“Did Father send him an invitation?” Shen Ji sat up on the bed in delight.
“Do you still want the gifts?” Mingming asked again.
“Just leave them there.” The sudden burst of joy made Shen Ji too lazy to bother with Mingming anymore.
She hurried out, and Mingming thought to herself that this counted as completing Madam Lan’s task. She let out a sigh of relief.
“Isn’t she full of energy now?” Mingming muttered to herself.
The maidservants in the room also followed Shen Ji out, leaving Mingming to return to Lan Pavilion alone.
When Madam Lan asked, she simply said that Shen Ji had accepted her apology.
Lu Xuan was not around. He had transformed into a snake to find a cultivator who could teach her spells, though there was no telling when he would return.
With nothing to do, Mingming sat alone on the swing in the small courtyard. Drowsiness soon overtook her, and the moment she closed her eyes, she fell asleep.
The Shen Residence stood at the heart of Jinhe City. At this moment, a man in crimson robes stood in the main hall with a faint smile on his face.
He possessed a strikingly beautiful face, so exquisite that it was impossible to tell whether it was more masculine or feminine. Tall in stature, he wore a longsword at his waist. His wide sleeves hung gracefully, lending him an imposing and dignified presence.
Shen Fu spoke to him with endless flattery.
Roughly speaking, Shen Fu was saying that the Shen Clan had not even had the chance to send him an invitation before he had come in person, and that his esteemed visit had truly brought honor to the Shen Residence. It was all the usual polite formalities.
Su Yu narrowed his eyes with a smile. Whatever Shen Fu said, he responded with a casual “Mm,” appearing only half attentive. In truth, he was conversing with someone through divine sense.
“Young Lord Lu, it’s been some time since we last met. How is it that you’ve come to see me as a snake this time?” Su Yu teased.
“I’m practicing my transformation technique,” Lu Xuan replied. “Ignore everyone else. Just see whether her aptitude is good enough to enter Changxiao Palace.”
“A young lady from the Shen Clan…” Su Yu smiled. “Lord Wuya has never been fond of the great clans of the Eastern Realm.”
Lu Xuan fell silent for a moment before saying only, “It’s not what you think.”
“And what exactly do I think?” Su Yu’s eyes curved into crescents as he smiled. “I think you’re the one with something on your mind, Xiao Xuan.”
By then, Shen Fu had already called for the younger generation of the Shen Clan to come over.
Standing at the front was Shen Ji, who had spent the past few days recuperating from illness. She had her chin slightly raised, and she looked to be in good spirits.
“There are quite a few pretty young ladies here,” Su Yu said, stroking his chin. “Which one is the young lady you were talking about?”
Lu Xuan glanced outside. Only eight people had come. One was missing.
“She really went back to sleep.” He ground his teeth in frustration.
Just then, Shen Fu pulled Shen Ji over. The moment Shen Ji saw Su Yu, she was momentarily dazed by his incomparably handsome face.
She stopped before him and bowed in greeting.
“Senior Su… Senior Su, I have admired you for a long time. I recently heard that you had come to Jinhe City. I had intended to request an invitation from you, but I never imagined you would come here in person.”
“This young lady’s qi and blood are deficient. Did she suffer some fright in the past few days that damaged her mind?” Since someone had spoken to him, Su Yu naturally responded.
At a single glance, he could tell that Shen Ji had suffered a severe shock a few days earlier. Even her divine sense had been damaged.
“It was all because of her…!” Shen Ji still had the temperament of a spoiled young miss and instinctively blurted out her complaint about Mingming.
“Shh.” Su Yu lightly pointed a finger forward.
A red paper bird instantly appeared before him and wobbled through the air toward Shen Ji.
The paper bird landed atop her head. It was as though a spring of spiritual water had poured over her, a cool current flowing through her entire body and dispelling the last lingering trace of gloomy yin qi that had wrapped itself around her heart.
Shen Ji’s eyes lit up with delight. Watching from the side, Shen Fu said, “She’s only a junior. There was no need for Young Master Su to go to such trouble.”
He was perfectly capable of dispersing that bit of murky qi for Shen Ji himself, but he simply had not cared. It was only a small amount of murky qi. Given a few more days, it would have dissipated on its own.
“One person is missing,” Su Yu said with a friendly nod to Shen Ji.
He treated everyone with the same gentle kindness. It was no wonder he had captured the hearts of so many female cultivators in the Immortal Realm.
“I also have an adopted daughter. A few days ago, she suffered a backlash from a magical artifact and was injured. She’s still recuperating,” Shen Fu replied, not thinking of Mingming at first.
“It isn’t. Her name is… Shen Ming, isn’t it?” Su Yu said. “The reason I came to the Shen Residence today is to see her.”
“Ming’er…” Shen Fu froze for a moment.
Beside him, Shen Ji had already frowned. Her second sister was practically unknown. How could someone as powerful as Su Yu come all the way here just to visit her?
She was still young and bold enough to step forward and ask.
“Senior Su, my second sister has hardly ever left the Shen Residence. H… How did you come to know her? She’s terribly lazy. I’m afraid you’ll only be disappointed if you meet her.”
