“Who are you?”
“What?! How could you not know me? Do you know you’re in the presence of the great Shen Liqing?!” Shen Liqing raised his voice, unable to believe that someone was unaware of his identity.
With a history that spans a millennium, the Shen family is the most influential among the aristocratic families in Divine City and every child born into the Shen family is treated with reverence and elevated to a high status. How could there be someone who did not know of him?!
Luo Xue gave a flat expression. Apart from the people in her sect and those mentioned in the story, she was unfamiliar with anyone else. In fact, she was clueless. She simply said, “I see.”
However, her unenthusiastic reply only managed to further agitate Shen Liqing. He slapped the booklet onto the table and questioned, “So, who are you then? Let me see if I’ve heard of you before!”
“I’m…”
Luo Xue was about to reveal her name when she stopped herself from saying anything. She glanced at Kun Yanli and noticed he hadn’t taken any action to intervene. Instead, he calmly sipped his tea, minding his own business, but his overly sly smile revealed his nosy intentions.
Sensing her hesitation, Shen Liqing burst into laughter before he sneered. “Hmph! You must be quite ashamed to not give me your name. But rest assured, this great Shen Liqing shall forgive your insolent behaviour. Now, scram off before I call my servants to kick you out!”
Yet, before he could go on, a sharp, angry voice called out his name.
“Shen Liqing!”
As soon as Shen Liqing heard that familiar voice, he unconsciously flinched. Without caring if Luo Xue minded or not, he took advantage of the difference in their sizes and ran behind her for cover.
Luo Xue looked over at the young man who had suddenly arrived. Unlike the flamboyant yet elegant Kun Yanli, his appearance was both neat and modest, giving off a scholarly vibe.
However, the young man had long noticed Shen Liqing from a distance away. He approached Luo Xue, arms crossed, and fixed his fierce gaze on her back. He warned, “Shen Liqing, stop hiding. You have three seconds to appear before me. Otherwise, there’s no need for you to go out next time!”
Timidly, Shen Liqing stepped out from behind Luo Xue and glanced at the angry young man.
“B-Big Brother, what are you talking about? I didn’t hide from you. I… I was just standing here… browsing through the catalogue!” Shen Liqing raised the booklet in his hand and casually waved it around.
Standing beside him, the attendant’s heart skipped a beat as she observed the booklet being handled carelessly.
“Oh, really?” The young man silently observed Shen Liqing for a moment before he sighed helplessly. He smiled, beckoning Shen Liqing to come over to him. “Alright. Come here, Xiao Qing. Let’s not bother other guests, shall we?”
“Yes…” Shen Liqing walked over to his brother’s side, his shoulders drooping. As he walked past Luo Xue, he didn’t forget to give the booklet back to her.
Once the young man saw that, he sighed again and then apologised. “Miss, please forgive my unruly younger brother. Because of my family’s excessive pampering, he has become spoiled. If Miss would allow, I would like to extend my apology by inviting you to a meal.”
Luo Xue naturally refused. “It’s not necessary. I hadn’t done anything to deserve that.”
“Ah, I understand.” The young man nodded his head in agreement, a soft smile appeared on his lips. Refusing to back down, he carried on. Pointing to the booklet in her hands, he said, “In that case, would you allow me to help guide you through it? I can also be considered somewhat of an expert.”
“No, it’s fine. The attendant will be there to assist me.”
“Miss, please give me some face. I would feel uneasy knowing that I didn’t make up for my little brother’s mistake.”
Since the young man has already spoken so bluntly, it would be hard to reject him for the third time. Luo Xue reluctantly agreed. “Since you insist, many thanks for your help.”
Once receiving Luo Xue’s consent, the young man smiled. He guided her around with great familiarity, as if he owned this place. His explanation was concise, clear and to the point. Even after the entire booklet was flipped through, he still had many anecdotes to make the entire tour interesting.
Regardless, if Luo Xue didn’t know any better, she would think this young man was the true boss of this establishment.
But of course, that’s not true.
Kun Yanli was the de facto boss of Luxury Pavilion.
However, that didn’t prevent Luo Xue from genuinely respecting the young man for his vast knowledge, good analysis, and witty remarks. Without his help, she probably wouldn’t be able to make up her mind as quickly.
In the end, Luo Xue sold all the hides, claws, horns and cores she acquired from the Thousand Illusion Beasts realm and placed an order for several rare level six materials. With Sir Liu’s guidance, they reached a consensus on a unique uniform design. By the time the disciple’s entrance exam arrives, Sir Liu would have finished crafting the uniform.
