Chapter 108: I Will Give It To You

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: I Will Give It To You

Jianshan did not answer her question.

He merely continued looking at her, his crimson eyes holding a depth that Xi Yunxui couldn’t quite comprehend. There was no impatience in his expression, nor did he appear inclined to explain himself. He simply waited, as though he had already decided that the next words spoken between them would have to come from her.

After a few moments, Xi Yunxui finally understood.

He was waiting for her answer.

She turned her gaze toward the garden, watching a butterfly drift lazily between the flowers as she considered his question. Did she want power?

What kind of question was that?

Of course, she wanted power.

If there was one thing her previous life had taught her, it was that kindness alone could not protect the people she loved, and good intentions meant very little when she lacked the ability to change the circumstances surrounding them.

"Yes," she finally answered. "I want power."

Her voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable firmness in it.

"Without power, I’m nothing more than a speck of dust on the floor. Anyone can trample on me whenever they please, and there would be absolutely nothing I could do about it."

As the words left her mouth, her thoughts drifted toward a life she had once lived, a life that seemed both distant and painfully familiar.

Back then, she had been responsible for three younger siblings, two brothers and a sister who had depended on her for almost everything. She had worked tirelessly to provide for them, taking on responsibilities that often felt too heavy for someone her age, yet she had never considered abandoning them. They were her family, and as long as she could still stand, she would do everything within her ability to ensure they had a better life.

Unfortunately, determination could only take her so far.

They had been poor, and they had lacked the connections, influence, and resources that might have made their lives easier. Whenever someone with greater authority decided to take advantage of them, there had been very little she could do. She could argue, plead, and struggle until she was exhausted, but the world had rarely cared about how hard she tried.

There had been times when she had watched injustice unfold before her eyes, knowing precisely what was happening yet being unable to stop it.

Those memories had stayed with her long after she died.

Even after transmigrating into this unfamiliar world, where she had acquired a system and discovered that she possessed the ability to cultivate, she had never forgotten what it felt like to be powerless.

She didn’t want to experience that helplessness again.

She didn’t want to stand helplessly by while someone she cared about suffered, wishing desperately that she had the strength to intervene. She didn’t want to find herself in a situation where she knew exactly what needed to be done but lacked the ability to do it.

Most importantly, she never wanted to lose someone simply because she had been too weak to protect them.

Xi Yunxui’s fingers curled slightly against her lap.

There was no denying that she had become stronger since arriving in this world. Her cultivation had advanced, she had acquired strange companions, and her system had provided her with opportunities that would have been unimaginable in her previous life.

Yet she still had a long way to go.

The accident involving Huo Yuning had reminded her of that.

Even though she had somehow managed to protect the actress from the worst of the impact, she still didn’t understand what had happened inside her body. She couldn’t deliberately reproduce the protective barrier, nor could she be certain that the same thing would happen if she encountered another life-threatening situation.

Relying on something she couldn’t control was hardly reassuring.

And if she truly wanted to protect the people around her, she needed more than luck.

Speaking of the people around her...

Xi Yunxui’s thoughts wandered toward the staff quarters, and the image of three familiar figures immediately appeared in her mind.

King C, Hui, and Biyu.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Those three troublesome creatures were certainly an unusual bunch. One was an insatiable glutton who considered almost every edible thing his personal property, another was an adorable little girl who could turn an ordinary afternoon into a series of unexpected adventures, and the last was a chicken-like creature whose inability to speak never stopped her from expressing exactly what she thought of the world.

Xi Yunxui still knew very little about their origins.

She didn’t know where they had come from, how they had ended up with her, or what other secrets they might be hiding. In fact, considering everything she had encountered since arriving in this world, she wouldn’t have been particularly surprised if she eventually discovered that they were all ancient beings who had somehow decided to disguise themselves as harmless creatures.

That possibility was becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss.

Nevertheless, she had grown attached to them.

Somewhere along the way, without consciously deciding to do so, Xi Yunxui had begun thinking of the three as her family.

It was a strange realization, especially considering how little time they had spent together, but the feeling was undeniably there.

She worried about whether they had eaten, whether they were comfortable, and whether anyone might try to take advantage of them. She found herself wanting to give them the best things she could afford, even when King C’s definition of the best things in life seemed to revolve almost entirely around food.

More importantly, she knew that if anyone tried to hurt them, she wouldn’t simply stand aside and watch.

The problem was that she wasn’t certain she could protect them if someone truly powerful decided to target them.

