Although Lin Xinyi felt extremely depressed, she showed no signs of it on the surface.
With Qin Huaiyin pushing her wheelchair from behind, she slowly entered the Great Hall.
Although several gazes swept over her, they did not linger for long.
After all, in the complex Cultivation World, even a sudden death was not surprising; Lin Xinyi’s heavily injured appearance seemed quite ordinary.
“Little Xinyi — over here, over here —”
The moment Lin Xinyi was pushed into the hall, she saw Yun Yiyi waving from not far away.
Upon seeing her, Yun Yiyi’s face lit up with a bright smile, though the area around her was as empty as ever.
“Does Elder Yun not associate with the other elders in the sect?”
Qin Huaiyin asked the question lingering in her heart as she pushed Lin Xinyi forward.
After all, the other elders were chatting nearby, making for a lively atmosphere, yet Yun Yiyi sat alone.
Qin Huaiyin had even caught a flash of loneliness in the woman’s eyes when they first entered.
“Yun Yiyi is terrible at socializing. She usually keeps to herself, so I’m the only person she can really talk to…”
“In that case, you are quite warm-hearted, Master.”
Hearing Qin Huaiyin’s praise, Lin Xinyi did not feel proud.
Instead, a cold sneer played on her lips as if she had heard the world’s most ridiculous joke.
Qin Huaiyin thought she had said something wrong, but then she saw Lin Xinyi gently raise her hand toward Yun Yiyi.
Qin Huaiyin assumed Lin Xinyi was going to wave back, but her master simply hooked her finger in a beckoning motion.
Before Qin Huaiyin could understand what she was doing, Yun Yiyi came skipping over without the slightest hesitation.
“What is it, Little Xinyi? I saw you calling me just now —”
Lin Xinyi reached out and gently stroked the other woman’s cheek.
Yun Yiyi leaned into the touch with a look of pure enjoyment.
Seeing this, Qin Huaiyin felt a sense of wrongness; this was not the harmonious interaction of two close friends.
“Master, you…”
“Don’t you find her adorable? Just like a pet —”
Even though Yun Yiyi was standing right in front of her, Lin Xinyi spoke without the slightest reservation.
However, Yun Yiyi showed no negative reaction; she even nodded in agreement.
“Little Xinyi called me cute… that’s truly embarrassing —”
“Is that so? Then, Yiyi, could you please go back to your seat and wait for me?”
“No problem —”
As she watched Yun Yiyi return to her seat, Qin Huaiyin finally saw the problem.
This was not a dynamic between friends; it was entirely the relationship between a master and a pet.
“An obedient pawn. That is the extent of Elder Yun’s value to me.”
“Master, your heart truly is cold…”
“What? Do you regret letting me live now?”
Lin Xinyi tilted her head slightly, her gaze devoid of any sense that she was doing something wrong.
Her tone suggested she was merely discussing a mundane, everyday matter.
“But Elder Yun… isn’t she your friend?”
“Friend? Why would you ask such a question after being with me for so long? In this Cultivation World, the only person you can ever trust is yourself. Besides, this girl is very obedient.”
Hearing this, Qin Huaiyin was calmer than usual.
She simply sighed softly and offered a kind smile.
Seeing that smile, Lin Xinyi felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
“What… what are you smiling at all of a sudden…”
“Nothing. I just felt that I was being too overbearing before. I was wondering if I should apologize to you, Master.”
“Is that so? You have some self-awareness at least —”
“However, it seems I don’t need to anymore…”
The moment Qin Huaiyin finished her sentence, a surge of electricity instantly shot through Lin Xinyi’s body.
Fortunately, it lasted only a moment.
Lin Xinyi’s body trembled slightly before she could react.
“You! What are you doing?!”
The sudden tingling sensation caused Lin Xinyi to blush instantly and clamp her legs together.
Thankfully, the feeling stopped as quickly as it had appeared.
Knowing the person behind her was responsible, a look of indignant rage crossed Lin Xinyi’s face.
She intended to turn around and scold her, only to be met by Qin Huaiyin’s calm, steady eyes.
“Is something the matter, Master?”
“N-nothing…”
The words Lin Xinyi had prepared died in her throat.
The action just now was clearly a warning.
As the wheelchair was slowly pushed to the table, Yun Yiyi excitedly pulled up a stool and sat right beside them.
Yun Yiyi had arrived early, but when she hurried up, she had been unable to find Lin Xinyi.
She couldn’t help but ask.
“Little Xinyi, didn’t the two of you leave before me? Why did you only get here just now?”
After what had just happened, Lin Xinyi was highly irritated.
Just as she was about to speak, Qin Huaiyin stepped behind the two of them, poured two cups of clear tea, and placed them on either side of the table while offering an explanation.
“On the way here, there was a minor issue with the wheel of Master’s wheelchair. It was nothing major, so there is no need to worry, Elder Yun.”
“Oh, is that so? Little Xinyi, you shouldn’t treat me like a stranger. If you had told me, I could have just carried you up —”
Yun Yiyi looked disappointed.
