Midsummer weather was as unpredictable and treacherous as a cunning demon. When Han Jie and Meng Qingtong stepped off the high-speed train, only a few thick clouds had drifted across the sky; the moment they left the exit, raindrops the size of soybeans charged toward the mortal world like refugees.
Meng Qingtong took an umbrella from her backpack and opened it. She turned to look at the height difference between Han Jie and herself, pursed her lips in mild indignation, and raised the umbrella higher.
Han Jie disliked rainy days. Seeing that half of Meng Qingtong's shoulder exposed under the umbrella was already soaked by the rain, he disliked it even more. He secretly pinched his fingers, his divine sense rapidly cycling through an incantation, wanting to disperse those vexing clouds.
However, a swollen, stifling sensation in his spiritual sense reminded him once again that, for the time being, he shouldn't consider higher-level spirit arts.
He was still wondering whether to summon his Heart Sword and cleave those storm clouds when Meng Qingtong grabbed him and ran toward the taxi stand, laughing, "What are you fighting with the heavens for here? Let's go."
Suoyin City was, after all, just a satellite city—not large, its scale barely exceeding that of a district in Dongding City, its economic volume far inferior.
But a decade or so ago, Suoyin had surveyed a highly valuable mineral vein capable of producing excellent base materials for artificially cultivated spirit stones. This had genuinely enriched a batch of local power players, and consequently, prices here were not much lower than Dongding's.
Small cities had few homestays to begin with, and most were near scenic areas. Meng Qingtong searched and searched: the ones with suitable prices had bad locations, the ones with good locations had astronomical prices. There was one where both were suitable, but only one—three bedrooms, one bathroom, one living room, kitchen available, with air conditioning, broadband, and a spirit communication network. She could rent it at a suitable price because the landlord was in the same profession as her.
"Anyway, I can't find a second homestay. So..." She stood in the living room, awkwardly grabbing her ponytail and tugging it twice. "The bedroom with the balcony is mine—convenient for drying clothes. Pick whichever of the other two you want. If there's nothing else, rest first. I'll go buy groceries. Starting this noon, I'll begin paying interest."
She grabbed the umbrella and walked toward the door, turning at the entryway to ask, "Can we open the apertures after eating?"
Han Jie had already sunk into the soft sofa, nodding with narrowed eyes.
After relaxing, he focused his mind and began to review the secret legacy of Three Stars Hanging Moon Mountain.
This was his first time using it. In the past, he had looked down on such opportunistic methods relying on external forces to ascend in a single step. He hadn't expected that in a world with thin spiritual energy, this thorn-filled shortcut would instead become the only path.
After his divine sense had rapidly simulated the specific procedure four times in his sea of consciousness, Meng Qingtong returned.
Wind and rain intertwined amidst lightning and thunder. She couldn't bear to use a spirit talisman to protect herself, relying only on that not-very-large old umbrella in her hand while carrying a large bag of things. She was quite bedraggled from the rain, even the tips of her swaying ponytail in the back were dripping.
She tossed the things into the kitchen, took out a change of clothes from her backpack, and ducked into the bathroom, locking the door before saying from inside, "How long does opening the apertures take? I'm going to arrange a time with Liu Song. He said if the rain is heavy tonight, he'll have a driver pick us up. He asked roughly what time."
"Up to you. If you can endure it, it'll be faster. If you can't, it'll be slower."
She thought for a moment and asked, "Fastest, how long to get it done?"
"An hour... roughly two hours or so." Han Jie glanced at the wall clock. By his judgment, his understanding of an hour and this world's two hours were not completely equivalent. He didn't understand where this difference came from, but he faintly felt that being able to perceive this difference seemed to be an extraordinary talent.
In less than twenty minutes, Meng Qingtong finished washing up and came out, changed into loose loungewear, a towel wrapped around her head, and hurried into the kitchen.
Noticing her unconcealed awkwardness and nervousness, Han Jie suddenly realized that the two of them would be living together in this apartment for the next few days. Even in this new era of very open-minded attitudes, "cohabitation" was still something worth caring about.
No wonder she had immediately chosen the balcony bedroom located separately on one side.
Han Jie felt somewhat self-mocking. He hadn't expected to be quietly guarded against by a little girl whose age didn't even reach the zero of his own.
It wasn't really Meng Qingtong's fault. First, one could never be too careful; a young girl traveling alone should have safety awareness. Presumably, the seven or eight spirit arrays hidden on her person weren't all seals. Second, he now had the appearance and body of an arrogant youth—he truly couldn't be as free of distracting thoughts as before.
Not to mention, the moment she had walked in drenched earlier, Han Jie had subconsciously glanced a few extra times.
This was completely unfamiliar territory for him. He didn't even know to what extent he should restrain himself to avoid offending his partner.
