Chapter 10 Just Friends
Yan'er's attempt to find out about the head of the Xiao family ultimately failed, and the young girl was sent back to finish her studies by her brother before she could even "start her business."
Ren Yi glanced at Yan Shuoyun a few times and sensed that the other man wasn't in a good mood today. After all, Yan Er usually liked to hang out with him, but she had never been sent back so early before.
Although Yan Shuoyun always tries to control Yan Er, you can tell from the way the siblings get along that Yan Shuoyun lets his sister get away with things more than half the time, if not seven or eight times out of ten.
Yan Shuoyun noticed Ren Yi's gaze and shook his head. "Don't spoil her too much. She's been staying here for too long. You've been so busy these past few days. You finally got to come back to the sect to rest, and now you have to take care of her."
Ren Yi had already looked away, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but take another look at Yan Shuoyun. How dare this person say that? Who is it that spoils his sister?
Ren Yi knew why he had been rescued.
He knew his own situation at the time: his origins were unknown, he was seriously injured, and he was clearly a hot potato—anyone who took him would have to throw him away. Yan'er was too young to understand these things, but Yan Shuoyun could clearly see it, yet he agreed to save him just because of a few words from his sister.
If Yan'er knew what he was thinking, she'd probably be furious. Was it really just "a few words"? She'd be begging her brother in tears!
After that, the little girl kept talking about her brother's heartless nature for several days.
Yan Shuoyun finally understood the meaning behind Ren Yi's gaze. He smiled and shook his head, thus letting the topic of "indulgence" drop.
He lifted the hem of his robe and sat down opposite Ren Yi, then "casually" handed him a piece of jade. "I've been studying formations these past few days. This is a half-finished practice piece that has a bit of a meridian-nourishing effect. It's just sitting there anyway, so you might as well carry it with you. It'll be of some benefit to you."
A reconstructed spiritual root is never the same as the original, not to mention that Ren Yi was ambushed years ago, and his meridians were destroyed in the process of escaping. Although Ren Yi's cultivation has barely recovered after reconstructing his spiritual root, it is still precarious, and he could easily fall from his current level. Over the years, Ren Yi has used countless elixirs and medicines to nourish his body, and the kindness of the Yan siblings is so immense that it is impossible to repay.
Fortunately, the spiritual energy concentration in this small world was not high, so although cultivation was possible, ascension was not. Otherwise, Ren Yi felt that even if he had ascended, he would have been stuck in the mortal world because of this karma.
Even so, Ren Yi can't just take back the system and leave now.
He has to find a way to repay such a large debt of gratitude.
...
Thinking it over, Ren Yi still reached out and took the jade pendant.
The jade is indeed fine, but the array carved on it is not very coherent. It can be said that it only achieved less than three-tenths of its full potential, making it a mere "practice run" and a waste of this excellent spiritual jade.
Ren Yi glanced at Yan Shuoyun across from him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. The latter looked back at him calmly, as if he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Ren Yi: "..."
Okay.
After all, they have the backing of a major sect and are very wealthy.
Ren Yi had misunderstood. Although Yan Shuoyun was backed by a sect and never lacked cultivation resources, he was not such a wasteful person.
Yan Shuoyun hadn't intended to ruin such a fine piece; he planned to practice more before actually carving it onto the spirit jade. However, recalling the Xiao family crest he'd seen that day, and comparing it to the pattern of the warm jade Ren Yi carried, Yan Shuoyun felt that every day this thing remained on Ren Yi's person would bring him more trouble. He even couldn't help but wonder why Yan Er hadn't lost the jade pendant when she rescued him.
Ren Yi was unaware of Yan Shuoyun's thoughts, but he still thanked him in the end, saying, "Thank you, Brother Yan."
Regardless, the other party truly cared about him. It's never a bad feeling to be cared for, especially since Ren Yi had been used as a tool on missions for many years, while he was the only one who would go through fire and water for the Chosen One. He had never received such meticulous care before.
Thinking this, Ren Yi thanked them and took off the warm jade from his waist, putting on the new jade pendant.
But when he was about to put away the jade he was wearing, he paused. He raised his hand and stared at the warm jade for a while. If he remembered correctly, this jade…
Yan Shuoyun, sitting opposite him, asked, "What's wrong?"
Ren Yi's thoughts were interrupted by the sound. He didn't notice Yan Shuoyun's expression on the other side. He just shook his head and said, "It's nothing." He then pinched the magic seal and put the warm jade back into his storage bag.
He suddenly remembered that this jade seemed to have been given to him by Xiao Hanzhou.
This persona, after all, portrays the unrequited lover of the chosen one's unfortunate offspring. During the mission, adhering to his character, Ren Yi carefully treasured every item Xiao Hanzhou gave him, regardless of its value. However, due to the attack after leaving the Xiao residence, his storage bag was destroyed, and its contents disappeared as well. Now, he only has this one item left of Xiao Hanzhou, which he had habitually carried with him.
Yan Shuoyun kept his eyes half-closed until he saw Ren Yi put the warm jade back into his storage bag, at which point the corners of his lips curled up slightly. But it was only for a moment; that slight upturn quickly flattened itself again. He clicked his tongue inwardly with slight annoyance, feeling that things might be much more complicated than he had thought.
...
Yan Shuoyun did not stay with Ren Yi for long.
At this moment, the sect was in a busy period. Ren Yi, a guest elder who did not participate in the sect's internal affairs, could barely spare a moment of leisure. However, Yan Shuoyun, the sect's senior brother and the undisputed successor to the sect leader, was so busy that he couldn't stop for even a moment. During the time he stayed with Ren Yi, he received several telepathic messages calling for people. He barely stayed for a while before hurriedly leaving, as if his trip was just to deliver a jade pendant.
