"Master, I was wrong..."
Before Li Siyi could finish her sentence, Nangong Xiyun interrupted her.
"Hurry up and go, or I’ll go see him myself, and I can’t guarantee what I might do."
With that, Li Siyi was thrown out of the room, with no chance to reconsider.
Li Siyi stood there, disheveled by the wind, feeling as if she had caused a major disaster.
It seemed her master didn’t have much goodwill toward Su Luo. This was bad.
She wandered off in a daze to find Su Luo.
"Ah, twice in one day? Are you that free?"
Su Luo was puzzled when he saw Li Siyi return.
"Su Luo, my master wants to see you."
"Why?"
Li Siyi explained what had happened.
"Thanks a lot," Su Luo said sarcastically.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t expect Master to agree so easily."
"Are you sure she’ll really give me something to protect my life?"
Su Luo was also puzzled. He had no connection with Nangong Xiyun, so why would she agree to give him something to protect his life?
Because of Li Siyi? But it didn’t seem so; Li Siyi clearly didn’t carry that much weight.
"From what I know of my master, she never goes back on her promises. I’m just afraid she might have some misunderstanding about you and do something unfavorable."
Su Luo thought for a moment. If Nangong Xiyun were to attack him...
Well, there was no way to resist, at least not now.
"Ugh," Su Luo sighed deeply.
Li Siyi grew even more anxious. "What should we do now? Should we run away?"
"Are you out of your mind? Can you outrun your master? What else can we do? Lead the way. Do you really want her to come looking for me?"
At this point, Su Luo had no choice but to go see Nangong Xiyun.
Along the way, Li Siyi kept giving Su Luo instructions.
"When you meet my master, make sure to be polite."
"If she shows any dissatisfaction, stay calm. Don’t show your anger, just take it out on me later."
"Try not to speak too much. Leave it to me; I’ll protect you."
Li Siyi was genuinely afraid that Su Luo might accidentally provoke her master. While her master wouldn’t kill Su Luo, beating him up was a real possibility.
She repeated the precautions over and over, even sharing Nangong Xiyun’s preferences and habits, just to make sure Su Luo didn’t step on any landmines.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance of Nangong Xiyun’s room on Cloud Peak.
Just as Li Siyi was about to lead Su Luo inside, she was stopped at the door.
Su Luo, however, was allowed to enter without issue.
Li Siyi was dumbfounded. "I’m not even allowed in?"
She frantically knocked on the door, but it was no use.
"Master! Master!"
No matter how much she called, Nangong Xiyun didn’t respond.
Try to force the door open?
No way. Li Siyi didn’t have the strength for that.
She pressed her ear against the door, but the room was protected by Nangong Xiyun’s soundproofing spell. She couldn’t hear a thing.
All she could do was wait outside, anxiously.
This series of events happened to catch Lin Xuan’s attention.
What intrigued him the most was that the master was meeting Su Luo alone.
He wondered what they could be discussing.
Logically, Su Luo and the master had no prior connection. If Li Siyi had introduced them, why was she being kept outside?
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like there was something deeper going on.
As for Su Luo, he was also puzzled. Why had Li Siyi been barred from entering?
But for now, the most important thing was facing Nangong Xiyun.
He wasn’t afraid of her.
After all, his current situation wasn’t serious enough to warrant her personal attention.
Still, he maintained a respectful demeanor.
It was a sign of respect for a powerful figure.
Not long ago, during the Heavenly Demon Sect’s attack on the Seven Stars Sword Sect, they had sent ten Void Realm experts just to stall Nangong Xiyun.
Their mission was to delay her, not kill her. That alone spoke volumes.
The Heavenly Demon Sect suffered seven deaths and three severe injuries, while Nangong Xiyun only expended some time and sustained minor injuries.
And this was when she was at the peak of the Void Realm.
Later in the novel, after she broke through to the Great Ascension Realm, she remained undefeated.
Of course, classic plot devices would often keep her occupied, or else she’d solve everything, leaving no room for the protagonist.
"Disciple Su Luo greets Peak Master Nangong."
The term "disciple" here referred to his status as a member of the Seven Stars Sword Sect, not as Nangong Xiyun’s personal disciple.
Su Luo bowed slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with Nangong Xiyun, as was customary for disciples.
Nangong Xiyun observed Su Luo’s respectful demeanor.
This was their first real meeting, after all.
She was used to seeing him composed and confident, so this slightly nervous version of him was new.
Though she couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was acting.
"No need to be nervous. Look up."
"Understood."
Su Luo complied, raising his head to meet Nangong Xiyun’s gaze.
She was beautiful, with a face he had never seen before.
But Su Luo wasn’t particularly surprised. He knew Nangong Xiyun rarely revealed her true appearance. This was just one of her many masks.
He had only read descriptions of her appearance in the novel, but since transmigrating into this world, he had never seen her true face.
He had tried and failed in various ways—emotionally, strategically, and even in terms of combat. Eventually, he had given up.
The two of them stared at each other in silence.
After a long pause, Su Luo spoke first.
"Peak Master Nangong, what is the purpose of this private meeting?"
"Li Siyi has already told you. This small sword can save your life once."
As she spoke, a small stream of spiritual energy flowed from Nangong Xiyun’s fingertip, coalescing into a bracelet around Su Luo’s wrist. The bracelet bore a tiny sword.
Su Luo was familiar with this.
It was indeed a life-saving spell. It would activate when he suffered a fatal injury.
Of course, based on his understanding of the spell, the bracelet could also be triggered without a threat, and it could even be used as an attack.
Its power was equivalent to one of Nangong Xiyun’s casual strikes—single-use only.
In other words, he had just received a free nuclear weapon.
"Thank you, Peak Master Nangong."
Nangong Xiyun didn’t respond.
Su Luo also remained silent.
They stood there, staring at each other awkwardly, neither familiar with the other.
Though Nangong Xiyun knew quite a bit about Su Luo in secret, she maintained her aloof demeanor to avoid revealing too much.
Su Luo, not wanting to offend her, kept his behavior restrained, careful not to say too much.
The silence grew increasingly awkward.
Finally, Su Luo broke it.
"If Peak Master Nangong has no further business, I’ll take my leave."
"Mm."
As Su Luo stepped outside, Li Siyi rushed over to inspect him.
She lifted his arms, patted his legs, and even felt his backside.
"Great, you’re completely unharmed."
"Hey, your master can hear you."
What did she mean by "completely unharmed"? Did she think Nangong Xiyun was some kind of wicked witch? He wasn’t in such dire straits that she’d break his limbs.
Realizing her mistake, Li Siyi quickly apologized to her master. "Master, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way."
Nangong Xiyun remained silent, maintaining her aloof demeanor.
After bidding her master farewell, Li Siyi hurriedly pulled Su Luo away.