Cangzhou, Changping City, Qingfeng Restaurant.
"What? You still haven't found that Young Master Zhao from last night?!" the restaurant owner angrily scolded the servants around him.
Last night, that mysterious Young Master Zhao had shown an unusual wealth right from the start, so he was invited up to a private room. Later on, thanks to a single remark from him, the crowd erupted into cheers, and the restaurant's revenue instantly skyrocketed to an all-time high.
Yet when the owner intended to find Young Master Zhao to settle the bill, he discovered that the young master had gone to the latrine. He waited outside the door for quite a while without seeing anyone come out, and upon opening the door, he found the latrine completely empty?!
By that time, most of the customers had already left. How could anyone possibly hold the customers accountable and expect them to pay now?!
The restaurant owner, surnamed Wang, was burning with rage. Although he was only at the Qi Refining 5th Layer, he could still be considered a local overlord in this small Changping City. How could that person have slipped away right under his nose??
In a fit of anger, Wang summoned all his staff to search for the so-called Young Master Zhao, even offering a bounty of one hundred taels of silver to whoever could find him.
For a time, many people were out searching for this Young Master Zhao.
Meanwhile, the person at the very center of this incident was taking a leisurely stroll down the main street.
As she watched the thousands of household lights and strolled along, she muttered to herself, "Who in their right mind would use their real name out there?"
Dressed in red iridescent fairy robes, she walked through Changping City, causing passing citizens to turn their heads for a second glance, each of them thinking this fairy-like figure must be the saintess of some major sect.
Noticing people constantly turning back to look at her, she frowned and asked the person behind her who had just turned to stare, "What? Never seen a pretty girl before?"
That commoner immediately tucked his tail between his legs and bolted in fright.
"Hmph, all guts and no glory."
Yet no one would ever associate such a beautiful female cultivator with the dashing and romantic Young Master Zhao from the previous evening.
She was Ye Zuilan, the Ninth Elder of the Tianjian Sect.
She was also Xiao Hongyu's nominal master.
As for why it was only nominal...
It was because ever since taking Xiao Hongyu as her disciple, Ye Zuilan had hardly ever taught her anything.
Instead, she constantly ran off to the mortal realm under the high-sounding pretext of "tempering herself in the secular world."
Skilled in the art of disguise, Ye Zuilan frequently broke laws and committed misdemeanors in the mortal world, often provoking government cultivators to hunt her down. If her luck was good and she evaded capture, she would continue playing around; if her luck was bad and she got caught, she would serve two years in prison before coming out to continue playing.
As she walked, Ye Zuilan took a swig from her wine gourd, squinted up at the sky, and chanted, "I wonder what my newly taken little disciple looks like..."
Holding her wine gourd, she gazed with hazy eyes at the shop signs along the street.
"Hmm... Let me see~ Flying Money Chamber of Commerce... Ah! Found it! I'll just make do here for the night."
Among the many glowing signs, Ye Zuilan found her destination.
Stumbling slightly as she walked down the street, Ye Zuilan finally arrived at the entrance of the Flying Money Chamber of Commerce.
"Waiter! Open—me—a room!"
Ye Zuilan mumbled fuzzily to the attendant at the front desk.
"My lady, you must have come to the wrong place. We are a chamber of commerce; we don't have guest rooms here," the attendant replied warmly.
Hearing this, as if waking from a dream, Ye Zuilan produced a red jade token and said, "Here, surely you recognize this. Little Xue certainly would have made sure you all remembered it."
A flash of surprise crossed the attendant's face, and he immediately plastered on a flattering smile, saying, "It is this humble one who failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please wait a moment, my lady, I will prepare a guest room for you right away."
Hearing this, Ye Zuilan nodded drowsily and said, "Done! I'll—wait right here!"
Not long after, the attendant came back downstairs to the front desk and said to Ye Zuilan, "This way, please, my lady."
Thus, a groggy Ye Zuilan followed the attendant to a guest room on the second floor.
The moment she entered, Ye Zuilan collapsed onto the soft bed. Drinking her wine, she gazed up at the sky with a silly grin and muttered, "This moon~ is actually quite pretty today!"
Just as Ye Zuilan was gazing at the sky, a dark shadow flew in through the window.
Ye Zuilan narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the person before her, but she could only see a blurred silhouette.
Yet the fragrance emanating from this person was still so comforting to her.
"How did Sister Zuilan think of coming to see me today?"
Unable to clearly see the expression of the person before her, Ye Zuilan leaned against the head of the bed and chuckled, "Today I was tempering myself in a restaurant and saw thousands of beauties, but none of them compare to you, Little Xue. Come here, Little Xue, let Sister give you a hug and see if you've gotten chubbier lately!"
With that, Ye Zuilan leaned forward, her iridescent fairy robes slipping down slightly from the movement, instantly exposing a glimpse of spring scenery to the person before her.
Little Xue froze for a moment, then pushed Ye Zuilan away and said, "It's been a full year since Sister left, and not a single message came during all this time. I clearly gave Sister a Transmission Talisman, and I sent Sister so many messages, yet Sister never once replied to any of them. Now, all of a sudden, you remember Little Xue."
