Hulu Lane.
The sound of horse hooves echoed on the green stone pavement.
Yuan Luo Xi and Cheng Wu Yong headed straight towards Zhuo'an Cottage.
They had inquired beforehand and were confident that Su Yi and his group had moved here two days ago.
Dismounting in front of Zhuo'an Cottage, Yuan Luo Xi felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness. She took a deep breath.
Then, she smoothed her forehead and the corners of her hair, adjusted her clothes to perfection, and finally approached the door to knock.
Not long after, the courtyard gate opened, revealing a delicate and puzzled face. The girl asked, "Who are you looking for, sister?"
"Xiao Ran, they said they are friends of Brother Su, so I brought them here," Fei quickly explained.
Feng Xiao Ran quickly understood and said, "So you are friends of Brother Su. Please come in."
She swiftly opened the gate and sweetly said, "Two guests, please come in."
Looking at the young girl, who was only thirteen or fourteen years old, Yuan Luo Xi couldn't help but be stunned.
Such a beautiful face, and those eyes, as deep and clean as a spring, so pretty...
She suddenly remembered a short poem from a book:
Fragrant ink paints gently, vermilion powder subtly applied, Wearing a sky-blue shirt and apricot yellow skirt, Leaning against the doorway, her vermilion lips.
The girl in front of her was wearing a simple and clean sky-blue shirt and a tasteful apricot yellow skirt, which highlighted her beauty and delicacy.
"Why are you looking at me like that, sister?" Feng Xiao Ran was a bit puzzled.
"Because you're beautiful," Yuan Luo Xi smiled and walked forward, taking off a jade bracelet with a pale green color from her wrist and giving it to Feng Xiao Ran. She said, "Since you call me sister, I cannot neglect to show my appreciation. This jade bracelet is a token of our meeting."
Feng Xiao Ran was shocked and wanted to refuse, but Yuan Luo Xi insisted and forcefully placed it in her hand, saying, "It's just a small trinket worth a few coins. Take it."
With that, Yuan Luo Xi turned and walked towards the courtyard.
"This bracelet is so beautiful, how could it be worth nothing?" Feng Xiao Ran thought to herself. It must be because of Brother Su's face that she gave it to me.
Cheng Wu Yong smiled and watched the scene without saying anything.
Although the pale green jade bracelet was worth a fortune, who could stop Miss from being happy?
In the cool pavilion of the courtyard, Yuan Luo Xi and Cheng Wu Yong finally saw Su Yi again.
He was lying in a wicker chair, wearing a loose white robe. His long hair, usually tied up in a bun, was casually draped down, giving him a relaxed and lazy demeanor.
On the table beside him were cups of tea, fruits, pastries, and other refreshments.
"Shh, at this time every day, Brother Su will meditate in the pavilion, cultivating his secret spiritual power," Huang Qian Jun appeared first and whispered to Yuan Luo Xi and the others, "He will wake up in half an hour."
Yuan Luo Xi and Cheng Wu Yong exchanged glances and wisely kept silent.
But at this moment, Su Yi opened his eyes, raised an eyebrow, and teased, "Miss Yuan, are you sneaking out again this time?"
Yuan Luo Xi blushed and said, embarrassed, "Mr. Su has sharp eyes. I can't hide anything from you."
Su Yi fell silent, realizing that he had guessed correctly.
"Mr. Su, this is the 'Qinglin Cold Iron' extracted from a mine under the control of my Yuan family. It is considered a remarkable spiritual material and is most suitable for sword forging."
Cheng Wu Yong stepped forward, smiling as he presented a jade box he was holding.
When they were on the boat, Su Yi had asked him about where to buy exceptional spiritual materials in Yunhe County.
Cheng Wu Yong had firmly kept this matter in mind, so he brought ten kilograms of Qinglin Cold Iron as a gift for this visit.
"Isn't this the main material for forging the 'Qinglin War Halberd'?" Huang Qian Jun couldn't help but ask.
The Qinglin War Halberd, a highly formidable spiritual weapon, was well-known among the military forces in the Da Zhou Empire.
It was rumored that even the Red Scaled Army stationed in the Gunzhou region possessed only ten Qinglin War Halberds.
The reason for this was that the production of the spiritual weapon, which required the "Qinglin Cold Iron," was extremely rare.
Cheng Wu Yong chuckled and said, "Impressive insight, Young Master Huang. My young lady and I didn't know how much Mr. Su would need, so we brought just ten kilograms."
"Ten kilograms!" Huang Qian Jun couldn't help but be astonished.
He had expected the Yuan family, as one of the top four influential powers in Yunhe County, to be very wealthy.
But he hadn't expected them to be so rich!
"You are thoughtful," Su Yi replied, slightly taken aback, and nodded.
Cheng Wu Yong had a keen eye for detail. From this gift alone, it was evident that he had come prepared and put in some thought.
Yuan Luo Xi said, "Mr. Su, the purpose of our sudden visit is twofold. First, we wanted to confirm your place of residence. Second, we wanted to ask if you have any free time on the third day of next month."
Su Yi asked, "Is there something going on?"
Yuan Luo Xi whispered, "The third day of next month is my father's fortieth birthday. I... I would like to invite Mr. Su to attend the banquet."
