Chen Er knocked on the door. Hearing a permission from within, he pushed the door open and stepped into Shi Yu's courtyard.
As soon as he entered, his eyes fell upon a graceful female figure dressed in green robes, her delicate fingers guiding ink onto paper.
His first reaction was that this woman must be a good friend of his young master.
However, when the woman turned her head slightly to look at him and Chen Er saw her face clearly, that familiar countenance left him frozen on the spot, unable to process what he was seeing for a moment.
When Manager Yan of Duize Tower had publicly exposed Shi Yu's true identity as a woman, Chen Er had still been unconscious from his injuries and thus knew nothing of it.
Having just finished drawing a talisman, Shi Yu heard the movement, set her pen aside, and raised her eyes to look at him. “You're awake.”
Chen Er snapped back to reality. Though his mind was full of questions, his tongue failed him. He mumbled a nod, closed the door, and walked inside.
“I woke up in the middle of the night yesterday,” he said. “When I saw the food by my bed, I knew it must have been Young Master who returned and saved me. I was afraid of disturbing your rest in the middle of the night, so I only came over now.”
“I failed to guard the courtyard properly,” Chen Er scratched his head, his face full of shame. “A few days ago, when I came to sweep and clean the courtyard, Manager Yan from Duize Tower suddenly brought men and seized me... I was in a daze after that and have no idea what happened afterward.”
“It wasn't your fault. Manager Yan is already dead.” Shi Yu briefly summarized yesterday's events for him.
Chen Er listened attentively, nodding respectfully from time to time.
When he heard that a masked cultivator had slain Manager Yan with a single sword strike before taking Shi Yu's Spirit Wandering Talismans and soaring off, he couldn't help showing a look of envy. “To come and go as one pleases, to settle grudges so freely, and to possess such formidable cultivation...”
Shi Yu glanced at him before continuing, mentioning that Jiang Qihe would host a small auction specifically for the Spirit Wandering Talismans. “Once the auction concludes and I've gathered enough spirit stones, I'll set off immediately to leave this market and head for the main city.”
Chen Er had known beforehand that she planned to leave, but hearing her confirm it now still left him somewhat stunned.
Resting her chin in her hand, Shi Yu asked about his plans. “What about you? Would you like to come along?”
Chen Er pondered for a moment before declining. He shook his head and said, “I will request to leave the sect on my own, and then... then decide on my next step.”
In Guangle Village within the Mortal Realm, he had grown up listening to legends of immortals. When the immortals descended and held the grand Immortal Destiny Gathering with countless hopefuls present, he was the one with the best talent among them, selected as an outer disciple.
He had thought it would be an ethereal journey of cultivation, where an immortal patted his head and granted him longevity, but he never expected...
Chen Er's expression darkened slightly. It wasn't that he didn't want to keep following Shi Yu and handling mundane chores for her.
It was just that time and again, he fell into danger and had to trouble Shi Yu to save him. He couldn't even guard a small courtyard after she left.
Although Shi Yu didn't blame him, Chen Er hated his own lack of strength, constantly fearing he would drag her down.
As if reaching a realization, he gave an honest smile. “You have treated me generously, Young Master. But if I remain under your protection forever, though I could cultivate in ease, I would lack true tempering. I want to travel and gain experience on my own now. Once my cultivation improves, I will serve Young Master again.”
Shi Yu listened quietly. Seeing the determination in his eyes, she refrained from pressing further. Retrieving several bottles of pills, spirit talismans, and a pouch of spirit stones from the Fate-Tapping Bell, she handed them to him. “Traveling is full of perils. Take these.”
Chen Er was unwilling to accept them, pressing his lips together as he waved his hand.
“Don't decline.” The young woman before him had eyes as dark as ink, her brows gently arched like willow leaves damp with morning dew. With her chin slightly raised, she wore her usual air of casual indifference.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.
Shi Yu thrust the items into his hand and looked toward the door. “Someone's here.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a knock resounded.
Chen Er had no choice but to tuck the items away for the moment and hurry over to open the door.
However, when he opened the door and clearly recognized the two figures outside, his body stiffened. His feet froze for a moment before he stepped aside. “Senior Sister Lu, Master Lu Yue.”
