It’s just that my talent is ordinary; it doesn’t mean I can’t cultivate. With enough time, I’ll surely make progress.

Lost in thought, Bai Feng had already reached the door of the house.

He placed his hand on the door, but before he could push, it swung open on its own.

“Welcome home, Master… cough, Brother!”

Bai Yu Mo stood there in a black-and-white maid outfit, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She stared intently at her skirt, too shy to meet Bai Feng’s gaze.

“…”

Bai Feng blinked, thinking he might be too tired and imagining things.

So, he reached out, intending to close the door and then open it again.

But in the next moment, Bai Yu Mo quickly stuck her small foot in the way of the closing door, gripping it tightly with both hands. “Brother, what’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

“Wait a second, why are you wearing a maid outfit?”

Bai Feng halted his attempt to close the door, rubbing his forehead. It was impossible not to feel confused.

“Because I wanted you to relax a bit more.” Bai Yu Mo’s gaze shifted slightly, her fingers instinctively clutching the hem of her skirt. “Then I remembered you mentioned maids at the auction, and it just felt fitting…”

“…”

Sister, I’m really happy that you care about me, but I don’t think this is going to help me relax.

Seeing that Bai Feng hadn’t responded for a while, Bai Yu Mo cautiously lifted her head, her expression a mix of anxiety. “Brother, do you not like it?”

“No, I really do.” Bai Feng immediately became alert, determined not to give the system any opportunity. He quickly shook his head. “It’s just that I’m not quite used to it; after all, it’s quite different from your usual look.”

A smile returned to Bai Yu Mo’s face. “If you’re not used to it, just look at it more!”

Seeing her mood lift, Bai Feng let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness his quick thinking had worked.

“Alright, Brother, I’ve made dinner! Let’s hurry inside and eat!” As she spoke, Bai Yu Mo grabbed Bai Feng’s arm and pulled him eagerly into the house.

Soon, Bai Feng found himself seated at the dining table, the food as delicious as ever.

He had thought Bai Yu Mo had just whimsically changed into a maid outfit, but after finishing dinner, he saw her approaching with a dessert that looked like a cake.

“This is today’s dessert.”

After placing the dessert in front of Bai Feng, Bai Yu Mo took a deep breath and pulled out a bag filled with red jam, shaped like a cone.

She pinched the top of the bag and gently squeezed the jam, drawing a heart shape on the dessert.

Then she tucked the bag away and held her hands in front of her chest, forming a heart shape with her fingers.

But it seemed she had overestimated her own courage; halfway through, she became so shy that her brain nearly stopped functioning.

She opened her mouth, her words barely coherent. “P-please… enjoy it slowly.”

“If you’re feeling shy, you don’t have to force yourself,” Bai Feng said, amused by the sight of Bai Yu Mo, clearly embarrassed yet determined to complete the gesture.

“J-just… try the dessert first.”

Bai Yu Mo covered her face with her hands, feeling both shy and on the verge of tears. It was supposed to be perfect the first time, but her shyness had ruined it, completely missing the effect she wanted!

Bai Feng chuckled as he picked up a spoon and took a bite of the dessert, savoring it. He then gave Bai Yu Mo a thumbs up. “Mmm, it’s great! The flavor is really delicious!”

“Ugh…”

Instead of feeling happy from the compliment, Bai Yu Mo was disappointed; this wasn’t what she wanted to hear!

She lowered her head, quickly clearing the plates from the table and darting into the kitchen. “You take your time eating; I’ll go wash the dishes!”

“I really meant it!”

Bai Feng shook his head with a smile, continuing to enjoy the soft dessert.

…

After dinner, Bai Feng stood by the window, scattering a handful of rice grains. A few small birds quickly landed on the ground to peck at them.

“Take your time eating; there’s more, don’t fight over it.”

He scattered another handful of rice. After the birds had their fill, they spread their wings and flew toward the west of the city.

Ever since he learned that Li Ming had been listening to music on the flower boat, he had been keeping an eye on the situation in the west.

