Chapter 63: If You Don’t Understand, Just Ask He Yimo To Teach You~

“Me~? Oh, I’m totally fine!” He Yimo declared breezily, his voice echoing slightly in the stunned silence. A perfectly sincere, yet undeniably arrogant, curve touched his lips. “After all… with Brother Chen’s current level of skill… hurting me would probably be… hmmmmm… quite difficult, don’t you think~?”

He delivered that last part just loud enough for Chen Jianxin, and only Chen Jianxin, to hear clearly. Ouch.

Then, without giving Chen Jianxin a single second to retort, He Yimo spun around, addressing the crowd of surviving Wuji Sect disciples. His voice deliberately rose, taking on a serious, concerned tone.

“But what really worries me is this,” he announced gravely. “Tonight… I was wearing standard Wuji Sect robes… yet Brother Chen somehow mistook me for an evil cultist? Huuuh?!”

“I really think… Brother Chen might need to get his eyes properly checked once we return to the sect. Seriously.”

“I mean, look, ” He Yimo continued, pacing slightly, his expression full of ‘concern’. “Mistaking me? Okay, fine, whatever. An apology, and I forgive Brother Chen, no big deal! But… what if Brother Chen’s eyes act up again? What if he accidentally sees one of our other brothers or sisters as an enemy… and accidentally cuts them down with his sword?! WHAT THEN?! HMMMM?!”

He deliberately hammered home the phrase “accidentally”, twisting Chen Jianxin’s flimsy ‘apology’ into something sinister. Oooh, nasty.

Instantly, a wave of unease rippled through the Wuji Sect disciples. Nervous gulps could be heard. Their perception shifted dramatically.

`He Yimo? Not only is he super strong, but he’s always thinking about everyone else’s safety! What a genuinely GREAT guy!`

`But Chen Jianxin…? `Shudder.` He can’t even tell friend from foe! Yeah, he’s strong, but who dares stand near him now? What if he goes crazy again and ‘accidentally’ kills us?!`

`And seriously, that lame apology? If he ‘accidentally’ kills someone else, is he just gonna say ‘oops, my bad’ and expect that to be okay?! Nuh-uh!`

Suddenly, everyone deeply empathized with He Yimo’s ‘near-death’ experience. Chen Jianxin became the focus of collective fear and resentment. Although no one dared voice it aloud—fear of the strong held them back—Chen Jianxin felt the shift. He saw the fear in the eyes of even his former lackeys. In just one night, his reputation among the new disciples had utterly collapsed!

And all that lost prestige? It was flowing directly towards He Yimo, the supposedly aloof and unapproachable rich young master! Score!

“Heh…” Standing beside the two boys, Mo Yuyan, secretly observing the shifting atmosphere, couldn’t suppress a tiny, almost invisible smirk. Interesting. She pursed her lips, feeling a flicker of amusement. Normally, He Yimo’s smart mouth drove her nuts, but seeing him utterly humiliate this petty, vindictive Chen Jianxin? Mmm, that felt… unexpectedly satisfying. Deep down, she started to appreciate He Yimo’s sharp, sadistic wit and mischievous streak.

`If you ignore the fact that he’s a little pervert…` she thought, `…he’s actually quite… likeable…`

`…But nope. Definitely a pervert.`

`He’s wickedly smart, gifted at swordsmanship AND Go…`

`…Still a pervert, though.`

`Instead of using his brains for something useful, all he cares about is hitting on girls and collecting pretty junior sisters!` Grrr…

For some reason, Mo Yuyan’s initial amusement faded, replaced by a familiar wave of irritation. Because just moments ago, she’d seen the two prettiest junior sisters—Yun Jin and Jiang Jinyue—clinging to He Yimo’s arms, gazing up at him with eyes practically dripping with adoration. Ugh!

