Taking a detour back to the square, Nie Shiyun observed his surroundings from the shadows, looking for anything suspicious among the Lan family cultivators.
"Hey, there he is."
"Oh, that’s him? I heard he’s already been recruited by the Lan family."
"It must be true!"
The crowd hadn't yet realized that the opponent's workstation in the previous match had been tampered with. However, the morning's events had been so peculiar that within half a day, the rumors had fermented to an unexpected degree. People spoke with absolute certainty, claiming that Nie Shiyun was guaranteed a top spot by the Lan family and would soon become their next star pupil.
Nie Shiyun pretended not to hear, walking away under the collective gaze of the crowd.
He didn't bother questioning a random Lan family cultivator in such a gossipy environment. Instead, he made a point of going directly to the Lan family’s main estate. Since the crowds were gathered at the square, other parts of the city were relatively quiet.
"May I see the person in charge of this competition for the Lan family?" Nie Shiyun asked.
The guard looked up and studied Nie Shiyun’s face for a moment, looking puzzled. It seemed he didn't recognize him at all.
Nie Shiyun gave his name. The guard nodded, but his expression remained blank, showing no sign of "sudden realization." He simply stated that Nie Shiyun had no appointment and, according to the rules, needed to submit a formal request and wait for approval before meeting with high-ranking cultivators.
Nie Shiyun thanked him and left. He hadn't actually intended to visit the Lan family; he just wanted to see their attitude toward him. Was it possible, as the rumors suggested, that they were trying to curry favor with him but using the wrong methods?
After this trip, he was certain the Lan family had no such intentions. Otherwise, they would have approached him long ago, and there was no reason he would be barred at the door when visiting in person.
Nie Shiyun walked back, deep in thought. Not knowing what the Lan family was plotting made him uneasy. He even hesitated over whether he should immediately claim the rewards for winning his two matches today.
"Yo, isn't this that country bumpkin from before?"
Nie Shiyun looked up to see Ao Fan walking toward him. Last time, the man hadn't even deigned to look at him, yet today he recognized him and even initiated conversation. Although he still held his nose in the air, Nie Shiyun couldn't help but feel surprised.
"Why are you just standing there? Why haven't you greeted Young Master Ao Fan?" a Lan family attendant standing behind Ao Fan prompted. He was doing it for Nie Shiyun’s sake; if Ao Fan got angry, everyone would suffer.
"At ease," Ao Fan waved his hand grandly, wearing a smug expression of "look how magnanimous I am."
Nie Shiyun’s lip twitched as he gave a perfunctory bow. He wondered if this guy truly thought he was a crown prince.
From what he knew, although the leader of the Dragon Clan was somewhat fond of this youngest son, dragons were notoriously lecherous. The Dragon Emperor had more children than one could count on two hands; Ao Fan was just one of many. Perhaps the reason he insisted on lording it over humans was to satisfy this unique sense of superiority.
"I heard you won twice today, even defeating a Grade Three refiner from the Lan family. Then you had another great victory in the afternoon. Everyone says you're a rare rising star among the middle-tier refiners. Even I’ve started to see you in a new light!"
Nie Shiyun’s ears nearly fell off in shock when he heard Ao Fan say this.
"It was only because the senior refiner from the Lan family had business and couldn't attend. If they had been there, how could I have had such an opportunity? The afternoon was also just a stroke of luck..." Nie Shiyun didn't know what Ao Fan was playing at, so he answered truthfully, pretending he didn't know his afternoon opponent's workstation had been sabotaged.
"You're being far too humble. Do you know how many refiners from the Lower Realm struggle at the bottom for years without progress? You're the first of your kind I've seen!" A flash of displeasure crossed Ao Fan’s face, as if he didn't want to hear Nie Shiyun’s deflections.
*You've only been in the Middle Realm for a few decades yourself,* Nie Shiyun thought to himself. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to play along. "Is that so? I thought it was just luck. Could it be that I really am more talented than the other refiners here?"
"What do you all think?" Ao Fan asked the Lan family cultivators beside him, looking satisfied.
