However, what Zi Xun'er had not expected was for Qin Yu to react so fiercely. Her bright, limpid eyes looked at Qin Yu, and she revealed that flirtatious demeanor from before. "Xun'er was only curious..." Yet inwardly, she thought, It seems that idea will be difficult to carry out. She could be certain that if they truly controlled this man's family, they would get absolutely nothing. That was not what Zi Xun'er wanted.
"I hope you were only curious!" Qin Yu said coldly. Though he was merely a passerby, he would not allow anyone to set their sights on the Qin Family. He did not care about others, but as for his younger sister Qin Xue, Qin Yu would never let anything happen to her.
Zi Xun'er smiled sweetly, using that smile to wipe away her earlier threat. Picking up the paper Qin Yu had written on, she examined it for a moment before saying, "All right, I can gather all these herbs and items for you. I estimated the price at around three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones. There are still four hundred left. Does Fellow Daoist Chen want Spirit Stones, or would you like to exchange them for other herbs?"
"A Void Storage Ring. Exchange everything else for Spirit Stones—half Low-grade Spirit Stones and half Mid-grade Spirit Stones." Qin Yu had purchased many herbs. If he carried them directly back to the Qin Family, it would only draw attention.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, how may I contact you in the future?" Zi Xun'er asked, answering a question with another question.
"I'll come a few more times. All right, prepare them for me." Qin Yu rose to his feet after speaking.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, there is no rush. Though these herbs are not precious items, the quantity you require is too great. It will take half a day to gather them all. If you are interested, Xun'er can accompany you around the pill shop and see whether there is anything else that catches your eye?" Zi Xun'er slowly rose as well, looking delicate and moving. She wanted to see just how many secrets Qin Yu still carried.
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes and hesitated for a moment before nodding. He did not wish to become enemies with Zi Xun'er either. This woman was deeply calculating and mercurial. If he could befriend her, he would do so; otherwise, provoking someone like her in his current circumstances would bring no small amount of trouble.
At Qin Yu's agreement, a faint smile surfaced on Zi Xun'er's fair cheeks. That smile could topple kingdoms and cities.
"Xun'er did not mean anything else before. I was truly curious about Fellow Daoist Chen's origins. After all, the Gang Yuan Pill is recorded only in ancient texts, and few possess its pill formula." Zi Xun'er led Qin Yu out of the room as she spoke.
Qin Yu replied calmly, "With the existence behind 'Myriad Forms,' there should be a Gang Yuan Pill Formula, shouldn't there?" Qin Yu asked probingly. Ever since the Immortal Martial World had been shattered by Lin Yu and Xue'er had re-formed, many things must have been lost. Qin Yu had also vaguely guessed at the force behind the Myriad Phenomena Pill Shop.
"Oh? What does Fellow Daoist Chen think lies behind the Myriad Forms Sect?" Zi Xun'er smiled gently. She had also noticed that Qin Yu was testing her, which made her somewhat curious.
"If my guess is correct, it should be the Guiyuan Sect," Qin Yu said after pondering briefly.
Myriad Forms meant endless transformations, yet all transformations never strayed from their source; thus, endless transformations returned to their origin. Moreover, Zi Xun'er had entered the First Realm of Heavenly Tempering at such a young age. Therefore, Qin Yu concluded that the force behind the Myriad Phenomena Pill Shop should be the Guiyuan Sect.
Qin Yu had heard of the Guiyuan Sect long ago. Even now, he had seen introductions to it in the ancient records of the Qin Family's Library Pavilion, which showed just how profound its foundations were.
Zi Xun'er's heart jolted. She scrutinized Qin Yu seriously, never having expected him to truly guess the sect behind the Myriad Phenomena Pill Shop. The shop spread across the stars, and unless one belonged to a major power, few knew that the sect behind it was the Guiyuan Sect. Thus, she had not expected someone in this worldly main city to figure it out.
Could this man be from a great sect? Was he truly a pig pretending to be a tiger? Zi Xun'er was filled with suspicion.
"Alchemist Zi, a fellow Daoist surnamed Long is downstairs requesting an audience."
Just then, the old man who had received Qin Yu earlier came up to the upper floor and spoke respectfully.
"I understand." Having her thoughts interrupted displeased Zi Xun'er, and she replied indifferently. Then she turned to Qin Yu and said, "If Fellow Daoist Chen does not mind, how about accompanying Xun'er downstairs to meet some old acquaintances?"
Qin Yu did not answer, tacitly consenting.
The two walked down from the upper floor side by side. Several young men and women were conversing in the pill shop, and Qin Yu's eyes flashed with cold light when he saw among them a face more familiar than any other—the person his former self had hated and feared most in his memories. That person was the former Qin Yu's second brother, the Qin Family's second son, Qin Feng!
However, Qin Feng no longer possessed the arrogance and lofty disdain from Qin Yu's memories. A humble smile hung on his face as he stood respectfully at the back of the group.