Ren Yi felt that it wasn't necessary. After all, they were both in the same sect and would inevitably run into each other. The jade pendant wasn't urgent, and he could just give it to him when they happened to meet. There was really no need to make a special trip.
Then he thought of Yan'er, who had just been called to do her homework, and realized that she had come to urge her younger sister on.
Having "figured it out," Ren Yi immediately stopped worrying about it.
As the guests from Dongzhou gradually arrived, Xuanqing Sect was finally less busy. At least they no longer had to send disciples to the Endless Sea to receive guests. Although Yan Shuoyun was still busy, elders like Ren Yi, who had been temporarily conscripted, were now available.
With nothing to do and the secret realm about to open, Ren Yi couldn't go out to find spiritual herbs as usual, so he simply agreed to Yan Er's request and took the little girl to stroll around the market at the foot of the mountain.
Ren Yi had been to this market a few times, but it wasn't nearly as lively as it is now.
Even street vendors know how to do business. They all know that the grand competition between the two continents is imminent. Many wealthy cultivators from the Eastern Continent have come to the Xuanqing Sect, so they all flock here, eager to bring out their most treasured possessions.
This place was already bustling with people because of its proximity to the Xuanqing Sect, but Ren Yi almost didn't recognize it when he came down the mountain this time—the area of the market had more than doubled in size. Even so, the liveliness was still greater than usual, and even the density of vendors seemed to be much higher than normal.
Yan'er was a lively girl, and she became excited when she saw this scene.
Ren Yi was worried that the child might run away if he wasn't careful, so he simply grabbed Yan'er's hand. When her hand was taken by the person next to her, Yan'er, who had been eager to run outside, froze and remained motionless for a long time.
Ren Yi had originally intended to take Yan'er to the stall she had been eyeing, but when he pulled on it, it wouldn't budge. He looked down in surprise and asked gently, "What's wrong?"
Yan'er almost bit her tongue when she opened her mouth, stammering out "N-nothing," and then, as if to prove her point, she shook her head like a rattle.
Before she could even stop feeling dizzy and lightheaded, she felt a slightly cool hand on her forehead.
Yan'er has just calmed down a bit!
Is this...is this the kind of treatment she could possibly receive?!
Yan'er felt as if all the blood in her body was burning up, bubbling and gurgling, and then she vaguely heard a voice say, "It's a little hot."
Yan'er blinked. What's a little hot?
Yan'er was pondering the words with her remaining rationality, but when she looked up, she met a beautiful face that suddenly came close. Her little remaining rationality evaporated instantly. Looking at the slight frown on the beauty's brows, all she could think about was reaching out to smooth it out for her.
How could anyone bear to make such a good-looking person frown?
As Yan'er was thinking this, she saw the beauty lean forward and reach out to pick her up?!
A pleasant, cool fragrance wafted into her nostrils, and Yan'er's mind went blank. She couldn't even muster the space to scream. She felt as if her soul was about to float away from her mouth, which she hadn't been able to close.
Yan'er was in a daze, feeling that she would be willing to die right now.
...
Ren Yi thought Yan Er was sick.
Although cultivators are immune to colds, Yan'er's cultivation level is not yet at the Foundation Establishment stage, meaning she hasn't officially embarked on the path of cultivation. Furthermore, Ren Yi had heard Yan Shuoyun mention that his younger sister was extremely sickly in her childhood and only became able to rely on medicine after she was able to cultivate. Because of this, Yan Shuoyun practically lived on the Medical Peak for a period of time, and despite being a sword cultivator, he was more familiar with the medical cultivators within the sect.
At this moment, Ren Yi touched Yan Er's forehead and found it was a little hot. His first reaction was to take the people back to the sect as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the young girl Yan, who had been blinded by beauty, finally came to her senses halfway through. She swore that she was alright and meditated and circulated her cultivation technique again on the spot. Finally, she persuaded Ren Yi and prevented this hard-won trip to the market from going to waste.
Yan'er, hand in hand with Ren Yi, returned to the entrance of the market.
Unlike the little bird released from its cage at the beginning, the girl's movements now were extremely refined, to the point that even her own brother wouldn't recognize his sister. If you looked closely, you could even see that this "refined young lady" walked with a slightly unsteady gait.
The expansion of this market was indeed due to visitors from Dongzhou, but their impact went beyond simply increasing purchasing power; they had a significant influence on both buyers and sellers. Along the way, Ren Yi saw several stalls hawking "Dongzhou specialties," with varying sources and a mix of genuine and fake products. It seemed they were targeting not only tourists but also locals.
In a sense, these street vendors are treated fairly.
Ren Yi had spent considerable time in both continents, and was quite familiar with both Eastern and Western specialties. Therefore, word spread quickly that he, a customer with a younger sister who seemed easy to rip off, hadn't gone far before no one dared to approach him with counterfeit goods. To be honest, Ren Yi didn't care about authenticity; it was just a title. He was out shopping with the young lady, and as long as Yan'er liked it, he didn't care whether the items were from the Eastern or Western continent.
However, Yan'er was spoiled by her brother who doted on her. Although she was excited to go out and have fun, she found very few things that interested her along the way. On the contrary, she met someone who was very interesting to her.
Ren Yi noticed that the hand holding him tightened its grip. He thought Yan Er had taken a fancy to something, so he subconsciously followed the excited girl's gaze. But when he saw where her gaze was, he was stunned for a moment.
—It is Xiao Hanzhou.
Or more precisely, it was Xiao Hanzhou who was accompanying Bai Jinliu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
