Yun was astonished to see Su Luo and Little Yu calmly sipping herbal broth together, as if nothing unusual was happening.
"Oh dear, did I just see something I shouldn't have?" Yun exclaimed.
"Yes, perhaps you should leave with some dignity?" Su Luo casually tossed the knife he had been using to process the medicinal herbs at Yun's feet.
"Don't kill me! I understand the rules, I didn't see anything," Yun said, turning around and covering her eyes.
Su Luo sighed, "Stop pretending. You already knew what was going on when you started yelling."
Otherwise, why would she have shouted "I'm scared" instead of just summoning someone directly? This wasn't the first time Little Yu and Su Luo had met in secret either. Ever since the hostage exchange, they had managed to sneak in a meeting whenever they could.
It wasn't surprising that Yun had figured it out, especially with the intelligence network of the Seven Stars Sword Sect at her disposal.
"You can't fool the mighty Su Luo, can you? Don't worry, I don't need to know what kind of relationship you two have. I won't ask, and I definitely won't spread rumors," Yun said, sounding very resolute.
Su Luo was satisfied with this response, "That's good to know."
Yun then turned to Little Yu and said, "Hello, we've met before. My name is Yun."
"I'm Little Yu. Why do I feel like I know you?" Little Yu asked, voicing her curiosity.
She had felt the same sense of familiarity the first time they met, but if they hadn't crossed paths again, she might have forgotten about it. Now that they had met again, the feeling was even more pronounced.
"Maybe I just have a very common face. It's probably just your imagination," Nangong Xiyun said, glancing at Little Yu more closely.
Could she have figured it out? No, it shouldn't be possible. Her disguise was almost perfect.
Little Yu tried to think back, trying to recall anyone in her memory who gave her this feeling.
Before Nangong Xiyun could intervene, Su Luo spoke up, "Feeling familiar is normal. Maybe you met at some point. Don't overthink it; you might understand later."
After all, they were all from the Seven Stars Sword Sect. It wouldn't be strange to have run into each other at some point.
"Okay," Little Yu said, deciding not to dwell on it anymore, since Su Luo had spoken.
Yun then sat down casually, "Am I interrupting anything?"
"Since you've already taken a seat on your own, do you expect me to kick you out?" Su Luo replied.
"Su Luo, you're the best! Here, have some soup."
By this time, the medicinal soup was ready, and the aroma was enticing. Yun quickly poured three bowls, handing one to Su Luo first, then Little Yu, and finally herself. Her eagerness clearly showed that her main goal was the soup.
"You certainly don't hold back," Su Luo commented.
"It's delicious," Yun said, savoring the broth.
...
Meanwhile, the small Divine Tiger had just hatched.
Thank you, I'm a newborn beast, currently being chased.
A commotion had erupted in Medicine King Valley because of the small Divine Tiger. It wasn't uncommon for people to fight over it.
After being pursued for a while, the small Divine Tiger encountered Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan, focused on his own cultivation, seemed completely uninterested in the small Divine Tiger, unlike others.
After a brief interaction, the small Divine Tiger developed a strong liking for Lin Xuan. It had just been born and didn't know much, but its instincts told it that this person was good.
Moreover, the eyes of a Divine Tiger were special; they could see certain fundamental truths.
The small Divine Tiger felt that this person was shining, unlike the dark and gloomy people it had encountered before.
At that moment, Situ Ye noticed the small Divine Tiger next to Lin Xuan and immediately felt a surge of greed within him, demanding that Lin Xuan hand over the small Divine Tiger.
Naturally, Lin Xuan refused.
A fight between Lin Xuan and Situ Ye was imminent.
With Medicine King Valley already in chaos, breaking a few rules here and there didn't matter.
Situ Ye was confident that even Medicine King Valley wouldn't dare to offend everyone.
Situ Ye went all out, taking out a vial of pills in each hand and downing them.
His body turned crimson, and steam emanated from him.
Lin Xuan didn't dare to underestimate him, summoning Eight Extremes Collapse with one hand and Dire Dragon Fist with the other, carefully countering Situ Ye's moves.
Situ Ye, having recently purged his body of dan poison, was fully capable of maximizing the effects of the pills, making him extremely fierce.
For a moment, even Lin Xuan was at a disadvantage.
Seeing Lin Xuan in danger, the small Divine Tiger got anxious and tried to help, though it was barely capable of doing much.
But its intentions were good, and who said that lack of strength meant one couldn't be of help?
Situ Ye kicked the annoying small Divine Tiger away.
Lin Xuan was furious, "Don't hurt my friend, you bastard!"
Lin Xuan erupted, launching a fierce counterattack that Situ Ye couldn't withstand.
This greatly bruised Situ Ye's ego.
How could this be? As one of the Heavenly Demon Seven Elders, he had been suppressed and humiliated repeatedly. No, Situ Ye, you should be the one everyone looks up to!
Recalling recent events, being toyed with by Su Luo, being beaten up by the Seven Stars Sword Sect, and now being pushed around by Lin Xuan, who was supposedly an unknown nobody.
What kind of joke was this? You were the esteemed Situ Ye of the Heavenly Demon Seven Elders!
Anger, resentment, and frenzy melded together, and Situ Ye erupted once more, swallowing another vial of pills.
Lin Xuan struggled to hold his ground.
Facing the frenzied Situ Ye, Lin Xuan had his own reasons not to lose.
"Don't think that having power gives you the right to do whatever you want. It isn't an object, it isn't something you can just demand!"
His rigorous training allowed Lin Xuan to remain undefeated even in adverse situations, always ready to counterattack.
Situ Ye, resorting to underhanded tactics, attacked the vulnerable small Divine Tiger, and Lin Xuan was injured while trying to shield it.
"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you!"
"Protect what? You're just going to end up dead by my hands!"
"Humph, twisted methods. I've already seen through you!"
Lin Xuan erupted, enduring the pain to unleash a series of punches.
Situ Ye initially managed to fend him off, but gradually became completely overwhelmed. The slightest lapse in defense was met with relentless strikes from Lin Xuan.
Eventually, Situ Ye's defenses crumbled, leaving him at the mercy of Lin Xuan's punches.
Situ Ye was utterly defeated, but even in defeat, he had left himself an escape, using his last bit of strength to flee.
Just as Lin Xuan was about to give chase to finish the job, Yin Youming appeared.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Well done, but stop the chase now."
With Yin Youming blocking the way, there was no chance of pursuit.
Situ Ye left Medicine King Valley directly. By now, he had purged all the dan poison from his body, so leaving without issue was no problem.
...
While Medicine King Valley was in chaos, Su Luo and the others remained focused on their own affairs, savoring the medicinal soup and occasionally chatting.
At that moment, the Divine Tiger descended.
Accompanying him were three other sacred beasts and a legion of underlings.
Sacred beasts were different from ordinary yao-shou armies.
Sacred beasts were created through the cultivation of 'lingshoushou', had no grand ambitions, and usually remained in their own territories, rarely hostile towards humans unless provoked.
The Divine Tiger was about to let out a roar, demanding the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley to come out. He could sense that his son was inside.
But he also understood the etiquette and wanted to see how Medicine King Valley would respond.
Just as he was about to bellow, his attention was drawn to Su Luo and the others.
Su Luo and Little Yu had arranged to meet at the edge of Medicine King Valley, an area rarely frequented by others.
Though Su Luo and the others wouldn't normally catch the attention of the Divine Tiger, the presence of his son's aura near them was impossible to ignore.
The Divine Tiger leaped, landing before Su Luo and the others.