The two girls let out helpless sighs as they held Lin Chen back, even while he was still shouting and half-waving his sword.

  Their senior sister was undeniably gifted—beautiful, talented, a true genius in cultivation.

  But her mouth?

  Sharp enough to cut people in half.

  Especially when it came to men.

  Not all men—but those around her age seemed to trigger her temper the most.

  And there was a reason.

  Once upon a time, she hadn’t been like this. She used to be calm, even polite. That changed after a certain idiot had relentlessly pestered her, ignoring boundaries and common sense alike. Since then, her patience toward men had dropped straight to zero.

  Now, that old habit was flaring up again.

  “Benefactor, please calm down,” one of the girls said hurriedly, tightening her grip just in case. “We truly apologize for our Senior Sister’s mistake. Please… calm down.”

  Her voice was sincere, almost pleading.

  Lin Chen took a deep breath. Then another.

  The anger in his eyes slowly faded. With a flick of his wrist, the sword vanished back into his storage ring.

  “I’m calm now,” he said, exhaling. “You can let me go.”

  The two girls exchanged glances before loosening their hold. He Xiaolan stepped forward immediately, positioning herself between Lin Chen and the sharp-tongued woman, clearly acting as a human barrier.

  “My name is He Xiaolan,” she said quickly. “This is my junior sister Chen Xinyi.”

  Then she hesitated for half a breath before pointing towards the crazy woman.

  “And… our senior sister, Bai Yuexin.”

  Lin Chen followed her gesture.

  Bai Yuexin stood there with her arms crossed, chin lifted, eyes sharp and unyielding—like she was one wrong word away from starting another fight. Invisible sparks seemed to crackle between her and Lin Chen as their gazes clashed once more.

  “You should learn some manners,” Lin Chen said coldly. “With that mouth of yours, you’ll make more enemies than friends.”

  “I don’t need advice from you,” Bai Yuexin shot back without hesitation.

  Lin Chen’s eyebrow twitched. “You—”

  Bai Yuexin took half a step forward, completely unfazed. “You—”

  The tension spiked again, both of them clearly holding back the urge to throw hands.

  “Can you two stop being childish?” He Xiaolan burst out, rubbing her temples.

  “He started it first,” Bai Yuexin said immediately.

  “She started it first,” Lin Chen said at the exact same time.

  He Xiaolan froze.

  Chen Xinyi, standing to the side, quietly covered her face.

  After five minutes, the situation finally eased—mainly because the two sides were deliberately kept from speaking to each other.

  He Xiaolan took the chance to speak up.

  “So, Brother Lin Chen… you’re from the Starfall Sect?”

  “Yes,” Lin Chen replied simply. He then turned his body slightly. “In that case, goodbye.”

  Staying near Bai Yuexin felt more dangerous to his peace of mind than facing a fierce beast.

  “Brother, please don’t be in such a hurry,” He Xiaolan said, stepping forward and blocking his path.

  Lin Chen stopped and looked at her calmly. “Do you need something from me?”

  She hesitated, then said, “Well… we discovered a rather mysterious place earlier. It seems to hide something valuable, so I was hoping you might join us to explore it.”

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  Lin Chen frowned.

  “Huh? Do I look like a fool?” he said bluntly. “If you truly found such a place, you wouldn’t be inviting others. The three of you would have cleared it out already.”

  In the cultivation world, such invitations usually meant trouble.

  He Xiaolan let out a soft, awkward laugh. “You’re right. But there’s a formation seal guarding the place. None of us can break it. We thought… you might know something about formations.”

  That was the truth. None of the three had any understanding of formations, and Lin Chen—despite his sharp words—had already proven himself trustworthy by saving them earlier.

  Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

  “Is that really the case?” he asked. “Or are the three of you planning something against me?”

  Before He Xiaolan could reply, Bai Yuexin snorted coldly.

  “Hmph. Stop daydreaming,” she said. “You’re not worth that much effort. If I wanted to deal with you, I alone would be enough.”

  Lin Chen slowly turned his head to look at her.

  For a brief moment, the urge to draw his sword resurfaced.

  But Lin Chen suppressed it.

  He knew she wasn’t lying—at least not about one thing. Bai Yuexin’s cultivation was at the 7th stage of Pulse Convergence, far above his own.

  The other two were also 1st stage Pulse Convergence cultivators. If the three of them truly wanted to do something to him, they wouldn’t need tricks or schemes. He would’ve already been dealt with.

  Which meant… there was likely really something there.

  And more importantly, a formation seal.

  That alone piqued his interest.

  Even if he couldn’t open it, Aiva could analyze it. New formations meant new knowledge, and knowledge in the cultivation world was never wasted.

  Lin Chen let out a slow breath.

  “Okay,” he said at last.

  He Xiaolan’s eyes lit up in relief, while Bai Yuexin merely snorted, clearly unimpressed.