After being pushed away, Ye Zuilan was stunned for a second before responding with a hearty laugh, "Oh, Little Xue, you have no idea how terribly hard my year has been! Come, get on the bed and listen to me explain it all slowly."
As she spoke, Ye Zuilan pulled Little Xue's hand toward the bed. Unable to resist Ye Zuilan, Little Xue was half-coaxed and half-dragged onto the bed to listen to Ye Zuilan recount what she had been through over the past year.
As she talked on and on, Ye Zuilan's voice grew softer and softer until, finally, Little Xue could only hear her steady breathing.
Luo Xue, the owner of the Flying Money Chamber of Commerce, and also the woman who controlled the vast majority of transactions and financial security across the entire Daxia.
She was also one of Ye Zuilan's intimate confidantes.
Luo Xue gazed down at Ye Zuilan, who had fallen asleep in her arms, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly as she murmured, "Sister Zuilan, this time, I won't let you run away anymore."
...
The next day, Ye Zuilan opened her eyes with a splitting headache. Looking at the familiar ceiling and decor, her drunkenness vanished in an instant.
With a simple casting of a Cleansing Incantation, the lingering effects of her hangover instantly cleared away.
Ye Zuilan looked at the empty room, then back at the familiar furnishings.
"It's over, it's completely over now. Why on earth did I lose my mind and come looking for Luo Xue..." Ye Zuilan said blankly, staring at the ceiling.
This room had been prepared for her by Luo Xue many years ago. Throughout the entire Daxia, wherever there was a Flying Money Chamber of Commerce, there would invariably be a room kept ready for Ye Zuilan to rest in.
Everything inside the room was arranged according to Ye Zuilan's preferences, which was why all these rooms looked identical.
Of course, none of those things were what Ye Zuilan cared about right now.
Staring at the ceiling with a throbbing head, she muttered to herself, "Damn it, Ye Zuilan, what possessed you to come find Luo Xue? Just because you didn't have a place to sleep, making do on the street for a night wouldn't have killed you. Why did you insist on finding a bed? Ah, seriously."
As she cursed herself, Ye Zuilan kept a wary eye on the surrounding room.
She quickly got to her feet, intending to cast a spell and make a swift escape.
Just as she made a move, she heard the sound of a door opening, and Luo Xue slowly walked in from outside.
Luo Xue possessed a tall and graceful figure with a light, fluid posture. An air of detachment and composure emanated from between her brows, and her deep eyes were like the brightest stars in the night sky. Her long, raven-black hair was gathered into a simple yet elegant bun, with a few stray wisps gently falling across her forehead, adding a touch of gentleness and tenderness to her demeanor.
Yet Ye Zuilan knew that Luo Xue was the one who hid her true depth the most.
"How is it that after only a single night, Sister has already forgotten about me?"
Ye Zuilan stopped the spell she was about to cast, her hand still suspended in mid-air, and stiffly scratched her head as she replied, "Ah, hahaha, Little Xue! As if I could ever forget you, no matter who else I forgot!"
With a beaming smile, Luo Xue walked forward and wrapped her arms around Ye Zuilan, saying, "Is that so? Then Little Xue is just so happy~"
Sensing the condition of her spiritual power, Ye Zuilan cursed inwardly, "Damn it, my spiritual power has been sealed!"
Normally, before Luo Xue had even pushed the door open, Ye Zuilan would have already vanished. But now, with her spiritual power sealed and possessing only the cultivation level of a Tianjian Sect introductory disciple, it was utterly impossible for her to execute her usual spells.
"Um... Little Xue, let me explain, I really was very busy this past year!"
With a smiling expression, Luo Xue hugged Ye Zuilan and walked toward the bed. "I know how hard Sister Zuilan works on ordinary days... Therefore—"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, Little Xue, what on earth did you learn this past year?!"
"Sister will find out in a moment~"
...
Holding the *Guixin Manual* and feeling rather bored, Lu Qingning asked Xiao Hongyu, "Senior Sister, where did our master go?"
Hearing this, Xiao Hongyu paused for a moment before replying, "Master is tempering herself in the secular world."
"Tempering herself in the secular world? What kind of cultivation method is that?"
Lu Qingning asked blankly.
Xiao Hongyu nodded slightly and said, "Once cultivators reach a certain level of cultivation, they can choose according to their state of mind whether to pursue seclusion or secular cultivation. Master is a secular cultivator."
Lu Qingning parted her small mouth slightly in realization and said, "Oh—so that's how it is."
Afterward, the room returned to its initial silence.
Once again, Lu Qingning was left sitting idly, holding the *Guixin Manual*.
"So boring. Old man, how about keeping me company and chatting for a bit?"
Lu Qingning's consciousness entered the Spirit Sword and spoke to Qiancang.
Qiancang kept his eyes closed and ignored her.
Sighing, Lu Qingning helplessly returned to reality.
"Senior Sister, I think I must be cut out for secular cultivation."
Xiao Hongyu turned her head and blinked in surprise. "Huh?"