Xiao Yan hurried along with Xiao Yi Xian.
He certainly did not want his disguise exposed in front of Yun Yun.
Never mind ruining his plans-the real problem was how mortifying it would be if his cover was blown!
Even rounding up, he was not yet seventeen this year.
But the identity he had created for Li Feiyu was twenty-seven.
A twenty-seven-year-old Li Feiyu and Yun Yun made a suitable pair.
But if seventeen-year-old Xiao Yan and Yun Yun went public, one of them would inevitably look a little deranged.
Shaking his head, Xiao Yan dared not imagine the scene if his disguise fell apart.
He quietly expanded the range of his Soul Perception, guarding against the possibility of Yun Yun following them.
A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief from the shadows of an alley.
Yun Yun really did seem to be searching for him, but because he had no scent and was deliberately avoiding her, she appeared to have gotten lost in the end.
As long as she can't find me.
Just give me a little more time, and I can switch back to Li Feiyu's identity to see you.
Don't be so impatient!
A moment later, however, Xiao Yan's expression changed.
Within the range of his Soul Perception, Yun Yun had suddenly stopped being lost and was approaching him with a clear destination in mind.
Xiao Yan hurriedly prepared to move, but it was already too late.
A slender figure quietly appeared at the mouth of the alley.
It was Yun Yun!
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted slightly.
He simply could not understand it. With the Concealment Breath Pill masking his scent, she should not have been able to track him.
Where exactly did I slip up?
But when he saw Yun Yun's gaze fall on Xiao Yi Xian first, Xiao Yan finally understood.
It was not he who had slipped up. Yun Yun had memorized Xiao Yi Xian's scent and followed it here.
Once he realized that, Xiao Yan actually calmed down.
As long as he had not been exposed, there was still room to maneuver.
Still pretending to be bewildered, Xiao Yan cupped his hands toward Yun Yun.
"Senior, you seem to be following us. Is there something you need?"
Yun Yun studied Xiao Yan intently.
She had followed them on a sudden impulse, prompted by a faint suspicion.
But the face in her memory was only a blur, so Yun Yun could not be certain of anything.
Still, now that she had followed them here, even if she thought there was a ninety percent chance she was wrong, she had to smell this boy's true scent and see whether he was Mister Li.
As soon as Xiao Yi Xian saw Yun Yun appear again, she stepped in front of Xiao Yan with practiced ease, watching her warily.
Yun Yun rather admired this girl who shielded her companion behind her.
But although she had blocked their path, she did not know how to explain why.
After hesitating for a moment, she decided to simply say nothing, force her way closer, and take a sniff.
As long as she got close enough, even if he had some means of masking his scent, she would surely discover a trace.
Without a word, Yun Yun advanced toward Xiao Yan, step by step.
By now, a light sheen of sweat had begun to form on Xiao Yan's forehead.
He could more or less guess that, although his scent had not given him away, some other flaw must have aroused Yun Yun's suspicions, causing her to follow him and confirm his identity.
As he inwardly lamented his plight, Yun Yun kept drawing closer.
Watching Yun Yun approach, Xiao Yi Xian nervously stirred her Dou Qi, preparing to strike.
Yun Yun was gentle by nature, after all. Seeing their tense, guarded expressions, she could not quite bring herself to move within a single step and smell him.
Instead, she stopped at the limit of three steps away and drew a breath from that distance.
The moment she inhaled, her expression changed!
She really had caught a trace of Mister Li's scent!
Could this boy before me really be Mister Li?
A jumble of emotions flooded Yun Yun's heart!
She had actually done such things with a boy this young!
It was simply too embarrassing!
Xiao Yan's reaction was swift as well.
The moment he saw Yun Yun sniff, he knew trouble was coming.
When he saw her expression change, he knew she must have smelled something!
As sweat broke out on his forehead, Xiao Yan's mind began racing.
What do I do? What do I do?
I absolutely cannot let my identity be exposed!
Just as Yun Yun's expression shifted, in the instant before she could question him, inspiration suddenly flashed through Xiao Yan's mind!
Putting on just the right look of wariness, he said to Yun Yun:
"Senior! My master, Li Feiyu, is a Dou Ling expert. If you mean us harm, my master will certainly avenge us!"
