112: Chapter 112 Your master is too proud to admit it, why don't you take the initiative?

In the Side Hall, Xu Ruyu sat on the edge of the bed, head lowered, fingers unconsciously picking at the cuff of his moon-white Disciple robe.

Xiao Nianyin's cold and resolute words, "Get out," from the Main Hall still echoed in his ears, like two ice picks, making his chest feel heavy.

He didn't regret saying those words.

He genuinely wanted to save her.

That cultivation and those Saint Realm Power fragments originally belonged to her.

If he could exchange them for her Lifespan, her appearance, and her Life Qi, he would be willing.

But Revered Master's reaction...

Xu Ruyu pulled at the corner of his mouth with a bitter smile.

Yes, he spoke too bluntly, without considering Revered Master's Face.

How could such a thing be said in front of a third person? Moreover, that person was Lady Qingli.

Just as he was deep in self-reflection, the door to the Side Hall creaked open.

There was no sound of footsteps.

But as soon as Xu Ruyu looked up, he saw that stooped, aged figure, always with a mischievous smile.

Lady Qingli walked in slowly, hands behind her back, her cloudy old eyes scanning the somewhat dim Side Hall before finally resting on Xu Ruyu's Face.

"Oh, still feeling down?"

She drew out her words, then sat down at a chair by the table, pulling an unknown spirit fruit from her sleeve and taking a crunchy bite.

Xu Ruyu quickly stood up and bowed: "Senior."

"Alright, alright, enough with the formalities." Lady Qingli waved her hand, chewing on the spirit fruit and speaking indistinctly, "I just came to see if a certain foolish boy was overthinking things and suffocating himself."

Xu Ruyu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

Lady Qingli sighed, seeing his expression, and placed the half-eaten spirit fruit on the table.

"Little Xu, do you know why your Revered Master got so angry?"

Xu Ruyu was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Because Disciple... spoke carelessly, and shouldn't have said those things in front of Senior..."

"Wrong!" Lady Qingli interrupted him, tapping her finger on the tabletop, "Completely wrong!"

She leaned slightly forward, staring into Xu Ruyu's eyes:

"She's angry not because you 'said' those things. It's because you said those things 'in front of me.'"

"Don't you understand yet? Your Revered Master, Xiao Nianyin, is known throughout the Cultivation World as the 'Iceberg Beauty.' This title wasn't self-proclaimed; it was earned over hundreds of years by countless male cultivators who met with rejection and defeat."

Lady Qingli's voice took on a rare seriousness:

"For thousands of years, the men who wanted to approach her could line up from the Hehuan Sect to the Tianshu Sword Sect. Demonic Path, Righteous Path, young, old, Geniuses, warlords... what kind hasn't there been? But have you seen anyone succeed?"

"Forget about getting close to her; even those who could get within a zhang of her and speak three sentences without being frozen to death are few and far between."

"Although she cultivates a Hehuan Sect Cultivation Technique, she follows the most orthodox Dao of purity. She has always disdained those so-called 'Charm Techniques' and 'harvesting.' In a place like the Hehuan Sect, she is an anomaly, emerging unsullied from the mud."

Lady Qingli paused, her gaze deepening:

"So, do you understand? She secretly came to you at night because she couldn't bring herself to do it, couldn't let go of her pride.

She couldn't tell you openly: 'Xu Ruyu, I need your Yang Qi to restore my cultivation, let's Dual Cultivate.'"

"She couldn't do it."

"And you, on the other hand, got the benefit but didn't know to keep it to yourself. Instead, you blurted out all your secrets in front of me. And you said it so... in detail."

"Where is she supposed to put her old Face—oh, it truly is an old Face now—after that?"

Xu Ruyu listened, his Face turning red then pale.

He really hadn't thought that much.

He was just anxious, just felt that since there was a way to save Revered Master, they should do it quickly and not waste time.

"Senior, I..." His voice was dry, "I just want to return the cultivation to Revered Master. I've realized that those powers, staying with me, serve no great purpose other than making my Realm strange. But returning them to Revered Master could save her life."

Lady Qingli raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Aren't you afraid... that after she recovers her cultivation, the first person she'll kill is you?"

