Yun Liu turned his head to look at the drama queen, Ji Shiyu.
The brat was waving triumphantly, her hands still firmly clutched around his arm.
His Aunt Master and the others were watching from the sidelines, their faces filled with various degrees of disdain.
Qin Fou watched the scene, unable to stop herself from stifling a giggle.
‘After Ji Ran, has Shiyu finally reached her limit? Tan’er certainly started quite the trend.’
“Hey, let go already. They’ve already walked away.”
“What’s the matter? Do you… do you not like me holding onto you?”
Ji Shiyu bit her lip, her eyes drooping sadly as she pouted with an air of grievance.
“You heartbreaker, can’t you still pamper your apprentice just because you have a wife now?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, it just feels a bit… weird?”
Yun Liu rubbed his nose.
The tomboy had always treated him like a brother, and he felt the same way.
Logically, throwing an arm around each other’s shoulders was the norm—like that time in the past when Ji Shiyu had clung to his leg, crying and begging him to pay the bill.
Beneath her exterior, she was more like a mischievous boy.
Throughout their journey, she had collected Fortune and gradually grown into the Protagonist of the game—a boisterous tomboy who eventually transformed into a heroic and handsome immortal Sword Cultivator.
It was precisely this character archetype that had captured the hearts of many beautiful women, even “bending” numerous Peerless Geniuses.
To his surprise, after Ji Shiyu heard his response, her eyes sparkled once more.
She chirped excitedly, “So that means you do like it! Now, I’ll count to three. If you don’t take it back, I’m taking it as the truth—three, two, one! Too late! No take-backs, or you’re a dog!”
She finished the countdown at lightspeed.
Her joyful expression brooked no argument, and it was… frustratingly cute?
This was bad.
It wasn’t the first time Yun Liu had felt this strange sensation toward the tomboy, but it felt incredibly bizarre.
In Yun Liu’s eyes, Ji Shiyu had always been a high-spirited young mistress.
Had all that pulling and tugging just now been to get his attention?
Her recent abnormal behavior, combined with Ao Tian’s exaggerated explanations, led him to interpret it as her “confession being rejected.”
With that level of favorability, it would be a miracle if she could be romanced.
Not every pair of bickering rivals could end up in a happy relationship like a television drama.
Seeing Ji Shiyu looking refreshed, Yun Liu nodded.
From a friend’s perspective, he could only comfort his good brother and hope she moved on quickly to return to her proper place.
“Fine, whatever makes you happy, as long as you’re okay. There are plenty of fish in the sea; there’s no need to hang yourself from a single tree. Just don’t make a move on Qin Xiang, and I don’t care who you love.”
“As far as I know, as long as you focus on saving the world, you’ll have plenty of harems in the future anyway.”
“…Huh?”
Ji Shiyu tilted her head, still pondering how to “insert the Princess” and then slowly steal Senior Sister Qin away.
A small fry like Xiao Ran was practically defenseless.
Ao Tian rolled his eyes speechlessly.
The “cross-server” communication between this “father and daughter” duo wasn’t a one-time occurrence.
“Shiyu.”
An elderly man with an immortal’s air arrived on the wind, interrupting their conversation.
The tomboy immediately dove behind her teacher in fright.
“It’s you again! What do you want, you Great Baldy! I haven’t even settled the score with you for tricking me into the Illusion Pavilion last time! Don’t bother me, I’m never going back in there!”
“Stop fooling around. I have serious business to discuss with you.”
Ji Shiyu shook her head stubbornly, but in the blink of an eye, she was sucked into the Elder’s Universe in the Sleeve.
She let out a piercing wail, “Mommy—!”
With a ghostly shriek from the girl, she vanished.
“Rest assured, it won’t be as long this time. Even the Sect Leader Senior Brother is afraid of her now.”
The Great Elder rubbed his forehead and chuckled bitterly.
“What?”
Gelan and Yan Bingling were visibly moved.
Ji Shiyu was actually the Sect Leader’s personal disciple, not a student of the Great Elder?
If this news got out, the tomboy would truly become famous across the land.
After all, there were tens of thousands of geniuses in the Nine Provinces; which sect didn’t have one or two good prospects?
However, personal disciples who could actually catch the eye of a Mahayana Stage old monster were few and far between.
The Great Elder nodded with a smile toward Yun Liu.
In the eyes of the elders, the promotion of the Peak Chief of Heavenly Phenomena was well-deserved.
Using Form-Intention as a sword meant he had already touched upon the threshold of the fifth level of the Sword Canon.
Below the Golden Core stage, he was virtually invincible.
The reappearance of the Sword Scripture of Celestial Phenomena in the Sea of Clouds was a good thing.
