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"It seems no one objects."

Seeing the tavern silent, Yino smiled and withdrew his pressure.

Ever since becoming a devout believer of the Full Moon Goddess and inheriting Chen Jianxin's innate holy sword physique, Yino's mixed righteous and evil aura was quite intimidating. This young man somewhat embodied the presence of Observation Haki.

"Alright, the trouble is gone. Sit down and drink with me."

After dealing with the annoying guys, Yino sat back at the bar, raising his milk cup to signal Jinyu.

The little girl was somewhat dumbfounded, not expecting her young master to be so fierce. Truly worthy of being of the Phoenix bloodline from Senior Xinyao's clan, and with the extraordinary background of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, he had developed a unique domineering temperament.

"Ok..."

Jinyu obediently sat down, but bathed in the respectful and curious gazes of many cultivators, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable, feeling that in these outsiders' eyes, sitting together drinking milk with Yino seemed somewhat intimate.

"Don't worry. After I meet the owner of Hundred Spirits Pavilion tomorrow, I'll tell her about this. I believe the wealthy owner will help reimburse you for these miscellaneous expenses."

Seeing Jinyu still uncomfortable, Yino smiled and invoked the banner of the Hundred Spirits Pavilion owner.

Jinyu nodded obediently, but her beautiful eyes showed some unease:

"Actually... I am already happy just to have a job to support myself..."

"It's fine. Just consider it as me wanting to monopolize you for a chat."

Yino held his cup, but his eyes remained fixed on the girl's pure, freckled face.

For a moment, Jinyu blushed.

"Eh... Young Master wants to... mo-monopolize me?"

"Otherwise, aren't they annoying with all their noise? They're not seeking you for anything important, just meaninglessly pouring wine."

Yino waved his hand and said seriously: "I'm different from those drunkards. I'm here to talk about real business with you, such as... does the Immortal Alliance have any recent bounty missions related to the abyss? Help me accept them all, and maybe in a few days I can bring back the heads of various cult members that the Immortal Alliance needs?"

... ... ...

Knock knock knock—!

"Is anyone there?"

At the top of Ranmo Peak, outside the small courtyard, a white dragon girl wrapped in a black robe with a hood called out softly.

Under her black robe dress, she wore a pair of white boots inlaid with rose gold chrome.

In the cold wind, the girl's boots stood lonely, her legs involuntarily shaking. Despite her extraordinary cultivation, she couldn't hide a sense of solitude.

"When the door opens, I'll first greet Lady Yuyan, then explain that I'm here to find He Yino, saying I'm a fellow disciple coming to visit Senior Brother..."

While waiting, the dragongirl stood at the door, silently rehearsing her lines.

But just as the girl was mentally reciting, the courtyard door was suddenly flung open without warning.

She was startled, because even with her strength, she had completely failed to detect the footsteps or energy fluctuations behind the door.

Nina looked up to see a bandaged young man in white clothes with a sickly complexion standing at the threshold—

"Who are you?"

"Um, hello, I am Nian... Wait! Aren't you the scoundrel who tricked me at the foot of the mountain just now!"

The girl was about to recite her prepared lines when she was shocked by the other's all-too-familiar face, her eyes widening.

But while she was so astonished, the young man in the courtyard still had a blank gaze, looking somewhat curious: "I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I am Yino."

"You, you are Yino? But weren't you just at the foot of the mountain?"

"I don't know... Miss, you must have the wrong person."

The young man inside spoke weakly, then prepared to close the door.

But Nina moved first, quickly grabbing the door gap—

"Wait! Yino! I'm here to find you!"

"What do you want from me?"

"I heard your cultivation was completely wasted. Is that true?"

"It's true."

"I don't believe it! Let me come in and see!"

Although Nina had prepared beforehand, when she actually faced this familiar young man, she couldn't help but break from her script.

She was the current dragon emperor of the Great Dragon Dynasty!

How could she be tricked repeatedly by a young master from the Grand Tutor's Mansion!

