Autumn Whispers, Hidden Threads Extend

Days slipped by like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, nearly a month had passed since that exhibition match.

During this month, the popularity of the Golden Spatula not only failed to wane but swept across the entire continent with even greater ferocity.

The main hall in Spirit City saw an average daily footfall exceeding thirty thousand, the queues at the Heaven Dou City branch stretched from dawn until afternoon, all five branches within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's territory operated at full capacity, and the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire opened four new locations in just one month, yet they remained packed every single day.

The total number of registered players had surpassed five million, and the growth rate was only accelerating.

The name of the Golden Spatula Association had gradually evolved from a fledgling organization into a force on the continent that could no longer be ignored.

Every day, letters and visitors from all over poured into the Association building; some applied to open new branches, some consulted on season rules, and others hoped to establish cooperative relationships with the Association.

Yi Chen had to pull a group of personnel from Shrek Academy to assist with daily affairs, including Flender and Zhao Wuji. After experiencing the Golden Spatula themselves, these two had quickly transformed from bystanders into loyal fans, volunteering to help out.

But no matter how busy he was, Yi Chen would set aside time every day to go to the back mountain to guide the training of Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.

That afternoon, after training concluded, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong sat side by side on a stone bench beneath an ancient tree, each holding a cup of hot tea.

Autumn had deepened, and the leaves on the back mountain were stained with vast swathes of gold and deep crimson. As the wind blew, fallen leaves rustled down, swirling in the air.

Xiao Wu cradled her teacup, watching the layers of red leaves on the distant mountains, and suddenly spoke up: "Master, tell me... wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just go on like this forever?"

Yi Chen sat on a rattan chair opposite them, and upon hearing this, he raised his eyes to look at her: "Go on like what?"

"Just like this." Xiao Wu gestured with her chin at their surroundings. "Autumn, the back mountain, sitting together drinking tea after training, watching the leaves fall. Without having to think about all those messy, complicated things."

Yi Chen did not answer immediately. He picked up his own teacup, took a sip, then set it down. His gaze rested on the mountains in the distance, dyed by the colors of autumn, and he remained silent for a moment before speaking: "I would like that too. But some things, they don't just cease to happen simply because we choose not to think about them."

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong looked at him simultaneously.

Yi Chen did not avoid their gaze, his tone calm as he continued: "With the Golden Spatula having developed to this scale, it is no longer possible for it to exist quietly. Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Star Luo Imperial Family—these powers are willing to cooperate with us because the Golden Spatula brings them benefits. But if one day they feel the benefits are insufficient, or that the threat outweighs the gains, cooperation could turn into confrontation at any moment."

He paused, then added: "Besides, there are some people who never wanted the Golden Spatula to exist in the first place."

Xiao Wu's brows furrowed: "You mean... Tang San?"

Yi Chen neither denied nor confirmed it; he simply picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Ning Rongrong set her cup down, her voice more serious than usual: "Master, if there really comes a day when someone wants to act against the Golden Spatula, we will stand with you."

Xiao Wu nodded as well, her gaze firm: "That's right. No matter who it is, if they want to touch you, they'll have to get past us first."

Yi Chen looked at the earnest expressions on the two girls' faces, his lips twitching slightly. He set his cup down, stood up, and reached out to pat each of them on the head: "Alright, don't get so tense. Even if the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. Your task now is to train well and climb the ranks. Leave the rest to me."

He withdrew his hand, turned to look toward the foot of the mountain, his gaze carrying a trace of depth: "Besides, it's not as if I haven't made any preparations at all."

Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City, at the Crown Prince's Mansion.

Qian Renxue sat behind her desk, a secret report just delivered from Spirit City spread out before her.

The content of the report was brief, but the information density was high: the total number of registered players for the Golden Spatula Association had exceeded five million, and it was expected to surpass ten million by the end of the year.

Spirit Hall had officially submitted a second batch of cooperative expansion proposals to the Association, planning to cover all major cities under Spirit Hall's jurisdiction with Golden Spatula branches by the beginning of next year.

She set the report down, tapped her fingertips against the desk twice, and picked up another file. This file was a summary of intelligence from within the Heaven Dou Empire over the past few weeks. One item caught her attention: someone was secretly collecting information on the operating principles and underlying architecture of the Golden Spatula system, and their methods were quite professional—it did not look like the curiosity of an ordinary player.

Qian Renxue's gaze lingered on that piece of intelligence for a moment, then she used her pen to draw a circle around the edge and scribbled a small note: "Find the source, and do not alert the enemy."

She put down her pen, leaned back in her chair, and looked out at the night sky through the window. The moonlight was cold, and the starlight was sparse. She remained silent for a moment, then whispered to herself: "It seems I am not the only one who cannot sit still."

She withdrew her gaze, picked up the report on the Golden Spatula Association again, and rubbed her fingertips gently along the edge of the paper.

She recalled that night a few days ago, the look in Yi Chen's eyes when he saw through her disguise in the back garden of the Crown Prince's Mansion. There was no shock in those eyes, no wariness, only a calm understanding, as if he had known everything all along and was merely waiting for her to reveal it herself.

She had thought this man was interesting at the time. Now, she felt he was not only interesting but unfathomable.

She closed the file, stood up, walked to the window, and watched the cold moon in the night sky, remaining silent for a long time.

Then she turned, walked back to the desk, picked up her pen, and wrote a line on a blank sheet of stationery:

"To Elder Yi Chen: Having recently learned of your Association's expansion plans within Heaven Dou, I have some supplementary suggestions. I wonder when you might have the time to visit the Crown Prince's Mansion for a chat. -- Xue Qinghe."

After writing, she folded the stationery, sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to the attendant outside the door: "Deliver this to the back mountain of Shrek Academy overnight, and hand it to Elder Yi Chen personally."

The attendant bowed in acknowledgment and hurried away.

Qian Renxue stood by the study window, watching the attendant's figure disappear into the night, her fingertips tapping the window frame twice, her gaze deep and inscrutable.

She had a premonition that the days to come would not be very peaceful.