Meeting an old friend (7)
Ye Yingying had been to the Secret Sea once in her previous life, but she did not go to sea at that time, so she knew very little about the habits and dangers of the merfolk. The little information she had was just hearsay, and it was no different from what everyone else knew.
Thinking about it this way, if Yun Yanqiu could help, having more helpers would indeed make things much easier... Ye Yingying thought to herself.
“Miss Ying’er, you are blind. You are easily bullied by some scoundrels when you are out alone.” Zhao Yuxiao, who was standing next to her, also analyzed the situation very well. “Besides, it is rare for a senior to take the initiative to express his opinion. If it were me, I would agree immediately.”
After thinking it over, Ye Yingying realized she had no reason to refuse, so she cupped her hands in thanks towards Yun Yanqiu: "It would be impolite to refuse again. Thank you for your help, Senior Yun. I will repay your kindness many times over in the future!"
“No need for formalities.” Yun Yanqiu raised his hand. “If there’s nothing else, we can set off immediately.”
Seeing this, Zhao Yuxiao tentatively asked, "Senior, there are still some matters to attend to in the city..."
After some investigation, Zhao Yuxiao discovered that the city's residents were generally under the influence of a sedative incense. This incense had no effect on cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage, but it was enough to make ordinary people with little spiritual power sleep for three days and three nights. Adding to this, the demonic cultivator had incited most of the city's population to cause trouble last night, and now many people were lying motionless in the streets—a truly spectacular sight. Furthermore, the clinic had caught fire; when people woke up to find the building burned down and the divine doctor missing, it was bound to cause widespread panic throughout the city.
Maintaining the balance between mortals and cultivators is the responsibility of the Lingyun Alliance. In addition, the young master and guest elders of the Lingyun Alliance are involved in this matter. If it is not handled properly, once the news spreads, the Lingyun Alliance may become the target of public criticism and be condemned by all sides.
Zhao Yuxiao glanced at Yun Yanqiu, his hopeful gaze seeming to say: Why don't you stay and help clean up the mess?
Yun Yanqiu avoided the intense gaze and coughed, "You're more experienced, so I'll leave this to you. I'll leave you some talismans later; you can handle it yourself."
Zhao Yuxiao, however, was already used to this outcome. He chuckled twice and silently picked up a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth.
Hearing this, Ye Yingying perked up and quickly flattered him, saying, "Young Master Zhao is truly amazing! He can handle even such a complicated matter with ease."
The young and ambitious Zhao Yuxiao was at the age where he liked to show off in front of his peers. Upon hearing this, he immediately forgot his little grievance and laughed loudly, "Hehe, of course! I'll gather the Lingyun cultivators in the vicinity to handle this matter together, and I'll make sure those pedantic scholars don't have anything to say about it!"
"I feel completely at ease with you handling things," Yun Yanqiu affirmed, then got up to go upstairs. "I'm going upstairs to tidy up some things."
Ye Yingying had nothing to pack, so she sat down and continued chatting with Zhao Yuxiao.
"Young Master Zhao, what is your relationship with Senior Yun? Is he your master?"
"Um... not really." Zhao Yuxiao thought for a moment. "Senior is a guest master invited by my father. My father repeatedly told me to treat him with respect. Now that I'm out here to gain experience, he has been taking good care of me. He even gives me pointers on swordsmanship when he has time. Over time, I've come to regard him as my master."
"Oh~ then why not just become his apprentice? Senior Yun is so amazing, you'll definitely learn a lot if you become his apprentice."
"Sigh, I wish I could. Not to mention me, there are countless people in the alliance who would like to be his apprentice, but the senior doesn't accept them."
"I see..."
Ye Yingying wasn't surprised that Yun Yanqiu didn't accept disciples. Ever since she met Yun Yanqiu, he had always stayed alone in his Xuanming Realm. Ye Yingying had never seen a third person besides herself in the Xuanming Realm. In Ye Yingying's impression, Yun Yanqiu was an old relic who had cut off all contact with the outside world, so she was particularly surprised when she opened her eyes and learned that the person beside her was Yun Yanqiu.
