Xue Chenjing sat on the edge of the bed, his nostrils filled with Yu Yi's lingering scent on the bedding.
This time, Yu Yi's departure without notice angered him even more than her previous attempts to escape from him. The fury made his head throb.
He didn't understand.
Hadn't Yu Yi already agreed to stay with him? Hadn't her favorability rating increased to twelve percent? Although that damn Xue Mingyuan deserved some credit for that. But yesterday, they had seemed to get along well.
Xue Chenjing reflected on their journey so far, trying to recall if he had done anything to upset her. In the end, he could only think of that string of candied haw fruits. But she had clearly agreed to let him throw it away.
He sat bewildered in Yu Yi's room for a while, then suddenly remembered the bird in another room. He abruptly stood up, his face dark as an approaching storm, and rushed out, kicking open Crane Senior Brother's door.
When he saw the crested crane sprawled on the bed with its wings spread, snoring with drool, the anger in his heart finally subsided. The chaotic thoughts in his mind dissipated, and he let out a huge sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, Crane Senior Brother was still here. Yu Yi hadn't run away.
Even if she wanted to abandon him, she wouldn't abandon Crane Senior Brother.
The commotion of kicking the door open brought the inn's waiter, but it still didn't wake Crane Senior Brother. Xue Chenjing calmed down and tossed two silver pieces into the waiter's palm - one to compensate for repairing the door, and one to have some food sent up.
After instructing the waiter, Xue Chenjing strode into the room, grabbed the crane's long neck and shook it. "Stupid bird, wake up. Where did your master go?"
Crane Senior Brother mumbled groggily, still cuddling its sword spirit affectionately in its sleep.
Unable to wake it, Xue Chenjing reached out to grab its chest feathers, intending to pluck them. But then he remembered how Yu Yi had specially bought so many feather care products for it yesterday. If she found out he had plucked its feathers, her favorability towards him would surely drop again.
He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge. He got up and called the waiter, then took out another silver piece and gave some instructions.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, two waiters came up, each carrying a large tray. The trays were laden with four or five plates of freshly steamed lake fish.
Xue Chenjing took his own breakfast from the other tray and told the waiters to pull the table next to the bed and arrange the steamed fish dishes on it. He fanned the aroma towards the bird on the bed.
He sat down at the table by the window, slowly spooning a bowl of white fungus and pear sweet soup.
Before he could take his second spoonful, the crested crane on the bed woke up.
Crane Senior Brother opened its eyes to see so many plates of steamed fish in front of it, thinking it was still dreaming. It groggily stretched out its neck to peck at the fish, swallowing two in quick succession before finally becoming fully awake.
Crane Senior Brother happily jumped off the bed and landed directly on the dining table.
The two waiters, having completed their task, came to ask the crane's master for a tip. Xue Chenjing generously took out some silver and instructed them: "Make another set of the desserts I ordered, pack them in a food box for me to take away."
The waiters agreed profusely. Just as they were about to leave, they were called back. Xue Chenjing put down his soup bowl with distaste. "This sweet soup is too bland. Add more honey to the new batch, a lot more. If it's not sweet enough, I'll smash your inn."
The waiter, not daring to offend such a generous customer, hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll tell the kitchen to add more honey, definitely more!"
Soon after, the waiter came back upstairs, bringing the prepared food box and an extra bowl of the newly cooked white fungus and pear sweet soup for Xue Chenjing to taste, saying they could make it again if he wasn't satisfied.
The sweet soup had been added with ample honey, the broth golden and glistening. Xue Chenjing took a sip and nodded.
The waiter finally retreated with relief.
By this time, Crane Senior Brother had finished devouring all the steamed fish on the table with full fighting spirit. It tilted its bird head, looking towards the person by the window, and called out obediently a couple of times.
Ever since Xue Chenjing had rescued it from the cultivators of Zhaohua Palace and then entered the Ghost Realm without hesitation to find Yu Yi, Crane Senior Brother had accepted this oddly appearing master-husband.
Its attitude towards Xue Chenjing had improved greatly, and it no longer secretly wanted to peck at him.
"Are you full?" Xue Chenjing put down his soup bowl and said, "Find where your master is."
Crane Senior Brother quietly sensed for a moment, the spirit beast contract mark on its slender legs glowing faintly. It let out a honk and took the lead.
