The maidservant Qing Li saw Mu Shaohua and Ji Shiyu return together, and her mood shifted from cloudy to sunny, breaking into giggles every now and then.
She’s completely fallen for him, utterly enchanted by that yellow-haired scoundrel. Is the power of love really that strong?
“Senior Sister, any progress?”
Mu Shaohua shot the little girl a glare, then looked at the many experts seated around the banquet and started worrying again.
“Shoo shoo, adults are handling things here, kids shouldn’t stick their noses in.”
No matter how skilled Shi Yu was, he’d only just entered the Golden Core stage. He was far stronger than her, sure, but the heroes of the Five Islands weren’t pushovers either.
If only Young Master Ji had shown up sooner, there wouldn’t be half this trouble. And it wasn’t like she could just change her mind now and send everyone packing, right?
No, she needed to think of a way to work behind the scenes and give him a hand!
Mu Shaohua’s heart stirred. She pulled her servant girl aside and whispered in her ear, instructing her to make absolutely sure the message was delivered.
Qing Li’s eyes brightened slightly. She glanced toward Penglai Island.
“Leave it to me!”
Madam Yingluo tilted her head curiously, suspicion also beginning to take root.
Lady Rosy was restless with spring in her heart, though no one knew which young man had caught her eye, or what his abilities were.
At first, she’d favored the East Pole Pavilion Master most—young and accomplished, a fellow Pavilion Deacon besides. Unfortunately, the man had no interest in children.
That left plenty of other candidates. The cultivators from the various Ling Tian Caves each had their own strengths and could all make fine allies.
In terms of pure power, the strongest were none other than Dongfang Shuo of the Cold Chant Sect, along with Soul-Seizing Banner Sect and Canye Shusheng. But that didn’t mean the others had no chance.
Give up on that hope right now! Whoever it ends up being, the only thing that matters is never letting that lunatic do something against all ethics and decency.
Madam Yingluo swept her gaze across the room and saw the “mother-in-law” looking her way. Wu Lei and Fang Ya both puffed out their chests, doing their best to show off their remarkable bearing.
Too bad. In the Master of Boundless Pavilion’s estimation, the pirates of Howling Fjord held the lowest commercial value. They were the bottom-tier horses, good for nothing except giving Jie Lin a bit of extra trouble.
Meanwhile, Yun Liu, who was meditating inside his room, couldn’t care less about any of this. He kept pouring spiritual energy into the floating Small Cauldron, warming the artifact with his Divine Soul.
Perhaps it was because Ah Lian was by his side, or perhaps because he’d bathed in Dragon Blood and enjoyed the Godly Tree Essence just the same, but subduing the Divine Wood Dragon Cauldron was going abnormally smoothly.
The refinement process was slow, but he remained calm and unhurried.
Cauldron, cauldron, cauldron…
The Mechanical Bird hidden in his ring suddenly let out a chirp. The other one was clearly right nearby.
Yun Liu opened his eyes. Once he immersed himself in his Sea of Consciousness, he lost all track of time. He had no idea what hour it was now.
“What’s wrong?”
The young girl on the other end lay in her room, clutching the Mechanical Bird and hesitating for ages, afraid of disturbing Master’s artifact forging. The moment she heard his reassuring voice, though, she forgot every single report she’d prepared.
“Can I come over next door?”
“Can’t… can’t sleep. Are you done with your work yet?”
Ao Tian cracked open one eyelid, let out a grumble or two, then closed it again, choosing to play deaf and dumb.
He really had been pushing her too hard lately. Even the Heavenly Fate Girl needed to balance work and rest. If anything, she could blame that Wuyin Shuixiang for delivering itself right to their doorstep, refusing to give them even a moment to breathe.
“Not to your liking?”
Yun Liu chuckled. “You’re hungry, aren’t you? I guessed right.”
“Gulp!”
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes! I’m coming over to visit.”
Before Yun Liu could refuse, Ji Shiyu cheerfully cut off the mental link.
Knock knock!
Before long, sounds came from outside the door. Someone crept up to the building, glancing left and right with a shifty-eyed look, as if terrified of being discovered by Senior Sister Qin getting up in the middle of the night.
“Mister, open up. I-it’s me, it’s your little sister.”