Who would have thought that Yun Yanqiu, who never left his secluded home, would actually emerge from his secret realm? It seems that the Rakshasa Jade I stole was truly important to him.
Ye Yingying began to consider the possibility of winning over Yun Yanqiu. Although she was the one who directly stole the Rakshasa Jade, the mastermind behind it was the Ghost Calculator. Since that jade was so important to Yun Yanqiu, she could take this opportunity to win him over and have him deal with the Ghost Calculator for her. This would be much more likely to succeed than facing the Ghost Calculator alone. Ye Yingying nodded inwardly, thinking that this method was very feasible.
Yun Yanqiu packed his things slowly, so the two downstairs chatted for a while before he finally came down. He handed Zhao Yuxiao a few drawn talismans, whispered a few instructions, and then turned to Ye Yingying and said, "We can set off now."
Ye Yingying quickly got up and followed the spiritual energy to approach Yunyan Hill.
"Oh, right." Zhao Yuxiao, who was standing to the side, seemed to suddenly remember something. He took out a beautifully carved wooden token from his pocket and handed it to Yun Yanqiu. "Senior, you should keep this token with you. I heard that things are not very peaceful in the Secret Sea area recently. With the Lingyun Alliance's token, those aristocratic families should give you some face."
Yun Yanqiu nodded slightly, put the wooden plaque engraved with the three words "Lingyun Alliance" into his pocket, and then raised his hand to Ye Yingying: "Give me your hand."
He acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a stark contrast to the reluctant Yun Yanqiu who had been on the stairs the night before.
Ye Yingying was somewhat surprised to hear this, but she still handed her hand to Yun Yanqiu without saying a word.
Seeing this, Zhao Yuxiao said he would wait for the helpers from the surrounding area at the inn, so he simply said goodbye and watched the two leave from the inn.
Along the way, Ye Yingying gently stroked Yun Yanqiu's palm without making a sound. It was the same large palm as she remembered, with a slightly cool feel to it, like the snowflakes that drifted year-round in the Xuanming Realm.
Seeing that some past thoughts were about to inappropriately resurface, Ye Yingying quickly changed the subject and asked, "Senior, how do we get to the Secret Sea?"
"The Secret Sea is still some distance from here. Let's find a post station that leads there first, and then take a carriage from the post station."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, senior." Ye Yingying nodded and said nothing more.
The road out of the city was winding and circuitous from time to time, but guided by Yun Yanqiu, Ye Yingying walked steadily without any bumps or stumbles.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the two finally left the city. Yun Yanqiu stopped, looked around, and decided to take the more spacious mainland route. He turned to Ye Yingying and asked, "We'll take the main road; it's quite a distance. Are we still able to walk?"
"I'm fine, let's keep going."
The two continued walking towards the post station. The road outside the city was wide and flat, and Ye Yingying could walk smoothly without needing to be helped. However, neither of them mentioned letting go of each other's hands.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Yanqiu asked, "Besides thinking about the clinic, did you think of anything else?"
"Huh?" Ye Yingying was taken aback, not understanding Yun Yanqiu's meaning. She simply shook her head and continued to feign ignorance. "I only remember working in that quack doctor's clinic. He would occasionally take me to the landlord's house to treat the old lady. Later, I overheard his plan to use living people to make puppets, and I was so scared that I wanted to run away. But he found out and tried to kill me to silence me..."
"Don't be afraid, that person is already dead, and the body has been burned clean." Yun Yanqiu seemed to be comforting her.
Since Yun Yanqiu had said so, Ye Yingying was naturally relieved, but there was still one thing she was very curious about: "Senior, did you also catch the woman we met at the clinic that day?"
“…She escaped.” Yun Yanqiu lowered her eyes, her tone devoid of emotion. “Last night, the clinic was set on fire, and she must have been the arsonist.”
