Ever since arriving at the top of the ancient pagoda, White Crane and the others had focused their attention entirely on the Buddhist Śarīra and Chen Yue. It wasn't until they saw Chen Yue walk over to a man and personally pour him wine that they noticed the white-robed man sitting on a stone stool in the corner of the hall.
Whether it was White Crane, Zhuo Feng, or Ye Rou, all three clearly remembered that this white-robed man had come with Chen Yue. At the time, they had sensed only Purple Mansion Breath emanating from him, so none of them paid him any mind, assuming he was just a junior follower brought along by Chen Yue.
None of them could have imagined that Chen Yue would address him as Young Master.
The title 'Young Master' was typically a respectful form of address used by servants or maidservants for a noble young lord.
Could it be that this mysterious woman, possessing Dual-Realm Ninefold Flowing Color and Bloodline Breath, was merely a maidservant by this white-robed man's side?
Was that even possible?
The six of them, White Crane and his companions, were all shocked and suspicious, staring intently as they scrutinized him carefully.
This was a young man dressed in simple white cloth robes, his long hair loosely scattered. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, eating demon fruit and drinking Little Tipple.
Could he be this mysterious woman's Young Master?
He wore no ornaments whatsoever.
He carried no magical treasures.
He had no air of nobility about him.
He had no Spiritual Breath either, only Purple Mansion Breath. It was truly just Purple Mansion Breath. White Crane and the other five probed him several times and were absolutely certain that the aura emanating from this person before them was purely that of the Purple Mansion realm.
Ordinary!
He looked utterly ordinary in every way.
If one had to point out something different about him, it was only that he seemed clean. Beyond that, there was nothing special at all.
Because this scene was too bizarre and too unbelievable, none of the six dared to act rashly.
"Sister, you... why are you calling him Young Master? What... what are you trying to do?"
Xiaolian blinked her large eyes, completely unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Hmph! This fellow is simply too detestable. I want to teach him a lesson!"
"Teach him a lesson? But..." Xiaolian looked at the menacing White Crane and the others not far away, then at the leisurely drinking Gu Qingfeng, and worriedly said, "That nouveau riche looks a bit silly, but he's not a bad person. If White Crane and the others find out that nouveau riche is actually Young Lord Chiyan, he'll die a horrible death!"
Silly?
Heavens! Hearing those words, Chen Yue felt like crying but had no tears. She simply couldn't associate the word 'silly' with Gu Qingfeng, and she truly couldn't understand how her little sister had concluded that this guy was 'silly'.
"You silly girl, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I just want to teach him a little lesson! He enjoys watching my spectacle, doesn't he? Well, I'm going to watch his!"
"But... what if... what if White Crane and the others actually make a move..."
"Silly girl, this guy isn't as simple as you think, and he's definitely not 'silly.' Besides, even if he really were silly, I'm here. If I've truly misjudged him, I won't let him get hurt."
Originally, Chen Yue had only intended to test Gu Qingfeng a bit.
However, ever since arriving at the Black-Raven Secret Realm, this guy's words and actions had rubbed her the wrong way.
Too leisurely, too casual, too playful.
He was so leisurely it was as if this wasn't the terrifying Black-Raven Secret Realm, but some transcendent, beautiful fairyland. The whole way, this guy had been admiring the scenery of the secret realm.
He was always so casual, wearing an expression of utter indifference, as if nothing mattered, as if everything in his eyes was just a spectacle. He had merely glanced at the Buddhist Śarīra before losing interest.
What ability did he have?
What gave him the right?
Of course.
Annoyance was just annoyance, and being rubbed the wrong way was just that.
Given Chen Yue's temperament, no matter how much he annoyed her, she wouldn't have said anything. What she truly couldn't stand was that this guy had just been watching her as if she were a spectacle. In all her life, this was the first time someone had treated her like a sideshow.
And yet.
What made Chen Yue grind her teeth in even greater frustration was that even now, this guy was still sitting leisurely on the stone stool. Apart from showing a flicker of helplessness at the beginning, he had... gone back to drinking his Little Tipple.
This couldn't help but give Chen Yue the illusion that this guy didn't take what she was doing now seriously in the slightest, not even a tiny bit.
Damn it!
Bastard!
This young lady wants to see exactly what skills you have that make you so arrogant!
Forcing down the rage in her heart, Chen Yue looked at White Crane and the others and smiled. "What's the matter? Hearing that our Young Master is here, are you scared now? Let me tell you, if you know what's good for you, you'd better kneel and apologize to our Young Master right now." As she spoke, she kept a close watch on Gu Qingfeng's reaction.
To her disappointment, the guy showed no reaction at all, not even blinking an eyebrow. He just continued eating his demon fruit as if nothing was happening.
Damn it!
Chen Yue cursed inwardly, then shouted again, "And let me tell you something else. That Śarīra belongs to our Young Master. Anyone who dares to try and seize it, our Young Master will kill them. It doesn't matter if you're some Tai Xuan Young Lord, or from the Fire Cloud Branch, or from the number one sect—our Young Master doesn't care about any of you!"
Beside her, Xiaolian listened with great embarrassment, secretly transmitting her voice, "Sister, what you're saying is way too exaggerated! You're saying this on purpose, clearly trying to force White Crane and the others to make a move!"
That was correct.
Chen Yue's goal was indeed to provoke White Crane and the others into action. At the same time, she wanted to use this method to observe whether this guy was truly unafraid or just putting on a calm front.
However, while she was testing the waters here, she had actually managed to fool White Crane and the others.
The six of them stood there, none daring to act rashly.
A Chen Yue of unknown strength already made them uncertain. Adding a 'Young Master' to the mix made White Crane and the others even more wary. Although they could all see that the white-robed man only emitted Purple Mansion Breath, Chen Yue kept calling him 'Young Master,' and the white-robed man sat there with such composure, leisurely drinking his Little Tipple. It truly left the six of them unable to gauge the situation.
"A person with only Purple Mansion Breath, and he thinks he can kill me?" White Crane didn't believe it. He stared fixedly at Gu Qingfeng, then said to Zhuo Feng and the others, "She's just stalling for time. Don't be fooled by her. Let's all attack together!"
Zhuo Feng hesitated.
Ye Rou did the same.
Even Da Ze and Da Qing were no exception.
They were all cautious people, and the more cautious they were, the more wary they became.
"I told you she's stalling for time! What are you hesitating for? Let's all attack together!" Seeing Zhuo Feng and Ye Rou hesitate, White Crane flew into a rage. If Zhuo Feng and the others didn't make a move, he didn't dare to go over alone either.
Seeing this situation, Chen Yue felt utterly speechless inside. She had been spouting nonsense, originally hoping to make White Crane and the six of them attack. She never expected to have scared them stiff instead. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to exaggerate even more, preferably enough to dispel their doubts entirely.
"What a joke! Me, stalling for time? Hah." Chen Yue spoke again. "Let me tell you, our Young Master could crush you all like ants. He could make you vanish into dust in an instant. So you'd all better behave. Otherwise, he'll kill every single one of you!"