CHAPTER 27: Where is Everyone? They Already Left. 

Everyone was taken back to Yunhua Sword Sect by their respective elders. After resting and reorganizing, they would depart for the Western Region through a teleportation array early the next morning.

After bidding farewell to the others, Yu Changan lingered for a moment in the county city outside the mountain before returning alone to Undying Peak.

In Yunhua Sword Sect, every sword cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage or above had their own independent peak. When Yu Buxie had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, he had boldly carved the three characters “Undying Peak” onto the cliff face with his sword.

Using his own name to name his sword peak—Yu Changan had always secretly felt it was too arrogant and ostentatious.

But his mother and elder sister didn’t think so. They often said he was too reserved, lacking even a shred of his father’s arrogance and dominance.

Because of this, his elder sister, Yu Nianrou, who was not only more like their father in personality but also far more gifted in cultivation, was favored much more than he was.

Thinking of his sister, who was in a foul mood on the peak, Yu Changan hesitated when he reached the mountain gate.

After a long moment of contemplation, he finally began climbing the steps, slowly making his way up.

He hadn’t expected that someone would already be waiting for him at the peak.

Yu Nianrou rushed forward and grabbed his hand, her voice carrying a hint of urgency. “Changan, I heard someone say you were nearly injured by an exotic beast in the Eternal Ancient Forest. Is that true?”

She hurriedly examined him, checking to see if he had any wounds.

This was the first time since her injury that Yu Nianrou had shown such concern for him. Yu Changan was slightly taken aback and paused for a moment before shaking his head. “I wasn’t injured. Everything is fine.”

Yu Nianrou let out a sigh of relief, then frowned slightly. “Even if you weren’t hurt, you must have been frightened. But don’t worry, when the Four Regions Tournament begins, I will protect you well. I won’t let you end up like me… wounded by an exotic beast.”

Hearing this, warmth spread through Yu Changan’s heart, and the dissatisfaction that had built up over the past few days gradually faded away.

A soft smile appeared on his refined face. “Thank you, Sister.”

As they walked home, Yu Nianrou hesitated for a moment before saying awkwardly, “Changan, I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you the other day. After all, it wasn’t your fault that my face was injured.”

“Sister, we are family. There’s no need for such formalities. It’s nothing.”

Just as Yu Changan was beginning to relax, Yu Nianrou’s tone suddenly turned cold—

“If anyone is to blame, it’s those people from the Pill Cauldron Sect—especially that wretched little beggar! Once I recover, I’ll capture her and bring her back to Yunhua Sword Sect as my sword slave!”

Yu Changan’s heart tightened. “Sword slaves” was a term from long ago—some sword cultivators who had fallen into darkness would use living people as training dummies, forcing them to flee while they pursued with their swords, using them to hone their sword techniques.

Such a practice had long been despised in the cultivation world, nearly indistinguishable from the methods of demonic cultivators. The Yunhua Sword Sect had never engaged in such things, and even Yu Changan had only learned about them from ancient texts.

“Where did you hear about sword slaves, Sister?” Yu Changan’s voice carried a rare severity.

“Why are you so harsh?” Yu Nianrou retorted. “Have you forgotten what Father used to say? That righteousness and evil lie only in one’s heart, and there is no need for others to judge?” Her tone was light, her expression completely indifferent. But upon noticing Yu Changan’s displeased face, she casually brushed the matter aside. “Fine, I won’t speak of it anymore. It’s just a little beggar, after all. In this life, she’ll probably only end up tending herb fields in the Pill Cauldron Sect, serving as nothing more than a menial servant.”

Yu Changan remained silent. She’s not tending fields in the Pill Cauldron Sect at all, he thought. She’s currently a distinguished guest in the Yunhua Sword Sect. He felt an unease creeping in—if his sister were to see her at the Four Realms Tournament, there was no telling what kind of trouble would arise.

Just then, Yu Nianrou seemed to recall something, turning to Yu Changan with a smile. “Oh, by the way, the Treasured Pavilion just delivered something. How thoughtful of you! You knew I liked that high-tier defensive array Cloudgown Dress, so you specially bought it to please me. You didn’t even mind the cost.”

Yu Changan was momentarily stunned, his expression turning slightly uneasy.

He had instructed the Treasured Pavilion to send it to Qingyun Peak—who would have thought they’d mistakenly deliver it to Buming Peak instead?

No wonder Yu Nianrou was in such a good mood today, even taking the initiative to reconcile.

The young man furrowed his delicate brows, his eyes filled with guilt. “Sister, it seems there was a misunderstanding at the Treasured Pavilion. That dress was meant as a gift of gratitude for the Daoist friend who saved me.”

He hurriedly added, “If you like this kind of dress, I can have the Treasured Pavilion custom-make an even better one for you right away.”

