"Why not? Aren't you going to the sect with Brother Tian?" Yu Rou raised her eyebrows.
"Xiao Hua follows Brother Tian wherever he goes," she quickly nodded.
"How will you follow my brother into the sect if you're not a disciple?" Yu Rou asked.
"Xiao Hua can follow Brother Tian as a servant since disciples are allowed to have servants with them," she responded.
"S-Servant…?" Yu Rou looked at her with wide eyes. However, while Xiao Hua called herself a servant, Yu Rou did not think about the 'pet' system and took her words quite literally as a servant like the maids in their Yu Family's household.
"By the way, what should we do now that we cannot join the sect instantly? Should we just return to doing quests?" Yuan asked a moment later.
"Hmmm… I want to learn the technique we just bought, but I don't want to spend too much time on it…" Yu Rou sighed.
"It's okay. Have some confidence in yourself, Yu Rou. After all, you're also a genius yourself," Yuan said to her with a gentle smile on his face.
"Brother…" Yu Rou nodded a moment later.
"Xiao Hua, do you know of a good place where she can practice silently? Should we return to Cultivators' Haven?" Yuan decided to ask her.
"No, there are better places for learning techniques," she said. "Just like how there are formations that can speed up your cultivation speed, there are also formations that can help with your comprehension. However, it doesn't actually boost one's comprehension skill— only create an atmosphere where one can concentrate much easier."
"That sounds like the perfect place for learning techniques! What is this place called?" Yu Rou spoke with excitement in her voice.
"Pagoda of Tranquility," Xiao Hua said.
"Pagoda of Tranquility? I don't think there's a building in this city with that name…" Yu Rou said.
"That's because there isn't one in Spring City. If you want to go to that place, there's one in Nature City, which is about 1,00 miles away."
"1,000 miles!? It'll take us days to get there!" Yu Rou exclaimed.
"It'll only take a few hours if we fly there," Xiao Hua said.
"F-Fly…?" Yu Rou looked at her with wide eyes filled with surprise.
Xiao Hua nodded with a calm expression on her face before she started levitating in the air.
"Y-You're really flying!" Yu Rou then turned to look at Yuan and asked him, "D-Did you know about this?!"
"Hm? Pretty much." Yuan nodded.
Then he continued, "But how are we supposed to take her with us? I don't think she can use the flying sword even with your help."
"Brother Tian can carry her," Xiao Hua said.
"Hmm… I guess that could work…" Yuan nodded.
He then retrieved the flying sword and waited for Xiao Hua to support it with her spiritual energy.
"I'm going to carry you now, Yu Rou," Yuan said as he lifted Yu Rou's entire body effortlessly.
"B-Brother?!" Yu Rou's face immediately flushed with redness when Yuan suddenly carried her princess-style.
"Hold still, Yu Rou!" Yuan said to her as he jumped onto the flying sword.
'This is a bit awkward, but I should manage...' Yuan thought to himself as he adjusted his balance and posture.
"Are we ready to go, Brother Tian?" Xiao Hua asked him.
"Yes, go ahead, but don't go too fast." Yuan nodded.
A moment later, Xiao Hua flew towards the bright sky whilst controlling the flying sword.
"Look! Immortals!"
The pedestrians pointed at their disappearing figure with awe on their faces, and the Players watched with dazed looks, hoping they would be able to do the same in the future.
"Aaaaaaaaah!!!" Yu Rou screamed with her eyes closed when they suddenly started moving, not daring to open them even many moments later, and her arms were tightly wrapped around Yuan's neck.
"Are you okay, Yu Rou?" Yuan asked her with a smile on his face. "You won't fall, so don't worry."
However, Yu Rou still refused to open her eyes until many minutes later when she was finally getting used to the feeling of flying in the air, but her slender arms remained hugging Yuan's neck tightly.
"Wow…" Yu Rou looked at the passing scenery with her eyes filled with wonder.
"What do you think, Yu Rou? Isn't this world beautiful?" Yuan asked her a moment later.
"Yes!" Yu Rou said.
