Xiao Yu giggled slightly at the praise regarding her refined beauty, but quickly sobered.
"Yes, these things have been happening continuously over the past weeks as mostly noticed also," Xiao Yu explained, looking down at her frost-covered hands. "On these continuous, violent breakthroughs in such a short time, I was terrified at first. I thought it was some kind of cultivation deviation. But... it isn't like those unstable demonic arts. My foundation is incredibly solid. You know it; in academy, I was able to fight evenly with peak Dou Zhes and even Dou Shis. And today with a Da Dou Shi."
She leaned forward, her silver hair falling over her shoulders. "But Ning'er... what exactly is happening inside me? Will it be bad?"
Yoriichi met her gaze. "Tell me, sister. What exactly happened that day? What triggered something so sudden and so undeniably effective?"
Xiao Yu wrapped her arms around herself, recalling the traumatizing memory of the Silver Veil Falls.
"I don't know," she whispered, her voice tightening. "At first, I was in a very low, desperate emotional state. I felt completely helpless. I was watching you being beaten down by that scumbag, and I was struggling because I couldn't fight alongside you. I felt useless."
Yoriichi's eyes turned profoundly gentle upon hearing this. He understood that agonizing feeling of absolute helplessness all too well.
"And then..." Xiao Yu continued, her pink-red eyes narrowing as she tried to put the sensation into words, "then a spark within my chest suddenly spread. It felt like something ancient snapped open. The next second, freezing ice sparks were flowing gently around my wrists. Without even thinking, I just mixed that freezing energy with my whip and attacked. You know the rest."
She looked at him curiously. "But what about you? The crimson mark that appeared on your forehead? That sudden, terrifying explosive power that nearly melted the surroundings?"
Yoriichi sighed lightly, reaching up to touch his neck where the mark had burned its way into his skin.
"My condition is deeply related to my past," Yoriichi told her smoothly, maintaining the boundary he had set regarding his reincarnation. "It is a technique that forcibly overdrafts the body's life force. I know its mechanics very well, and I will explain its origins to you in due time, when you are ready."
Xiao Yu looked slightly confused, but she respected his boundaries and didn't pry further.
Yoriichi continued his analysis. "Returning to you... there is a constant, subtle pressure around you that I can feel. It is not like the suppression of a stronger person from a higher cultivation realm. It is something different, something fundamental. It is as if your very existence is heavier."
Xiao Yu's eyes widened in realization. "Hmm... yes! I remember that! When I attacked, I instinctively targeted that feeling toward that bastard. And maybe he..."
"Yes," Yoriichi confirmed, nodding slowly. "He felt the exact same pressure, but at a much higher intensity on your command. It disrupted his Dou Qi circulation. Because of that suppression, you were able to attack him efficiently despite the realm gap. This pressure... is it due to some dormant physique awakening within you? Or a power hidden within our bloodline?"
Xiao Yu curled her knees closer to her chest, burying her face slightly in her arms. Her voice trembled with genuine vulnerability.
"I... I don't know," she admitted, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "I don't know anything about it at all. These things are completely out of my mind. I can't control this coldness. Sometimes, I feel like any slightest emotional breakdown, any surge of anger, could make me frenzy with madness again. What if I lose control? What if these things end up hurting you? Like that day... my interference almost got you killed."
Seeing the sheer terror and guilt threatening to consume her, Yoriichi moved.
He slid closer to her, ignoring the dull ache in his ribs. He gently put his calloused hand on her trembling shoulders and pulled her close, letting her rest her head against his bandaged chest. He slowly, rhythmically began massaging her silver hair, his touch conveying absolute, unyielding safety.
"You shouldn't worry about these things, Sister," Yoriichi told her, his voice a deep, comforting rumble that vibrated through his chest. "Whatever this power is, it is a tool. And overall, it is a good thing, since it is making you incredibly powerful in a world that preys on the weak."
Xiao Yu sniffled, looking up at him with her vibrant pink-red eyes, speaking in a high, frightened pitch. "But wouldn't this coldness hurt the people around me? As my temperature gets colder..."
"Hm," Yoriichi interrupted gently, his hand smoothing down her hair. "That is precisely why you need to practice more. To control these powers, not suppress them. You must master the frost, temper your mind, and use this ancient spark for yourself, to protect what you hold dear."
Xiao Yu hesitated. "But what if I fail? What if..."
Yoriichi shushed her softly. "Just do it. Just try. Let us see what happens when you fully embrace it. I will be here to overlook your training. I will not let you fall into madness."
The absolute certainty in his voice shattered the last of her fears. Xiao Yu threw her arms around him, hugging him emotionally, burying her face in his neck.
"Okay," she whispered resolutely, her Dao Heart solidifying like the ice she commanded. "I will do it. If fate gave me this chance to not be a burden, I should use it."
Yoriichi hummed approvingly, gently patting her back.
After a few minutes, the emotional weight lifted from the cavern. Xiao Yu pulled back, wiping her eyes, and a sudden, mischievous glimmer replaced her tears. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the dark silver spatial ring belonging to the assassin.
"I waited for you to wake up to open this," she said, holding the ring out. "I wanted us to open his stash together."
Yoriichi nodded. He took the ring, holding it between his fingers.
Normally, erasing the soul imprint of a dead Da Dou Shi required significant spiritual strength. Yoriichi closed his eyes, violently channeling his Dou Qi into the ring, battering against the lingering psychic barrier left by the assassin. After struggling for a few intense minutes, a faint crack echoed in his mind as the imprint shattered.
With a flick of his wrist, Yoriichi inverted the ring's storage space, dumping its contents onto the flat stone floor beside the fire.
A massive pile of loot materialized.
There were dozens of small, heavy pouches filled with shining gold coins, several jade bottles containing various healing and Qi-gathering pills, a few blood-stained parchment scrolls detailing Huang Class Dou Skills, and various stolen artifacts and weapons.
Both siblings were genuinely surprised.
"For a mere Da Dou Shi, this is a staggering amount of wealth," Yoriichi noted, picking up a heavy bag of gold. "He was likely sustaining himself entirely through theft, banditry, and taking assassination contracts within the Black-Corner Region."
As they began sorting through the bloody hoard, organizing the pills from the mundane items, a faint, rhythmic pulsing caught their attention.