Especially that red-haired vixen… Jiang Jinyue! In this freezing, snow-covered mountain weather, she was wearing a dark red dress that barely covered her knees?! Seriously?! Short skirt aside, she had white silk stockings on! And not just any white stockings—these were clearly the indecent kind! Thin enough to show pink skin underneath, unnaturally smooth and shiny! Tch!

What Mo Yuyan found most improper was that the stockings only came up to mid-thigh! They ended right where the skirt hem began, creating that deliberate ‘absolute territory’ gap. Usually, it might not be obvious, but from a lower angle, or if the wind blew the skirt just so… you’d get a clear glimpse of the soft thigh flesh squeezed by the stocking top.

Shameless! Shameless! Shameless!

`Risking her life just to seduce men!` Mo Yuyan fumed internally. `Wearing so little in this weather! Isn’t she afraid her legs will freeze off?!` Mo Yuyan crossed her arms tightly, her cold gaze fixed on Jiang Jinyue’s white stockings, unable to mask her disapproval.

Meanwhile, standing slightly off to the side, Mu Yanran observed Mo Yuyan’s blatant disapproval… glanced down at Mo Yuyan’s own black-silk-clad legs beneath her long skirt… and felt an almost overwhelming urge to point out the hypocrisy. Ahem… Sis, seriously?

`Okay, sure, Jiang Jinyue is a fox demon, so dressing seductively is kinda her thing,` Mu Yanran thought wryly. `But you, Mo Yuyan? The righteous Kensei? What’s your excuse for joining the silk stocking party?` Mu Yanran had known Mo Yuyan for years; she’d seen her wear black stockings before, but usually only as thick leggings indoors for training or lounging. Rarely, if ever, had she worn such thin ones outdoors. Especially not in a snowstorm! `The only real difference is your skirt is longer… So how can you judge Jiang Jinyue so harshly?`

“Sigh… Honestly, what is going on inside these people’s heads?” Mu Yanran mentally facepalmed, feeling like everyone surrounding He Yimo was completely nuts. Her supposed ally, Jiang Jinyue, had failed spectacularly at her simple task: killing Chen Jianxin. And her own Junior Sister, Mo Yuyan, was bizarrely fixated on Jiang Jinyue’s legwear?! This entire situation is a disaster!

“Speaking of which… Chen Jianxin,” Mo Yuyan suddenly announced, her gaze snapping away from Jiang Jinyue’s legs back to the boy in question.

Chen Jianxin, who had been fuming silently, locked in a staring contest with He Yimo, jumped involuntariy. “Y-Yes, Senior Sister Mo?!” He instantly straightened up, his resentful expression vanishing, replaced by attentive obedience. “Wh-What further instructions do you have?”

Mo Yuyan remained impassive, hands clasped behind her back, her cold eyes slowly sweeping over Chen Jianxin from head to toe. “Actually… before you lost control and attacked He Yimo… I was observing your fight against the Miyue cultists from a distance…”

“Y-You were watching, Senior Sister Mo?!” Chen Jianxin’s eyes widened, a thrill running through him. She saw?! He puffed up slightly, remembering his ‘glorious’ rampage after blacking out—killing four cultists single-handedly! Confidence surged. He lifted his chin, his eyes shining with eager anticipation, expecting praise.

But Mo Yuyan just raised a delicate eyebrow, her expression laced with confusion. “Hmmm~? Is it true what they say? The more ignorant one is… the more confident they become?”

“Ah… Huh?!” The expected praise didn’t come. Chen Jianxin blinked, utterly baffled. Wh-What did she mean by that?!

Mo Yuyan sighed internally, feeling weary. “From my observation… while your innate talent is indeed impressive… your foundational sword skills seem… severely lacking. Many of the techniques you executed were missing the single most crucial element…”

“M-Missing an element?!” Chen Jianxin frowned, bewildered. “B-But… that’s impossible! I practiced exactly according to the manuals Senior Brother Gu gave me…!”

