The sun was about to reach its zenith, and by this point in the day, everyone in the Han Clan had already gotten up to go about their day.
Meanwhile, in a small garden inside Yoon-Min's courtyard, he was seated inside an outdoor pavilion that overlooked the garden. Directly in front of him was a small table and an empty chair. On the table lay a pot of tea and a filled cup next to it.
Yoon-Min still had his upper body exposed. With his legs crossed, he calmly picked up the cup and tea, but just as he placed it against his lips, he paused.
At that moment, a faint gust of wind appeared inside the pavilion, and a figure dressed in all black with his face covered by a children's cat mask, only revealing his eyes, appeared next to Yoon-Min. He knelt on one knee and said with his head bowed.
"Young Master, this is the information you requested."
The black robed figure extended both his hands, that was holding a folded paper.
After taking a sip from his cup, Yoon-Min hummed and thanked the figure.
"Hm, thank you."
As soon as Yoon-Min took the paper, the black robed figure vanished. Only the slight dust that was kicked up where he had been kneeling indicated he was ever here.
Yoon-Min placed the cup of tea onto the table before unfurling the paper. It was two folded together.
After reading the contents of both papers, Yoon-Min released a sigh before tossing the two papers aside.
Before the two papers could fall to the ground, they were split into several tiny pieces by a calm but lethal force and scattered in the wind.
With a frown on his face, Yoon-Min picked up his cup of tea and, ignoring the heat, swallowed the contents in one go. However, even as the tea scalded his tongue and throat, it could not thaw his heart that was slowly turning cold.
Those two papers contained the exact conversation between his grandfather and Ah Mieu.
Even though he was slightly upset by how that brat acted so disrespectfully toward his grandfather, the second paper was what truly upset him. It contained a summary of Ah Mieu's background, as well as his position and value in the Nine Desires pavilion.
Like Yoon-Min had guessed, the Nine Desire Pavilion greatly valued Ah Mieu. It was to the point that a year ago, they were willing to go against several Clans and Sects in the Inner Region to protect him.
Things got a bit messy after the Morong Clan was destroyed, and those from the Main Circle intervened, but the ultimate outcome was that he stayed with the Nine Desires Pavilion.
'Did he truly escape the influence of the Nine Desires Pavilion? What about those people from the Main Circle who intervened? Wait!'
Suddenly, Yoon-Min's eyes widen, and a frightening thought pops into his mind.
"This brat... What if it was the Myriad Inscription Sect who sent him here?"
Yoon-Min shivered. However, after a moment of thought, he shook his head.
"No, if I could think of this, then others could, especially that brat."
Yoon-Min decided to stop speculating and just directly ask that brat. At this point, he was already convinced Ah Mieu didn't have any connection to the Myriad Rune Inscription Sect, or worse, was being used by the Nine Desire Pavilion to get his bloodline.
It was only after Yoon-Min drank his second cup of tea and started on his third that Ah Mieu's small figure entered the garden and came to the pavilion.
"Do you think it's polite to keep someone waiting?"
Yoon-Min said while casting an indifferent look at Ah Mieu.
Ah Mieu puffed up his cheeks and glared at him in response. But he didn't dare open his mouth. He was truly afraid this demon would snap and beat him once again.
Rubbing his but, Ah Mieu tentatively sat down at the empty chair across from Yoon-Min. His gaze then caught sight of the pot of tea on the table, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.
Seeing this, Yoon-Min waved his right hand, and a ring on his index finger lit up small runes before a small cup appeared on the table.
Ah Mieu didn't stand on ceremony and instantly poured himself some of the tea.
Yoon-Min watched from behind his cup as Ah Mieu tried drinking the tea immediately, but recoiled due to burning his tongue. A smile appeared at the corner of his lips, but it was hidden behind the cup.
Compared to before, Ah Mieu's hair was now combed into a freezy ponytail behind his head, revealing his unique pupils. As expected, the sleeves of the shirts had to be rolled up since they were too big for him.
Yoon-Min internally noted that he had to find some time to order a new set of clothes for this little brother of his.
Yoon-Min waved his right hand again, and a plate filled with pastries appeared on the table.
Ah Mieu's eyes lit up, and he thanked Yoon-Min as he picked up one of the pastries to eat.
Yoon-Min waited until Ah Mieu finished a cup of tea and a few of the pastries before he said.
"I think it's about time we get down to business. Let's get into the details of your plan and its feasibility."
Ah Mieu nodded and was about to wipe his lips with the back of his hands. However, he was stopped by Yoon-Min, who took out a handkerchief from his storage ring and voluntarily wiped the crumbs off Ah Mieu's.
His actions seemed so practiced and casual that one would think he had done this a hundred times.
Ah Mieu looked at Yoon-Min, who was focused on wiping his face, and couldn't help but let out a sigh in his heart while wondering why this older brother of his wasn't wearing any shirt.
With a face like his, many people would selectively ignore his clearly outlined muscles and take liberties to shamelessly stare at his body. Thankfully, they were alone in the courtyard. As for those presences he sensed hidden around the courtyard, he supposed their focus was on preventing intruders rather than them.
After finishing wiping Ah Mieu's face, Yoon-Min stored the handkerchief back into his storage ring and leaned back in his chair.
Ah Mieu took this opportunity to wave his hand and took out a somewhat large white parchment that was rolled up. With a calm smile, he handed it over to Yoon-Min while saying.
"Big Brother Yoon-Min, this is the blueprint for phase one of my plan."
"Huh? Blueprints?"
Yoon-Min was a bit confused hearing that, but he didn't hesitate to take the parchment from Ah Mieu and unroll it. However, after a quick glance over its contents, his expression became strange.
Looking up from the parchment in his hands, Yoon-Min said doubtfully.
"When you were negotiating with my grandfather, you told him that story and said that you wanted to become the toy in that story instead of the village hero. I didn't think you meant that in a literal sense."
Ah Mieu's smile grew wider, and his blue and red eyes seemed to sparkle as he met Yoon-Min's gaze.
Yoon-Min pursed his lips upon seeing how excited Ah Mieu was. He wondered how much this brat wanted to carry out this plan for him to be like this.
With a wave of his hand, Yoon-Min put away the teapot and cups before spreading out the parchment onto the table.
What was revealed on the parchment was a series of detailed drawings of toys that were in the form of Spirit Beasts. The most notable ones were the four that were at the top of the parchment.
An Azure Dragon, a white Tiger, a Black Tortoise, and a Pheonix.