Chapter 76: Bad Little Deer, Call Me Master!

“U-Um… Young Master He…?” Yun Jin murmured, reverting to the more formal address she used when feeling particularly flustered or uncertain.

“Are… Are we really staying here on Northfall Mountain…? To keep investigating?” She sat beside him on the cold stone steps of the Divine Deer Shrine entrance, watching the last figures of the Wuji Sect disciples disappear down the path as the sun dipped lower. Her voice was tinged with anxiety; she nervously poked He Yimo’s arm.

“No more investigating.” He Yimo gazed out at the fiery sunset painting the horizon, his mood surprisingly calm now that the annoying crowd was gone. “I have… other arrangements.”

“Other arrangements~??” Yun Jin’s ahoge twitched into a perfect question mark. Huh?

“Didn’t you say last night,” He Yimo turned to her, his expression unreadable, “…that you wanted to ‘repay’ my kindness?” Thump. That word—’repay’—hit Yun Jin like a lightning bolt.

Her eyes shot wide open. A furious blush instantly flooded her cheeks. !!! But just as quickly, her expression crumpled into a pout. “R-Repay…?! O-Of course, I remember! B-But…! Does… Does Young Master He really need me to repay him… tonight…? So soon…?” Whimper…

“Is that a problem?” He Yimo asked coolly. He knew exactly how differently they interpreted ‘repay’, but Yun Jin’s flustered, innocent reaction was just too damn cute to pass up. He leaned in slightly, deliberately letting the misunderstanding hang in the air, a playful glint in his eyes. Heh.

“N-N-NO! It’s not a problem! Not at all!” Yun Jin waved her hands frantically, her face practically steaming. She paused, taking a shaky breath, then sighed, her shoulders slumping.

“It’s just…” she mumbled, looking down at her hands. “We… We already found all the clues here in Snow Village, right…? And everyone else from Wuji Sect already went back to look for the Divine Deer God…”

“Young Master He, you know… the Divine Deer… saved my grandparents when I was little…” Her voice grew heavy with genuine worry.

“So… now that Snow Village is gone… and the Deer is missing… I… I’m just really, really worried about the Deer God…” The blush faded from her face, replaced by deep sadness. She unconsciously scooted closer to He Yimo on the steps, her small hand tentatively gripping his arm, her eyes pleading.

“Young Master He… C-Can’t we please… please just go look for the Deer first? J-Just until this investigation mission is officially over…? And then…! Then we can talk… slowly… about how Yun Jin can… r-repay… Young Master He… later? Pweeeease?” Sniffle…

“You’re really that worried about the Deer?” He Yimo asked, his playful tone softening slightly at her genuine distress.

“Of COURSE!”

“Hmm… Actually, ” He Yimo said casually, dropping the bomb. “I do know exactly where the Nine-Colored Deer is.”

“Huh?! You… You DO?!” Yun Jin froze, looking up at him sharply, her eyes wide with disbelief. She stared intently into his calm, cold eyes, searching for any hint of teasing… but found none. He… He’s serious?!

“I can take you to see the Nine-Colored Deer, ” He Yimo stated, his voice turning serious again, his gaze sharp, testing her. “BUT… on one condition. For the next two days… you must stay with me. Go where I go. Do exactly as I say. No questions asked.”

Thump thump… Thump thump… Yun Jin’s heart began to race under his intense scrutiny. Wh-Why does that sound so… demanding?

“F-For the next two days… I… I have to follow Young Master He…? And… listen to Young Master He… about everything…?” Even though his voice wasn’t harsh, the words sent a shiver down her spine. It sounded suspiciously like… like he was trying to kidnap her or something! Eeeek! Suddenly, she remembered him mentioning Kensei Mo warning him not to run off with her… Gulp.

“Young Master He… A-Are you telling the truth? About knowing where the Deer is?”

“Of course.”

“I… I think… I need to see the Deer God first… before I agree…” Yun Jin managed, clutching her hands together nervously. Her voice was small, but her eyes held a newfound flicker of caution. She might be innocent, and she might really like He Yimo… but at a critical juncture like this, she wasn’t going to be completely swept away by emotion. Seeing is believing!

“Good.” He Yimo’s lips curved into a faint, approving smile. He wasn’t angry at her caution; relieved, actually. “Looks like you’re not quite as foolish as Senior Sister Mo worried you might be.” Good. He’d been steadily raising her affection levels, but it was reassuring to know she wasn’t a complete love-struck idiot. She still had some self-preservation instincts.

“Alright, let’s go.” He Yimo glanced around. Chen Jianxin and the others were long gone. He stood up, stretching lazily. Sigh… Finally.

