Shut-In Girl

"Ah, so it's true!"

Jiang Lu's heart jolted, and the flames of gossip roared to life within him.

He hurried closer and lowered his voice. "Could it be that Senior Sister You Yuyao from Jingshui Pavilion?"

Gu Chengming's fingers paused slightly as he turned a page. He looked up, a trace of dawning realization on his face.

"So that's her name? You Yuyao?"

"..."

So you'd just finished competing with her and still didn't know her name?

Jiang Lu was at a loss for words, but this confirmed it beyond doubt: the rumor hadn't come from nowhere. It had really happened.

Now that he knew the truth, another concern rose in his heart.

He looked at Gu Chengming and hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Senior Brother Gu, during the competition, you didn't do anything... excessive, did you?"

Although Gu Chengming's swordsmanship had changed Jiang Lu's opinion of him long ago, and even earned his admiration, he couldn't forget that Gu Chengming had genuinely made the "heroic" move of asking that Dao Seed Junior Sister to become his Dao Companion in front of everyone. Clearly, his personality was rather "free-spirited"—perhaps even a little unusual.

Jiang Lu feared his senior brother might have gotten carried away and done something rash, like teasing her or getting handsy.

Seeing Gu Chengming look at him in confusion, Jiang Lu hurriedly explained, "You may not know this, Senior Brother, but Jingshui Pavilion is a disciplinary department under Daoning Gate. It's responsible for enforcing the sect's rules. The Female Cultivators there tend to be... rather peculiar in temperament. Our Huiyuan Gate usually isn't under their jurisdiction, but if you really offend them and they set their sights on you, you'll have endless trouble later."

Put simply, they were a bunch of powerful, strong-willed "disciplinary officers." If you couldn't afford to provoke them, couldn't you at least avoid them?

After listening, Gu Chengming gave an "Oh" and smiled. "You're worrying too much, Junior Brother Jiang. I didn't actually make her do anything excessive."

Jiang Lu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. That's good."

However, Gu Chengming continued, "I just made her apologize to the Huiyuan Sword Art."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Jiang Lu choked so badly he nearly coughed his lungs out.

"Apologize... to whom?"

"To the Huiyuan Sword Art, of course." Gu Chengming matter-of-factly pointed at the Wooden Sword in his hand. "She insulted this sword art, so I made her apologize. That's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"

Jiang Lu opened his mouth, but all that came out was a meaningless "Uh... uh..." In the end, he couldn't say a thing.

"But come to think of it," Gu Chengming said with a shake of his head, "the disciples of Jingshui Pavilion are far too thin-skinned... They start crying as soon as they lose a competition."

At that, the teacup in Jiang Lu's hand shook violently, and half the tea sloshed out.

You didn't just beat her up—you made her apologize to a Cultivation Method, too?

And then you made her cry?!

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Jiang Lu's expression, Gu Chengming asked in puzzlement.

Jiang Lu took a deep breath. It's fine. As long as Senior Brother Gu displays that astonishing swordsmanship talent in the upcoming assessment, Master and the other elders will treasure him. Even if Jingshui Pavilion wants to cause trouble, Master will find a way to protect him.

Geniuses are always a little eccentric.

He waved his hand and awkwardly changed the subject. "Um... Senior Brother, are you going to the Training Ground today? I heard a few Inner Sect senior brothers are giving lectures there."

"Not today. Maybe another time."

Gu Chengming smiled and casually took a black token from inside his robes, setting it on the stone table.

"I still have to visit the Technique Pavilion today and return this to Elder Yu."

"?"

Jiang Lu looked down instinctively, his gaze landing on the token.

It was made of black iron, with an archaic character, "Qiu," engraved on it. A faint pressure seemed to radiate from it.

Jiang Lu's pupils contracted. He immediately recognized what it was.

It was clearly Elder Yu Wenqiu's personal token.

"Th-this... Why is this in your hands, Senior Brother?" Jiang Lu's voice wavered.

Gu Chengming didn't hide anything. He briefly told Jiang Lu how he'd gone to collect his resources that day, only to find them withheld, and how Elder Yu had given him the token as compensation.

But when Jiang Lu heard that Elder Yu Wenqiu had given it to him because his resources had been withheld, his expression turned extremely strange.

Almost instinctively, he waved a hand and said with certainty, "Senior Brother, you've misunderstood."

"Misunderstood what?" Gu Chengming asked, startled.

Jiang Lu lowered his voice and explained, "That Elder Yu is famous in our sect for... ahem, not liking to cultivate or handle affairs. Though she's an elder, what she likes best is sleeping and sunbathing in her own courtyard."

He paused, as if searching for the right words, then continued, "Besides, Elder Yu comes from an Aristocratic Clan and is frighteningly wealthy. Why would she pocket your meager cultivation resources? To put it bluntly, your few pills probably wouldn't even cover the cost of the Spirit Tea she drinks every day."