A bluff might work against an ordinary person, and her system could occasionally provide her with unexpected advantages, but neither would necessarily save her if she encountered an opponent she couldn’t defeat.

If someone discovered the truth about King C, Hui, or Biyu and decided to make trouble for them, she needed to be strong enough to handle the consequences.

Xi Yunxui lowered her eyes, her expression becoming thoughtful.

I really need to become stronger.

"Then I will give it to you."

The sudden statement interrupted her thoughts.

Xi Yunxui turned her head.

Before she could ask what he meant, Jianshan reached over and placed one hand on top of her head.

She blinked in surprise.

"Eh?"

He leaned closer, bringing his face nearer to hers until she could clearly see the crimson depths of his eyes. His expression remained composed, but there was an unusual certainty in his gaze, as though he had already made a decision that required no further discussion.

"I will give you power," he said.

Xi Yunxui stared at him.

For a moment, she genuinely wondered whether she had misunderstood.

Jianshan continued, his voice steady and unhurried. "I will help you become strong enough to protect the people you wish to protect. You won’t have to stand helplessly by while someone important to you suffers, wondering whether you possess the ability to save them."

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Jianshan watched her bewildered expression before withdrawing his hand from her head. With an almost casual movement, he reached forward and lightly pressed a finger against the tip of her nose.

"Power," he repeated, as though he were explaining something that should have been obvious from the beginning. "I will help you obtain it."

Xi Yunxui stared at him for several seconds.

Then she blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Her thoughts had completely stalled.

What was happening?

When Jianshan had asked whether she wanted power, she had assumed he was simply curious about her ambitions. Perhaps he had noticed how hard she worked to improve her cultivation and wanted to understand her reasons. Given that he had lived for thousands of years, she had even wondered whether he intended to offer her some ancient cultivation advice.

She hadn’t expected him to make such a promise.

And he had said it so casually!

As though giving someone power were no more difficult than handing them a piece of fruit.

Xi Yunxui finally found her voice.

"Why?"

Jianshan tilted his head slightly.

"Why what?"

"Why would you go out of your way to help me?"

She studied his face, still trying to understand what had prompted his decision.

He was an ancient creature whose true strength she couldn’t even begin to estimate. He possessed knowledge she could scarcely imagine, and he had lived through countless years before their paths crossed. Even though he had agreed to become her familiar, she hadn’t expected him to take such an active interest in her cultivation.

She had assumed their relationship would be relatively simple. She would provide him with the spiritual energy he wanted, and he would remain within her spiritual consciousness, occasionally offering advice when he felt inclined to do so.

That arrangement had already been more than she could have hoped for.

But now he was offering to help her become powerful enough to protect the people she cared about.

Why?

Jianshan looked at her as though she had asked the most unnecessary question in the world.

"You’re my master."

Xi Yunxui paused.

He continued, his tone carrying a trace of bewilderment at her failure to understand something so straightforward.

"If I don’t help you, who else am I supposed to help?"

For a moment, Xi Yunxui could only stare at him.

Then her expression softened.

It was such a simple answer, yet it caught her off guard in a way she hadn’t anticipated. She had grown accustomed to thinking of their relationship in practical terms, especially because Jianshan had initially agreed to become her familiar after discovering that he could absorb her spiritual energy.

She had never expected him to regard helping her as something he should naturally do.

To him, perhaps, it was simply what a familiar was supposed to do for its master.

Xi Yunxui’s lips curved into a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Jianshan."

He looked away almost immediately.

"Hmph. You don’t need to thank me for something so trivial."

Yet beneath his breath, so softly that even Xi Yunxui failed to catch the words, he muttered, "Besides, even if you weren’t my master, I would still want to make sure you were safe. I don’t know why, but the thought of letting you struggle alone doesn’t sit well with me."

He frowned faintly, as though the admission had only made his own confusion worse.

There it was again.

That inexplicable feeling of familiarity.

He had experienced it from the moment he first encountered Xi Yunxui, and the longer he remained around her, the more difficult it became to ignore. He couldn’t explain why he felt such an unusual inclination to protect her, nor could he understand why the thought of her being hurt stirred an irritation within him that seemed disproportionate to their brief acquaintance.

Perhaps the answer lay somewhere in the memories he had lost.

Or perhaps there was another explanation entirely.

For now, he could only acknowledge the feeling and leave the rest for another time.

Xi Yunxui, meanwhile, had already accepted his explanation.

She didn’t hear his quiet muttering, nor did she notice the complicated expression that briefly crossed his face. All she knew was that Jianshan had promised to help her become stronger, and for that, she was genuinely grateful.

