Gu Yue remained silent, her brows furrowed as she stared at Qin Lu without a word, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Qin Lu was tense all over, his palms slightly sweaty. His right hand hung naturally at his side, already prepared for combat.

He couldn’t afford to be careless. After all, the stunningly beautiful woman before him, who appeared delicate and fragile, was actually at the peak of Qi Refining!

This was information Qin Lu had carefully gathered near the western wall yesterday. It was this discovery, along with those familiar eyes and brows, that confirmed Gu Yue’s identity beyond any doubt.

She was the “Tigress” who had once thrown the market into chaos!

But Qin Lu wasn’t afraid. Given his current strength, he was confident he could hold his own even against a peak Qi Refining cultivator.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, what are you talking about? With my mere third-level Qi Refining cultivation, how could I possibly pass through your concealment array without a sound? You must have mistaken me for someone else,” Gu Yue said calmly, standing her ground.

“How could I mistake you? Fellow Daoist Gu’s cultivation must be at the peak of Qi Refining, and if I had to guess, you’re also wearing an artifact that conceals your true cultivation level.”

As he spoke, Qin Lu’s gaze shifted to the silver bracelet on her fair wrist.

The implication was clear.

Noticing Qin Lu’s stare, Gu Yue raised her arm and shook the bracelet on her wrist, shaking her head helplessly.

“It seems I was deceived after all. The person who sold it to me boasted endlessly, claiming that wearing this artifact would make it impossible for anyone to discern my exact cultivation level. Who would have thought Fellow Daoist Qin would still see through it?”

“So… you admit you’re the Tigress?” Qin Lu asked blankly.

“Hmph!” Gu Yue snorted coldly, flicking her sleeve as she sat back down in the chair. “I told you before, I don’t like that nickname!”

“Ah… right, right! My apologies for misspeaking!” Qin Lu hurriedly apologized.

Seeing that Gu Yue showed no intention of attacking, Qin Lu relaxed slightly and also sat back down.

The coldness on Gu Yue’s face had now faded, replaced by a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. She raised her teacup and took a small sip before speaking casually.

“Fellow Daoist Qin has quite the memory. It’s been months since that night when I entered your courtyard to evade pursuers. I never expected you’d remember such a trivial matter.”

This was no trivial matter…

Qin Lu silently grumbled to himself. That incident had kept him on edge for a long time, constantly worrying that someone might break into his home with ill intentions.

It was precisely because of this vigilance that he had managed to detect the assassin sent by Wu Hao in time and narrowly escape disaster.

“Fellow Daoist Gu possesses an elegant demeanor and formidable cultivation. Though I only saw you once, the memory remains vivid,” Qin Lu offered a compliment.

“Hehehe, you certainly know how to flatter. It seems Fellow Daoist Qin is not only cautious but also possesses exceptional attention and memory.”

“You flatter me!”

“And your cultivation speed…” Gu Yue looked Qin Lu up and down curiously. “I remember that night when I saw you, you were only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Now you’ve already reached the late stage of Qi Refining?”

“Only a few months have passed in between. How did you progress so quickly?”

Qin Lu straightened up and replied seriously, “That is a personal opportunity of mine. It wouldn’t be appropriate to discuss it in detail.”

Seeing this, Gu Yue nodded lightly and indeed refrained from pressing further.

Silence fell between them once more.

Observing Gu Yue’s calm expression, Qin Lu’s thoughts churned. After a moment of contemplation, he asked with a hint of jest.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, now that I’ve discovered your secret today, you’re not planning to silence me for good, are you?”

Hearing this, Gu Yue—who had maintained a cool demeanor—suddenly burst into laughter.

“Haha, why would I kill you? I’m not some evil cultivator; how could I be so brutal? Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of person,” Gu Yue said lightly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Lu carefully recalled his memories. Indeed, he had never heard any rumors about the Tigress committing murder.

It seemed she only engaged in theft, repeatedly stealing items from various shops and playing the four major powers and the Wuji Sect like puppets on strings. There had never been any reports of casualties.

Qin Lu nodded gently and thought for a moment before asking another question. “Then why did you steal things back then? Was it really as the rumors say—some kind of twisted psychological urge to steal?”

Hearing this, the smile vanished from Gu Yue’s face as she replied with exasperation, “Hmph, don’t believe everything you hear. There were reasons behind it, but the details aren’t something I can share with you.”

“Uh…”

Rejected with the same reasoning he had used earlier, Qin Lu was momentarily speechless. Seeing her reaction, he could only say helplessly, “Alright.”

Gu Yue slowly stood up and said softly, “Now that you’ve discovered my identity today, there’s nothing more for me to say. I just hope you won’t spread this around. I don’t want to attract unnecessary trouble.”

Qin Lu also stood up and clasped his hands in response. “Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Gu. I will definitely keep this matter confidential.”

“Very well. I’ll take my leave now!” Gu Yue immediately turned to depart.

“I’ll see you out!” Qin Lu quickly followed.

After seeing off his guest and returning to the reception hall alone, Qin Lu drained his teacup in one gulp, a look of reflection on his face.

“This place really is too small… To think we’d run into each other like this…”

“Speaking of which, their sibling duo has truly monstrous cultivation talent. They look to be only around twenty years old—one at the ninth level of Qi Refining and the other at its peak! How did they manage that?”

“Who would have thought that the female thief nicknamed ‘Tigress’ would look so refined and dignified… And her appearance is actually quite pleasing…”

Sitting in his chair, Qin Lu let his thoughts wander wildly for a while.

After pondering for a moment longer, he shook his head and stood up to head toward his room.

“Don’t worry too much about others…”

“Cultivate! Grinding proficiency is what matters most!”

Thanks to hunting many spirit beasts for meat, Qin Lu no longer worried about food supplies at home. Thus, he once again secluded himself indoors, grinding away as the days passed by uneventfully.

A few days later, sudden bursts of firecrackers and noisy commotion erupted on the streets. Hearing this, Qin Lu quickly sent Steward Chen out to investigate.

Soon, Steward Chen returned with good news.

The four Foundation Establishment cultivators who had gone to nearby markets to purchase Spirit Rice had finally returned!

And they brought back large quantities of Spirit Rice!

The influx of ample Spirit Rice into Wuji Market immediately drove down the exorbitant food prices, restoring them to normal levels. Thus, the month-long Spirit Stone crisis in Wuji Market finally came to an end.

Countless Loose Cultivators expressed their gratitude, shedding tears of relief.

Wuji Market gradually returned to peace.