With the bounty matter settled, Song Honghua called back the chief steward.
“Go and investigate the origins of these two individuals.”
“Is the guild master referring to.” The chief steward bowed slightly, accepting the order while remaining uncertain of his master’s underlying intentions.
Song Honghua burst into hearty laughter: “Such an extraordinary master of his craft, I must make it a point to befriend him.”
Unaware that he had just acquired a fervent admirer, Su Yunyu secured an inn room and instructed Xiao Shuying:
“Stay here and wait for my return.”
Then, feeling that the statement sounded too abrupt and devoid of warmth, he paused briefly before adding:
“Once we acquire the spiritual grass, you are welcome to stay a few days longer if you wish.”
“Indeed,” Xiao Shuying thought, offering a silent, derisive snort as he watched Su Yunyu depart. So much for “allowing a few days of leisure”—he merely wants to linger for his own enjoyment and is grasping at a convenient excuse.
With Su Yunyu heading off to hunt Nightmares, the opportunity for unhindered freedom landed squarely in his lap…
Failing to entertain further hesitation, Xiao Shuying cast Su Yunyu’s instructions entirely to the wind, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the inn.
While he was largely unfamiliar with any territory outside the Tianxuan Sect, navigating Yexiaoxiang required no excessive anxiety.
The city was defined by broad, winding thoroughfares, serene pavilions drifting over hazy mutes, and prosperous saddle-horses crowding the red-dust avenues. Prominent institutions wielding deep-rooted authority, such as the Golden-Hilted Saber and Tianji Pavilion, invariably commanded immediate attention.
Thus, recalling the general bearing of the bounty board’s location, Xiao Shuying followed the winding line of soaring eaves and ornate Swallow Pavilions until he stepped directly before Tianji Pavilion.
Su Yunyu had previously presented him with a storage ring whose internal capacity and repository of accumulated treasures defied simple enumeration.
In essence, whenever any item was needed, rummaging through the ring would almost certainly yield a viable solution. Consequently, Xiao Shuying located a spare mask with minimal difficulty.
Whether the sparrow-patterned mask was unpalatable to Su Yunyu’s aesthetic sensibilities remained unknown, but the spare item tossed carelessly into the depths of his storage space was hideously grotesque, a ferocious, green-fanged demon visage capable of stripping any casual observer of their affection toward its owner.
Clearly, the masks customarily wore favored delicate motifs like sparrow patterns and floating clouds, whereas the trash discarded in his ring was terrifyingly ugly.
Nonetheless, Xiao Shuying harbored no grievances; he secured the green-fanged demonic mask across his face and stepped into Tianji Pavilion.
The realms of cultivation comprised five vast cities, while the mortal sphere contained fourteen great prefectures; their realms coexisted in a state of overlapping dimensions rather than hierarchical division.
In other words, Yexiaoxiang actually encompassed several mortal prefectures, and Tianji Pavilion maintained countless branch establishments across the land.
The structure before him served as the grand primary headquarters. Entering through the broad, cavernous gateway revealed a main hall whose atmosphere was far from luminous and clear, leaning instead toward an opaque, netherworld obscurity.
The floor, paved from moonstones, traced out the configuration of the Big Dipper constellation; within that constellation, the star Xuanji pointed precisely toward the Hall of Profound Secrets that Xiao Shuying needed to locate.
The ground floor remained entirely unoccupied, while the upper seven stories corresponded structurally to the seven stars of the Dipper, functioning as a threshold screening incoming visitors. Those lacking comprehension of celestial secrets could not even locate the inner portals.
Following the layout of the Xuanji star pattern embedded into the stone flooring, Xiao Shuying ascended to the third floor and rapped three times against the southeast-facing wall. Within moments, a concealed gateway dissolved into visibility.
Pushing the door open to step inside, he found countless ancient texts and scrolls lining the shelves. A lone figure clad in deep obsidian robes sat behind a desk, the wide hood drawn low enough to completely obscure their features from view.
“For what purpose has the honored guest arrived?”
The voice hovered indeterminately, neither male nor female, sounding simultaneously aged and youthful.
Every facet of Tianji Pavilion’s existence remained purposefully elusive and unfathomable.
Reaching up to adjust his terrifying demonic mask, Xiao Shuying retained his natural vocal register:
“I am here to negotiate a transaction.”
“A transaction?” The cloaked figure leaned forward with palpable intrigue, propping their chin upon their hands:
“Perhaps the honored guest might elaborate upon the details so I may hear them.”
One clad in sweeping, expansive robes, the other sporting a green-fanged demonic visage—neither could distinguish the other’s true appearance or background.
With absolute, unruffled serenity, Xiao Shuying articulated the terms of the trade:
“Next month in Pinyu, the Chongyan Mystic Realm within Pinhuai Prefecture will reopen once more. Tianji Pavilion would be wise to dispatch personnel to prepare in advance.”
This mystic realm constituted the domain left behind by the Immortal Chongyan, a figure legendary for his profound comprehension of the Heavenly Dao. Consequently, the realm likely housed divine artifacts capable of advancing Tianji Pavilion’s grand ambitions.
