Chengying wants to meet me? And there's a gathering of the Zhejiang clan heirs?"
You Ye raised an eyebrow, looking curiously at Wu Ping.
The first part made sense — the Sword Soul Spirit – Chengying likely wanted to thank him for guiding Bai Yun'er back onto the right path.
But the second part? That was a mystery.
He wasn't a member of any Zhejiang clan.
Even if they wanted to host him, he expected they'd come to his shop — not invite him over there.
"Yes," Wu Ping confirmed.
Seeing his confusion, she glanced briefly toward Sheng Ning and Ouyang Yanyan, then hesitated before continuing softly:
"My lady received word that, aside from today's Dark Duelist, several other factions and families are planning to make trouble for you, Senior.
She wishes to share the intelligence she's gathered."
"I see." You Ye nodded. "In that case, sure — I'll go tomorrow."
"Since Senior is heading to the Bai estate tomorrow," Sheng Ning interjected quickly,
"Perhaps after you return home tonight, you could finalize your shop layout.
If you send the plans to our Inspector Bureau through Mu Ning this evening,
we can dispatch a repair team overnight.
Within three days, your shop will be fully renovated."
"Oh? Three days?" You Ye blinked.
"That's… fast. Too fast."
In his old world, his homeland was known for being a construction powerhouse, but even they couldn't build that quickly.
The three women exchanged glances at his reaction.
Wu Ping was the first to smile and explain:
"Senior, perhaps you don't know — family estates and official agencies usually hire Spirits for renovations.
As long as it's not a Spirit of excessively high rank, an Earth-rank Duelist can summon them into this world.
For high-ranking Spirits, you need Heaven-rank.
And if it's a divine-grade Spirit — like Obelisk the Tormentor — even Heaven-rank isn't enough."
"So that's how it is," You Ye said with understanding. "Alright then — I'll design tonight and leave the renovations to you."
Then he turned to Sheng Ning and added,
"There's no need to rush. What matters is quality.
As long as it's finished before the Hangcheng Tournament, that's enough."
"Understood, Senior. We'll make sure it's perfect," Sheng Ning replied earnestly.
"Then, everyone, I'll take my leave," You Ye said, nodding politely.
"I'll go home and plan things out."
With that, he left with Mu Ning.
Sheng Ning exchanged a few words with Wu Ping, then also departed with Ouyang Yanyan.
Wu Ping watched them go, her eyes lingering briefly on Ouyang Yanyan,
a flicker of calculation crossing her gaze.
The Next Morning
A little after eight, You Ye led a drowsy Mu Ning out of their home, preparing to head to the Bai estate.
They'd barely stepped outside before Mu Ning began to grumble—
Though, of course, her feet followed him obediently.
"Ye… do we really have to leave this early?
Did you forget you kept me up until after midnight doing that kind of thing?"
You Ye: "…"
"You kept saying you were bad at it, but you still made me do it over and over."
You Ye: "..."
"And in the end, when you got tired, you made me get on top!"
You Ye: ╰_╯ "Hold it right there!
Could you clarify, please? I meant my drawing skills were bad,
So I asked you to teach me how to draw!
When it turned out hopeless, you took over and finished the shop sketches, remember?"
Last night, after asking Mu Ning some questions about summoning Spirits,
he started sketching his store renovation plans.
Unfortunately, whatever artistic talent the heavens had given him was… minimal at best.
His own drawings were so rough that even he couldn't recognize what he'd drawn.
In the end, he had no choice but to ask Mu Ning for help.
And to his surprise, she was really good at it.
So he'd asked her to teach him — but two hours later, his progress was nonexistent.
They ended up working side-by-side until 2 AM —
He described, she drew, and finally finished the layout.
Then Mu Ning delivered the plans personally to the Inspector Bureau.
"It's fine," Mu Ning yawned softly, resting her head on his arm.
"No matter what kind of Ye you are, I like you all the same."
"Stop with the innuendo," he sighed, ruffling her hair.
"Our ride's already here."
Just ahead, Wu Ping stood beside a sleek luxury car, bowing respectfully as she waited.
"What innuendo? I'm just being honest!" Mu Ning huffed.
"If you weren't still Yellow-rank, Ye, if you were at least Earth-rank,
I wouldn't be this well-behaved!"
"Hah, I'll look forward to that day then."
You Ye smiled faintly, not taking it seriously.
"Good! I'm recording this!"
She suddenly produced her phone, eyes twinkling with little red hearts,
her black wings behind her fluttering lightly.
You Ye could only give a wry smile.
He really didn't take it to heart — after all, Spirits were Spirits.
Sure, there were urban legends about humans and Spirits forming intimate bonds,
but they were just that — legends.
Or so he thought.
He didn't know that those "urban legends" were very real —
and that Mu Ning was absolutely serious.
In this world, humans and Spirits could unite —
But only after a Duelist reached Earth-rank.
Below that, a human's body was too fragile; even with a deep emotional connection,
Such unions often ended in disaster… sometimes even death.
And since the act wasn't done in hostility,
the Duel Rules wouldn't intervene or protect the Duelist.
That's why official institutions like the Duel Association and Inspector Bureau
classified the whole thing as a "myth" —
a way to keep young Duelists safe while leaving them with a little hope.
From a distance, Wu Ping had heard every word.
Her expression didn't change — not a flicker of emotion —
As You Ye approached.
She simply opened the car door respectfully and said,
"Please, Senior."
Then she circled back to the driver's seat and started the car,
heading toward the Bai family's estate.
Inside the car, the roles quickly reversed:
While Mu Ning stayed wide awake,
You Ye, who'd been up half the night, soon fell asleep on her shoulder.
She smiled softly, unfurling her black wings to drape them gently over him like a blanket.
Through the rearview mirror, Wu Ping caught sight of—
and instinctively slowed the car.
She adjusted the route to a quieter one,
ensuring the ride was as smooth and silent as possible.
Two hours later, You Ye stirred awake.
Mu Ning retracted her wings, and he glanced outside.
They were already deep within the Bai family's villa district.
Just as he was about to ask something, Wu Ping's calm voice came:
"Senior, we've arrived. Please, step out."
The door opened—
And Bai Yun'er stood there in a pure white dress, smiling brightly.
Beside her was another girl, with silver-white hair,
wearing what looked like a priestess cosplay outfit.
While Bai Yun'er's face was full of joy,
the white-haired girl eyed You Ye curiously.
Then she turned to Bai Yun'er and asked,
"Yun'er… this is the 'Senior' you mentioned?"
"Yes," Bai Yun'er said with a firm nod.
"Senior is incredible — he understands every archetype perfectly.
My Sword Soul deck only became this strong thanks to him."
The white-haired girl pondered for a moment, then bowed politely.
"Senior, my name is Ye Lingling.
Forgive me if this sounds rude —
But your knowledge of Dueling is so unbelievable,
I had to confirm it for myself."
You Ye smiled, understanding her skepticism.
"That's fine," he said easily.
"I can answer basic questions — but if you want deck-building advice,
that comes with a consultation fee."
"Thank you, Senior." Ye Lingling raised her head slightly.
"Then may I ask —
In my Tearlaments archetype,
how many 'Saint Maidens' exist…
And what are their names?