A maidservant is not like a young lady; she only knows how to worry about her master

On Qingyun Mountain, inside a small courtyard.

The leaves of the old locust tree rustled. Sunlight spilled through the foliage, casting dappled, swaying shadows on the bluestone slabs.

Lin Yan had just lain back down on his rocking chair. Before he could even catch his breath, a soft little body threw itself at him.

"Master~"

Liu Ruyan dragged out the word, her small mouth pouting high.

"Why didn't you let your disciple fight!"

"If I had fought, even if that Han whatever broke through to the Golden Core stage, I'm confident I could have beaten him!"

"Then we would have had a complete victory of three out of three! How majestic that would be!"

She hugged Lin Yan's arm with her two small hands and started acting spoiled.

"Master, if there is something this fun next time, you absolutely have to let me fight, okay~"

Lin Yan wore a bitter smile. "Alright, alright! Next time for sure!"

"Really?"

Liu Ruyan lifted her head. The redness in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a sly gleam.

"Really."

"Pinky promise!"

Liu Ruyan stuck out her pinky finger, and Lin Yan helplessly hooked his around it.

The little girl immediately bloomed into a smile. She let go of his arm, circled behind the rocking chair, reached out her two fair and tender hands, placed them on his shoulders, and began to massage him with just the right amount of force.

"Hehe! Master is the best!"

She massaged very earnestly. The pressure was perfect, and she hit the acupoints accurately; it was obvious she had practiced this many times.

As she massaged, she hummed an unknown little tune, her ponytail swaying back and forth. She was in an incredibly good mood.

Lin Yan closed his eyes. Just as he was about to enjoy this rare moment of peace, the sound of footsteps rang out again.

Zhao Xiangru walked over gracefully, carrying a cup of tea.

She wore a light cyan dress with a silk ribbon tied around her waist. Her hair was done up in a bun, secured with a white jade hairpin.

Zhao Xiangru walked up to the rocking chair, bent her knees slightly in a curtsy, and offered the teacup with both hands. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water, utterly flawless.

"My Lord, you must be thirsty. Please have a cup of tea to moisten your throat."

The tea fragrance curled upward. It was the kind of clear tea Lin Yan liked best, and the water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

Lin Yan reached out to take it, but Liu Ruyan, who was behind him, spoke up first.

"Leave it. Master isn't thirsty right now."

Her voice was crisp and carried an unquestionable tone.

Zhao Xiangru's hands paused for a moment, but she did not step back. She maintained her tea-offering posture, a faint smile hanging on her lips.

"Young Miss, tea should be drunk while it is hot. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

The pressure from Liu Ruyan's hands grew a bit heavier. Her little face poked out from behind Lin Yan's shoulder, glaring at Zhao Xiangru.

"I said, Master isn't thirsty."

Zhao Xiangru lowered her head, her voice soft and carrying a hint of grievance:

"This servant is useless. Unlike Young Miss, who can share My Lord's burdens, this servant can only serve tea and pour water. This servant only knows how to let her heart ache for My Lord..."

Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes.

"You—!"

Zhao Xiangru hurriedly lowered her head, putting on a terrified expression. "This servant misspoke, please forgive me, Young Miss! This servant was just... just worried that My Lord might be thirsty."

Although her mouth asked for forgiveness, she did not lower the teacup in her hands. She continued to hold it steadily in front of Lin Yan.

Liu Ruyan's little face was pulled taut, her cheeks puffed out like a little frog.

She glared at Zhao Xiangru. Zhao Xiangru kept her head down, but the corners of her mouth were turned up slightly, not showing the slightest weakness.

An invisible scent of gunpowder filled the air.

"Zhao Xiangru, have you forgotten your status?"

"Young Miss, this servant hasn't forgotten. This servant is My Lord's personal maid."

"When My Lord is tired, this servant brings him tea. When My Lord is weary, this servant massages his shoulders. When My Lord sleeps, this servant covers him with a blanket."

"All of these are this servant's duties."

"Master has me, and that is enough."

"Young Miss is an inner sect disciple, so your cultivation should be your priority. Leave these trivial matters to this servant."

"I don't think they are trivial matters."

"Of course Young Miss doesn't think so, because Young Miss doesn't have to do them. This servant will do them."

"You—!"

Liu Ruyan was so angry she couldn't speak.

Zhao Xiangru still had her head lowered, still maintaining that pitiful and delicate appearance, but her words were completely unforgiving.

At first, she had indeed followed her father's instructions and yielded to this little girl in everything.

But after a few days, she realized this little girl was going too far!

She barely let her do anything!

Whenever she tried to do something for My Lord, this little girl would come out and cause trouble.

Serving tea, the little girl fought to serve it.

Massaging shoulders, the little girl fought to massage them.

Even when she fetched footbath water for My Lord at night, the little girl would stare from the side, her eyes wide as copper bells, terrified that she might do something extra.

Zhao Xiangru was getting anxious. Who wasn't a young miss, after all?

