Yún Yì's smile sent a chill down Yè Shūlí's spine. This sudden "rescue" and excessive friendliness made her instinctively on guard.
"No thank you," Yè Shūlí politely declined, her tone cold. "We're busy."
Jiang Ye nodded frantically in agreement, mentally roasting: *Is this guy some kind of fake, innocent saint?*
*He looks completely harmless, but who knows what kind of evil schemes he's cooking up!*
*Yè Shūlí's sixth sense is seriously god-tier!*
"Alright then," Yún Yì's smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal. "In that case, I won't disturb you any longer." With that, his figure flashed and he vanished into the night.
The two of them had just let out a sigh of relief and hadn't even had time to vent about this suddenly popped-up "Young Master Yún" when they discovered that the feat of defeating Chén Lǎo'èr had spread like a virus.
Things like "peerless prodigy," "match made in heaven," "playing the pig to eat the tiger"...
Various exaggerated versions were passed from mouth to mouth among the crowd, making Yè Shūlí wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"Sister Lí, are we... going viral?" Jiang Ye asked with an excited look, as if he could already see himself reaching the peak of his life.
"Going viral your head!" Yè Shūlí poured a merciless bucket of cold water over him. "This is called standing out in the crowd! Understand? We're the popular kids right now, and everyone wants a bite!"
Yè Shūlí's jinxing tongue was as accurate as ever.
Sure enough, trouble tracked them down in no time.
A Spirit User (Early-stage) cultivator named Wú Gāng heard that Yè Shūlí and Jiang Ye were "running wild" on his turf, and his fury instantly flared.
"On my turf, and you still dare to be this arrogant! You simply don't put Wú Gāng in your eyes!" Wú Gāng led a group of subordinates, striding aggressively toward Yè Shūlí and Jiang Ye, brandishing gleaming weapons in their hands.
Seeing Wú Gāng and his gang approaching aggressively, Jiang Ye walked up to them with a cheeky smile, rubbing his hands together in a toady manner. "Oh my, big brother, you must be Boss Wú Gāng, right? I've heard so much about you! Lads, come pay your respects to the boss!" As he spoke, he made a grand sweeping gesture behind him as if followed by thousands of troops and horses, when in reality there was only Yè Shūlí standing in place with a speechless look on her face.
"We heard about Boss Wú's mighty reputation, so we specifically came to pledge our loyalty!"
Wú Gāng looked Jiang Ye up and down suspiciously, then glanced at Yè Shūlí standing alone to the side, and sneered, "Pledge your loyalty to me? Just the two of you? Brats whose hair hasn't even grown in yet, and you dare to show off your meager skills in front of me?"
Jiang Ye wasn't upset at all; he kept his cheeky smile, sidled up to Wú Gāng, and lowered his voice mysteriously. "Boss Wú, you might not know this, but this right here is our boss. She possesses unique skills and special abilities that can help your cultivation progress a thousand miles a day and achieve great hegemony!"
Wú Gāng was half-convinced, casting a sidelong glance at Yè Shūlí. This little girl looked completely ordinary; did she really have any special abilities?
Yè Shūlí rolled her eyes. Jiang Ye had truly been possessed by a dramatic actor; it was a waste for him not to go into acting.
However, since the play had started, it had to go on.
She fished out some little trinkets made with modern knowledge from her pocket—a few brightly colored glass balls, and some bizarrely shaped small metal pieces that gleamed with a strange light in the sunlight.
"These are treasures refined by our boss. They can enhance the effects of cultivation. Would Boss Wú like to try them?" Jiang Ye introduced them with a deadpan expression, as if these items were peerless treasures.
When Wú Gāng's subordinates saw these glittering little trinkets, their eyes went straight, and they began whispering among themselves, clearly tempted.
Not wanting his subordinates to think he was petty, Wú Gāng gave a grand wave of his hand. "Hand them over and let me see!" He took the glass ball handed over by Yè Shūlí, inspected it closely, weighed it in his hand, and a trace of greed flashed in his eyes.
"Is this thing really that magical?"
"Of course!" Jiang Ye guaranteed with absolute certainty. "If you don't believe me, just ask your men; every single one of them knows quality when they see it!"
Wú Gāng's subordinates nodded and chimed in one after another, staring longingly at the glass ball in Wú Gāng's hand.
Wú Gāng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately put the items away.
"In that case, I'll accept these for now. If it's really as effective as you say..." He paused, his meaningful gaze sweeping over Yè Shūlí and Jiang Ye. "Follow me from now on, and there will be no shortage of benefits for you."
Yè Shūlí and Jiang Ye exchanged glances, both of their eyes flashing with an imperceptible smile.
"You got it! Thanks, Boss Wú!" Jiang Ye agreed excitedly, as if he had just scored a massive bargain.
Deep in the night, a roar came from Wú Gāng's tent... "What kind of piece of junk is this?!"
Wú Gāng roared as he hurled the glass ball in his hand to the ground, shattering it to pieces.
