When They Pretended the Others Weren't There

Qin Yudie walked into What Are You Looking At Small Shop, expectant yet nervous. Xu Yan was carving a wooden puppet, and she said, "Senior Xu, today is my birthday. I was wondering if you had time to attend my birthday banquet."

As the granddaughter of the Sect Master of the Tianren Sect, her birthday banquet was naturally a lively affair, and all the young talents of the cultivation world would attend.

The banquet was originally supposed to be held on Tianren Mountain, but Qin Yudie had changed the venue at the last minute to a residence in Tianren City.

The residence belonged to the Tianren Sect, but under normal circumstances, its cultivators stayed on Tianren Mountain and never came here.

The young talents from across the cultivation world had no idea why Qin Yudie had chosen to hold her banquet in Tianren City. Only Qin Yudie knew the reason.

She wanted to invite Xu Yan, and Xu Yan was a reclusive expert who naturally wouldn't go to a sect. That was why she had changed the venue to the residence in Tianren City.

Just then, the wooden puppet in Xu Yan's hands was finished. He quickly placed it in the wooden box he had prepared beside him, then looked up at Qin Yudie with a smile. "Your birthday came around so quickly. All right, let's go."

He rather liked Qin Yudie. She was always polite to him and called him Senior Xu every time. There was no harm in attending a banquet.

"That's wonderful!"

Qin Yudie was overjoyed. Even if no one else came, it would be fine as long as she could invite Senior Xu.

Senior Xu was the most important guest at her twentieth birthday banquet.

"Little Fox, stay here and don't wander off. I'll bring you back something to eat."

Xu Yan reminded Su Jiuer, then set off with Qin Yudie. He didn't lock the shop; he merely closed the door gently.

The Tianren Sect's residence in Tianren City was right in the middle of the city and covered a vast area.

Xu Yan followed Qin Yudie to the residence's grand entrance. Looking at the splendid grounds, he said, "So this is the biggest residence in Tianren City, and it belongs to your family. Looks like your family is quite wealthy."

It could be called the most luxurious residence in Tianren City. Anyone who lived there was bound to be someone important.

"Miss, you've returned."

Two maids stood at the entrance. When they saw Qin Yudie return, they greeted her in unison.

Qin Yudie gave a slight nod and led Xu Yan straight into a courtyard deep within the residence.

Quite a few young people were gathered there. Every one of them had an exceptional bearing; the men were handsome, the women beautiful, and none looked ordinary.

"Yudie, who is this?" A dignified-looking young man noticed Xu Yan beside Qin Yudie. A trace of barely concealed hostility flickered in his eyes as he smiled and asked.

He was Judi, the grandson of the Tianren Sect's Great Elder and one of the most outstanding cultivators of the sect's younger generation.

He was not yet thirty, and his cultivation was at the mid stage of the Spiritual Roaming Realm.

"This is Senior Xu. Everyone, just enjoy yourselves. There's no need to pay too much attention to Senior Xu and me," Qin Yudie said to Judi and the other young men and women in the courtyard. She knew reclusive experts didn't like being disturbed.

Then she led Xu Yan to the seats at the very front of the courtyard, seating him in the place of honor on the left and taking the seat on the right herself, very close to him.

Judi's expression turned completely dark. At first, he had wondered why a pair of seats of honor had been arranged side by side. So they were for this man.

He strode toward Xu Yan, a fake smile on his face. "You look unfamiliar, fellow cultivator. May I ask where you're based?"

Xu Yan looked at the man, who seemed to hold a grudge against him, and felt baffled. He hadn't stolen the man's wife, so why was he acting as if they had a blood feud?

But this was Qin Yudie's birthday banquet, and Xu Yan couldn't be bothered to make an issue of it. "I'm here in Tianren City. I run a little shop where I sell knickknacks. You're welcome to stop by and buy something."

Judi frowned slightly at that. Could this man really be a mortal?

He couldn't sense the strength of Xu Yan's cultivation and had assumed Xu Yan was hiding it. But after hearing what Xu Yan said, it sounded as though he was just a mortal.

Qin Yudie wasn't stupid either. She could sense Judi's hostility toward Xu Yan, and her voice immediately turned cold. "Go see to your own business. Don't disturb Senior Xu!"

Whether or not Judi was a disciple of the Tianren Sect, she wouldn't show him any courtesy if he disrespected Senior Xu.

Senior Xu was a reclusive expert, yet easygoing and willing to offer pointers to a minor cultivator like her. His state of mind was extraordinary.

In every respect, Judi couldn't compare to him. They were worlds apart and couldn't even be mentioned in the same breath. To do so would be to flatter Judi and insult Senior Xu.

Judi clenched his fists tightly, anger rising in his heart.

No matter what, he was Qin Yudie's senior fellow disciple. And yet she had treated him like this.

But this was Qin Yudie's birthday banquet, and he didn't want to sour the mood. He walked off to join the others.

There were quite a few young talents in the courtyard. They were all prodigies from the major sects and lineages of the Southern Domain, each with their own little circles.

"Miss Qin, did I offend your friend?" Xu Yan asked.

He felt rather wronged. He hadn't done anything, yet somehow he seemed to have offended someone.

Qin Yudie smiled. "Senior Xu, don't pay them any mind. Just pretend they aren't here."

As she spoke, she peeled a piece of fruit herself and offered it to Xu Yan.

Xu Yan took the fruit and ate it. "Miss Qin, isn't this a little inappropriate? They all came to attend your birthday banquet."

He felt bad for them. They had come to attend Qin Yudie's banquet, only for Qin Yudie to tell him to pretend they weren't there.

Qin Yudie said, "It's fine. As long as Senior Xu came to my birthday banquet, that's enough."

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She picked up another piece of fruit and began peeling it.

Judi watched Qin Yudie peel fruit for Xu Yan with her own hands, and his expression grew hideous.

Everyone in the Tianren Sect knew he was pursuing Qin Yudie. Her actions were undoubtedly a slap in his face.

The other Tianren Sect disciples in the courtyard were now looking at him strangely. His dignity was being trampled underfoot.

"Sister Yudie, I'm here!"

A lively voice rang out. A young girl came bouncing into the courtyard, a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

It was Mu'er, the girl who had bought a wooden puppet from Xu Yan.

Mu'er handed the flowers to Qin Yudie. "Sister Yudie, happy birthday!"

She and Qin Yudie were very close, like a pair of sisters.

Qin Yudie took Mu'er's flowers, reached out to pat her head, and smiled. "Thank you for the flowers, my Mu'er!"

Of everyone present, only Xu Yan and Mu'er were people she liked. She couldn't even be bothered to look at the others.

Mu'er beamed with happiness. Only then did she notice Xu Yan beside her. Surprised, she said, "You're the senior from 'What Are You Looking At'!"

She didn't know Xu Yan very well, but Qin Yudie had said he was extremely powerful and was a senior, so Mu'er called him Senior too.