"Please," Yoriichi gestured to the books.
Elder Shu grunted, grabbing the first book—The Structure of Powers in the North-Western Region. He opened it to a random page in the middle.
"Page 243," Elder Shu read silently, then looked up. "Tell me. What are the three conditions required for the Miteer Clan to establish an auction house in a vassal city? And which year was this decree signed?"
It was an obscure, boring administrative detail. No one memorized this.
Yoriichi didn't hesitate.
"The three conditions," Yoriichi recited, his voice monotone and precise. "One: The city must have a population exceeding fifty thousand. Two: The local lord must grant a tax exemption for the first five years. Three: The city must be located on a major trade route or near a resource point. The decree was signed in the Year 452 of the Imperial Calendar, by Clan Head Miteer Tengshan."
Silence.
Elder Shu's jaw dropped slightly. He looked down at the text. It was word-for-word.
"Luck," the Elder muttered, sweating slightly. He grabbed the second book—History of Southern Empires. He flipped to the end.
"The Chu Yun Empire. What is the primary export of the Poison Valley Sect, and what is the antidote listed for their 'Green Wisp Toxin'?"
"Primary export: Rare poisonous insects and hallucinogenic powders," Yoriichi answered instantly. "The antidote for Green Wisp Toxin requires the root of a Sun-Fire Flower, ground into a paste with the gall of a Rank 2 Water Snake."
Elder Shu's hands began to shake.
He threw the book down and grabbed the last one—the Xiao Clan History.
"The migration!" Elder Shu shouted, desperate to find a flaw. "Who led the vanguard during the Great Migration from the Central Plains, and what was the quote recorded on his tombstone?"
Yoriichi closed his eyes for a split second, accessing the image of the page.
"The vanguard was led by Xiao Xuan's lieutenant, Xiao Amaranth. The quote recorded is: 'We leave the center not in defeat, but to preserve the seed. The fire shall kindle again in the wilderness.'"
The library was deathly silent.
There were no disciples nearby to witness this. Just the stunned Elder, the intrigued girl, and the boy who stood there like a statue.
It wasn't just common memorization. If a normal person forgot a word, they would paraphrase. Yoriichi didn't paraphrase. He recited the text as if he were reading it from the air in front of him.
Elder Shu stared at the boy. The anger drained out of him, replaced by a cold sweat and a heavy sense of awe. He realized he had made a grave error in judgment.
He slowly closed the book. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.
"Young Master..." Elder Shu said, his voice quiet and humbled. "Forgive me for doubting you. I... I have never seen such a talent for retention."
He bowed his head slightly—a gesture of apology from an elder to a junior, something rare in the clan.
"You know right these as your strange reading habit," the Elder murmured, wiping his brow. "But I won't worry. I wouldn't bother you again. The library is open to you."
"Thank you, Elder," Yoriichi bowed back slightly, showing no arrogance in his victory. "Have a good night."
He turned away from the desk.
He saw that Xiao Xun'er was still waiting by the door. She was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite place—like someone watching a complex puzzle box open for the first time.
He walked up to her.
"Enjoyed the show?" Yoriichi asked, a dry humor in his tone. "Let's go. I am starving."
Xun'er blinked, then nodded slowly.
"Yes," she said quietly. "It was... illuminating. I didn't expect this from you, Cousin. Your memory is formidable."
"Hunger sharpens the mind," Yoriichi deflected simply. "Let's go."
They walked out of the library and into the cool evening air.
The path to the dormitories was a winding stone road lined with lanterns that were just beginning to flicker to life. The walk would take a few minutes.
They walked side by side, but the distance between them felt vast.
"Cousin Ning," Xun'er broke the silence, her voice innocent and light. "You seem to have changed a lot in just two days. First the training, now the history. What brought this on?"
It was a trap. A probe.
Yoriichi kept his eyes forward. "Getting beaten half to death changes a man, Cousin. You realize how fragile you are. You realize you know nothing."
"Is that so?" Xun'er tilted her head. "Most people would seek revenge. You seem to seek... preparation."
"Revenge is a byproduct," Yoriichi countered calmly. "Survival is the goal. I realized the world is big. The Xiao Clan is small. If I remain ignorant, I die."
"A mature thought," Xun'er admitted. "But tell me, why the map of the Magic Beast Mountains? Are you planning a trip?"
"Maybe," Yoriichi answered vaguely. "Maybe I just like looking at mountains. They are peaceful."
"Peaceful?" Xun'er chuckled. "They are full of monsters."
"Monsters are predictable," Yoriichi said, his voice dropping slightly. "Humans are not."
Xun'er fell silent at that. The conversation was a dance—a verbal chess match where every innocent question hid a dagger of suspicion, and every answer was a shield.
They reached the intersection near the clan entrance. The path to the dorms crossed the main road leading from the city gates.
As they walked, a figure passed them.
He was wearing a heavy black robe that concealed his entire body, the hood pulled low to hide his face. He smelled faintly of medicinal herbs and the stale air of an auction house.
It was Xiao Yan.
He was returning from the Miteer Auction House, likely having just sold the Foundation Elixir under the guise of his mysterious master. He was tired, on edge, and wary.
He looked up as he passed the couple walking under the lantern light.
He froze.
He saw the violet dress. Xun'er.
And walking beside her, chatting "amiably," was Xiao Ning.
From Xiao Yan's perspective, it looked like an intimate stroll. He saw Xun'er tilting her head toward Ning. He saw Ning speaking calmly to her. They looked... comfortable.
Xiao Yan's frown deepened beneath his hood. A flash of irritation and jealousy spiked in his chest.
"Xiao Ning..." Xiao Yan thought bitterly. "I beat him that day, yet now he walks with her? What are they talking about?"
He saw them as two nobles enjoying the evening.
But the reality was another world entirely.
Yoriichi sensed the gaze as the stranger passed. It felt heavy, yet the aura was strangely hollow—like looking into a fog.
"Strange," Yoriichi thought, his instincts twitching. "I cannot read his cultivation. Someone is like deliberately masking his presence with a high-level soul technique. I can't tell who it is."
He didn't look back. He didn't acknowledge the figure directly, treating him as just another shadow in the night.
"We caught someone's eye," Yoriichi murmured to Xun'er, keeping his voice low. "A masked presence."
"I noticed," Xun'er replied, her voice light and unconcerned. She didn't sense Xiao Yan either; Yao Chen's disguise was perfect. She simply shrugged elegantly. "Ignore him. Perhaps he was just stunned by my beauty? It is a burden I must carry, Cousin."
Yoriichi let out a short, dry chuckle, humoring her arrogance.
"Indeed," Yoriichi replied, lifting his wrapped hands slightly. "Or perhaps he was just confused why a beauty is walking next to a bandaged mummy."
Xun'er giggled softly, a genuine sound of amusement. "Perhaps that too."
They continued walking, leaving the black-robed figure standing alone in the shadows, creating a misunderstanding that would ripple far into the future. Xiao Yan stood there, gripping his fists, unaware that the "flirting" he thought he saw was actually two strategists analyzing him as a potential threat.