"Quick, quick, hand it over!" Ye Junlin urged, stretching out his hand with urgency.
An Miaoyi's face instantly flushed, her mind thrown into chaos.
As the daughter of the Wendaozong Sect Master, she had encountered countless young cultivators throughout her life—each one desperate to impress her with charm or clever lines. But someone like Ye Junlin, who skipped all the pretense and got straight to the point?
This was a first.
And though she was indeed moved by the flute's melody and found his appearance a little too good-looking for her own comfort, asking for that the moment they met felt like a total mood-killer.
It soured her impression of him immediately.
With that in mind, An Miaoyi took a small step back, placed a hand on Ye Junlin's chest to hold him off, and said sternly, "Young master, please have some self-respect. I'm not that kind of woman!"
Ye Junlin blinked, confused.
What's with this dramatic reaction?
All I wanted was a pen.
"Miss, are you seriously turning down my autograph?" he asked with an innocent look.
An Miaoyi froze.
The gears in her mind clicked, and then—
Her face turned even redder.
She'd misunderstood him.
But she quickly composed herself, trying to smooth things over. "Why would I want your autograph? Are you famous around here?"
Ye Junlin paused, a little caught off guard. So she had no idea who he was.
"Well… I just assumed you might recognize me from the flute performance," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You played beautifully," An Miaoyi admitted. "So I thought you were a well-known musician. I was drawn in by the sound and followed it here to thank you in person."
Ye Junlin let out a short laugh. "Ah, I see. My mistake."
"But since fate brought us here," An Miaoyi continued with a polite bow, "allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm An Miaoyi, from Gongzhou. May I ask for your name?"
"Ye… Ye Fan," Ye Junlin replied after a tiny pause. "From the Arid Province."
He had no intention of revealing his real name—not now. With so many eyes on the Medicine King Valley gathering, it was only a matter of time before those impostors tried to stir up trouble again. Best to avoid being dragged into their mess.
"The Arid Province?" An Miaoyi's brows lifted as she gently covered her lips in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well…" She gave a hesitant smile. "To be honest, I've never had a great impression of that place. My elders always said it was the most underdeveloped part of the Eastern Domain—spiritually thin, poorly resourced, barely able to produce a Transformation Stage cultivator."
Ye Junlin nodded, unbothered. "Fair point."
He remembered when even Nascent Soul cultivators strutted around the Arid Province like kings.
"But that all changed recently," An Miaoyi went on. "Ever since the Xuantian Sect emerged, it's turned everything upside down. My impression of the place got way worse."
"…Huh?"
Ye Junlin was stunned.
"Especially that Ye Junlin," she added, hands on her hips and eyes flaring with righteous fury. "The Peak Master of Mysterious Peak. He's been abusing his strength to commit all kinds of terrible acts. He even brought his disciples to Wuzhou and robbed cultivators blind. Even Uncle Fan and I weren't spared!"
"A dignified Virtual Immortal in the Tribulation Stage behaving like a thug? It's disgraceful. A stain on the Eastern Domain!"
Ye Junlin cleared his throat, raising a finger. "Miss An, I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding."
"In the eyes of us Arid Province folks, Ye Junlin is nothing short of a legend. Handsome, powerful, elegant—he's got it all. Honestly, the guy's so dazzling, I almost fell for him myself."
"Are we talking about the same person?" An Miaoyi asked, blinking slowly.
Ye Junlin gave her a solemn look. "Would a man that perfect really stoop to something so petty? Come on."
An Miaoyi's gaze narrowed as she studied him.
Had she not seen Ye Junlin in the flesh, she might've actually believed this nonsense.
Strength aside, that "explosively handsome face" and "exemplary character" claim? Yeah, no.
"Master Ye, there's no need to cover for him," she said seriously. "You don't have to worry. I won't let anyone know what you've said. Not even the white-haired demon himself."
Ye Junlin twitched. "Miss An, I think your imagination is getting a little too wild."
An Miaoyi leaned in, her voice full of concern. "It's okay. I get it. You've probably been living under his tyranny so long that you've internalized the fear. But don't worry—I'll get stronger and take him down someday. I'll liberate the Arid Province!"
She clenched her tiny fist, eyes blazing with determination.
Ye Junlin stared at her, speechless.
She genuinely hated Ye Junlin and pitied him—his fake identity.
An Miaoyi frowned. "Why're you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?"
"No, no, you're right," he said quickly, giving her a big thumbs-up. "I believe in you. One day you'll defeat that Ye Junlin guy and save us all."
"I will!" she said with conviction, completely unaware of the irony.
Ye Junlin gave her a sidelong glance and let out a chuckle.
This girl…
"Anyway, Master Ye, you need to be careful. The inn was attacked—"
Before she could finish, her expression changed. She suddenly stepped toward the door, pulling it open.
"Uncle Fan! I'm over here!"
Swish.
Fan Dezhen landed beside her in a flash, eyes sharp. "Miss, what are you doing outside? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"
An Miaoyi rubbed her cheek sheepishly. "I heard the flute and followed the sound. I just wanted to find the person playing it…"
"Wait—you found the one playing the flute?" Fan Dezhen's eyes lit up.
This wasn't just some musician.
This was the mysterious expert who'd saved the entire inn.
---
Y'all be stingy with Powerstones.... (＠_＠;)