The "she" Master Miao Xiang spoke of naturally referred to You Rui. There was something exquisitely subtle about that tone.
Well, perhaps "subtle" was not the right word. When the smile bloomed across Master Miao Xiang's face again, even a fool could tell that something was off.
He probed, "Please enlighten me, Master."
"She said your Talisman Arts mastery runs deep, and that you are especially skilled in the ghost path."
"Nothing more than the ordinary."
"The ghost cultivator at your side had its ghost body reshaped by you in an instant."
"Uh..."
"You also possess a method of empowering others with talisman force, greatly increasing the combat strength of ordinary ghost cultivators."
Yu Ci was somewhat displeased. Was You Rui digging up all his dirty laundry? But that was not the end of it. Master Miao Xiang continued, "She also said that you are strong-willed and have a mind of your own, that you conduct yourself fairly uprightly, but enjoy meeting point for point, returning every blow in kind."
That sentence had been far too long. Master Miao Xiang had struggled with it as well; in the end, her voice cracked. She took two breaths before recovering.
After that delay, Yu Ci's mind became clearer instead. What Master Miao Xiang had said would have been fine if told to anyone else, but telling it to him was utterly baffling. This was not praise—it was tearing down his stage, was it?
Yu Ci's gaze swept over Master Miao Xiang. At this moment, the steady bearing of a monastic seemed to have faded from her, replaced by more of the smoke and fire of mortal life. Still, she did not seem like someone who gossiped behind others' backs. After considering it cautiously, Yu Ci finally said, "Does Master have some use