Chen Ruyi's Late-Night Visit, Morning Market Blues

knock! KNOCK!!

While Liu Ming and Yu Lan were wrapped in blankets, sharing a bed and chatting, a knock sounded from outside.

It startled Yu Lan, but Liu Ming had sensed the person at the door a minute before they actually knocked.

"Hm?"

He was surprised by who was knocking.

By comparison, Yu Lan was unhappy about the interruption.

With a heavy frown, she told Liu Ming, "Don't worry, I'll get the door, Young Master. Hopefully, it's just the servants."

She rose from the bed and walked elegantly to the door.

Outside was Chen Ruyi, dressed in a white, almost transparent nightgown that clung to her beautiful curves.

'I can't tell if he's awake or even inside. His cultivation base is so high that he can hide his presence even from someone like me, a Refine Spirit cultivator.'

Despite the late hour, she wore some makeup and had her luscious brown hair in a messy bun that gave her an oddly attractive look──it wasn't graceful, but it was extremely charming nonetheless.

While she patiently waited for a response, she stood there tracing the polished floor with her toe, all while wearing a bored expression.

────CREEEEAAK!

When the door finally opened, an excited smile appeared on Chen Ruyi's face, but it quickly faded when she saw Yu Lan.

Noticing this, Yu Lan became irritated. With an unwelcoming tone, she greeted, "Urm, Young Miss Ruyi, how can I help you at such a late hour?" Her head tilted slightly with each word.

"I, uh… was wondering if Brother Ming is around. I can't seem to sleep, and I was hoping I could borrow him for a bit to keep me company. I mean, since we're technically siblings, it wouldn't be the worst thing if we spent some time catching up… right?"

Chen Ruyi spoke with a flushed face, nervously fiddling with her hair and glancing to the side to avoid Yu Lan's suspicious stare.

Coming to talk to the young lord in the dead of night? It was starting to sound really stupid.

Chen Ruyi immediately regretted coming here.

Maybe if she had come with Chen Fan, her visit wouldn't seem so suspicious, but now it was clear that Yu Lan knew she hadn't just come to "catch up".

It was literally written on her face.

The makeup she wore and her attire made it obvious.

A transparent nightgown that not only revealed teasing glimpses of her scorchingly sexy figure, but also showed off more cleavage than usual.

The signs were all there.

"I appreciate that you're trying to make Brother Ming feel at home and build on your 'sibling' relationship, but disturbing him at this hour isn't advisable, Young Miss. You, of all people, should know proper etiquette. I'm sure this can wait until tomorrow."

Yu Lan tried to be as polite as possible, but it was hard to hide the coldness in her tone. From her stern eye contact to the tightness in her voice, it was clear she didn't want to see Chen Ruyi here.

To make her point even clearer, Yu Lan even stressed the word "sibling" when she spoke, trying to show Chen Ruyi how pointless her advances were.

The message was received loud and clear.

The excitement and anticipation the green-eyed beauty had were completely gone, replaced by a disappointment that seemed almost heartbreaking.

"O-, okay then..."

Chen Ruyi responded while tightly gripping the sides of her nightgown. She quietly walked away from the door and down the decorative hallway.

The way she moved and kept her head low made Yu Lan realize she might have gone too far.

Unlike Yu Lan and her junior sister Meixiang, Chen Ruyi didn't have a tough skin. This was to be expected from daughters of noble families who were often pampered and given everything they wanted.

'Sigh~ maybe I was a bit too hard on her. I tend to forget that these wealthy city girls can be like this sometimes; they're not as strong-headed as Meixiang. Still, this should teach her that being a noble doesn't mean she gets everything she wants. After all, I didn't get everything I wanted as a child… she should at least be happy she has food and a roof over her head.'

Yu Lan's face grew a bit serious, but that was all.

She forced a smile, shut the door, and returned to bed with Liu Ming.

"So, what was it?"

Liu Ming asked casually while lying in bed. He had a smirk on his face and his eyes were squinted smugly as he waited for Yu Lan's answer.

The blonde-haired beauty's eyes darted around, trying to think of a good answer. Not wanting to take too long and sound suspicious, she quickly said, "It's, uh… it was a maid, yes."

