This stroke of luck came too suddenly.
Yun Zhonghe never expected that Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu would approach him.
He had thought there wouldn’t be any chance this time.
He was very excited.
However, Yun Zhonghe knew not to let it show.
High-level hunters often appear in the guise of prey.
The more initiative you show, the more likely you are to lose.
Only by maintaining the maximum mystery and allure of the prey can you gradually lure the target into the trap.
Looking at the beautiful couple in front of him, Yun Zhonghe maintained a calm demeanor—neither too warm nor too distant.
He stayed elegant and approachable.
“Miss Lin, what a coincidence. Are you out shopping too?”
Yun Zhonghe smiled gently, as if greeting an old friend, his gaze pure and sincere.
“Mhm. My bestie and I came to the market to see if we could find a suitable weapon,” Lin Zhongyu stood upright, nervously clutching the hem of her skirt, looking especially shy and bashful.
Yun Zhonghe nodded.
“Then I recommend a weapon shop at the end of the street. They can forge a sword to your exact specifications. That way, it suits your needs better. Ordinary stalls rarely have anything that complements your sword techniques.”
The Eight Wastelands Sword Technique was of the metal attribute—metal representing slaughter, forceful and fierce.
And being a Xuan-level technique, it demanded high-quality blades.
A weak sword would likely break before the technique could even be unleashed.
Yun Zhonghe himself carried swords forged by master craftsmen hired by the Yun family.
Not only did they boost his metal-based spiritual power, but the blades were also lightweight, reducing the cooldown time of sword techniques.
Receiving Yun Zhonghe’s recommendation, Lin Zhongyu nodded eagerly.
She was secretly delighted—Yun Zhonghe hadn’t pretended not to know her in public, and had even kindly offered her advice.
She really couldn’t understand why Yun Zhonghe had such a bad reputation.
It must have been slander!
But after the brief exchange, the atmosphere became awkward.
Lin Zhongyu didn’t know what to say next.
The moment she saw Yun Zhonghe, she had rushed over without thinking.
She thought she could handle it—but she was so nervous she bit her tongue and couldn’t even find a topic to talk about.
Having no other choice, she pulled her best friend forward.
“Brother Yun, let me introduce you. This is my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were little…”Before she could finish, Yun Zhonghe cut in, “Mu Jixue, the prodigy girl from Cangzhou City. At fourteen, she reached the third layer of Foundation Establishment and was chosen as a personal disciple by Master Youyue of the Xuantian Sect. Your reputation precedes you.”
Lin Zhongyu wasn’t surprised.
In fact, it would’ve been strange if Yun Zhonghe didn’t recognize Mu Jixue.
To her, this was the happiest day in the past ten years.
She had just introduced the two most important people in her life to each other.
Double the joy meant more than just twice the happiness!
But Mu Jixue didn’t show any pleasure at Yun Zhonghe’s polite words.
She frowned, clearly reluctant.
Even before meeting Yun Zhonghe, she had felt that he was dangerous.
Now standing face-to-face, she was even more certain.
Just being stared at by him made every cell in her body tremble.
Her mind was filled with flashing words like “rip clothes” and “abuse and humiliation.”
Mu Jixue’s petite body tensed up involuntarily.
And from the conversation between Lin Zhongyu and Yun Zhonghe, Mu Jixue caught onto one detail—How did Yun Zhonghe know they were out shopping for swords?
Had the two of them made some secret deal?
When did that happen?
Mu Jixue suddenly felt like a cat was scratching at her heart.
She urgently wanted to figure out what was going on.
Her gaze toward Yun Zhonghe grew increasingly unfriendly.
She even bared her small canine teeth and let out a low growl as a warning.
Yun Zhonghe smiled wryly.
Where did this wild cat come from?
But he was used to Mu Jixue’s hostility and didn’t mind it.
In fact, he saw this as a rare opportunity to get close to Huang Ao tian.
The first step is always the hardest.
Just like cross-dressing—there’s only the first time and then countless times.
As long as he could strike up a conversation, Yun Zhonghe could naturally interact with Huang Ao tian in the future.
He was genuinely touched and wanted to give Lin Zhongyu a thumbs-up.
She had helped him a great deal—it was worth all the effort he had put into assisting her.
Indeed, if you want to befriend Huang Ao tian, winning over the female leads first is the best strategy.
Yun Zhonghe clasped his hands in greeting.
“I am Yun Zhonghe. A pleasure to meet you.”
Mu Jixue: …Lin Zhongyu nudged Mu Jixue with her shoulder.
“Xue’er, Brother Yun is greeting you.”
“Ugh… I heard. I’m Mu Jixue.”
Mu Jixue responded reluctantly, offering a half-hearted salute.
If it weren’t for Xiaoyu pushing her, she wouldn’t have greeted him at all.
Alright then.
Lin Zhongyu felt helpless.
She knew Mu Jixue held deep misunderstandings about Yun Zhonghe and didn’t want them to have too much contact—it was all for her own good.
But she also genuinely wanted Mu Jixue to see the real Yun Zhonghe.
He wasn’t the kind of person she imagined him to be.
Lin Zhongyu apologized, “Sorry, Brother Yun. My friend’s not in the best mood today.”
“No worries, I understand. I won’t disturb you any further. Farewell.”
Just getting to meet Huang Ao tian was already more than enough.
Yun Zhonghe knew it wasn’t a good idea to stay longer.
He could almost see the anger meter above Mu Jixue’s head about to explode.
The blond-haired villain and Huang Ao tian were destined to be at odds—how ironic that they were both of the “Huang” generation.
Lin Zhongyu was quite disappointed.
Mu Jixue might be mischievous, but she was usually sensible.
Why was she being so rude today?
This made Lin Zhongyu feel awful.
Even if Mu Jixue didn’t like Yun Zhonghe, she should’ve at least played along when being introduced.
Now things were so awkward that she felt she had let Yun Zhonghe down.
She wanted to crawl into a hole.
“B……”In the end, Lin Zhongyu couldn’t hold it in anymore.
She immediately turned and chased after Yun Zhonghe.
“Brother Yun, I’m sorry about my friend just now. Please don’t take it personally. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
What?!
Upon hearing her best friend’s words, Mu Jixue’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.
Xiaoyu, what nonsense are you spouting?!
Did you forget everything I told you last night?
That man is dangerous!
If you keep acting all naive and offering help like that, he’ll definitely ask you to do something completely inappropriate!
Then came Lin Zhongyu’s second sentence, which nearly made Mu Jixue lose it on the spot:“Brother Yun, it looks like you’ve bought quite a lot. Why don’t I help you carry some of it? I can accompany you to your residence.”
Mu Jixue felt her mind roar with panic, furious at her childhood friend’s ignorance.
Xiaoyu, are you seriously thinking of going to that man’s house?
Are you insane?!
That place is a dragon’s den, a tiger’s lair!
Once you go in, you won’t come out—he’ll devour you completely, body and soul!
In a flustered rush, Mu Jixue dashed forward and stepped in front of Lin Zhongyu, her sharp violet eyes glaring at Yun Zhonghe.
“You beast—let go of Xiaoyu!If you’ve got a problem, come at me instead!”