"Wherever Second Brother goes, I go," Yue Ran immediately chimed in. "If Second Brother refuses to move in with me, I'll move in with you."
"And if I marry a wife and enter the bridal chamber, will you follow me too?"
"Yes!" Yue Ran answered loudly without hesitation. After answering, he immediately realized something was wrong and quickly corrected himself, "I'll go stir up trouble at the wedding feast!"
Xiao Man chuckled, lowering her head. "Alright, stop messing around. As the esteemed Young Sect Master, it's improper to move in with a mere handyman."
"You are not a handyman!" Yue Ran said with a smile. "By the way, Second Brother, why has your cultivation fallen?"
"I was ambushed by that old man. Although I narrowly escaped, my cultivation has dropped by one realm." Xiao Man lied without batting an eye. If she had escaped the ghost realm without paying any price, wouldn't people outside become suspicious?
"Damn it, when I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I'll avenge you."
"Then you must cultivate diligently," Xiao Man said as she served the dishes from the pot. "Wash your hands, come and eat."
"Coming right up!" Yue Ran replied joyfully, quickly washed his hands, set up a table and bowls in the courtyard, and then helped Xiao Man carry the dishes.
Madam Zheng stood behind a pillar, peeking out, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Is that obedient boy, like a dog, our Young Sect Master?"
"Madam Zheng, in the vast Tian Jian Sect, only the Young Sect Master wears fiery red. Everyone else wears white."
"The Young Sect Master is so obedient, not even before Madam was he this obedient!"
"Madam Zheng, don't you think Xiao Qin and the Young Sect Master look a bit alike?" Wang Wu asked curiously.
"Do they look alike? I don't think so." Madam Zheng stared at Xiao Man's face for a long time, then at Yue Ran's face. She couldn't see any resemblance, but Xiao Man's features struck her as familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
Since Xiao Man refused to move into Yue Ran's courtyard, Yue Ran had his belongings moved over, insisting on living with Xiao Man. Unable to refuse, Xiao Man had no choice but to move into Yue Ran's courtyard.
But looking at Yue Ran's empty courtyard, there was no one else besides the two of them!
"Such a large courtyard, and just the two of us?"
"Yes, just the two of us." Yue Ran explained, "I don't like people entering my courtyard, so I always lived alone."
"Who usually does the cleaning?"
"Servants come to clean." Yue Ran pointed to the room next to the main house. "The main house is my room. Second Brother, you can stay in the room next to mine."
"Alright," Xiao Man nodded, his gaze drifting elsewhere. "As the Young Sect Master, shouldn't your courtyard have a separate kitchen?"
"It does," Yue Ran said happily. "It's just that I'm not good at cooking, so I've rarely used it. Once we're settled, I'll take you around."
"Okay."
Xiao Man didn't have many belongings, and everything was soon settled. Yue Ran happily led Xiao Man on a tour of Tian Jian Sect.
When the disciples of Tian Jian Sect saw Yue Ran, they all bowed, their eyes filled with respect and fear. After the two left, they began to whisper amongst themselves, "Who is the person beside the Young Sect Master? He's so bold, isn't he afraid the Young Sect Master will fly into a rage and take his life?"
"He's probably driven mad by the desire for a promotion, not even caring about his own life."
"As mad as the Young Sect Master can be, is he as mad as the Eldest Young Master?" another person said in a low voice. "When the Young Sect Master goes mad, he chooses to hide. But when the Eldest Young Master goes mad, he walks into crowded places."
"This time, the Eldest Young Master's madness caused the deaths of many fellow disciples. The number of people injured by the Young Sect Master's multiple outbursts is less than the number of people killed in one of his frenzies."
"The Young Sect Master doesn't even keep any personal attendants to avoid implicating others, but the Eldest Young Master has a retinue wherever he goes. Once he goes mad, those by his side are the first to suffer."
"Then this person by the Young Sect Master's side..."
"He's probably a new disciple who isn't afraid of death," one of them said, looking back in the direction Yue Ran and Xiao Man had disappeared. "With what just happened in the sect, anyone who dares to be by the Young Sect Master's side at this time must be extraordinary! We ordinary folk should just focus on cultivating and living our lives."
"Yes, we must live our lives well. From now on, let's stay away from these noble young masters. In Tian Jian Sect, the closer you are to the center of power, the faster you die."
After they had walked far away, Yue Xia emerged from his hiding place and followed the direction Yue Ran had left. He found this Xiao Qin very interesting, so close to Yue Ran as if they were one, and even moving into Yue Ran's courtyard. Yue Ran's courtyard had not had anyone enter it since he was seven years old, a period of ten years!
In ten years, the first person to move into Yue Ran's courtyard was a mere handyman disciple!
"Third Young Master."
Yue Xia grabbed the bowing attendant and hid behind a rockery to avoid being discovered by Yue Ran and the others.
"How is the investigation into what I asked you to look into?"
"Reporting to Third Young Master, I have found out. This Xiao Qin is from the Land of Nowhere and is currently apprenticed to Jun Fei'er of Bai Yao Hall. He is an alchemist."
"An alchemist? No wonder he dared to make medicine for Yue Ran." Yue Xia's expression was confused. "What rank is she as an alchemist?"
"Fourth rank."
"A mere fourth rank, no wonder she had to deliver medicine to someone in the middle of the night. She knows that if she delivered it openly, no one would let Yue Ran drink it. Fine, let her stay by Yue Ran's side. A half-baked alchemist, who knows what kind of trouble she might cause? In the end, Yue Ran will be implicated."
"Third Young Master... I..."
"Are you afraid of me?" Yue Xia asked in a low voice.
"This disciple dare not."
"You may go. I will send someone to find you if needed."
"Yes, Third Young Master."
Tian Jian Sect was vast. Yue Ran, leveraging his advantage as the host, took Xiao Man to visit places he found interesting. Meanwhile, Xiao Man took the opportunity to search for suspicious areas.
"Second Brother, this is our Tian Jian Sect's training room," Yue Ran said proudly. "It's not that I'm bragging, but our Tian Jian Sect's training room is among the best on the entire Cang Xuan Continent. Every room is equipped with a spirit gathering array. Cultivating here yields twice the results with half the effort."
"Great sects are indeed different. Bai Yao Hall doesn't have such a training room."
"That's right, the foundation of a great sect is different. What do you say, Second Brother, would you like to stay in Tian Jian Sect?" Yue Ran asked with sparkling eyes, wishing he could agree to Xiao Man staying on his behalf.
Xiao Man just smiled, not answering.
"Second Brother, let me show you my exclusive training room!" Yue Ran pushed Xiao Man inside. Xiao Man clearly felt that the further they went, the more concentrated the spiritual energy became. As the Young Sect Master, Yue Ran naturally enjoyed the best resources.
Yue Ran's training room was very large, and the spiritual energy was extremely dense. "Second Brother, why don't we stay in the training room and cultivate together? That way, you can recover your cultivation as soon as possible."
"Okay."