“Hahaha!” Venerable Burning Gold burst into hearty laughter. “What an interesting little girl!”
“Meeting is fate. Since fate brought us together, I’ll lend you a hand.”
He raised one hand.
The temperature throughout the entire establishment abruptly soared. The Viper-Worm clansmen lying in ambush dropped one after another, their faces flushed scarlet and their bodies radiating astonishing heat. Thin streams of white smoke rose from their heads.
“Huh?” Pretty Butterfly curiously kicked one of the fallen men, then yelped and jerked her foot back. “That’s hot!”
A strange light flashed through her eyes. Lowering her voice, she asked Yu Qingtang, “Who is he? He can actually draw on the underground fire vein. What an incredible fire-control technique...”
Chi Yantian struggled to lift his head. “He’s my grand-martial-uncle... I checked! His name really does appear in the ancient texts passed down by the Heavenly Fire Cult!”
“You flatter me.” Venerable Burning Gold chuckled. “Just think of me as someone who died once. Everything from back then can stay in the past.”
He sighed wistfully.
“None of the people I knew are still around. I might as well count myself among the dead too.”
“Senior, could you perhaps be—” Scholar Xiao immediately sensed a story behind those words, but before he could finish, he began shouting, “Ow, hot, hot, hot! Why is the water suddenly boiling?”
“You’ve been poisoned. It’s nothing serious,” Venerable Burning Gold said with perfect composure. “We’ll just bake it out of you. Bear with it.”
Yu Qingtang pricked up his ears and glanced behind him. “Someone’s coming.”
Starwatch Pavilion disciples dressed in black filed in two orderly rows, their expressions solemn. They quickly restrained the fallen Viper-Worm clansmen.
Tianxin approached in her wheelchair and slowly came to a stop in front of Yu Qingtang.
“Are you hurt?”
“No!” Yu Qingtang hurriedly shook his head. “We were lucky enough to run into this senior. We barely had to hold out before they all collapsed!”
“Good.”
The tension did not leave Tianxin’s face. She slowly turned toward the room where Venerable Burning Gold was bathing.
“Senior, are you the expert who ignored Starwatch Pavilion’s guards several days ago, forcibly entered the Coursing Wolf lineage of Pleasure Sect, threw down an ancient dagger, and left?”
Yu Qingtang slowly turned his head.
“Huh?”
“What of it?” Venerable Burning Gold did not deny it. He sneered. “I knew taking someone else’s belongings was a crime. Since when was giving someone a gift illegal too?”
“Naturally, it is not,” Tianxin replied, neither humble nor overbearing.
Behind her, the Starwatch Pavilion disciples moved with practiced efficiency. Within a few blinks, they had dragged every fallen Viper-Worm clansman out of the establishment.
They also took the terrified little dog demon from Yu Qingtang’s arms, carried it aside to comfort it, then helped it resume an upright form and put clothes on it.
Clearly, this was not the first time they had dealt with something like this. Their competence was almost heartbreaking.
“This place is unusual, and there appears to be something unusual about you as well, Senior.” Tianxin rested her hands on the arms of her wheelchair, her posture slightly guarded. “Should you be willing, I ask that you honor us by speaking with one of my elders.”
“No, no.” The sound of splashing came from Venerable Burning Gold’s room, as though he had turned around in the tub. “I’m not acquainted with Starwatch Pavilion. We have nothing to discuss.”
A hint of helplessness appeared on Tianxin’s face. “Then at least allow one of my disciples to meet you and see your true appearance.”
Venerable Burning Gold snorted and deliberately said, “Very well. Come closer.”
Tianxin’s wheelchair slowly rolled forward.
Venerable Burning Gold immediately started shouting again. “Hey, hey, hey! You’re actually coming? Little girl, this Daoist is still bathing! I’m not wearing any clothes!”
“That is no concern,” Tianxin replied calmly. “I am blind.”
Venerable Burning Gold choked.
“...”
He muttered awkwardly, “Just how many years have passed? Are all young girls this difficult to handle nowadays?”
Yu Qingtang quietly shuffled to his door and lowered his voice. “Senior, is there some reason you can’t come out?”
“It’s nothing, really,” Venerable Burning Gold said evasively.
“Oh.”
Yu Qingtang turned to leave.
“Wait!” Venerable Burning Gold hurriedly called after him. “Actually, there is a small problem!”
He lowered his voice and cleared his throat.
“Give me a moment.”
He climbed out of the tub, dressed, and pushed open the door. His imperious gaze swept around the room. Only after confirming that no one dared stare directly at him did he lean closer to Yu Qingtang.
“Ahem. I spent too long in that blasted place. When I came out, I forgot to bring something.”
Yu Qingtang blinked in confusion.
Venerable Burning Gold looked embarrassed and rubbed two fingers together.
