Chapter 11: Little Crybaby

Yu Xiu was slightly taller than Bu Xiwei, so the gesture didn’t feel awkward at all.

As her palm touched Bu Xiwei’s hair, Yu Xiu found the texture wasn’t much different from the feathers of the little bird dumpling she had held earlier.

Hearing Yu Xiu’s words, Bu Xiwei’s throat caught. She immediately retorted, “Who’s a crybaby?!”

Her voice, thick with tears, was incredibly soft. Coupled with her tear-filled, red eyes, it was obvious that despite her forceful tone, she was only putting on a brave front.

Gently withdrawing her hand, Yu Xiu already had a better grasp of Bu Xiwei’s temperament. She continued soothing her in the way Bu Xiwei seemed to want.

“I was wrong.”

Yu Xiu was like someone carefully smoothing out the ruffled feathers of a little bird dumpling.

As it turned out, Bu Xiwei really fell for it.

She tried her hardest to hold back the tears brimming in her eyes. The last trace of crimson in her pupils finally faded, the signs of Qi Deviation vanishing completely, and her rationality slowly returned.

Only then did Bu Xiwei belatedly realize what Yu Xiu had just done.

Yu Xiu… patted my head?!
She actually took the initiative to have physical contact with me?!

Bu Xiwei still vividly remembered the cold look Yu Xiu had given her not long ago when she’d been angry. She never expected her attitude to change so drastically in less than an hour.

Even in their past life, when their relationship had been at its closest, Yu Xiu had rarely done something like this.

Unless Bu Xiwei transformed into her little bird dumpling form, Yu Xiu usually showed no interest in touching her.

Looking back, Bu Xiwei realized how different things were now.

Back then, the one with stronger cultivation and the upper hand in every regard had been Yu Xiu.

She, Bu Xiwei, with weaker cultivation, had always tread carefully around her.

Sniffling quietly, Bu Xiwei’s eyes grew complicated.

In their previous life, she had lost nearly everything and had been left with nothing but the empty title of Demon Lord.

So when Yu Xiu, the righteous path’s rising star, approached her, Bu Xiwei simply couldn’t believe her intentions were sincere.

Yu Xiu had known that too. When dealing with her, she always kept a certain distance, deliberately avoiding gestures like patting her on the shoulder or touching her arm.

The first time Bu Xiwei had accidentally turned into her little bird dumpling form was when they had already started fleeing together.

By then, she had already let down most of her guard.

Yu Xiu genuinely liked soft, round, fluffy things. Unable to resist, she’d finally reached out, and they had their first physical contact.

Thinking about it now, Bu Xiwei was certain she had fallen for her back then.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t understood her own feelings at the time.

She only acted on instinct—intentionally or unintentionally transforming into the bird dumpling form more often, just to coax Yu Xiu into coming closer.

It wasn’t until Yu Xiu had sacrificed herself to save her—her soul shattered and scattered—that Bu Xiwei realized the truth of her feelings.

Bu Xiwei abruptly stopped her train of thought.

She was afraid if she kept going, the tears she had barely held back would spill out again.

This is a new life. I don’t want to be crying in front of Yu Xiu all the time

She really hoped to leave a different impression on Yu Xiu—someone reliable, someone she could depend on completely.

Yu Xiu, seeing that Bu Xiwei’s emotions had stabilized, turned her attention to the exploded early-stage Foundation Establishment evil cultivator.

The body had been completely blown apart, not a single intact organ left behind.

However, from the surrounding fragments, it was evident that her abdominal organs had long been consumed by something, leaving little behind.

Combined with Bu Xiwei’s earlier remark that this evil cultivator’s “Venerable One” belonged to the Han family, it wasn’t hard to deduce that Gu worms were involved.

The late-stage Qi Refinement evil cultivator who had been lying next to her had also been caught in the blast.

Her cultivation had been the lowest among everyone present, and in her unconscious, defenseless state, she too had been reduced to a bloody mess.

The flesh and blood scattered across several zhang clearly belonged to the two of them.

Bu Xiwei’s explanation came at the perfect moment.

“They both had Han family Gu worms in their bodies. If they leaked certain information, the Gu worms would trigger a self-destruction.”
Her voice still carried a hint of a sob, soft and pouty, making her tone even sweeter.

Yu Xiu didn’t comment on it. She only frowned slightly, feeling a bit regretful.

She had eliminated the two evil cultivators in Qingshui Village herself, and now these two were also dead.

The trail had gone cold.

Her knowledge of this world was still far too shallow. She lacked the experience to handle all the unpredictable variables.

Bu Xiwei glanced at Yu Xiu, then at the mess on the ground with visible disgust.

“You’re not going to search their souls?” she asked curiously.
Searching the soul of a living person could cause serious mental damage.
Bu Xiwei knew Yu Xiu wouldn’t usually use such a method lightly.

But these two were already dead, and their souls hadn’t fully dispersed yet. Now was the ideal window for a clean extraction.

Yu Xiu looked puzzled.
“Are you referring to that technique that forcefully controls and searches someone’s soul using spiritual energy, to extract their memories, cognition, and thoughts?”

“…”
She fell silent.
Only then did she remember—this Yu Xiu probably wasn’t even a hundred years old yet. She was still young and hadn’t come into contact with many things.

The Soul-Searching Technique, due to its damaging effects, was generally considered a “forbidden art” on the righteous path.
Though many cultivators secretly practiced it, it was rarely discussed in public.

Bu Xiwei had no idea when the Yu Xiu of her past life had learned this technique, but the current Yu Xiu clearly hadn’t yet.

Clearing her throat to hide the awkwardness, Bu Xiwei casually raised her hand and summoned the two evil cultivators’ souls into her palm.
Their cultivation levels had been low, and their souls were fragile.
If she delayed, some of the crucial information Yu Xiu needed might be lost.

This was Yu Xiu’s first time seeing the Soul-Searching Technique in action.
She watched Bu Xiwei curiously, a flicker of intrigue and admiration in her gaze.
She could sense intangible forces being manipulated by Bu Xiwei, and then watched her inject a sliver of spiritual energy into them to begin a deep, sweeping scan.

Noticing Yu Xiu’s gaze, Bu Xiwei spoke as if casually,
“If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
She kept a straight face, eyes forward, tone calm—doing her best to act like a seasoned master.

In truth, she was already dying to grab Yu Xiu’s hand and shake it, begging her to say yes.