Chapter 72: Wangxue Will Be Good! Don’t Leave Wangxue!

`Y’know…` He Yimo thought unexpectedly, addressing Wangxue again in their private mental channel. `I was just thinking… Yun Jin… she might actually be a better match for you… than me.`

`I mean, look at her,` he continued thoughtfully. `She’s a Contract Master too, right? Seems like you two have some kinda connection. And she’s got that natural affinity talent… It’s like she was born to be the perfect host for a nature spirit like you.`

`So… listen. If I do manage to kill Gu Wanglan for you… after the fight… if you really don’t like being stuck with me… I could… I could transfer your contract to Yun Jin…` He Yimo finished quietly, his gaze dropping slightly, tapping the inert golden mark on his hand again. After last night in the tent… He Yimo felt pretty confident he could win Yun Jin’s heart eventually. So, if she was truly the better host for Wangxue…? He wouldn’t mind making the switch. Yun Jin would be his sooner or later anyway, right? Having her provide support through Wangxue wouldn’t be that different from draining Wangxue directly… Probably.

`Meeeeh…` As He Yimo pondered this practical arrangement, the golden mark on his hand suddenly pulsed with a faint, sorrowful light. An unexpected wave of profound sadness and loneliness washed over him. The image of the statue-filled chamber abruptly dissolved, replaced by a flashback – her flashback.

He saw the devastated Snow Village again, bodies strewn everywhere… He saw a cold, beautiful girl in a blood-red formal gown, bandages wrapped around her limbs, step forward… saw blood-red vines erupt from her palm, wrapping cruelly around a younger Wangxue’s neck, draining her dry… Gasp!

The scene shifted again – the endless darkness of a cold, damp dungeon… the faint sound of footsteps echoing… a small, weak deer stirs, blinking open its weary eyes… A young man in white robes, holding a flickering oil lamp, walks towards the bars, towards her…

`………`

Wangxue didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. The rapid sequence of images, like panels in a comic book, conveyed her entire emotional journey – the trauma, the despair, the flicker of hope – directly into He Yimo’s mind, letting him feel it with gut-wrenching clarity. This was the true power of spirit beast communication, far more impactful than mere words.

“Heh…” He Yimo let out a shaky breath, the profound sadness lingering. He felt… surprisingly depressed now. He forced a weak chuckle, trying to lighten the heavy mood. “So… guess you don’t hate me that much after all, huh?”

`Wangxue will be good! Yes! Good girl!` came the fervent mental cry, accompanied by the image of the small, white deer in the dark cage, its antlers suddenly glowing with a soft, nine-colored light, like a tiny sun pushing back the shadows, slowly warming the oppressive chill He Yimo had just felt. `Don’t… Don’t leave Wangxue! Please!`

Instantly, He Yimo felt a warmth spread through his entire body, chasing away the lingering sadness.

His eyes widened slightly. A single, fat tear unexpectedly rolled down his cheek. He reached up to wipe it away, startled. Had he… had he actually started crying just from seeing Wangxue’s memories? Wow. That was… weirdly powerful. In just a few seconds, the Nine-Colored Deer’s empathy resonance had managed to make him—a guy who prided himself on his emotional resilience—tear up. Huh.

“Okay, okay! Sheesh!” He Yimo mumbled gruffly, clearing his throat. “Just forget I said anything. Just… just hurry up and eat, alright?”

`Buuuuuuurp~`

This time, instead of words, Wangxue responded with a loud, satisfied mental belch. Thump. Just like that, the psychic connection snapped back to normal, and He Yimo found himself staring, slightly dumbfounded, at the now completely dull, lifeless stone statue.

“Wait, what?!” he exclaimed internally. “It’s… It’s empty already?! There’s no energy left?!”

`Meee! ^^` Wangxue chirped happily, sounding completely revitalized and full of energy. All traces of her earlier sadness and desperation were gone, replaced by cheerful contentment. It was almost like her whole emotional display had just been an act to gain sympathy…

Now Wangxue felt great, while He Yimo felt oddly… manipulated? Like he’d been tricked into crying? Tch.

“So… You full now?” he asked dryly.

`Meeeeh…` Wangxue hummed noncommittally, licking her lips mentally, clearly still wanting more. `Maaaaybe~…?`

Okay, now He Yimo felt like he was dealing with the bottomless pit. Back when he played the game, Wangxue was trapped elsewhere, so players discovering this hidden chamber got all the energy. He remembered absorbing it all back then as a Qi Refinement cultivator and jumping straight to late-stage Foundation Establishment!