In the imperial court, forget about Yino, even his father, grandfather, and great-great-great-grandfather would have to kneel respectfully under her throne with lowered heads when speaking!

"Don't run! You cunning fellow, this young lady has finally caught you!"

As she was thinking, the dragon girl used brute force to achieve miracles, actually tearing down the wooden door of Ranmo Peak and pouncing on Yino, pinning him down.

"Tell me! Was it you who tricked me at the foot of the mountain?"

"..."

"I'm asking you! Don't play dead!"

"..."

"Your silence means admission? Then let me ask you, why did you trick me! This young lady said she came to Ranmo Peak to visit you. I don't look like a suspicious bad person, so why were you so guarded against me?"

"..."

The dragon girl sat on the young man asking for a long time, but the white-clothed youth beneath her remained blank-eyed, with no reaction.

After a long while, it was Nina who tilted her head in confusion.

"Wait, he said earlier that Yino's cultivation was completely wasted..."

"Could it be that his mortal body just fainted from my pounce?"

The dragongirl seemed to realize something and became anxious. She quickly joined two fingers and placed them under the nose of the young man beneath her.

"How... how could this be?"

"No breath?"

"Ah?"

"I, I, I... killed someone? But, but that shouldn't be possible..."

Under the moonlight, the dragongirl's face turned pale as she stared at the blank-faced young man beneath her, growing panicked. Her beautiful amber dragon eyes gradually filled with tears of remorse.

But just as Jiang Nina was completely flustered, the spirit stone pendant hanging from her earlobe glowed red again—

[Silly girl, that's a puppet.]

"Ah?"

[Twist off his head and you'll break the illusion.]

"—?"

The dragongirl was nervous but followed her master's guidance, carefully twisting off the head of the young man beneath her.

Crack!

A sound of breaking that didn't belong to humans came forth.

With a flash of lightning, the illusion on the puppet was broken.

The girl's eyes widened, not expecting that beneath her truly was a crude straw puppet. Because the puppet was poorly made, as if hastily put together, it had easily short-circuited when she pounced on it earlier.

"How infuriating! How can he be so cunning!"

"Yino definitely has something to hide!"

"First he tricks me at the foot of the mountain, and now he's hidden a puppet at Ranmo Peak!"

"Could it be... Yino has already guessed my identity? He knows the emperor has come to investigate his Phoenix race bloodline, so he's set up layers of traps to delay my steps?"

Nina was so angry she ground her teeth and stomped her feet. Her previously naive mind, which believed everyone was good, couldn't help but develop conspiracy theories after being repeatedly pranked.

"Master, what should I do now..."

"Yino has run away, and Yuyan doesn't seem to be home..."

"I rarely descend to the mortal realm, yet I'm making such a mess of capturing a mere mortal..."

"Master is right, I am still too naive... can't even handle such a small matter..."

After her anger, the dragon girl crouched down, muttering helplessly under the bright moonlight.

[This isn't your fault. Yino is behaving unusually.]

From the earring pendant came the mature, commanding voice of the red-clothed woman.

Unlike the discouraged dragon girl, she found it interesting and laughed lightly:

[Haha~ Don't worry, your master will teach you soul-tracking magic. Perhaps you can trace Yino's true hiding place through the remaining illusion energy on this puppet.]

At these words, the white dragon girl's eyes widened.

She clenched her small fists, rekindling her competitive spirit—

"Yino! You Just wait!"

... ... ...

Achoo—!

In the small tavern late at night, Yino unexpectedly sneezed.

During the time since, undisturbed, he and Jinyu had been happily conversing, each with a cup of milk.

Yino liked Jinyu's simple purity and the special feeling of her obediently calling him "Young Lord," while Jinyu naturally admired her young master's extraordinary status and gentle, doting personality.

A young master and a maid, both seemed satisfied with their roles.

But just as Yino, taking advantage of the intimate atmosphere, was about to reach out and pinch the girl's soft cheeks to go a step further, the door of the tavern was suddenly pushed open by a red foxgirl—

"Yino! The puppet at Ranmo Peak has been exposed by a girl with a strange identity!"