Su Yu was a clever man, so he explained, “Her mother, You Lan, was somewhat well known in the Immortal Realm back then.”
Hearing this, Shen Fu’s expression changed. He shot Su Yu a glance but said nothing further. Instead, he instructed the Shen Clan’s eldest daughter to fetch Mingming.
The eldest daughter of the Shen Clan, Shen Lin, nodded and left at once.
Inside Lan Pavilion, Mingming was fast asleep.
She did not dream again. It was as if the dream from the previous night had merely been an accident.
Only when someone gently patted her on the head did she wake up.
Mingming rubbed her sleepy eyes. As soon as she looked up, she saw Shen Lin smiling at her.
“Ming’er, Senior Su has come to the Shen Residence. He’s asking to see you.” Shen Lin helped Mingming off the swing.
“Oh…” Mingming finally understood. So the Senior Su Shen Ji had mentioned earlier was the instructor Lu Xuan had invited to test and teach her.
She followed Shen Lin toward the main hall. As they walked, Shen Lin asked, “I heard you also want to join Changxiao Palace?”
“Yes,” Mingming replied.
“The first two rounds of Changxiao Palace’s entrance trials are extremely difficult. You should be careful.”
“I spoke to Father about giving you the admission slot the Shen Clan had prepared for me, but unfortunately, Father refused.”
Mingming immediately shook her head. “I’ll get in on my own.”
“Very well. If you need anything when the time comes, just let me know,” Shen Lin said softly as she walked ahead.
Among all the younger members of the Shen Clan, aside from Mingming, Shen Lin was the least interested in competing for recognition.
She possessed exceptional talent and her cultivation was far from weak, yet she never rushed to be first in everything. In Shen Fu’s eyes, she lacked the sharp drive that a cultivator should possess, which was why he favored Shen Ji more.
In the Shen Clan’s training grounds, Su Yu had already begun sparring with Shen Ji. His figure vanished into the void, ready to strike at any moment.
Shen Ji released the crimson mechanical bird she had won during the previous hunting expedition to track his aura. The little red bird fluttered up and down through the air, drawing Su Yu’s attention.
He was unable to resist red things. His figure flashed into view as he smiled and said, “A beautiful color.”
“Senior, watch carefully.” Seeing him reveal himself, Shen Ji raised her hand and sent several wind tornadoes hurtling toward Su Yu.
Su Yu’s wide sleeves billowed in the gale. He dealt with the attack calmly, barely showing any fluctuation of spiritual power before the raging winds were effortlessly dispersed.
“Your aura lacks strength, and your affinity with wind spiritual qi is not harmonious enough,” Su Yu pointed out Shen Ji’s shortcomings as he patiently explained them to her.
Not long afterward, Mingming and Shen Lin arrived.
Everyone’s attention was fixed on Su Yu in the center of the training grounds. Mingming sat in the farthest corner, yet she could still hear the Shen Clan’s disciples discussing cultivation techniques.
Her eyelids drooped, and she nearly fell asleep again, making Shen Fu so exasperated that he kept shaking his head.
Mingming was the last to step onto the training grounds. Only then did Su Yu, who had seemed absentminded from beginning to end, finally straighten his expression.
“Is it her?” he asked Lu Xuan through divine sense.
“Yes.”
“She certainly is adorable, but why does she look as though she hasn’t finished waking up?”
“She’s always like this.” Lu Xuan glanced at Mingming, and the heartbeat that had lain dormant within him began to stir once more.
“Come up.” Su Yu extended a hand toward Mingming and helped her onto the training grounds.
Taking advantage of the moment their hands touched, Lu Xuan slipped back onto Mingming’s body. Mingming merely blinked, her expression unchanged.
“Go ahead.” Su Yu drifted backward through the air, waiting for Mingming to make her move.
Sure enough, there had not been many occasions over the years for Mingming to use spells. The one she used most often was…
A small flame appeared in the center of the training grounds. She formed no hand seals, and there was hardly any flow of spiritual qi around her. She casually cast a simple Fire Control Technique to get it over with.
The moment she made her move, several of the Shen Clan’s younger disciples watching from the side burst into laughter.
Controlling the Five Element spiritual qi was the most basic of spells. Any somewhat capable cultivator could perform far more advanced techniques.
Take the wind tornadoes Shen Ji had summoned earlier. They were immeasurably more sophisticated than Mingming’s Fire Control Technique.
Yet only Su Yu, concealed within the void, saw that tiny flame and revealed a trace of amazement in his eyes.
The Great Dao was simplicity itself. To cultivate the simplest of the Five Element spells to its utmost perfection was unimaginably difficult.
Yet the flame Mingming had condensed from spiritual qi was refined to the utmost purity. It grew with the wind, almost as if it possessed a life of its own.
While he was still contemplating it, the flame seemed to catch his scent. It pierced through the void and shot toward his feet.
On the training grounds, Su Yu summoned a gale carrying a torrent of water toward the flame, intending to break Mingming’s spell.
