“Young Master? What are you doing here?”
“Do I need to explain myself to you?”
Lian Yin recognized Xie Sui’s voice, and the tension in her hand, which had remained poised to draw her sword, slowly faded.
“Yes…”
The person ahead seemed about to say something more, but Xie Sui impatiently cut him off.
“Then get lost.”
A flurry of retreating footsteps soon echoed around them.
When silence finally returned, Xie Sui still didn’t release her. His hand remained covering hers, the unfamiliar warmth of his palm almost burning through the fabric.
Lian Yin found it strange and gently nudged him.
Only then did Xie Sui react, lifting his outer robe away.
Cool moonlight poured down, illuminating the young woman’s fair face. Her hair had become slightly disheveled, and a few loose strands had caught on his clothing.
Just as Lian Yin was about to step back, Xie Sui pressed a hand against her shoulder.
“Wait.”
Thinking the pursuers had returned, Lian Yin hurriedly ducked back beneath the robe, causing the two of them to bump into each other once again.
Xie Sui’s fingers, which had reached out to untangle her hair, stiffened ever so slightly before he calmly said, “Your hair got caught on my clothes.”
So it wasn’t because the guards had come back.
Lian Yin stepped away again and watched as he carefully freed the tangled strands.
“You actually notice little things like that?” she said in surprise. Then she asked, “By the way, why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be away all night?”
Retracting his hand, Xie Sui replied, “I just finished what I was doing. I heard someone was causing trouble in the city, so I came over to catch them. I didn’t expect that troublemaker to be you.”
Causing trouble?
The image of that young man shamelessly tattling instantly reignited Lian Yin’s irritation.
But if he really held a grudge against Xie Sui, and with whatever strange command currently affecting Xie Sui’s mind, who knew what would happen if old and new grudges collided? It would definitely delay their search for information and the person she was looking for.
Suppressing the urge to complain, she deliberately downplayed the situation.
“It wasn’t anything serious. I just ran into someone really annoying. He didn’t like the look of me, so he sent a bunch of people after me.”
It was fine.
She would complain to Shen Qingle about it after she got back tonight.
Xie Sui asked, “Didn’t you show him my token?”
Lian Yin: “…No. I forgot.”
If she admitted she had shown it, only for the other party to become even more provocative instead of backing down, Xie Sui would probably figure out exactly who it was in an instant.
“The next time I give you something, remember to use it.”
Then he smiled.
“Now that I think about it, you probably haven’t had the chance to properly look around Zhaoyang City tonight. Let me show you around. It’s only right that I play the role of a good host.”
Lian Yin was actually ready to go back.
“The city guards are still looking for me…”
Xie Sui took hold of the hesitant young woman’s hand.
“What are you afraid of?”
Even through their sleeves, Lian Yin could clearly feel the heat radiating from his palm.
Leading her forward, he said, “As long as you’re walking beside me, no one will dare question who you are.”
Looking up at his back, Lian Yin asked suspiciously, “Then why did you hide me just now?”
Not only had he hidden her, he’d held her for so long…
Xie Sui let go of her hand and turned to look at her as though she were an idiot.
“Do you think someone caught red handed at the scene and someone suspiciously standing next to me carry the same meaning?”
Lian Yin nodded.
“…They really don’t.”
“Come on. I’ll show you around.”
The two walked one after another through the bustling marketplace.
Street vendors lined both sides of the road, enthusiastically hawking every imaginable trinket.
Xie Sui walked ahead, stopping at practically every stall they passed to buy something and hand it to Lian Yin behind him. He never even asked whether she liked any of it. He simply kept buying.
As he handed her item after item, he said, “I bet you’ve never seen this before.”
“I bet you’ve never eaten that before.”
“And this one…”
At first, Lian Yin accepted everything out of politeness.
Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Stop buying things, Xie Sui! Seriously, stop giving me presents!”
Xie Sui looked puzzled.
“Why? If you can’t carry them, just put them in your storage pouch.”
“My storage pouch isn’t a trash bin, is it? It can still fill up!”