Yu Qingtang instantly understood.
“Oh—spirit stones!”
“Exactly!” Venerable Burning Gold clapped his hands with a grin.
When he turned around, everyone who had been listening with pricked ears immediately looked away and pretended they had heard nothing.
Only then did he continue.
“Ahem. I’ve been staying here for several days. For one thing, their sulfur springs truly are comfortable. They’re especially beneficial to fire-attribute cultivators. The other reason is...”
He gave an awkward laugh.
“The proprietor probably never imagined that someone as majestic and awe-inspiring as me would arrive without any spirit stones. And I was too embarrassed to admit I intended to soak here for days without paying...”
Yu Qingtang’s face filled with realization. “So you just kept soaking here until now?”
Venerable Burning Gold chuckled twice. “Then I heard a familiar voice! Heaven never bars every road!”
Yu Qingtang silently took out the Treasure-Gathering Basin and showed him the secret savings hidden at the bottom.
“This is all I have.”
Venerable Burning Gold fell silent. When he looked at Yu Qingtang again, his eyes held a trace of sympathy.
“You haven’t had an easy life either, little one.”
Yu Qingtang secretly glanced at Pretty Butterfly. “He did return a keepsake to one of Pleasure Sect’s deceased members. Perhaps...”
“That’s nothing. I’ll pay.” Pretty Butterfly waved dismissively. “Didn’t my father already say that Pleasure Sect would cover all your expenses in Nanzhou?”
Tianxin gave a slight nod. “Starwatch Pavilion will do the same.”
“Hm?” Venerable Burning Gold raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You command that much respect?”
Yu Qingtang hurriedly shook his head. “Not me. Ye Chenyan.”
“The brat you taught the Heavenly Wolf Tribulation to...”
“That little bastard!” Venerable Burning Gold clearly had not forgotten him.
He muttered to himself, apparently finding something strange.
“Could that boy really have some remarkable background?”
He waved the matter aside and turned toward Tianxin.
“I can go with you. But there are a few things I need to ask first.”
“I’ve never heard of this pavilion of yours. Are you connected to the Esoteric Sect?”
Tianxin shook her head slightly. “No.”
“Good.” Venerable Burning Gold asked, “Have they contacted you recently?”
Tianxin nodded calmly. “They have.”
“Tch. I knew it.” Venerable Burning Gold clicked his tongue. “What did they want?”
“They were searching for you,” Tianxin answered truthfully. “They were also looking for two other people.”
Yu Qingtang’s expression shifted slightly.
Could those two be Ye Chenyan and me?
“There was one more thing...” Tianxin hesitated briefly before continuing. “They asked about the whereabouts of a pure-blooded Heavenly Demon.”
“Hm?” Pretty Butterfly narrowed her eyes. “Why are those old bastards asking about that?”
Tianxin shook her head. “I did not ask.”
“But it is probably connected to their search for cultivators with special constitutions.”
“Hmph.” Pretty Butterfly crossed her arms. “The demonfolk would never follow them. I need to tell my father about this!”
Tianxin gently shook her head. “At Nanzhou’s regular monthly meeting yesterday, I already informed all seventy-two divisions of the demon race.”
She turned her face slightly toward Pretty Butterfly.
“Your father said you were too busy playing around to represent the Hundred-Illusion Butterfly clan...”
“Ah—” Pretty Butterfly mumbled vaguely. “That does sound... somewhat familiar.”
“Anyway, I know now, don’t I?”
Her eyes gleamed as she turned toward Venerable Burning Gold.
“Senior, you don’t like the Esoteric Sect either?”
She deliberately pointed at Yu Qingtang.
“Those villains tried to capture him before!”
“What?” Venerable Burning Gold curled his lip and let out a cold snort. “Just wait. Once I have some time, I’ll go to the Esoteric Sect and cause trouble for them on your behalf!”
“I’d like to see whether they’re still the same enormous power standing high above the clouds after all these years!”
Laughter flashed through Pretty Butterfly’s eyes. “Good! I love watching people make trouble for them!”
“Ahem.” Venerable Burning Gold clasped his hands behind his back. “In any case, as long as you aren’t allied with the Esoteric Sect, we have something to discuss.”
Tianxin’s expression remained composed.
“Starwatch Pavilion keeps its promises. We remain in Nanzhou and safeguard its peace. Beyond that, we follow our own will.”
“Hm.” Venerable Burning Gold nodded. “At least you have some backbone. Very well. Let’s go!”
He turned back and called to Yu Qingtang. Now that his debt had been settled, his bold laughter had returned.
“Until fate brings us together again, little one! I’m off to meet the important figures of this era. Hahaha! Don’t worry. I’ll remember the Esoteric Sect’s debt to you!”
