“How could Master be the final boss…”

"No, I mean, when I came to this world, I brought the malice from another world with me. That malice became this thin membrane."

"Or rather, my arrival opened the world barrier, allowing the 'Black Fog' surrounding the world to pour in."

"I never said I was some big boss, and how could I possibly become a final boss? You said it yourself, I am favored by Him."

"S-so that's how it is…"

Sword scratched her head. Seeing that Lin Yi was not angry, nor was he wallowing in self-pity, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It would be bad if Master thought that his existence was the reason his Master and the others encountered all these crises.

"I certainly won't blame these things on myself. This is the fault of that 'Black Fog'!"

Seeming to know what Sword was thinking, Lin Yi smiled and shook his head.

"Master?! Can you also use mind-reading?!"

"Hmm? Also?"

"No, no, no, no, Sword didn't say anything. Sword can only perceive Master's emotions… Hehe, hehe…"

Listening to the sheepish laughter in his ears, Lin Yi shook his head with amusement. If it's mind-reading, so be it; there is nothing he has that cannot be known by those around him.

He has always been open and honest in his conduct. Even if he has some thoughts that are hard to show, his Master and the others help him resolve them. Besides, it's hard to say those thoughts are truly shameful…

At most, it's just some Impact or something… He doesn't flaunt repression, and his thoughts aren't perverted.

"Master!!"

"You, you… who are you?"

The young girl wearing a seven-treasure coral hairpin stared blankly at the man who parted the crowd and walked up to her.

Judging by his appearance, he was about the same age as her, but his aura was mysterious and profound, as if he were an Immortal who had descended from some ancient mountain sect.

Cultivators do not judge age by appearance. Seeing that the youth before her was not a low-level Cultivator, Xu Ruanyao subconsciously used an honorific, her voice somewhat stuttering.

She always felt that the Senior before her possessed a temperament that attracted her.

"Oh, this Senior!"

Before Xu Ruanyao could wait for the Senior before her to speak, Aunt, who was behind her, leaned in with a grin.

She casually pulled her little niece behind her. In her hand, she held a cyan oil-paper umbrella, which she spun to cover the three of them.

The vast white sky turned into the narrow space under the umbrella, and the snowflakes that were slowly falling landed outside.

"Senior, I am Aunt, the Division Master of the Second Division of the Jinling City Shenxing Division. Did you come from the Xuanji Pavilion, Senior? Please forgive our lack of a proper welcome. If you have yet to find a place to stay, Senior, might you allow Aunt to perform the duties of a host?"

The Xuanji Pavilion was a major local sect in this Northern Territory. It was normal for her to say this; after all, she couldn't just ask Lin Yi where he came from, as that would be too offensive. She could only try to probe indirectly.

Although Aunt had been stunned for a moment just like Xu Ruanyao, she quickly regained her composure.

Unlike Xu Ruanyao, who had always stayed in this Jinling City and hadn't seen much of the world, she had seen the lands of those great Immortal sects and had dealt with the Elders and Sect Masters of those great Immortal sects.

Although, she had only seen them from afar.

The Senior before her possessed an ethereal aura, detached from worldly affairs. One look and she knew he had come to the Mortal World for training, and not the simple kind of Mortal World training.

After all, she couldn't discern the youth's Realm at all; she only felt it was as deep as an abyss or an ocean. There was only one possibility… This Senior had come to the Mortal World to temper his heart!

It was very likely that this Senior was a great Void Return Cultivator. After all, Soul Transformation and below only required accumulating spiritual power and improving techniques.

Only above Soul Transformation, at the Void Return stage, was the need for spiritual power reduced, with more focus on comprehending the Dao. Judging from the upright and peaceful temperament of the Senior, without a doubt, he was a Righteous Path Senior, not one from the Demonic Path!

Lin Yi smiled at Xu Ruanyao, who was hiding behind her Aunt and peeking at him, and then nodded at Aunt. He did not stand on ceremony. "Miss Aunt, then I shall accept."

"Mm-hmm!"

Aunt breathed a slight sigh of relief in her heart; she was afraid that the Senior before her would refuse.

With maids and servants leading the way in front, she walked behind with Lin Yi under the umbrella, while Xu Ruanyao, who looked like a timid little beast, was on the other side.

She glanced at her little niece and immediately saw what she was thinking, but… the gap was simply too great.

For her little niece, this would definitely be a tragedy. She had already prepared the words to comfort her little niece later.

While chatting with Lin Yi, Aunt watched his profile from the corner of her eye. A trace of concern in her heart made it impossible for her to calm down.

It wasn't that she was moved by his appearance. Among Cultivators, except for a "select few," which one of them wasn't handsome and refined?

A beautiful appearance is most useless to a Cultivator!

As long as one cultivates, the appearance will be nourished by spiritual power. Even an ordinary person will become beautiful.