However, after observing for several days, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

If anything, Li Ming seemed to be getting more and more obsessed, sending fourth and fifth-grade spirit tools to the flower boat as if they were free.

‘What on earth did the letter say to captivate the child of destiny so deeply?’

Bai Feng found this matter suspicious, so he intensified his surveillance of the flower boat to prevent any unexpected incidents.

If it weren’t for the fact that birds would easily be noticed by Li Ming, he would have loved to sneak a peek at what the letter contained.

Aside from that, Xuan Guang City remained as calm as ever. Even the rogue cultivators who had been restless a few days ago ceased their activities after being dealt with by the master of the Divine Sword Peak.

“Forget it, I’ll just cultivate for a while.”

Right now, the most important thing was to build up new trump cards, like stealing a few new sword techniques from Bai Yu Mo.

But before cultivating, he needed to do one more thing.

He quickly walked to his bedroom and took out the celestial fire that had gained sentience.

The celestial fire floated in his palm, appearing far from the rebellious and mischievous nature one would expect from a sentient being.

“Can you help me refine these materials? I taught you how to do it before; you haven’t forgotten, have you?”

He placed a pile of materials on the table. The celestial fire flickered a few times before flying toward the materials and starting the refining process.

After Su Lan Qian, he now had a new partner in the celestial fire.

---

Chapter 112: Li Ming Gets a Good Beating

‘Hmm, it’s a bit slow, but the quality of the refined materials is decent.’

Bai Feng nodded, feeling that his hard work from the past few days hadn’t been in vain.

It’s worth mentioning that after gaining sentience, the celestial fire hadn’t turned into a rebellious child; instead, it behaved more like an artificial intelligence, capable of simple reactions and learning to handle basic tasks.

Moreover, it didn’t show any signs of being sentient at all.

But this was exactly what he needed; he didn’t want to start from scratch teaching a completely clueless infantile celestial fire.

One must admit, the system was quite thoughtful with its rewards; if only it wouldn’t force-feed him luck points.

“Next, I’ll go find Yu Mo to practice swordsmanship.”

…

Late at night, Li Ming quietly infiltrated the flower boat according to the instructions in the letter.

Following the route provided by “Chun Er,” he easily avoided the patrolling guards and soon arrived at the designated meeting place.

“This should be the spot.”

Dressed in a black cloak, Li Ming blended almost completely into the darkness.

He waited for the patrolling guards to leave before stepping out from the shadows and gently pushing open the door to the meeting room.

Inside, it was pitch black, with only a dim oil lamp flickering by the bedside, revealing a woman sitting on the bed.

“Chun Er?”

Li Ming called softly to the woman on the bed.

The woman turned her head toward the door, and he could faintly see her placing a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.

Suppressing his excitement, Li Ming hurried to the bedside. “Chun Er, I’ve come to rescue you! I’ve already mapped out an escape route; all we need to do is…”

Before he could finish, the room suddenly lit up, the bright light causing him to instinctively close his eyes.

“Attack!”

A sharp voice rang in his ear. He quickly opened his eyes, only to find that the woman sitting on the bed was not Chun Er, but a stranger.

At the same time, several burly men emerged from the corners of the room, surrounding him.

“You’re not Chun Er; who are you?” Li Ming quickly drew his longbow, aiming it at the woman on the bed. “What have you done to Chun Er?”

“You should worry about yourself first.” The woman on the bed showed no fear of the longbow in his hands. She slowly stood up, a disdainful smile on her lips. “Seize him.”

With her command, the surrounding men unleashed their Golden Core aura, raising their hands to grab at Li Ming’s shoulders.

“Ha, I really underestimated you!”

Li Ming faced the onslaught of five burly men without a hint of fear. He dodged back, easily evading one man’s grasp, then tightened his grip on the longbow and swung it at one of them.

Seeing this, the others also moved in to attack. Li Ming stood his ground, allowing their fists to strike him.

Bang!

With one punch, he staggered back a few steps, seemingly unhurt, clearly wearing a piece of defensive spirit armor with impressive protection.