“Then just buy a few more storage pouches.”
One of the nearby stall owners couldn’t help laughing.
“Young man, that’s not how you court a young lady. It doesn’t matter how many gifts you give. One thoughtful gift is worth more than a hundred random ones.”
Xie Sui froze for a moment before hurriedly turning toward Lian Yin.
“That’s not what I meant. Don’t misunderstand!”
Lian Yin nodded wearily.
“…I know.”
She already knew.
It was probably the Realm Spirit’s strange commands causing trouble again.
Still… the Realm Spirit wouldn’t issue this sort of instruction, would it?
After all, he was part of Lu Ying.
How could he possibly…
Forget it. Better not think about it.
Lian Yin reminded him,
“By the way, you said you’d help me find someone. When are we going to meet the person you mentioned?”
She wanted to get the information as quickly as possible, leave, and then remind Xie Sui to get his head checked.
Since she had brought it up, Xie Sui answered, “Tomorrow! I already spoke to him tonight, so you’ll be able to meet him tomorrow. But you can only ask one question.”
Lian Yin nodded in understanding.
The Dao of Wisdom originated from the Heavenly Secrets. Every divination came at a price. Unlike ordinary spells, it required far more than simply consuming spiritual power.
“Then let’s finish looking around quickly so we can head back early. And stop buying me things! Also, what time tomorrow?”
Xie Sui laughed.
“So that last sentence was your real concern.”
Lian Yin smiled.
“Of course! You figured me out. You’re pretty smart.”
Now that things were finally making progress, the terrible mood left over from the night’s misfortune vanished completely.
She was genuinely happy.
She couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
The next morning, Xie Sui brought her to meet the cultivator of the Dao of Wisdom.
The meeting took place inside a magnificent palace.
It perfectly matched Lian Yin’s stereotype of Dao of Wisdom cultivators.
They certainly received excellent treatment.
The palace itself was extraordinarily elaborate.
Perhaps worried she had never seen such splendor before, Xie Sui spent the entire walk introducing the various architectural marvels and scenic wonders surrounding them.
Following behind him, Lian Yin passed through the front courtyard, the outer courtyard, and long covered corridors.
Exotic flowers and rare trees filled every corner. Everywhere she looked was another breathtaking sight, each with an impressive story behind it.
Before long, Lian Yin’s head was spinning.
It felt as though all the information entered one ear and left the other without staying behind.
Bored and completely lost, she finally suggested, “Why don’t you tell me about the person who lives here instead?”
Xie Sui fell silent for a moment.
“The person living here should be my cousin, I suppose. I heard he’s been plagued by illness ever since he was born. None of the medical cultivators have been able to cure him. Although he’s so frail he can barely withstand the wind, he’s displayed unparalleled talent in the Dao of Wisdom.”
He suddenly smiled.
“Come to think of it, the two of you have quite a bit of fate when it comes to your names.”
“My name?”
“Mm, his name is…”
They rounded a corner.
Warm sunlight streamed down, slipping past the flowers and trees that had blocked their view.
Lian Yin saw the young man from the previous night.
Today he was dressed far more formally.
His outer robe was made of black satin with wide sleeves embroidered in flowing gold patterns that shimmered beneath the sunlight. Beneath it, he wore brilliant crimson robes.
Those two striking colors, combined with the young man’s own deathly pale complexion, created a beauty so extraordinary that it was almost overwhelming.
He rested his head lazily against one hand, looking like a great cat lounging across the table.
The sunlight outlined his long lashes with a warm glow.
A swallowtail butterfly fluttered delicately upon his pale, slender fingertip, hovering at eye level.
“Xie Lanyin.”
As though hearing the sound of his name, he slowly turned his head.
His golden hair flowed like strands of silk as his violet eyes reflected the two figures walking beneath the corridor.
Or rather…
Only one of them.
Dust drifted quietly through the backlit air.
The young woman walked beneath the covered walkway, half her body concealed in its shade, while the hem of her skirt swayed gently in the sunlight, bright and vibrant like fresh willow leaves in early spring.