To her astonishment, after taking a bite of the apple, her cultivation realm actually leaped from Qi Refining Level 4 to Qi Refining Level 5!
"Well? Care for another bite?" Xuanchen held the remaining half of the apple out to her.
Xia Yueyou ultimately managed to exercise restraint. Growing too fast in one's realm would easily destabilize the foundation.
With a strange tone, she remarked, "I honestly don't know if inviting you down the mountain was a blessing or a curse. With a smooth tongue like yours, how many girls are you planning to ruin?"
Lowering his head slightly until it brushed against her ear, Xuanchen asked softly, "Are you jealous? You sound quite sour."
The burst of warm air against her ear made her shudder slightly. She put on a straight face and deadpanned, "You flatter yourself."
"Such a cold and aloof little Yueyou. Put your mind at ease—I only throw sweet words around when it's you." He moved her high ponytail aside, rested his head on her shoulder, and leaned directly against her cheek.
Xia Yueyou's face flushed red like an apple instantly. Having lived for twenty-two years as an absolute singleton who had never even held a man's hand, how could she withstand such intimate, cheek-to-cheek contact with a man?
She was just about to shove him away when she thought of the gentle whisper in her ear... no, when she thought of her grandfather still waiting for treatment in his hospital bed, she hesitated, and in the end, she let him be.
The three of them walked and stopped by turns, and before they knew it, lunchtime had arrived. They found an open spot by a small stream deep in the forest and paused to prepare lunch.
Deep in these primitive mountains, there were no amenities, so their meal naturally consisted of self-heating rice and other dry rations they had packed in abundance before entering the mountains.
"Sis, I'm so tired of walking. Why don't I have my dad send a helicopter to pick us up?" After finishing her meal, the little loli rubbed her legs and whimpered.
Xia Yueyou was momentarily stunned. She had quite forgotten that Xiao Xue's father was a brigade commander in a certain army aviation brigade of the Southwest Theater Command.
Their garrison seemed to be stationed right in Yunnan Province, so arranging a helicopter to pick them up was entirely feasible. Though she herself didn't feel tired, she was eager to return to Kyoto as soon as possible.
"Little girl, do you want to cultivate immortality?" Xuanchen asked abruptly.
"Of course I do, but I can't cultivate," Murong Xue said with a sorrowful expression.
As long as there was someone to guide the way, most people in the world were capable of cultivation; there was no such thing as lacking spiritual roots altogether, though natural talent did vary.
Yet for some reason, while her body could sense the faint Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth and even absorb it through Cultivation Formula, it simply could not store it.
"As long as you persevere and walk out of this primeval forest, you will be able to cultivate. My word is final." Xuanchen leaned against a large tree, a blade of tender grass dangling from his lips.
Even while seated in the dusty, dirt-strewn woods, his icy-blue traditional robes remained immaculate.
"Really or not? You aren't tricking me, are you?"
The little loli suspected that he simply wanted more time alone with her sister, which was why he was dangling false hope in front of her to make her give up on calling the helicopter.
"Hah, believe it or not." The corners of Xuanchen's mouth curved upward.
The little girl had guessed rather accurately; that was indeed what he had in mind. However, making her capable of cultivation really was effortless for him.
Murong Xue thought it over for a moment, then nodded and agreed, "Fine, I believe you. As long as you can make me capable of cultivation, I've decided you are my one and only chosen brother-in-law. From now on, any bad peach blossoms that come my way, I'll cut them all off for you."
Xia Yueyou picked up a wild fruit and hurled it straight into the girl's ample bosom, flushing with shame as she scolded, "Xiao Xue, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Xuanchen burst into laughter. "Good! It's a deal!"
The little loli hugged the wild fruit and giggled foolishly, "Hehehe...", completely forgetting her status as a young lady of a prominent Kyoto family.
After resting for a short while, the group resumed their journey, and Xia Yueyou voluntarily bent down to carry Xuanchen on her back once more.
