Xiaoyu’s entire spirit form quivered in midair, like it had bottled up a monumental secret and finally had the chance to spill it.
“Zhixue, guess who’s here?” It floated in front of her, its emerald eyes shining impossibly bright.
“It’s Gu Yanqing! He’s outside!”
Lin Zhixue turned toward the doorway, catching the expectant, mischief-loving look on its face.
“Why is he here?”
“I don't know either.” Xiaoyu clasped its tiny hands behind its back, slowly swaying in a circle in midair, its tone dripping with innocence.
“I just went out for some fresh air and happened to spot him standing at the mouth of the alley.”
“Just. Happened. To. See. Him.”
The corners of its mouth curled upward smugly.
...
Leaning against the wall across the alley, Gu Yanqing was currently full of regret.
The main gate of the Xu manor was still shut, and the alley was quiet enough, but his mind was anything but peaceful.
He should have just left earlier. Now it was too late to leave; Xiaoyu had already flown inside, and within a few breaths, she would come out through that door.
How was he supposed to explain why he was in this city, in this alley, standing in front of this very gate?
He ran through every possible excuse in his head.
Just passing by? Too fake.
Visiting a friend? He didn’t know a soul around here.
Buying talisman paper? Who travels all this way to buy talisman paper at someone’s private residence?
The gate opened.
Lin Zhixue stepped out, her eyes finding his in the sunlight.
He took a deep breath, resigning himself to the impending interrogation.
Yet she didn't ask why he was here.
“Was it the female disciple living next door to Senior Sister Xu who told you I was here?”
She stood at the doorway, looking at him with little emotion discernible in her gaze.
“...Yeah,” he said. “That was her. She mentioned you were heading this way, so I thought you had run off alone to do something dangerous.”
Without breathing a single word about the system, he wove a seamless lie—one he almost believed himself.
“Heh.”
Xiaoyu drifted lazily from behind him, arms crossed, circling him once.
It came to a stop in front of him, the smirk on its face looking malicious no matter how one looked at it.
“Since when did you know that female disciple? When did the two of you get so close?”
“She even reports to you where Zhixue goes? How come I never knew you two were such good pals?”
That tone was truly begging for a beating.
No, hold back.
Gu Yanqing ignored the “let’s see how you make this up” expression on its face.
“I knew you could see me!”
Xiaoyu suddenly blurted out, its tone resolute and thrilled.
Gu Yanqing froze, and Lin Zhixue looked over, her face full of bewilderment.
Before either could ask, Xiaoyu pressed on, “You clearly turned around and were about to leave just now! But the moment I said I was going inside to tell Zhixue, you stopped dead in your tracks!”
“Doesn’t that prove you’ve always been able to see me and hear me talk?”
Gu Yanqing was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected this little creature to catch such a slip.
Too tired to keep up the act, he simply admitted it forthrightly.
“Yes, I’ve always been able to see you and hear you speak. So what?”
The moment it received confirmation, Xiaoyu became overjoyed, its spirit form brightening by several degrees as it floated around merrily in midair.
It was simply thrilled.
For so long, in the entire world, only Zhixue could see it and talk with it.
Now, it had finally found a second person who could see it and communicate with it.
“Why can you see Xiaoyu?” she asked.
So this noisy artifact spirit was named Xiaoyu? What an odd name.
Gu Yanqing shook his head. “I'm not sure. Perhaps some special constitution, or some other reason.”
This sentence was only half a lie.
He genuinely didn't know why the system allowed him to see Xiaoyu, but he knew there had to be a reason. He just couldn't disclose that reason.
Lin Zhixue didn't press the matter.
For some reason, she seemed to believe his explanation, merely giving a gentle nod.
The courtyard gate opened once more, and Xu Muhe stepped out.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the two of them. Without asking any questions, she simply stepped aside to clear the entrance.
“Come inside and talk.”
Gu Yanqing followed Lin Zhixue into the Xu manor’s courtyard, quietly scanning his surroundings.
