After arranging the order for the visitor, Nie Shiyun hung up a "Closed" sign and went to the back to consult with Zhai Bairong.
Upon learning that Nie Shiyun’s business had become so renowned, Zhai Bairong was naturally happy for him. However, he shared Nie Shiyun’s concern—Duan Mingyu’s group might also catch wind of this.
"Do you think we should leave?" Zhai Bairong frowned, asking for Nie Shiyun’s opinion.
Nie Shiyun shook his head. "On the contrary, I think staying here is the safest option. As you’ve seen, this trading area started as just a few scattered stalls, but in less than half a year, it has become quite organized."
"True. The people here follow the rules and never resort to violence. Even if there’s a dispute, they take it outside the area to settle it."
Nie Shiyun followed Zhai Bairong’s lead, adding, "It feels a bit strange to say it myself, but I’ve gained a fair amount of prestige here. Even if they find their way here, as long as I treat them with courtesy, what can they do? Unless they want to make enemies of every other cultivator besides the three of them."
Zhai Bairong found his reasoning sound. Considering Nie Shiyun’s cultivation had already reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, he felt they shouldn't simply flee at the mere mention of Duan Mingyu’s name.
"Regarding the matter of Duan Mingyu, I should have made plans sooner," Zhai Bairong said after a long pause, looking at Nie Shiyun. "I’ve made things difficult for you, forcing you to stay hidden like this."
"It really doesn't matter. But you should handle it as you see fit," Nie Shiyun said with a smile.
Since Duan Mingyu had been brought up, the two spoke for a while longer about the Yingyue Sect.
Nie Shiyun had already informed him that in his previous life, the Yingyue Sect had struck after the Hantian Secret Realm closed, once they obtained information about the Immortal Tool. Furthermore, with Duan Mingyu’s cultivation approaching the Great Perfection of the Golden Core, they felt they could no longer delay. Although many things had changed in this life, the fact that the Yingyue Sect would eventually take action remained constant.
Nie Shiyun learned from Zhai Bairong that his master, Qu Zhanmeng, did not seem entirely devoted to the sect’s Ancestor. Hearing these secrets, Nie Shiyun finally understood why the Deity Transformation Ancestor had not personally intervened when Duan Mingyu’s group fled in the original story. If that Ancestor had accompanied Qu Zhanmeng, there would have been no chance for the subsequent counter-kill.
He couldn't help but sigh at how few people in the cultivation world could truly be trusted.
Adopting the mindset of "meeting challenges as they come," the two kept a slight guard up as they observed the passing customers, but generally, their days continued as usual.
Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun had never imagined they could live so leisurely and comfortably within a secret realm. Although the number of customers was limited, high-level artifact refiners were equally scarce. Nie Shiyun had unceremoniously doubled his prices since the shop first opened and no longer bothered with basic spirit herbs, crossing many common plants off his list. Even so, cultivators still happily came to his door, using large quantities of fresh spirit herbs and materials found in the secret realm to trade.
Nie Shiyun felt it was well worth it to trade a bit of labor for high-quality goods that others had braved the freezing cold to find. The cultivators themselves felt it was an even better deal; after all, spirit herbs and materials could be found again, but a refined Dharma treasure could be used for a long time. Word spread that Nie Shiyun’s cultivation had been stable at the Golden Core Great Perfection for some time. If he successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage in the future, his services would be far beyond what minor cultivators could afford. This rumor evolved as it passed from person to person, eventually becoming a claim that Nie Shiyun was about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage any day now and would stop taking orders. Consequently, Nie Shiyun’s business grew even better. Cultivators flocked to him as if attending a clearance sale, offering up the majority of their net worth.
Even Qi Miaohan and her companions, who had traveled to a distant region, heard of Nie Shiyun’s success. They sent their congratulations via transmission crystals and asked when he planned to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage.
Nie Shiyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry; he had no intention of breaking through while inside the secret realm. He had no idea how the news had become so distorted. He had to debunk the rumors for his friends, but as for the other cultivators, he didn't bother correcting them one by one. Firstly, he did indeed plan to break through after leaving the secret realm, and secondly—with the rumors fueling his business, why not take advantage of it?
"Nascent Soul? Really?"
Duan Mingyu’s eyes widened in surprise, filled with disbelief.
"That’s what I heard. It’s likely true," the cultivator across from him gave a forced laugh, his gaze nervously darting toward Xu Yehua, whose expression was shifting between dark and uncertain.
He had been discussing the recent news with his companion, never expecting that their gossip would be overheard and halted by a sect senior like Xu Yehua. Both were juniors from Chiyan Cliff and had never spoken to a high-and-mighty senior like Xu Yehua before, so they were terrified. They answered truthfully, watching Xu Yehua’s expression grow increasingly grim, silently praying that the senior wouldn't take his anger out on them.
Duan Mingyu’s group had been traveling for a long time, and it wasn't as if they had gained nothing. However, the "opportunities" they found were somewhat underwhelming—mostly just decent spirit herbs and materials. Without Zhai Bairong by their side, they felt it was a waste to consume the herbs raw and preferred to wait until they met an alchemist to have them refined.
Furthermore, Duan Mingyu had to stop frequently to take pills to maintain his body temperature. As a result, most of their time was spent on the road, and their cultivation levels had barely increased.