Xue Chenjing picked up the prepared food box on the table and put it into his storage pouch, then followed Crane Senior Brother out the door.
Once out of the inn, the crested crane immediately spread its wings and took flight. Xue Chenjing swiftly took out his flying carpet and followed. Although Yinzhou City forbade aerial entry, low-altitude flight was allowed within the city limits.
Crane Senior Brother led him towards the very center of Yinzhou City, occasionally encountering other cultivators heading in the same direction.
That was the largest market in Yinzhou City, divided into three areas. The outermost area was the mortal commercial district, filled with shops and restaurants from all over the world. Not only did it attract mortals, but also many cultivators interested in the mortal realm.
Half a street further in was a fusion zone, where both mortal and immortal goods were sold. However, it mostly dealt in low-grade pills and magical tools that mortals could also use, albeit at exorbitant prices. This area was frequented by the rich and powerful of the mortal world.
At the very center stood a single building called the Unmasked Tower. Inside was purely for transactions between cultivators, and mortals could hardly enter.
Crane Senior Brother landed outside the Unmasked Tower. The tower was surrounded by twenty screen walls, all passages for entering and exiting the Unmasked Tower.
The screen walls were plain and unadorned, looking utterly ordinary. A lantern hung from each wall.
Xue Chenjing knew the rules of the Unmasked Tower. He jumped off his flying carpet, waved his sleeve to put away the rug, and took out two spirit stones from his bosom, placing them under the lantern. The spirit stones immediately dissolved into spiritual energy and flowed into the lantern.
A red light lit up inside the lantern. Xue Chenjing reached back to grab the crested crane as it poked its head under the lantern to look, grasping its neck and dragging it through the screen wall.
Behind the screen wall was a dim room, equipped with tools for concealing one's true appearance - masks, magical robes, or Shape-Shifting Pills. There was a wide array to choose from.
Of course, if one was confident in their abilities and not worried about being targeted, they could also boldly enter with their true appearance.
Xue Chenjing glanced at the crested crane and picked out a Shape-Shifting Pill from the many options. When Crane Senior Brother refused to eat it, honking loudly in protest, he flicked it with lightning speed. The pill flew in an arc, precisely shooting into the crane's throat.
With a poof, the human-sized crested crane shrank, falling to the ground. Now its calls were unmistakably those of a duck.
Hearing its own voice, Crane Senior Brother abruptly shut its beak. Tears welled up in its small eyes - it had become ugly and its voice unpleasant. It was no longer worthy of the noble and beautiful sword spirit, boo hoo hoo.
Xue Chenjing pulled a black robe from the rack and draped it over himself, then picked up the sulking duck and strode out the door.
The Unmasked Tower was named "Unmasked," but in reality, almost all cultivators who entered were disguised. It was called a "tower," but inside was an independent small world, with ornate buildings and flowing eaves.
All sorts of strange creatures moved about on the streets. There was even a scarecrow with candied haw skewers stuck in its body, hawking its wares along the street.
Of course, what was coated in the sugar syrup was not ordinary hawthorn, but spirit fruits.
But now when Xue Chenjing saw candied haws, his mouth still puckered. He reached out and pinched Crane Senior Brother's bottom, asking, "Where is she?"
Crane Senior Brother was too angry to respond. Xue Chenjing threatened it, "I spent quite a few spirit stones to redeem you back then. If you don't cooperate, I might as well sell you off right here."
Submitting to his tyranny, Crane Senior Brother reluctantly stretched out its ugly flat beak to point the way.
Following Crane Senior Brother's directions, Xue Chenjing weaved through the crowds and finally found Yu Yi outside a shop specializing in various magical tools. She was also in disguise, wearing a fox mask.
Now she had a pair of fluffy fox ears on her head and a large, fluffy white tail hanging behind her.
The fox mask fit softly against her face, changing her originally round eyes to narrow and upturned. The corners of her eyes were painted with golden demonic markings, and her cheeks were dotted with crimson rouge, creating an alluring appearance.
Fluffy balls of fur had even grown on her temples, making her look like a fluffy white fox spirit.
When Xue Chenjing saw her, Yu Yi was stroking her fox tail.
His gaze lingered on the fox tail for a moment, pondering. It seemed she truly loved such fluffy things - his own slippery tentacles held no appeal for her at all.