Aware that Tianji Pavilion had spent decades relentlessly probing for intelligence concerning this specific realm, Xiao Shuying’s announcement instantly triggered a stiffening of posture from the cloaked figure:
“Are you fully aware of the import of your words?”
Though speaking in his natural youthful voice, which left his true age somewhat ambiguous, the cloaked figure remained deeply skeptical of his credibility:
“Do you realize how many centuries have passed since the Immortal Chongyan’s realm last stirred?”
Even as he spoke, Xiao Shuying caught sight of the figure’s hand clenching into a tight fist beneath the wide obsidian sleeve, clear evidence of how deeply the news resonated. A faint smile touched the boy’s lips:
“The honored guest may rest easy; my words carry absolute truth. Should doubt persist, you need only wait until next month to verify the outcome.”
He uttered no falsehoods; the accumulated memories of his past ninety-nine lifetimes granted him absolute command over future trajectories. Such intelligence served as an effortless bargaining chip to forge direct ties with Tianji Pavilion.
The cloaked figure brooded in silence for a long interval, unable to determine whether the claim held merit. Yet driven by the striking, unshakeable poise radiating from the masked youth, coupled with his impenetrable anonymity, an aura of profound mystery settled over the exchange.
Slowly rubbing the fabric of his wide sleeve, Xiao Shuying spoke in a soft, unhurried cadence:
“My demands are simply.”
Hunting Nightmares posed no genuine complexity; the difficulty lay entirely in their endless, rapid respawn rate, preventing any single hunter from clearing an overwhelming quantity within a compressed window.
By the dead of night, Su Yunyu had successfully tallied three hundred Nightmares. Sheathing his sword, he paused to massage his aching shoulders, letting out a weary breath:
“That’s quite enough; I’m utterly exhausted.”
Fortunately, the Golden-Hilted Saber had mobilized its entire commercial apparatus to hunt Nightmares, guaranteeing that the cumulative threshold of one thousand would be safely surpassed well before tomorrow’s noon deadline.
Reassured by the guild’s reliable backing, Su Yunyu abandoned the hunt, returning to the inn and tossing a silver coin to the proprietor with instructions to have several barrels of piping hot water delivered upstairs.
At present, he felt as though he had spent the entire day operating a heavy industrial lathe, his muscles aching and his joints thoroughly fatigued. A basic cleansing spell was no longer sufficient to soothe his frame; a proper, prolonged immersion in hot water had become an absolute necessity.
Pushing open his chamber door, expecting the Dragon-Heaven protagonist to be sound asleep by this late hour, he was greeted instead by a pair of piercing, luminous eyes waiting expectantly:
“Master!”
Instantly, Su Yunyu felt as though every drop of fatigue had evaporated into thin air.
He even experienced a fleeting, subversive sentiment: If only this mission didn’t exist at all.
“Why aren’t you fast asleep yet?” Su Yunyu moved to pour himself a cup of tea to quench his thirst, only to find the liquid inside completely chilled.
Still, appreciating the gesture from his disciple, he drank it down in a single draught. Across the table, Xiao Shuying unsealed an oil-paper package, revealing a perfectly preserved, fragrant roast duck.
“The innkeeper sent this over, claiming it’s a local delicacy of Yexiaoxiang. I thought Master might wish to sample it.”
The roast duck remained entirely untouched; Xiao Shuying had initially felt zero inclination toward it and intended to discard it, but upon recalling the grilled fish from the mystic realm, he had inexplicably chosen to retain it.
As he spoke, he observed Su Yunyu’s expression, noting the momentary hesitation crossing the man’s exposed features the moment the mask was removed, confirming his private suspicions.
While cultivators of high realms ostensibly transcended physical hungers, Su Yunyu clearly operated outside that convention.
In truth, Su Yunyu was locked in a brutal internal battle: Roast duck, this is genuine roast duck!
Goodness knew how many ages had passed since he last tasted decent cuisine following his transmigration into this fictional world.
However… Su Yunyu mentally petitioned the system:
“If I were to consume this roast duck, would you administer an electric shock?”
The system replied without hesitation: [Affirmative, dearest host.]
Su Yunyu bargened internally: “How about I consume merely a minuscule fractional bite, and you administer a correspondingly minuscule fractional shock?”
While Su Yunyu remained locked in fierce combat with his conscience, Xiao Shuying was already inwardly calculating the optimal dosage and velocity required to successfully poison him via the next meal.
At that exact moment, a sharp knock rattled against the door: Knock, knock, knock.
The innkeeper’s voice filtered through the wood: “Honored guest, the hot water has been prepared. Shall I have it brought inside?”
Just as Su Yunyu moved to answer the door, Xiao Shuying abruptly reached out to grip his sleeve. Catching the man’s inquiring glance, he offered a momentary hesitation before speaking with feigned awkwardness:
“Master… your mask is still off.”
Su Yunyu belatedly registered his oversight, hurriedly repositioning the sparrow-patterned mask across his face before opening the door. The innkeeper and attendants hoisted several heavy wooden barrels into the chamber, filling a half-man-high bathing tub to the brim before withdrawing respectfully.