However, the smile in the young woman’s eyes slowly faded.

She retrieved the light cyan Cloudgown Dress from her storage pouch. The fabric, woven from cloud threads, was so soft it felt weightless in her hands. Under the sunlight, it reflected shimmering shades of butterflies, fluttering as if alive under the array’s enchantment. A treasure displayed on the highest level of the Treasured Pavilion—what female cultivator wouldn’t like it?

Yet, upon closer inspection, Yu Nianrou realized the dress was a bit too small.

So, it truly wasn’t meant for her.

“No need.” Yu Nianrou’s voice turned cold in an instant. She roughly crumpled the dress into a ball and threw it forward. “I don’t want it.”

Yu Changan swiftly flew forward, catching the dress before it could hit the ground.

He wanted to chase after her and explain that it was a repayment of a favor, but Yu Nianrou had already walked away. She wouldn’t listen to him now.

Standing under the tree, the young man lowered his head, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles on the dress, but the furrow between his brows only deepened.

In the end, he could only let out a long sigh and carefully cradled the dress as he soared toward Qingyun Peak on his sword.

Before he even reached the guest courtyard where the Pill Cauldron Sect disciples were staying, Yu Changan heard the lively sounds of laughter.

He hesitated for a moment and looked over—only to see more than ten people gathered in the courtyard. Both alchemists and shield cultivators were present, as well as a few of his own sect’s sword cultivators. Even Elder Xu and Elder Kuang were among them.

Elder Ma sat in the center, grinning broadly as he spoke loudly, busy tending to a roast over an open flame.

Elder Kuang and the disciples from the three sects were happily eating the roasted meat, while even Elder Xu, who usually looked displeased, had accepted a skewer and was chatting.

The moment Yu Changan arrived, the crowd paused slightly, and the atmosphere cooled.

Several sword cultivators who had been laughing while holding their meat skewers quickly put them down, looking somewhat awkward.

The young man pressed his lips together, feeling as if he had arrived at the wrong time.

Because of his father’s status, the people of Buming Peak were different from the other disciples in the sect. They didn’t need to take on missions to earn spirit stones for forging swords, nor did they have to risk their lives in sect competitions to hone their sword techniques.

The dangerous, life-threatening cultivation world that the ordinary sword cultivators spoke of was something the Yu siblings had never experienced. Their relationships with their fellow sect members were only superficial—they knew each other’s names and sect origins, but little more than that.

Finally, it was the ever-enthusiastic shield cultivators who waved him over. “Why are you just standing there? Come on! Can’t you see the meat’s already cooked? Elder Ma’s roasting skills are top-notch!”

The awkward atmosphere was finally broken.

The sword cultivators relaxed slightly, and one of them spoke apologetically. “Yu Shidi, we didn’t mean to keep this from you. It’s just that you left the cloud boat early, so we couldn’t call you over.”

A female sword cultivator added candidly, “Yes. When we arrived at the mountain gate, Elder Ma from the Pill Cauldron Sect suggested gathering here, so the three elders could share their past experiences in the Eternal Ancient Forest with us. We also invited Senior Brother Jiang, but he said he wanted to return to train his sword and declined.”

To be precise, the sword cultivators who had previously antagonized the alchemists in the Eternal Ancient Forest were all absent—most likely out of embarrassment.

Yu Changan’s expression softened into a gentle smile. “I understand, Senior Brothers and Sisters.”

This Yu Shidi was much easier to get along with than the others from Buming Peak. Encouraged, the female sword cultivator curiously asked, “Yu Shidi, why did you leave the cloud boat early?”

Not wanting to take out the Cloudgown Dress in front of everyone, Yu Changan lifted his gaze slightly, scanning the crowd until he spotted a familiar trio.

Yu Youyou was currently sandwiched between Su Yizhi and Qi Nanfeng, all three swiftly and skillfully grabbing for meat skewers, their eyes completely focused on their food.

He raised his voice slightly. “Little Fish Shimei.”

Yu Changan didn’t know Yu Youyou’s exact age or full name—he had only overheard Qi Nanfeng and Qu Qingmiao calling her “Little Fish” and assumed that was her name.

Yu Youyou, in the midst of eating, nearly choked on the spot.

Setting aside the “Shimei” part—after all, she was indeed on the shorter side, while Yu Changan was quite tall and appeared to be a few years older—within the three major sects, it was common to address each other as “Senior Brother” or “Junior Sister” to show camaraderie.

But Little Fish?

Ugh, disgusting, disgusting.

Qi Nanfeng and Su Yizhi jumped out first: “Why are you calling her so affectionately!”

Their first reaction wasn’t suspicion that Yu Changan was about to help his sister bully Yu Youyou again, but rather disgust that he was also calling her by that name.