"But I heard he was already at the late stage of the Golden Core, nearly at Great Perfection, before entering the secret realm."
"Then this is far too fast. It’s only been a year, and he’s a dual-root cultivator. This is highly abnormal," Rong Lü frowned.
"Could he have found some extraordinary opportunity in the secret realm?"
"That, we wouldn't know..." The Chiyan Cliff junior saw Xu Yehua’s cold, silent face and inwardly pleaded for Duan Mingyu to stop talking about Nie Shiyun.
However, Duan Mingyu clearly failed to read their silent pleas. He sighed and continued, "Is he with a junior sister from his sect and Qi Miaohan from Pinyin Pavilion?"
The two cultivators exchanged a look. Seeing the inexplicable look of disgust on Duan Mingyu’s face when he mentioned Qi Miaohan, they recalled how this beauty, pampered by a group of men, had been chased and whipped by Qi Miaohan during the Great Cultivation Assembly. They understood immediately.
What they didn't know was that the grudge had only deepened since then.
"We haven't heard anything about that. Aside from him, there’s only another fellow disciple helping out in the shop. I heard people say the two of them seem quite close—perhaps they are Dao companions."
"Ah, so he has a Dao companion..."
Duan Mingyu pursed his lips, his heart feeling complicated. He had lost a great deal of face because of Nie Shiyun at the Great Cultivation Assembly and had been angry for a long time. He remembered that Nie Shiyun had once pursued him frantically long ago, but back then, he had no interest and had rejected him decisively. Now, Nie Shiyun was the highest-cultivated among the younger generation, and his artifact refining skills were said to be top-tier. Duan Mingyu couldn't understand how a person could change so much. Regardless, Nie Shiyun had long since become cold and indifferent toward him. Comparing the past to the present, Duan Mingyu couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness.
With a loud *crack*, the group turned their heads. The hair on the two Chiyan Cliff cultivators stood on end. The tree trunk Xu Yehua had been leaning against had cracked and was snapped clean through by his internal energy.
Duan Mingyu finally remembered how much Xu Yehua loathed Nie Shiyun. He hurried over to comfort him. "I’ve always felt my intuition is quite accurate. Since we’ve wandered the secret realm for so long without finding anything special, I doubt this realm holds any great opportunities. He is the nephew of his sect’s leader, unlike those of us who joined later. I expect the resources they gave him were exceptionally good."
"..."
His first few sentences had comforted Xu Yehua somewhat, but the last sentence only succeeded in making Xu Yehua even more irritated. He had joined his sect as a child and had always been favored by Chiyan Cliff because he was the most talented of his generation; one could say he was treated no differently than the sect leader’s own son. But in recent years, his advantage had been overtaken. Although everyone at Chiyan Cliff still gave him extra attention, some dissatisfaction had begun to surface.
"Senior... Senior Xu, do you have any other instructions...?" the Chiyan Cliff disciple asked timidly.
Xu Yehua took a deep breath, looking at the two disciples with even more suppressed rage. "No. You may go."
As if granted a grand amnesty, the two hurriedly bowed, stepped onto their flying tools, and departed.
"Shall we go take a look?" Rong Lü ignored Xu Yehua and turned to ask Duan Mingyu.
"I heard that after all this time, the trading area has become much more prosperous. If we go now, maybe we can find someone to help us refine pills!" Duan Mingyu felt melancholy just thinking about it. His Senior Brother really hadn't contacted him again, as if he had vanished into thin air.
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized Xu Yehua might be displeased. He quickly turned to add, "But Yehua, what do you think? If there’s no need to go, we’ll continue exploring to the south."
"We’re going. Why wouldn't we?" Xu Yehua gave a dry laugh. "Wandering around aimlessly won't yield anything good anyway; it’s just a waste of time."
Duan Mingyu’s face turned pale, feeling the sting in Xu Yehua’s words. Duan Mingyu believed his intuition was very accurate, so he was always the one leading the way. Xu Yehua’s words sounded like he was blaming him.
Just as he was about to feel aggrieved, Xu Yehua dropped a line—"I’m a bit frustrated, let me be alone for a while"—and walked off into the distance. Duan Mingyu remained where he was, his mouth pouting, looking as though he were stifling a sob.
Rong Lü’s brow furrowed as he tightened his fists. But knowing Duan Mingyu didn't want to see the two of them argue, he waited a moment before whispering, "Don't be sad because of him. You’ve seen it yourself; his temper has been getting shorter lately."
"..." Duan Mingyu gave a soft "Mhm."
"If he feels we are just wandering aimlessly, why don't we just split up? It would be more pleasant for everyone," Rong Lü suggested. Of course, he had his own selfish motives. He dearly missed the days when he had reunited with Duan Mingyu in the Misty Secret Realm; back then, Zhai Bairong wasn't by his side, and Xu Yehua hadn't appeared yet. It was just the two of them.
However, upon hearing Rong Lü’s suggestion, Duan Mingyu did not agree as he had before. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Forget it. Although his words were a bit harsh, he probably didn't mean any harm. Like you said, he’s just been in a bad mood lately for some reason... we should just be more patient with him."
"...As you wish." Rong Lü nodded reluctantly. He decided to maintain the status quo, and the three of them set off toward the trading area they had visited once before.
