When it came to navigating the cultivation world, Xuan Yang was indeed a complete novice, venturing out on his own for the first time and knowing next to nothing. However, in terms of cultivation base, he was actually quite reliable. It was a cold reality that the most important factor in the cultivation world was talent. Xuan Yang possessed superior natural talent and had been aided by Nie Shiyun’s spatial realm since birth. Although he spent his days being lazy and slippery, at just over twenty years old, he was already approaching the Nascent Soul stage. This was something others truly could not hope to emulate.
Having arrived in some remote, deep mountain forest, Xuan Yang let loose with full force. The frustration of being cooped up in the Cloud Clear Sect’s cave dwelling for so long was released all at once. If not for the fact that Phoenix True Fire could still be controlled by its master even after leaving the body, Shen Yan, standing nearby, would have truly worried that Xuan Yang’s single spark might burn the entire mountain down.
Though Shen Yan had seen it before, this was his first time experiencing it at such close range. Xuan Yang had improved significantly as he grew older; while releasing flames over such a vast area, he could still exquisitely maneuver them to avoid Shen Yan. From the latter’s perspective, the entire horizon was filled with roaring tongues of flame, yet everything immediately around him remained perfectly normal. It was a magnificent sight rarely seen.
"How was that?"
Xuan Yang believed he had executed a quite magnificent move—not only was it powerful, but his posture was also incredibly elegant. With what he considered great flair, he flicked his sleeves and stepped through the air, landing back on the ground.
"It’s a bit hot," Shen Yan answered honestly.
*That... that’s it?* Xuan Yang felt a bit deflated. He thought he must have looked extremely handsome just now! He had even carefully calculated the angle at which he flicked his sleeves.
"I guess it really doesn't work as well when I'm not in my true form..."
"What?" Shen Yan heard Xuan Yang muttering something indistinctly and followed up with a question.
"Nothing!"
Xuan Yang quickly shut his mouth. As the tongues of flame receded, the flora and demonic beasts within a one-mile radius had been burned clean. While Shen Yan was marveling at how unreasonable his companion's combat power was for someone also in the Golden Core stage, he noticed another issue. "Your flames are indeed powerful. But you’ve burned everything to ash. What are we supposed to trade for money?"
"..." Xuan Yang looked at the empty ground, thinking to himself that he really hadn't considered that aspect. Just now, his mind had been entirely focused on showing off his magnificent flames. After all—Phoenix Fire was unique in this world; Shen Yan must have thought it was very cool!
"And you're being so flashy. If anyone comes by later, they’ll definitely notice something is wrong. Does your fire leave a unique aura after it disappears?" Shen Yan asked.
"No..."
"Then that’s fine. But to be safe, let’s move to another spot. You’ll need to show some restraint later."
Shen Yan sighed. Xuan Yang had absolutely no concept of "hiding one's tracks." Such exaggerated burn marks were practically like hanging a sign that said "I was here," inviting others to come and investigate.
Obediently following Shen Yan to a new location, Xuan Yang behaved more conventionally this time. Only then did Shen Yan stop correcting him. Seeing Xuan Yang strike down a massive demonic beast with just two moves—his actions swift and neat—it didn't match his youthful, teenage appearance at all. However, his expression seemed a bit wilted now.
Xuan Yang couldn't quite explain why he felt a bit wronged. It was clearly this fellow Shen Yan who had feelings for him, so why was it that after he had so serviceably displayed his cool side, Shen Yan not only failed to look at him with admiration but even criticized him instead?
After the demonic beast fell, Shen Yan stepped forward. While giving a simple explanation, he processed the beast's carcass, cutting and sorting the valuable parts before handing them to Xuan Yang.
"For me?" Xuan Yang asked in surprise.
"Didn't you take it down?" Although Shen Yan usually liked to pick up scraps, he wasn't so petty as to seize this.
Xuan Yang suddenly realized that these items would soon be converted into the first batch of spirit stones he had truly earned on his own. His movements instantly became cautious as he carefully put the items away.
*Though his attitude is usually terrible, he’s actually quite cute like this,* Shen Yan thought. Despite having a higher cultivation base than himself, the other party was indeed still a child. Thinking of this, he belatedly added a sentence: "Good job."
When it came to having a poor attitude, Shen Yan and Xuan Yang were two of a kind. Forget praise; even simple displays of kindness were rare. "Good job" was already one of the few compliments Shen Yan was capable of uttering.
However, as soon as he said those words, Xuan Yang’s face instantly brightened, and joy danced in his eyes. "Of course! Who do you think I am? I knew it—you were actually dazed by what you saw earlier, weren't you! After all, Phoenix True Fire isn't something just anyone can see. It’s understandable if you couldn't react for a moment..."
*This guy really pushes his luck.* Shen Yan gave a casual nod to the hands-on-hips Xuan Yang to brush him off, then pointed toward their next destination to urge him to move.
Watching Xuan Yang talk incessantly as they traveled, Shen Yan felt a bit exhausted. He really should have charged Senior Nie Shiyun a fee for this.
In the cultivation world, uninhabited wilderness far outnumbered towns. Previously, Xuan Yang had almost exclusively traveled between cities and rarely slept outdoors. This was his first time; although the conditions of resting in a patch of grass were a bit crude, it felt quite fresh to him.
