Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

Shen You immediately wanted to chase after Hong Xiugu, but he found that San Niang was holding him tightly in her arms.

Although San Niang's body lacked warmth, it was shivering slightly.

Shen You's body stiffened again.

"Don't leave me, Shen Lang...don't leave me..."

Third Sister repeated herself over and over in a voice that sounded as if she had been abandoned.

Shen You never expected that the system notification, which had been impossible to trigger, would sound at this moment—

【Ding! 】

[Discover Romance Quest: Keep Third Sister by Your Side]

A bitter smile crept onto Shen You's lips. He couldn't help but think of how Hong Xiugu must have felt when she saw him tightly embracing San Niang by the lotus pond in the dead of night, then turned and ran away in anguish, leaving him alone in the darkness, tears streaming down her face.

Shen You knew he should catch up with her, but holding the still trembling Third Sister in his arms, Shen You could do nothing.

Shen You could only continue to hold onto Third Sister tightly.

"You can't stay at the lotus pond any longer," Shen You whispered in San Niang's ear. "Tonight, you'll leave with me in your true form, and you'll live in my room from now on."

Third Sister trembled, looked up at Shen You in a daze, and then revealed a smile with tears in her eyes.

【Ding! 】

[Romance quest completed]

[Gained Talent: 'Blazing Like Fire']

[Fiery Passion: Emotions as fiery as fire, attacks as fierce as flames]

[Can launch attacks driven by intense emotions, increasing the power of any attack by 30%, is resistant to cold, and can dispel negative emotions]

Shen You closed his eyes, feeling as if a fire was burning fiercely in his heart. The guilt he felt for Hong Xiugu and the unease he felt for San Niang vanished in this fire.

Only hatred for Huang Yaoshi remained in his heart, a hatred as clear and intense as ever before.

Shen You brought the Jade Lotus, which was the incarnation of the Third Sister, back to the side room of the Yellow Maple Courtyard and kept it in a basin of water.

This was a very risky thing, because it was equivalent to hiding San Niang right under Huang Yaoshi's nose. Based on the principle of "the darkest place is under the lamp," Shen You felt that this was feasible, and it would be difficult for San Niang to leave him.

Shen You didn't have time to explain the lotus pond incident to Hong Xiugu. The next morning, Song Zhiqing and Yao Shan came to find him again.

"We'll have to rely on you later. All we need to do is get Junior Brother Zhu out of Huangfeng Academy." Song Zhiqing said solemnly, "You should hold off Master Huang."

"Yes!" Shen You nodded seriously.

Behind Song Zhiqing, Yao Shan looked worried and absent-minded. He didn't even hear Shen You greeting him.

Soon after, morning classes began. As planned, Shen You went to find Huang Yaoshi. He saw his two senior brothers walking silently toward the woodshed behind the tall building.

Upon meeting Huang Yaoshi, Shen You recounted his current progress as usual, then sat down cross-legged to begin practicing his martial arts.

Generally speaking, Shen You and Huang Yaoshi didn't have much to say to each other. After all, he already knew the "Five Immortals' True Method" inside and out, but he deliberately suppressed his progress and delayed the time to complete it.

He didn't have any questions for Huang Yaoshi, nor did he have any particular fondness for Huang Yaoshi. He was only staying there to let Huang Yaoshi see that he was practicing his skills diligently.

Huang Yaoshi also let Shen You do as he pleased, because no matter how much Shen You suppressed his progress, he still cultivated the "Five Immortals Orthodox Method" faster than the average person.

Not everyone can master any skill to perfection. Even the lowest level, the "White Ape Stance," is rarely mastered to perfection, and few can develop the "White Ape Strength." Therefore, Huang Yaoshi was actually quite satisfied with Shen You's progress.

If things could just stay peaceful and drag on until it was over with Senior Brother Song, Shen You would have been quite satisfied. But unfortunately, not long after she started cultivating, Shen You saw Huang Yaoshi's expression change and he stood up from his chair.

A petal drifted in through the window and was caught in Huang Yaoshi's palm. He gazed at the petal, looking thoughtful.

Shen You's heart stirred. Although she didn't know what Huang Yaoshi was thinking about, she still chose to speak at this moment.

"Teacher Huang, I have a few questions about my cultivation recently and would like to ask you for advice."

Huang Yaoshi's attention was indeed drawn, and he turned to look at him, asking, "Is there something you don't understand?"

"For example, how do I grasp the essence of the Five Immortals in the 'Five Immortals' Orthodox Method'? My 'Five Immortals Great Strength' still resembles the Five Poisons. Is that really okay? Should I change the appearance of my Great Strength?"

Shen You asked some very abstract questions, which were indeed some doubts that arose during his cultivation process.

Of course, it doesn't matter if such doubts are not clarified, but since there was an opportunity, he took the chance to ask Huang Yaoshi about it.

Huang Yaoshi frowned, and after some thought, he calmly answered each of Shen You's questions. Having reached a cultivation level of at least the fourth rank, answering Shen You's third-rank questions was naturally a breeze for him. He often offered unique insights that were truly enlightening for Shen You.

In this question-and-answer session, before long, Shen You felt that his understanding of the "Five Immortals' Righteous Method" had become more profound.

If he wanted to, he could probably perfect the "Five Immortals' Righteous Method" in a day or two.

Suddenly, many flower petals fluttered in from outside the window. Huang Yaoshi caught the petals and frowned sharply.

"Hmph, what audacity!"

He snorted coldly and strode outside.

"Teacher Huang, I still have a question to ask!" Shen You hurriedly called out.

"I'll ask you when I get back!" Huang Yaoshi said, and walked straight out.

Shen You was left alone in the room, watching Huang Yaoshi disappear without a trace in a short time, and sighed helplessly.

"My two senior brothers, I've done my best... good luck to you both!"

With Huang Yaoshi gone, there was no point in him continuing to practice. Shen You's gaze involuntarily fell on the flower petals on the ground.

He walked over and picked up a petal. Undoubtedly, Huang Yaoshi only became agitated after receiving the petal. What message did the petal convey to Huang Yaoshi?

Shen You curiously examined the petals; they appeared to be hibiscus petals, with a pinkish-white hue. Shen You touched the petals and then carefully sniffed them, but couldn't detect anything particularly special about them.

How could Huang Yaoshi possibly know anything about what was happening outside just by seeing the flower petals? When Huang Yaoshi left, it was as if he already knew what Song Zhiqing and Yao Shan were doing.

Shen You slowly walked outside, trying to find out where the petals had come from.

Behind the room where Huang Yaoshi was, there was a quiet and beautiful courtyard. Shen You had never been here before, but this time he followed the hibiscus petals fluttering in the air and walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with flowers.

It's hard to imagine that Huang Yaoshi would have the patience and leisure to plant flowers in his own yard.

Shen You pondered Huang Yaoshi, and then realized that her question had soon been answered.

Under a hibiscus tree, he saw Master Jingxin's wife.

As always, she wore white, untouched by the world, beautiful and pure, yet exuding an air of seclusion.

Shen You had never known why Master Jingxin's wife gave off such a peculiar feeling.

Now he knew, because Master Jingxin's wife had been a ghost for a long time.