Chapter 45: Not Out of Lust

"Help my father?"

Upon hearing Ye Yonglie's words, Ye Qingshi finally recalled his earlier introduction. The young man standing before her had actually awakened a mind-form?

*Could that mean he's even more formidable than my father?* Ye Qingshi wondered with great astonishment.

Although she had never been exposed to martial cultivation prior to this, as the daughter of the dojo master, she had absorbed much through osmosis and understood basic concepts. At the very least, her common sense regarding martial arts surpassed that of Fang Can.

She had often heard her ordinarily steadfast father unconsciously sighing within the dojo while gazing at the Heavenly Mystery Rankings.

After witnessing this repeatedly, she had grasped the crux of her father's sighs: his martial path had stagnated for a full decade. Aside from refinements in technique, his realm seemed to have reached the absolute limit of his aptitude.

*In other words, this young man can help my father improve?* Ye Qingshi gazed at the handsome youth before her, her delicate green-clad fingers subconsciously pinching the corner of her dress as she fell into internal conflict, debating whether to accept the youth's request for assistance.

Naturally, she could tell the youth harbored a favorable impression of her—evidently wishing to use geographical convenience to grow closer. Yet, bound by the strict boundaries between men and women, even with the desire to help her father, she could not simply abandon her modesty.

Yet, while she remained torn, Ye Yonglie had already made the decision for his daughter: "Yuan Dang, Li Fei, both of you go prepare a room for young master Fang. The one right next to Qingshi's."

At these words, Yuan Dang froze in place. Asking him to prepare a room for Fang Can so he could get closer to the senior sister? It was sheer emotional torture.

Fang Can smiled as he looked toward the two disciples and said, "I'll have to trouble you both. I didn't bring much luggage, just getting it neat and tidy will be enough."

As a resentful Yuan Dang and his senior martial brother departed to ready the room, Ye Yonglie smiled and said, "Qingshi, young friend Fang has just arrived at the dojo. Take it upon yourself to show him around the neighborhood and help him get acquainted with the surroundings."

Even if Ye Qingshi were slow-witted, she could clearly perceive her father's intent. Yet, under the principle that a father's command is absolute, no matter how dissatisfied she felt outwardly, the young girl could only suppress it. With a trace of gloom, she said to Fang Can, "Follow me, I'll show you the way."

Observing the visibly displeased maiden, Fang Can calmly lifted his feet to follow, stepping out of the main hall.

Until they reached a secluded corner devoid of people, Ye Qingshi whipped her head around, her expression icy as she pointed a finger at Fang Can. "You—"

"I know what you mean," Fang Can cut off the young girl's words in advance. "The Dojo Master thinks I have designs on you, so he wants to play matchmaker. But you have no feelings for me and want to persuade me to give up, right?"

"Uh—" Ye Qingshi stared blankly at Fang Can's preemption for a moment before replying, "That's right, so—"

"Rest assured, I am very hygienic, so I don't harbor grand illusions about a beautiful maiden with basic physiological needs."

Fang Can maintained a proper smile. "Over the next few days, aside from tangling with you, I won't engage in any overstepping behavior. You can convey this directly to the Dojo Master as well."

"You..." A faint blush of anger crept across Ye Qingshi's face.

The man before her was entirely unlike any she had encountered previously. He had spoken all her lines for her—leaving her with nothing to say.

Yet Fang Can's expression remained far more composed, for he understood that the sole resistance to staying by the maiden's side was the Fierce Sun Dojo Master.

In this ancient era governed by the dictates of parents and the words of matchmakers, children possessed no sovereign control over their own bodies.

This was doubly true for Ye Qingshi, a young woman who had not even touched upon martial arts; she lacked the right to choose her own major life decisions.

At present, Ye Yonglie was practically transforming into a devoted filial son just for the sake of martial arts advancement. As long as Fang Can's subsequent actions were not too outrageous, lingering by the maiden's side would pose no problem.

Therefore, Fang Can simply chose to lay his cards on the table with the maiden from the very beginning, making his stance clear.

"Then... what exactly are you trying to do?" Ye Qingshi asked, her fair and tender face laced with confusion. "On one hand, you claim you don't like me; on the other, you pester me. Don't you find that contradictory?"

"It is not a contradiction," Fang Can shook his head and confessed frankly. "In any case, over the next few days, without disrupting your daily life, I simply intend to remain by your side. I hope you won't mind."

*How could anyone not mind that?* Ye Qingshi muttered inwardly, the trace of favorability that had just surfaced immediately vanishing into thin air.

Realizing it was impossible to reason with this blockhead, she resolved to return that evening and speak ill of Fang Can to her father to drive him away.

Having effectively killed the conversation with a series of sigma male remarks, Fang Can fell silent thereafter. He trailed closely behind Ye Qingshi, circulating the Taming Tigers and Subduing Dragons Golden Body bit by bit, allowing the internal vibration to permeate every corner of his body.

Thus, while Ye Qingshi acted as a guide and Fang Can silently practiced his martial arts—two completely unrelated activities—occurred simultaneously.

After a dozen minutes or so, once Ye Qingshi had roughly toured the entire dojo, Fang Can finally couldn't help but ask, "Could you pause for a moment?"

"What did you say?" Ye Qingshi noticed Fang Can finally speaking up, yet failed to comprehend the youth's meaning.

*Naturally, it's because you keep walking back and forth, making my martial cultivation signal unstable and causing my cultivation efficiency to fluctuate wildly.* Fang Can complained inwardly, though he worried that phrasing it that way would cause the maiden to break down and refuse to cooperate afterward.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Because of my cultivation method, I need Miss Ye to remain close to me."

"Me? What does that have to do with me?" Ye Qingshi asked with a suspicious look.

"My martial cultivation efficiency is tied to my mood. The happier I am, the better the cultivation results," Fang Can said, staring fixedly at Ye Qingshi's incomparably stunning face. "And Miss Ye is very beautiful."

"Just as seeing beautiful things elevates one's mood, in order to boost my cultivation efficiency, I must follow Miss Ye. That is my cultivation method—no other reason, purely for the sake of joyful spirits."

"W-What is that supposed to mean?" Suddenly caught off guard by a compliment on her appearance, Ye Qingshi instinctively took two steps back in embarrassment, while Fang Can advanced two steps to ensure the Wi-Fi signal didn't weaken.

"As this concerns the martial path, I must ask Miss Ye to permit me to stay by your side for the next few days," Fang Can said solemnly, packaging his superficial attraction with an aura of absolute seriousness.

Due to the nature of subjective-idealism martial arts, this world boasted all manner of systems and cultivation methods.

Consequently, for a split second, Ye Qingshi couldn't tell whether the fellow was simply cloaking his womanizing in the guise of martial arts training or if his cultivation genuinely demanded it.

The young maiden stammered, "Then... if you must follow, then follow."

"In that case, might I ask Miss Ye to pause temporarily and rest somewhere for a moment, allowing me to cultivate under the influence of Miss Ye's peerless appearance?" Fang Can requested earnestly.

"This... there's a pavilion up ahead, and I happen to be tired of walking anyway. We can rest there for a bit," Ye Qingshi said, two rosy clouds blooming across her cheeks.

The two of them thus walked into the pavilion, where Ye Qingshi seated herself gracefully upon a stone stool, gently waving her hand in an attempt to dissipate the heat from her face.

As for Fang Can, true to his word, once the signal base station ceased moving, he calmly crossed his legs, circulated his internal energy, and practiced his technique as though no one else were around.