The timing was perfect.
Right as Luo Xue was about to hand over a pouch full of spiritual stones to the attendant, someone intervened. At some point, Kun Yanli had already stood up from his seat and made his way to her side. He asked, “Are you only getting one?”
Confused about his inquiry, Luo Xue still responded with a simple “Yes”.
“Oh, with your allowance, getting one is barely manageable.”
“…” Was she just insulted? Luo Xue looked at Kun Yanli, his face still smiling. In reality, it was already good enough that she didn’t have to pay for the uniform through loans.
“In that case, consider this uniform as a welcome gift from me. There’s no need for thanks.”
Luo Xue didn’t even have the chance to voice her disagreement before the attendant had swiftly charged it to Kun Yanli’s account without any hesitation.
“…”
Since the payment has already been made, Luo Xue helplessly said, “Then I will accept it with gratitude.”
And Kun Yanli looked at her with a smirk, as if to suggest that this meagre sum of money wasn’t worth his attention.
“As you should.”
“…” At this point, Luo Xue was unsure whether or not to feel offended. But, since he had already taken care of her order, she shouldn’t complain. Instead, she could now use the money on other treasures for her future disciple.
“…It’s time for us to go.” Luo Xue eventually sighed.
Afterwards, she bid farewell to both the young man and Shen Liqing. Right before they left, the young man didn’t forget to leave his name behind.
Shen Yunjie was his name.
When their figures could hardly be seen, Luo Xue and Kun Yanli stepped on their swords and made their way back to their sect. While they were halfway through their journey back, Kun Yanli suddenly said, “Be careful of that young man, Luo Xue.”
Once Luo Xue heard his warning, she noticed Kun Yanli’s voice lacked any hint of concern or joy. His warning seemed ambiguous, but she knew that someone as sly as him wouldn’t utter such words without any reason.
“I will,” Luo Xue said.
Although nothing about Shen Yunjie seemed suspicious, because of his words, she would be more cautious of him if they ever meet in the future. In fact, the more she thought about it, the clearer it became why Kun Yanli had felt the need to warn her.
From the beginning to the end, Shen Yunjie portrayed himself as a gentleman throughout, yet there was something eerie and unsettling about him… something she couldn’t quite put a finger to.
However, it was possible that she was just overthinking it.
Luo Xue looked down, watching the landscapes beneath her with a distant gaze. Who knew the path of becoming a master had its fair share of challenges…
…
Meanwhile, the siblings had just arrived at their Shen family estate. Shen Liqing stepped out of the carriage, with Shen Yunjie right behind him.
As they were about to go their separate ways, Shen Liqing finally couldn’t resist pulling Shen Yunjie’s sleeve and asking the question that had been weighing on his mind since their time at the Luxury Pavilion.
“Big Sis—”
“DON’T YOU DARE ADDRESS ME BY THAT!”
Shen Liqing froze in fear when he watched Shen Yunjie slap his hand away. Her expression twisted into something sinister. He gulped, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach.
“Big… Big Brother, why do you treat that lady with such kindness? Didn’t we make our reservation first?” Shen Liqing asked with tears in his eyes, struggling to not cry as he knew his sister despised tears more than anything.
When Shen Yunjie saw her little brother trembling like a leaf, the darkness in her gaze faded away, and she smiled gently.
“Xiao Qing, did you not notice Divine Sword Sect’s Peak Master Kun was drinking tea by the side? If he is accompanying someone, that person is surely not ordinary. We should avoid treating everyone carelessly, don’t you agree?”
Shen Yunjie gently patted his shoulder, comforting him, but all Shen Liqing could feel was a dreadful coldness.
Shen Liqing hesitantly agreed, his hands involuntarily trembling. In his eyes, nothing was as terrifying as his sister’s bone-chilling smile.
Nothing.
…
Two months had passed since then and it was already time for the Divine Sword Sect to open their gates to accept new disciples. Majority of the sects held biannual entrance exams, but for the Divine Sword Sect, it was a yearly affair.
Currently, Luo Xue and the other peak masters were sitting on an elevated platform near the peak of a mountain. From their positions, they had a complete view of the entire competition. Each of them had a small, floating glass orb, capable of transmitting images from afar. This allowed them to conveniently track disciples they were interested in recruiting.
Holding the orb in her palm, Luo Xue smiled. She could observe the protagonist’s progress. Would his performance be the same as the past?
It’s time for her to find out.
