You’re Asking Me? Who Should I Ask?

Why? Why did it have to be like this?

Di Yao had assumed her greatest rival was the “Fox.” Now that her Master had reincarnated and the Fox was out of the picture, logic dictated that she—the one who found him first—held the ultimate advantage. So why had an outsider managed to snatch the lead?

Di Yao stared at Mu Li, swaying like a lost soul. She drifted forward instinctively, deaf to Hou Xingyue’s inquiries and blind to Lin Shao’s greeting. Her entire universe had narrowed down to this silver-haired girl.

As she drew closer, Mu Li’s charm became even more palpable. Her skin, fairer than sheep’s milk, looked delicate enough to break with a touch, and her silver hair shimmered with a soft luster in the sunlight. But the most arresting thing was her aura—a detached, ethereal quality that seemed entirely untainted by the mortal world.

A beautiful girl indeed… but Master doesn’t fall for that, Di Yao thought desperately. None of us disciples are inferior to her in looks, yet I’ve never seen Master moved by anyone. There must be another reason he’s keeping her around.

She’s blind. That’s it! Master saw her disability and took pity on her. He’s just looking after her for a while. Once her eyes are healed, he’ll send her away.

Yes, it has to be that!

Di Yao reached Mu Li’s side, pressing one hand against the girl’s back and hooking the other under her arm, attempting to lift her up.

“Sister, you must be uncomfortable here. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll arrange a far more luxurious residence and summon the most famous physicians in the capital to treat your eyes.” There was only one thought in her mind: get this woman away from her Master, as far as humanly possible.

Seeing this, Hou Xingyue chuckled. “Why are you being so pushy? The Boss and the Lady Boss are a lovey-dovey young couple; they’d never want to be apart.”

Lovey-dovey young couple?

At those words, Di Yao’s body physically recoiled. A cocktail of shock, sorrow, jealousy, and rage surged through her, leaving her face a mask of conflicting emotions.

Flap, flap!

As Di Yao’s aura fluctuated, the fat parrot hiding by the table sensed the danger. It bolted for the second floor, wings beating frantically until it reached the safety of the innermost room. Simultaneously, Shao Qingnü, who had just stepped inside, felt a bone-chilling shiver. Her intuition screamed at her to turn around and run—this was a storm she should not be part of.

“Sect Master!” Hou Xingyue saw Shao Qingnü and practically leaped out of his chair. He stood frozen, his mind a total blank.

Shao Qingnü heard his shout and realized he was a Wan Jian Pavilion disciple, though she had no memory of him. With thousands of disciples, she only remembered the elites; an outer disciple like Hou Xingyue barely registered on her radar.

“Young Miss…” As Li Zhuwen followed her in, Hou Xingyue greeted her as well. However, his voice was faint; the “No Regrets” talk he’d just had with Lin Shao made him feel strangely guilty facing her now.

Li Zhuwen remained as cold as ever. She leaned in and whispered something to Shao Qingnü. Shao Qingnü gave an “Oh” of realization, looking at Hou Xingyue again. She remembered now—this was the boy who lacked talent but stayed in the outer sect because Zhuwen had pleaded for him.

Why is he here? She wanted to ask, but the atmosphere was far too volatile.

As Shao Qingnü remained silent, the room turned agonizingly stiff. Hou Xingyue was frozen by the presence of his superiors; Shao Qingnü saw Di Yao’s darkening expression and didn’t dare breathe for fear of drawing fire; Li Zhuwen was silent by nature and chose to stay that way.

On the other side, Di Yao was reeling from the “lovey-dovey couple” comment, her face shifting between shadow and light as she gripped Mu Li’s arm. Mu Li, however, remained serene. Even under that iron grip, she showed no emotion, merely keeping her hands open to balance herself.

Everyone was locked in their own thoughts, silent and unmoving. Only Lin Shao, who had no idea what was actually happening, felt like time had been paused.

What’s the deal? Why is everyone so wound up?

“Um…” The moment he spoke, every eye in the room snapped to him. Lin Shao cleared his throat and waved a hand. “Everyone, please, sit down.”

As soon as he finished, Mu Li spoke. Her voice was light, seemingly meant only for Di Yao: “Lin Shao and I are neither a couple nor lovers. We are merely brought together by fate, and nothing more.”

Di Yao’s eyes lit up. The gloom in her heart evaporated instantly. She gave Mu Li a long look and whispered, “Is that true?”

Mu Li didn’t answer. She gently pried Di Yao’s hand off her arm and stood up to face Lin Shao. “You have guests. You take the main seat; I will go prepare some tea.”

“Should I do it?” Lin Shao started to rise, but Mu Li stopped him.

“Mine tastes better.” With that, she vanished behind the curtain.

Is she saying my tea is trash? Lin Shao felt a bit dejected. He scooted his chair to the center of the desk—the host’s position—and smiled at Di Yao, pointing to the chair on his right. “Don’t be shy, take a seat.”

Di Yao had wanted to sit right next to him, especially since Mu Li had ignited her competitive spirit. But since Lin Shao had already designated a chair, she had no excuse to refuse and sat on the right with a hint of regret.

Lin Shao then smiled at the standing Shao Qingnü and pointed to the chair on his left. “Please.”

Shao Qingnü hurriedly sat down. Hou Xingyue and Li Zhuwen, following proper etiquette, stood tall and straight behind her, one on each side.

So this is the man the Empress loves, Shao Qingnü thought, observing Lin Shao. He had a natural, easy smile, and every movement seemed effortless, as if he held the world in his hand.

Most importantly, she couldn’t gauge his strength. As the Sect Master of the Wan Jian Pavilion, she couldn’t sense even a flicker of True Qi from him. This meant the man had refined his Qi to the absolute limit, hiding it within his body without a trace.

Where did this master come from? Why have I never heard of him?

As she wondered, she noticed Lin Shao looking at her. His eyes held a strange glint, and his smile turned slightly peculiar.

He can read my mind! She was terrified. She had just questioned his identity, and he immediately looked over with a knowing, slightly smug smile. Shao Qingnü quickly averted her eyes, silently reciting scriptures to clear her mind.

The Sect Master of Wan Jian Pavilion is actually a loli? And a really cute one at that? Lin Shao tried to keep his expression neutral, but he felt incredibly weird knowing this little girl was likely centuries older than him.

“Young Master Lin, regarding the matter of the Lingxu Sword… there has been an accident.” Seeing Lin Shao’s attention on Shao Qingnü, Di Yao felt another twinge of discomfort and spoke up to pull his focus back.

“What happened?” Lin Shao asked.

Di Yao relayed the trouble Shao Qingnü had described in the palace. Shao Qingnü added a few details. Once they finished, Di Yao asked:

“So, I wanted to ask for your advice, Young Master Lin. What should we do?”

Lin Shao really wanted to scream, ‘Are you kidding me? How would I know?!’ But with four pairs of eyes watching him with such profound expectation, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

But… he truly didn’t have a clue!