "Hey, wait up!" as he hurriedly followed him down into the lush, green forest below.