After all, if she had helped during a moment of difficulty, perhaps their relationship could have progressed further.
They might have even become best friends.
Yun Yiyi’s heart was simple, and all her thoughts were written clearly on her face.
Seeing that Qin Huaiyin had fabricated an explanation for her, Lin Xinyi sighed helplessly and played along.
“Fine, fine. If anything happens next time, I’ll look for you…”
Seeing Yun Yiyi’s innocent behavior — an elder whose mind was exceptionally simple — Qin Huaiyin couldn’t help but be reminded of her former self.
Both were being used, and both endured loneliness.
She had been forced to submit due to Lin Xinyi’s overwhelming pressure, but Yun Yiyi was entirely voluntary.
She even seemed to cherish this “friendship” deeply.
“The Sect Master called me here to discuss the Sect Grand Selection, even though I don’t have any ideas myself. However, I felt much more at ease knowing I would run into you here, Little Xinyi.”
“What is there to be at ease about…”
Lin Xinyi let out a soft chuckle.
From beginning to end, she had viewed others as pawns — sources of resources to be exploited.
Although Yun Yiyi was simple-minded, she was by no means a fool.
Lin Xinyi knew that beneath that innocent expression, Yun Yiyi actually knew everything.
She was simply hiding it.
She knew Lin Xinyi had approached her for her body-tempering technique, and for the sake of their so-called friendship, she had handed it over personally.
“I just feel more relaxed when I’m around you. After all, you’re the only one in the sect willing to talk to me for this long…”
Yun Yiyi cradled her teacup and took a small sip.
A trace of loneliness flickered in her eyes.
It was obvious that as an elder of the Hidden Immortal Sect, she was not well-versed in the sect’s internal politics.
“Aren’t you afraid that I’m only approaching you because I want something from you?”
“Hmm, who cares about that? But Little Xinyi, you seem to have been avoiding me lately…”
After hesitating for a long time, Yun Yiyi finally spoke her mind.
Lin Xinyi took a casual sip of her tea before setting the cup down.
She was in no mood for tea tasting.
“Avoiding you? Don’t be ridiculous. I just felt it was a hassle…”
Lin Xinyi’s response was incredibly casual.
However, upon hearing it, Yun Yiyi clutched her dress tightly.
That answer clearly triggered a sense of crisis in her heart.
‘A hassle… I’ve become a hassle to Little Xinyi. Will she stop being my friend? What should I do…’
The more panicked Yun Yiyi became, the more unnatural her movements grew.
She sat up straight in her chair, racking her brain for a solution.
Her heart refused to allow such a thing to happen.
‘No, I absolutely cannot let Lin Xinyi leave me. I must keep this good friend…’
Spending time alone on her own mountain peak, only leaving to perform sect missions, was a form of torture.
After thinking for a long time, Yun Yiyi finally seemed to hit upon an idea.
“Little Xinyi… um…”
Yun Yiyi glanced at Lin Xinyi.
Her usually straightforward manner turned hesitant.
After a long struggle, she finally made up her mind and slowly placed a jade slip containing a cultivation technique onto the table.
“Um… Little Xinyi, how about I give you this?”
“What is this?”
Lin Xinyi’s attention was immediately drawn to the object.
She glanced at the jade slip, unsure of what the other woman was trying to do.
After stuttering for several moments, Yun Yiyi finally got the words out.
“I know Little Xinyi is only friends with me for my body-tempering technique, so I’m very happy to teach it to you.”
“Are you an idiot? If you knew that, why would you still want to be friends with me?”
Lin Xinyi’s voice carried a hint of mockery.
Knowing she was being used and yet still clinging to a ridiculous friendship — in Lin Xinyi’s eyes, the woman was nothing but a simple-minded fool.
Lin Xinyi picked up the jade slip and examined it.
She found that the information inside was incredibly vast, even detailing the specific requirements for body-tempering with precision.
“It’s okay! Take whatever you like, Little Xinyi. Just… please don’t leave me alone.”
Yun Yiyi crossed her ten fingers, clutching them tightly on her lap as her thumbs twirled nervously.
Lin Xinyi turned to look at her hesitant expression and found it somewhat of a novelty.
“This is a body-tempering technique I comprehended while exploring a set of ruins last time. You’ve been avoiding me lately, so I haven’t had the chance to give it to you.”
“Is that your request? It’s simple enough, but I don’t really need it…”
Lin Xinyi looked at the technique.
When she saw the catalog of entries, she realized it was actually an Immortal-grade body-tempering technique.
Despite recognizing its immense value, she did not accept it immediately.
Sometimes, free things were the most expensive.
It was hard to believe there weren’t special conditions attached to such a gift.
“If you have another motive, you might as well say it directly.”
“Well, after I gave you that body-tempering technique last time, you stopped visiting me frequently. So, I was thinking…”
As she spoke, Yun Yiyi took on a pleading expression, looking more and more like a small animal.
After a brief pause, she finished her sentence.
“Could this body-tempering technique count as… friendship fees for this period of time?”
“Friendship fees?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.