When she caught sight of the young man before her, Liu Shuying’s expression visibly changed, her brows and eyes radiating disgust.
Yu Fan smiled as though watching a good show.
The young man standing before them was named Xu Baohua, a scion of the Xu Family and an artifact refiner himself. Just like the Liu Family, the Xu Family was a prominent clan in Yunhe City. It was during her very first certification test as a One-Star Artifact Refiner that Xu Baohua had first laid eyes on Liu Shuying, falling for her at first sight.
Ever since then, he had pursued her fiercely. As it happened, both of them were students at Bihai Academy, which gave him even more opportunities to cross her path.
This drove Liu Shuying crazy with annoyance, yet she dared not show it too overtly.
After all, her father seemed unwilling to offend the Xu Family too deeply. The Xu Family had roots in Yunhe City spanning several centuries, whereas the Liu Family had migrated there only within the last hundred years. A mighty dragon cannot crush a local serpent; peaceful coexistence was naturally the best policy, and it was better not to provoke them unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, the Liu Family was hardly a mighty dragon. Liu Tianxin had simply encountered a few fortuitous opportunities, relying purely on luck to manage a precarious foothold in Yunhe City until now.
"Peh! Who's a pair of lovebirds with you? Why don't you look in a mirror and see what you look like? Xu Baohua, I'm warning you, you'd better stay away from me." Liu Shuying had zero patience for Xu Baohua.
Xu Baohua's gaze swept over Yu Fan, who was trailing beside Liu Shuying. A flash of irritation crossed his face, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
*I thought you were some kind of flawless goddess, pure and chaste, completely unmoved by mortal men. Turns out you're interested in men after all.*
*Such a little slut, putting on an act! Two-faced, acting all innocent in public while behaving otherwise behind closed doors. And to think I believed you were so pure!*
A smile plastered all over his face, Xu Baohua walked right up to Yu Fan. "Shuying, who is this little brother at the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer?" He brought up Yu Fan's cultivation level right off the bat, clearly trying to belittle him.
*[My foot's your daddy! The way you talk, you're straight-up looking down on me, trying to put me down to build yourself up, aren't you? Who do you think you are? I'm not going to put up with your crap.]*
*Pfft! That is hilarious.*
Liu Shuying suddenly couldn't help it and let out a snort of laughter, catching both Yu Fan and Xu Baohua off guard.
*[What's this woman laughing at? Did she lose her mind? No way, what kind of weird fit is she throwing in broad daylight?]*
"Shuying, what are you laughing at?" Xu Baohua asked, puzzled.
"Sorry, I just suddenly thought of something funny and couldn't hold it in. This Yu Fan is just too hilarious, haha."
*This little brat looks all clean and innocent, like a harmless little puppy, but when he opens his mouth, he's so hot-tempered, cursing people at the drop of a hat. It totally doesn't match his looks. If I couldn't hear his inner thoughts, I really would think he was pure and innocent.*
*Talk about shocking statements.*
"This is my newly accepted disciple. I took him under my wing in Qingshan City, and he's coming with me to Bihai Academy this time." Liu Shuying made no attempt to hide the truth about Yu Fan.
"Hello, I am Xu Baohua. May I ask your name, friend?" Xu Baohua enthusiastically extended a hand to shake Yu Fan's, his eyes brimming with provocation. He had pursued Liu Shuying for nearly a year with virtually zero results; no matter what he did, Liu Shuying treated him with icy indifference. Yet this inexplicable man had been effortlessly taken in as Liu Shuying's disciple. Just what was so great about him?
Jealousy was twisting his features out of shape.
He couldn't stand it. He had to put this punk in his place right away, and a handshake was an unmissable opportunity. A little Qi Condensation 3rd Layer scum like him—teaching him a lesson would be child's play. After all, he himself was a dignified Foundation Establishment 5th Layer cultivator; he could completely crush Yu Fan with a single finger. *Little piece of trash, just watch how I fix you up. Don't go crying later, huh.*
Yu Fan looked at Xu Baohua's hand suspended in mid-air, offered a faint smile, and replied, "My name is Yu Fan. A handshake isn't necessary; I have an infectious disease."
Xu Baohua hastily withdrew his hand and leaped back three steps.
"An infectious disease... what kind of disease?" Xu Baohua asked, maintaining what he considered a safe distance.
"The doctor says my condition is called Who's-Your-Daddy disease."
"Who's-Your-Daddy disease? What kind of disease is that? How come I've never heard of it?" Xu Baohua was utterly bewildered.
*[What an idiot. It means 'I am your father'—he doesn't even get the wordplay! Look at that damn IQ. My god, what is this guy made of? He's so thick, wasting such a handsome face just to turn out to be a total moron.]*
This time, Liu Shuying was prepared and managed to hold back her laughter.
"I'm not too clear on it either. The doctor just said it's very serious and can be transmitted to certain special groups of people. For the sake of your health, we shouldn't have any contact." Yu Fan sighed heavily.
"What a pity. I can't shake hands with a senior like you; it's truly my loss."
Xu Baohua forced out a smile. "What a shame, little brother Yu. You must get proper treatment, and I hope you make a speedy recovery."
Upon learning that Yu Fan was sick, Xu Baohua lost all desire to teach him a lesson; he only wanted to get as far away from Yu Fan as possible to avoid catching anything.
"Say, Shuying, do you know about his condition?" Xu Baohua asked.
"I know. But I don't belong to any special group, so it's fine."
"As long as you're fine, then I'm relieved." Xu Baohua let out a sigh of relief. In his mind, he already regarded Liu Shuying as his wife. If anything were to happen to his wife, wouldn't that be the end of the world? Good thing she was safe.
"Oh right, Shuying, are you here today to get your artifact refiner rank certified?" Xu Baohua remembered the real business at hand. He had come today to get certified as a Two-Star Artifact Refiner. Recently, his attainments in artifact crafting had blossomed, and he could already skillfully forge Two-Star Spirit Artifacts—even if the quality was on the lower side, success was guaranteed.
Certification only required a successful forging; there were no special requirements.
That was why he had plucked up the courage to go for the Two-Star Artifact Refiner certification.
Once certified, the benefits to himself would be enormous.
Liu Shuying nodded slightly.
"Are you also going to certify as a Two-Star Artifact Refiner?" Xu Baohua asked.
Liu Shuying nodded slightly.
"Let's go together then! I knew we were destined for each other. I'm also certifying as a Two-Star Artifact Refiner."
Xu Baohua stepped forward, intending to walk side by side with Liu Shuying, but Yu Fan was walking right next to her, making Xu Baohua lose his nerve and halt his approach. He didn't dare take the gamble. What if she really was part of that special group? Wouldn't he be totally screwed? Who knew how severe this infectious disease was? If it cost him his life, the losses would outweigh any gains.
It was better to keep his distance. As long as he was going along with her, it didn't matter if he wasn't walking right beside her. Once his strength improved, Liu Shuying would definitely fall for him, and by then, he could stick to her side every single day.