Han Xiaoyu marched straight up to Yun Jin, his expression thunderous.
"Junior Sister Yun," he said coldly. Though his frail body gave him a deathly pallor, his eyes were sharp and cutting. "You should learn to show mercy when you can. Do you realize how reckless and overbearing you're being? Sooner or later, you'll pay the price for this arrogance."
Yun Jin met his gaze with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Senior Brother Han, you might as well speak plainly."
Han Xiaoyu gave her a look of visible disgust. "Where are the spirit herbs you retrieved? Master sent me to collect them."
When Yun Jin returned from the cave, she had only brought out a few herbs for identification. The rest had mysteriously vanished.
There was no way Yang Yun could have absorbed much in such a short time. Which meant most of the herbs must still be with Yun Jin.
Yun Jin looked genuinely surprised. "The rest? What rest? What I brought into the hall earlier is everything I found."
Han Xiaoyu's pupils contracted sharply.
The spirit herbs had only gone missing yesterday. They were recovered today, so it was assumed that most of them were still unused.
And yet Yun Jin claimed those few stalks were all of it?
Who would believe that?
Han Xiaoyu's expression darkened. "Junior Sister Yun, things that don't belong to you shouldn't be taken so lightly."
Yun Jin kept smiling.
"Very well. I'll be sure to pass that message to Ye Danxia."
Han Xiaoyu was momentarily choked into silence. He had never dealt with someone so shameless. He didn't even know how to respond.
"Speaking of which," Yun Jin said with a pleasant smile, "Senior Brother Han, I've been meaning to speak with you as well."
"I have nothing to say to you," Han Xiaoyu snapped.
Yun Jin didn't press. Her tone remained calm.
"Senior Brother Han, do you recall contracting a spirit beast from the Beastmaster Pavilion some time ago? Not long after, you decided it was too weak and cast it aside without a second thought."
Han Xiaoyu frowned.
"And what's the issue with that?"
Cultivators contracted spirit beasts for support, not to be burdened. If the beast couldn't keep up, it had to be abandoned.
Han Xiaoyu saw no problem with his actions.
Yun Jin's smile deepened. "After that, with the sect leader's help, you contracted a new beast, didn't you? I heard it's a mid-tier type with Golden Core cultivation."
Han Xiaoyu straightened proudly. "You're talking about my spirit beast, the Misty Butterfly. Little Die is indeed at the Golden Core stage."
His own cultivation was also at Golden Core. This Misty Butterfly had been subdued with Zhao Wuji's help and could likely fight better than Han Xiaoyu himself. Without his master's aid, he would never have secured it.
"Very well," Yun Jin said. "I have a spirit beast as well. His cultivation is still only at Foundation Establishment, but he's always been fond of a challenge. I'd like to request a battle on his behalf."
Han Xiaoyu blinked.
"A battle?"
Yun Jin's gaze turned flat and serious.
"My spirit beast, Gun Gun, challenges both you and your Misty Butterfly. I will not interfere. Two against one. Do you dare?"
Two against one?
And against a mere Foundation Establishment beast?
Han Xiaoyu sneered.
"Yun Jin, you are truly too arrogant."
"Just say it. Yes or no?" Yun Jin's stance did not shift.
She had won Gun Gun over, in part, by offering him a chance for revenge.
He had never spoken of it again after that.
But Yun Jin knew how tirelessly he trained, day in and day out. Gun Gun might act foolish, even a little dramatic, but his dedication would shame even her.
Why was he so determined?
There was no way his abandonment didn't leave a scar. He never brought it up, perhaps to avoid troubling her. But Yun Jin always protected her own. Her spirit beast had been wronged. That, she would never allow. She had secretly asked Ling Fei about it.
Ling Fei told her the one who had taken Gun Gun, only to throw him away, was Zhao Wuji's fifth disciple, Han Xiaoyu.
Back then, Han Xiaoyu was not in the sect, so Yun Jin could only bide her time. He had since returned, but then came the Grand Sect Assembly. Only now did she finally have the chance to act.
He had once dismissed Gun Gun as worthless and tossed him aside without hesitation.
This time, she wouldn't need to lift a finger.
Gun Gun could claim his own justice.
Han Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes. "If it's truly a Foundation Establishment spirit beast, then of course I'll accept."
"Don't worry. He really is at Foundation Establishment." Yun Jin's voice was calm.
Han Xiaoyu let out a short, mocking laugh. "Since you're so eager to be humiliated, my Misty Butterfly has no reason to decline."
He had no idea what this Gun Gun was. Ever since Han Xiaoyu returned, he had never seen it appear publicly.
But even so...
A gap between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core was like the heavens and the abyss. How could such a beast possibly win?
"Since you've accepted, let's add a wager," Yun Jin said, lifting a brow. "If you win, I'll personally compensate the sect leader's loss from the missing herbs."
Han Xiaoyu's face turned red with fury.
"Most of the herbs were taken by you in the first place!"
"That's not the point," Yun Jin said bluntly. "The point is, you only get them back if you win."
Han Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes, growing wary.
"What if I lose?"
Yun Jin's voice remained level.
"If you lose, I won't ask for anything else. I only want you to apologize to my spirit beast."
"Apologize... to a beast?"
Han Xiaoyu thought he had misheard. He stared at Yun Jin, stunned.
"Apologize to a beast? Are you insane? Or am I? I've never even seen your spirit beast before."
Yun Jin answered softly. "His name is Gun Gun. The only Iron-Eating Beast in the Beastmaster Pavilion. I doubt your memory is that poor."
Iron-Eating Beast?
Han Xiaoyu's expression changed.
He immediately recalled it.
He looked at Yun Jin with confusion.
"That one? His aptitude was too ordinary. I trained him for a long time, but his progress was abysmal. So he actually reached Foundation Establishment?"
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
"Is that so? Then your Misty Butterfly must have exceptional talent."
Han Xiaoyu's pride showed again.
"Of course. My Misty Butterfly has already mastered five techniques. Combined, even ordinary Golden Core cultivators aren't its match."
"Tomorrow morning. Meet me at the training grounds." Yun Jin turned and walked away without another word.
Han Xiaoyu was likely still patting himself on the back for having abandoned Gun Gun.
But...
Once a contract was formed, a spirit beast's limits often depended on its master. A master who was incompetent and only blamed the beast would never walk the true path of a Beastmaster.
That was something Gun Gun would teach him personally.
Han Xiaoyu squinted toward the distance. That Iron-Eating Beast... he remembered it well.
It had shown no potential whatsoever. And if that was his opponent, then Han Xiaoyu saw no chance of losing. He returned immediately to report the matter to Zhao Wuji.