Li Li rolled its black, grape-like eyes, the creature's tail flicking against the wooden deck before it spoke up. "Zūnshàng, now that you have chased him off, will the Su family still come after you?"
Yunxi let out a short, cold laugh that didn't reach her eyes. "Since Su Miu accepted the task, he is definitely going to find a way to complete it. Now that he knows he can't forcefully take me back, he will come up with another approach. I will just wait and see."
At that very moment, the man she was talking about had found a damp, narrow mountain cave to tend to his injuries. Before this encounter, he hadn't taken her seriously at all. He had even looked down on her with visible contempt. In his eyes, she was nothing more than dead weight to be moved.
There was a reason for that resentment. His eldest brother's Dao companion position had originally belonged to Sheng Xia, and in his mind, it could only ever belong to Sheng Xia. Not long after she fell, his eldest brother, Su Jing, brought back a low-level female cultivator named Feng Jiayun. Later, because she once saved his life during a crisis, his eldest brother formed a formal Dao companion bond with her. Ten years after that, she became pregnant and gave birth to his nephew, Su Zisheng.
The "Sheng" character in the boy's name told him that his eldest brother hadn't forgotten his first love. He had only remarried for the sake of the family's future. That realization made him dislike his sister-in-law even more. Unfortunately, that woman always used avoiding suspicion as an excuse and rarely interacted with any Su family men besides his brother. He hadn't even been able to find a chance to vent his anger on her.
It wasn't until recently, when Su Jing went into seclusion to break through to the Mahayana stage, that Feng Jiayun learned the entire Weiyu realm had ascended. Only then did she seek out the Su family Ancestor and request to meet her daughter, Wei Yunxi. After learning this, he guessed she wanted to bring her biological daughter into the clan to enjoy their protection and vast resources. Naturally, he wasn't willing to let that happen.
So he casually whispered a few manipulative things into the young nephew's ear. Thankfully, Su Zisheng had a brain and understood the implication. He pretended that his attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage had failed, dragging down his mother's schedule and keeping her at the clan. That was how the uncle ended up leaving the clan grounds with the task of "bringing" her back to the family to reunite with her mother.
In truth, he had never intended to bring anyone back. He planned to deliberately provoke her daughter, then strike and seriously injure her. After that, he would tell her he had been acting on her mother's request to "take" her back, effectively sowing discord between mother and daughter for years to come.
Once he returned to the Su family, he would tell the mother that her daughter didn't want to see her at all. Unfortunately, all those carefully laid plans were completely scrapped after his attempt to intimidate the girl failed and he ended up injuring himself instead. Her strength was a variable he hadn't accounted for.
Setting aside her physical strength, just that ruthless streak alone meant that if she ever learned the full truth, she would probably turn the entire Su family upside down in her rage. After careful consideration, he decided to return to the clan and tell her mother part of the truth.
After all, it was true that she refused to go back with him, so he wouldn't technically be lying to her. After that, he would put in some extra effort on the nephew's side to completely extinguish the mother's thoughts of recognizing her daughter.
With that decided, he stabilized his internal injuries and immediately set off for the family estate. Going back while visibly injured would make his story of her "aggression" much more convincing. What he didn't know was that she had a habit of carrying recording stones with her. In the end, the stone he lifted came crashing down on his own foot.
The white jade stud in her ear was refined from a specialized recording stone. It was essentially a miniature camera, its surface polished to a high sheen. Its storage space was limited, but it could record every key moment of their interaction. On top of that, she had a whole pile of identical earrings in her space. Even if she swapped them out frequently to save data, no one would notice the change.
By now, she had arrived at the bustling gates of Songran City. She didn't know what special day it was, but there were many cultivators entering the city alongside her. All of them were moving quickly, their faces bright with faint, expectant smiles.
Holding the small creature in her arms, she paid the entrance fee and followed the crowd inside the stone walls. She went to two inns in a row and couldn't get a room despite her offers of spirit stones. In the end, she managed to book a canceled courtyard at the city's largest establishment, Immortals Like Clouds. That stroke of luck finally solved the lodging problem.
The waiter respectfully led her to the small courtyard. Even though it was called small, the area covered over two hundred square meters and had its own dedicated spirit gathering array. It was the courtyard with the densest spiritual energy in the entire wing.
She felt the spirit stones were well spent as she looked at the lush greenery within. After the waiter opened the courtyard gate and respectfully handed her the jade key, she tossed him a mid-grade spirit stone. "Běnjūn wants to ask you about a few things. Can I take up a bit of your time?"
The man was clearly experienced in dealing with high-level guests. After taking the stone with a polite bow, he replied respectfully, "Please go ahead, honored guest. As long as it's something I know, I will tell you everything."
She sat down on a flexible bamboo chair in the courtyard, absentmindedly stroking the soft fur on her pet's head as she asked, "This Lord noticed that all the cultivators coming and going today look happy. It feels like something good is happening in the city. Even the inns are mostly full. What is the reason for that?"
As soon as he heard the question, he perked up and smiled broadly. "Honored guest, Dengyun Pavilion is going to stay in Songran City for a while. That's why so many cultivators have gathered here from across the region."
"Dengyun Pavilion?" She was hearing that name for the first time.
"Yes. The cultivators from Dengyun Pavilion are all handsome men and beautiful women, and every one of them has exceptional skills. They're proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Those skills can even help cultivators break through their bottlenecks. That's why it's called Dengyun Pavilion."
"Oh? Is it really that magical?" She sounded unconvinced, her voice trailing off with a hint of skepticism.
The waiter chuckled and lowered his voice confidentially. "Of course. If a cultivator can afford the spirit stones and catches the eye of someone from the pavilion, and the other party is willing to share a night of spring breeze, then breaking through is only a matter of time."
That made everything clear to her. Dengyun Pavilion was basically following the dual cultivation sect path. They were just better at packaging their services as elegant and refined, which was why it attracted so many people and didn't face rejection from the righteous sects.
It was all consensual anyway. She couldn't accept the method personally, but she understood the appeal. Not everyone's cultivation path was smooth, and sometimes external stimulation really was necessary for progress.
Seeing that she didn't react much to the scandalous hint, he continued, "You came at the right time. Starting tomorrow, the pavilion will have performances every night at you (rooster) hour (around 5 PM – 7 PM). If you want to listen to some music, you can go check it out."
She acknowledged the information but didn't say whether she would go or not. She smoothly changed the subject. "Běnjūn just arrived in Songran City and wants to ask around about a few things. Is there a reliable information broker here?"
The waiter thought for a moment before saying, "There's a late-stage Void Refinement female cultivator named Bing Li in Songran City. Her information network is extremely sharp and reaches far. If you want to ask about something specific, you can look for her.
But she has a habit. If you want information, you either pay a mountain of spirit stones or trade a piece of news she doesn't know yet. If she is satisfied with the trade, she will tell you what you want to know, and it will be genuine information.
She has got a strange temperament, though. Not everyone who goes to her gets answers. Some cultivators even get beaten out the door by her guards. People say she does business purely based on her mood. On top of that, she is strong and has powerful backing, so no one dares provoke her. Over time, fewer people have gone to her for information."
She found that interesting and asked, "Where can I find her?"
The waiter scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. "I have heard she has been chasing after Dengyun Pavilion's Young Master Jin Xiu lately."
"What is this Young Master Jin Xiu good at?" She asked, her curiosity piqued.
The waiter laughed, the sound bright in the courtyard. "Does being handsome count?"
"It does."