Yang Shifei couldn't help but shiver.
He subconsciously clenched his right hand, feeling a strength he hadn't possessed in his twenty years of life, and looked at her with a bewildered expression.
This cold energy inside him, was it really related to this woman?
"Let me see."
The mysterious servant girl abruptly grabbed Yang Shifei's arm, her movement incredibly fast.
"…"
Yang Shifei remained motionless, his back faintly damp with cold sweat that hadn't dried.
He had instinctively wanted to struggle, but on second thought, he suppressed the urge.
He was equally clueless right now and could only wait for her to provide an answer.
"Hmm?" But the mysterious servant girl tilted her head again, her small mouth pouting slightly. "Nothing?"
Muttering to herself, she casually took Yang Shifei's right hand and swung it back and forth, looking more like a little girl throwing a playful tantrum.
"Still nothing?"
"What does this mean?"
Yang Shifei was a bit baffled by her actions.
The mysterious servant girl quickly looked up at him. "Aren't you going to 'bite' me again? It felt pretty good."
Yang Shifei tried his best to ignore her easily misunderstood words and said hesitantly, "Are you talking about… that cold energy I absorbed?"
"Something like that."
The mysterious servant girl looked around again, seemingly having lost interest in getting to the bottom of it, and pouted her small lips.
"Forget it, I don't get it."
With that, she let go of his hand and turned to leave again.
Yang Shifei stared blankly, thinking this girl was perhaps a bit too capricious.
Thinking this, he still hurriedly pulled her back. "Wait, are you really from the Luo Residence or not?"
The mysterious servant girl blinked back at him.
Yang Shifei, guessing that she cared a lot about this 'biting' issue, quickly put on a solemn expression. "If you can sit down and talk with me, I'll 'bite' you again afterwards, how about that?"
"…"
The mysterious servant girl blinked her large, watery eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
Combined with her youthful, pretty, and adorable face, she looked quite radiant and charming.
And looking at her innocent and pure face, Yang Shifei actually felt a trace of guilt in his heart, as if he were deceiving an ignorant little girl.
Half an hour later, in the backyard of the residence.
Yang Shifei came to the backyard carrying two bowls of noodles.
After some cleaning, the kitchen was usable. Although he wasn't much of a cook, making a bowl of noodles was easy.
"Eat up."
The mysterious servant girl sat opposite him and, without any ceremony, picked up her chopsticks and started eating, seemingly having no aversion to 'food.'
Yang Shifei silently observed her for a couple of moments, his feelings complex.
While cooking the noodles, he had taken the opportunity to ask her many questions.
As he had expected, this girl was not a Luo Residence servant. Her attire was simply because she found it pretty and thought the identity of a 'servant girl' was rather interesting, so she wore it.
She wasn't a female ghost, but she wasn't an ordinary person either. However, she didn't reveal what she specifically was, and didn't answer when pressed.
Although she appeared innocent and harmless on the outside, she at least possessed some degree of wariness.
But after calming down and spending time with her, Yang Shifei increasingly realized that this little girl was truly charming and adorable, making it difficult to harbor any ill feelings towards her. Looking into those bright, playful eyes, it was hard to imagine her as some kind of demon or monster.
But—
"Why did you trick me into entering the Luo Residence last night?"
Yang Shifei stirred the noodles in his bowl, probing, "Is it because you have some feud with them?"
The little girl lifted her eyes, pouting after biting off a strand of noodle. "For fun."
"Huh?"
Yang Shifei was stunned.
When he finally processed it, his mouth twitched a couple of times.
Merely for fun, she pushed him into the Luo Residence, that gloomy den of horrors?
Uh, no, Miss Luo was actually quite nice. Living off her was pretty sweet.
"That woman… isn't bad."
The little girl slurped her noodles, her speech muffled. "Getting married… interesting. Just standing outside looking foolish is no fun."
Yang Shifei looked thoughtful.
"I still don't know your name—"
Before he could finish, Yang Shifei looked at the noodle bowl she placed back on the table, and his eyes nearly popped out.
She finished already?
The little girl wiped her mouth and generously extended her hand.
"Come on, 'bite'."
Yang Shifei was dumbfounded for a moment, but could only brace himself and take her hand.
He had no idea how to recreate the 'bite' from before. After pondering for a long time, he could only silently repeat in his mind: 'bite' her, 'bite' her…
Suddenly, an aching coldness emerged once more!
Veins bulged on Yang Shifei's forehead. His body tensed and trembled, nearly knocking over the unfinished bowl of noodle soup beside him.
Only when he could no longer bear it did he shakily withdraw his right hand, propping himself up on the stone table, gasping for breath, allowing the cold energy to flow throughout his body.
The little girl stared at her palm for a moment, then cast a slightly curious gaze at him.
Seeing Yang Shifei look up, she pursed her lips and smiled sweetly. "Not bad, very comfortable."
"Since you're done 'biting', tell me your name again—"
"I'm leaving."
"Huh?"
Seeing her actually get up to leave again, Yang Shifei almost couldn't maintain the serious expression on his face and quickly said, "Where are you going?"
The little girl lightly tapped her lower lip with a finger. "Inside the city, outside the city, wherever."
"That's not what I mean."
An idea struck Yang Shifei. "Do you not have a place to stay?"
The little girl seemed a bit confused, letting out a slightly dazed "Hmm?"
Yang Shifei took a deep breath and said calmly, "This residence is cold and deserted, with only me living here. If you have nowhere else to go, why not stay here with me?"