The wind and water surged forward together, forcing Su Yu’s figure out of the void.
His imposing aura spread outward, causing many members of the Shen Clan to turn their heads, captivated by his elegant bearing.
Only Shen Ji frowned.
When she had sparred with Su Yu earlier, he had barely moved at all. With perfect composure, he had effortlessly neutralized her attacks.
Yet now, against the tiny flame Shen Ming had summoned, why was he making such a grand display?
After a long while, when the flame finally seemed to die down, Su Yu steadied himself.
But in the very next instant, he noticed a streak of fiery red clinging to the dark crimson hem of his robe.
Despite being battered by both wind and water, the flame Mingming had summoned had still retained a tiny spark.
Su Yu was greatly startled. His robes were impervious to both water and fire, yet this tiny wisp of flame had actually managed to latch onto them.
In the end, he drew the longsword from his waist.
A flash of sword light descended, slicing off the corner of his robe, and only then did he finally cut the flame away.
“He drew his sword?!”
“Senior Su actually drew his sword! Why?”
The crowd could not help crying out in astonishment.
The severed corner of Su Yu’s robe, still carrying the flame, drifted slowly to the ground. It floated down before Mingming, where the fire finally flickered out weakly.
“Do you have any guidance for me?” Mingming looked up at Su Yu.
“Your fire… You’ve actually mastered it to this extent.” How could Su Yu possibly instruct her in this spell?
Even with cultivation as profound as his, he could not summon such pure flames.
The higher a cultivator’s cultivation, the more advanced techniques they could wield. Who would continue studying such a simple, basic spell?
The most astonishing part was that Mingming had cast this Fire Control Technique using only the slightest trace of spiritual qi. It was even perfectly in line with her current low level of cultivation.
“I’ve used it for many years,” Mingming replied. “To cook.”
“Cultivators usually practice inedia, so cooking is rather novel.” Su Yu began chatting with Mingming.
“Fire… Lightning strikes the earth, and sparks appear upon dead wood. By learning to use fire, humanity gained wisdom. Using fire to cook food is a wonderful process. It gives food a different kind of meaning. Most importantly, raw ingredients become much more delicious after being cooked over a flame.” Mingming rarely spoke so many words in one breath.
“Senior Su, I just like to eat,” Mingming said with a nod.
Hidden within her sleeve, Lu Xuan coiled himself around her wrist several times as he waited for what Su Yu would say next.
Sure enough, Su Yu sheathed his sword, descended to the ground, and called out to Mingming.
Then, to the astonishment of everyone in the Shen Clan, he said with a smile, “My Acacia Manor still has several admission slots for Changxiao Palace. If Second Miss Shen does not mind, you may travel with Acacia Manor to Changxiao Palace.”
The moment those words were spoken, Shen Fu’s eyes widened.
He had not been inside the training grounds and knew nothing of the subtle intricacies hidden within that clash of water and fire. He could only lament that this Young Master Su’s judgment did not seem particularly good.
Why… why hadn’t he taken a liking to Shen Ji instead?
This had been Lu Xuan’s purpose in inviting Su Yu over in the first place.
With his discernment, he had long since realized that when it came to the Dao of controlling fire, there was no one who could instruct Mingming.
Arranging for Su Yu to meet Mingming was simply because he was certain Su Yu would never let such an extraordinary talent slip away. It would give her a chance to go directly to the third round of Changxiao Palace’s entrance trials.
Mingming did not even look at Su Yu. So sleepy that she could not help herself, she yawned.
“No, thank you.”
“Ming’er, mind your manners!” Shen Fu could not help rebuking her for her lack of etiquette.
Su Yu was taken aback for a moment, but he still smiled and simply replied, “Very well.”
That evening, the Shen Clan held a banquet in Su Yu’s honor.
Naturally, Mingming was too lazy to attend such a crowded gathering.
After returning to her own little courtyard within Lan Pavilion, Lu Xuan finally resumed his human form. He stared at Mingming for a long while.
“Why didn’t you accept?”
“He already has his own disciples. If he takes me as well, wouldn’t that mean one of Acacia Manor’s disciples loses their opportunity?”
“That only means their cultivation is insufficient and their destined opportunity has not yet arrived.”
Mingming rubbed her eyes. She did not know how to answer Lu Xuan, so she simply lifted her head and smiled at him, hoping to brush the matter aside.
Even though she had been unable to break through her cultivation bottleneck for a very long time, she was still a great demon only a hair’s breadth away from ascension. Her cultivation and experience surpassed those of countless cultivators.
Everything in the world had its own karma and destined opportunity. Even though she had concealed her identity now, she could not rely on her superior cultivation to take away someone else’s chance.
Yet despite having lived for so many years, Mingming’s eyes remained pure and crystal clear. In some matters, she was as innocent and guileless as a child.
Just like her smile now. It was nothing but simple happiness, carrying not the slightest hint of currying favor or ingratiating herself.
“You fool,” Lu Xuan said as he looked at her.
Resting her chin on her hand, Mingming continued smiling at him.
“This fool likes you.”