That goes without saying for those naturally beautiful fellows. After all, having a Spiritual Root means they have been absorbing spiritual power since childhood; it's quite hard to grow up looking ugly.

Well, except for those fat people, old men, old slaves, dwarves, barbarians, and dark-skinned ones… They were directly transformed by the "Black Fog," and even if spiritual power wanted to pull them back, it couldn't…

"Is Young Master from the Imperial Capital?"

Aunt naturally changed the form of address. "Senior" was still too distant, and she always felt it was strange, especially since beside her was a youth who looked even younger than her.

"I just arrived in this Northern Territory and am just walking around. When I arrived in Jinling City, I always felt there was something attracting me, so…"

"Eh? Young Master also feels there is something attractive?!"

Before Lin Yi could finish speaking, Xu Ruanyao turned her head and looked at him eagerly.

Lin Yi nodded gently, not minding Xu Ruanyao's impoliteness.

It was Aunt who was startled by Xu Ruanyao's bold behavior. She smiled sheepishly and pushed Xu Ruanyao back.

She gave a light cough and, ignoring the somewhat awkward atmosphere, said, "Young Master, this is my little niece, Xu Ruanyao. You may call her Ruanyao."

Lin Yi nodded, calm and composed. Among the three, only Aunt felt somewhat awkward; neither he nor Xu Ruanyao felt that there was anything unusual about the atmosphere.

Xu Ruanyao dodged her Aunt's hand and peeked over her shoulder. She opened her mouth, just about to speak, when she saw her Aunt turn back and glare at her.

She could only obediently close her mouth and lower her head. She felt a bit aggrieved. She also knew that her Aunt was doing it for her own good, hoping she wouldn't be deceived by others.

Although this Senior was kind, he was just a stranger she had just met, and it was not appropriate to deepen the relationship. But… she pursed her lips, and a rebellious thought suddenly welled up in her heart.

It wasn't that she hadn't had these thoughts in the past; after all, she was a normal person, but they had always been suppressed.

She had a well-behaved nature. Faced with her father's and Aunt's restrictions, she didn't resist and let them watch over her to avoid ending up like she did a few years ago, when she was captured.

After all, her cultivation was low, and there were many dangers in the outside world, especially after her title as "Fairy Qiongyao" became widely known to outsiders…

But… at this very moment, she just wanted to tell her Aunt that she had grown up, was able to live independently, and could distinguish between good and evil!

In the end, between resisting and being cowardly, Xu Ruanyao chose to resist in a cowardly way. She called out softly, "Aunt…"

How could Aunt not know what she wanted to do? Although she had never eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. Having lived together for so many years, she knew what her little niece was thinking just by the twitch of her eyebrow, let alone now!

Glancing at the slight resentment revealed at the corners of her little niece's eyes and brows, she acted as if she hadn't heard her words.

Aunt chuckled and pushed her head back again. Turning her head, she showed Lin Yi an expression that everything was fine.

Xu Ruanyao watched her Aunt and the Senior chatting again. She snorted softly and secretly looked at Lin Yi through the gap.

She hadn't finished her sentence yet… I seem to have quite a connection with the Senior…

"I seem to have quite a connection with your Young Miss."

Lin Yi turned his head and winked at Xu Ruanyao.

Xu Ruanyao subconsciously blinked back, and then she saw her Aunt turn her head to look at her.

She didn't speak and obediently withdrew her gaze that had been lingering on the Senior.

She had just been staring entranced and hadn't paid attention to the exchange between her Aunt and the Senior. She didn't know what they had said, so how did it suddenly involve her?

Aunt smiled reluctantly. "Cough, hmm, I see. Is Young Master looking for something in this Jinling City?"

"Although my Shenxing Division doesn't have much capability, if there is anything you need, please don't mind, just speak up. In this Jinling City, we still have some influence."

Aunt had obviously remembered the "thing that attracts me" that Lin Yi had mentioned earlier.

She thought that if she could help the Senior find what he wanted sooner, she could send this Senior away sooner, and her little niece wouldn't be so distracted.

It wasn't that she didn't want her little niece to be with the one she loved, it was just… the gap was too big.

You can't fantasize about an Immortal being with an ordinary person, right?

There are such stories in storybooks, but they are just storybooks. Storybooks are all deceptive and are just for entertainment. In reality, such things don't exist.

It would be better to avoid letting her little niece lose her appetite and sleep, and eventually die for love, not coming to a good end!

"Hmm…"

Lin Yi pondered and nodded. "Has a Mystic Spirit Python appeared around Jinling City? Please ask the Shenxing Division to help me look for it. If it is found, I will be extremely grateful. If you have any requests, please do not hesitate to ask."