The little yellow-haired girl’s voice was barely a whisper, her fake voice pitched neutrally, giving off the sleazy vibe of someone knocking on a widow’s door at night.
This silly girl, could she possibly be any more adorable…
Yun Liu couldn’t hold back his smile. He quickly scooped up his Junior Sister and got her dressed—no way could he let the big silly girl witness a scene like this.
Still smiling, he opened the door and raised his index finger.
“Shh, Ah Lian’s asleep.”
?
Ji Shiyu’s ahoge curled into a question mark. She poked her head inside and saw a little pink water jellyfish lying on the bed. She was utterly shocked.
Someone beat me to it?
The yellow-haired girl cried thief while being the thief herself: “I protest! Why can Aunt Master share a blanket with you?! Y-you-you—how can you face Senior Sister Qin like this!?”
Hah, caught red-handed in bed! And besides, Miss Ying Lian wasn’t Mister’s Dao Companion either!
Yun Liu raised his hand to flick the yellow-haired girl’s forehead, but she’d already ducked down, clutching her smooth brow, looking up with a wronged expression—pure conditioned reflex.
“Watch your mouth. Fellow Daoist Ah Lian helped me refine my artifact. She was just tired and resting for a bit.”
That Cloud Flow was speaking nonsense with a perfectly straight face. Clearly, he was already marinated in this situation, soaked through and through.
“Hmph! Then I’m sleeping here tonight too! Aunt Master takes care of you, and I’ll take care of Aunt Master! I will absolutely not let you do anything that betrays Senior Sister Qin!”
Ji Shiyu plopped herself on the floor with complete self-righteousness, thoroughly sulking—the kind that couldn’t be soothed.
Guarding the prison while being the thief?
Yun Liu rolled his eyes, finding it rather amusing.
When it came to taming a rebellious daughter, the Old Father clearly had more experience than Ao Tian. Without another word, he went straight for the food. He pulled out the pre-cooked dishes stored in his Fangcun Object and heated them up into a feast in no time.
“Mmm… want… take…”
Ji Shiyu wiped her drool, little stars twinkling in her big eyes.
Not even three seconds—that’s all it took for the thought of dieting to fly right out the window. Ji Shiyu pounced and started chowing down with gusto.
“Satisfied? Still going to claim you didn’t come begging for food?”
“Satisfied! The midnight snack smells amazing~”
Ji Shiyu’s lips were greasy, her pretty face written all over with happiness.
Sniffle, this is the taste, Master’s love-filled soft rice.
Tomorrow, starting tomorrow, I’ll definitely go on a diet!
“Aren’t you eating?”
In the late-night canteen, Yun Liu smiled and shook his head, simply watching the girl quietly. Even her wolfing down looked adorable.
“Swallow what’s in your mouth before you talk. Eat slower, no one’s fighting you for it. If you like it, there’s as much as you want.”
“Mhm!”
He’d prepared plenty of supplies like this before battle. Every time, he went in fully buffed.
A large portion was set aside for the silly girl’s future. Even if he wasn’t around, Shiyu would still be able to fill her stomach before a fight.
The Yinglong was gone, and the knot in his heart had been untied.
No more hopes left.
A year—not long, not short. This absurd tale of Niantou Ren’s Cultivation had left behind countless unforgettable memories and changed many things.
In the young man’s eyes, Qiongxiao Palace was the end of this short journey.
Time to retire honorably…
The Lying Flat Master never forgot his original aspiration. His mind was entirely occupied with going back to be his Mountain King. Once he found Lady Lan, he’d say hello to his heartless parents, then retire from the Jianghu with Qin Xiang and Jing Tan’er, slowly researching how to cure Aunt Master.
From a storm devouring everything to slow, deliberate bites, Ji Shiyu’s eating gradually slowed until she finally stopped altogether, staring blankly at Yun Liu.
“What’s wrong? Is it not good?”
The girl shook her head in a daze, biting her lip.
Of course it was good. She could never get tired of it in a lifetime, but…
“Not enough. Still not enough. Far from enough.”
Even if she was already happy now, she wanted to embrace even more happiness, to get just a little closer to her teacher.
So Ji Shiyu stood up, walked silently to stand before Yun Liu, clenched her little fists, and turned red as a beet.
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