Months passed.

ZhangYong had been visiting her at the end of each month.

Xinyi had to infer his plans based on the frequency of his surprise visits. Apparently, it had not crossed his mind to inform her of his intention. Despite all the time that had passed, ZhangYong was as high-handed as always. Their matches ended as abruptly as it began, and he always left with the same satisfied smirk.

Xinyi knew the progress she had made but she still could not last for more than half an hour. Even though ZhangYong’s disappearance was brief, some people eventually took notice and tongues began to wag.

Gossips about how he was having dalliances with a maid in Xinyi's courtyard floated around. Every knew how abandoned Xinyi's courtyard was. It was never used by the bedridden owner. The gossipmongers tried to figure out who the favoured maid was and did not suspect Xinyi in the least.

Such gossip could incur some level of wrath at times, whether it be due to jealousy or damage to reputation. However, it was common in their culture for men to have dalliances and several concubines, especially the more wealthy and powerful ones. Women were the ones expected to stay pure and chaste until marriage, then faithful till their death.

Everyone also silently pitied ZhangYong. WangWei’s and ZhangYong’s interest in HuiShan was noticeable to those with keen eyes. No boys made a move yet, but everyone already expected HuiShan to choose WangWei.

By the fourth month that ZhangYong came by, BaoBao had let his guard down. Nothing bad had happened like what Xinyi predicted. They had been living their days peacefully and Xinyi was making slow but steady progress. Xinyi could already constantly cultivate regardless of her activity. Her martial ability had risen to mid-level Sky realm.

Now that her herbs had all grown, they would be observing the results of Xinyi's experiment today. Given their smooth progress up till now, BaoBao was optimistic about the impending results.

Xinyi harvested the herbs from six pots. Three pots had been directly nourished with spiritual energy. The other three had been indirectly nourished by growing in soil with spiritual energy.

She then split the herb from each pot into two. One half would be stir-fried, while the other half would be boiled into soup.

In his eagerness to know the results, BaoBao appeared by her side and helped her with the washing and prepping.

When they were done, BaoBao stared sullenly at the single pot and pan on the stove.

"How long will it take to cook everything?" He asked gloomily.

"Seeing how the soup would take some time, I would estimate at least 3 hours."

BaoBao's jaw dropped. "Can't we just steal more pots?"

"If we take too many at once, someone will notice and think that there is a thief, resulting in a search and heightened security around the estate. Besides, I would have no need for that many pots after I'm done with this, then I'd have to return it again. Too much trouble. I'd rather be patient."

Xinyi gave him no room to argue, so he could only grumble under his breath, "If we had the system market, something small like this wouldn't be an issue…"

"System market?"

BaoBao jumped in fright, covered his mouth with both hands, then spoke through them. "Did I say anything?"

Xinyi raised an eyebrow at his poor but cute attempt at lying then turned her attention back on cooking. Since he did not want to talk about it, she would not probe.

Once she was done with the stir-fried herbs, she began her taste testing.

First, it was the herb that was directly nourished once every week. She kept her eyes closed to pay full attention to any sensations or changes in her body.

"Nothing?" BaoBao probed.

Xinyi shook her head. "Just tastes a little better than usual."

Then, she moved on to the herb that was directly nourished thrice every week.

"Still nothing?" BaoBao's voice reflected his dropping enthusiasm.

"Not exactly…"

BaoBao visibly perked up upon hearing her answer.

"It's no longer bitter. It's actually appetising now. Not what I was hoping for though."

"Next! Next!" BaoBao urged her impatiently.

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When Xinyi took a mouthful of the herb that was directly nourished every day, her face finally revealed a change in her expression. "It's delicious! Like, very delicious. Fit to be part of a feast."

‘I should make this for-’

Xinyi stopped herself when she became aware of where her thoughts were leading her to. Her expression fell and she looked a little down again.

"For?" BaoBao cluelessly probed.

"You." Xinyi put on a small smile and gave BaoBao the remainder of the dish for him to enjoy.

"For me?" BaoBao's eyes sparkled.

However, BaoBao already dug in before waiting for her confirmation.

As soon as he took his first bite, his face became a melted marshmallow with rosy cheeks.

"Sho noishh~" He spoke with his mouth full of food.

After he gobbled everything down, he exclaimed with sparkling expectant eyes, "Do you really mean it? Will you cook this for me again?!"

Xinyi's heart slightly warmed at this adorable sight. "I will."

Xinyi let BaoBao finish his little meal first before moving on to the next three bunches of herbs that were indirectly nourished. She ate them in the same order and by the time Xinyi reached the final one, BaoBao’s disappointment was clear on his face.

The best was only slightly rejuvenating.

"There's still soup." Xinyi pointed out, perking BaoBao up a little again.

However, before they could get to it, BaoBao exclaimed, "Ah! ZhangYong's coming!"

