After three days of playing intimately with Sword Immortal Bu Yu all over Lingjian Peak, Zhou Fan noticed a subtle change in the cold female Sword Immortal's attitude towards him.
Perhaps it was because of Zhou Fan's exceptional abilities, which genuinely made her happy, or perhaps it was because Zhou Fan's endless sweet talk always inadvertently stirred the heart of this Sword Immortal, who had cultivated for over two hundred years.
In any case, Luo Ningshuang's attitude towards Zhou Fan was no longer as hostile as when they first met.
Although when speaking in front of outsiders, Sword Immortal Bu Yu still maintained a cool and indifferent attitude towards Zhou Fan.
But when the two were alone, she no longer resisted Zhou Fan's actions, and the words she spoke subtly hinted at the shyness of a young girl in love.
Seeing Luo Ningshuang so adorable and having been so pleasantly comfortable these past few days that he forgot all about home, Zhou Fan, in front of Luo Ningshuang, changed the ownership of Chao Duan Peak back to Lingjian Peak.
That night, Luo Ningshuang, for the first time, changed from passive to active.
For the next seven days, Zhou Fan no longer had anything to threaten Immortal Luo with, but he would still often bring gifts to Lingjian Peak to court Immortal Luo.
When Disciples were present, Luo Ningshuang would refuse the gifts and tell Zhou Fan not to waste his time coming to Lingjian Peak anymore.
But when she finished teaching her Disciples and Zhou Fan reappeared before her with a small surprise, Sword Immortal Bu Yu's face would also flush a beautiful red, just like a mortal girl's.
Zhou Fan took her out of Luoyun Temple, and the two walked side by side, shopping in mortal towns thousands of miles away, tasting various local snacks.
Sometimes, they would also visit temple fairs and listen to storytellers narrate interesting tales.
Perhaps it was due to their deep initial contact, but Luo Ningshuang did not resist some of Zhou Fan's overly intimate gestures.
When the two got tired of playing, they would go together to soak in hot springs in the spiritually rich mountains and great swamps.
Zhou Fan looked at Miss Luo, who was sweetly nestled in his arms like a perfect girlfriend, and couldn't help but recall something a writer from his previous life's hometown once said.
"When a man yearns for a woman's body, he cares about her Soul, deceiving himself into believing he has fallen in love with her Soul. Only after possessing her body can he forget her Soul."
Simply put, the fastest way to a woman's heart is still through Cao Pi.
Another week passed, and Immortal Luo, having recognized her true feelings, no longer evaded or was content with merely maintaining an underground relationship with Zhou Fan.
In front of her three Disciples, she took Zhou Fan's hand and declared him to be her Dao Companion, the Dao Companion of Sword Immortal Bu Yu.
Zhou Fan had not expected Sword Immortal Bu Yu to be so bold in love and hate. When they were alone, he had once asked Luo Ningshuang what her feelings were for her Master, Ye Xianyu.
Luo Ningshuang's answer was quite interesting. She frankly admitted that before she met Zhou Fan, that scoundrel, her Master was the only spiritual pillar on her path of cultivation.
When she was six years old, her village suffered a famine; there were years of drought and no harvest. Her parents took her and migrated eastward with people from surrounding villages.
People walked for a very long time. When their dry food ran out, they gnawed on tree bark, dug up grass to eat, and ate dirt to fill their stomachs.
Later, everyone was almost starving mad. Two families exchanged children to eat, and the children in the migration group were almost all eaten.
Although Luo Ningshuang's parents were also very hungry, they did not exchange their own flesh and blood with others. Then, on a night when the moon was very full, Luo Ningshuang opened her eyes and saw her parents killed by the villagers.
She was about to be thrown into the pot as well when suddenly a sword illuminated the dark night, pulling her back from the brink of death.
An Immortal appeared, bestowed food, and saved countless lives.
She was tested by the Immortal and found to have Sword Dao roots, so she followed the Immortal to Luoyun Temple.
When Master was present, she diligently practiced the Sword Dao every day, and her cultivation advanced rapidly. She was Luoyun Temple's most dazzling Genius and Master's proudest Head Disciple.
After Master left, she still diligently practiced the Sword Dao every day, supporting the extremely unlucky Lingjian Peak. The Sword Dao was the Dao Master passed down to her, and even if it cost her life, she had to protect Lingjian Peak's Legacy.
For over two hundred years, Master had always been the most important person in Luo Ningshuang's heart. She regarded Master as her only one, and her feelings had surpassed mere Master-Disciple affection.
But strangely, as she had more and more contact with Zhou Fan, Luo Ningshuang found that her feelings for Master gradually became clear and pure, simply a Master-Disciple affection.
Instead, she developed a special Dao Companion-like affection for the scoundrel Zhou Fan. Her Master, who had been incredibly important for over two hundred years, was no longer her only spiritual pillar.
After recognizing the true emotions in her heart, Luo Ningshuang finally found the Breakthrough opportunity she had not found for over two hundred years.
She had thought her Sword Heart had been clear for these two hundred years, but in reality, as early as the moment her feelings for her Master gradually changed after Master's departure, her Sword Heart had been clouded.
The reason for the clouding was not that she couldn't develop male-female feelings for her Master, but that she clearly had those feelings yet self-evaded and self-confused her perception, refusing to face her true self.
This was the reason why Luo Ningshuang's cultivation had not progressed at all for two hundred years. And because of this, now that she had seen her true feelings and united knowledge with action, Luo Ningshuang quickly understood the opportunity for Breakthrough.
Zhou Fan quietly listened to Luo Ningshuang's mental journey, congratulating her on successfully finding her Dao.
But he had other insights in his heart.
Zhou Fan felt that the main reason Luo Ningshuang was able to quickly recognize her emotions after interacting with him was because he had removed the influence of Son of Destiny Lin Xuanye's Protagonist Halo on her.
Under the influence of the Protagonist Halo, Luo Ningshuang, as one of the important female leads, developed male-female feelings for her always respected Master, Ye Xianyu.
Also under the influence of the Protagonist Halo, Luo Ningshuang, whose Sword Heart was originally clear, was unable to see her true self, resulting in no progress in her cultivation for two hundred years, waiting for Lin Xuanye to emerge from seclusion as the Protagonist to save Lingjian Peak from dire straits.
If there had been no Protagonist Halo influence, with Luo Ningshuang's Aptitude and talent, she would have long since achieved Nascent Soul Stage. In that case, Lingjian Peak would not have declined to such an extent, and the emergence of Protagonist Lin Xuanye would have seemed dispensable, unable to reflect his importance as the Protagonist.
Zhou Fan gained a new understanding of what Luck was, and at the same time, he increasingly felt that those poor female leads affected by the Protagonist Halo and the Intellect-Lowering Halo needed his salvation.
Look at Luo Ningshuang, what a wonderful Sword Immortal Bu Yu she was, with a clear Sword Heart, daring to love and hate. She was constantly affected by the Son of Destiny's Halo, almost brainwashed into an idiot who only knew her Master.
Gently, he helped Miss Luo, who was nestled in his arms, to smooth the beautiful hair from her forehead.
Zhou Fan looked at Sword Immortal Bu Yu, who, after he removed the Son of Destiny's Halo influence, quickly fell truly in love with an exceptionally good man, and immediately felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier.
System: "...Host, why is your shamelessness getting thicker and thicker?"
"What do you, a System who has never been in love, understand? If I weren't shameless, how could I save thousands of fallen girls?"
Zhou Fan's heart was filled with great love, and his conscience was clear.