Before leaving, Tianxin quietly warned them, “The Esoteric Sect will receive no help from Starwatch Pavilion, but anyone may enter Nanzhou. You should still remain cautious.”
She raised one hand, and Chatter landed on Yu Qingtang’s shoulder once more.
“Come find me if anything happens.”
Pretty Butterfly’s eyes lit up. She draped herself over the back of Tianxin’s wheelchair and began acting spoiled.
“What a beautiful little bird! I want one too! Dear Senior Sister, why won’t you give me one? I travel all across Nanzhou and might encounter danger too. I need some way to call my senior sister for help!”
Tianxin raised a hand, caught a scorpion, and calmly placed it back in Pretty Butterfly’s palm.
“That still does not mean you may steal.”
“If the Hundred-Illusion Butterfly division loses any more points this month, you will be confined again.”
Pretty Butterfly’s smile froze.
She waited until Tianxin had left, then stamped her foot indignantly.
“Stingy!”
She immediately sidled up to Yu Qingtang.
“Let me play with that little bird!”
“Later, later.” Yu Qingtang brushed her off. “Let’s first see whether the others are feeling better. I don’t know whether Senior’s fire completely purged the poison.”
He then earnestly added, “You should also show some concern for Baoshan.”
“Oh!” Pretty Butterfly finally remembered. “Oh no, I forgot the little monk!”
She rushed over to open the door.
“Little monk! You’re not dead, are you?”
She yanked the door open with a bang.
Baoshan’s panicked scream erupted from inside.
“Aaaah! You mustn’t, miss! You mustn’t! Don’t look—!”
Yu Qingtang silently turned his head away.
“He sounds full of energy. He should be fine.”
Chi Yantian had already sat cross-legged and begun circulating his cultivation method. Yu Qingtang left him undisturbed and went to check on Scholar Xiao instead.
Scholar Xiao usually looked frail beneath his clothes. Now that he had removed his long robe, however, the lean body underneath was firm and powerful, covered in a thin layer of muscle. He had clearly trained extensively as well.
He lay draped over the edge of the tub, struggling to keep hold of his brush as he recorded everything. He barely managed to raise his head and smile.
“Brother Yu, you’re here?”
“It’s nothing. A minor injury. I can still write.”
Yu Qingtang stared at him.
“...”
This one appeared to be fine as well.
He turned around and dragged Pretty Butterfly away from the little monk’s room just as she was eagerly preparing to go inside, leaving Baoshan curled up in the tub on the verge of tears.
Then Yu Qingtang turned—and found himself face-to-face with a savage canine head.
“...”
“Oh! Nobody-Likes-Me, what brings you here personally?” Pretty Butterfly greeted him cheerfully. They were clearly old acquaintances.
“Mm.”
The demon cultivator before them had a dog’s head on his shoulders, just like the little dog demon from earlier. This one, however, was enormous. His head nearly touched the ceiling.
He also looked especially ferocious. A knife scar ran across one eye, giving him the appearance of someone with an extensive past—and someone nobody should provoke.
He stared fixedly at Yu Qingtang, radiating overwhelming pressure.
Yu Qingtang swallowed.
“H-hello.”
The demon cultivator sucked in a sharp breath.
His expression changed instantly. He turned toward Pretty Butterfly with a nervous face.
“H-he greeted me!”
“Yes, yes.” Pretty Butterfly clearly knew exactly what he was like.
She lowered her voice and whispered to Yu Qingtang, “He looks like this, so hardly anyone ever approaches him. Be nice to him, and he’ll agree to anything.”
Yu Qingtang fell silent.
“...”
That sounded strangely suggestive.
After thinking for a moment, however, he still offered the demon cultivator a friendly smile.
“Hello, Senior. I’m—”
“My name is Nobody-Likes-Me.”
The demon cultivator bent down and leaned closer.
“Hello, little human.”
He seemed to be trying to imitate Yu Qingtang’s smile.
It only made his face look even more terrifying.
Yu Qingtang paused.
“...Hello.”
Pretty Butterfly lifted Yu Qingtang’s hand and made him touch the demon cultivator’s paw.
Nobody-Likes-Me’s single eye flew wide open.
He let out a soft, high-pitched “Awoof,” clutched his heart, and crouched down in the corner.
“I touched a human’s paw!”
Yu Qingtang stared at him.
“...”
Good grief.
The huge, terrifying fellow was actually a squeaky-voiced puppy.
Author’s Note:
A Certain Rabbit Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous: Little Yu has other dogs now—
Ye Chenyan: !
A Certain Rabbit Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous: Two of them.
Ye Chenyan: !!
A Certain Rabbit Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous: Unlike you, they’re actual doggos. And they’re fluffy too!
Ye Chenyan: LET—ME—OUT—!
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