After retrieving some experiential theories about interacting with women, Han Jie deliberated and asked, "Qingtong, need any help?"
From behind the closed kitchen door came a confident reply: "Just wait and eat. Such a simple matter, I can handle it with ease."
After waiting a few minutes, Han Jie couldn't resist sending a wisp of divine sense over, wanting to quietly see how she was doing.
After all, this matter of cooking wasn't for the sake of gustatory pleasure. He simply wanted to see a figure that reminded him of home in a place that reminded him of home.
Stripped of layer upon layer of shells—"genius cultivator," "avenger," "ascension candidate"... what was hidden deep in his soul was merely a child who had lost his home at six years old and thus longed for it all the more.
Unexpectedly, the scene he saw differed greatly from what he had heard.
Meng Qingtong's phone was propped against the wall by the cutting board, displaying a recipe.
She was following the recipe's requirements for prep work, weighing each seasoning, cutting vegetables and meat according to the pictures, even the placement was exact.
Looking at her tightly furrowed brows and grave gaze, her arms tense enough to show muscle lines—where was there any trace of the "with ease" composure?
"If you want to watch, come over and look. The door isn't locked." She smashed a garlic clove with one chop of the knife, saying irritably, "I just don't cook much and am afraid of doing badly, a bit nervous. It's not that I really can't do it. What, are you scared to watch?"
As expected, even such a tiny bit of prying would be detected by her. Han Jie smiled, got up, walked over, opened the kitchen door, and stood there watching.
Meng Qingtong turned her head, somewhat flushed. "You really are standing here watching?"
"Since you warmly invited me, it would be rude to refuse." Speaking with her, Han Jie no longer needed to worry about anything; he felt exceptionally relaxed and in the mood for banter.
"Suit yourself." Meng Qingtong turned back, no longer looking at him, but beside her damp hair, that small, soft ear changed color slightly. "Anyway, in less than a week, you won't be able to see me like this even if you want to."
"Oh?"
"By then I'll definitely have mastered chef-level skills, flipping the wok better than a ten-year veteran master." She spoke jokingly, but her expression remained focused and serious, sprinkling salt with such care she practically wanted to count each grain.
"Just cook casually. I'm not picky." Han Jie leaned against the doorframe, reminding her softly.
"That won't do. It's not for myself, so I can't just make do." Without looking up, Meng Qingtong adjusted the gas stove's flame and started putting things in the pan.
Watching her for a while, Han Jie said softly, "In the past, when Mother cooked, I always squatted by the stove, helping to add firewood and blow the fire."
"Back then you were still called Sanwang, right?" She smiled, wrinkling her nose. "That nickname, I could just call you Wang-wang-wang."
As she barked, she also twisted her waist, as if wagging a tail.
"Indeed, there was a yellow dog in the family back then," Han Jie said indifferently. "Unfortunately, I can't remember what it was called."
Meng Qingtong glanced sidelong at the recipe while tearing open a newly bought bag of vinegar, casually saying, "Best not to get a dog for now; the landlord would object. Besides, it's a waste of money and trouble. If you're lonely and cold, open the divine sense channel at night and I'll chat with you before bed. Tsk, if I think up more service items, wouldn't I be able to pay back the principal too?"
He didn't care to begin with, simply saying, "Up to you. If you think it's enough, that's fine."
"Don't be like that, Senior. You can't really act like a pure, good youth. If you meet a scheming pretty older sister, she'll devour you clean."
Han Jie smiled. "You help keep watch for me, and count it as another service item."
She turned her face slightly, her lips curving in a half-smile as she whispered, "Fine then, this matter is my bounden duty. I definitely won't let you suffer losses. After all, I was the one who personally dug you out of the mountain, old senior."
She had specifically searched for recipes and bought quite a lot of ingredients, but what finally made it to the table were all very homestyle dishes.
Knowing Han Jie wasn't very familiar with modern things, she also introduced each one. Finally, she said, "Hmm... nearly every flavor is represented. After cooking for you like this a few times, I'll know what type you like."
He picked up a chopstick of shredded bamboo shoots with cured pork, chewing carefully, mumbling, "You don't always have to go to such trouble. Simpler is fine."
"You tell me whether it's tasty or not first. Which ones are tasty, which ones aren't?"
He had to first taste each dish, and after commenting, said, "They're all not bad. In the future, you can use less chili."
"Oh." Meng Qingtong nodded, took out her phone, and noted it in her memo. "Then that's easy. Besides spicy, you can accept everything else. It'll be convenient to vary things later, saving you from getting tired of it and raising the difficulty of my debt repayment."
Sitting opposite each other eating, occasionally chatting, before they knew it, the minute hand on the clock had completed a full circle.
