Yin Yin followed Ling Long up to the third floor and entered a private room at the end of the corridor.

The moment she stepped into Qingle Pavilion, a refreshing and pleasant fragrance greeted her. It was a clean, subtle scent— like fresh grass, or bamboo, with a strong earthy undertone.

Liu Ruoxi was still wearing the same white gauze dress. At that moment, she was sitting on a soft couch, sipping tea. Sitting opposite her was none other than the masked girl from earlier that day— Shancha.

Shancha still had on that ghost-faced mask. When she saw Ling Long and Yin Yin enter, she stood up, bowed to Liu Ruoxi, and quietly left the room.

“Please sit.” Liu Ruoxi addressed Ling Long. There was only one soft couch available in the room, the one Shancha had just vacated. Ling Long walked over and sat across from Liu Ruoxi.

Liu Ruoxi curved her lips into a faint smile, her beautiful eyes landing on Yin Yin. “Oh no, it seems there’s no seat for Miss Yin.”

……

Patience, patience.

Yin Yin took a deep breath to steady herself, dragged over a chair, and sat across from them with a smile. “It’s fine.”

Liu Ruoxi let out a short laugh. “I wonder what brings Miss Yin to me? Don’t tell me you really want to join our Tianxiang Society?”

Yin Yin kept a polite smile on her face. “Hehe, I heard that only those with pitiful backgrounds and tragic fates can join Tianxiang Society. I’m probably not qualified.”

“Then I truly don’t understand. What business does the esteemed Miss Yin have with me?”

To annoy you on purpose. Would you believe that?

Yin Yin wiped a hand across her face. “I think it was Sect Leader Liu who invited me up here.”

Liu Ruoxi was just about to reply while fiddling with her tea lid, when Ling Long suddenly remarked, “That’s quite an unusual fragrance.”

“It’s cypress leaves.” Liu Ruoxi said, pointing to a three-legged incense burner placed in the corner. “There’s also some spikenard and green bamboo inside. I’ve been having frequent headaches lately. Shancha specially prepared this mix for me. When burned, the scent is refreshing and helps clear the mind.”

Yin Yin was a little surprised. “Shancha knows how to blend incense?”

Liu Ruoxi shot her a sidelong glance. “The ladies of our Tianxiang Society are all multi-talented. It’s hardly surprising.”

Yes, yes, do you want a little red flower^[1]a reward given to children as an encouragement; expresses kindness and care pinned to your chest too?

Ling Long gazed at the incense burner with smoke curling gently from its mouth, and after a moment of thought, he asked, “Is Miss Shancha’s surname Qing?”

Liu Ruoxi paused, then lowered her eyes with a smile. “Nothing escapes you, does it?”

Qing? Qing Shancha?

Another character who didn’t exist in 《All Splendor Fades》. Was this going to be a newly unlocked side quest?

Yin Yin blinked her large eyes and stared intently at Ling Long. Ling Long once again lost to Yin Yin’s sparkling gaze. “The Qing family is a renowned perfumery family. They even produced a master as famous as Qing Lanxin.”

“Heh.” Liu Ruoxi let out a soft, bitter laugh. “Unfortunately, the Qing family only had one Qing Lanxin. After her death, the family began to decline. Then there was that incident……”

Her words abruptly stopped there. She took a small sip of tea, clearly unwilling to say more.

Damn it!

Yin Yin nearly choked on her own frustration. People who started a fire and didn’t put it out were the worst! What incident?! Just say it!

But no matter how intensely she stared at Liu Ruoxi, the other woman completely ignored her existence.

Yin Yin finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Miss Shancha’s face……”

Burn scars were already tragic enough. But to have them on a young woman’s face……

Yin Yin truly felt Shancha was very suited to join Tianxiang Society.

Liu Ruoxi raised her head, a faint layer of anger in her eyes. “Miss Yin, do you think it’s appropriate to poke at someone’s wounds just because of your ridiculous curiosity?”

Yin Yin was stunned and shut her mouth awkwardly.

Ling Long glanced at Yin Yin, whose head now hung low, and stood up to say to Liu Ruoxi, “I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb you further.”

A hint of disappointment flashed in Liu Ruoxi’s eyes, but her expression quickly returned to normal. “Then I won’t see you out.”

Yin Yin followed Ling Long out of Tianxiang Pavilion, but there was a knot in her heart that made her feel deeply unsettled.

“What? Upset because you got scolded?” Ling Long’s voice came from above her.

Yin Yin pouted. She was upset, but not because Liu Ruoxi had scolded her. Rather…… because she felt Liu Ruoxi was right.

If it were her, she wouldn’t want someone prying into her private matters either.

Yin Yin shook her head, her voice slightly dispirited, “Ling Long, am I…… really annoying?” It was the first time in years that Yin Yin had seriously reflected on herself.

Her question gave Ling Long pause. He looked down at the top of her head and said casually, “No. At least, I quite like you.”

That sentence worked better than any blue or red pill, and Yin Yin instantly returned to full health.

