Inside, Yun Ranyi sat in a guest chair with a faint smile. Xiao Yuan pattered back to stand beside her.
The guest seating consisted of two chairs with a tea table between them, so Qi Yan leisurely took the lower seat beside Yun Ranyi, the small tea table separating them.
There was tea on the table. Yun Ranyi leisurely picked up the pot herself, poured Qi Yan a cup, and gestured for him to drink. "I should have treated you to tea aboard the ship, Young Master Yue. Unfortunately, the ship was rocking then... Now, let me offer the Buddha borrowed flowers and treat you to another cup."
Behind her, Xiao Yuan's mouth twitched.
Still calling him "Young Master Yue." What was she pretending for?
But Qi Yan had his own little suspicions about Yun Ranyi and had no intention of exposing himself, so he played along. "Where have you settled now, Miss Yun?"
Yun Ranyi said, "Bright Jade City to the west, three or four thousand li from here."
"That isn't too far." Qi Yan smiled. "Perhaps we can visit each other in the future."
Yun Ranyi's eyes shimmered as she chuckled. "Aren't you here to work, young master?"
Qi Yan blinked. "A job ought to be seen through from beginning to end. I'm working for the Ye Clan now, so I should finish the job before considering anything else."
"Then it's a promise," Yun Ranyi said with a smile.
Xiao Yuan really wanted to rake her claws across those two falsely smiling faces.
You've clearly hugged and held each other, getting much more intimate than ordinary people. Who exactly are you putting on this act of nothing having happened for? Me?
Qi Yan was saying, "Miss Yun, you have no cultivation, while your clan is full of talented people. Why have a frail woman travel a thousand li?"
The question was clearly a probe. Yun Ranyi's expression dimmed. "I have to shoulder some of the clan's worries too, especially when it comes to business. That is my duty... If I weren't even useful for that, perhaps they would have married me off to just anyone long ago. What family would want to support a useless person who cannot cultivate...?"
That melancholy frown was truly like a flower withering, a bright moon veiled in dust. It made one's heart instinctively clench.
Qi Yan silently reflected that beauty really was a terrifying weapon. A less self-possessed young fellow would probably be thumping his chest at that single frown, hastily promising never to let her toil alone.
Especially with their history of skin touching skin and holding each other, it was enough to take a man's life.
Fortunately, Qi Yan had decent self-control. He lowered his head to drink some tea and steady himself, then slowly asked, "Miss Yun, did you come here to buy spirit pets?"
A trace of surprise appeared in Yun Ranyi's eyes before quickly fading. She inclined herself slightly. "Our clan has only just settled down, and everything needs rebuilding. We want to buy some flower-adorned mice to help excavate spirit mines, as well as blueglow butterflies to help pollinate the medicinal fields."
"Are none sold within three or four thousand li of your Bright Jade City? You had to come all the way here?"
"The breeds differ from place to place. We aren't necessarily buying from the Ye Clan; we're just comparing several suppliers first." Yun Ranyi sighed. "From the looks of things, the Ye Clan's stock won't do. We were just preparing to try another supplier."
"Don't be hasty, Miss Yun." Qi Yan smiled. "We can try to solve the Ye Clan's problem. If you can help, not only could you get a discount on this deal, but you could establish friendly relations in the future too, right? Presumably your clan's purchase of spirit pets isn't a one-off deal. You'll need to keep breeding them."
Yun Ranyi felt a little like laughing. "You even consider the Ye Clan's long-term business prospects, Young Master Yue? You said before that you were a wanderer. What sort of wanderer does that?"
"Why don't you think I'm considering the Yun Clan's long-term prospects?"
Xiao Yuan's eyes widened. She almost wanted to say, "Meow?"
Yun Ranyi froze too. Only after a long moment did she lightly bite her lower lip. "Why must you tease me, young master?"
"But it really could achieve that result," Qi Yan said. "Before, you were only here to discuss business. You had neither an obligation to help the seller solve their problem nor a foundation of trust. But now that I'm acting as intermediary, we can certainly cooperate this once. Everyone benefits."
A hint of reproach entered Yun Ranyi's eyes. "Just because you're the intermediary, I can trust them?"
Qi Yan tilted his head without answering.
Setting aside the awkwardness between a man and a woman, those accidents between them had undoubtedly involved Qi Yan risking his life to save Yun Ranyi. In the end, he had received little in return, merely being tossed a lifeboat. If anyone had grounds for distrust, it was Qi Yan distrusting Yun Ranyi. From Yun Ranyi's side, she owed him a debt of gratitude instead.
Of course, he could not say that outright. Doing so would inevitably become demanding repayment for a kindness, and would plunge them back into the ambiguous awkwardness neither wanted to mention.
Yun Ranyi clearly understood his meaning. A faint blush rose on her face, and only after a long while did she say softly, "Since you are acting as intermediary, Young Master Yue, I'm willing to try."
Xiao Yuan finally could not hold back. "I'm the one doing the work! What do you mean, you're willing... Hiss..."
Yun Ranyi's little embroidered shoe quietly stepped onto Xiao Yuan's foot and twisted imperceptibly. Her face still wore an impeccable smile. "This may require preparations to set up a formation. Xiao Yuan and I will discuss it first. You can speak with Clan Head Ye as well, young master. Let us meet again at midnight."
Qi Yan gave the twitching-faced Xiao Yuan a sympathetic look, cupped his hands, and took his leave.
Outside the door, he immediately encountered Ye Jingshan pacing in circles. Seeing Qi Yan emerge was practically like seeing a grand benefactor. "Exalted immortal, this..."