Meng Qingtong, who had finished eating long ago, saw that there was almost nothing left on the table and the rice in the cooker had been scraped clean. Only then did she let out a long breath, using a tone that tried not to seem hurried, "Should we start soon?"
Han Jie picked up his phone, activated the spirit runes with spiritual power, used his divine sense to instantly input a document, then opened the Jinghong app and sent it to her encrypted, saying, "Take a look first, memorize it as soon as possible. Once I'm ready on my end, we can begin."
"What incantation is this?" Meng Qingtong quickly skimmed it, immediately frowning. "You're not taking the chance to secretly add to the price again, are you?"
"A method that can help you maintain and expand your soul space. Memorize it first." Han Jie's expression grew more serious. "If I've prepared but you haven't finished memorizing, it will cost me much more effort in the future."
He had already figured out this girl's weak spot. Threatening her with the need for him to pay more effort worked far better than other methods.
Sure enough, upon hearing that if she didn't memorize it well her debt would grow larger and larger, Meng Qingtong's face changed. She grabbed her phone and ran to the bedroom, even while busily turning her head to instruct, "Don't you clean the table. Leave it here for now."
Han Jie certainly wouldn't let a little girl boss him around. Unhurriedly, he carried the dishes from the table to the kitchen and leisurely washed them without using any spirit arts.
The preparations he needed to make had actually been completed long ago. Giving Meng Qingtong a bit of pressure was precisely so she wouldn't notice the cultivation techniques mixed into the incantation.
When she became self-sufficient in maintaining the space in the future, she would incidentally complete her cultivation as well. If she suspected something was off, he would just say this technique had always been like this.
In any case, the final right of interpretation lay entirely with Han Jie. What could she do?
This feeling of scheming to stuff benefits into the other person's lap wasn't bad at all. Han Jie casually brushed his hand, the water droplets disappearing completely, then returned to the sofa and sat down with a satisfied smile.
After quietly waiting a dozen or so minutes—only half of the half-hour Han Jie had estimated had passed—the bedroom door opened.
A confident Meng Qingtong stood there, waving her phone with a smile. "I've memorized it. Want to quiz me, Teacher Han?"
"No need." Han Jie rose, making room on the sofa. "Come lie down. Let's begin."
"Eh? You washed the dishes?" Meng Qingtong looked at him helplessly. "Old senior, I'm repaying my debt and paying interest here. It's not like a couple dividing labor, one cooking and one washing dishes. Don't do this again later."
"I've stayed away from the mortal world too long; just experiencing it, that's all." He brushed it off casually. "Come here. I'll open two spirit orifices for you first. You'll need the technique you just memorized. Remember, if there's something you don't understand, ask me. This isn't a method from your era. Don't try to figure it out on your own. If you suffer qi deviation, the favor you owe me will be even harder to repay."
"I know, I know, great creditor. I'll listen to you." Meng Qingtong muttered as she walked over and sat on the sofa. "Do I need to prepare anything else? Is sitting like this okay?"
"Lift your clothes a bit and show me your dantian." Han Jie gestured. "Better to lie down. Also, you'd best find something to bite down on."
"Prepared." She took out a rubbery object from her pocket and waved it. "My custom-made combat mouthguard. I have several. Have to use them every night. Super tough, bite-resistant."
Watching her bite down, Han Jie placed his phone beside her and connected via divine sense, saying, "If you can't endure it, tell me through here."
"Don't worry. I don't believe there's pain in this world I can't endure." She rolled up her clothes, revealing her tight, slender waist, then clasped her hands together and placed them below her ribs.
Han Jie pressed his two fingers together and lightly touched above her navel. Just as he was about to focus and begin, his mind suddenly rippled.
The faintly undulating outline of her abdominal muscles actually made him almost unable to resist tracing them.
Previously, when Meng Qingtong wore outdoor clothes—cool short sleeves and shorts—he hadn't felt anything. At that time she had even tied up her hem, revealing a nice stretch of waist.
Now the air conditioning was on in the room. She had changed into long-sleeved, long-pants loungewear, lying down and pulling up her clothes just a little—how did this instead make his mind unconsciously unsteady?
"What is it? Is my posture wrong?" Not receiving the expected severe pain, Meng Qingtong was a bit puzzled.
"No, here it comes." Han Jie steadied his mind, spiritual power condensing at his fingertips. No longer hesitating, it pierced into her soul like a slender needle.
"Hngh!"
She let out a suppressed groan, her ten fingers tightening. Yet in her divine sense she still had the mind to joke: "That's it?"
"The first spirit orifice—you must not remember the wrong location." Han Jie averted his eyes, not looking at her face which had already broken out in fine sweat. Activating the technique, his spiritual power suddenly exploded within her soul, striking fiercely.
"Wuu-ngh—!"
Her agonized groan almost flew out into the curtain of rain...