Yu Changan cupped his hands in greeting. Though he was being watched by so many people, he remained calm: “Earlier, I was saved by Junior Sister, and I have come to express my gratitude.”

The young man’s face was sincere. “May I trouble Junior Sister to step aside for a private conversation?”

Yu Youyou still had a mouthful of roasted meat, so she didn’t respond. She simply waved her skewer in dismissal.

Standing beside her, Su Yizhi, like a little lackey to a villain, translated for her: “Our Senior Sister Little Fish says she’s busy. She’s not going!”

The shield cultivators and sword cultivators nearby were all full of gossip, their eyes darting between the two main characters.

Even the three elders couldn’t help but murmur among themselves—just what kind of unspeakable events had transpired between these two?

“No.” Yu Youyou finally spoke after swallowing her food.

She turned to look at Yu Changan and blew on the freshly roasted meat on her skewer. “Wait a moment, I haven’t finished this skewer yet.”

Shield cultivators: “……”

Sword cultivators: “……”

However, before the crowd could recover, Yu Youyou casually added, “Coincidentally, I have something to say to you as well.”

Elders: “!!!”

….

Yu Changan and Yu Youyou walked toward the bamboo grove outside the courtyard.

Though it was deep autumn, the spiritual bamboo on the peak showed no signs of withering. It remained lush and green, rustling softly in the wind as it brushed through the leaves, creating an eerie tranquility.

Facing the girl who was half a head shorter than him, Yu Changan cupped his hands deeply.

“I was foolish earlier and failed to personally thank Junior Sister.”

Straightening, he took out the Cloud Gown Skirt.

The wrinkles on the skirt had been smoothed out. The shadows of bamboo leaves fell on the light green fabric, as if they might flutter away with the butterflies.

“Please accept this token of gratitude.”

“Hiss—”

Behind a patch of bamboo, Su Yizhi sucked in a breath and sincerely sighed, “So rich.”

Qi Nanfeng was puzzled. “It’s just a skirt, isn’t it? My family’s store sells similar ones for a single tael of silver.”

As expected, upstart wealth could never compare to aristocratic families. The more experienced Su Yizhi stepped on Qi Nanfeng’s foot and scoffed, “What your family sells are funeral robes. This is the Cloud Gown Skirt from the Treasure Pavilion, a new release in recent years. Each one costs over ten thousand spirit stones, and it even has a high-level defensive array that can withstand a full-power strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator.”

“Hiss—”

Hearing that last part, Kuang Langsheng, who had unknowingly squeezed in to listen, was also envious. “I want one too.”

Qi Nanfeng, however, was worried. “Little Fish loves spirit stones so much. What if she sees this skirt and forgives that pretty boy, becomes brothers with him, and stops playing with us?”

“That definitely won’t happen.” Su Yizhi shook his head quickly. “She’s a few days older than me, so she counts as my older sister. So far, every older sister I’ve met enjoys playing with me. They all say I look good.”

Then he cast a sidelong glance at Qi Nanfeng. “But you? That’s another story.”

Qi Nanfeng struck back without hesitation: “Senior Sister Qu doesn’t like playing with you.”

“Well, she doesn’t like playing with you either.”

Their chattering soon reached Yu Youyou’s ears.

She turned back and glared at the group, and they instantly fell silent.

“The skirt is unnecessary, and thanks are unnecessary,” Yu Youyou said slowly. Seeing Yu Changan’s stunned expression, she added, “But the spirit stones still need to be repaid.”

Holding the skirt, Yu Changan was dumbfounded and didn’t speak for a long moment.

Yu Youyou then pulled out a prepared debt note and, expressionless, said, “I was planning to come collect the debt in a few days, but since you came on your own, sign here.”

Yu Changan looked down and saw:

“I, Yu Changan, disciple of the Yunhua Sword Sect, am indebted to Yu Youyou, disciple of the Pill Cauldron Sect, for ten thousand high-grade spirit stones on the tenth day of the tenth month, Year 2021 of the Cultivation Calendar… Wait, your surname is Yu too?”

Yu Youyou couldn’t be bothered to respond. Yes, she was Yu, but she was Yu Youyou’s Yu, not Yu Bumie’s Yu.

Don’t make it sound like they were a family.

“Just sign it,” she urged.

“Why is it ten thousand spirit stones?” Yu Changan looked up, confused.

Yu Youyou was completely righteous. “Dan cultivators don’t treat injuries for profit—we do it to save lives and help the world. We never extort people. The market price for treating someone bitten by a spirit beast is exactly ten thousand spirit stones. Not a single extra.”

“But,” Yu Changan frowned, “I heard you only charged Daoist Friend Kuang one thousand spirit stones for treatment.”

He had been in the trial too, which meant he was a teammate. Why was his fee ten times higher than Kuang Langsheng’s?