The Promise

"Re-refuse?"

Medusa froze in place and scratched her ear, wondering if she had misheard. Unless Ye Shu's brain was broken, she really couldn't find any reason for him to refuse.

"That's right, I refuse."

Ye Shu's expression was flat, without the slightest fluctuation.

Once Medusa reacted, she immediately realized that the bastard in front of her was serious!

He actually refused her!

"You bastard! I finally decided to show some kindness, how dare you refuse me?!" Little Medusa bared her two little canine teeth, looking fiercely cute.

"In all my life, no one has ever dared to refuse me."

"Man, you are the first!"

"Oh."

Ye Shu's reaction was very plain. The way he looked at little Medusa was like looking at a wild and untamable kitten—lacking human understanding and only possessing animal instincts.

"What's with that old pedant look in your eyes!"

"Don't look at me like that!" Little Medusa bristled, her red hair standing on end.

Ye Shu's gaze brought back very bad memories for her.

She remembered when she was a child in the royal palace, those old undying clan elders used to look at her with the same eyes, saying things like she didn't know etiquette and was uneducated.

Even eating a meal required following rules, it was so annoying!

"My Queen."

Ye Shu sat cross-legged, his voice calm: "The world doesn't revolve around you, and there is no rule that says charity must be accepted."

"You bastard!"

Little Medusa gritted her teeth, wishing she could bite Ye Shu to death.

Every time she talked to this guy, she had to listen to him preach a bunch of grand principles, making her head spin.

Ye Shu looked at her quietly. "You are scheming so hard to help me, which doesn't fit your original personality. One who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions."

Little Medusa crossed her arms and snorted, "Can't I occasionally show some kindness?"

But under Ye Shu's suspicious gaze, she finally admitted defeat and helplessly said, "Being near the Azure Profound Sword can accelerate the recovery of my strength."

"I see."

Ye Shu nodded, not surprised by this.

Since this worldview was copied by Xiaobai, then the Azure Profound Sect didn't have a spiritual fire; the Azure Profound Sword took its place.

He just didn't expect this idiot to be quite smart.

To avoid plagiarism checks.

She chose to use a sword to replace the spiritual fire.

It's just...

Ye Shu glanced at little Medusa, his heart stirring.

If he remembered correctly, there seemed to be a Xu Xian plotline later on, and even a child involved.

He looked little Medusa up and down.

The young girl in front of him wore a red dress, her waterfall-like red hair cascading down to her heels. Her face was pure, her red eyes like fire, yet her gaze carried a cold arrogance that didn't match her figure, along with a small animal-like wildness.

Although called a young girl, she only looked about ten years old.

With thin arms and short legs, her body hadn't fully developed yet; one could only barely see the nascent form of the older Medusa's nation-toppling beauty.

The most prominent feature was her small feet.

Slender but not bony, white with a hint of red, with faint green veins visible under the skin. Her toes were round and plump, and her toenails were red, like ten fully ripe strawberries.

If one were to eat them...

Little Medusa felt creeped out by his gaze, subconsciously pulling her feet back, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking at Ye Shu with a face full of vigilance.

"What are you looking at, you creep!"

"Let me tell you, we have an agreement. You are not allowed to have any improper thoughts about me!"

According to the booklet, it was when this bastard subdued the Azure Profound Sword that she, due to being in a weakened state and suppressed by the sword's aura, was forcibly... raped by him!

And she even got pregnant with his child!

Now that the prophecies in the booklet were coming true one by one, she had to be on her guard. They had already established the Life-Sharing Contract; this little thief wouldn't dare mess around, right?

Any action detrimental to her would trigger the backlash of the Life-Sharing Contract.

Thinking of this, little Medusa finally felt relieved.

On the other side.

Ye Shu also suddenly snapped out of it, tossing these absurd thoughts to the back of his mind.

He had promised Lin Qingxue, after all.

If he messed around with other women again, that silly girl would probably be in tears, crying her heart out.

At this thought.