After everything she had experienced since arriving in this world, having someone willing to stand beside her was no small thing.

She smiled at him again.

"I’ll remember your words."

Jianshan glanced at her.

"Good."

He offered no further explanation. A moment later, his figure began to fade, the edges of his robes dissolving into faint wisps of spiritual energy.

Xi Yunxui watched as he disappeared.

She had barely opened her mouth to ask whether he intended to explain how he would help her when his presence vanished completely, returning to the depths of her spiritual consciousness.

"...You couldn’t even tell me how you’re planning to do it first?"

Her complaint received no response.

Xi Yunxui stared at the empty space beside her before letting out a helpless sigh.

Honestly, what an unreliable fellow.

He had made such a grand promise, yet he couldn’t even stay long enough to explain the details!

Still, the corners of her mouth lifted as she rose from the stone bench and stretched her arms above her head. She rolled her shoulders, checked that her clothes were in order, and brushed away a few stray leaves that had settled on her skirt.

Whatever Jianshan had planned, she would find out eventually.

For now, she had more immediate concerns.

King C, Hui, and Biyu had still been sleeping when she left the staff quarters, and considering their personalities, she wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of them had woken up and begun searching for food in her absence.

She could already imagine King C claiming that an empty stomach constituted an emergency.

With that thought, Xi Yunxui started toward the staff quarters, her mood considerably lighter than it had been when she first sat down in the garden.

She had gained a powerful familiar, received a promise of help with her cultivation, and finally found a moment of peace amid the endless stream of strange events that seemed to follow her everywhere.

Perhaps things were beginning to improve.

She was so occupied with that pleasant thought that she nearly failed to notice someone calling her name.

"Xi Yunxui!"

She stopped just as she was about to leave the garden.

The voice was unfamiliar enough that she couldn’t immediately identify its owner, but the confident tone suggested that whoever had called her expected her to respond.

Xi Yunxui turned toward the sound.

A man was approaching along the garden path.

He was tall and exceptionally handsome, with a face that seemed almost designed to draw attention. His features were refined, his smile carried a naturally bewitching charm, and there was an ease in the way he walked that made him appear entirely comfortable in his surroundings.

Even before he came closer, Xi Yunxui could understand why people might find him attractive.

She also recognized him.

Huo Jinyan.

The second young master of the Huo family, Huo Jingchen’s younger brother, and a man whose appearance was similar enough to his elder brother’s to reveal their relationship, although the warmth and charm in his expression made him seem far more approachable.

Xi Yunxui’s steps came to a halt.

She had met him before, though their previous encounter had been brief. Nevertheless, she remembered him clearly, particularly because his presence had left her with a peculiar impression she hadn’t entirely understood at the time.

As he approached, her earlier relaxed mood began to fade.

It wasn’t that Huo Jinyan had done anything to warrant her suspicion. In fact, he was smiling at her in a perfectly friendly manner.

Yet Xi Yunxui’s instincts stirred, prompting her to become more attentive.

She straightened slightly, her expression settling into polite composure as she watched him approach.

Huo Jinyan continued along the path, his smile never wavering.

He had covered most of the distance between them when Xi Yunxui suddenly felt something change.

The spiritual energy within her consciousness surged.

It happened without warning, so forcefully that she nearly stumbled. A wave of pressure swept through her spiritual consciousness, carrying an unmistakable intensity that had not been present moments earlier.

Xi Yunxui froze.

The sensation wasn’t coming from her own cultivation.

It was Jianshan.

Although he had returned to her spiritual consciousness and was no longer physically present in the garden, she could feel the sudden disturbance radiating from within her. His spiritual power, usually restrained and almost imperceptible, had surged with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

There was no mistaking the emotion behind it.

Anger.

A powerful, chilling anger that seemed to erupt from the depths of her spiritual consciousness without any warning.

Xi Yunxui’s heart lurched.

Jianshan? What is wrong with you?

She couldn’t understand what had triggered such a reaction. Huo Jinyan hadn’t even reached her yet, and as far as she could tell, he had done nothing more than call her name and walk toward her.

Yet the moment he came within several steps of her, Jianshan’s spiritual power grew even more turbulent.

A bead of sweat formed at Xi Yunxui’s temple.

She swallowed, forcing herself to maintain a calm expression even as the pressure within her consciousness intensified.

Huo Jinyan was now only a short distance away.

He smiled at her, seemingly unaware of the strange tension that had suddenly settled over the garden.

"Xi Yunxui," he said warmly, "I’ve been looking for you."