The visitors were none other than Lu Yujiao, who had come to offer a formal apology, and her father—Master Lu Yue, the Peak Master of Lingle Peak in the Yuxu Sect.
A thought crossed Chen Er's mind: Why did Master Lu Yue come as well? Could he be backing up his daughter and coming here to cause trouble for Young Master?
A trace of anxiety surfaced on his face, and he turned to look at Shi Yu with slight concern.
The two walked right past him into the courtyard, with a faint pressure radiating from Master Lu Yue.
Shi Yu looked at them with clear eyes. Master Lu Yue was a gaunt, middle-aged man with a long beard and sharp eyes.
The aura belonging to a Foundation Establishment Realm Master gently enveloped her.
This pressure wasn't overly forceful, but it possessed a strong presence, making one's chest feel heavy and slightly breathless without actually crushing them—clearly a level of intensity Master Lu Yue had deliberately measured out.
Shi Yu's expression remained unruffled. She knew he was testing her to a degree while also harboring a measure of caution.
Master Lu Yue indeed could not gauge the depth of Shi Yu's background. Stopping before her, he narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Little Friend Shi.”
Upon learning what his daughter had done, his first reaction had been to stand up for her. But after hearing the full story, his brows knitted tightly together.
Spirit Wandering Talismans? And she had produced several at once.
If, as the girl claimed, these talismans were crafted by her master, then producing so many with such ease meant her master was very likely a Tier-3 talisman master.
A Tier-3 talisman master was someone even the Yuxu Sect would treat with standard courtesy and dare not offend.
Yet who knew if she was telling the truth, or whether this "master" actually existed or was merely a fabrication made up on the spot?
Master Lu Yue had only one daughter, Lu Yujiao, whom he doted on and spoiled endlessly. Naturally, he didn't want to see her suffer such humiliation.
Even if his daughter was in the wrong, he had to ascertain whether this "master" truly existed before deciding whether an apology was warranted.
Therefore, on this trip, he was determined to figure out the exact background of this young talisman master named Shi Yu.
Shi Yu glanced at Lu Yujiao, noticing how the girl's face had regained some of its former arrogance now that she had a Foundation Establishment Realm Master backing her up.
“May I ask what brings Master Lu here today?” Shi Yu asked, her voice unhurried.
Stroking his long beard, Master Lu Yue replied, “I heard that my unruly daughter has committed a misdeed. Naturally, I am accompanying her here today to offer an apology.”
Wary of the master behind Shi Yu—whose existence remained unconfirmed—his words were reasonably polite.
Shi Yu didn't take the bait, offering only a subtle smile as she waited for him to continue.
He produced a storage bag and placed it on the table. “My daughter was foolish and caused Chen Er to suffer. This is compensation for him: two hundred spirit stones, along with two bottles each of Rejuvenation Pills and Dew-Condensing Pills.”
With that, he looked toward Chen Er, an insincere smile on his face. “Chen Er, what do you think?”
Beside him, Lu Yujiao couldn't help chiming in, “These spirit stones are enough for you to use for several years!”
Under the pressure of a Foundation Establishment Realm Master, Chen Er didn't know how to respond.
Shi Yu poured two cups of tea, saying with a faint smile, “If Master Lu deems it acceptable, then it is acceptable. If Master Lu deems it unacceptable, then it is unacceptable.”
Master Lu Yue chuckled, but didn't press the matter further. Instead, he shifted the topic. “By the way, I heard that Little Friend Shi's master has profound research in the Talisman Dao. Coincidentally, I have studied the Talisman Dao for many years as well, and there is a puzzle that has troubled me for a long time. I wonder if I might have the opportunity to seek guidance from your honorable master?”
With that, he produced a damaged talisman. “This is a remnant talisman I happened upon in a secret realm. Hidden upon its broken surface are several pieces of information.”
“I have researched it for a long time, yet I have never been able to restore it or crack the messages embedded within it. Could Little Friend introduce me?”
In truth, after nearly ten years of painstaking study, he had already solved most of the damaged talisman's secrets.
Presenting it now was merely using it as bait.
He's trying to test me.
Clear on his intentions, Shi Yu accepted the damaged talisman. After glancing at it a few times, she chuckled softly. “It's not that I'm unwilling to introduce you, but...”
“Why bother my master with such a simple problem? It would only displease his senior self.”
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