The courtyard wasn't large and was kept reasonably tidy, but the moss on the stone steps and the faded vermilion lacquer in the corners indicated it hadn't been properly renovated in a long time.
Several bundles of semi-finished raw materials for talisman paper were piled in a corner, half-dried in the sun, their edges already yellowing.
Gu Yanqing sat quietly on a stone stool without uttering a word.
Lin Zhixue took a seat across from Xu Muhe and asked straightforwardly, “Senior Sister Xu... what is the situation right now?”
Xu Muhe fell silent for a moment before clearly and concisely explaining her family's circumstances.
The Xu family was also considered a cultivator clan, but their overall strength had always been mediocre.
The highest cultivation in the family belonged to her father, who was at late Foundation Establishment.
In an ordinary small city, that would be considered top-tier, but compared to a major clan like the Zhao family that boasted a Golden Core cultivator, the gap was insurmountable.
For generations, the Xu family had primarily engaged in three businesses: talisman shops, supply of raw materials for spirit paper, and crafting low-tier formation plates.
Among these, their core business and greatest source of revenue was a special spirit bamboo called Green-Patterned Bamboo.
Green-Patterned Bamboo could be used to produce high-quality talisman paper, and more than half of the Xu family's revenue relied on it.
The Zhao family had not provoked them without reason; their goal had been crystal clear from the start.
They had set their sights on the Xu family’s entire supply chain.
They wanted to forcibly acquire the Xu family’s talisman shops, raw material channels, and bamboo-processing techniques at a dirt-cheap price, which was effectively robbing the Xu family of their very foundation for survival.
Naturally, the Xu family refused to surrender it on a silver platter.
Ever since, all sorts of suppression and harassment from the Zhao family had followed in succession.
The Xu family's merchant caravans traveling outside frequently suffered attacks by demon beasts.
Spirit paper merchants who had partnered with them for years suddenly broke their contracts en masse and cut off supplies.
Xu family disciples in the sect were often deliberately provoked when venturing outside.
Even worse, people showed up to cause trouble at their talisman shops within the city every few days.
These methods never caused loss of life and weren't an existential catastrophe, yet day after day they wore down the Xu family's foundations. Like boiling a frog in warm water, they were driving them to a corner, forcing them to bow their heads and compromise on their own.
Lin Zhixue listened to the entire story, her expression calm.
“If there is anything I can help with, just say the word.”
Xu Muhe instinctively moved to decline: “But—”
“Now it's my own choice to help,” Lin Zhixue cut her off directly, little emotional fluctuation in her eyes.
“No buts.”
“You've helped me many times before.”
“It’s only natural that it's my turn to help you.”
She paused, looking earnestly at Xu Muhe.
“You're a friend now.”
Xu Muhe was rendered momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond.
At first, she had indeed approached Lin Zhixue with ulterior motives, wanting only to use her connections to get close to Jiang Yinglan and seek a way out for her family.
She had thought that once everything was laid bare, what shallow friendship they had would come to an end.
Yet now, when she was clearly the one indebted to Lin Zhixue, it was Lin Zhixue who reached out to help her of her own accord.
...
From the stone stool not far away, Gu Yanqing took in the entire scene.
He knew very well that Lin Zhixue's cultivation wasn't high, and she lacked political acumen; she might not truly be able to resolve the Xu family's trouble.
Yet she had always been a woman of her word. If she said she would help, she would see it through to the end.
Since he had already followed her here, he might as well go along with her wishes.
Even if the matter proved troublesome, he would accompany her and find a way to deal with it together.
Beside him, Xiaoyu had cast the Xu family's troubles entirely to the back of its mind. Like finding a brand-new toy, it buzzed around Gu Yanqing with keen interest, hovering before him and pestering him relentlessly.
“Hey! Gu Yanqing! Why on earth did you pretend you couldn't see me before?”
Gu Yanqing cast a faint glance at it, musing inwardly: Does this little thing never realize how excessively talkative it is?
Xiaoyu immediately puffed out its cheeks and glared at him. “What kind of look is that? Don't tell me you're disgusted with me! Hmph!”
Rate on N.U.