The Sect Leader Senior Brother would eventually have to face his Tribulation Crossing.
The Divine Radiance Sect would ultimately need someone who could gain the recognition of the Peak Masters of the Five Peaks to carry the title of the Sword Dao Leader.
“That person can come from any branch, but they must master the Five Peaks Sword Canon. I personally admit I lack that talent. I must also trouble Aunt Master and Junior Sister Ge to step over to the Dragon Subduing Hall. After today’s battle, the candidate in his heart…”
“Hmm?”
Yan Bingling’s eyebrows arched.
She thought the Fang family was causing trouble again, or that this old man was daring to provoke her.
Yun Liu, however, looked toward the Golden Sword Slip.
For the Great Baldy to come in person instead of sending a First Peak Disciple to deliver the message, it was clearly no small matter.
“You say we go, so we go? Wouldn’t that make me look bad?”
Gelan tucked her rebellious, philandering son under her arm.
“Sorry, she’s very busy lately. For her eldest disciple’s ‘bliss,’ she hasn’t even been looking after the affairs of Clear Mist Peak.”
In any case, she absolutely could not give Jing Tan’er and Yun Liu any chance to be alone together!
However, the usually flexible Great Elder was uncharacteristically firm this time, speaking in a professional tone.
“I think you’ve misunderstood. It isn’t that I want to see you; the Peak Master of Falling Cloud Peak has requested your presence.”
“Sect Leader Senior Brother?!”
Gelan was startled.
Sect matters… the world believed he was in seclusion attempting to reach the Tribulation Crossing stage, searching for ways to resist the Heavenly Tribulation.
As a grand Sword Immortal, how long had it been since Shen Zhong concerned himself with such things?
“What should we do, Bingling?”
Gelan felt a bit guilty as she looked toward the Aunt Master.
This “leader of rogues” usually ran rampant, relying on her great strength to look down on everyone in the Sea of Clouds Five Peaks.
Now that the Sect Master was reappearing, could he be looking to hold them accountable?
‘Was it that I secretly dug up the fine wine the Sect Leader buried behind the Ancestor Hall? Or was it that my plan with Mr. Kuai to create the Soul-Haunting secret medicine was discovered?’
Ge Erniang had committed so many misdeeds over the past few hundred years that she couldn’t even count them.
Yan Bingling’s face was full of mockery.
“What are you afraid of? You had the guts to privately pass on the Qingxia Sword Mark, but you don’t have the guts to admit it?”
“…Oh, right. I forgot about that.”
As expected, the Great Elder added a footnote, smiling as he pointed toward the Clear Mist Peak Senior Sister.
“Qin Xiang, it’s been hard on you. Please come along as well.”
“Me?”
Qin Xiang pointed at herself, becoming nervous.
She looked toward Yun Liu for help.
Only the East Pole Pavilion Master, who held the most unique status, was not included.
Yun Liu was also a bit curious about what that Sweeper intended to do.
It was impossible that he was going to pass the Zhuiyun Sword Trace to the tomboy as well, right?
The group used Sword Riding to head toward the Dragon Subduing Hall, leaving only the white-robed youth with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
Atop his head sat the silly bird that had been left behind.
“Ah?”
“Don’t you think… Shiyu is becoming more and more feminine?”
No good words ever came out of a chicken’s beak.
This thought-provoking comment from Ao Tian left Yun Liu dazed once again.
He slapped his forehead. “Exactly! That’s the problem!”
Ji Shiyu was becoming more and more like a girl.
Although she still talked nonsense and acted recklessly, she was becoming more likeable the more he looked at her.
No wonder the script was going off the rails.
Now, the troublesome friend who used to crash at his home for meals and constantly stared at his sister had changed.
She no longer liked clinging to girls; instead, she was pestering him.
‘Isn’t this a good thing? It means she’s grown up, and I haven’t failed the trust of Starshuo Madam.’
Yun Liu nodded, feeling a sense of paternal pride.
‘It must have been me, her sworn father, setting an excellent example!’
‘The companion Phoenix Spirit has gone to such lengths to collect Fortune just to awaken the sleeping Mystic Lady who reincarnated into the lower realm… It’s fine as long as you think that way. Just watch yourself.’
Ao Tian shook his head and sighed, not daring to speak the truth.
His tiny claws shifted through the youth’s messy hair, attempting to tidy it back into a literal bird’s nest.
“Listen, let’s get this straight. It’s true that the idea to call you ‘father’ was mine, but as for her other confusing behaviors, they have nothing to do with me.”
The most unfilial Nine Heavens Mystic Lady in history was about to be born.
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