In the afternoon, just as Yun Liu was about to step out of the courtyard, a clear, melodious voice sounded behind him.
"Brother Yun, where are you going?"
A blonde girl with a charming smile appeared as if she had always been there.
"Just going for a walk," Yun Liu said.
"You only just got out of bed. It's good to get some air, but you shouldn't go alone. Why don't I keep you company?"
Ji Shiyu patted her chest and volunteered with a bright grin.
If she wanted to determine which one of this "young couple" truly carried the weight of destiny and fortune, she needed to observe them both more closely.
Yun Liu hesitated for a moment, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Ji Shiyu smiled even more sweetly. "Since Xinran isn't here, I'll take care of you in her place. Your injuries haven't fully healed, and we'd be worried if you went out alone. What if you ran into those Demonic Sect scoundrels again?"
This line… sounds a bit familiar, Yun Liu thought.
Don't worry, Brother Yun, I'll take good care of them for you!
What utter nonsense.
A chill ran down his spine. He rubbed his arms without thinking.
"I'm not responsible if anything happens," he said dryly.
"Don't worry, I'm very capable!" Ji Shiyu replied without missing a beat.
After all, what kind of accident could possibly happen during a simple walk?
The two of them left the courtyard and strolled down the street.
The boy was handsome and refined in a simple moon-white cloud robe, the standard uniform of Divine Favor Sect. His face was still pale and his aura weak, but his bearing was upright.
The blonde girl at his side was extremely eye-catching. Her features were delicate and beautiful, her temperament gentle yet otherworldly. Wherever she walked, gazes followed. The ordinary townsfolk of this "newbie village" had never seen such a fairy-like girl from another world before.
Everyone in Lan City knew the Xiao family's future son-in-law. He had been raised here, and the neighbors had watched him grow up.
Fortune had always seemed to shine on him. Born with talent, got accepted into Divine Favor Sect, blessed with a beautiful fiancée… his romantic encounters were the envy of many.
In the past, the girl beside him had always been the Xiao family's precious daughter. Today, she'd been replaced by an even more dazzling golden-haired beauty. That alone was enough to stir up whispers.
Things had changed. Rumor said the Yun family's young master had become a cripple and his path to immortal cultivation was cut off. Whether Divine Favor Sect would expel him was still uncertain, but one thing was clear: he was no longer a good match for the Xiao family girl.
Yun Liu and Ji Shiyu passed through the bustling market street, walking right by the branch of the largest intelligence network in the Nine Provinces. Idle aunties and bystanders glanced over, their expressions full of curiosity and speculation. Fingers pointed, lips moved, and more than a few eyes flicked between Yun Liu and Ji Shiyu with the look of people gossiping about a "third party."
Aotian, hiding in Ji Shiyu's hair, chuckled darkly. "Tsk tsk, what a perfect couple. No, wait… what an adulterous pair."
"Weren't you the one who told me to get along with them and get closer to my 'future senior brother'?" Ji Shiyu grumbled inwardly. "Do you think I wanted to come cozy up to a man?"
Who exactly are you calling an adulterous pair, hm?
Yun Liu's gaze slid up to the thick golden hair at Ji Shiyu's back, his eyes narrowing slightly. He reached out as if to casually brush a few strands aside. Sure enough, hidden near the nape of her neck, a certain round phoenix chick was nestled there like a smug little talisman.
Ji Shiyu stiffened. "What is it?" she asked with a smile. "Is there something on my hair?"
"No, it's nothing." Yun Liu withdrew his hand and said indifferently." Then Ji Shitu said "I just thought Brother Yun is really popular. It seems like everyone in the city knows you."
"Good news doesn't travel far, bad news spreads faster," Yun Liu replied. "In a place this small, even the tiniest thing gets barked up and down the street."
He assumed they were here to watch the fun. People loved to watch someone fall from grace.
Seeing his mood sour, Ji Shiyu quickly changed the topic.
"I heard from Uncle Yun that your mother is also a graduated disciple of Divine Favor Sect, right?" she asked.
