The silence stretched between them, growing thick and uncomfortable. At least for Xu Kai. Chen Xi seemed lost in her own world, staring into the middle distance as if trying to solve a puzzle that had haunted her for years.

  Which Xu Kai knew would be impossible, because whatever secret the original Xu Kai had carried, she had probably been chasing about since childhood. And she'd never cracked it.

  He cleared his throat.

  "So. How does me spending more time on things other than cultivation relate to living in a forest?"

  Chen Xi snapped back to the present, blinking.

  "For resources!" she said, as if the answer were written in the sky.

  "Resources?" He wasn't following.

  "Yes, resources." She sat up straighter, gaining confidence. "The forest is one of the best, easiest places to find materials for whatever you want to make."

  She raised a hand, ticking off points.

  "Special forests, especially. And Lud Forest is a prime example. It's packed with useful things."

  "It's not like gathering in a forest is automatically easier," Xu Kai countered.

  "But it is! I found my Swan Leaf deep in the forest, and on the way, I barely faced any threats." She leaned forward, warming to her topic. "Lud Forest is massive. The opportunities are huge, which means a lot of good materials. And did I mention it's Qi abundant?"

  Xu Kai raised an eyebrow.

  "With all that," she continued, "it's one of the easiest options. Well, it depends on what you're after. If you want to play it safe, you stick to the basics."

  Xu Kai nodded slowly.

  "That's just called being basic. And trust me, nobody wants to settle for basic things their whole life."

  "I know, Master." Her voice shifted, gaining an edge he couldn't quite place. "But you have to consider the risk. Some cultivators pursue power to live forever. Not to die forever."

  Xu Kai just stared at her.

  He would be lying if he said he wasn't shocked.

  For the first time since waking up in this body, his disciple had said something that made perfect sense. Logical. Practical. Even wise.

  His hand moved to his chin as he studied her.

  'This development is way too fast.'

  And for someone like her, someone who forgot his amnesia two seconds after being reminded, who threw tantrums over forgotten names, who dragged them to a monster forest for reasons she couldn't explain—

  'This level of insight was… utterly impossible.'

  Xu Kai's light-hearted thoughts were a sharp contrast to the storm brewing behind Chen Xi's eyes.

  Since she'd known him, probably even before he found her, her master rarely caught a break. Almost every waking moment, he was working on things her little brain couldn't comprehend. He was like someone trying everything, excelling at everything. She was certain there wasn't a single craft or skill he hadn't mastered.

  And yes, he seemed to enjoy it. But she still wished he'd rest. Just once.

  He'd embark on journeys to collect materials, and those journeys were anything but safe. Sometimes she'd get furious at him for attempting such dangerous missions, for not prioritizing his own safety.

  Each time, he'd simply say he had to do it for his own good. She never understood what that meant. And he never explained, just told her, every time she asked, that it wasn't yet time to share.

  She hated that. Hated that he kept things from her, handled everything alone. If he'd just let her in, maybe she could help. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, she was the only person he had, and she knew he trusted her completely. But for reasons she couldn't fathom, he believed some things were better left unsaid. Especially to someone important.

  Her master focused on everything but cultivation. It might have looked like he'd given up, but Chen Xi knew better. He hadn't given up. He was doing what needed to be done for his cultivation. He just refused to explain why.

  He always warned her not to follow his path. Focus on cultivating, he'd say. Focus on your own goals. He'd handle the rest. And he did, he supported her completely.

  But Chen Xi was Chen Xi. She didn't listen. She couldn't help admiring him, the man who was practically like her father, and the incredible, flashy things he created. Sometimes she'd steal his learning materials, desperate to be like him.

  It was always a spectacular failure. Chen Xi was too dumb for complex things like that.

  But she never gave up. She kept searching for easier methods.

  Her attempts often felt pointless, because her master simply gave her most of what he made anyway. And that was the core of it. That was why her chest tightened every time she remembered.

  He risked his life for rare, dangerous materials. And then he'd turn around and craft something for her out of them. Almost every single time.

  Whenever she tried to protest, he'd shut her off with a simple word: 'You're important to me. Why wouldn't I do it?'

  Chen Xi's expression shifted. She'd been talking nonstop, but now, silence.