"What kind of bullshit treasure! It's completely useless!" He felt like he had been played. These two brats whose hair hadn't even grown in yet actually dared to mock him!
One of Wú Gāng's subordinates, named Lǐ Hǔ, had long been lusting after the "treasures" in Yè Shūlí and the others' hands.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he stealthily picked up a metal piece, hid it in his sleeve, and found a secluded spot to try it out.
However, half an hour passed, and he didn't feel the slightest effect of Spiritual Energy enhancement.
Lǐ Hǔ instantly felt cheated, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.
Furious, he rushed toward Yè Shūlí, gritting his teeth as he roared, "Little brat, how dare you play me!"
Jiang Ye was quick-witted; he yanked Yè Shūlí back and blocked in front of her.
"Hey, hey, hey, brother, let's talk this out nicely. Getting physical is such a bad look!" he said while striking a defensive posture.
Lǐ Hǔ didn't care about any of that; he swung his fist and smashed it toward Jiang Ye.
Although Jiang Ye was only at the Spirit User (Early-stage), his footwork was exceptionally agile, slippery as an eel, and he always managed to dodge Lǐ Hǔ's attacks by a hair.
While dodging, he didn't forget to launch a verbal assault: "Yo, brother, your fist techniques are practiced well enough, it's just that your force lacks strength, your speed is too slow, and your aim is even worse!"
Taking advantage of the gap while the two were fighting, Yè Shūlí pulled a delicate small jade bottle from her pocket.
"Jiang Ye, catch!" She tossed the small jade bottle to Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye caught it mid-air, pulled out the stopper, and a rich wave of Spiritual Energy rushed toward his face.
Without a second word, he chugged the liquid inside the bottle in one gulp.
This was no ordinary liquid; it was a potion extracted by Yè Shūlí using modern knowledge that could temporarily boost Spiritual Energy.
The potion's effects took hold rapidly, and Jiang Ye felt his body surge with power, as if he had an endless supply of strength.
His figure flashed, moving with startling speed, and with a single punch, he sent Lǐ Hǔ flying backward.
"With just this little skill, you still dare to run your mouth?"
Everyone around was stunned by Jiang Ye's sudden burst of power, staring in utter disbelief as if they had witnessed something miraculous.
Wú Gāng's expression also turned ugly. He had originally thought these two brats only had a few clever tricks up their sleeves, but he hadn't expected them to conceal such strength.
"Interesting, truly interesting..." A cold sneer crept onto the corner of Wú Gāng's mouth. "Looks like I'll have to take action myself..."
With a cold chuckle, Wú Gāng's figure flickered, and like a ghost, he appeared right in front of Jiang Ye.
He threw out a palm strike carrying a fierce gale, heading straight for Jiang Ye's face.
"Little brat, let me show you what true power looks like!"
Not daring to take the blow head-on, Jiang Ye hurriedly dodged aside.
Wú Gāng's attack speed was extremely fast and his power immense; although Jiang Ye had boosted his Spiritual Energy with the potion, it was still difficult for him to parry.
He dodging left and right, having numerous close calls, and soon sustained injuries.
"Yo, Boss Wú, aren't your methods a bit too ruthless? Bullying a kid, aren't you afraid people will laugh if word gets out?" Yè Shūlí shouted mockingly from the side, trying to disrupt Wú Gāng's focus.
"A dignified mid-stage Spirit User expert actually making a move against a little rookie at the early stage, aren't you even embarrassed to say it out loud!"
Wú Gāng's expression grew even gloomier as he glared fiercely at Yè Shūlí. "Stinking girl, shut your mouth! Once I finish dealing with this punk, I'll teach you a lesson!"
Wú Gāng's attacks grew even more ferocious, and Jiang Ye was barely able to fend them off.
Dodging left and right, he joked through his misery: "Sister Lí, your taunts don't seem to be working very well! This guy's skin is thicker than a city wall!"
Yè Shūlí's eyes rolled as an idea struck her.
She fished out a small, delicate dagger from her pocket and waved it toward Wú Gāng.
"Boss Wú, if you don't stop right now, I'm going to carve your glorious deeds onto the stone tablet at the city gates so everyone knows you bully the weak!"
Wú Gāng's movements paused slightly, a trace of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
While he didn't care about other people's opinions, if this really got carved onto a stone tablet, he would lose all his face.
Taking advantage of Wú Gāng's momentary hesitation, Jiang Ye seized the opportunity and punched out fiercely, landing squarely on Wú Gāng's chest.
Wú Gāng let out a muffled grunt and stepped back a few paces, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
He hadn't expected this brat to still possess such strength.
"Sister Lí, run!" Jiang Ye yelled, grabbing Yè Shūlí and taking off.
Wú Gāng's face turned ashen as he roared, "Chase them! Don't let them get away!"
Staring at the gleaming dagger left in his hand, a cold sneer curved the corner of his mouth. "Little girl, you brought this on yourself..."