"That's right," Yun Liu said.
"That's wonderful!" Ji Shiyu said.
What's so wonderful about it? Yun Liu glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The Ji Shiyu in the original game hadn't been this chatty. Was she interrogating him now?
Damn it, this protagonist doesn't even spare other people's wives. Is he planning to make my father wear a green hat too?
That would be an impressive, if horrifying, display of filial piety.
He suddenly had a very vivid mental image of one day calling someone "Father" while that person was actually the thief who had stolen everything from him. It made his scalp tingle.
"To be honest," Ji Shiyu said, "I've heard since I was young that the Yun family's swordsmen are unmatched. After meeting Brother Yun today, I admire you even more. I've decided to sit for this year's entrance examination with Xinran. I hope you'll take care of me in the future."
She bowed slightly, her smile radiant. Her tone made it sound like she already became a disciple of Divine Favor Sect.
Polite words like these might have fooled other people, but Yun Liu did not buy any of it. For someone of the High Heaven family's status, choosing to become a disciple at Divine Favor Sect was already a favor to the sect itself, not the other way around.
"Alright. Sure," he said.
"…Hmm? Okay?" Ji Shiyu blinked. That was it?
That was all?
Her lips twitched. It was rare for her to be treated this perfunctorily.
"What else do you expect me to say?" Yun Liu asked. "Good luck? Or maybe, 'Hello, future junior sister, please take care of me'? Don't joke around. With your strength, you're already more than qualified to jump straight into the inner sect selection."
He wasn't flattering her. That was just the truth.
A fifteen-year-old prodigy on the verge of forming her foundation before even registering as a disciple—people like that didn't walk into the testing grounds; they were escorted.
"Well, that's true," Ji Shiyu admitted, "but I'm still a little nervous. It would be even better if Brother Yun was willing to share some of his experience."
She raised her chin slightly, eyes shining, her attitude sincere.
Yun Liu, however, felt goosebumps crawl down his arms. The way she said "Brother Yun" had a strange flavor, like the accent didn't quite fit the atmosphere.
He really did know what kind of person this drama-queen protagonist was.
This girl's specialty was pretending to be weak while being frighteningly strong, playing tricks, and charming everyone within a ten-mile radius. He was a master seducer in a female skin, the very definition of a walking disaster.
Calmly, Yun Liu said, "Whether it's secretly passing on sect techniques or leaking the sect's exam questions, both are serious crimes. At best, you get locked in the back mountain for ten years. At worst, your spiritual roots are destroyed and you're expelled from the sect. What kind of grudge do we have that you'd want to drag me down with you?"
"Huh? I… I didn't mean that at all…"
Met with such a cold response, Ji Shiyu's face stiffened. She waved her hands quickly, as if she had just swallowed a fly.
Her carefully planned "Get Closer to Future Senior Brother" strategy was working beautifully—just in the opposite direction.
"Not interested," Yun Liu said.
He clasped his hands behind his back and walked ahead on his own, heading toward the city gates without looking back.
Ji Shiyu was left staring at his back. She almost ground her teeth to dust. She had never met someone quite this dense and prickly at the same time.
Aotian was laughing so hard in her hair that he almost fell out. "Heheheh… this is the trick you were bragging about? The little tricks you used on others don't work on this kid at all!"
"Damn it," Ji Shiyu fumed inwardly. "He gets all high and mighty after I say a few polite words. If it weren't for me, he'd already be dead! It's fine. Shiyu, don't bother with that jerk."
She clenched her small fists, trying to comfort herself.
None of them noticed that someone else had been watching from not far away. A girl in red hid at the corner of the street, her expression complicated and hard to read.
With the new term approaching, Yun Liu and Xiao Xinran would soon travel to Divine Favor Sect together. In the original story, the sudden appearance of a blonde resulted in the three of them naturally forming a team to take the entrance examination.
But this time, something in the flow of the plot had already shifted, subtly and irreversibly.