She scurried back to the fire, grabbed her own bowl, which was indeed overflowing with the best meat, and sat down next to Wangchen, but not too close, just in case fate decided to make them trip into each other.

Breakfast was a strange affair.

Ji’an ate like a whirlwind, praising the food between mouthfuls to keep Wangchen’s mood stabilized.

"Wangchen, this congee is life-changing. You are a god of grain. If the Sect rejects you, we will just open a restaurant and run it together. What do you say?"

Wangchen accepted the praise with a stoic nod, but his eyes kept darting to Gu Zhiwei, who was eating delicately and stealing glances at Ji’an. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

When the bowls were empty and cleaned, and the fire extinguished by Wangchen, it was time to move.

"Alright, formation time!" Ji’an announced, clapping her hands.

She pointed to Wangchen. "You take point. Lead the way. Hack down any vines. Scare away the beasts with your scary face."

Wangchen nodded, drawing Winter’s Sigh. "Understood."

She pointed to Gu Zhiwei. "You... you have no spiritual energy left, right?"

"It is recovering slowly," Gu Zhiwei admitted, looking ashamed. "But I am still weak."

"Right. You stay in the middle."

"And I," Ji’an declared, "Will bring up the rear to ensure no ambushes from behind!"

It sounded like a tactical formation. In reality, it was a ’Cockblock Formation’.

Wangchen walked in the front, leaving Gu Zhiwei in the middle, while Ji’an handled the rear

By placing Gu Zhiwei in the middle, she ensured he couldn’t catch up to Wangchen to talk, and Wangchen couldn’t slow down to help him without walking past her.

"Let’s move out!"

The forest grew denser as they climbed higher toward the sect entrance. The mist thinned, replaced by ancient, towering pines.

For the first hour, the plan worked perfectly. Wangchen slashed through obstacles with efficiency.

Gu Zhiwei struggled to keep up, panting delicately. Ji’an strolled at the back, humming a tune and keeping an eye on the red threads of fate.

But nature abhors a vacuum, and Gu Zhiwei abhorred silence.

"Brother Lin!" Gu Zhiwei called out, slowing to walk side-by-side with Ji’an instead of ahead of her.

Ji’an stiffened. "Yes, Brother Gu? Keep walking! Cardio is important!"

"I just wanted to ask," Gu Zhiwei said, breathless but determined. "Your martial arts... last night. The weapon you used. I have never seen such a style. Is it a secret inheritance?"

"It’s the ’Way of the Kitchen’," Ji’an said dismissively. "My father taught me that if you can flip a wok, you can flip an enemy."

"Fascinating," Gu Zhiwei breathed, his eyes shining. "It is unconstrained by tradition. Pure utility. You are truly a genius, Brother Lin."

Up ahead, Wangchen’s shoulders hiked up toward his ears. He could hear them. He could hear the admiration in the "Peacock’s" voice.

He could hear Ji’an laughing, a little awkwardly, but laughing nonetheless.

’Why is he walking so close to the Young Master?’ Wangchen’s grip on his sword handle turned his knuckles white. ’He should be focused on the path. He is stumbling. He is a liability.’

He stopped abruptly.

Gu Zhiwei, distracted by Ji’an’s profile, nearly walked into a tree.

"Guard Xie?" Gu Zhiwei asked, startled. "Is there a beast?"

Wangchen turned around slowly. He ignored Gu Zhiwei entirely and looked straight at Ji’an.

"The path narrows ahead," Wangchen said, his voice clipped. "Thorn-Back Spiders are nesting in the canopy. It is dangerous for the... guest... to be distracted."

He walked back toward them. He didn’t stop until he was standing directly between Ji’an and Gu Zhiwei.

"Young Master," Wangchen said, reaching out to adjust the strap of Ji’an’s spatial bag, a completely unnecessary gesture. "Your bag is crooked. It will throw off your balance."

He took his time fixing it, his hands brushing her shoulders, his body effectively walling Gu Zhiwei off.

"Brother Gu," Wangchen said over his shoulder, his tone polite but unmistakably hostile. "If you wish to survive, I suggest you watch your feet, not my Master’s face."

Gu Zhiwei flushed red. "I... I was conversing..."

"Conversation attracts predators," Wangchen lied. "Silence is survival."

He finished fixing the bag and stepped back, but not before giving Ji’an a look that was half-puppy-dog, half-warning.

’Don’t let him talk to you,’ the eyes said.

Ji’an blinked. She looked at Wangchen’s stiff back as he returned to the front. Then she looked at the flustered Gu Zhiwei.

She suppressed a groan.

’Wangchen thinks I’m flirting with the protagonist. The protagonist thinks I’m a cool genius. And I just want to get to the Sect without triggering a harem event!’

"He’s right, though," Ji’an said to Gu Zhiwei, stepping away to put distance between them. "Spiders are nasty. Less talking, more walking."

As noon approached, the terrain changed. The trees gave way to a massive ravine. A single, precarious rope bridge stretched across the chasm, disappearing into the mist on the other side.

Standing in front of the bridge was a group of cultivators. They wore mismatched robes, rogue cultivators, and disciples from lesser clans. They were blocking the way, looking menacing.

"Toll booth!" the leader, a burly man with a scar, shouted as Ji’an’s group emerged from the trees. "If you want to cross, pay up! Five Beast Cores per person!"

Wangchen stopped. He looked at the bridge. Then he looked at the thugs.

A dark, cruel smile touched his lips.

He had been holding back his annoyance all morning. He had been forced to share his breakfast.

He had been forced to watch a "pretty boy" ogle his Young Master. He was filled with a pent-up, vinegar-soaked rage that needed an outlet.

And here were five volunteers.

"Young Master," Wangchen said, drawing Winter’s Sigh. The air temperature dropped instantly, frost forming on the grass.

"Yes?" Ji’an asked, sensing the violence in the air.

"Please step back. And take the... guest... with you."

Wangchen cracked his neck.

"I need to clear my mind."

Before the thugs could even process the threat, Wangchen moved.