Wu Yan tied the two of them up and sealed their spiritual power.
“They really are two weak bugs. To think they’d try to rob someone with such pathetic strength.”
Wu Yan (Inner) looked down at the two fallen Demonic Cultivators with disdain, her tone full of disappointment. “Back in my day, I’d just walk right up to their front door and rob them. Whoever didn’t like it, I killed!”
Noticing the wary looks from the surrounding crowd, Wu Yan (Inner) suddenly had an idea. She floated over to Tao’er, who was huddled in the corner and trembling.
‘Blockhead, quickly! While no one is looking, snatch that Storage Bag! It contains the things you want.’
Wu Yan naturally ignored her coaxing and stepped quickly toward Tao’er, pulling her up from the ground.
“Miss Tao’er, are you alright?”
Tao’er tucked the Storage Bag into her belt and looked up at Wu Yan.
‘At a time like this, she’s not thinking of killing me for my goods?’
Her previous assessment of her had been correct. She was a goody-two-shoes with a rigid mind. It was practically a miracle that someone like this could survive until now.
Although she had many thoughts, Tao’er maintained an expression of lingering fear on her face. She suddenly lunged toward Wu Yan’s embrace, but Wu Yan stepped aside, and she caught nothing but air.
“Waaah, thank you so much, Fairy. I thought I would never see the sun again! Sob, sob…”
Wu Yan was not the type to be good at comforting people, so she could only say things like “the villains have been dealt with.”
The moment she heard Wu Yan speak, Tao’er looked up, a look of pleasant surprise on her face. “This voice… are you the big sister who bought the Gengjin metal Powder before?”
“I am.”
“That’s wonderful! To think it was you who saved me. We truly are destined!”
Tao’er patted the dust off her clothes and took Wu Yan’s hand, trying to lead her away. “Since we share such fate, why don’t you come with me to Tianbao Pavilion for a cup of tea? I’ll treat you to the best Spiritual Tea!”
“Repayment is unnecessary.” Wu Yan withdrew her hand from Tao’er’s grasp, her gaze falling on the Storage Bag at the girl’s waist. “I came to Qingshan City this time specifically for the treasure inside your Storage Bag.”
“I wish to purchase it. You may name your price.”
Tao’er was stunned for a moment and blinked. Then, she generously unclipped the Storage Bag and held it out to Wu Yan. “Fairy wants this? This is a treasure our Tianbao Pavilion just acquired! If you really need it, please come back to the pavilion with me to discuss it further.”
“Since you saved my life, I can decide to sell you the treasure inside at a low price, or even give it to you for free!”
“Oho, this little fox.” After noticing the scrutinizing gazes from the surroundings had disappeared, Wu Yan (Inner) clicked her tongue and began to pick at Tao’er’s flaws. ‘This little fox is deliberately inviting you to Tianbao Pavilion. She clearly has bad intentions. If you really go, I’m going to have to doubt your —’
Wu Yan directly interrupted the noisy complaining and nodded to Tao’er. “Then I shall trouble you, Miss Tao’er.”
Wu Yan (Inner) gnashed her teeth in anger, glaring at Wu Yan. “Big idiot! You’re a total idiot! Don’t you dare mention my name when you get scammed later! I won’t have you ruining my reputation!”
***
A short while later, in a VIP room on the third floor of Tianbao Pavilion.
“Fairy, come and taste this Spiritual Tea! I specially applied for the top-tier reception room and treatment!”
Tao’er diligently brewed a cup of tea for Wu Yan and placed it on the table in front of her.
A rich tea fragrance wafted from the cup. With just a single breath, Wu Yan felt a wave of mental clarity.
“This tea is brewed from freshly picked Mind-Clearing Leaves. They are very difficult to find on the market!”
The quality of the tea was indeed excellent. Even Wu Yan (Inner) couldn’t find any fault with it. ‘Not bad. Although this little fox isn’t much of a person, she’s quite good at what she does. She even knows to use this kind of high-quality tea to entertain me.’
Tao’er set the tray on the table and rested her chin in her hands, her two watery eyes blinking at Wu Yan. “I was in such a hurry last time that I didn’t get to ask what your name is.”
In fact, Tao’er had tried to look into her after their last meeting. It was her first time meeting such an interesting person, after all. However, because Wu Yan had disguised herself so thoroughly, she hadn’t obtained any useful information, and the matter had eventually been dropped.
Now that they had met again by chance, she was determined to find out her name.
Wu Yan picked up the teacup and took a light sip. This time, she didn’t hide anything. “Piaomiao Sect, Wu Yan.”
“Huh — ?”
The blinking of Tao’er’s eyes stopped instantly the moment she heard the name, and her mouth fell open.
Her eyes widened, and she even forgot to act cute. Her voice rose several notes in pitch. “Who? Wu Yan? That… that legendary bully, hot-tempered, jealous, and good-for-nothing Eldest Senior Sister of the Piaomiao Sect??”
The air suddenly went still.
Wu Yan (Inner), who had been quiet for a moment because of the tea, exploded the second she heard those words.
She lunged in front of Tao’er, her pale pink hair fluttering without any wind. She reached out to grab Tao’er’s slightly chubby cheeks with claw-like hands, but as expected, she passed right through her.
Fire burned in her red eyes. ‘Damn it, damn it, damn it! Which lowlife is spreading these rumors?’
‘What do they mean “bully, hot-tempered, and jealous”? I’m just being overbearing! That is my Demonic Path, the path of absolute supremacy!’
Wu Yan (Inner) grew angrier as she spoke, even turning to look at Wu Yan. ‘Little Wu Yan, do you hear that? This is your reputation outside! Catch the person who started this rumor right now! I want to skin him and pull out his tendons!’
Faced with Tao’er’s shock and Wu Yan (Inner)’s fury, Wu Yan remained as calm as still water.
She set down her teacup and gave a necessary explanation in a flat tone. “The rumors of the past might not be false.”
Tao’er hadn’t expected Wu Yan to admit it so cleanly.
“But people change.”
Wu Yan’s gaze drifted past Tao’er, watching the clouds roll by outside the window. “After experiencing certain things, one understands what should be done and what shouldn’t.”
Tao’er had read countless people. It was for this very reason that she hadn’t associated Wu Yan with the infamous Eldest Senior Sister of the Piaomiao Sect.
It was also why, at this moment, she could see that there wasn’t a hint of hypocrisy or concealment in Wu Yan’s eyes.
‘How interesting.’
A faint smile touched the corners of Tao’er’s lips.
Who would have thought the Eldest Senior Sister of the Piaomiao Sect was such a pure person in private?
“My apologies, Sister Wu Yan. I was being narrow-minded.”
Tao’er put on a smile again and bowed to apologize to Wu Yan.
“As compensation,” she said, taking a black wooden box out of her Storage Bag and placing it on the table, “I can give you an extra discount on this Meteor Wind Iron.”
Tao’er pushed the wooden box toward Wu Yan, her tone turning low.
“However, this stone is a bit strange. It has a bit of a temperament, so you might need to pass a small test.”