"Why?" Ye Yingying was immediately puzzled. "Isn't she in cahoots with that quack doctor?"
“That woman probably had another purpose. The fire she set could burn the demonic cultivator’s corpse to ashes; it was definitely not a simple open flame,” Yun Yanqiu analyzed. “I’ll have Zhao Yuxiao go to the clinic again in the next few days to see if there are any traces left.”
"Won't it be dangerous for Young Master Zhao to stay there? What if they come looking for him again..."
"Zhao Yuxiao won't suffer much if he meets her."
As a rising star among the younger generation, Young Master Zhao's cultivation has now reached the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage, just one step away from breaking through to the Golden Core stage. Furthermore, given his status as the young master of the Lingyun Alliance, few dare to risk angering the alliance by causing him trouble.
The woman he encountered at the clinic's entrance, though also at the Core Formation stage, was a realm below Zhao Yuxiao. Given her arson, she certainly wouldn't confront Zhao Yuxiao head-on.
"Since you've said so, I'm relieved."
"You care about him a lot?"
"Hmm?" Ye Yingying was slightly taken aback. She wasn't truly concerned about Zhao Yuxiao; she'd just mentioned it casually, hoping to glean some information about the Lingyun Alliance. After all, in her previous life, Zhao Yuxiao was just a toddler, and she'd never seen Yun Yanqiu interact with the Lingyun Alliance. More than Zhao Yuxiao, she was curious about how Yun Yanqiu and the Lingyun Alliance had connected.
But she couldn't be so blunt on the surface, so she weighed her words for a moment and said, "Young Master Zhao is so warm and friendly. He's taken good care of me these past two days, and I consider him a friend. It would be a little hard to just leave him there alone like this..."
"It's alright, he's just trying to get some training anyway." Yun Yanqiu paused, then remembered something and added, "Don't be fooled by his appearance."
"What do you mean by that, senior?"
"He's a bit dim-witted; he treats everyone like that."
"Then Young Master Zhao must be very popular."
Yun Yanqiu fell silent. Zhao Yuxiao's popularity can be traced back to his cultivation. At that time, Zhao Yuxiao's cultivation had been stuck at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage for decades. The old alliance leader knew that he lacked experience, so he sent him out to travel more and broaden his horizons.
The old leader's intentions were good, but he never expected that Young Master Zhao's endless yearning for chivalry and wandering the world with a sword would cause his father a lot of trouble.
It's not that Young Master Zhao is rebellious or troublesome. It's just that he's handsome, helpful, and chivalrous, regardless of age or gender. After helping someone, he always announces his identity. He quickly became the ideal husband in the eyes of many unmarried women. Wherever Young Master Zhao goes, his entire family comes to his aid. At best, they'll interrogate him thoroughly about his birth chart; at worst, they'll come to the Lingyun Alliance crying and wailing, insisting on marrying him. Young Master Zhao's charm is undeniable throughout the Lingyun Alliance.
The cultivation world is never short of demons and monsters, especially since Zhao Yuxiao has made a name for himself everywhere over the years. All the trouble he's caused at the Lingyun Alliance in his quest for the young master has, if not turned the alliance into chaos, certainly ensured it never had a day of peace. Among these troubles are some wealthy and powerful families who have even demanded that Zhao Yuxiao become their son-in-law, causing the old alliance leader considerable headaches.
Unfortunately, Zhao Yuxiao was completely clueless about this. He spent his days wandering around outside as if nothing was wrong, leaving all the problems to the old leader of the Guardian Alliance. The old leader couldn't get anything out of scolding his own son, nor could he bear to beat him. He was exhausted every day, only hoping that one day Zhao Yuxiao would bring him a daughter-in-law. His requirements weren't high; he just wanted someone who could keep those demons and monsters out in check.
Having served as a guest advisor for many years, Yun Yanqiu had naturally witnessed Zhao Yuxiao's "charm" and would occasionally tease him about it. But it was absolutely impossible for him to discuss such gossip with others.
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