  ***

  As they moved through the forest toward the destination, Bai Yuexin suddenly spoke again.

  “Are you hiding your cultivation?” she asked, her gaze sharp.

  Lin Chen glanced at her, slightly puzzled.

  “No. I’m at the ninth stage of Essence Forging. Why would you think I’m hiding it?”

  Bai Yuexin frowned. “That doesn’t explain how you blocked my strike earlier. That move would’ve killed even a third-stage Pulse Convergence cultivator. Yet you survived—and you looked almost fine afterwards."

  “Good instincts,” Lin Chen replied casually. “And my physical body is stronger than normal.”

  She nodded slowly. “That part I believe. Without sharp instincts, you’d already be dead.”

  Lin Chen snorted. “Yet still, someone seems awfully unwilling to admit she nearly killed the benefactor who saved her junior sisters.”

  His tone carried obvious mockery.

  A small bottle suddenly flew straight at his face.

  Lin Chen reacted instantly, catching it mid-air.

  “That’s compensation,” Bai Yuexin said coolly. “Heavenly Dew Pills. A specialty of our sect. They heal internal injuries and remove toxins. Not easy to obtain.”

  Lin Chen looked at the bottle, then back at her.

  “…Thanks. I guess.”

  She’s not as unreasonable as I thought.

  He glanced at her again. “You don’t seem that bad now. So why were you acting like that earlier?”

  Bai Yuexin’s expression darkened slightly. “To test you.”

  “Test me out?"

  “I’ve seen too many men,” she said flatly, “using disgusting tricks to get close to me. Some even staged attacks—arranged people to harm my juniors, then appeared as ‘heroes’ to save them and earn favor.”

  That’s… impressively shameless.

  “So I pushed you,” she continued. “Insulted you. Provoked you. If you swallowed everything calmly, it would mean you were hiding ulterior motives. That kind of patience is creepier than open hostility.”

  Lin Chen finally got it.

  So it wasn’t just a bad mouth—she was testing him.

  He glanced at her again.

  Yep she is beautiful so she must have encountered a lot of scum.

  Too many idiots. Too many schemes. Too many fake heroes.

  No wonder she treated everyone like an enemy first and asked questions later.

  They arrived at the place soon after.

  Lin Chen’s steps slowed as his eyes swept across the scene ahead.

  “…Didn’t you say no one else had found this?” he asked, staring at the crowd gathered before a mountain cave.

  The cave entrance was sealed by a faintly glowing formation, its light spreading across the stone wall like a thin veil. In front of it stood dozens of cultivators—some alone, others in small groups—clearly stuck at the same problem.

  Bai Yuexin frowned. “So much for secrecy. Looks like the scent leaked out.”

  “At least this saves us the trouble of guessing whether it’s real,” He Xiaolan said softly. “If no one can open it, we’ll know the seal isn’t simple.”

  Before Lin Chen could reply, a familiar voice reached his ears.

  “Brother Lin.”

  He turned his head and saw Yan Shou waving at him. Lin Chen walked over and asked casually,

  “Yan Shou. Find anything worth mentioning?”

  Yan Shou shrugged. “Nothing impressive. Some herbs, a few odds and ends.” He tilted his chin toward the cave. “But this place?”

  A faint smile appeared on his face. “This is the real prize.”

  Bai Yuexin wasn’t looking at Lin Chen or Yan Shou anymore.

  Her expression stiffened.

  She felt it again—

  A sticky, possessive, disgusting gaze crawling over her like filth.

  Her eyes snapped toward the crowd, sharp and cold—and immediately locked onto the source.

  Li Zhen.

  Chief disciple of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.

  And the single greatest reason her patience toward men had steadily eroded over the years.

  He stood there in ornate robes, sword at his waist, surrounded by a cluster of obedient followers. The moment his eyes found her, his smile bloomed—smooth, confident, and utterly revolting.

  He walked over without hesitation.

  “My dear Yue’er,” Li Zhen said warmly, as if they were old lovers. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”

  Bai Yuexin’s eyes turned cold. “Don’t call me that. And stop talking like we’re close. We’re not.”

  Li Zhen chuckled, unbothered. “Why be shy? We’re destined to become partners sooner or later.”

  “No,” she said, her tone flat. “And even if I ever thought about marriage—which I won’t—you’d be the last person I’d choose.”

  His smile faltered for the briefest moment.

  Then his eyes moved.

  They stopped on Lin Chen, who had just arrived, walking over with a woman at his side.

  Something in his expression quietly changed.

  “…And who is that?” Li Zhen asked, his tone light but edged with something sharp. “Why is he with you?”

  The killing intent slipped out, thin but unmistakable.

  Bai Yuexin felt anger surge in her chest.

  This was exactly why she despised him.

  To Li Zhen, she wasn’t a person. She was property. Something already claimed in his mind. Any man near her was an insult—something to be erased.

  Jealous. Petty. Self-centered.

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