As soon as Crane Senior Brother saw her, he immediately burst out of Xue Chenjing's arms, honking all the way as he flew into her embrace, startling Yu Yi.
If she hadn't sensed the spiritual beast contract on Crane Senior Brother, Yu Yi would have mistaken him for some wild duck.
"How did you end up like this?" Yu Yi held Crane Senior Brother up, examining him from all angles and playing with his flat beak. "I guess I'll have to call you Duck Senior Brother now."
Crane Senior Brother angrily pecked her finger and stretched out his wing to accusingly point at the culprit.
Yu Yi followed the direction of his wing and finally noticed the black-robed figure. Her eyes darted about, and she refrained from using his real name here, simply asking, "Why are you here?"
Xue Chenjing sat down beside her, lifting the hood on his head to reveal a metal mask concealing his true face, with only a pair of jet-black eyes and the lower half of his face visible. He said in a muffled voice, "I thought you had abandoned me and run off again."
Yu Yi: "..." He made it sound as if she was some kind of heartbreaker.
Yu Yi knew he was deliberately acting pitiful again. Her heart remained unmoved, and she didn't respond to his words, only saying, "I came here to sell some swords."
Xue Chenjing asked, "Have you sold them all yet?"
"Not yet, I suppose." Yu Yi gestured with her chin towards the weapon shop across the way. "I'm not too clear on market prices, and it's too conspicuous for one person to sell so many high-grade spirit swords. So I've entrusted them to this shop to sell on my behalf, with an 80-20 split of the proceeds."
"Aren't you worried it might be a scam and they'll target you?" Xue Chenjing turned to scrutinize the shop, his eyes full of suspicion. He always assumed the worst of everyone except himself.
Because in this world, there were few good people, but evil ones each had their own wicked ways, far beyond what he could imagine.
"Of course I did my research," Yu Yi patted Duck Senior Brother's head. "I used several different identities to consign swords to different shops. This one specializes in weapons, so I left three swords with them."
Yu Yi had it all planned out in her mind. She had a total of nine unused spirit swords, which she had distributed among five different shops using different identities. She would collect the spirit stones when the market closed.
Then she would use the spirit stones to rent a furnace at the forging hall to reforge her Green Bamboo Sword.
Due to the recent opening of the Sword-Sealing Stone, many spirit swords had entered the market. Her swords weren't particularly eye-catching, but since they were all high-grade, Yu Yi had taken the precaution of consigning them to several shops for safety.
Although the sword market wasn't particularly good lately due to the influx of swords, Yu Yi didn't mind since these swords were all obtained for free anyway.
The spirit stones from selling these few swords would be enough for her and Crane Senior Brother to live comfortably for a while.
Although Yu Yi had come out early, she had only browsed the first floor of the Unmasked Tower. Even if she saw something she wanted to buy, she had no spirit stones on hand at the moment. Feeling frustrated at not being able to make purchases, she simply found a random place to sit and rest, waiting for the market to close so she could collect the money from selling the swords.
Many cultivators passed by on the street, each disguised in strange and bizarre ways. The sky in the Unmasked Tower was always dark, with no distinction between day and night. Countless colorful lanterns hung from tree branches and eaves, illuminating everything brightly.
Layers upon layers of magnificent pavilions rose up, appearing as if built from gold bricks and jade in the lamplight. When the colorful lights of the Unmasked Tower went out, it signaled the end of the market.
Xue Chenjing stared at the crystal lamp hanging at the entrance of the weapons shop across the street for a while, then slowly shifted his gaze to the person beside him. Since leaving the Xue family, he had rarely had such an opportunity to sit side by side with someone like this.
He was always fleeing, always on the move, always deceiving, approaching others with countless fabricated identities to achieve his goals.
From the very beginning, the people he deliberately approached only saw a false version of him, and he never truly cared for anyone. That's why he could betray them without any burden on his conscience.
But Yu Yi knew his true face, and her defenses were as thick as city walls, impenetrable, leaving him no way to manipulate her.
This was the first time they sat together so idly and peacefully.
Both lost in their own thoughts, neither spoke for a while. But perhaps because the surrounding lamplight was so dazzling and the atmosphere so enchanting, it didn't feel awkward.
As Xue Chenjing's mind began to wander, he suddenly heard a familiar nagging voice in his ear.
For him, the system was like a fussy old mother, constantly worrying. It reminded him, "Master, are you just going to sit there in such a nice atmosphere? Didn't you bring some snacks for the female lead? Take them out!"
