After that, on the way back, Sui You was completely dejected.
Seeing Sui You like that, Qi Nian’s red lips curved upwards, and she couldn’t help but find it amusing, “Who told you to joke around without even finding out who the person in front of you was? Now look, you’ve directly given Junior Brother a deep, indelible bad impression.”
“Hey, since it’s happened, shouldn’t you all be helping me find a solution?” Sui You covered his face in agony, “For example, help me figure out how to break the ice with Junior Brother Qi Yu.”
“You’ll have to work hard on that yourself,” Qi Nian patted Sui You’s shoulder. “In three more days, when Fourth and Fifth return, if you still haven’t appeased Seventh, you might just be the only person in the entire Beiyuan Sect that Seventh dislikes.”
Sui You’s face showed a look of being struck.
Upon returning to the sect, the first thing Sui You did was start trying to curry favor.
“Junior Brother Qi Yu,” Sui You plastered a fawning smile on his face and leaned in towards Qi Yu. “Junior Brother Qi Yu, are you hungry or thirsty? I have a fire spiritual root and can roast chicken for you. I’m also very good at boiling water.”
It was currently the time for cultivation.
Qi Yu closed his eyes, circulated his spiritual energy, and completely ignored Sui You.
He pretended not to hear even if he did.
Sui You squatted on the ground with a wronged expression, staring at Qi Yu without speaking, looking like an abandoned puppy.
Li Yu had been observing their situation for a while. As he watched, he felt something was off and curiously asked Qi Nian, “Second, did something happen on your way back? What is Sui You doing now? Did he upset Qi Yu?”
“This is a long story. Third was making an excessive joke with Seventh on the way back,” Qi Nian didn’t explain much and then asked Li Yu, “By the way, Master, what is it you wanted us all to come here for?”
It couldn’t be just to have everyone gather for meditation, could it?
“There’s something important,” Li Yu said calmly. “In three days, Fourth and Fifth will be back. I was thinking that once all of you are here, we can begin this year’s disciple assessment.”
Sui You, who had been idly picking at the ground nearby, immediately regained a serious expression upon hearing Li Yu and returned to his seat. “Master, what about Junior Brother? Junior Brother just arrived not long ago, does he count?”
“Of course, he counts. However, as a spiritual artifact, his ranking method is different from yours. This year, he’ll at most be making up the numbers, and the ranking order is irrelevant,” Li Yu looked at them. “On the other hand, if you all don’t want to embarrass yourselves in front of Junior Brother, you need to prepare well.”
Yue Zhiyin nodded, stood up, and bowed with everyone else in agreement.
After finishing their meditation and preparing for their midday rest, Qi Yu was still contemplating what to eat when Sui You arrived with a large platter of food and placed it on the table with a bang. “Junior Brother Qi Yu, you like sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. I guessed you definitely wouldn’t like bitter, so I got all three flavors: sour, sweet, and spicy!”
“The food at our Beiyuan Sect is quite good. Oh, and Junior Brother Qi Yu, is there anything specific you’d like to drink? I’ll go get it for you!”
Qi Nian, sitting opposite, silently watched Sui You’s obsequious expression and sighed softly.
“Sui You, seeing you like this, to be honest, I’m a bit unaccustomed to it.”
“Yes, Third Senior Brother, could you… restrain yourself a bit?” Ming Lou finished speaking, then felt he had said the wrong thing and quickly changed his wording. “No, I shouldn’t say ‘restrain yourself a bit.’ I mean, could you be more normal?”
“Third Junior Brother, you should really listen to everyone’s opinions,” Yue Zhiyin looked at Sui You, hiding a smile. “After all, everyone knows what your usual personality is like. Now, to try and appease Junior Brother, you’re acting like this pure and pitiful character. What if everyone gets a stomachache from being scared by you?”
“…” Sui You glared fiercely at them a few times. “What do you mean by ‘acting like this pure and pitiful character’? I’m always like this!”
After saying that, he continued to look at Qi Yu.
Qi Yu ate with single-minded focus.
In the spirit of saving food, she didn’t waste a single bite. She not only finished two bowls of rice but also ate all the dishes Sui You had brought her.
Of course, after eating, Qi Yu wiped her mouth, drank tea, and as usual, ignored Sui You.
Sui You completely wilted, covering his face and looking wronged. “Junior Brother Qi Yu, I really didn’t mean it outside just now. I wasn’t here when you joined the sect, and I had no idea there was another junior brother. Really!”
In truth, Qi Yu’s anger flared up quickly but also subsided just as quickly.
She was already feeling much better.
She glanced at Sui You and thought carefully. “Alright, I can forgive you, but you have to do me a small favor in a few days.”
Sui You also possessed dual spiritual roots, one of which was fire.
Qi Yu mused that while refining one’s natal artifact and concocting pills had different purposes, their processes were remarkably similar, both requiring great attention to heat control.
Although she could explain it eloquently, she hadn’t actually experienced it. Therefore, when forging her natal artifact, besides asking Master for guidance, she could also have Sui You handle the fire.
This would save a lot of trouble!
“Okay, no problem! Then you can’t bring this up again in the future.” Sui You said, then reached out and ruffled Qi Yu’s hair, which looked like it had a great texture, and hummed a tune as he went to the front to get a tray for his own meal.
Qi Yu nodded.
After Sui You left, she looked at Yue Zhiyin and the others with some confusion.
“Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, Sixth Senior Brother, why did you all say Third Senior Brother was not normal just now? He seems like a very cheerful person to me. Was he not like this before?”
“Pfft,” Qi Nian almost choked on her tea. “Cheerful? The word ‘cheerful’ has never applied to Sui You.”
“Third Senior Brother’s personality really has nothing to do with being cheerful,” Ming Lou couldn’t help but sigh. “His true personality is something most people would find hard to bear.”
Yue Zhiyin sighed. “Junior Brother Qi Yu, you’ve only just started interacting with Third. You don’t understand him yet. Once you spend more time with him, you’ll understand why we said that.”
Hearing this, Qi Yu nodded thoughtfully. Just as she was about to put down her teacup, she suddenly heard a bang from behind.
Qi Yu and the others immediately turned their heads.
They saw an inner disciple rushing in from outside, panting, and shouting at Qi Yu and the others.
“Bad news, Eldest Senior Brother! The Ghost Clan’s sacrificial priests have arrived. They insist that someone in our sect is cultivating forbidden evil arts and have captured their Ghost King’s son for sacrifice. They’re here in full force to demand an explanation!”