“Really?” Even under the dark night sky, her eyes sparkled like two clear springs.

“Really.” Ling Long turned his gaze away, a little awkwardly.

“Ling Long, I like you the most too!” Yin Yin grabbed his arm and rubbed her head against it with no shame, completely eating tofu^[2]taking advantage without restraint.

“Mm……” Ling Long pushed her head away and pulled his arm away from her embrace, but a faint, hard-to-detect smile lingered on his lips.

────ρя

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

The next day at the Martial Arts Conference, Yin Yin no longer had the enthusiasm she had the day before. But Sang Ze was still as energetic as ever and dragged her to the competition grounds.

The sky was bright and the air crisp and clear. Not even the almanac could deny it was a good day. But for Yin Yin, this day was a nightmare.

Someone tell me, who’s that person standing on the stage right now?! Why does he look exactly like Jia Renyi?!

Yin Yin wanted nothing more than to scream into her hands.

The arena looked like it had just been pillaged by mountain bandits. People lay scattered in all directions, groaning in pain. Judging by their expressions, they were in real agony. The canopies had all collapsed, not one left standing.

And the culprit behind it all was none other than Jia Renyi, currently radiating ‘I’m so bored’ from head to toe.

Jia Renyi sat cross-legged on the stage, picking his ear with his pinky. “Why is this Martial Arts Conference so boring? All I see are clay dolls that can’t take a hit.”

Yin Yin: “……” She suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Jia Renyi yawned and stretched lazily. “Anyone alive? Come up here and fight me~” His gaze swept across the crowd and locked onto Yin Yin.

She was, at that moment, the only person still standing.

As for Sang Ze, his short stature made him invisible.

“Senior, there’s still one more person here.” Before Yin Yin could even react, she felt someone grab her collar and toss her onto the stage. By the time she came to her senses, she was already standing in front of Jia Renyi.

Waaah! Who the hell threw me up here?!

She looked down from the stage with wide eyes and saw a very handsome man smiling at her.

Under normal circumstances, she would have taken a few extra glances at such an aesthetically pleasing sight, but right now, she could only grit her teeth and shout three words, “Mo! Ling! Ya!”

Damn it, when did he even show up?!

Jia Renyi looked at Yin Yin, who resembled a fluffed-up kitten, and grinned as he stepped closer. “Hey, aren’t you the little girl from Yin Manor? So sweet of you to come fight with me~”

Help! Help! Someone control him!

Jia Qing! Jia Qing!
For the first time ever, Yin Yin missed Jia Qing terribly.

“Senior, how about I exchange a few moves with you?”

A savior!

Yin Yin turned toward the voice with joy and saw a figure in pale yellow flying in from the horizon. It was none other than Liu Ruoxi, the alliance leader.

Behind her were several sect leaders. They had just finished a meeting with Liu Ruoxi in the council hall and returned to this chaotic scene. Upon seeing their disciples moaning on the ground, the sect leaders felt like distressed parents returning to their injured children, and the moans only grew louder.

Jia Renyi glanced at Liu Ruoxi and asked with disdain, “Who are you?”

“Liu Ruoxi, Sect Leader of Tianxiang Society and current Martial Arts Alliance Leader.”

“Liu Ruoxi?” Jia Renyi flicked his finger. “Never heard of you.”

Faced with such obvious contempt, Liu Ruoxi remained composed. “May I ask your esteemed name, Senior?”

“I don’t want to tell you.”

Liu Ruoxi: “……”

Yin Yin suddenly had the urge to applaud Jia Renyi.

“But since you’re the alliance leader, I assume your martial arts are good?” Before Liu Ruoxi could respond, Jia Renyi struck first.

Although Liu Ruoxi reacted swiftly, she was still caught off guard by his speed.

Such fast movement!

The sect leaders behind Liu Ruoxi frowned. This man’s martial arts were unfathomable. Forget the disciples, even they might not be his match.

As she exchanged blows with Jia Renyi, Liu Ruoxi felt increasingly strained. His techniques were completely unorthodox, and she couldn’t tell which school or sect they originated from. Worse, his speed was simply overwhelming. Even if she could anticipate a move, there was no way to avoid it.

Mo Lingya stood below the stage watching the fight, his gaze growing sharper. It seemed the martial world still had many hidden masters. His reputation as number one in the Jianghu might be a bit overblown. Not to mention, there was Ling Long. He wasn’t even sure who among them was stronger.

Suddenly, Jia Renyi turned and struck with a palm. Liu Ruoxi was caught off guard and took the hit directly, stumbling back several steps before barely managing to steady herself. A metallic taste filled her mouth. She touched the corner of her lips and found blood.

“Tch, if this is the best the alliance has to offer, I really worry for the martial world.” Jia Renyi clapped his hands, clearly no longer interested in continuing the fight.

It was perfectly fine before you showed up, Senior. Yin Yin glanced at Liu Ruoxi’s bloodstained lips. Damn, the guy didn’t hold back at all.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, “I know who he is! He’s Jia Renyi!”