They hastily moved the dishes from the stone table to the back where the stove was.

"Look after the stove please."

BaoBao nodded. [He’s here.] He informed her through telepathy, just in case.

Xinyi entered her room through the window, then properly exited through the door.

Xinyi bowed to meet him, then rushed at him before he could take a defensive stance.

ZhangYong smirked. "Too naive."

Already expecting her first attack to get blocked, Xinyi followed it with a punch at his blind spot, then a kick at an angle that would be difficult for him to defend.

Every move she made; she had the next planned.

Her goal was to stretch how long she could last.

Pride and satisfaction welled up in ZhangYong’s heart. ‘I was right.’

ZhangYong was happy about his decision to train her regularly. In a single month, she had graduated from being considered a waste to having the strength of the weaker soldiers in his troop.

Under his regular tutelage, she had only continued to grow.

Not only was she able to force him to keep his guard up, but she also went from lasting no more than five exchanges to around 30 exchanges.

It was increasingly hard for him to end the match whenever he wanted to. He would have to increase the output of his spiritual energy to do so.

He could tell how much she studied and how much she took their sparring matches to heart. Her attacks were made into her defense, and she minimised the area that would be left vulnerable during the execution of a move.

When their time was up, ZhangYong concluded their fight, then resumed a relaxed stance that signaled the end of their spar.

He appraised her condition and raised his eyebrows. Her movements towards the end of their match did not become sluggish. She was also not panting as hard as she usually would.

‘Her stamina had improved again.’

Meanwhile, Xinyi’s conclusion was different. ZhangYong did not know of her ability to constantly cultivate. Every few seconds that passed, a tiny bit of energy was recovered, now and during the fight. ‘I was right to prioritise my cultivation.’

Meanwhile, ZhangYong seriously studied her appearance for the first time.

Her simple white robe, standard ponytail, and bare face told him how little effort she put into maintaining her appearance. Even if her natural beauty was nothing remarkable, her appearance was like a breath of fresh air. It was akin to seeing a small simple flowering weed among bushes of exquisite flowers. It piqued his interest.

Xinyi guessed that he was still appraising her strength, so she continued to hold his intense gaze.

When he walked towards her, she raised an eyebrow. ‘What does he want?’

ZhangYong stopped when he was a mere foot away from her. "You've become stronger." His voice was softer and gentler than usual, almost a whisper, but it carried the same authority.

‘...He didn’t have to come so close to say it.’ Xinyi had to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. ‘So tall even though he’s a year younger than me.’

At the same time, BaoBao was at the back of the courtyard, jumping up and down in excitement. His hands covered his mouth to suppress the scream that threatened to spill out.

[They look so close...! Something must be going on! Things ARE going well!] He exclaimed to himself.

"There's still much for me to learn."

"I like your attitude. Even though I didn't see HuiShan today, you've made the trip more than worth it. Thank you."

Alarms blared in Xinyi's mind. "You didn't see little sister HuiShan?"

"She wasn't free today, but today was my only free day this month."

"...How did you come to my courtyard?"

"That's easy. I said that I wanted to see how sick you were for myself. Since we’re on the topic, I’ve been wanting to ask you, why does everyone always say that you’re too sick to receive anyone?”

"...I want to lay low. No one accompanied you?" Xinyi took control of the conversation before he probed further.

"I dismissed them."

ZhangYong’s mouth moved to say more, but Xinyi followed up with another question. "They let you?"

"Not at first. I used a little trickery. Feeling honoured yet?" He grinned teasingly. "I had guessed there was something going on and you had something in mind, so I didn't want to ruin it for you."

Xinyi could barely keep in her irritation. ZhangYong’s naivety and smugness sorely tested her.

"You already did though."

Her tone was sharp and rendered ZhangYong speechless.

He frowned as he struggled to understand what he did wrong to upset her. He had even made use of the gossip about him to come here unobstructed. Whatever she was planning would not be exposed.

"I think it's better for you to not come anymore. Thank you for everything you've taught me." Xinyi took a large step back so that she could bow down properly with her hands cupped.

Her rejection shocked ZhangYong to the core. With his outstanding performance and reputation, no one had ever driven him away like that, much less a woman. He stayed frozen, unsure of how to respond.

He eventually found his voice and said through gritted teeth, "I see." Then, he left her courtyard in a huff.

Xinyi did not worry if she had offended him. She did not believe that he would create an upheaval because of her or that little bit of disrespect. The little risk outweighed the potential benefit. She had successfully driven him away. At least, she hoped she did.

If she wanted to lament about anything, it would be about losing the advantage of practicing with the second male lead. She attributed the cause of her smooth progress to his presence.

Before she could get back to her soup, BaoBao exclaimed in her mind again.

[ZiYao's coming!]