The system's sudden outburst startled both of them. Yu Yi reacted quickly, accidentally pinching Duck Senior Brother's bottom, eliciting a dissatisfied quack from him. The two started to playfully wrestle, covering up their unnatural reactions from the sudden fright.
Xue Chenjing also looked stunned, angrily scolding the system in his mind: "Can't you be quiet? Stop startling me like that."
System: "..." Fine, no good deed goes unpunished. Even a mighty divine tool like itself had its dignity, okay?
The system fell silent, and Xue Chenjing glanced at Yu Yi, taking out a food box from his storage pouch. "You left so early, I thought you probably hadn't eaten a proper breakfast, so I brought you some food."
Yu Yi feigned surprise, her eyes darting between the food box and Xue Chenjing's half-masked face. She reached out to take the box, saying, "Thank you."
She opened the food box to find two layers. The top layer contained a bowl of snow pear and white fungus soup, while the bottom layer held three plates of pastries and snacks. When she touched the small bowl containing the white fungus soup, it was still warm.
Yu Yi had actually ordered white fungus soup and steamed buns for breakfast at the inn before leaving in the morning, but after wandering around all morning, she was indeed feeling a bit hungry now.
She shared some of the pastries with the drooling Crane Senior Brother, then picked up the white fungus soup and took a sip, squinting her eyes at the sweetness.
This bowl of white fungus soup was much sweeter than what she had eaten in the morning, with extra honey added.
The sweet taste of honey spread across her tongue. Yu Yi didn't dislike the excessive sweetness; on the contrary, she loved sweet foods. So, this soup actually suited her taste perfectly.
Those days spent in the Cloud Mountain cabin hadn't been wasted after all. Xue Chenjing had at least figured out some of her taste preferences. He had pondered long and hard last night, and unable to come up with any other ideas for the time being, he could only try to win her favor with food.
Seeing that Yu Yi seemed satisfied with the food, Xue Chenjing's lips curved slightly upward. He asked the system in his mind, "Is there any change in her favorability?"
The system remained silent.
Offering a box of ready-made food from an inn and expecting to increase favorability - what kind of pipe dream was the host having?
After asking, Xue Chenjing also realized how foolish his question was. If Yu Yi's favorability was so easy to increase, he wouldn't have been lying awake worrying about it last night.
But then he remembered how quickly her favorability towards Xue Mingyuan had increased, and the slight curve of his lips drooped back down, his mood souring once again.
His emotional fluctuations were so obvious that even with the black robe covering him, Yu Yi could sense the alternating happy and gloomy aura from the person beside her.
As she continued eating the white fungus soup, Yu Yi found herself intrigued by Xue Chenjing's changing expressions, speculating about what kind of temporary mission he was on to win her over this time, and what kind of response he was desperately trying to elicit from her.
To her surprise, even after she finished the pastries and soup, and led them around to walk off the meal, Xue Chenjing remained remarkably well-behaved without causing any trouble.
Even his system was exceptionally quiet.
When dinnertime came, Xue Chenjing invited her and Crane Senior Brother to dine at a famous restaurant in the Unmasked Tower, making Yu Yi wonder if the system's temporary mission this time was to award Xue Chenjing one point of reward for every coin he spent on her.
Just like before, when he could earn points simply by her touching him.
Xue Chenjing enthusiastically ordered dishes, and most of the food that arrived suited both her and Crane Senior Brother's tastes perfectly.
Thinking about it carefully, they had only spent a few short days together in Cloud Mountain, yet he had already figured out her tastes so precisely.
Yu Yi became inwardly vigilant, calmly reminding herself that the man before her was a fiend who could change his attitude at the drop of a hat. She needed to be on guard against his sugar-coated bullets at all times.
Xue Chenjing was completely oblivious to this, and was quite satisfied with his performance today.
As the market dispersed, Yu Yi changed her identity several times to settle accounts with spirit stones in the shops. She left the Unmasked Tower with her pockets heavy with spirit stones from selling swords, and they both removed their disguises.
Yu Yi was quite fond of the mask that could conjure fox ears and a tail, but buying such a mask specifically would cost quite a few spirit stones.
She thought about her Green Bamboo Sword that urgently needed upgrading, and resisted the urge to splurge on spirit stones.
