The Woman Who Entered His Courtyard Uninvited-and Qin Yu's Grudge?

Worship Hall, rear garden.

On his way back to his quarters, Qin Yu stroked his smooth chin, puzzled. "How strange. Who was watching me from the shadows all day?"

He had no proof, but he trusted his instincts.

Whoever it was, it definitely wasn't Golden Crocodile Douluo or Qian Daoliu.

The feeling of being watched had been completely different.

Could it have been Bibi Dong?

I only taught Hu Liena one bad thing. She can't be holding a grudge over that, can she?

If she is, that woman's far too petty.

Qin Yu grumbled to himself.

"You're Qin Yu?"

A clear, pleasant voice suddenly rang out in the courtyard. It sounded young, probably a girl.

Qin Yu stopped and narrowed his eyes at the small pavilion nearby.

In the hazy moonlight, he could make out only a blurred figure from behind.

Even so, a few details about her gave him an idea of who she was.

He walked into the pavilion and found her seated on a stone chair, deftly brewing tea.

The girl looked about fifteen or sixteen. Her long golden hair fell straight to her waist, stirring gently in the breeze.

Her brows curved delicately above snow-white skin. She had a straight nose and beautiful golden eyes that held a hint of boldness, giving her the air of someone who could hold her own against any man.

In looks, she had the exquisite face of an angel.

In bearing, she possessed a rare, sacred nobility and an unblemished purity.

Only one girl in all of Worship Hall fit that description: Qian Renxue.

She is beautiful, Qin Yu thought.

Of all the girls he had met so far, Qian Renxue was the most beautiful.

Her face, figure, and bearing were all beyond reproach.

"Staring at a girl like that isn't very polite."

After speaking, Qian Renxue slowly looked up at Qin Yu. A flash of admiration crossed her eyes before she could stop it.

He's... rather good-looking, Qian Renxue thought.

"Entering my courtyard without permission and helping yourself to my tea set seems even less polite."

Qin Yu sat down across from her. "Shouldn't you be carrying out your mission? What are you doing back here?"

"You know who I am?"

Qian Renxue paused mid-pour, surprise showing on her face.

"I've lived in Worship Hall for half a year, and I'm the Holy Son now. It's hardly strange that I know a few things."

Qin Yu picked up a cup, took a small sip, and remarked, "You've learned to make a good cup of tea."

Qian Renxue studied him for a moment before saying slowly, "Grandfather and the others wouldn't have told you the details of my mission. How did you find out?"

"I only said I knew you were on a mission. I never said I knew what it was."

Qin Yu's reply was casual.

"If you didn't know, you would have asked whether my mission was over, not what I was doing back." Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes, as though trying to see through him.

His question made it clear he knew her mission was still underway and that she had returned unexpectedly.

That meant Qin Yu knew something.

Her mission was top secret. Only a handful of people in Spirit Hall knew about it.

More importantly, before coming here, she had asked her grandfather and Grandpa Golden Crocodile about Qin Yu. Neither had told him the details of her mission.

So how on earth had Qin Yu found out?

Could someone else have told him?

That was even less likely!

Hidden nearby, Qian Daoliu glanced at Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Golden Crocodile, did you let something slip to Yu?"

"No, big brother."

Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head. "I only told Yu about Xiao Xue and that she was carrying out a mission. Nothing else."

Qian Daoliu wasn't the only one puzzled. Golden Crocodile Douluo couldn't make sense of it either.

If Qian Renxue hadn't caught the slip in Qin Yu's words, it wouldn't have occurred to him at all.

"How strange." Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes at Qin Yu below and murmured, "No one else would have told him..."

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked down at Qin Yu, both baffled and curious.

"I wouldn't have guessed you were so observant."

In the pavilion, Qin Yu looked at Qian Renxue in surprise.

He hadn't expected her to catch the flaw in something he had said offhand.

This time, he had been careless.

"So how did you know?" Qian Renxue fixed her gaze on him. "If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, you won't find it easy to leave."

"That harsh?"

Qin Yu gave a startled laugh.

"What do you think?" Qian Renxue refilled his cup and smiled. It was a beautiful smile, and a dangerous one.

"How else? I guessed."

Qin Yu calmly sipped his tea and smiled. "You hadn't shown your face in six months. It wasn't hard to guess you were on a long-term mission."

"Then why couldn't my return today mean the mission was over?" Qian Renxue asked.

"Because I didn't know, so I bluffed."

Qin Yu grinned at her. "And it worked. Now I know your mission isn't over."

"You expect me to believe that?" Qian Renxue watched him with an unreadable expression.

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do." Qin Yu shrugged, perfectly calm. "I'm not a god. How could I know everything?"

"So... you did it just to amuse yourself?" Qian Renxue asked.

"More or less."

Qin Yu nodded. "You did enter my courtyard uninvited and help yourself to my things."

"..."

Qian Renxue's mouth twitched. "No wonder Grandfather and the others said you were sly and quick to take revenge. You hold on to the smallest slight."

"Now I see they were right."

"You call this a small slight?" Qin Yu shot her a look. "We've never met. If I walked into your courtyard and started using your things, how would you react?"

"Well..."

For a moment, Qian Renxue had no answer.

When she put herself in his place, she could see his point.

If it had been her, she might have wanted to kill the intruder.

"The only reason I didn't throw you out the moment I saw you was that you're pretty," Qin Yu added.

"You really..."

Qian Renxue didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She couldn't even decide whether to be angry or pleased.

Still, she had to admire Qin Yu's arrogance.

With his current strength, he actually thought he could beat her?

Hidden nearby, Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo both grimaced. Neither had expected their first meeting to go like this.

"That brat needs a good lesson," Qian Daoliu said through gritted teeth. "It's just a tea set. Does he have to make such a fuss?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo gave him a sidelong look. "Big brother, you aren't going to hold a grudge against a child, are you?"

"..."

Qian Daoliu stiffened. "Of course not. I am Angel Douluo. I wouldn't lower myself to beating up a child."

Golden Crocodile Douluo gave an awkward smile and turned his attention back to Qin Yu and Qian Renxue.