Cultivators didn't need sleep, but they did need to replenish their spiritual energy. Shen Yan believed that Spirit-Restoring Pills shouldn't be wasted unless necessary, so he and Xuan Yang took turns resting briefly at night. He didn't know why Xuan Yang seemed inexplicably nervous every time he mentioned "sleeping," but when he was exhausted, he didn't care to pry into the kid's mindset. He simply set up a protective formation just in case and went to sleep.
Shen Yan was a very light sleeper. Xuan Yang kept watch from a distance outside the formation, not daring to make a sound.
*Humans are so cowardly.* So many days had passed, and there had clearly been several opportunities to get closer to him, yet this guy just fell asleep every time! Xuan Yang looked at Shen Yan’s steady sleeping face in his rested state. Feeling a bit guilty, he shifted his body and crept a little closer.
In Xuan Yang’s eyes—though he was reluctant to admit it—Shen Yan was exceptionally good-looking. Looking at the face that was much softer than usual in sleep, with dark strands of hair sliding down his cheek because his head was tilted against a tree trunk, Xuan Yang couldn't help but swallow hard.
He was a bit curious: did humans consider Shen Yan very handsome? At least many years ago when he had mentioned it to Zhai Bairong, the other man didn't seem to think so. Later, when he indirectly asked Nie Shiyun, the latter didn't think Shen Yan was particularly handsome either, only saying, "He’s decent-looking enough, but he’s far behind Bairong."
*Always comparing everyone to Zhai Bairong!* Xuan Yang thought indignantly. In Nie Shiyun’s heart, if compared to Zhai Bairong, who could possibly be considered good-looking?
"Anyway, those two don't count," Xuan Yang muttered to himself.
Not many other people had seen Shen Yan. Qi Xuan'er and Du Zhi had also met him. Xuan Yang remembered that after the meeting, that dim-witted half-demon Du Zhi couldn't even remember what Shen Yan looked like. When Qi Xuan'er was asked, she only said, "At first he felt a bit gloomy, but he’s actually not a bad person."
No one at all specifically mentioned that Shen Yan was handsome or anything of the sort. Xuan Yang felt a bit uncertain. In that case, didn't it seem like... he was the only one who found the other person special?
*Still, it feels pretty good that a guy I find handsome has feelings for me...*
His gaze fell back onto Shen Yan’s face, resting quietly under the moonlight. Xuan Yang suddenly shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake out such absurd thoughts.
Shen Yan had no idea what kind of internal struggle Xuan Yang was going through while he rested. In any case, when it was Shen Yan’s turn to keep watch while Xuan Yang slept, his mind was entirely focused on his simple formation flags.
Since he had to look after Xuan Yang, most of the demonic beasts hunted and spiritual herbs gathered during the day were given to him. Shen Yan took this time to make some formation flags, which he could sell together once they returned to a town.
After living in the deep mountains and old forests like this for several months, the storage rings of both were finally nearly full.
When he heard Shen Yan say, "Let's head to a nearby town," Xuan Yang was moved to tears in his heart. Although his true form was a bird, after several months of wilderness survival, he completely admitted that he was utterly unable to integrate into the life of an animal.
The first thing the two did was visit various shops one by one to sort and sell the collected materials.
Shen Yan was long used to this kind of life, but it was Xuan Yang’s first time, and he looked around curiously. While they were waiting for the herbal medicine shop's counter to weigh and calculate the price, Shen Yan secretly gave Xuan Yang a tug, pulling him to his side. He leaned in close and whispered at a volume only he could hear: "Don't let him see that it's your first time here. Otherwise, he'll rip you off with the price, and we'll have to waste a lot of breath arguing."
Xuan Yang’s face turned beet red with a *whoosh*.
*Close, close, too close! In broad daylight!*
Shen Yan’s breath as he spoke was almost blowing against his earlobe, making Xuan Yang’s upper body feel tingly and numb. No one had ever spoken to him from so close. This could already be counted as seduction, right? Humans are so shameless!
Xuan Yang didn't even carefully process what Shen Yan had said; he just let out a couple of dry "ohs" and nodded his head haphazardly.
Shen Yan felt like he hadn't quite understood, but since Xuan Yang had stopped looking around aimlessly, the goal was achieved, so he said no more.
"Next, the pelt shop."
Taking the spirit stones earned from the sale, Shen Yan weighed them and gave eighty percent to Xuan Yang.
Seeing him turn to leave with a quick pace, Xuan Yang hurriedly forced his brain to start working and followed closely behind. "Pelt shop?"
"They specialize in collecting the hides and fur of demonic beasts to make daily necessities. Pouches, bedding, spiritual robes... Artifact refiners sometimes use them for crafting too, right?"
"I think so. But that fellow Nie Shiyun doesn't use them much..."
"That’s normal. Every refiner has their own preferences," Shen Yan reminded him. "Don't go looking around with eyes full of curiosity again later. If you do that, people will know at a glance that you're a sucker."
"Oh," Xuan Yang muttered. He used his peripheral vision to peek at Shen Yan. Seeing his expression was as calm as ever, he felt a bit unwilling.
*Humans are so cunning. Making a move like that just now, only to pretend as if nothing happened in the blink of an eye.*
***