Leading the group were two slender women of peerless beauty. One wore a light pink palace dress, while the other wore a white gauze skirt. Behind them stood a youth and several young men, each with a different expression—surprise, confusion, and even anticipation.
"Senior Sister Zi, I never expected you to truly come to Tianwu Main City." As Qin Yu and Zi Xun'er descended the stairs, the woman in the white gauze skirt's eyes brightened, and she spoke in delight.
"Ling'er, it has been a long time." Zi Xun'er moved with light, graceful steps, a faint smile on her exquisite face.
The young men following behind the two women were all stunned by Zi Xun'er's beauty. Their eyes stared straight at her, their faces filled with infatuation.
"Senior Sister Zi, you came to Tianwu Main City without even telling Ling'er, and you would not even let Ling'er fulfill the duties of a host." The woman named Ling'er stepped forward and linked arms with Zi Xun'er, speaking in a sweet voice. When her gaze swept over Qin Yu, she examined him carefully before asking in surprise, "Eh... Senior Sister Zi, who is this?"
"This is Fellow Daoist Chen. He is also from the Wu Kingdom." Zi Xun'er smiled sweetly. After speaking, she winked at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu gave Zi Xun'er a cold look and sneered inwardly. Still unwilling to give up? Still trying to test me?
"From the Wu Kingdom? Brother Chen, my name is Long Ling. I'm very happy to meet you, Brother Chen." The woman named Ling'er smiled beautifully, her voice crisp and especially pleasant.
Qin Yu nodded slightly in response. He had guessed Long Ling's identity. In the Wu Kingdom, the only people with the surname Long were the rulers of the Wu Kingdom. Added to Qin Feng's respectful demeanor, these two women should be princesses of the Wu Kingdom.
"Sister Ling'er, he is only at the Martial Realm First Layer... Why call him brother? He isn't even as strong as I am..." The youth beside Long Ling spoke unhappily. He was around twelve or thirteen years old, yet his long life of pampering had already given him a hint of authority.
"Long Fei, shut up!" Long Ling abruptly turned her head and scolded sternly.
The youth named Long Fei stuck out his tongue and lowered his head meekly, looking full of grievance.
Only then did Long Ling shift her gaze away and look at Qin Yu. "Brother Chen, my younger brother is young and ignorant. I hope Brother Chen will not take offense."
Qin Yu glanced at Long Ling and nodded slightly. He knew she was only putting on this display for Zi Xun'er to see. Yet Long Ling apologized to him rather than to Zi Xun'er, showing that she was no simple-minded woman. It was only that she had not calculated the relationship between him and Zi Xun'er.
"Brother Chen, this is my younger sister, Long Yu." Long Ling hurriedly changed the subject and introduced her to Qin Yu.
"Long Yu? The Wu Kingdom's Thirteenth Princess, Long Yu?" Qin Yu looked at Long Yu in surprise. He had not expected her to be the Thirteenth Princess his former self had yearned for day and night. Looking closely, she perfectly overlapped with the beauty in his former self's memories. However, his former self had only admired her secretly and, at most, watched her in secret. He had never met her face-to-face. Now that he saw her, Qin Yu could not help examining Long Yu.
Her features were exquisite. She wore a light pink embroidered dress, draped with a white gauze outer robe that revealed her elegant neck and clearly visible collarbones. The folds of her skirt flowed down to the ground like snow and moonlight, trailing more than three feet behind her. Her three thousand strands of dark hair were tied with a ribbon, adorned by a butterfly hairpin, while a lock fell over her chest. She wore only light makeup, yet it enhanced her beauty. The faint blush appearing and disappearing at her cheeks gave her skin the tender loveliness of flower petals. Her entire person was like a butterfly drifting on the wind, and like clear, translucent ice and snow.
It had to be said that Long Yu truly was a budding beauty. Though she could not compare to Zi Xun'er, she carried the fresh immaturity of youth, giving her a distinct charm. What surprised Qin Yu, however, was that this Thirteenth Princess was only at the Martial Realm Second Level.
"Long Yu greets Brother Chen." While Qin Yu was examining Long Yu, Long Yu was also examining Qin Yu. Yet what puzzled her was that Brother Chen's gaze seemed to be appraising her. Could he know me? Moreover, this man was only at the Martial Realm First Layer, so why did her elder sister treat him with such respect?
At this moment, the talented young men behind the two princesses clasped their fists in greeting.
"Wang Yu greets Brother Chen."
"Liu Yu greets Brother Chen."
"Qin Feng greets Brother Chen." Qin Feng, who was last, also clasped his fists and spoke respectfully.
Qin Yu glanced at Qin Feng and said calmly, "You are the Qin Family's second son, Qin Feng?"
Qin Feng's body trembled. Delight immediately bloomed across his face, and he said with flattered surprise, "That is indeed me. What virtue or ability does Qin Feng possess to make..."
"I have long heard that the Qin Family's second son was overbearing and arrogant, utterly disdainful of all. Seeing you today, the reputation does not match the reality."
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