Look, it even has to thank us

Cangzhou City.

The group of four—three humans and one dragon-serpent—walked back toward Xie Lingyu's temporary residence through the streets.

After circling around twice without finding the culprit who had ambushed her, Qinghe could only return in a huff, still fuming.

Though she suspected the trio might be the ones who had knocked her out, she had no proof. Worse, they were holding the Grand Tianyan Token of the Tianyan Sect—a mark of the highest recognition the sect could bestow upon outsiders.

Few elders even had the authority to issue such a token.

Anyone who possessed it, even if they had a grudge against Grandma Bai, wouldn’t recklessly attack without hesitation.

Not to mention, Chu Xingchen’s expression—three parts suspicion, two parts distress, and five parts utter bewilderment—made him look genuinely wronged.

The young woman beside him wore an even more clueless expression, her face practically screaming innocence.

As for Li Xingtian… well, his face gave nothing away.

But eventually, Qinghe let it go.

She stole a glance at Xie Lingyu, whose usual icy demeanor had softened noticeably.

How could she not understand? This handsome young man was Xie Lingyu’s old flame from Yuzhou City!

If he were just an ordinary acquaintance, Xie Lingyu would’ve given a slight nod at most, exchanged no more than a couple of words, and walked away without a second glance.

There was no way she’d be strolling side by side with him otherwise.

Since he was an old flame, that made him one of their own. And if he was one of their own, there was no reason—no logic—for him to have beaten her up.

For now, it had to be chalked up to coincidence.

Most tellingly, Qinghe observed Xie Lingyu walking beside Chu Xingchen, her expression calm and gentle—a version of her she’d never seen before.

Given that, whether it was a coincidence or not, it had to be a coincidence.

By now, Qinghe’s black eye had faded. She’d only kept it earlier to milk Xie Lingyu’s sympathy.

After all, Xie Lingyu's delicate fists couldn't possibly leave a real bruise on a dragon-like creature like her.

Playing pitiful in front of family was one thing, but outside, she couldn’t afford to lose face—especially when Xie Lingyu needed to back her up.

Still, as they walked, Qinghe’s mind whirred. She couldn’t let this beating go to waste.

Suddenly, she spat out indignantly, "Ugh! Those three rotten eggs are so sneaky!"

Chu Xingchen turned to her, about to respond, when Xie Lingyu subtly tugged at his sleeve.

He glanced at her, only to see her lips press together slightly—a silent signal to stay quiet.

Was she telling him not to speak?

Last time, during their encounter with the heretical cultivators, he'd misread her cues. To avoid another blunder, Chu Xingchen blinked slowly and shook his head—Was she saying he shouldn't speak?

Xie Lingyu stared at him for a moment, then quickly averted her gaze.

Qinghe rolled her eyes at the two of them.

Couldn't they just use sound transmission for their private conversations? Did they have to put on this whole show?

Seeing Xie Lingyu wasn’t biting, Qinghe decided to cast her line more aggressively:

"Shishu (Martial Uncle)! My back’s practically broken! Can’t I rest for a couple of days? Don’t snitch to Grandma Bai, okay…?"

Xie Lingyu turned to her. "You can use that excuse when Grandma Bai comes looking for you."

Qinghe immediately shut her mouth.

Grandma Bai was the kind of ruthless figure who could chat and laugh through life-threatening injuries.

With wounds as minor as hers, trying to pull that excuse would only invite worse punishment.

Chu Xingchen, curious, asked Xie Lingyu, "Weren’t you in the Central Continent? What brought you to Cangzhou?"

"Grandma Bai said Qinghe might find an opportunity here, so she dragged me along to help," Xie Lingyu replied before countering, "And you? Shouldn’t you be in Yuzhou City?"

Chu Xingchen sighed. "Chizhou’s been drowning under relentless rain for over ten days. The floods have displaced countless refugees into Yuzhou City. This isn’t natural—someone’s behind it."

"I’m here to investigate. The few clues I have all point to Cangzhou, so I came to see for myself. Never expected to run into you."

This wasn’t entirely a lie. Setting aside the System’s involvement, this was the gist of it.

Explaining the concept of "System missions" to Xie Lingyu would be tricky.

How could he just blurt out that someone was trying to steal the fortune of a true dragon, and he was here to stop it?

Where would he even claim to have gotten such intel?

Even with Li Yingling and Li Xingtian, he’d only shared the broad strokes, leaving out many details.

His first and second disciples followed him purely on trust.

Xie Lingyu nodded slightly. "If you need help, like before—"

She cut herself off, suddenly noticing Chu Xingchen’s aura had become seamless, imperceptible to her senses.

Before, she could faintly detect fluctuations in his energy. Now, even after her own cultivation had advanced, she couldn’t perceive anything.

He must have reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Could she even be of use to him now?

Chu Xingchen smiled and finished for her, "Like before, I won’t hold back. If I need you, I’ll come find you."

"After all, you’re the ever-capable Xie Lingyu."

A faint smirk tugged at Xie Lingyu’s lips, though her tone remained even.

"If you put it that way, I might spare some time to lend a hand."

Chu Xingchen nodded, then turned to Qinghe, who was staring at them with a look of disgust, as if she’d seen something filthy.

"Well, since Qinghe’s been ambushed and injured, resting for a couple of days isn’t unreasonable. We could handle whatever tasks she’s supposed to do in the meantime."

Qinghe’s expression instantly brightened. Her gaze at Chu Xingchen shifted from "Who’s this punk?" to "What a saint!"

She exclaimed excitedly, "Really?! I need to survey Cangzhou’s water veins—it’s kind of a hassle, though."

Chu Xingchen feigned surprise. "What a coincidence. We’re here to study the water veins too, so it’s no trouble at all."

"Mm!" Qinghe nodded vigorously, beaming. "You’re a good guy! I approve!"

Chu Xingchen waved it off magnanimously. "We’re friends—no need to stand on ceremony!"

"Yeah, yeah! Qinghe considers you a great friend now!"

Xie Lingyu watched as the two of them swiftly struck this deal, leaving her no room to interject.

In just a few exchanges, they’d settled Qinghe’s plan to slack off.

Her earlier pitiful act vanished, replaced by a radiant grin.

Chu Xingchen, too, wore the look of a man who’d just brokered a flawless alliance.

Seeing how smoothly he’d played along—and how Xie Lingyu seemed resigned to their antics—Qinghe seized the moment.

She pointed eagerly at a nearby street.

"Best friend! Qinghe wants to eat the tasty things over there! Will you treat her?"

"Of course! Eat as much as you want today—my treat!"

"Wow! You’re officially Qinghe’s bestest friend now!"

Qinghe suddenly found Chu Xingchen quite likable. Such a good person definitely wasn’t one of those little brats who’d knocked him out from behind!

Li Yingling and Li Xingtian watched as their master and Qinghe walked up to a steamed bun stall.

Their master slapped a silver coin onto the vendor’s table, and Qinghe, seeing Chu Xingchen’s generosity, grew even more excited.

Qinghe’s voice rang out clearly for all to hear:

"Wow, thank you! You’re so kind!"

Li Yingling and Li Xingtian saw their master glance their way, raising an eyebrow slightly.

It was as if he was saying—See? Now it even thanks us.