Although his Divine Sense didn't find it, that might be because there was some method to conceal itself and evade Divine Sense detection, but a physical search was effective.

In this Northern Territory, a Yao Beast like the Mystic Spirit Python is extremely rare. If it appeared, it would be impossible for no one in the Shenxing Division to notice. In the original book, it was the Shenxing Division that discovered it first. If it were found, who knows?

"Mystic Spirit Python?"

Aunt frowned. "This thing is not common. I have handled all the recent affairs, and there has been no trace of such a Yao Beast. Young Master, I will have people keep an eye out. If there is a trace—"

Aunt's voice stopped abruptly, and then she continued, pretending to be calm. "If there is a trace, I will tell you as soon as possible, Young Master."

Aunt cursed herself in her heart. She clearly wanted this Senior to leave early so that her little niece wouldn't fall too deep, but her mouth was truly asking for a slap. Why ask about this of all things!

Now it's good, she's become more and more tied to this Senior!!

If this Senior wants to stay for a few more days, wouldn't that mean…

"Then, then is Young Master going to stay in the city for a few days?"

Xu Ruanyao obviously didn't hear Aunt's inner thoughts. She poked her head out, her face filled with expectation.

"My home is quite large. It's just me, my daddy, and my Aunt living there. If Young Master doesn't mind, come and stay at my home!"

Xu Ruanyao ignored her Aunt's resentful gaze and happily said these words. Seeing Lin Yi turn his head to look at her, a few blushes appeared on her pretty face.

Perhaps it was because the snowflakes outside the umbrella were getting bigger, allowing the cold to seep into her skin.

"Cough, Young Master, indeed, if you have no place to stay, please rest at the Xu Residence for two days…"

Aunt opened her mouth but still didn't refute her little niece's words. She showed some enthusiasm on her face, but in her heart, who knows what she was thinking.

Lin Yi didn't answer immediately. He watched the curtain of snow getting bigger outside the umbrella. The sound of rustling echoed at his feet. The vermilion plum blossoms in the corner were covered by the white snow, weighing down the branches.

In the houses of the wealthy, faint lights had already been lit. Ordinary households didn't have such conditions and could only rely on the meager daylight to save on lamp oil.

Meeting the gaze of Aunt and Xu Ruanyao, he shook his head gently. "No, I'm just staying for a while. When the heavy snow clears, I will leave."

"Is, is it that urgent?"

Xu Ruanyao smiled on her face, but her voice had a bit more disappointment, and there was inevitably reluctance in her eyes.

Although it was just a chance meeting, she didn't know why she cared so much and wanted to get closer, closer… But the gap between the two was too great, and she knew full well that her thoughts were impossible.

"If Young Master has nothing to do, staying for a while is fine. Cultivating the heart in the Mortal World doesn't need to be rushed."

Aunt also chimed in. Although she thought in her heart about letting this Senior leave earlier to prevent her little niece from really falling into it, when Lin Yi actually said he wouldn't stay anymore, she regretted it a little.

Aunt lowered the cyan oil-paper umbrella in her hand slightly. The snowflakes fell on it more rapidly, and the light in front seemed to dim a little more.

She forced herself to cheer up, held up the umbrella, and kept her expression unchanged, still carrying a charming smile.

"I often hear Elders say that to cultivate one's heart, one must be calm and sincere, and comprehend all things. If one is too hurried, one will forget the scenery by the roadside."

"For oneself, it will only increase troubles. After all, with nothing gained and nothing obtained, the more eager one is, the more embarrassed one becomes. The more embarrassed one is, the more frustrated one becomes…"

Aunt sighed slightly in her heart. She always wanted to keep her little niece from falling too deep, but now, seeing her disappointment, she couldn't help but want to ask the Senior to stay. This could be considered lifting a rock only to drop it on her own feet.

If she hadn't asked, she wouldn't have to know when the Senior would leave, and she wouldn't have to wait for that moment to arrive, adding to her own worries.

"Aunt is right, being hurried is not good. Like me earlier…"

Xu Ruanyao opened her mouth and hesitated for a moment. A young girl generally doesn't want her embarrassing moments to be revealed, but she felt that the Senior had already seen through her cultivation.

She spoke again, "…when breaking through to the Golden Core, I thought that the faster the better, and in the end, I failed. So, it is better to walk slowly and look slowly…"

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze from the snowy scenery. "Are you trying to make me stay?"

Aunt blinked, looking at Lin Yi's interested gaze, and an inexplicable feeling of shyness welled up in her heart. "Senior, please don't tease me!"

Xu Ruanyao didn't speak and hid behind Aunt. Lin Yi didn't use his Divine Sense to look, so naturally, he didn't know what her expression was like. The maids leading the way in front all kept their faces tight, lowered their heads, and pretended not to hear or see anything.

"Is that so."

Lin Yi nodded calmly.