Those words left Yun Yun frozen on the spot!
Mister Li... is his master?
After a moment of stunned silence, understanding dawned on Yun Yun's face.
That explained why he carried a trace of Mister Li's scent!
It was perfectly natural for a disciple to carry his master's scent!
With every cloud of suspicion dispelled, Yun Yun felt a surge of delighted surprise.
Such a chance encounter truly seemed like fate!
A gentle smile appeared on her face as Yun Yun said softly, "I've been looking for your master. I never imagined you were his disciples.
"I'm sorry. Did I frighten you just now?"
Seeing that he had successfully bluffed his way through, Xiao Yan inwardly breathed a tremendous sigh of relief.
He smiled and waved a hand. "So you know my master, Senior? It seems this was a misunderstanding.
"But Senior, my master hasn't arrived in Black Rock City yet. If you wish to see him, please wait a little longer."
After speaking, Xiao Yan pointed toward the passage, asking without words whether they could leave now.
Seeing that Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian still looked solemn and tense, Yun Yun realized they clearly did not have a good impression of her.
She immediately felt a little flustered.
Have I left a bad impression on Mister Li's disciples?
What should I do? Should I make it up to them somehow?
After a little thought, she turned her hand over, and two translucent pieces of purple spirit crystal, shimmering with violet light, appeared in her palm.
As an elder, giving the younger generation a small introductory gift was a good way to bring them closer.
Without allowing any refusal, she pressed the purple spirit crystals into Xiao Yan's and Xiao Yi Xian's hands, then smiled.
"I didn't prepare anything particularly nice for our first meeting, so please accept these pieces of purple spirit crystal as greeting gifts."
Xiao Yan did not know whether to laugh or cry as he looked at the two pieces of purple spirit crystal that had left his hands, only to return to them again.
Yet he really did have to accept them politely.
Xiao Yi Xian fondly turned the purple spirit crystal over in her hands, reluctant to put it down.
Although she did not know its actual value, merely sensing the pure fire energy contained within told her it must be worth a considerable amount.
Since Yun Yun was a friend of Xiao Yan's teacher, Xiao Yi Xian had already lowered her guard and developed quite a favorable impression of her.
After accepting the purple spirit crystal, Xiao Yi Xian looked at Yun Yun curiously and asked, "Senior, what is your relationship with Young Master Xiao Yan's teacher?"
The instant she asked, Xiao Yan's and Yun Yun's expressions both changed!
Xiao Yan thought, You silly girl, can't you use your head? If she's my teacher's friend, why do you think I haven't asked her what their relationship is?
But the question had already been asked, and both courtesy and reason obliged Yun Yun to answer.
After a long hesitation, Yun Yun finally said, her face faintly flushed:
"My name is Yun Yun, and I'm your teacher's... cultivation partner. By seniority, you should address me as your mistress."
Pfft!
Xiao Yan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!
I have to address my own cultivation partner as my mistress?
What kind of nonsense is this?
If we're counting it that way, doesn't my fiancée have to call me Grandmaster?
It's a mess, a mess-everything's a complete mess!
Although he felt a mouthful of blood welling up inside, Xiao Yan had to make his face display shock, delight, and then the utmost respect.
He bowed deeply to Yun Yun.
"Your disciple Xiao Yan pays his respects, Mistress!"
Standing beside him, Xiao Yi Xian also followed along with a bewildered bow.
Hearing him call her "Mistress," Yun Yun blushed even more deeply, but alongside her embarrassment, a thread of secret delight stirred in her heart.
She quickly reached out, gesturing for Xiao Yan to rise.
"Good boy, get up. There's no need for such formalities."
Hearing her call him a good boy, Xiao Yan nearly lost his composure and spat out that mouthful of blood!
Good boy, my ass!
A good boy who still suckles, is that it?
Inside the ring, Yao Lao was practically going mad with laughter!
He too had enjoyed romantic escapades in his youth, and it was not as though he had never found himself in a battlefield of tangled love.
But a romantic battlefield with relationships this muddled and circumstances this bizarre was truly a first for him!
Today had really opened his eyes!
Before you continue