He had lived in Niu Family Village for some time and had shaken hands with Auntie Niu and the others before, but only this little girl before him could make him feel the cold energy, and even use it to enhance his physique.
Although this little girl was shrouded in mystery, the faint cold energy within him all came from her. Even if he still didn't understand the changes in himself, he at least had to make this 'golden finger' stay.
"No."
But the little girl shook her head. "I have no money."
"Just stay here."
Yang Shifei revealed a kind smile. "If you really feel bad about it, how about you become a servant girl here, just like at the Luo Residence next door? I can't say how much your wages will be in the future, but at least you won't have to worry about food and lodging."
The little girl turned her head to look towards the Luo Residence, then tilted her head up and pondered for a while.
Then, a faint smile touched her lips. "Okay."
Yang Shifei secretly clenched his fist, a pleasant surprise in his heart.
But before he could be happy for more than a moment, the little girl smiled and waved her hand again. "When I have time, I'll come again."
"Huh?"
Yang Shifei was stunned for only an instant before the little girl before him vanished like an illusion.
This extremely bizarre scene shocked him for a good while. He quickly looked around, only then confirming that she had truly disappeared without a trace.
"Damn it, she just ran off like that?"
Yang Shifei looked at the empty noodle bowl on the table, both shocked by her strange abilities and also finding it somewhat amusingly frustrating.
Why did it feel like he'd been freeloaded off for a meal… No, wait, he did get two doses of cold energy.
He quickly composed himself and carefully examined his body. He even tried jumping around in the courtyard for a while, picking up an old, weathered brick from the corner of the wall, pinching and tapping it.
"…Could it be that I've unintentionally learned something like the Star-Sucking Great Art?"
A moment later, Yang Shifei looked at the few finger marks left on the brick, his expression peculiar.
Was this considered internal force?
He pondered for a long time, trying to channel the cold energy with his thoughts as described in various novels.
But after gritting his teeth and groaning for half a day, the cold energy didn't react at all. Instead, the brick in his hand developed quite a few more cracks from his grip.
"I probably haven't found the right knack, or maybe… I need a cultivation technique manual?"
Yang Shifei put down the brick and stood up, his face pensive.
But he was also a bit puzzled. If he had absorbed that little girl's cultivation energy, why was she smiling so happily? Shouldn't she be furious and demanding an explanation from him?
"Is it because her cultivation technique is special, or is her personality simply different from ordinary people?"
Yang Shifei thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He could only suppress his excitement for now.
He'd deal with the matter of the mysterious young girl when she returned. Tonight, he would first test what other wonderful uses this cold energy in his body might have.
Stars twinkled, and pale clouds drifted lightly.
On the third night since stepping into East City, Yang Shifei did not sleep.
Under the cool moonlight, he sat alone on the steps of the backyard, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Eldest Miss Luo next door hadn't seen him; dinner was also delivered by a servant at a set time.
However, this was actually much more relaxing.
Yang Shifei patted his legs, an undeniable joy on his face.
"My stamina recovers very quickly."
Ever since obtaining this cold energy, it was as if he had an inexhaustible supply of strength. Even after running a dozen laps around the courtyard, he only felt slightly out of breath. As the cold energy circulated throughout his body, all fatigue vanished instantly. It was truly miraculous.
Moreover, both his vision and hearing were much sharper than before. His entire being felt as if it had been reborn.
"This way, perhaps I can make up for the disadvantage of my age?"
Yang Shifei stood up again and made a few practice swings with a broom, clicking his tongue as if still wanting more.
Unfortunately, he had no idea in what direction he should cultivate.
Even if he had read countless novels, how to actually perform those profound and mysterious descriptions in reality was truly incomprehensible.
He had originally wanted to wait for that little girl to return and ask her more, but she had disappeared for two days without a word, which left him feeling quite helpless.
And taking advantage of his free time, he had strolled through the streets of East City this afternoon and happened to see another martial arts duel in a restaurant. He heard they were disciples from two different sects, but unfortunately, their fight ultimately devolved into something no different from wild, flailing punches. He really couldn't see any skill in it.
"Forget it, let's continue exercising."
Yang Shifei stretched his muscles and bones, preparing to run another ten laps.
Rather than letting his thoughts run wild, it was better to take advantage of the lingering cold energy to replenish his lacking physical fitness as much as possible, laying a good foundation for future martial arts practice.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
A sudden strange noise made Yang Shifei pause his steps.
He turned his head to look at the densely leaved treetops outside the courtyard, which were trembling slightly, and frowned a little.
The wind wasn't strong tonight. Could it be stray cats or dogs jumping in the trees?
Although he had lived in Niu Family Village for dozens of days and was long accustomed to this, having just personally witnessed a 'female ghost,' he was naturally a bit wary, afraid that there might still be lingering spirits around this residence.
To be cautious, it was better to go take a look.
Yang Shifei picked up the broom again and quickly walked to the courtyard wall. He bent his knees, leaped, and hooked one hand onto the top of the wall.
This kind of difficult maneuver was something he wouldn't have even dared to think about before yesterday. But now, with the cold energy coursing through his body, with just a slight exertion, he effortlessly flipped himself onto the wall.
And then, he came face to face with a pair of cold eyes in the thicket.
"…"
Yang Shifei's eyes widened, his whole body frozen stiff.
Holy crap, there's a man in black crouching in the tree?
No, wait, is this a person or a ghost?!