Xue Chenjing noticed her expression and initially wanted to buy her a few masks, but suddenly seemed to think of something and retracted the step he was about to take.
The two of them, along with the crane, left the Unmasked Tower and walked through Yinzhou city as the lanterns were just being lit.
While the cultivators' market in the Unmasked Tower was closing, the night market for ordinary people outside was just opening. The streets were crowded with people, and the goods for sale were far more varied than the practical spiritual tools and objects sold in the Unmasked Tower.
Yu Yi had only glanced twice at a velvet flower hairpin on a vendor's stall when Xue Chenjing, quick as lightning, had already paid and picked up an exquisitely crafted iris velvet flower hairpin from the stall.
It was the one her gaze had lingered on the longest just now.
Xue Chenjing raised his hand and held the hairpin up to her hair, making a gesture as if to insert it. The indigo iris velvet flower accentuated her jet-black hair and snow-white skin, its vibrant color perfectly complementing her beautiful features.
Xue Chenjing sincerely praised, "It looks very beautiful."
His eyes were bright in the surrounding lamplight, and he looked down at her due to their height difference. At such close range, Yu Yi could see her own reflection in his eyes.
"It looks very beautiful," Xue Chenjing unconsciously repeated, softly saying, "Master, may I put it on for you?"
For a moment, Yu Yi was also infected by the look of amazement in his eyes and was about to nod instinctively.
Just then, a shout suddenly interjected between them. The voice was clear and pleasing, with a hint of joy: "Miss Yu Yi, is that you?"
Yu Yi turned her head towards the sound, and Crane Senior Brother also poked his head out from beside Yu Yi to look in the direction of the voice.
They saw three people parting the crowd and walking towards them.
The one in the lead wore white robes and a crown, with a dignified bearing. His features were deep and handsome in the lamplight, with a spiritual sword at his waist. Just from the aura around him, he was clearly different from the ordinary people around.
It was Pei Jingchao.
He quickly walked up to them, his affectionate eyes fixed on her face, smiling warmly as he said, "I am Pei Jingchao. I wonder if you remember, Miss, that you saved my life five years ago. After I recovered, I immediately went to that mountain cabin to find you, but you had already left."
"Since then, I've been searching everywhere for you, hoping to find an opportunity to repay you for saving my life."
The system, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly sprang to life, alarming in Xue Chenjing's mind, "Here it comes, here it comes, the original male lead has arrived with his 'life-saving debt'! Master, if you don't make an effort now, he's going to offer himself in marriage!"
Xue Chenjing's temples throbbed with pain from its noise. He lowered his eyelashes slightly, scanning Pei Jingchao up and down, not feeling that he posed much of a threat.
However, Pei Jingchao's sudden appearance still made him feel annoyed.
Without waiting for Yu Yi to speak, he raised his hand to grasp her chin, turning her face back towards himself. He leaned in closer, saying, "Master, don't listen to the stray dogs barking outside. If you keep moving around, my hairpin will end up crooked."
Yu Yi: "..." Could you sound any more gritted teeth? Xue Chenjing's tone didn't sound like he wanted to pin a flower in her hair, but rather like he wanted to stab her in the ribs.
Xue Chenjing smiled, focusing intently on her as he carefully inserted the iris velvet flower hairpin into her topknot, adjusting the flower petals and pressing down on the pearl-adorned center of the flower.
"There," Xue Chenjing said with satisfaction, picking up a small mirror from the stall to show her. "Master, I told you it looks beautiful, didn't I?"
In the mirror's reflection, Yu Yi caught a glimpse of Pei Jingchao's expression instantly turning cold, but it was only for a moment before he put on a smile again. His gaze moved from the mirror to Yu Yi as he said, "Miss Yu is naturally beautiful, with a face like flowers and the moon. She doesn't need such a gaudy hairpin to adorn her; she is already of unparalleled beauty."
Xue Chenjing turned his head to glare at him, slightly turning his wrist to shift the angle of the mirror. He snorted, "That sounds so nice, I wonder how many people you've yapped at like this before. Master, it's too noisy here, let's hurry back."
Yu Yi could no longer see Pei Jingchao in the mirror, but she could feel the surging undercurrent between them. She was caught between two male leads – one, the previous male lead who had flitted through countless romances, and the other, the current male lead who was not quite right in the head.
At this moment, she only had four words in her mind: What rotten luck.