Yun Jin scrambled to her feet beside him. “A-Are we going to find the Deer God right now?!”

“Yup.”

“But… But isn’t the Deer God back in the direction Chen Jianxin and the others went?!” Huh?

“Just follow me…” He Yimo started walking back down the mountain steps.

Yun Jin obediently trotted behind him. The mountain path was steep and treacherous, slick with ice as dusk settled. The shadows lengthened, making footing even more difficult. Slip! Suddenly, Yun Jin lost her balance on a patch of black ice, flailing wildly—WHOA!—and slamming right into He Yimo’s back, nearly knocking him off the narrow cliff edge. AAAAH!

After a flurry of panicked apologies from Yun Jin, He Yimo remained silent for a moment, then simply scooped the clumsy girl up into his arms bridal style. Oof!

“Hold on tight.” He Yimo commanded curtly, noticing how late it was getting. Before Yun Jin could even process what was happening, he launched himself off the cliff edge, aiming for the steep, snowy slope below.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!!” The sudden stomach-lurching drop ripped a terrified scream from Yun Jin’s lungs. Her arms clamped around He Yimo’s neck in a death grip, burying her face against his chest, too scared to look. EEP! EEP! EEP!

Mid-air, He Yimo landed expertly on the icy slope, using the soles of his boots like skis. Simultaneously, his left arm transformed into the Abyssal Dragon Armguard, the sharp, scaled claws digging into the rocky cliff face beside them for balance and control as he slid rapidly down the mountainside, carrying her effortlessly. SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!

“HAHAHA—!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO~! THIS IS SO FUUUUNNN~! ♡” After the initial terror, Yun Jin slowly cracked open an eye. The exhilarating speed, the wind whipping past, the snowy landscape blurring below… her fear evaporated, replaced by pure, unadulterated joy. She let out delighted shrieks, throwing her hands up in the air like she was on a roller coaster. YIPPEEEEEE~!

The thrilling slide didn’t last forever. He Yimo landed smoothly at the bottom of the slope, gently setting Yun Jin back on her feet. Her heart was still hammering, but her face was flushed with pure happiness. She immediately grabbed his hand, beaming. The atmosphere was surprisingly light and fun, so He Yimo didn’t pull away, letting her hold his hand as they walked through the quiet, snow-dusted forest.

Most of the other disciples’ tents and belongings had already been packed up and taken away. But nestled behind a small, secluded embankment deep in the woods stood a single, unassuming small black tent – theirs. He Yimo stopped in front of it, finally letting go of Yun Jin’s hand.

“Eh?” Yun Jin blinked, snapping out of her post-skiing euphoria. She looked around, realizing they were completely alone, with just this one tiny tent nearby. A slow, dawning blush started creeping up her neck again. Oh… Oh my…

“You go inside first, ” He Yimo instructed, standing behind her, arms crossed, his tone completely serious again. “I’ve got a… big treasure… to show you.” The sun had set, and the air was growing cold. Luckily, his shortcut had saved them hours; they were back at camp much earlier than expected.

“I… I go inside…?” A cold gust of wind blew past, whipping strands of her pale hair across her face. Yun Jin tucked them behind her ear nervously, her heartbeat quickening again. Thump-thump, thump-thump… She had a pretty good idea, given the ‘just the two of us alone in a tiny tent’ vibe, what kind of ‘big treasure’ He Yimo might be planning to ‘show’ her… Gulp.

But… looking into He Yimo’s sincere (or maybe just intense?) eyes… despite the fluttering panic and reluctance in her heart… her body seemed to move on its own, obediently crawling into the small tent. H-Here goes nothing…

“Alright, Yun Jin, ” He Yimo’s voice came from right behind her as he crawled in too. He zipped the tent flap closed, plunging them into relative darkness, save for the faint glow filtering through the fabric. His voice held a mysterious, slightly amused tone. “Keep your eyes wide open now! You don’t wanna miss this!”

