Zhang Qiang sat by the bed and recalled the scene when he first met Xu Yuxi.
It was his first time coming to the mortal world, and he stopped by a street vendor, picked up a trinket from the stall, and was curiously inspecting it. The vendor asked if he liked it, he could sell it for three Copper Coins. He asked in confusion, "Three Copper Coins?" He was used to transactions involving Spirit Stones and had never dealt with Copper Coins before.
"You don’t have money?" The vendor looked at his attire, quite disappointed. He guessed that Zhang Qiang might be a young master from a wealthy family who ran out without bringing money. "Then go back home, ask your family for money, and come back to buy it."
Just as Zhang Qiang was about to put down the item, a clear and delightful voice sounded: "Young Master, do you like this? It’s just three Copper Coins. I’ll give it to you."
A fair, small hand handed over three Copper Coins. Zhang Qiang followed the hand upwards, seeing the person speaking—a cheerful girl with a round face and a bright smile. She gave the money and didn’t say anything else before turning and leaving.
That radiant smile remained etched in Zhang Qiang’s heart.
The second meeting was when he encountered three robbers. These robbers saw him alone, dressed extravagantly, and assumed he was a lost young master from a wealthy family. They threatened him to hand over the Jade Pendant at his waist. Before he could make a move, the young girl descended from the sky once more.
"How dare you rob someone in broad daylight!" The girl didn’t draw her sword but wielded the scabbard to beat the robbers into submission.
The robbers cried out that they had no choice but to resort to this. The girl saw their sallow skin and ragged clothes and then had them lead the way to a nearby impoverished village to confirm their story wasn’t false. She then let them go, leaving them with Silver Taels. The villagers knelt and bid her farewell, calling her a living deity.
She merely scratched her head sheepishly and said, "Don’t do bad things anymore. Use this money to make a living. As long as you work hard, life will get better."
After bidding farewell to the villagers, she turned and belatedly asked, "Hey, why are you still here? Oh, it’s you, Young Master, why is it you again?"
That silly demeanor made Zhang Qiang’s heart race in that moment.
This silly girl just unexpectedly barged into his heart.
"Young Master, I’ll take you back. Where do you live?" Xu Yuxi asked with a smile.
Zhang Qiang’s face darkened upon hearing the word "sister."
Sister?
Oh, it seems he’s indeed younger than this silly girl.
Throughout the Cultivation World, there are many rumors about him—how strong, talented, highly gifted, a prodigy, and so forth—but none of these can change one fact: he is seventeen this year.
"How old are you? Want to be my sister," Zhang Qiang asked, sulking.
"I’m twenty-one," the silly girl replied. Although Xu Yuxi’s round face seemed no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, she was indeed twenty-one.
"Oh, a bit older than me," Zhang Qiang reluctantly admitted the fact. Well, a sibling-like dynamic is fine too, no big deal.
...
"Xu Yuxi..." Zhang Qiang lay on the bed, a smile appearing on his face. This silly girl had forgotten him, yet remembered quite a bit from her past life, except him. Hmph! This fool!
But still, no matter how silly she is, he still likes her!
The following morning, Xu Yuxi and her companions set off again to continue their rescue mission.