Even if Tianshi Mansion was guarded by a Golden Core cultivator, it hardly mattered.

A mere Golden Core couldn’t possibly intimidate Li Meng. If money and artifacts couldn’t suppress the threat, he had other means. Given Martial Aunt Wen’s protective—if somewhat possessive—temperament, she was undoubtedly shadowing him from the shadows. And where Wen Huanhuan went, Senior Han usually followed.

It was even possible his nominal Master was lurking in the void somewhere.

Li Meng glanced casually at the empty sky, an indifferent smile playing on his lips.

Master probably isn’t here, though.

His Master didn’t seem particularly fond of him. She likely lacked the patience to babysit her only disciple while he idled away his time in the secular world.

He didn’t have to wait long. Roughly ten minutes later—the time it took to finish a cup of tea—a brilliant streak of sword-light erupted from one of the mansion’s upper windows. It arced through the air, diving toward the main gate with precision.

“Senior!”

The rider was none other than Xia Xi. Her voice, brimming with delight, reached the gate long before she did.

The guards immediately straightened, bowing deeply with cupped hands. “Senior Sister!”

Xia Xi descended, the wind from her landing kicking up dust as she came to a halt in front of Li Meng. Her beautiful eyes widened with pleasant surprise, sparkling like stars.

“Senior, you… how did you find me?”

Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and her gaze flickered with shyness. The moment she laid eyes on him, memories of that night flooded her mind. The heat, the proximity… it was simply too embarrassing to dwell on.

Li Meng offered a warm, beaming smile, taking in the sight of her.

Today, Xia Xi wore a form-fitting yellow martial dress that hugged her frame, perfectly outlining the slender curve of her waist. She radiated an aura that was equal parts pure maiden and lively cultivator.

Xia Xi took a deep breath to steady her racing heart, then cupped her hands in a formal salute.

“Senior, my Master requests your presence!”

Li Meng’s eyes narrowed slightly. Master? It seemed the current Tianshi—the Imperial Preceptor—was indeed a Golden Core cultivator.

“I was hoping for as much. Please.”

Xia Xi nodded, turned, and rose into the air, riding the wind upward toward the higher levels of the mansion. Li Meng followed effortlessly, his movements casual and unhurried.

They ascended in tandem, landing gracefully on a wide, open-air platform near the summit of the complex.

“Senior Sister!”

Several cultivators in white robes were gathered on the platform. These were the elite disciples of Tianshi Mansion. Upon seeing Xia Xi, they greeted her respectfully, but their eyes quickly drifted to the stranger behind her.

Curiosity turned to apprehension. They tried to scan Li Meng’s spiritual energy, but it was like peering into an abyss. They couldn’t see through his cultivation level at all.

Unreadable?

The disciples’ expressions shifted. Could he be… a Foundation Establishment Senior?

Realizing their rudeness, they quickly averted their gazes, trembling slightly under the invisible pressure of a superior cultivator.

Xia Xi led Li Meng off the platform and into the winding corridors of the mansion’s inner sanctum. Once they were away from prying eyes, she slowed her pace, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a nervous whisper.

“Senior… you aren’t here to cause trouble for Tianshi Mansion, are you?”

Li Meng glanced down. Seeing her sneaky, worried expression, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

“The Joyous Union Sect and Tianshi Mansion have no quarrel. Do not overthink it, Junior Sister Xia.”

Xia Xi’s footsteps faltered.

Junior… Junior Sister Xia?

Wait. Had she heard that right? Senior called her Junior Sister?

Her expression went through a kaleidoscope of changes. In the cultivation world, mastery dictated seniority. Li Meng was a Foundation Establishment cultivator; strictly speaking, she should be addressing him as ‘Senior Uncle’ or simply ‘Senior’.

For him to use ‘Junior Sister’… was he planning to join Tianshi Mansion?

No, that doesn’t make sense. Even if he joined, a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be an Elder, not a peer to a Qi Condensation disciple like her.

“Senior, did… did you get into trouble at the Joyous Union Sect?”

Xia Xi’s little head began to spin with wild theories.

Had he caused a catastrophe in the Western Desert? Was he expelled? Wait—the Wind Controlling Bead! That was a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure. Was he on the run because he refused to hand it over to the Sect?

Her brows furrowed in distress.

The Joyous Union Sect was a titan in the State of Zhao. Tianshi Mansion might have the protection of the State of Qi, but they were a small pond compared to the ocean that was a major Sect. They couldn’t even dream of ‘wrist-wrestling’ with such a behemoth.

Li Meng watched the panic play out on her face. The girl was clearly spiraling.

“Although I cannot read minds, I can assure you—it is definitely not what you are imagining.”

Xia Xi looked up, startled. Her face burned, turning an exceptionally bright shade of red.

Was she that obvious?

“You will know the reason soon enough,” Li Meng said, his tone smooth and reassuring. “Wild guesses are meaningless.”

Soon enough?

Xia Xi bit her lip. If it wasn’t trouble… and he came specifically to see her Master… and he was calling her ‘Junior Sister’…

A new thought bloomed in her mind, silencing the fear and replacing it with a frantic thumping in her chest.

Could it be… is Senior here to propose marriage?