There was a noticeable urgency in her voice──if Liu Ming hadn't already known she was lying, he would have used this to see through her poor attempt at deceit.

"Oh? A maid…" Liu Ming replied, settling more comfortably into the bed. "Wow, she had quite a refreshing fragrance for just a maid."

Yu Lan folded her arms and scowled, "So, what's that supposed to mean? Surely, my Young Master doesn't believe a maid would have a better scent than I do."

She would have ignored such a trivial topic if it was just about her against a lowly maid, but hearing the young lord indirectly praise Chen Ruyi made her feel competitive.

Not wanting to drag the conversation out and risk more trouble, Liu Ming patted the space beside him and smiled softly, "Join me already. Come finish the story you were telling me."

"Hrmm... fine."

Yu Lan's frown immediately disappeared, and all thoughts of competition were forgotten. She climbed into bed next to Liu Ming, sharing the blanket with him.

They lay facing each other, gazing into each other's eyes and whispering gently in the peaceful, breezy night.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

The next morning…

[Immortal Cloud City, Commercial District]

Chen Ruyi and Xiu Meixiang were out in Immortal Cloud City with guards carrying baskets behind them.

From the contents of these baskets and their current location in a bustling trade area, it was obvious they had come to buy some cultivation resources. The exhausted look on Xiu Meixiang's normally cute face showed she didn't know how nobles defined "a few resources".

They had been in the market for almost five hours, buying countless spirit medicines, ancient books on offensive and defensive formations, and various sizes of cauldrons and storage pouches.

The more they bought, the more time Xiu Meixiang spent observing Chen Ruyi, realizing something was wrong.

There were moments when Chen Ruyi looked extremely sad, but if she noticed the guards or Xiu Meixiang looking at her, she would force a bright smile that barely hid the pain on her face.

"Um, Young Miss Ruyi, is everything fine?" Xiu Meixiang asked with concern. The young miss was quite a bit taller than her, so she had to look up to ask her question.

They were at a market stall, selecting some good yellow papers used to inscribe special symbols, characters, or incantations to create talismans for protection, luck, or other purposes.

"Hmm, these ones look a tad faint..."

Since Chen Ruyi usually bought these in large quantities, she made sure to select the best quality.

"Hm? I'm sorry, did you say something, Meixiang?"

Chen Ruyi pretended not to hear Xiu Meixiang's question and continued sorting through the yellow papers.

This made Xiu Meixiang frown, but she understood the young miss didn't want to talk about it, so she decided to respect her privacy and focus on sorting the papers as well.

'I understand the young miss wouldn't want to talk with me. I'm more of an assistant than a friend to her. I only joined because Brother Ming is cultivating a new technique and asked not to be disturbed. I also thought I could bond with her while learning more about the city. I don't even understand why she's so down; she was cheerful yesterday.'

A heavy sigh escaped her soft lips.

"Move, little girl!"

Suddenly, a burly man dressed in blue and white robes appeared out of nowhere and shoved Xiu Meixiang aside, causing her to almost fall.

"YAAAAAAA!"

Fortunately, she was caught by the guards.

Chen Ruyi stayed calm and gave the man a threatening sidelong glance. "Aren't you going to apologize?" she asked coldly, making it clear she wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Xiu Meixiang, now angry, stood on her own and shouted while angrily waving her small fist back and forth, "Don't you have any manners, Sir?! Why would you push a lady like that?!"

The heavily built man glared at her.

"Shut your mouth, you pink-haired brat!"

He was about to slap her with his huge hand, but just as Xiu Meixiang recoiled in fear, a guard pointed their sword at the man's neck, forcing him to stop.

"Now... answer me. Who are you?"

Chen Ruyi asked very calmly. Instead of stressing about the situation, she continued to select the best quality yellow papers.

Meanwhile, the trader who owned the stall was terrified and wanted to pack up and leave. It was an unspoken rule to run when two cultivators had a confrontation.

"Won't you answer my question? I really don't like repeating myself..." Chen Ruyi mentioned.

The guard pressed his blade against the burly man's neck a bit more, forcing him to answer with a wide grin.

"Heheh, well, I'm one of Young Lord Zichen's followers."

It seemed Liu Ming's threat didn't scare Han Zichen enough.