It was basically an official cheat code! He’d hoped Wangxue would eat most of it, leaving enough for him to maybe hit Core Formation… But nope! This energy reserve, enough to sustain an entire village through winter… wasn’t even enough to satisfy Wangxue’s appetite alone! Damn!

“Alright, alright! Fine! You eat more than me! Happy?!” He Yimo grumbled silently. “Between the two of us, we could probably devour a hundred cultists…” He pulled his hand back from the now-dead statue and walked over to Yun Jin, who was still puzzling over the cabinet lock.

“Young Master He?” Yun Jin looked up, her eyes brightening as he approached. She rubbed her slightly sore eyes and pointed to a specific symbol carved onto the lock mechanism. “Young Master He, look! I was studying this… this marking looks kinda similar to the ones on the Nine-Colored Compass! The compass symbols related to coordinates, right? But these ones… I think they represent… dates?”

“A-And! According to the legends… the Divine Deer is supposedly an Aries!” she explained excitedly. “So, using the Western calendar the explorers brought… the Deer’s constellation sign falls between March and April… S-So! My guess is! The combination for this lock is probably the Divine Deer’s birthday! I just… I haven’t figured out which specific day in March or April it is yet…” Yun Jin rattled off her deductions eagerly.

Meanwhile, the golden mark on He Yimo’s hand started pulsing excitedly again.

`MEE! MEE-YAH! OOH! OOH! I KNOW!` Wangxue squealed internally, her mental ‘face’ practically vibrating next to He Yimo’s ear. `MEEE! MEEEE! IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!`

He Yimo winced at the mental noise. Something about the date felt… off… but Wangxue was insistent. He sighed, covering one ear mentally. “Yun Jin,” he said flatly, “Try April seventh.”

“April seventh…?” Yun Jin tilted her head, her ahoge forming a perfect question mark. “Okay… Four… zero… seven… Let’s try…” She carefully inputted the combination.

CLICK!

A distinct mechanical sound echoed from the lock. Both He Yimo and Yun Jin froze, eyes wide. Yun Jin pulled tentatively on the cabinet door… but it remained firmly shut.

…False alarm.

“Uh…” Yun Jin scratched her cheek awkwardly. “Guess… Guess that wasn’t it…”

He Yimo’s lip twitched. He raised his right hand, staring pointedly at the golden mark, which had suddenly gone silent. `Well?`

This time, it was Wangxue’s turn for a mental question mark ahoge. `B-But… Wangxue’s birthday is April seventh… Meeeeeh…? QAQ` she whimpered pitifully in his mind.

He Yimo raised an internal eyebrow. Ah. He finally remembered the game’s actual password logic. `Stop getting worked up,` he told Wangxue dryly. `Ever consider… just maybe… this password is the village chief’s eldest son’s birthday? Hmm?`

Wangxue: `Meeeeh??? o.O`

Not waiting for her confused bleat, He Yimo turned back to Yun Jin. “Okay, try July thirteenth.”

“Oh. Okay… Seven… one… three…”

CLACK!

Another sharp click, much more decisive this time. The heavy cabinet door swung open easily. Yun Jin, moments ago stumped, gasped, her eyes widening in astonishment. Simultaneously, Wangxue let out a mental squeak of confusion, her question mark ahoge practically vibrating.

“H-How…?” Yun Jin looked up at He Yimo, her face alight with admiration. “How did Young Master He know the password?!”

He Yimo felt Wangxue’s bewildered pout internally and shrugged, trying to look casual. “Ah, well… Because I remembered… the Nine-Colored Deer’s birthday is July thirteenth.”

“Eh?! Really?! July thirteenth?!” Yun Jin blinked, scratching her cheek again. “O-Oh… I really thought the Deer God was an Aries… March or April…” She looked utterly confused now.

He Yimo smirked, stepping forward to examine the contents of the now-open cabinet. “Northfall Snow Mountain might be near the western border, ” he explained coolly, “And technically outside the Eastern Dynasty’s direct rule… But the Nine-Colored Deer is still fundamentally an Eastern mythical creature, right? Why would its birthday follow some Western zodiac calendar?”

“Ah! Th-That makes sense!” Yun Jin’s eyes lit up with understanding. “The Deer isn’t from Western mythology…”

“Exactly, ” He Yimo nodded. “So, according to the local Snow Village calendar, its birthday is July thirteenth. However… that same date, if you convert it to the standard Daxia Dynasty calendar… does fall on April seventh. And April seventh, according to the Western zodiac… is Aries. So, the rumors you heard about Aries weren’t wrong, exactly… just based on a different calendar system.”

“Huh???” Yun Jin (and likely Wangxue) stared, trying to wrap their heads around the calendar conversions.