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"Meh?!"

Oh no, I've been discovered...

The moment her eyes met with the white-robed woman, the nine-colored deer's little face turned pale, and it quickly buried its head between Yino's legs.

Yuyan felt a bit puzzled.

As a righteous cultivator, she had often done good deeds and accumulated virtue. Her chest was filled with righteous energy, so by all accounts, she shouldn't have scared a spirit deer like this.

Moreover...

"Even if you hide your head, I can still see you."

Yuyan raised her hand to her forehead, feeling that this little deer was a bit silly.

Meanwhile, Yino also smiled awkwardly and took the initiative to pick up the deer from under him.

Although the nine-colored deer was a deer, compared to real spirit deer, it was very small. Holding it felt like holding a larger Maine Coon cat.

"Senior Sister, her name is Wangxue," Yino introduced, rubbing the little deer's head.

"Wangxue?"

Yuyan pondered, feeling that the name sounded quite elegant, and tried to recall in her mind what Wangxue was.

But then, Yino smiled brightly and said, "How about it, Senior Sister? Don't you think it sounds nice?"

"Wait, did you name her Wangxue?"

"Yes, I found this little deer lost in the back mountain when I was lost myself."

"..."

Yuyan's lips twitched slightly, suddenly feeling that she had been somewhat infected by the lowered intelligence.

She had just been wondering which spirit beast in the sect was called Wangxue, worried that Yino might have brought up some elder's divine deer.

Fortunately, it was just a wild spirit deer picked up in the mountains.

"Even if it's a wild deer, you just brought it up the mountain like this?"

Yuyan walked forward, crouched down, and examined this little deer with a suspicious look.

She reached out to pat Wangxue's head and was quickly attracted by the little deer's affectionate and coquettish behavior.

"No wonder you called it Wangxue, it's actually a snow deer, but its antlers seem to have a subtle luster..."

The senior sister was, after all, a woman, unable to resist cute things.

Yino secretly praised Wangxue for her good performance, then went along with the flow to explain:

"I didn't actually carry Wangxue up the mountain, it insisted on following me and then carried me up the mountain in its mouth."

"Why did she follow you?"

"I don't know, maybe she likes me."

Yino spread his hands, helpless.

But soon, he saw Wangxue puff up her little face, staring at him with a somewhat dissatisfied look.

—It was clearly you who insisted on me carrying you up the mountain! —

Wangxue wanted to speak but held back, ultimately suffering from its lack of education.

She could speak human language when anxious, but only simple words, so most of the time she could only rely on Yino's self-talk.

"If I remember correctly, snow deer are also quite rare mountain spirit beasts..."

Yuyan said with some concern as she continued petting, "Moreover, my Ranmo Peak is not a place for you to raise spirit beasts."

Saying this, she looked up at Yino.

Yino was prepared, rolling up his long sleeves to reveal a contract seal already engraved on his wrist: "Senior Sister, when I was young, I heard my aunt say that spirit beasts can form contracts with humans, so I wanted to borrow your courtyard for a couple of days to see if I could gain her trust. If I can't form a contract, I'll release her back to the back mountain..."

"But, Senior Sister, look, if this works out, Wangxue can stay in the seal on the back of my hand in the future, and won't take up any land on Ranmo Peak."

"Meh... meh?"

As Yino finished speaking, Yuyan's reaction wasn't intense, but the little deer lying by Yino's legs suddenly raised her cute face, tilting its head and looking at Yino with a confused expression.

If a contract couldn't be formed within two days, Wangxue would be released back to the back mountain?

Does this sound like something a human would say?

"It really seems to like you."

Yuyan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Because just after hearing Yino's words, this little deer became even more enthusiastic about cuddling and sticking close to Yino, her survival instinct in full gear.

But the warm atmosphere didn't last long before Yuyan suddenly realized a crucial issue—

"Wait, when did you engrave a contract seal on the back of your hand? You even know a bit about contract techniques?"

"Uh... my aunt taught me before."

Yino pondered for a moment before blurting out the words "my aunt."

After spending this night with Jinyue, Yino had learned from experience that when in doubt, bring up the "all-capable aunt." After all, Xinyao had truly taught Yino all sorts of things from childhood, so it was reasonable.

