By the time Ye Qingyi rushed out of the room, Ye Qingyu was already gone.
The hallway was eerily quiet, as if she had never been there at all.
Su Mo knew she was upset, so he stayed silent, simply keeping her company. Sometimes, quiet companionship was better than empty gestures.
After a while, Ye Qingyi finally spoke, her voice subdued. “Su Mo… I have a feeling it’ll be a long time before I see my sister again.”
“Not necessarily,” Su Mo replied lightly. “Last time, she said the same thing, but she came back pretty soon after, didn’t she?”
“It’s different this time. This is my intuition.”
Su Mo paused. He suddenly remembered—Ye Qingyi’s awakened ability was precognition. Her instincts were probably accurate.
But instead of acknowledging that, he scoffed. “Oh, please. You think you’re so amazing, predicting everything? Wake up. Focus on the present—prophecies are just scams for gullible idiots.”
“You—!” Ye Qingyi’s temper flared. “Can’t you see I’m upset? Instead of comforting me, you’re just mocking me!”
Su Mo dodged away with a nimble sidestep, pulling a ridiculous face. “Aww, ‘comfort me’—what are you, a kid? So needy~”
“Su! Mo!” Ye Qingyi gritted her teeth and lunged at him, determined to teach him a lesson.
For the next half hour, the two chased each other around the apartment, turning the place into a complete mess.
Exhausted, Ye Qingyi collapsed onto the couch, glaring daggers at Su Mo. As much as she wanted to strangle him, her current body just wasn’t fast enough—he always dodged at the last second.
Still, despite her anger, she did feel a little better.
Su Mo swept a loose strand of hair from his forehead, his beautiful eyes captivating—though the words that came out of his mouth were anything but. “Wow. Just wow. You’re so bad at this, yet you still try to fight me?”
Ye Qingyi let out an exasperated laugh, rolling her eyes. “You’re so childish.”
“And yet you’re the one getting mad. Doesn’t that make you just as childish?” Su Mo grinned shamelessly.
Ye Qingyi had no comeback, so she just turned away, sulking.
Right on cue, a loud growl came from her stomach. She clutched her abdomen, muttering, “I’m starving…”
If not for Ye Qingyu’s sudden visit, they would’ve already eaten by now.
Though she’d spoken softly, Su Mo heard her perfectly. Mimicking her, he clutched his own stomach dramatically. “Guess it’s time to cook.”
With that, he headed to the kitchen, washing the ingredients he’d bought earlier before starting to cook.
Even though it was just the two of them, there was no reason to skimp on meals. Dinner was lavish—Su Mo had learned to cook from his mother, and his skills were more than passable. Ye Qingyi’s stomach had long been at his mercy.
“Mmm, this is so good.” She devoured three bowls of rice, polishing off half the dishes herself.
By the end, Ye Qingyi bestowed upon him the highest praise: “A man who’s as refined in the parlor as he is skilled in the kitchen.”
After dinner, during their evening stroll, Su Mo shared his plans:
Step 1: Use their current resources to go into seclusion and break through to the late-stage Qi Condensation realm. Then, head to the capital’s Scripture Pavilion to learn combat techniques.
Step 2: By the time he returned, he’d likely have reached the D-rank Sea of Qi realm—enough for basic self-defense. Then, he’d apply to enter relevant ruins for training, gaining experience while honing his combat skills.
As for anything beyond that? He hadn’t thought that far ahead. One step at a time.
Ye Qingyi looked at him approvingly. “Not bad. You’ve got a clear vision for your future.”
“What about you? Any plans?”
After a brief pause, she answered, “Since we can’t swap back anytime soon, I’ll just focus on being ‘Su Mo’ for now. I’ll break through to mid-stage Qi Condensation, then apply to train in the West Sea Ruins.”
That had always been her original plan—she just hadn’t abandoned it.
“But the West Sea Ruins are remote and dangerous. Isn’t it too early to go before reaching the Sea of Qi realm?” Su Mo frowned, uneasy about her venturing into such perilous territory alone.
“And that’s exactly why I want to go,” she said firmly.
Seeing her resolve, Su Mo didn’t push further. Anyone who knew Ye Qingyi understood—she was strong-willed and decisive. Once she made up her mind, she rarely changed it.
So instead of dissuading her, he simply offered his support.
“Oh, right—you said you had a surprise for me. Where is it?” Ye Qingyi held out her hand expectantly.
Su Mo grinned mysteriously, opening his right palm to reveal two shimmering crystals—spirit stones.
“Mid-grade spirit stones?!” Ye Qingyi gasped. “Where did you get these?”
For most people, even obtaining low-grade spirit stones was difficult, let alone mid or high-grade ones.
“I traded with Little Bai.”
“What?” Her eyes widened in disbelief. “No wonder you went to Jing Mountain—you were out there scamming small animals!”
“Excuse me, ‘scamming’? It was a fair trade,” Su Mo argued indignantly.
Ye Qingyi stared at the stones, emotions warring within her.
“Well? Do you want them or not?” He made to pull his hand back.
“Of course I do!”
“Too late.” Su Mo tucked his hands behind his back, whistling innocently, as if to say, “You hesitated, so now you lose.”
At first, she’d felt a little guilty accepting something so valuable. But his smug attitude only fueled her determination to claim them.
And the method? Simple.
She reached out and lightly tickled his waist.
A tingling sensation shot through Su Mo’s body. His face flushed, and his arms went limp.
“Hand them over!“
The two spirit stones were now in her grasp, still warm from his touch.
“Ugh, you pervert! How dare you take advantage of me?!” Su Mo bit his lip, crossing his arms defensively, his pitiful expression enough to melt hearts.
“They say when a man turns seductive, women don’t stand a chance. Today, I finally understand.” The original owner of his body gave a solemn review of his performance.
Their commotion caught the attention of the campus security patrol, who rushed over to investigate. After confirming it was just a misunderstanding, they left—but not before the guards repeatedly asked Su Mo if he’d been threatened or harassed.
From the way they glared at Ye Qingyi, it was clear—if Su Mo had nodded even once, she’d have been arrested on the spot for “bullying a female student.”
“Tsk tsk tsk. Being a beautiful girl really has its perks—guardians everywhere,” Su Mo mused after the incident.
Ye Qingyi clutched the two spirit stones tightly, as if afraid someone might snatch them away.
“You gave me such a precious gift… I don’t even know how to thank you.”
Su Mo’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Well… you could tell me where else is sensitive.”
He pointed to the spot she’d tickled earlier.