Oddly enough, they had walked for so long without encountering a single wild beast; even birdsong was scarce, let alone encountering any demon race entities lurking deep in the mountains.
"Yueyou, do you really not want to learn the Heart-Communication Technique?" Xuanchen asked, refusing to give up as he rode on her back.
"I don't. Even if I learned such an advanced spell, I wouldn't be able to use it right now," Xia Yueyou replied in a flat tone. The man was simply trying to trick her into calling him A-Chen, that embarrassing nickname.
"Tch, so hard to deal with."
Her face darkened. What kind of vulgar language was that? Then, remembering something, she asked softly, "Xuanchen, can you really let Xiao Xue cultivate? You aren't lying to her?"
Continuing to press his face against Yueyou's cheek, Xuanchen said indifferently, "Why would I lie to her about that? It's a mere flick of the hand to me, and her talent isn't bad."
Though her body could not store spiritual power, it had nonetheless been cleansed by it. Otherwise, how many pampered young ladies of high society could have endured walking in the deep mountains for so long?
Xuanchen's warm breath brushed against the side of Xia Yueyou's face, making her cheek feel hot and slightly itchy.
Flushing, she said, "Fine, I believe you. If you really can help Xiao Xue cultivate, I'll grant you one reasonable request."
Xuanchen's eyes lit up, and he said with a grin, "You still owe me one request, and with this one, that makes two. Can two reasonable requests be exchanged for one unreasonable request?"
Xia Yueyou felt as though her emotions, which had remained largely tranquil for over twenty years, were being completely unleashed today. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Well, for instance, let me give you a kiss—though you kissing me would work too," Xuanchen said shamelessly.
"No way! Give up!"
"If not a kiss, then not a kiss. In that case, you have to call me A-Chen from now on. Not just once, but always." He quickly smoothed her feathers and changed his request.
Xia Yueyou pressed her lips together in silence. After carrying him a few steps further, she said, "We'll talk about that after you actually enable Xiao Xue to cultivate."
"Haha, little Yueyou, it's a deal."
The little loli trailed closely behind them, pulling out her mobile phone and taking a rapid series of photos of their backs. Such an expression on her sister was an absolute rarity—definitely worth capturing as a keepsake.
As dusk fell, after a simple dinner, Xuanchen flicked a finger and carved out a large cave in a rock face, spacious enough to accommodate ten people.
"You two rest. I'm going out for a walk."
Xuanchen retrieved their hiking backpacks and placed them inside the cave, but just as he turned to walk outside, he felt his sleeve being tugged.
"Little Yueyou, do you hate to see me leave? I don't mind sleeping with you in my arms, you know."
Xia Yueyou gritted her teeth; this man was always letting his mind wander to all sorts of nonsense. She was simply afraid he would up and leave.
"Haha, don't worry. What I promised you, I will definitely fulfill."
Hearing him say that, she finally loosened her grip on his sleeve, turned around, and began tidying up the cave alongside Murong Xue.
Once Xuanchen had stepped out of the cave, the little loli lowered her voice and said, "Sis, I really think he kind of likes you."
Giving her a light tap on her head, Xia Yueyou frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Although he seems easygoing and playful, I have a feeling that isn't his true face."
"Besides, his strength is definitely formidable. I'm afraid even Grandpa in his prime wouldn't be a match for him."
Murong Xue nodded thoughtfully, leaned in a bit closer, and asked, "Then Sis, how do you feel about him?"
After giving it serious thought, Xia Yueyou replied, "I don't dislike him."
She could even sense a strange familiarity about him, as if she had met him somewhere before.
The little loli felt reassured. It seemed she might soon have a brother-in-law.
Xuanchen sat in the fork of a large tree, leaning against the main trunk with a smirk on his face. With a flash of light in his right hand, a small jar of wine materialized. He removed the seal, tilted his head back, and took a long swig.
Decades of aged wine—not only did it fail to intoxicate, but it even tasted a little sweet.