Yun Jin huddled in the far corner of the tiny tent, hugging her knees tightly to her chest, her face burning hot. Trembling slightly, she watched He Yimo with wide, uncertain eyes. W-What’s he going to do…? If… If He Yimo really did want… that… Yun Jin probably wouldn’t refuse. She owed him her life, after all. And in the cultivation world, such debts often came with… certain expectations. She was just a weak girl; she couldn’t fight him anyway… Sigh…

But… it just felt… too soon! Too sudden! Couldn’t he be a little… gentler? More respectful? Did he really have to just… whip out his ‘big treasure’ like this?! Sob…

`MEEEEEE~♡!`

Suddenly, amidst Yun Jin’s flustered, blushing confusion, a soft, adorable bleating sound echoed within the small tent. Huh? Yun Jin blinked, wondering if she was hearing things. But then, a familiar wave of warm, natural spiritual energy began to gather. Her eyes snapped towards He Yimo’s right hand. The golden Sacred Mark was glowing brightly! !!! This power… it felt so strong, so comforting… completely different from anything she’d felt from He Yimo before…

“Could it be…? WANGXUE?!” Instantly forgetting all about ‘repaying debts’ and ‘big treasures’, Yun Jin stared fixedly at He Yimo, her eyes wide with breathless anticipation.

He Yimo just smirked confidently. He channeled energy into the Sacred Mark, pouring power into the seal. A brilliant golden light filled the tent… and coalesced into a figure—a petite, humanoid figure with snowy white skin, deer-like ears peeking through golden blonde hair, delicate nine-colored antlers sprouting from her forehead, and intricate nine-colored markings adorning her flawless skin… completely… naked.

“Wait a sec—” He Yimo started, blinking.

“—A GIRL?!” The question burst out of his mouth, echoing Yun Jin’s internal shock. She stared, utterly speechless, at the stunning, golden-haired deer spirit girl who had just materialized before them.

The golden light faded, leaving the petite figure standing proudly in the center of the small tent.

`MEEEEEEH~! Heh! Pretty impressive, right?! How d’ya like me now?!` The little deer girl declared smugly, planting her bare feet firmly on the tent floor. She spun around, put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and looked expectantly at He Yimo, clearly awaiting praise. Ta-da!

He Yimo stared. His expression shifted rapidly over three seconds: first, confusion and a deep frown… then wide-eyed, stunned silence, his gaze frozen… finally, horrified realization dawned, followed by pure panic.

“HOLY SHIT!” He Yimo yelped, scrambling backwards. “HOW THE FUCK DID THIS FORM GET PAST THE CENSORS—?!” He frantically threw a hand up to cover his eyes – or maybe shield the girl’s… uh… assets.

Simultaneously, Yun Jin gasped, finally snapping out of her shock. “Eeeek!” She lunged forward, grabbing the nearest sleeping bag and throwing it clumsily over the naked deer girl, completely enveloping her.

`MEEE?! MYAAAAH?! Hey! Whatcha doin?! Let goooo~! Hnnngh!` The deer girl, suddenly bundled up like a disgruntled kitten in a sack, struggled furiously under the heavy quilt, muffled protests echoing from within.

Yun Jin held the wriggling bundle down firmly, her own face scarlet red as she yelled frantically at He Yimo— “Young Master He! Y-YOU! Stop LOOKING! Turn around! GET OUT! N-NOW!!!”

“Ah! Right! Okay! Going!” He Yimo jolted as if electrocuted, scrambling backwards out of the tent flap as fast as humanly possible. He zipped it shut tightly behind him and stood shivering in the cold night air, fumbling in his robes for a small bottle. He popped the lid and dryly swallowed several pills. Gulp. Calming Spirit Pills. He’d ‘borrowed’ a bottle from Senior Brother Zhang’s alchemy stash back at the sect, just in case. Never thought he, the legendary ‘immune-to-poison-and-temptation’ king of his past life, would actually need calming pills in this damn cliché cultivation world… Sigh.

Muffled shouts and frantic scuffling noises continued from inside the tent for several long minutes. Finally, the tent flap rustled open again. He Yimo turned cautiously. A petite figure emerged, draped in what looked like one of He Yimo’s oversized outer robes, repurposed into a makeshift dress with long, floppy sleeves covering her hands. Delicate nine-colored antlers peeked out from a cascade of golden hair framing a small, cute face that looked no older than twelve or thirteen.

“Hmph! Heh heh~!” The deer girl smirked, planting her hands on her hips again, tilting her chin up defiantly. “He Yimooooo~! From now on, you can never bully me for not being able to talk properly again! So there!” she declared proudly.

He Yimo blinked, then slowly crouched down, curiously examining the intricate nine-colored marking glowing faintly on her forehead. He watched her preen for a moment… then, quick as lightning, while she was still basking in her own glory, he reached out and playfully poked the tip of her upturned nose.

“Bad little deer, ” he said sternly, his voice low. “Call me Master.”

“HE YIMO!” she stomped her small foot indignantly.

“Call. Me. Master.”

“HE YIMO! HE YIMO!! HE YIMO!!!”

“Hey! You little—?!” He Yimo growled, reaching for her again.