After looking at the scenery for a few minutes, Yu Rou turned to look at Yuan, who held a gentle smile on his handsome face as he carried her like some kind of prince, and Yu Rou's gaze would remain on his face for the next few minutes.
"Hm? What's the matter?" Yuan looked at her and asked after realizing that she was staring intensely at him.
"N-Nothing!" Yu Rou quickly said in a startled voice, feeling her heart rate skyrocketing afterward.
"A-Actually, I wanted to ask about Xiao Hua… How come she can fly? What cultivation is she at?"
"Uhhh… Spirit…King?" Yuan responded in a weird tone.
"Spirit King? What cultivation level is that?" Yu Rou raised her eyebrows in a puzzled manner.
"I think it's like five realms above the Spirit Apprentice realm?"
"W-Wait! Five realms above me?! That's ridiculously high! And you had someone powerful like her following you around this entire time?! You can literally do anything in this game if you wanted with her around!" Yu Rou stared at him with a shocked gaze, and even more questions appeared inside her head.
How come someone as powerful as Xiao Hua is following him around? Who is Xiao Hua, exactly?
Yu Rou narrowed her eyes at Yuan with a suspicious gaze, and she asked him, "Brother… I have been meaning to ask you this question for a while now, but what is your in-game name?"
"..."
Yuan's body immediately stiffened after hearing her question, and his back and hands quickly became sweaty.
'Haaa… Why did I pick 'Yuan' as my name? What if she learns about 'that' because of this? I don't want to lose her…' Yuan sighed inwardly.
"Brother? Are you okay? Why aren't you saying anything? It's just your in-game name. There's no need to be so secretive..." Yu Rou said to him a moment later, her suspicions growing even stronger.
"..."
'I could lie to her, but she will learn the truth sooner or later— about my name and 'that', and I cannot bear the guilt of lying straight to her face… not after everything that she's done— sacrificed for me…'
After seeing the perplexed expression on Yuan's face, Yu Rou said, "It's okay, brother. Although I don't know the reason, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I can wait until you are ready to tell me."
"No, it's okay." Yuan suddenly said. "I'll tell you."
"Are you sure? You don't have to force yourself…"
"While there are a few reasons why I don't want to say it, you are my precious little sister, and I simply can't say no to you," Yuan said with a bittersweet on his face.
After taking a deep breath, Yuan spoke in a slightly shaky voice, "In this world, I have given myself the name 'Yuan'..."
"Yuan…?" Yu Rou looked at him with wide eyes filled with surprise, but she was not shocked. In fact, she was feeling somewhat relieved.
After staring at Yuan for a good minute, Yu Rou turned to look at Xiao Hua, who was staring back at her with a silent gaze.
Yu Rou then closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking in a surprisingly calm voice, "I see… so you were Player Yuan this entire time."
"I'm sorry for trying to hide it from you, Yu Rou. It's just that there are many people who are angry at me and trying to hunt me for some reason, and I didn't want you to think of me as some villain or someone who is hated by others…"
Yu Rou shook her head and even caressed his cheeks with her hand, "Don't be silly, brother. I don't care what the others think about you, and even if the entire world is against you, I would never hate you. After all, you are still my precious brother who was always there when I needed someone..."
She then continued, "And I think I know the reason why so many people are trying to hunt you, so you don't need to worry about that."
"Really? Why?" Yuan asked her.
"It's simple, brother. They are jealous of you— of your talents. No matter if it's the real world or in video games, there will always be people who will be envious of your talents, so you shouldn't pay too much attention to them."
"Anyway, as expected of you, brother. Not only did you shock the world with your talents in the real world but you are also causing quite the commotion in the gaming scene. No matter where you go, whether you are aware or not, you are always in some kind of spotlight."
"Haha… you are exaggerating, Yu Rou…"
"Whether I am exaggerating or not, it is a fact that you have once again become the center of attention across the world. Although the world may no longer care about the name 'Yu Tian' after you disappeared from the entertainment world, everybody is currently paying attention to the name 'Yuan' and watching your every step, so make sure you don't let them down, brother. Of course, I will also be watching you." Yu Rou said to him with a smile on her beautiful face.
"Un." Yuan nodded.
