Just as Zhou You was struggling to make sense of it, he sensed Lin Yunshao take a step forward behind him.
At first, he thought she wanted to smooth things over for him, or keep him from doing something rude.
But then...
He realized something was wrong with her footsteps.
Her foot struck the ground so hard it seemed she meant to grind her sole into the dirt. Even her breathing grew heavy—
He turned around.
All he saw was a pair of blood-red eyes.
...Lin Yunshao?
No. Shengyuan!
Zhou You frowned instantly. He had no idea what had gotten into Shengyuan, but he was already gathering his energy, ready to stop Shengyuan before Shengyuan lost control.
Yet...
For some reason, the red in those eyes rapidly faded. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yunshao's expression had returned, faintly bewildered. It had all happened in an instant, and Zhou You had blocked the view, so True Person Chang Qing noticed nothing amiss. He merely addressed Lin Yunshao with the kindly air of an elder.
"The First Snow Sword, yes? That divine invocation just now was impressive. I knew Master Chenghua was too sentimental not to leave his descendants something to fall back on... Still, using it so flawlessly—you truly are worthy of being his heir."
Lin Yunshao froze for less than a second, then quickly put on a timid look and shrank behind Zhou You.
True Person Chang Qing smiled, then turned to Zhou You.
"Heaven-Piercing Sword, I'm an old man now. My legs aren't what they used to be... If you don't mind, might I come sit for a while at the temple?"
Zhou You studied the sly old fox. True Person Chang Qing did not press him; he simply kept smiling.
...To be fair, the old man