"She can't even be bothered to collect her own Attendant's stipend from the sect. Why would she care about the petty gains of an Outer Sect Disciple?"

Gu Chengming was taken aback.

If Elder Yu hadn't pocketed my resources, where did they go?

As Jiang Lu spoke, he came to the same realization.

That's right! If Elder Yu hadn't taken those resources, why did she give Senior Brother this token?

Jiang Lu stopped talking and looked Gu Chengming up and down.

His expression grew strange.

Gu Chengming had no idea that Jiang Lu had already labeled him a "kept man who still got his way" in his heart.

After chatting briefly, the two parted at a fork in the road.

Jiang Lu, weighed down by his thoughts, headed for the Training Ground, while Gu Chengming tucked the heavy token away and walked toward the Sword Repository Pavilion.

However, when he got there, he found no one.

The person seated behind the counter was no longer the languid, aloof Elder Yu. Instead, it was a young Female Cultivator who looked unfamiliar.

When he asked, he learned she was only filling in temporarily.

As for Elder Yu? Apparently, she was feeling unwell and wouldn't be coming in today.

"Feeling unwell?"

Gu Chengming wondered about that.

Since she wasn't there, Gu Chengming asked where Elder Yu's residence was.

It would be more proper to return the token in person, after all—and it would also give him a chance to thank her formally.

The Female Cultivator filling in didn't think much of it. Assuming Elder Yu had some important business to pass on, she readily gave him rough directions.

Gu Chengming thanked her, then followed her directions toward a secluded bamboo grove behind the mountain.

To be honest, the place was rather hard to find.

The area was full of lush green bamboo, every stalk looking much the same. The leaves rustled in the breeze, and there wasn't a single obvious landmark.

Moreover, the woman seemed to have set up an exceptionally sophisticated Illusion Array around her residence.

Gu Chengming wandered around the bamboo grove for ages. He felt as though he was walking in circles, and he was nearly dizzy.

Just as he was about to give up, the token in his hand, which he'd been gripping the whole time, suddenly flickered. A soft light spread from it.

The mist before him parted as though an invisible hand had swept it away.

The bamboo thicket that had seemed to be a dead end suddenly parted on its own, revealing a winding, secluded path.

"So this token's a key, too."

Gu Chengming raised an eyebrow and followed the path that hadn't been there a moment ago.

At the end of the path, the surroundings opened up.

A refined little courtyard came into view.

The low courtyard walls were covered in purple wisteria, and the gate stood half open. Gu Chengming walked up and knocked.

"Knock, knock, knock."

There was no answer.

Only a few colorful spirit butterflies danced among the flowers.

He knocked a few more times. Still, no one answered.

Could she be out?

Gu Chengming hesitated, then gently pushed the courtyard gate.

It wasn't locked. It creaked open.

The entire courtyard came into view.

Beneath a huge Old Sophora Tree hung a comfortable woven hammock.

A purple-clad figure was sprawled across it.

Yu Wenqiu had shed the slightly imposing elder's robes she usually wore. Now she wore only a loose, soft, light-purple dress. Her waterfall of black hair was unbound, falling casually across her shoulders and the hammock, with a few playful strands dangling beside her face.

She wasn't asleep.

Instead, she had her two fair, gleaming feet kicked up in the air, swaying back and forth, while she held a thick book and read with rapt attention.

She seemed to have reached an exciting part of the story, because every so often she let out a stifled, silly "Heh heh," then rolled over in the hammock and stretched lazily, revealing a glimpse of her slender, snow-white waist.

There wasn't a trace of the aloof, proud bearing she usually had as an elder.

She looked exactly like an online-addicted girl who didn't want to go to work and just wanted to stay home reading novels.

She was so engrossed that she'd completely immersed herself in the world of the book, entirely unaware that Gu Chengming had entered the courtyard.

Standing by the gate, Gu Chengming cleared his throat and called out, "Ahem... Elder Yu?"

No answer.

The person in the hammock was still giggling to herself.

Gu Chengming raised his voice. "Elder Yu!"

Still no response.

Gu Chengming had no choice but to speak louder. "Elder Yu Wenqiu!"

"Ah!"

That finally worked.

The person in the hammock jolted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. The book flew from her hands, and she nearly fell out of the hammock.

Yu Wenqiu sat up in a panic, her hair a mess. She stared at Gu Chengming by the gate with a bewildered expression.

How could someone be here?!

The Illusion Array outside her residence had been set up by a formation master she'd paid a fortune. It was top-tier.

Even the other elders couldn't find the entrance without a communication talisman.

That was why she'd felt safe enough to let loose in the courtyard.

But how had this guy gotten in?!