The cultivators nodded repeatedly, showering Nie Shiyun with extravagant praise. According to them, Nie Shiyun was practically a once-in-a-century genius.
Nie Shiyun: "..."
It seemed today's events in the competition were definitely linked to Ao Fan.
Seeing Nie Shiyun standing there looking lost in thought, Ao Fan was satisfied. He patted Nie Shiyun on the shoulder with the air of a senior, offering some encouraging words like "you certainly have a bright future," before turning to leave with his attendants.
While they were still within earshot, Nie Shiyun heard Ao Fan say to his companions, "Go send word. We're going to the restaurant later, the usual spot. Also, I wasn't very satisfied with those female cultivators from before; go find me two new ones."
"Young Master Ao Fan, you have to compete starting tomorrow. Shouldn't you get some rest today...?"
Facing the cultivator’s well-meaning advice, Ao Fan was dismissive. "Are you suggesting opponents of that level are worth my effort? Don't be so pessimistic!"
"Yes... my apologies for overstepping."
As the group walked further away, Nie Shiyun could no longer hear their conversation. He frowned slightly. He felt that if he didn't figure out what Ao Fan was up to, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.
The Lan family estate was heavily guarded, but if Ao Fan was going to a restaurant with only a few attendants, eavesdropping would be much easier. Although he wasn't used to doing such things, since the other party had made the first move, Nie Shiyun had no qualms. He immediately set out to find which restaurant Ao Fan frequented.
Fortunately, Ao Fan’s reputation in the city was poor—or rather, abysmal. Many people whispered about him behind his back. The Lan family was well aware of this, but since they owned businesses all over the city, they turned a blind eye as long as Ao Fan himself didn't find out. Thanks to this, it didn't take long for Nie Shiyun to find the restaurant and the location of Ao Fan’s usual private room.
He had originally intended just to try his luck, but for some reason—perhaps because the cultivators of Pinghe City had lived in peace for too long—there were no restrictions or arrays around the restaurant. As the sun set and the light dimmed, Nie Shiyun took advantage of the timing to easily slip into the empty private room from the outside.
The rest was simple. As long as his information was correct, Nie Shiyun just needed to find a blind spot to drop his jade pendant and then enter the pendant's space to observe.
After everything was set, a long time passed before hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.
Ao Fan hadn't arrived yet, but the restaurant kitchen had already begun preparing his favorite foods, and the invited female cultivators arrived ahead of time. Seeing this, Nie Shiyun knew he was in the right place. After waiting for another half hour, as fine wine and delicacies were laid out and four or five beautiful young women lined up, the "protagonist," Ao Fan, finally made his grand entrance.
The same cultivators from earlier were still with him. Upon entering the room, they habitually set up a restriction and scanned the surroundings.
None of them could have imagined that a suspicious person was already on the scene. Even high-grade invisibility treasures might be detected, but the jade pendant space where Nie Shiyun hid was the opposite—it wasn't even Mortal grade. To an outsider, it appeared to be nothing more than an object devoid of spiritual energy. Even a Golden Immortal wouldn't be able to sense it.
Once they confirmed everything was clear, the attendants stood by the wall. Only Ao Fan sat down, flanked by women, eating, drinking, and occasionally chatting with the cultivators behind him. Looking at the numb expressions of the cultivators by the wall, Nie Shiyun guessed they were long used to this.
For the first hour, Ao Fan truly did nothing but indulge in pleasure. He flirted with the women, made everyone tell him interesting stories, and penalized them with drinks if they failed. Half of the top-tier dishes on the table went untouched—a massive waste.
Inside the jade pendant, Nie Shiyun wasn't in a hurry. The worst-case scenario was that he would learn nothing today and simply head back after watching Ao Fan fool around for a few hours. Aside from being bored, he had nothing to lose.
"Young Master Ao Fan is competing tomorrow. I'll be cheering for you," one of the beautiful women said softly after several rounds of drinks.
"Me too."
"And me..."
As soon as she spoke, the other women followed suit. Ao Fan claimed "there's no need to make a fuss over such a small thing," but he looked very pleased.