Back when she was in Qingyun City, people carried her sedan chair when she went out, served her food when she ate, and even dressed her.

She was willing to lower herself and act submissive because she genuinely wanted to serve My Lord. But if you don't let me serve him, didn't I come here for nothing?

Wouldn't that mean the more than half a month of palace etiquette she learned was all for nothing?

Besides, as My Lord's personal maid, this lady has to warm his bed every night. You are just an inner sect disciple. It is really hard to say whose relationship with him is closer!

Caught between the two girls, Lin Yan's scalp went numb.

One was eighteen or nineteen, the other thirteen or fourteen, exactly the ages when they could cause the most trouble.

One was spoiled and willful, the other seemed gentle but actually had a sharp tongue. Put together, it was utter chaos.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.

Say Liu Ruyan was wrong? The little girl would get teary-eyed, and he couldn't bear it.

Say Zhao Xiangru was wrong? She served tea and poured water without complaint; he couldn't bring himself to scold her.

"Alright, alright!"

Lin Yan reached out, took the teacup, took a sip, and put it down. "Xiangru, go busy yourself first. The porter's lodge needs tidying."

Zhao Xiangru curtsied, took the tea tray, and withdrew.

As she left, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, like a cat that had successfully stolen a fish.

Liu Ruyan huffed, buried her face in Lin Yan's shoulder, and said sullenly, "Master, she is bullying me!"

Lin Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"She just serves tea and pours water, how is that bullying you?"

"The way she looks at you isn't right."

"What way?"

"It's just... just not right."

"Alright, alright, you should go cultivate too!"

Liu Ruyan reluctantly let go of him, walked out from behind the rocking chair, and then, pouting, walked toward the east wing, looking back at him every three steps.

The courtyard was finally quiet.

Lin Yan leaned back in his rocking chair, let out a long breath, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

What a sin!

Neither of them gave him any peace of mind.

He shifted his gaze, landing on Ye Xiaoqin, who was practicing his horse stance in the corner of the courtyard.

Ye Xiaoqin held his horse stance. His legs were trembling slightly, and his forehead was covered in beads of sweat, but his back was perfectly straight and he remained motionless.

"What are you laughing at? Stand properly!"

"Su Wanqing has only been in the sect for three days and can already instantly defeat someone at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm. How long have you been here? You haven't even broken through to Foundation Establishment!"

Ye Xiaoqin's little face fell, looking like a frostbitten eggplant.

"Master, I really wasn't secretly laughing this time!"

"Oh! So you admit you were secretly laughing before, right?"

"No... I didn't! I wasn't!"

"Heh! Your punishment is to stand for another two shichen!"

Ye Xiaoqin: ...

...

Days passed by just like this.

The fame of the Tianyan Sect grew greater and greater.

The news of the Han family's defeat at the Three Realms Martial Tournament seemed to grow wings, flying out of Azure Cloud City and spreading across the entire Cangwu Commandery.

In teahouses, taverns, and the corners of rogue cultivator markets, everyone was discussing the exact same topic: the Tianyan Sect.

"Did you hear? The Tianyan Sect won all three matches, beating the Han family so badly they couldn't even lift their heads!"

"More than just a clean sweep! In the Qi Condensation stage, it was a one-strike instant kill. In the Foundation Establishment stage, they forced their opponent to break through mid-battle. And in the Golden Core stage, they clashed head-on and completely crippled the Han family's genius!"

"That Su Wanqing, at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, instantly killed a peak Qi Condensation cultivator. Rumor has it her sword is faster than lightning!"

"Li Tianxing is even more terrifying. At the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he fought a peak Foundation Establishment expert head-on and could predict his opponent's every single move!"

"Zhao Feng is the fiercest of them all. At the early Golden Core stage, he beat a late Golden Core cultivator so hard he made him cry for his daddy!"

"Just what kind of monster sect is the Tianyan Sect?"

"Who cares what kind of monster it is, I'm going to become a disciple!"

...

Countless people came every day to challenge the Heart-Searching Pavilion.

The line at the foot of the mountain stretched from the pavilion's entrance all the way outside the gates of Azure Cloud City, winding like a massive dragon.

Some arrived in the dead of night just to line up, some hiked overnight from a hundred miles away, and others brought dry rations and water, fully prepared to wait in line for three days and three nights.

The incense burning before the Ant Tomb was absurdly prosperous. Offerings were piled up into small mountains, and the thick, curling smoke could be smelled from half a mile away.

On this particular day, the sun was bright and the sky was completely devoid of clouds.

As usual, the rogue cultivators were waiting in a long line in front of the Heart-Searching Pavilion, and as usual, incense smoke wafted around the Ant Tomb.

Suddenly, the originally clear sky above Azure Cloud Mountain turned pitch black.

An unmatched, tyrannical aura of coercion slowly descended like a falling canopy, enveloping the entirety of Azure Cloud Mountain.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky, their faces filled with absolute bewilderment!

"What... what is that?"