Hearing that, Mo Yuyan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Are you certain Gu Wanglan taught you this way?”

“Y-Yes! Absolutely!”

“Hmmmm. If you didn’t learn incorrectly… then Gu Wanglan must have intentionally removed the final pages from those manuals… withheld the true essence of each technique from you.” Mo Yuyan mused aloud, a cold, ironic smile touching her lips. “Otherwise, your power should have even greater room to grow… But I recall, Gu Wanglan is your savior, the one who brought you to the sect… Why would he teach you incomplete techniques? Unless…” Her gaze towards Chen Jianxin became speculative, discerning, as if she’d just uncovered a subtle scheme left by Gu Wanglan.

Nearby, Jiang Jinyue and Mu Yanran—both privy to certain secrets—exchanged wide-eyed glances, swallowing nervously. Uh oh…

“Bad deer! Bad, bad deer!” came a sudden, unrelated Pshhting sound from the side. “Shush! Stop complaining! I don’t have much spiritual energy right now! You can ‘eat’ later tonight when we rest!”

Everyone turned. He Yimo was completely ignoring the Kensei’s lecture, instead pointing an accusing finger at the glowing golden deer sigil on the back of his right hand, arguing heatedly with his spirit companion. “If you keep ‘Baaaah’-ing at me, see that bonfire?! Careful, or tonight’s party might feature roasted venison…! Hmph!”

The tension instantly deflated as everyone stared at He Yimo, their expressions ranging from confused to exasperated.

“W-Wait! Hold on!” Chen Jianxin sputtered, feeling the strange shift in atmosphere, desperately trying to regain Mo Yuyan’s attention. “T-This disciple is ignorant! Please, Senior Sister Mo, enlighten me! Which crucial element am I missing?! Please guide me!” He dropped back to one knee, clasping his fists earnestly, the picture of a devoted student.

But Mo Yuyan remained unmoved, her coolly beautiful face impassive. She paused, seemingly considering, then a sly glint entered her eyes. She glanced towards He Yimo, who was still bickering with his deer spirit.

“The intricacies involved are… numerous,” Mo Yuyan stated calmly. “It would take quite some time to explain fully. Besides,” she added dismissively, “I must now patrol the mountain, search for any remaining traces of the Miyue Sect.”

“Therefore,” she continued smoothly, “As I am neither your Master nor directly your Senior Sister in lineage… I have no obligation, nor the time, to personally instruct you.”

Her words were delivered lightly, but held the weight of finality. As the Daughter of Destiny in swordsmanship, Mo Yuyan had encountered countless ‘geniuses’ like Chen Jianxin. Talent merely earned them a passing glance. And Mo Yuyan had given him that glance, even pointing out the flaws in his technique. Her ‘kindness’ ended there. Any further teaching depended entirely on her mood.

And unfortunately for Chen Jianxin, after witnessing his petty antagonism towards He Yimo… Mo Yuyan found his vindictive personality utterly distasteful. Compared to Chen Jianxin, who refused to admit fault and lashed out defensively… Mo Yuyan found herself preferring He Yimo—lecherous, yes, but not malicious; black-bellied, yet possessing a core of righteousness; willing to step up bravely in a crisis. Yeah, definitely preferable.

An impish idea sparked in Mo Yuyan’s mind. She cleared her throat delicately. “However, Chen Jianxin, don’t despair.”

“These foundational… simple sword techniques? I already drilled them into He Yimo back on Ranmo Peak until he could recite them backwards in his sleep.”

“Sooo~…” Mo Yuyan concluded, her voice tinged with deliberate sweetness, “If you are truly dedicated to learning… you could perhaps take some time to… ask He Yimo. Let him teach you!”

WHAAAA—?!

He Yimo, mid-argument with Wangxue, froze, his entire body going rigid. He slowly turned his head… only to meet Chen Jianxin’s utterly mortified, hate-filled glare.

“—HUH?!?”