Erik Yang bowed respectfully, hands clasped. "Brother Skylar, on behalf of my younger sister, I apologize. She was thoughtless—please don’t take it to heart."
"No, no!" Skylar Loft hurried over and grabbed Erik Yang’s arm, then glanced back at Anna Yang’s little wooden hut.
Through the gap in the window, the glow of the oil lamp Anna Yang had just lit could be seen.
Skylar Loft pursed his lips and chuckled softly, "It’s nothing, really. I’m used to people shouting at me all the time. It’s my own fault for being so unruly—none of it is her doing."
"My sister lost our parents when she was young, and as her brother, I’ve spoiled her too much. That’s how she ended up this way. It’s all my fault, so please don’t hold it against her, Brother Skylar."
With that, Erik Yang prepared to bow again, but Skylar Loft stopped him with a swift gesture.
"Don’t be like that. If you keep acting so formal, we’ll never be friends." Skylar Loft patted Erik Yang’s breastplate and headed for a stone bench nearby.
Erik Yang followed slowly, and the two of them settled onto the stone bench.
Skylar Loft glanced at Erik Yang’s face, which looked as if it had been sealed in eternal frost, and asked, "You know everything now?"
"Yes." Erik Yang nodded slightly. "Ever since my sister arrived, I’ve had Skypride follow her. I knew, but I found out too late. In terms of medicine, I’m even less knowledgeable than she is. I’m just a brute who only knows how to charge into battle."
"You, a brute?" Skylar Loft sighed and shook his head. "You’re a general—a cultured one at that. I can’t stand people like you: full of virtues, boundless power, refined, humble, and handsome. Even your sister’s prettier than most. Sometimes I wonder, with people like you in the world, what use is there for flawed folks like me?"
Hearing this, Erik Yang looked at Skylar Loft, momentarily at a loss for words.
Skylar Loft lazily cleaned his ear with his pinky, glanced at Erik Yang, and laughed oddly. "Just kidding, don’t take it seriously. Not even my master saw this coming with your sister, so how could you be to blame?"
Erik Yang bowed his head slightly again. "My sister has caused trouble at the temple. My background makes it inappropriate for me to keep coming to the monastery or Crescent Star Cave. Perhaps you could send something to Master Sage Subhuti for me…"
"Hey, stop right there." Skylar Loft shot him a look and patted his shoulder. "If you keep this up, we won’t even be friends. Disciples from Crescent Star Cave causing trouble for their master is as natural as breathing. I’ve given him plenty of headaches myself. Your sister takes after me—disciples resemble their masters, you know. Last time, the old man hit me with a paperweight; next time, he’ll use an inkstone. I can take it."
With that, he burst into hearty laughter.
Erik Yang’s lips curled slightly, but he didn’t actually smile.
"What worries me now is her and Brother Simon. Brother Simon’s talent is unmatched. Though their relationship isn’t close, it seems…"
Skylar Loft didn’t continue, but glanced at Erik Yang.
Erik Yang simply remained silent, his face utterly expressionless.
"But don’t worry. With my master around, nothing serious will happen, no matter what."
Erik Yang nodded silently, stood up, and said, "No words can express my gratitude. It’s getting late, Brother Skylar—I should be heading back."
"Leaving already?"
"Yes. The Heavenly Court’s watchdogs are always watching. If I’m gone too long, they’ll get suspicious."
"I mean, you rarely visit—aren’t you going to see Anna Yang?" Skylar Loft looked up at Erik Yang.
Staring at the little wooden hut with its oil lamp for a long time, Erik Yang sighed softly. "No. Belle already knows I’m here. If she wanted to see me, she would’ve come out by now."
Erik Yang’s face showed no emotion, still covered in eternal frost. Yet for some reason, Skylar Loft felt a strange sadness as he looked at him.
"Why not just tell her the truth?" he asked.
"My life isn’t worth much, but… there are some things that can never be explained, no matter what. If she wants to hate me, let her hate me. As long as she can live well, I’ll be satisfied. It’s late, Brother Skylar—farewell."
Skylar Loft nodded slightly.
With a gentle leap, Erik Yang turned into a shooting star and vanished into the vast sky.
Through the window’s crack, Anna Yang stared blankly at the sky for a long, long time before wiping away her tears and turning away.
...
Early the next morning, Simon Stone hadn’t left his room yet when Belle urged him to write a letter to Elder Sky.
The matter of the two little demons couldn’t be delayed. If the mountain patrol disciples discovered them, they wouldn’t kill them outright, but expulsion was inevitable.
Skylar Loft had gone to see Master Sage Subhuti early, and then came back carrying a bag of sunflower seeds to find Simon Stone.
At that moment, Simon Stone was sitting cross-legged in his room, meditating.
"In a few days, I’m taking Anna Yang to Kunlun Mountain. Want to come along?" Skylar Loft asked with a grin.
"Kunlun Mountain?"
"Yep." Skylar Loft poured himself tea and cracked sunflower seeds. "After the Investiture of the Gods, the Celestial Sect’s disciples all moved to Kunlun Mountain. We’re going to see Jade Cauldron. Since I’ve accepted his disciple as my own, I should pay my respects in person."
"Why am I going, then?"
"This." Skylar Loft picked up a sunflower seed, cracked it with a crunch, and continued slowly, "This is the master’s idea."
At this, Simon Stone opened his eyes slightly. "The master’s idea?"
"Yep." Skylar Loft nodded, tossed the cracked seed into his mouth, chewed twice, and took a sip of tea. "The master hasn’t told you yet, so I’m giving you a heads-up."
Simon Stone closed his eyes and fell silent.
After breaking through to the Nascent Spirit stage, he felt his cultivation progress had sped up considerably.
Now, the spiritual power in his body not only tempered his physique, but could also be projected outward. More importantly, the violent energy within him had been temporarily suppressed by Master Sage Subhuti’s elixir.
Though he didn’t yet have a dedicated artifact to channel this external power, for a Traveler’s Path cultivator who uses his body as a weapon, the change was encouraging.
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Now, his strength and resilience had already far surpassed what they were before his breakthrough.
That night, the power that erupted from his body had already exceeded his imagination. He just didn’t know if he could summon that strength again without losing control.
Right now, he just wanted to stay in the monastery and consolidate his gains, maybe learn a bit more. Go out?
He really hadn’t considered it.
Seeing Simon Stone silent, Skylar Loft swirled the last bit of tea in his cup, lost in thought. "Anna Yang isn’t a bad person, really."
He glanced sidelong at Simon Stone, as if probing for a reaction.
When Simon Stone still didn’t respond, Skylar Loft continued, "Her temper is a bit wild, and sometimes she’s a little scheming, but she’d never really harm you. And she’s easy on the eyes, too."
Simon Stone opened his eyes again, coldly. "Senior brother, I haven’t even asked about your affairs, so let’s not talk about Anna Yang. Whatever’s going on, I’ll see for myself."
At that, Skylar Loft could only smile awkwardly. "My affairs… Honestly, I never expected her to use so much wolf’s tooth grass. I don’t really know that formula—probably only Jade Cauldron’s disciples do. I just wanted to do a small favor. She knows Erik Yang’s cultivation method, and you probably need it, so I put you together to see if it’d help. Heh heh."
He kept chuckling, but when he saw Simon Stone wasn’t laughing, Skylar Loft fell silent.
"Senior brother." Simon Stone slowly raised his head, gazing blankly at the swaying green leaves outside. "Is it true that all Sage’s Path cultivators love talking in riddles, scheming endlessly, and only feel happy when everyone’s in the palm of their hand?"