  She wasn't okay

  He knew she wasn't. But he didn't pry. Asking someone what they were thinking felt... rude. Intrusive. Whatever was going on in that head of hers, the worry etched into her features was plain enough.

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  He should do something. Calm her down. Except he had no idea how. He knew nothing about her, nothing about their history, nothing about what caused that look.

  So he stopped thinking. His hand rose, almost on its own, and settled gently on top of her head. He stroked her hair, slow and steady.

  Chen Xi blinked. The distant fog in her eyes cleared. She looked at him, and smiled.

  Xu Kai breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She wasn't upset. She wasn't pulling away. Whatever he'd done, it had worked.

  'Didn't know I had it in me,' he thought, a flicker of pride warming his chest.

  Then he noticed something else. Her hair was impossibly soft. Silky smooth beneath his fingers. The kind of soft that made you want to keep touching it forever.

  For a moment, he seriously considered abandoning his plans to extract information from her. Just sitting here, stroking her hair, seemed like a perfectly valid way to spend the rest of the day.

  'No. Priorities.' He reluctantly reminded himself there were things he needed to learn. Important things.

  'But... maybe just a little longer.'

  He closed his eyes, savoring the moment. The warmth of the sun, the cool forest air, the absurd softness of his disciple's hair—

  A sound. Close. Familiar... A snore!

  His eyes snapped open.

  Chen Xi was... asleep!

  Her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even, her head tilted slightly to the side. She looked peaceful. Completely, utterly unconscious.

  Xu Kai stared, dumbfounded.

  He was the one who'd nearly died. The one who'd woken up in a stranger's body. The one drowning in confusion and danger and a disciple who defied all logic.

  He was the one who needed sleep. Not her.

  Xu Kai exhaled slowly, watching his disciple's peaceful sleeping face. He should wake her. Kindly.

  He considered ruffling her hair, a gentle shake to bring her back. But his hand stopped mid-motion.

  'I can't. Not this hair,' he thought. 'It was too soft. Too perfect. Ruffling it would be a crime against nature itself.'

  Then a different method occurred to him. A much kinder one.

  'I'm sorry,' he apologized inwardly.

  He withdrew his hand from her head. His finger moved to her forehead. And flicked.

  "Snore—Aww!"

  Chen Xi jolted awake with a yelp like a dying goat, both hands flying to the reddening spot on her forehead. Her eyes snapped open, shooting daggers at him.

  "Master—!"

  Before she could form a full protest, Xu Kai raised a hand, cutting her off.

  "Sleeping while having a discussion with your master is disrespectful, disciple. Don't you know that?"

  Chen Xi's mouth opened to retort, but he cut her off again with a raised palm.

  "However. I'll let this slide. Just this once." His voice dropped, taking on a grave tone. "Do it again, and I'll assign you a serious punishment."

  The daggers in her eyes vanished. In their place, pure terror.

  A flashback hit her like a wave, countless punishments over the years. Too many to count. Each one worse than the last.

  She looked away quickly, her gaze dropping to the rock beneath them.

  Xu Kai allowed himself a small, internal smirk. The nonsense he'd just pulled from thin air had actually worked.

  Then he heard it. Low. Almost imperceptible.

  "I'll get my revenge."

  Xu Kai laughed inwardly, brushing it off.

  'What could she possibly do? Throw a tantrum? Withhold information? Please.'

  Then he saw it.

  A slow, creeping grin spreading across Chen Xi's face. Devilish. Wicked. Full of intent.

  His internal laugh died.

  'Maybe I should just apologize.'

  The grin widened. Whatever was brewing in that chaotic mind of hers had clearly passed the point of no return.

  Xu Kai watched in growing alarm as she seemed to descend deeper into her own scheming. If he let this continue, she might achieve some kind of dark enlightenment.

  He needed to act. Now.

  "So this True Beast," he began, steering the conversation back to practical matters. "Why do you want to kill it?"

  He'd read enough cultivation stories in his past life to know the usual reasons. Resources. Materials. Breakthroughs. Territory. Subjugation. Vengeance. Specialized paths. The list went on.

  "Revenge," Chen Xi said. Her voice was flat, her expression serious.

  "R-Revenge?!" Xu Kai blinked, certain he'd misheard.

  She nodded.

