Qi Yu blinked, looked again, and made sure she wasn't seeing things.

Hua Nongying, betrayal, Flying Star Sect?

So, Commander Hua wasn't originally a sword cultivator from the Yunyang Sect?

She flipped through it again, but apart from that one line of text, she couldn't find any other relevant information.

"Tsk." The person who compiled this gossip book is so unprofessional. They've piqued her curiosity but haven't explained the cause and effect of the matter.

Let's wait two months until we successfully enter the Flying Star Sect before inquiring further.

Qi Yu tossed the booklet aside and began to concentrate on her cultivation.

...

Time flies. In the past two months, apart from going out to do missions, Qi Yu has almost always stayed in his space to cultivate and refine pills.

However, while doing missions, she ran into the girl in blue who had asked her to share an apartment with her several times.

The girl's name was Bai Huan. She was seventeen years old and had a cultivation level of the third level of Qi Refining. She was innocent and naive, and knew nothing of the world.

To put it bluntly, they seem...very easy to fool.

Take the previous stay at the inn as an example. Normally, a two-month stay would only cost 1,500 taels of silver, but Bai Huan made the innkeeper rip him off by 500 taels, and he acted like he got a bargain. Qi Yu couldn't help but cover her face.

During this time, Feng Xiao also went out of the space several times, and no one knew what he did. However, every time he came back, he had a very low mood, which made Qi Yu dare not ask.

She guessed that in Feng Xiao's memory, the outside world might be completely different from the present. Upon waking up, he learned that he not only had amnesia but had also formed a symbiotic contract with a strange woman. When he went out for a walk, he found that the world had changed. Anyone would be depressed for a while.

Fortunately, Fengxiao recovered on her own in no time and stayed at home, often soaking in the hot springs by the Spring Breeze Hairpin.

It's like losing hope in life.

Of course, this was just Qi Yu's subjective conjecture; she didn't know what really happened.

An Rong'er has come to cause trouble quite a bit these days, but each time she has been blocked by locking the door, so she can simply not see her and not bother her.

Qi Yu put all the various random pills he had refined into his storage ring, changed into clothes that were easy to move in, and came out of the space.

Just as I finished putting away the bedding in the woodshed, there was a knock on the door.

A clear, sweet, and soft girl's voice rang out.

"Little Yan'er, I've come to find you!"

Qi Yu straightened up, somewhat surprised.

She thought it was An Rong'er coming to cause trouble again, but unexpectedly it was Bai Huan who came.

She didn't tell Bai Huan where she lived, nor did she know how Bai Huan found this remote corner.

After a long silence, a girl with two long braids and wearing a flowing white dress with wide sleeves looked at the note on the door and muttered to herself, "Today is the recruitment ceremony. Is she still cultivating? She's working too hard."

Bai Huan turned to leave when the door behind her suddenly opened.

Qi Yu was dressed in a black short outfit, her long hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was holding a long sword wrapped in black cloth in her arms.

Bai Huan smiled and walked over to Qi Yu, taking her arm and saying, "Little Yan'er, why didn't you answer me when I knocked on the door?"

Qi Yu reluctantly pulled her hand away. Bai Huan had a good personality in every way, but he especially liked to have physical contact with people. It was like he had a skin hunger disorder; he would stick to her whenever he saw her.

"I was busy just now."

"Oh! When I arrived, many people had already set off for Qianyun Mountain. We need to hurry up too, or we'll have to wait in line for a long time."

Qi Yu nodded and followed Bai Huan toward the exit of the inn.

"Miss Yu!"

A familiar male voice called out to her.

Qi Yu turned around in confusion, looking at An Yao who was leading Fei Yun towards them, and An Rong'er who was reluctantly following behind him.

"Chief镖师 (bodyguard/escort), what's wrong?"

An Yao sighed and said, "There are some urgent matters at the escort agency that I need to attend to. I won't be able to stay with Rong'er. Could you please ask Miss Yu to look after her for a bit?"

An Rong'er stood behind him with a sour face, not saying a word.

Qi Yu looked at An Yao, then at An Rong'er, and pondered, "An, you know your daughter doesn't like me. You can't force things. If we insist on being together, neither of us will be comfortable. Maybe we should just forget about it."

An Yao hesitated, "This..."

“The Flying Star Sect is a major sect. Even if they fail, nothing will happen. Chief镖头 An doesn’t need to worry too much.”

Upon hearing this, An Rong'er exclaimed, "What do you mean by 'Yu'? What do you mean by 'it's okay even if I fail'? Are you deliberately cursing me?"

"Rong'er, shut up!" An Yao stopped An Rong'er from continuing to curse, and then said to Qi Yu, "Miss Yu, you are already at the Foundation Establishment stage at such a young age, so you will definitely pass the test smoothly. Although my daughter has a bad temper, her spiritual roots and aptitude are quite good, so she should be able to enter the Flying Star Sect."

"This is a place where you don't know anyone. Although you two girls had some minor disagreements before, they were just small squabbles. You are still closer to each other in the Flying Star Sect than to other strangers."

Qi Yu pursed her lips, thinking to herself, this "minor skirmish" almost cost her her life when she was still weak.

An Yao continued to chatter on, worried that An Rong'er would be alone in the Flying Star Sect without any companions. This shows how An Rong'er developed her arrogant and domineering personality.

“Miss Yu, how about this? You don’t need to take care of Rong’er too much. Just look after her a little so she won’t be isolated and helpless. Since you seem to like my Flying Cloud so much, I’ll give it to you, Miss Yu. What do you say?”

Feiyun also came over and obediently stood beside Qi Yu.

Qi Yu looked at the beautiful Pegasus, feeling somewhat hesitant.

Seeing that Qi Yu seemed to be somewhat swayed, An Yao pressed on, saying, "This celestial horse is a fifth-tier spirit beast, which would cost at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones to buy. Fei Yun is gentle and likes you so much, so Miss Yu, please take it in."

Bai Huan curiously touched Fei Yun, but Fei Yun dodged away, and her little face immediately fell. "Little Yan'er, it seems that this horse really likes you."

An Yao also said repeatedly, "As long as Miss Yu agrees, I will immediately terminate the contract with Fei Yun."

Qi Yu glanced at Fei Yun, then at An Rong'er who looked displeased, and thought that this deal was still quite worthwhile.

After all, Fei Yun has been acquired and entered the Fei Xing Sect. How she "takes care" of her is entirely up to her.

"Alright, since Chief An has said so, I shall respectfully comply."

An Yao breathed a sigh of relief. "Then thank you very much, Miss Yu."

For a moment, both of them smiled and felt that this deal was worthwhile.

Qi Yu felt that it was worthwhile to exchange a casual verbal agreement for a favorite mount.

An Yao also felt that it was worthwhile to let his daughter befriend Yu Shengyan, a cultivator who was clearly not simple.

Only An Rong'er was unhappy, feeling that she had lost face in front of Yu Shengyan, and she was muttering something under her breath.