Nie Shiyun’s mind wandered, thinking that this little dragon brat was probably around the same age as Xuan Yang. This guy was here surrounded by women and had likely been indulging for decades or even centuries, while his own boy probably hadn't even managed a kiss yet. Though neither side was human, he still had to say—comparisons really were odious.
"Every year it's just competing against a bunch of old fogies. It's incredibly boring!" Ao Fan complained. At his words, the expressions of several women beside him stiffened. Those refiners were hundreds of years older than Ao Fan, but for cultivators, that was normal. Several of the women were also hundreds of years old; was Ao Fan implying they were old hags too?
Unable to voice their anger, they could only nod with forced smiles.
"Oh, but I found a new toy this year! Do you know about that country bumpkin from the Lower Realm? He offended me the day before yesterday, but I’m very magnanimous and didn't hold it against him. Not only that, I even gave him a hand behind the scenes to help him advance."
Nie Shiyun started. He hadn't expected to get to the point so suddenly. He had been lounging in a chair inside the jade pendant, but now he sat up straight to listen closely.
"Why is that?" a woman asked, puzzled. In truth, they weren't interested, but Ao Fan had "ask me what happened" written all over his face, so they had to play along.
"Because it's fun!" Ao Fan said triumphantly. "I said I’d let him win all the way to the finals, making everyone think he’s a genius with great potential! It’s best if he starts believing it himself. Then, just when everyone thinks he’s going to win it all, I’ll successfully defend my title. How about that? Isn't it an interesting story?"
"Isn't he just a Grade Two refiner? He should know his own limits," the woman closest to Ao Fan said, frowning.
Ao Fan wagged a finger. "What do you women know? He’s from that dump in the Lower Realm; he knows nothing about the situation in the Middle Realm. He’s honest and dull—the easiest kind of person to fool. Let him think the refiners in the Middle Realm are all frauds, only to suffer a crushing defeat at my hands. That’s where the drama is!"
*Honest? Dull?*
Nie Shiyun scrutinized himself from head to toe inside the space. Perhaps because he truly hadn't known how to react to Ao Fan’s behavior before and had remained silent, he had left the man with such a ridiculous impression.
However, being described that way for the first time was actually quite amusing to Nie Shiyun. He continued to listen.
Meanwhile, the Lan family cultivators nearly rolled their eyes in a corner where Ao Fan couldn't see. *The refiners in the Middle Realm are all frauds? Ao Fan himself is the biggest fraud here...*
Watching this room full of people with their own hidden agendas, with only Ao Fan talking incessantly, Nie Shiyun began to form a plan.
He had thought there was some grand conspiracy, but it turned out to be such a shallow reason. Nie Shiyun, who had felt he was in danger earlier, immediately relaxed. He considered that perhaps he should just play along. Regardless of whether he won or lost in the end, the rewards for each match were real.
However, cooperating with Ao Fan was out of the question. Even if he could find a way to make Ao Fan agree to help him, Nie Shiyun wouldn't dare entrust such an important matter to a fellow like this.
Nie Shiyun narrowed his eyes. He remembered what Madam Shang had said: besides enlisting the help of the four beast clans in person, one could also use items containing their bloodline power, such as blood or scales...
Nie Shiyun knew how difficult this was. When Xuan Yang returned to his true form, he would shed feathers like a normal bird, but naturally shed feathers seemed to have lost their vitality, containing very little Phoenix power. Only those torn off by force in a healthy state or lost during battle held the purest spiritual energy.
If he forcibly tore a scale off Ao Fan, the consequences would be self-evident—Ao Fan would likely want to kill him on the spot.
But from this man, Nie Shiyun could see the general attitude of the Dragon Clan toward humans. He believed he wouldn't get a second chance like this.
Ao Fan’s cultivation wasn't high, and he was currently isolated, far away from the high-ranking dragons of the Upper Realm. If he couldn't manage it here, it would only be harder in the Upper Realm; he might not even be able to get near the Dragon Clan’s territory.
Ao Fan had a good tolerance for alcohol. The more he drank, the more excited he became, prattling on to the humans. He was completely unaware that the cultivator he thought he was playing with was, at this very moment, secretly coveting his dragon scales.
***
