"Today, Mr. Xie stood up for You Su." You Su bowed his head in salute.
"Haha, it's only proper. Before your master went on his travels, he asked me to look after you a bit. Over the years, seeing you lead a tranquil and unambitious life, I paid you little mind. It wasn't until I returned from Qiong Mountain and saw Wu Cheng storming towards you with my token that I realized something was amiss. You know, your master was straightforward and had conflicts with many people. Now that he is gone, they can only vent their anger on you. I thought they'd be too concerned about appearances to trouble you much, but I didn't expect them to be bold enough to provoke you openly. That's my oversight; don't complain to your master."
Mr. Liou smiled gently and stroked his beard.
"City Lord jests, I'm already grateful to Mr. Liou; how could I complain? Besides, since it's trouble caused by my master, there's nothing wrong with me bearing it. I shouldn't rely on others for help."
"What a sensible child. If you encounter difficulties in the future, feel free to come to my residence." Mr. Liou patted You Su's shoulder and leaned in to speak softly, "Wu Cheng is clever. With my presence here today, he'll understand my stance. However, since he is both the beloved disciple of the Shouxi Sect Leader and the Wu Family's eldest son, it's best to avoid direct conflict with him."
"Thank you, Mr. Liou." You Su attempted to bow again, but Mr. Liou stopped him.
"Earlier, he mentioned that you've met He Qimiao?"
"Yes."
You Su didn't hide anything and recounted to Mr. Liou the same story he had told Wu Cheng previously.
After listening, Mr. Liou's eyes flashed with an inscrutable light. Suddenly, he exuded an invisible pressure that enveloped You Su, staring into his eyes, and asked, "Did you really encounter He Qimiao?"
Naturally, You Su felt this pressure. Unlike the force that suppressed the crowd earlier, this pressure seemed to act directly on his Sea of Consciousness, making him feel as though his mind was submerged in unfathomable depths.
"I did."
The pressure seemed to lighten a bit.
"You weren't responsible for what happened to He Qimiao?"
"No."
The pressure seemed to dissipate significantly, at least no longer causing discomfort.
"Were there any others beside him that day?"
"I didn't see anyone else."
With those words, the pressure vanished completely. Mr. Liou stroked his chin, retracting his earlier severe demeanor, and his expression returned to calm as he said:
"Though there are still no clues, it's always good to have leads. Poor Mr. He, who seven years ago, suffered from getting trapped in a delusion while breaking through, leaving him foolish till now, and now has met with misfortune. It's truly heartbreaking."
"Mr. He lived a difficult life and didn't even have a peaceful end; it's indeed pitiable."
"Yes... not even sparing a fool, truly wicked. All right, I won't disturb you any longer. Take good care of your junior sister and Master. If there's any trouble, remember to find me."
Mr. Liou gave a casual smile and walked out the door; in a blink, You Su could no longer sense his presence.
You Su exhaled a long sigh; this unwarranted disturbance had finally come to an end.
The once serene life seemed like a tranquil pond; once disrupted by a stone's throw, ripples would endlessly spread.
Fortunately, neither the junior sister nor Master was exposed; everything remained under control. Thinking of the peculiar pressure that Mr. Liou applied when questioning him, You Su couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
Each word spoken then seemed to spring directly from his mind, leaving no time for concocting lies. You Su felt a bit frightened; such a peculiar skill was far more dangerous than any wind, fire, or thunder. Thankfully, he truly hadn't lied—he really didn't see Mr. Ling at the time.
You Su wiped off the bloodstains from the Mo Song Sword and put it away. He walked to the door of the main hall, hesitating whether to ask Master if everything was alright, but facing the deathly silent door, he ultimately couldn't ask.
Even he dared not casually disturb Master, yet that fat man dared to be disrespectful; if he dared to reach for the door, he'd cripple his hand, though it's regrettable he couldn't keep his tongue.
You Su picked up the scattered items on the ground, placing them back in their spots. The old house was dilapidated, clutter strewn everywhere.
Just then, Ji Lingruo opened the door and came out. She lowered her head, pouting, looking glum. Without saying a word, she too began silently tidying the mess.
"Junior Sister, I can handle this; you should rest."
"I didn't chop off anyone's hand, nor did I get into a fight and get half-killed, what rest do I need?" Ji Lingruo forcefully set a fallen chair upright, making it clatter loudly as if declaring her discontent.
Ji Lingruo herself didn't know what she was discontent with. She should have been most angry at those unreasonable outsiders, yet she was also upset that You Su wouldn't let her help. Adding to her distress was the fact that she seemingly couldn't be of any help. This feeling of helplessness had persisted since she was five and she despised this powerless self, though she knew she shouldn't be like this...
Thinking of this, a few crystalline tears struggled out of her eyes. She was strong, immediately wiping away the tears threatening to escape, lifting her head to breathe deeply, trying to force these signs of weakness back into her body.
You Su couldn't see what happened, but he sensed something was off with his junior sister's emotions and hurriedly said, "It's my fault; I shouldn't have provoked those people and scared you, Junior Sister. I promise they won't dare come again."
"Why are you in such a hurry to admit fault? Humph, you said yesterday they wouldn't dare bother you anytime soon, and yet today they came knocking." Ji Lingruo held back tears, her voice trembling slightly.
"I... I dealt with another group, and Wu Ping came here using the City Lord's token to back them up." You Su felt a sense of guilt; unless absolutely necessary, he truly didn't want to deceive his junior sister repeatedly.
"Didn't I tell you before? Such people can't be subdued by force. They're as bothersome as vermin in a ditch."
"You're right, Junior Sister, you're right," You Su echoed repeatedly, unwilling to contradict her in the slightest, inwardly wishing he could inflict a thousand cuts on today's uninvited guests.
"Come here!" Ji Lingruo commanded.
You Su hastily pushed aside debris at his feet and ran over, standing obediently by the young girl's side, fearing even a moment's delay.
Yet his constant compliance not only failed to soothe the girl's fragile mood but instead gave her a reason for outburst. The more caring You Su was, the more she felt useless. Why was her fate so harsh? She found no answer, thereby losing control and burying her head in You Su's chest, sobbing as tears soaked his garment like a breached dam.
It was unclear how long she cried, but her disjointed, soft voice eventually emerged.
"Senior Brother, am I very useless...?"
You Su gently wrapped an arm around her, pressing her head even deeper.
"Junior Sister is the most amazing Junior Sister in the world."
"You only know how to lie to me..." the girl sniveled, weakly thumping his chest.
"Does Junior Sister really wish to master Profound Qi?"
"Yes..."
"It's okay; I've thought of a way, don't worry."
"Really?" The girl lifted her head, her teary eyes glistening like stars.
"I never lie to Junior Sister." You Su smiled with both determination and gentleness.
...
Meanwhile, in the quaint City Lord's Mansion, the old man sat upright, deep in thought, suddenly a formidable light flashed in his eyes as he mumbled to himself:
"A blind man, never saw..."