Xie Wangchen didn’t question her. He didn’t ask if it was safe. He simply heard "I want," and his body moved.

"Yes, Young Master."

He drew Winter’s Sigh. The blade hummed, sensing a worthy opponent.

The bear roared, lowering onto all fours, and charged towards them. Purple lightning crackled around its body, turning it into a speeding projectile of death.

"Gu Zhiwei, hide behind that rock!" Ji’an ordered, shoving the protagonist into a bush. "Don’t come out unless you want to be grilled!"

She didn’t wait for him to argue. She pulled out her Black Iron Spatula and a small pouch from her spatial bag.

The fight was explosive.

Wangchen was fast, his Ice Spirit Root creating a natural counter to the bear’s lightning. Every time the bear swiped, Wangchen was already gone, leaving a trail of frost that slowed the beast’s movements.

Clang!

Wangchen’s sword struck the bear’s hide, leaving a shallow cut.

"It’s too thick!" Wangchen shouted, dodging a bolt of lightning that scorched the ground where he had just stood. "My blade can’t penetrate the muscle layer!"

"Stop trying to slice it like sashimi!" Ji’an yelled from the flank, dodging a falling branch. "It’s a roast! You have to tenderize it first!"

She reached into her pouch and pulled out a handful of Flash-Bang Chili Powder, a custom blend of dried spirit chilies and magnesium powder personally made by Lin Ji’an.

"Wangchen! Low sweep! Make it open its mouth!"

Wangchen didn’t hesitate. He slid across the ground, slashing at the bear’s ankles. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The bear roared in annoyance, rearing up to crush him. Its massive maw opened wide to unleash a lightning blast.

"Eat this!"

Ji’an threw the powder with the precision of a master chef seasoning a wok.

The red cloud hit the bear directly in the face, inhaling straight into its lungs and eyes.

ROAR, COUGH—! ROAR!

The bear’s lightning blast fizzled out as it began to sneeze violently, clawing at its own face. The spiritual spice burned its sensitive mucous membranes, blinding it temporarily.

"Now! The armpits!" Ji’an commanded. "The lymph nodes are the weak point!"

Wangchen vaulted off a tree trunk, soaring into the air. Winter’s Sigh glowed with a blinding blue light.

He drove the sword downward, aiming for the soft, unarmored skin beneath the bear’s front leg.

SQUELCH.

The sword sank into the hilt.

The bear howled, thrashing wildly. It slammed Wangchen into a tree, but the boy held on, twisting the blade to sever the muscle.

It was a messy, brutal, chaotic fight.

Just as the bear was teetering on its last legs, bleeding ice and fire, a commotion came from the eastern brush.

"Zhiwei! Hang on! We’re coming!"

A group of six cultivators burst into the clearing. They were dressed in uniform robes of gold and white, the colors of the Heavenly Merchant Guild. Their gear was top-tier, their formation perfect.

Leading them was a young man who looked like he had stepped out of a poetry painting.

Wen Shiru.

He was tall, holding a golden fan, with a face that was handsome in a gentle, scholarly way. But his eyes were sharp, scanning the battlefield with the calculation of an accountant assessing risk.

He had heard the roar. He knew this was where he was supposed to find his childhood friend, Gu Zhiwei, likely cowering in fear.

He had prepared his "heroic entrance", a volley of talismans to kill the beast and save the beauty.

He raised his hand to signal the attack. "Prepare the formation! Save Young Master Gu—"

He froze.

His jaw dropped slightly, ruining his elegant image.

There was no helpless Gu Zhiwei who was being eaten.

Instead, a massive Thunder-Claw Bear was crashing to the ground. Standing over it was a youth in dark blue robes holding... a spatula?

And a terrifying swordsman in white pulling a blade out of the beast’s heart.

"Timber!" Ji’an shouted as the massive bear collapsed with an earth-shaking thud.

Dust billowed up.

Ji’an waved her hand to clear the air, coughing. She walked over to the carcass and high-fived a blood-splattered Wangchen.

"Nice work, Little Puddle! That’s at least 50 points for the exam, and dinner for a week!"

Wen Shiru stood there, his golden fan suspended in mid-air. His guards looked confused. They had rushed here to save someone, but the "monster" was already dead.

From behind a rock, a disheveled Gu Zhiwei peeked out. Seeing his friend, he scrambled up.

"Shiru!" Gu Zhiwei cried, running over to the group.

Wen Shiru snapped out of his daze. He quickly composed his face into a mask of relief and concern.

"Zhiwei!" Wen Shiru stepped forward, grasping Gu Zhiwei’s shoulders. "You frightened me to death! I heard the roar... are you hurt? Did that beast touch you?"

"I am fine," Gu Zhiwei panted, his face flushed with excitement rather than fear. He pointed at Ji’an and Wangchen. "They saved me! Brother Lin and his guard... they killed it! It was a Rank 3 beast, Shiru! Rank 3!"

Wen Shiru looked past his friend to the duo by the corpse.

Ji’an was currently instructing Wangchen on how to properly skin the paws to preserve the tendons. She looked up, sensing the gaze.

Her eyes met Wen Shiru’s.

[System Alert: Character Wen Shiru (Love Interest #5) Encountered.]

[Threat Level: High (Financial/Social).]

[Note: He hates unexpected variables.]

Ji’an straightened up, wiping bear blood off her cheek. She flashed a lazy, confident grin.

"Yo," she said casually. "You guys are late for the party? The main course is already served."

Wen Shiru’s eyes narrowed by a fraction of a millimeter, a tell that only another schemer would notice. He snapped his fan shut and walked toward them, his movements fluid and aristocratic.

"This one is Wen Shiru, of the Heavenly Merchant Guild," he introduced himself, bowing perfectly. "I owe this Young Master a great debt for protecting my dear friend, Zhiwei. Your martial prowess is... unique."

His eyes lingered on the spatula.

"Lin Ji’an," Ji’an replied, not bowing. In a sense, both of them were young masters from prominent families, they only exchanged minimal pleasantries, and that’s more than enough.