“Phones are pretty convenient, aren’t they?”
Shen Ye casually twirled her fingers, earnestly explaining to Lin Xiangyi why she wanted a phone.
“You see, with this little thing, even from far away you can…”
“You can talk to friends you want to see, without even meeting up.”
She said it jokingly, but there were unnatural pauses in her speech, a forced cheerfulness beneath the words.
“With it, you can chat with friends anytime. Isn’t that great?”
When she finished, she curved her brows and gave Lin Xiangyi a sweet smile.
“…”
“Is that so?”
Lin Xiangyi’s voice was low, as if he were talking to himself.
He sensed something beneath that cheerfulness, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Regardless, it was something the girl deliberately hid, something he couldn’t reach right now.
Being able to talk to someone you want to see anytime… that really was—
Nice.
He didn’t pry further, just continued along the topic.
“Then when we go to the mall to buy clothes, I’ll get you a phone too. Do you have a model in mind?”
“But I didn’t bring any money…”
Shen Ye’s voice trailed off as she hung her head, her ears drooping softly against her head.
So that was it.
Lin Xiangyi suddenly understood. He was starting to realize why Shen Ye had been looking at him like that earlier.
She was just embarrassed about not having money, not because she heard what I said.
What a relief.
With that thought, the pressure on him eased considerably.
“It’s fine.”
Lin Xiangyi relaxed, waving his hand as if it were a trivial matter.
“You*’re Senior Brother’*s friend. I promised Master I’d take care of you. This little thing is no problem at all.”
I‘ll just charge it to Senior Brother’s tab later.
He silently added that in his head.
“Anything else? If not, let’s rest for today.”
Too much had happened in the short half-day. Lin Xiangyi just wanted to get back to bed and catch up on sleep.
As for everything else, he’d deal with it after waking up.
He waited a moment. Seeing that Shen Ye said nothing, he turned to leave.
But Shen Ye’s sudden strike caught him completely off guard.
A flat, emotionless question came from behind him, physically yanking his steps to a halt.
“Why do you think I’m a bad woman?”
She asked it very directly.
“Uh, ah, well…”
Why is she still holding onto that?!
Didn’t I already agree to let her stay?!
“Um, Sister Xiao Ye, I just spoke without thinking. Can we not talk about this? Ahaha…”
He turned around with an awkward laugh, his voice dry and stiff with unmistakable embarrassment.
Shen Ye watched the junior brother before her—scratching his head, looking embarrassed, ears flushed red, completely at a loss.
She finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out with a “pfft” laugh.
She chuckled softly and said:
“Alright, alright, I*’m just teasing you. I won’*t mind.”
Actually, the question had just popped into her head. She wasn’t really angry.
But she hadn*’t expected the junior brother’*s reaction to be this entertaining.
Shen Ye watched him, brows curving, the corners of her mouth refusing to go down.
She suddenly had a feeling.
Maybe using a fake identity to tease this junior brother isn’t so bad?
But as she kept laughing, she remembered the scene earlier when he’d called her a bad woman.
Ptooey, ptooey.
Wouldn’t that make me a real bad woman?
It‘s all Master’s fault.
If she hadn’t been vague about things, why would the junior brother have misunderstood me?
She cursed in her heart, firmly pinning the blame on her master.
“Ah-choo!”
Inside the Azure Cloud Sect grounds, An Wenxin, seated at the reception table, sneezed.
She rubbed her nose, a smile curling at the corner of her lips.
It must be my good disciple Shen Ye missing me.
I’ve worked so hard cleaning up after you, so this is the least you owe me.
She picked up her teacup, took a leisurely sip, and looked across.
On the other side of the reception table sat two people—an elder and a younger one. They were Executors sent by the Association, here to investigate the unusual spiritual power fluctuation that had occurred within the sect grounds that morning.
Sigh, I just got off the phone with my second disciple to confirm my eldest disciple’s safety, and the Association comes sniffing around.
An Wenxin rolled her eyes internally.
So annoying.
“Sect Master An.”
The elder Executor spoke first, his voice steady and unhurried.
“That peculiar spiritual power fluctuation we detected here at the Mountain Gate earlier—do you have any insight on it?”
“Oh, that.”
An Wenxin set down her teacup and said with a smile:
“That was just me tinkering with my little gadgets. Nothing worth mentioning.”
“Is that so? I*’ve long heard of Sect Master An’*s considerable skill in the Spirit Locking Art. To cause such a stir—truly, your reputation precedes you.”
The elder Executor laughed heartily, offering praise before shifting the topic.
“Then let me ask another question. Your eldest disciple, Shen Ye—where has she gone?”
“The Association received the leave application you submitted on her behalf, but according to our records, Shen Ye hasn’t appeared at any registration office these past few days.”
“My eldest disciple can go wherever she pleases. Why would I bother managing her whereabouts?”
An Wenxin blinked, looking utterly innocent.
The elder Executor*’s gaze didn’*t relent. He pressed on, a hint of pressure creeping into his voice.
“Executors above the second rank are required to register with the Association when traveling anywhere. Surely Sect Master An knows this rule?”
The air went still.
An Wenxin kept her smile, but her eyes narrowed.
She spoke calmly, her voice unhurried, yet carrying unshakable confidence and arrogance:
“With my disciple*’s strength, she can go wherever she wants. Other than me, she doesn’*t need to report to anyone. Could it be—”
“You intend to manage her on my behalf?”
The young Executor finally couldn’t hold back.
“You—!”
He shot to his feet, the chair scraping backward with a harsh screech.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, a single indifferent glance from An Wenxin silenced him.
That look carried warning and danger.
His throat bobbed. Without realizing it, a bead of nervous sweat rolled down his forehead.
The elder Executor reached out, unhurriedly blocking the young man who had stood up.
“Sit down.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
The young Executor gritted his teeth and took the out offered, sitting back down with unconcealed resentment on his face.
The elder Executor turned to An Wenxin and asked once more:
“Sect Master An, about your disciple’s whereabouts—will you truly not tell us?”
“No comment.”
An Wenxin answered dismissively, and after speaking, she said no more.
Seeing that they truly couldn*’t pry Shen Ye’*s whereabouts out of An Wenxin, the elder Executor sighed.
“In that case, we won’t disturb you any further.”
He gave a slight nod and left with the young man beside him.
An Wenxin remained seated, unmoving. She didn’t stand to see them off, nor did she offer parting words.
She simply took her time, savoring her warm, refreshing tea.
The two walked out of the Mountain Gate.
The young Executor finally let loose, kicking a small stone at his feet and cursing:
“What does she think she is! A tiny sect with only four people total—if it weren*’t for Shen Ye, the Association wouldn’*t give a damn whether they lived or died!”
The elder Executor didn’t look back, merely replying flatly:
“This sect of hers deserves our attention even with just Shen Ye alone. Do you think that kid*’s reputation was earned by luck? Even if she’*s not in the Association, we still need to know where she is.”
“But something about this disturbance feels off. Shouldn’t we investigate further?”
The young Executor pressed on, unsatisfied. He couldn*’t understand why they—sent with the Association’*s orders—would head back without figuring anything out.
“It*’s fine. Once the Executor Examination is over, we’*ll know soon enough.”
The elder Executor replied calmly, his tone carrying unwavering certainty.