Qi Yan patted his shoulder. "The Yun Clan's young lady has no cultivation, yet she dared travel thousands of li alone with a maid. Do you really think she has no tricks up her sleeve? Just wait. Working with them will certainly make this easier. All you need to do is offer a little trade discount afterward."
Ye Jingshan said joyfully, "How could I not know that Miss Yun must have her means? We simply weren't acquainted, so it was hard to ask. Now that you're vouching for her, exalted immortal, never mind a discount-I would be delighted even to give her this entire shipment!"
Qi Yan smiled faintly and turned. "Arrange a quiet room for me. I need to make some preparations... We'll act together at midnight."
Inside, Xiao Yuan had turned into a round tabby cat and was rolling on the floor. "Waaah! You're just bewitched by male beauty and bullying a cat!"
"Shh!" Yun Ranyi scooped Xiao Yuan into her arms and rubbed her. "Do you think Qi Yan is simply asking us for help?"
Xiao Yuan wriggled. "Of course not. He doesn't just want to use you for work; he wants to do naughty things with you too!"
Yun Ranyi grew a little distracted, forgetting to let go of the cat's face she was pinching.
Xiao Yuan said, "...Even that remark can send you into a daze?"
Yun Ranyi shook her head and said softly, "Not only is he not thinking about naughty things, he's actually guarding against me."
Xiao Yuan said, "Huh?"
"After all, our arrival was too well-timed. How could he not want to see what we intend to do?" Yun Ranyi let out a soft laugh. "But this time, we really do have no ill intentions. What we want actually aligns perfectly with what he wants to do... Tell me, after this, will he completely drop that little bit of wariness?"
Xiao Yuan was speechless. "What difference does it make whether he's wary or not? What exactly are you looking forward to?"
"First, we relocated so abruptly that even though we chose a place with few resources, we were bound to provoke vigilance and scrutiny from the neighboring powers. Take Mu Xunzhen, for example. After witnessing ten thousand years of storms and upheavals, could she possibly not investigate us? She might even suspect our true identities... But if Qi Yan believes us, there will be plenty of room for misdirection or maneuvering."
Xiao Yuan looked up, her feline eyes regarding her mistress doubtfully.
Could Qi Yan really be that useful...?
"Second..." Yun Ranyi said leisurely, "don't you think that, when the people around you either revere and worship you, or outsiders think you're weak and covet your beauty... finally having someone who only thinks you're frail and need protection is a very rare experience?"
Xiao Yuan thought for a while, then said with great certainty, "Isn't the person you're looking for me?"
"...I need to remind you once again that you're a cat." Yun Ranyi seized Xiao Yuan's face.
"Meow!" Xiao Yuan struggled. "But sooner or later, we'll clash with them. How long can you keep deceiving him?"
"Clash?" Yun Ranyi's smile held a hint of mockery. "Leaving aside whether his foundation in Witchcraft means he will necessarily stand with those people, just consider Mu Xunzhen. Although she is at odds with us too, does that mean she is necessarily on their side?"
Xiao Yuan froze for a moment, then heard Yun Ranyi say, "Do you think the cultivators of Heavenly Prefecture Continent truly care about the Extreme Dao Sect, which is nowhere to be seen? The thorn in their eyes and flesh might actually be the Heavenly Evolution Sect."
Xiao Yuan said, "...You humans really are the complicated ones."
"If I'm not mistaken, Mu Xunzhen is secretly pursuing attainment on the path of the Arbiter of Fate. That is taboo to quite a few people."
Xiao Yuan's eyes widened into circles in surprise.
Yun Ranyi smiled leisurely. "Mu Xunzhen's mind is on finding someone, and she really does not want to see us rise either. Thus, she does not want to get entangled with them and is trying to seek common ground while setting differences aside. But if those people go further and further and interfere with her search... when Heavenly Prefecture runs red with blood, it may not be by my hand."
Xiao Yuan was dumbfounded. "Why does it sound like Mu Xunzhen is more of a demon than we are?"
"That year... her cultivation was far below what it is now. Do you know how many people died beneath that Azure Nether Sword? People today have enjoyed peace for too long. I'm afraid they have long since forgotten."
"I get it, you're very old too."
Whoosh! A cat was thrown out the window.
Meanwhile, Qi Yan had entered the quiet room to "make preparations." Naturally, he was not performing any lofty calculations.
He was going to use a cheat.
Compared with Crybaby, Doubao was not worth mentioning.
"Little Crybaby, are you free?"
"Brother A-Yan~" A cheerful voice soon came from the other side. "I'm cultivating. Brother A-Yan, let me tell you, this ten-thousand-year frost jade is so useful!"
"Of course." Qi Yan smiled. "Don't tell me you've broken through in just these few days?"
"Yes! I've reached the Golden Core Second Layer."
Qi Yan's smile froze on his face. He was stunned.
"Did you need something, Brother A-Yan?"
"Oh, ahem." Qi Yan came back to his senses. "Do you know much about spirit pets?"
"Not very much. What problem have you run into, Brother? We can discuss it together."
"It's like this... If no intrusion can be detected, do you know what other methods could silently plunder the energy inside spirit pet eggs?"
Little Crybaby scratched her head on the other end.
This question really was beyond her syllabus... No one was all-capable. At her young age, cultivating both Witchcraft and the Dao already filled her schedule, and before this, she had spent large amounts of time being ordered around doing chores. What would she know about spirit pets? At most, she knew a little basic information.
As expected of Brother A-Yan-even the problems he encountered were high-level.
But that could not stump the clever Little Crybaby. She was in her sect, after all. If she did not know, couldn't she go out and ask? Grandpa Wu specialized in this!