Xu Ruyu's body trembled.

Lady Qingli continued slowly: "Given Xiao Nianyin's personality, she would never allow the scandal of her 'losing her purity' to a Disciple to spread. What's the best way to keep it a secret? Of course, it's to silence those who know forever."

"You are the only one who knows."

"Once she recovers her Saint Realm cultivation, killing you will be easier than crushing an ant."

"By then, it will be too late for you to regret."

Xu Ruyu's expression changed erratically.

He really hadn't thought of this layer.

These days, he lived in constant calculation—Su Mei's covetousness, Qingyan's probing, Leng Ningshuang's dissatisfaction, the hostility of other Disciples, Liu Rurao's murderous intent... He walked on thin ice, strategizing every step.

But only with Xiao Nianyin had he never considered the question of 'how to protect himself if they turn against each other.'

Perhaps it was because, deep down, he always felt this woman... was different.

After a long silence, Xu Ruyu looked up, his eyes devoid of hesitation, leaving only a stubborn determination:

"My life was saved by Revered Master."

"Without her using the ice soul ningyin hairpin, I would already be dead under Liu Rurao's palm."

"If she truly believes that killing me is the only way to preserve her reputation and purity after she recovers her cultivation..."

He paused, his voice very soft, yet resolute:

"Then consider it me returning this life to her."

Lady Qingli was stunned.

She looked at the young man before her, at his clear and resolute eyes, and for the first time, a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

This kid...

He was more loyal and righteous than she had imagined.

And... more foolish.

But for some reason, this 'foolishness' touched a soft spot deep within Lady Qingli's heart.

She suddenly remembered many years ago, that person who had also disregarded everything for her, but ultimately...

Lady Qingli shook her head, pushing those distant memories back into her heart.

She looked at Xu Ruyu again, a flicker of resolve in her eyes.

"Good, since you have this intention, then I, your elder sister, will help you."

Xu Ruyu's eyes lit up: "Senior has a way?"

Lady Qingli smiled, her smile containing a hint of cunning and encouragement:

"You're so foolish."

"Don't you understand by now? There are two fundamental reasons why your Revered Master secretly sought you out for 'Dual Cultivation'—"

"First, she couldn't bring herself to do it, couldn't open her mouth."

"Second, she was afraid. Afraid that you would be detrimental to her once you knew her cultivation was lost, that you would take the opportunity to coerce her, or even... turn the tables."

She stood up, walked to Xu Ruyu, and gently tapped his forehead with her withered finger:

"If she's not proactive, why can't you be proactive?"

"My dear brother, if you truly have that intention, if you truly want to return the cultivation to her, if you truly want to save her life..."

Lady Qingli leaned closer to Xu Ruyu's ear, lowering her voice, enunciating each word:

"Why not learn from your Revered Master?"

"Tonight, sneak into the Main Hall as well."

"I'll tell you a secret—"

Her voice was as light as a breeze, yet it made Xu Ruyu's blood seem to freeze:

"Whether your Revered Master can recover her cultivation depends not on her, but on you."

"Once the Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra and Taixu True Qi cause the Saint Realm Power to flow back, the initiative is no longer in her hands. She can't take it unless... you actively give it."

"You must actively circulate your Cultivation Technique, guide the power fragments within your body, and transfer them back to her through the union of Yin and Yang."

"If you don't take the initiative, even if she seeks you out every night, she will only continue to make futile efforts as before, or even... accelerate the loss."

"So..."

Lady Qingli straightened up, looking at Xu Ruyu's stunned Face, which was frozen in shock, and patted his shoulder with a smile:

"Whether you save your Revered Master or not depends on whether you dare to go... tonight."

Having said that, she didn't linger, turned around, and her stooped figure slowly disappeared at the entrance of the Side Hall.

Leaving Xu Ruyu alone, standing rooted to the spot, Lady Qingli's last few words echoing repeatedly in his mind.

The initiative... is with me?

I actively... return it to her?

Tonight... sneak into the Main Hall?

Xu Ruyu's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

He looked up, his gaze passing through the Side Hall window, towards the Main Hall.

Night deepened.

The bright moon hung high.