Ye Shu's gaze towards Medusa no longer held any wicked thoughts.

He said calmly, "This is the Grand Peak Tournament, which tests the inner disciples' own strength. If everyone relied on external forces like you do, there would be no fairness. What would be the point of the competition?"

"We might as well just have everyone call out the old monsters backing them to fight it out and see who has the biggest background to determine the winner."

Little Medusa was stunned by his words. She opened her small mouth, wanting to refute, but felt that something wasn't quite right.

"What about magical treasures and artifacts?"

"Magical treasures and artifacts are just tools to amplify one's own strength. Unless they have birthed an artifact spirit, they are merely inanimate objects. At most, they represent a gap in equipment. But if you possess me, it's equivalent to outright cheating. The one who wins wouldn't be me, but you."

Ye Shu said lightly, "Bullying the weak with superior strength, how is that any different from what others do?"

"Then what about me?"

Little Medusa was exasperated.

"If you lose, how long will it take for me to recover my strength? How long before I can grow up and return to the Snake-People tribe? My clansmen are waiting for me!"

"You're the bastard who turned me into this!"

"You can't just abandon responsibility for me, and you can't use your grand principles to guilt-trip me!" she shouted loudly, actually sounding a bit wronged. Tears faintly shimmered in her eyes, as if her mind had shrunk along with her body.

Looking at the little Medusa in front of him.

Perhaps because of her childish appearance, Ye Shu actually felt a faint trace of guilt in his heart.

He was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If I don't win the tournament and cannot see the Azure Profound Sword, I will go into seclusion to refine pills for you. At the same time, I will provide an unlimited supply of the Green Lotus Heavenly Fire, day and night without rest, until you are fully recovered."

Hearing this, little Medusa was stunned.

In truth, she was only speaking out of anger. After all, this tournament was Ye Shu's business; even if he didn't win, she had no position to blame him.

"Are you serious?"

"I never lie," Ye Shu said seriously.

Little Medusa stared blankly at his serious expression, suddenly feeling that this guy actually looked a bit handsome.

"Hmph! At least you have a conscience."

She gave a cute snort, and her figure turned into a streak of red light, darting into Ye Shu's sleeve and wrapping around his wrist once again.

"Fight well in tomorrow's tournament."

"My human pet cannot be outdone by others."

The room returned to a state of quiet.

The night was silent.

Ye Shu sat cross-legged on the bed again, regulating his breathing and cultivating. Right after his conversation with Medusa, he felt his cultivation realm take another step forward.

By now, he should already be at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

The mind elevates its realm through step-by-step enlightenment.

Creak...

Suddenly, the bedroom door was quietly pushed open.

Ye Shu opened his eyes and saw a sneaky Lin Qingxue, bending her waist and tiptoeing her way in.

"What are you doing?"

Ye Shu looked at her, entirely speechless.

Caught red-handed, Lin Qingxue looked up with an awkward smile. Then, perhaps feeling like she had shown weakness, and remembering that this was her own room after all, she shot Ye Shu a glare.

"I came to supervise you and see if you were taking your cultivation seriously!"

"Then why were you sneaking around?"

"Well..." Lin Qingxue's large eyes darted left and right. She couldn't possibly tell this heartless man that she had been so careful because she was afraid of disturbing his cultivation, could she?

Wouldn't that make it seem like she cared about him?

She couldn't admit it. She absolutely could not admit it.

"I was just... just conducting an undercover inspection, you know? Seeing that you are cultivating diligently puts my mind at ease," she stammered, her face turning bright red.

Then, she pulled a talisman from her robes and handed it to him.

"Th-this is the Mystic Decree Immobilization Talisman. It can freeze a Nascent Soul cultivator for three breaths of time, and it can be used three times."

"If you can't win tomorrow... just use this."

After saying that, blushing deeply, she fled the room as if running for her life, leaving behind only a flustered silhouette.

Ye Shu looked down at the talisman in his hand and shook his head with a soft chuckle.

"My dear young lady, aren't you just forcing me to cheat?"