Tap, tap.
The footsteps receded, and the three figures soon disappeared from the hall.
Notably, Zhang Tao stood to Liu Yu's right, while Zhang Yi stood to his left.
Unlike before, the relationship between the three had undergone a subtle change.
Under ordinary circumstances, aside from one's own parents, a personal disciple ought to be closest to his master.
Thus, at Zhang Tao's signal, Zhang Yi fell a step behind and followed closely beside Liu Yu.
Before long, the three arrived outside the City Lord's Mansion.
Zhuo Mengzhen's gaze was unfocused, and she wound her black hair around a finger, her thoughts unknown.
Hearing their approach and seeing Liu Yu appear, she hurriedly smoothed her hair into place, then quickly went to meet him.
"Hm?"
Seeing the youth following closely behind Liu Yu, a trace of puzzlement flashed through her eyes. The two seemed rather close.
Cultivators with ordinary relationships generally maintained a distance of two to three feet from one another, rarely stepping within two feet.
If their relationship was unremarkable, rashly entering that two-foot "safe distance" could easily provoke resentment, or even turn them into enemies.
In other words, when two cultivators stayed within two feet of each other, their relationship was usually anything but ordinary.
How did this youth establish such a close relationship with Qing Yang in so little time?!
This question arose in Zhuo Mengzhen's mind.
From what she knew of Liu Yu, he was hardly an approachable cultivator. He maintained a certain wariness toward every cultivator.
Even with their "special relationship," having explored the Yin-Yang Great Dao together many times, it had taken her a full three years before she could approach within two feet of him under everyday circumstances.
"Fellow Daoist Colorful Butterfly, this is the personal disciple I have just accepted."