Staring at the rolling clouds of steam curling through the air, Xiao Shuying’s gaze flickered subtly:
“Master, this is.”
“A bath,” Su Yunyu replied with absolute psychological nonchalance, casually extending an invitation to the youth:
“Care to join me?”
Xiao Shuying recoiled half a step instinctively, shaking his head: “Master go ahead; I’ll turn in first.”
With that, he scrambled back to the bed and crawled beneath the covers. Su Yunyu shrugged off the refusal with an unconcerned mental chuckle, deciding that the Dragon-Heaven protagonist simply remained endomely bashful.
During his university years, communal bathhouses where everyone stripped down without self-consciousness had been the daily norm; after years of such exposure, psychological barriers regarding physical vulnerability had long since vanished.
Shedding his outer garments, he executed a clean cleansing spell to purify his skin, tossed the discarded layers back into his spatial storage, and retrieved a fresh set of white robes, placing them neatly beside the tub as he muttered under his breath:
“The original host owned an endless supply of white robes, practically identical to owning ten identical white t-shirts in my old wardrobe.”
Lowering himself into the piping hot water, Su Yunyu let out a deep, blissful sigh of pure physical relief, resting his head back against the rim of the wooden tub and surrendering to total relaxation.
The sound of cascading ripples accompanied his luxurious immersion, while tucked away in the bed, Xiao Shuying closed his eyes tightly, desperately attempting to force himself into slumber. Yet every auditory cue from the bathtub continuously pierced through his defenses.
The ambient moisture in the room steadily thickened, draping a fine, hazy veil of mist across Xiao Shuying’s skin. Biting his lower lip, he drew his exposed limbs completely beneath the heavy blankets.
Yet the oppressive heat quickly drove him to toss aside the covers, tossing and turning restlessly as the rhythmic splashing sound insidiously conjured vivid, unauthorized mental images of the man bathing nearby.
Slender, elegant waist; graceful posture; skin as unblemished as white jade, flushed with a rosy, peach-blossom warmth under the caress of boiling water.
Locks of hair dampened by cascading mist, curling delicately across the back of his shoulders and adhering closely against the side of his cheek like a drift of hazy clouds against a nocturnal sky.
To his mounting dismay, Xiao Shuying realized he was thoroughly failing to find sleep. With his auditory perception amplified by the quiet night, he finally reached his limit and blocked his ears with his fingers, praying for the splashing to cease.
Unexpectedly, the cloaked figure half-submerged in the steaming water behind the privacy screen called out softly:
“Shuying, hand me a cup of tea.”
“Tch.”
The longer he soaked, the thirstier he grew. Su Yunyu, comfortably indulging in his bath, naturally fell back upon issuing casual commands to the Dragon-Heaven protagonist. Hearing the rustle of sheets as the boy rose from bed, followed by the clink of porcelain and approaching footsteps…
The footsteps halted right beside the tub. Opening his eyes through the swirling veil of steam, Su Yunyu gazed up at Xiao Shuying:
“Leave it here.”
Xiao Shuying had initially resolved to avoid looking directly at him, but compelled by the phrasing, he was forced to lower his gaze toward the rim of the tub.
The phantom images haunting his imagination moments before instantly crystallized into absolute reality:
The usually cold, aloof eyebrows were softened by the hazy mist; skin that typically resembled carved white jade was now flushed with a delicate, translucent peach-blossom blush from the steam.
Above all, those thin lips, normally etched with ruthless indifference—were now bitten into a soft, glossy, moistened crimson. The entire scene presented an unadulterated, breathtaking display of seductive vividness.
Xiao Shuying’s mind seized up entirely. As he extended his arm to pass the porcelain cup, the loss of motor coordination sent him stumbling forward.
Splash!
Water droplets erupted wildly across the room as Xiao Shuying lost his balance and pitched straight down into the bathing tub.
“Plop”
Surrounded by cascading ripples and suppressed ripples of amusement echoing in his ears, Xiao Shuying gasped frantically for oxygen through water-logged airways, finally managing to snap his gaze upward toward Su Yunyu.
Through a blur of steam-distorted vision, he beheld Su Yunyu holding the teacup in one hand while using the other to shield his mouth, his bare shoulders, neck, and flushed face trembling continuously in desperate efforts to suppress roaring laughter.
In that fraction of a second, the cool, rational composure maintained across ninety-nine lifetimes completely shattered into a million pieces. Overwhelmed by sheer oxygen-deprived panic and incandescent humiliation, Xiao Shuying scrambled frantically out of the tub, bellowing at the top of his lungs:
“Master!”
While Su Yunyu continued shaking with irrepressible chuckles, his laughter trilling through the air like shaken flower petals, Xiao Shuying felt lightheaded and dizzy, fleeing the chamber in utter disgrace.
As he slammed the door behind him, his mind echoed with a single, screaming verdict:
Shameless, he truly is utterly shameless!
Yet he failed to register that from the roots of his hair all the way down to his neck, his skin was flushed a brilliant, burning crimson.