Chapter 14: Interrupting Spellcasting
Luo Jiutian couldn’t understand why.
Su Wan’er wasn’t heartless.
On the contrary, she’d risked her life to save him.
After all that, why was the攻略值 (affection/strategy value) still stuck at 90?
He racked his brain but found no answer.
Until the last day before the Qingyun Secret Realm closed, that number hadn’t budged.
Days passed, and Su Wan’er remained as clingy as ever.
Every little interesting thing, she’d share with him first.
After cultivating, she’d drag him to food stalls.
Even when they had small spats, she’d soon find an excuse to come back, asking if he wanted to go for a walk.
Luo Jiutian probed her thoughts many times but saw no clues.
He didn’t understand. Truly couldn’t.
Until that day.
Su Wan’er wanted to see a nearby waterfall, and he didn’t refuse.
They walked from the mountain’s base to its waist, the path quiet with few travelers, only occasional bird calls breaking the silence.
Su Wan’er led, pausing to admire wildflowers or skipping ahead to wait for him.
By the time they reached the water’s edge, the sun was setting.
The waterfall was stunning, cascading thousands of feet, its momentum awe-inspiring.
Su Wan’er sat on a riverside rock, kicking off her shoes, dipping her feet in the water.
She gazed at the surface, twirling a leaf picked from the ground.
Luo Jiutian stood two steps behind, eyes on the waterfall.
The water flowed gently, lapping at the shore’s stones with a steady rhythm.
“Brother Jiutian…”
“Hm?”
“If one day, I’m no longer the Su family’s heiress, or… can’t cultivate anymore…”
Her lips smiled, but her tone betrayed tension: “Would you still treat me this well?”
She placed the leaf on the water, watching it drift away with the current.
Luo Jiutian followed the leaf’s path, his expression unchanged, though his fingers tightened slightly.
An indescribable emotion welled up, as if waking from a long dream, yet nothing around him had truly changed.
He walked to her side, kneeling to sit.
A small gap remained between their shoulders.
The water reflected sunlight into fragments, shimmering on their robes.
After a long pause, he spoke: “Want to hear a story?”
Su Wan’er blinked, nodding.
“Long ago, an injured beast came to a sect’s back mountain. It was fierce, biting anyone who approached.
Everyone feared it, keeping their distance.
But one menial disciple secretly brought it water and fruit daily.”
Luo Jiutian paused, a faint smile: “That disciple wasn’t bright. Even after being bitten, he didn’t stop—he kept going.”
Su Wan’er huffed softly, staring at the water, noncommittal.
He continued: “Later, the beast healed. Before leaving, it dropped a bare branch at the disciple’s feet.
Others mocked, saying it was just a broken twig.
But the disciple carried it always, even after becoming an inner disciple.”
Su Wan’er frowned: “Why?”
“He said it wasn’t a twig—it was proof someone remembered him.”
She murmured: “Sounds… kind of sad.”
Luo Jiutian’s tone was flat: “The world doesn’t always make sense.
Not biting doesn’t mean people will approach; biting doesn’t mean they’ll leave.
Some will stay when you have nothing, even if just for a moment.”
Su Wan’er said nothing, her toes stirring the water.
Luo Jiutian fell silent.
A breeze blew, and he reached to tuck her wind-messed hair behind her ear.
Curious, she asked: “What happened to the beast and the disciple?”
“Don’t know.”
“Don’t know?”
He looked into the distance: “Maybe to the disciple, the ending never mattered.”
Su Wan’er tilted her head, puzzled.
He smiled: “He gave fruit not for reward, but because… the beast, curled up in the wind, looked lonely.”
She froze, then bit her lip, whispering: “That disciple was pretty foolish.”
Luo Jiutian turned to her: “Foolish?”
She glanced up, then suddenly leaned over, kissing his cheek.
“But I like fools like that.”
Earnestly, she said: “Thank you, Brother Jiutian.”
She stood, put on her shoes, dusted her skirt, and skipped away.
Luo Jiutian sat, watching her fading figure.
The water murmured, the sun sank.
Its glow fell on his face, but couldn’t warm his calm eyes.
A glowing virtual screen hovered, overlapping her silhouette.
[Target: Su Wan’er]
[Current攻略值: 90]
He showed no expression, staring at the number until it faded…
…
“Brother Jiutian, what’re you thinking?”
Su Wan’er’s voice pulled him from his memories.
He snapped back, realizing he still held the handkerchief to her face.
Su Wan’er had regained her familiar lively demeanor.
“Nothing, just zoned out.”
He replied casually, moving to pull his hand back.
Quick as a flash, she grabbed it, staring: “Were you thinking of another girl?”
Luo Jiutian: “…”
Familiar lines.
But this time, something felt different.
He glanced at her: “Which eye saw me thinking of someone else?”
“Both!” she shot back. “Your eyes were wandering. Wandering eyes mean a wandering heart, and a wandering heart means you’re gone.”
His mouth twitched, trying to free his hand, but she held tight.
You read that right—a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, restrained by Su Wan’er.
“Let go, big boss, I’m being framed.”
“Nope.” She raised her chin. “Not unless you swear to only think of me.”
“That’s highway robbery.”
“It’s planning ahead.”
Her eyes curved: “Who knows what tomorrow brings? Better tie you down now than lose you later.”
She spoke lightly, joking, but Luo Jiutian felt her grip tighten.
She continued: “What if… you meet someone prettier, stronger, more captivating, and… forget me?”
“What would I do then?”
Her lips smiled, but the smile felt foreign to him.
“It’s fine,” she murmured. “As long as I keep you, no one can take you.”
“We’ll be together forever… never apart… forever… forever…”
Her words grew strange, her gaze unsettling.
Then—
Thwack!
He flicked her forehead.
She froze, as if glitching.
Moments later, she clutched her head, pouting: “Brother Jiutian, you hit me!”
Ignoring her whining, he said: “Stop messing around. It’s late—rest. We enter the Qingyun Secret Realm tomorrow.”
“Oh…”
She mumbled, letting go, heading for the courtyard gate.
After a few steps, she turned back: “You rest early too. No thinking about other girls.”
He waved without replying.
She smiled, skipping out.
But just outside, she bumped into a familiar figure.
“Sister Yunlan?”