  'Is this girl's middle name revenge?' His internal voice was spiraling. 'Why is she so fixated on getting even with everything?'

  Chen Xi didn't just get revenge, she got worse. If someone wronged her, she returned the favor tenfold. And now she wanted to apply that philosophy to a wolf.

  Xu Kai needed context.

  "Why revenge on the wolf?"

  At his question, her head dropped slightly. Her expression darkened, jaw tightening. She gritted her teeth.

  "That darn wolf!" Her fist clenched, knuckles whitening. Then her voice softened, cracking at the edges. Her eyes glistened. "It... It ate my friend."

  Xu Kai's eyes widened.

  'It ate her friend.'

  All his assumptions crumbled. He'd thought she was chasing resources or glory, some reckless impulse that put them both at risk. But this...

  He understood now. If someone, something, killed someone you cared about, devoured them like prey... revenge wasn't just an option. It was a necessity.

  His expression hardened.

  The wolf deserved what was coming. Some things couldn't be forgiven. Some things couldn't be forgotten.

  Xu Kai watched Chen Xi, her face drawn with a sadness that looked years old. He waited, then asked quietly.

  "So how did you lose your friend?"

  She was silent for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was distant.

  "He was with me when it happened." She swallowed. "One moment we were together. I went inside to get something. When I came back..." Her hands gripped her robes. "He was already halfway down the wolf's throat."

  'Halfway swallowed. Just like that,' Xu Kai's stomach turned. 'The wolf must be enormous. Big enough to treat a person like a bite-sized snack.'

  A sudden image flashed through his mind, massive jaws, rows of teeth, a single gulp. He pushed it away.

  'Maybe we should reconsider this.'

  He'd never encountered anything capable of eating a human whole. The thought of facing such a creature made his newly acquired cultivation feel very, very small. He wasn't eager to share his predecessor's fate, or his disciple's friend's.

  The sensible part of his brain screamed at him to speak up. To tell Chen Xi that rushing into revenge now was a mistake. That they needed time. Preparation. That walking into that wolf's territory right now was a great way to become morning snacks.

  The words sat on his tongue, ready. But they wouldn't come out.

  'How do you tell someone to wait, to be patient, when their friend was eaten?'

  He wasn't saying never. Just not yet. Just give him time to figure out his body, to learn to fight, to actually be useful. He was technically stronger than the beast, but technically meant nothing when he doesn't even know how to use spells, or cultivate.

  'But did Chen Xi have that kind of patience?'

  She'd clearly been holding onto this for a while. Telling her to wait longer felt cruel. Insulting, even. Like her friend's memory didn't matter enough to act now.

  But another life is at stake here. His. Hers.

  Xu Kai exhaled slowly, the weight of it settling on his shoulders.

  He'd have to find the right moment, and the right words to tell her soon.

  Xu Kai studied her for a moment, then asked softly.

  "So what was your friend's name?"

  "Skinny!" Chen Xi's answer came instantly, bright despite the circumstances.

  "Ah. Skinny." Xu Kai nodded, forming a mental picture. "Must have been a really thin person to earn that name."

  "Yeah, he's super skinny!" Chen Xi agreed. Then her eyes lit up with recollection. "Actually, I think I have an image of Skinny in my Bag of Withholdings."

  She plunged her hand into her storage treasure, rummaging with the focus of someone searching for buried treasure. After a moment of serious digging, she produced a small photograph and held it out proudly.

  Xu Kai took it.

  He looked at the image. He looked at Chen Xi. He looked at the image again.

  Then he laughed.

  "Funny," he said, still chuckling, handing it back. "You gave me the wrong photo."

  Chen Xi didn't take it. She just stared at him, then at the photo, then back at him.

  "I didn't."

  Xu Kai's smile faltered. He frowned, bringing the image closer to his face, as if sheer proximity would transform it into something else.

  It didn't.

  "This isn't the right image," he said slowly. "This is... something else."

  Chen Xi shook her head firmly.

  "No. That's Skinny. It's the right photo."

  Xu Kai looked again, then he laughed. But this time, the laughter turned strange. His eyes began to water. Tears formed, then fell.

  'I've lost my mind. That's it. I've officially, completely, utterly lost my mind.'

  "Skinny," he choked out, voice cracking, "is a chicken?!"