"Your aunt again?"

Yuyan was secretly amazed, feeling that the value of that spirit crane young lady from the Grand Tutor's Mansion was constantly increasing.

"But didn't you come to Ranmo Peak to learn swordsmanship from me?"

"Forming a contract with a little deer shouldn't affect my sword practice, right?"

"Are you planning to cultivate both sword and contract in the future?"

"Is that not allowed? My aunt even reminded me to review contract techniques well even after going to Wuji Sect..."

Yino said with an innocent face.

This time, he wasn't pretending to be naive; he truly had this concept from the bottom of his heart.

After all, when playing Fallen Immortal before, Yino could cultivate in a balanced way across the five elements. Skills only needed to be upgraded through cultivating techniques and consuming materials, and by the late game, he was basically a pentagonal warrior deity.

"Why did your aunt remind you to practice contract techniques?"

The more Yuyan heard, the stranger it seemed, but she also felt not surprised at all.

Because this was her real feeling from interacting with Yino all along.

Last night, while playing chess alone on Ranmo Peak, Yuyan often had moments of self-doubt — what kind of youth had she brought home three days ago?

Why did the secrets surrounding Yino seem endless?

"I suppose... it's not impossible to let you cultivate both..."

After pondering three times, Yuyan hesitated, staring at the little deer and sighing silently.

She had been taught from a young age that cultivation should focus on one path, and the explanation given by her master and senior sister was mostly that human energy is not enough to have the best of both worlds.

Take the cultivation of contract cultivators, for example.

Just finding a destined and powerful spirit beast could consume almost a lifetime of time and energy for every contract cultivator.

Many contract cultivators spend their entire lives pursuing legendary, coveted divine beasts, but may not even have a good end until death.

But Yino seemed to already have a favored spirit beast from the start.

If it was just two days of taming the beast, it indeed wouldn't consume much of his energy...

"But unfortunately, I know beast taming techniques, nor can I teach you any useful experience. If you want to study contract techniques, Yunjin might be able to help you. It's said she has many spirit friends in the mountains."

"Also, if Wangxue is unwilling to go with you, you'd better not force her. It's best to release this snow deer back to the back mountain early. If it's away from home for too long, she will surely miss her life in the back mountain."

In the end, Yuyan stood with her hands behind her back, earnestly instructing.

She had tacitly approved Yino's proposal, mainly worried that Yino might force the little deer.

But for some reason, upon hearing this, the little deer became even more afraid, her little face turning pale as she looked at Yuyan.

-Miss life in the back mountain?-

-Are you both demons?!-

"Meh, meh meh!!"

Wangxue threw herself into Yino's arms, almost crying with anxiety, her previously dim antlers now emitting nine-colored holy light.

For a moment, Yuyan didn't understand what was happening.

She saw the holy light from the nine-colored antlers gradually envelop Yino, and after a moment of silence, the white little deer that had been acting coquettishly disappeared, leaving only Yino standing there, staring at Yuyan.

"Well..."

Yino rolled up his sleeve, also surprised as he turned his wrist.

The white-robed girl widened her beautiful eyes, staring in disbelief at the golden holy mark on the back of Yino's hand—

"Senior Sister, look, it seems Wangxue really likes me."

Under the morning sun, the young man smiled brightly.

...

...

...

"Senior Brother, you're finally back!"

In a small courtyard in the back mountain of Wuji Sect, a black-robed young man put down his sword, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and rose to greet with joy.

But before he could open the door for his senior brother, he was frightened to the ground by a chilling, bone-piercing cold aura.

Gu Wanglan pushed open the door, noticing the pale-faced boy.

After a moment of silence, he suppressed the killing intent in his heart, and while folding back his sleeve cuff, his lips curled into a friendly smile—

"Chen Jianxin..."

"I have a question for you, and hopes you'll answer honestly."

He smiled without it reaching his eyes, his cold gaze fixed on the boy, concealing two blood-colored patterns.

Chen Jianxin's face turned pale, not daring to make a sound, obediently nodding.

"—Where did you go last night?"