Xuefeng already knew he was going to have a hard time after accepting the power of the Fate Spirit, and Ling didn't miss his expectations.
"I have two pieces of good news and one bad. Which one do you want to start with?" Ling asked as the golden orb landed on his palm.
"Let's get the bad one out of the way first," Xuefeng sighed, hoping the good news would cheer him up afterward.
"Since I helped you increase your talent despite being weak, you need to replenish what I lost," Ling said straightforwardly. "We only have a month until I run out of Fate Qi, which won't be good for either of us."
"Are you saying I only have a month to find another Fate Holder, kill them, and collect their Fate Spirit?" Xuefeng asked, shocked at the short timeline. "I haven't even learned a single Spirit Art or lifted a single Spirit Artifact. My cultivation stage is useless if I can't utilize it."
Although he believed in his learning capabilities, it would take time to learn even basic swordsmanship, let alone the powerful Spirit Arts needed to kill his opponents. The Fate Holders he would face wouldn't just stand still and let him kill them.
"Why are you so worried? You now have the greatest potential in the Eastern Region. It won't be long before you can cut steel like butter," Ling assured him. "Besides, if my instincts are correct, you won't need to fight anytime soon."
"What do you mean?" Xuefeng questioned, his ears perking up.
"While you were sleeping, I scanned the area for any Fate Qi. One piece of good news is that I sensed a sealed Fate Fragment somewhere in this clan," Ling revealed. "My readings show it's constantly moving, so it's likely on someone's body. That person might not even know what they're carrying."
"Isn't that perfect? If it's someone from the clan, we can just ask them to give it to us," Xuefeng breathed a sigh of relief. "Although it might cost us, I might be able to get the clan's help if I explain my reasoning."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Ling said excitedly. "And even if you need to fight, you can ask your maid for help. She's quite strong herself."
"This..." Xuefeng hesitated. Although he knew she would protect him in times of danger, ordering her to kill his targets didn't sit well with him.
"You don't need to worry about her agreement. She loves you so much that she'd jump into flames to gain your favor," Ling added, causing Xuefeng to clear his throat awkwardly.
"Ehem, anyway, what's the second good news?" Xuefeng quickly changed the subject.
"It's about the Lightning Qi you obtained from the Heavenly Tribulation. I have a special technique from my previous host that will teach you how to use and gather more Lightning Qi," Ling informed proudly.
"Wow, to think it's actually called Lightning Qi... This is great. If I master lightning, I won't need to use my Spirit Qi, which would expose my talent when I travel," Xuefeng muttered with stars in his eyes. "Do you know any other Spirit Arts?"
"Unfortunately, I only remember this one since most of my memories are sealed. As we gather more Fate Qi, I will gradually recover," Ling replied with a sigh.
"Okay, I get it now," Xuefeng nodded, finally understanding his situation. Ling was both a blessing and a curse, but he didn't regret contracting with her. Without her ability to raise talent, his life would be miserable.
"Can we communicate without me coming inside here? It's troublesome to split my mind and do two things at once," Xuefeng asked out of curiosity.
"You just need to call my name. I will hear you and answer directly in your mind," she answered casually.
"Okay, great. I will get going then. I have to meet my parents." Xuefeng cut the conversation short as he willed himself out of the hidden space. He opened his eyes and found himself lying inside the bathtub.
"Ling, one two three, do you hear me, over." He tested the communication in his mind.
"I can hear you clearly, over," Ling's voice responded, copying him.
"Okay, I was just testing, over and out." He chuckled at their playful exchange.
After washing himself, he dried off with a soft pink towel hanging on the side and put on his robe. He didn't mind the color and left the bathroom with the towel in his hands, drying his wet hair as he walked.
When Wuying saw him with a pink towel in his hands, she froze.
"You're staring at me as if you just saw a ghost," Xuefeng pointed out, following her gaze. "Ah, the towel? Was it yours?"
He finished wiping his hair and sniffed the towel, nodding in approval. "No wonder it smelled so good. It must have absorbed your scent."
"Huh?!" Wuying's cheeks blushed immediately, and she snatched the towel in the blink of an eye. "Why did you use mine when I prepared a clean set for you?!"
"Why are you getting angry? It's just a towel..." Xuefeng muttered, tilting his head. "Aren't we close and living together? It shouldn't matter if we share things."
He tried to smile gently, but Wuying took it as a provocation, causing her to blush even harder.
"Ah! You keep teasing me!" Wuying cried out dramatically as she ran towards the exit. "You eat first! I'm going to wait outside!"
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her gaze falling on the pink towel in her hands. Making sure Xuefeng couldn't sense her, she pressed it against her face and took a deep breath, trying to absorb all the scent.
"It smells just like him..." she whispered happily, immersing herself in the sweet fantasy of lying in Xuefeng's embrace. "I can't wait to enjoy it every day..."
While Wuying was daydreaming, Xuefeng chuckled as he sat by the table to eat the breakfast she made for him. "She looks so cute when you tease her," Xuefeng commented, shaking his head. "The more time I spend with her, the more I want to tease her..."
He pushed his troubled feelings aside and finished the breakfast in a few bites. The only thing he somewhat recognized was rice, although it was brown and had a more bitter flavor than the rice he ate on Earth.
"I should praise her. The food was delicious as always," Xuefeng noted to himself as he stepped outside into the small garden. A gentle breeze blew against his cheeks, and he took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air.
Anyone from Earth would find it hard to leave this world with its clean air and Spirit Essence. The air seemed to have stabilized after yesterday's events, and with each breath, he took in a lot of Spirit Essence.
'Even without cultivating, people here live much longer because of the Spirit Essence in the air. The average lifespan is close to a hundred years, and you can live fifty more if you take care of yourself,' Xuefeng thought, wishing his parents could live longer.
When he looked around the courtyard in search of Wuying, he spotted her sitting gracefully on a small boulder near the pond. The sun shone on her face, making her look angelic in her white long-sleeved dress.
"So pretty…" he commented subconsciously as he approached her. Seeing a bunch of flowers in the garden, he plucked a white lily and placed it in her hair.
Wuying turned around in surprise, only to see his smile and nod of approval. She carefully inspected the flower and smiled back, deciding to keep it. "Thank you. I will treasure it."
"I'm the one who wanted to thank you. The food was great," Xuefeng praised before he could forget and reached out his hand. "Let's go. My father must have waited a long time."
Wuying glanced at his hand and took it gracefully, allowing him to help her jump off the boulder. He expected her to let go right after, but she squeezed it instead, pulling him towards the exit.
'I thought her hands would be rough, but they are surprisingly soft,' Xuefeng thought, feeling the urge to squeeze back. 'Guess I'll let nature take its course...'