"I can smell the scent of your lies."
Su Luo wasn't sure why Yun had suddenly become so enthusiastic, but it certainly wasn't because they hadn't seen each other in a while. They had gone some time without meeting before, and Yun hadn't changed much then.
Could it be that Yun's report to the Seven Stars Sword Sect was very satisfying? Did they reward her with many good things?
Maybe.
"Oh, stop it, I don't smell anything," Yun playfully retorted.
"Alright, enough with the cuteness, it's making me want to throw up. Lead the way, aren't we having a meal?"
"Sure thing."
Su Luo then saw a lavish table set before him... a feast of raw ingredients?
Nine Rotations Red Dragon Fruit, Sunlit Melon, Ice Soul Grass, Tian Mountain Snow Lotus...
These spiritual herbs, beneficial for cultivation, were simply placed on plates and bowls.
To put it bluntly, they were unprocessed, pure natural ingredients. The problem was...
Just because something is on a plate doesn't make it a dish, Yun, do you even get that?
Faced with Su Luo's doubtful gaze, Yun confidently replied, "I learned this from Medicine King Valley. It's totally fine."
There's not enough time for a big meal, you're asking for too much.
"Where did you get so many resources?"
"You assigned me a lot of tasks, didn't you? I got these from the tasks and bought the rest at Medicine King Valley."
As the sacred land of medicine, it's no surprise that Medicine King Valley has such precious herbs. The problem is, eating them like this is a waste. If they were refined into pills, the effects would be multiplied many times over.
That's not the key point, though. Su Luo didn't care about the waste. The key question was, how could Yun afford all this?
"That still wouldn't be enough, would it? This whole table would cost a fortune. What you earned from the tasks wouldn't cover that."
"Oh, I combined what I earned from the tasks with what your subordinates had. It was just enough."
"What do you mean, you didn't give themSpirit Stones? Instead, you took theirs?"
"Why would I give them Spirit Stones?" Yun retorted.
Su Luo took a step back, realizing the gravity of the situation.
So, you led a group of people through life-and-death missions, and they got nothing in return?
In the real world, Yun, this kind of behavior would get you hanged from a streetlamp.
Yet, somehow, you managed to take their Spirit Stones, leaving them with nothing but effort.
Case solved. The remaining subordinates must really be die-hard fans.
Su Luo was even a bit moved.
Then he thought about himself as the leader and realized he hadn't given anything to his subordinates either.
Oh, I'm the same kind of person, so it makes sense.
Forget it, let's eat. I don't even want to complain anymore.
Yun sighed in relief, considering it a close call.
Luckily, Su Luo wasn't the kind to be overly critical, or else pursuing this further would only make Su Luo more suspicious. Over time, Su Luo would inevitably catch on.
In the following days, Su Luo was quite at ease, casually staying in his room since there was no more plot involving him.
It was Situ Ye's turn to shine.
During a conversation with the Valley Master, the Valley Master was just humoring him, but even that made Situ Ye feel proud and smug.
Seeing the envious glances from the crowd only pushed Situ Ye's joy to a new level.
Until Lin Xuan arrived.
The Valley Master's greeting, "Here you are, my little bro," stunned Situ Ye. Did you just call this guy your little bro? That's generations ago.
Lin Xuan responded with a "Hey, big bro," leaving everyone else stunned as well. Most importantly, the Valley Master didn't refute it, accepting the title.
Furthermore, the Valley Master's attitude toward Lin Xuan was vastly different from his attitude toward Situ Ye, much warmer and friendlier.
Watching them chat happily, Situ Ye felt like a third wheel. He was the one who arrived first, after all.
How could he stand this? Situ Ye immediately exploded, beginning to slander Lin Xuan.
Then, the Valley Master silenced him with a single slap, taking Lin Xuan away to continue their conversation.
Who was more important became crystal clear.
In Situ Ye's heart, the first person he hated was Su Luo, but now...
Situ Ye hated Lin Xuan just as much, if not more.
He swore in his heart that he would absolutely destroy Lin Xuan.
...
"You're here."
"I'm here."
"Were you followed?"
"No."
"Good, did you bring everything?"
"Yes, and you?"
"Naturally."
A pile of spiritual herbs was poured out.
It was Su Luo and Little Yu meeting in secret. They weren't conducting any illicit transactions; they were just meeting discreetly.
Little Yu wanted to learn how to make medicinal soups, so Su Luo taught her.
For Su Luo, it was no big deal.
After a series of flawless actions, it was done.
"How about it, did you get it?"
"Su Luo really knows everything."
"It's nothing special."
Su Luo explained well, and Little Yu quickly picked it up.
At that moment, Xiao Pa just happened to pass by, playing with a round object, patting it left and right, seemingly having fun.
Seeing Su Luo, Xiao Pa bounced the object toward him, like dribbling a ball.
Su Luo noticed but felt a sense of familiarity with the object.
Turns out it was the egg of the Soul Splitting Tiger.
"Wait, what? Xiao Pa, this isn't a toy!"
Meow? Do you want to play too?
Su Luo looked at the Soul Splitting Tiger's egg, which wouldn't be that easy to break. It looked like it was about to hatch.
Su Luo had no interest in it. He didn't even want the egg given by the system, let alone this one.
"Do you want to raise a pet?" Su Luo asked Little Yu.
"No," Little Yu shook her head.
They had asked this question before.
"So you didn't make the cut. Off you go."
Su Luo gave it a swift kick, though not aimlessly; he kicked it towards its original birthplace.
Xiao Pa thought Su Luo was playing with her and eagerly tried to catch it.
Su Luo grabbed her by the nape of her neck.
"Stop playing around."
"Meow." Xiao Pa couldn't resist.
Little Yu curiously asked, "What is that?"
"A cat, called Xiao Pa," Su Luo introduced, though he wasn't sure what breed she was.
Little Yu curiously looked at Xiao Pa.
Xiao Pa, in turn, curiously looked at Little Yu. Who is this person, and why is she so close with Su Luo? This won't do. No one is as close to Su Luo as the master.
Hisssss~
"Stop being mean."
Xiao Pa reluctantly closed her mouth.
"Here, have this."
Su Luo occasionally gave Xiao Pa treats, though not every day, since she wasn't his pet.
Upon seeing the snacks, Xiao Pa perked up again, no longer the haughty little being she once was.
Little Yu hadn't seen anything so cute before, wanting to touch her but afraid Xiao Pa might react badly.
"Go ahead, it's fine," Su Luo assured her.
Pausing a bit, Little Yu cautiously touched Xiao Pa.
Thankfully, Xiao Pa didn't resist, deciding to tolerate it for the sake of the snacks.
"Xiao Pa, Xiao Pa, where are you?"
At that moment, Yun's voice rang out.
Su Luo was puzzled. Yun could summon Xiao Pa if she wanted to, so why was she looking for her?
Whatever, meeting a member of the Seven Stars Sword Sect alone should be kept as discreet as possible.
What? Should Little Yu hide? What a joke, kicking something away was already a hassle.
If it were someone else, Su Luo would just kick them away.
But since it was Yun, so be it. She's also from the Seven Stars Sword Sect, so there's nothing to worry about.