Suddenly, Su Yi remembered that Yuan Luo Xi had gone to the Ghost Mother Ridge to collect the Six Yin Grass as a birthday gift for her father.
"Mr. Su, you may not know this, but at my family head's birthday banquet, many martial arts figures from all over the country will be present. It will be a small-scale 'Martial Arts Gathering' for exchanging cultivation insights and conducting some rare treasure transactions."
Cheng Wu Yong explained in a low voice, "Miss and I thought that there might be something of interest to you at such a gathering, so we specially extended the invitation."
"A Martial Arts Gathering?" Su Yi pondered for a moment and said, "If I have some free time then, I wouldn't mind going to have a look."
Yuan Luo Xi immediately smiled, and said, "Can I also attend and broaden my horizons?"
Huang Qian Jun couldn't help but ask, "Of course, you can't leave me out, can you?"
Cheng Wu Yong laughed heartily and replied, "Certainly not, Young Master Huang."
Just as they were talking, something happened.
Outside the courtyard, a cold snort suddenly sounded, followed by a figure leaping over the wall and appearing openly in front of everyone's eyes.
The person had a tall and imposing figure, wearing a battle robe, exuding a powerful and fierce aura.
"Second Brother!" Yuan Luo Xi exclaimed involuntarily, surprised by the sudden appearance.
It was Yuan Luo Yu!
The second son of the Yuan family's head, Yuan Wu Tian. He possessed innate divine power and extraordinary talent. At the age of thirteen, he had already established his dominance among the younger generation of the Yuan family with his fists alone.
After entering the Red Scaled Army for training, he was praised by Shen Jiu Song, the Yun Guang Marquis, as the "Tiger General of the Red Scaled Army, a talent among princes and dukes!"
Cheng Wu Yong's face stiffened slightly, realizing that this second young master had probably secretly followed them all the way here.
Su Yi also recognized his identity. Seeing him vaulting over the wall so brazenly, he couldn't help but frown. This young man was quite wild.
Yuan Luo Yu's face darkened, clearly angry, as he questioned, "Little sister, did you sneak out early in the morning just to see this Su Yi?"
Yuan Luo Xi, not easily intimidated, retorted with a pout, "Mr. Su has done me a great favor. Can't I come to visit him? And, Second Brother, you are so impolite, actually jumping over the wall like this. If this gets out, Father's reputation will be tarnished by you."
Yuan Luo Yu's expression froze, and he responded unkindly, "If Father were to find out that his most beloved daughter gave ten kilograms of Qinglin Cold Iron to an outsider, what do you think he would think?"
Cheng Wu Yong was about to explain, but Yuan Luo Yu raised his voice sternly, "Elder Cheng, you knew that Little Xi is young and ignorant of the treacherous nature of the world. Instead of stopping her, you let her make a fool of herself. Don't you think you have been derelict in your duty?"
Cheng Wu Yong smiled bitterly. Obviously, the second young master had misunderstood.
Before he could figure out how to explain, Yuan Luo Xi's gaze, as sharp as lightning, focused on Su Yi in the pavilion.
He had an unfriendly expression, and his tone was icy as he said, "Su Yi, we met outside the city on the dock that day. I told you that if you encounter any trouble in Yunhe County, you can use the name of the Yuan family to seek help."
"But I never expected that you would set your sights on my sister!"
With that, his voice and demeanor became fierce, filled with thunderous anger. "You have angered me and disappointed me greatly!"
Su Yi's gaze turned cold.
Seeing this, Yuan Luo Xi trembled and anxiously said, "Second Brother, can you calm down? Mr. Su is not what you think!"
Cheng Wu Yong quickly added, "Second Young Master, there is a misunderstanding here. It has nothing to do with Mr. Su. When we return home, allow me to explain everything to you."
It was evident that both of them were trying to defend Su Yi, which only served to further infuriate Yuan Luo Yu.
He strongly suspected that his sister had already been captivated by this young man from Guangling City!
"Su Yi, at this point, don't you have anything to say?"
Yuan Luo Yu said with a stern voice, "Or should I draw my sword and force you to make a statement with violence?"
His blood surged, exuding a chilling and ruthless aura, his presence intimidating.
At that moment, Su Yi stood up from the rattan chair, his demeanor calm as he said, "Make a statement? What kind of statement?"
Yuan Luo Xi and Cheng Wu Yong stiffened, wondering if Mr. Su was angry.
As they recalled the scenes of Su Yi killing the Six Yin Corpse and beheading the Martial Master on the pinnacle of the floating ship in Guimu Ridge, their faces changed.
"It's just a misunderstanding, there's no need to panic. I'll handle it."
Su Yi glanced at them and couldn't help but smile.
How could he be angry about such a trivial matter?
However, Yuan Luo Yu did deserve some reprimanding...
"Good. You're quite a man to know that you should handle it yourself."
Yuan Luo Yu's expression turned ice-cold as he said, "I won't use the influence of the Yuan family to pressure you. As long as you swear to stay away from my sister from now on, I will pretend that today's events never happened and won't bother with you again."
Huang Qian Jun couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It was rare for someone to protect their sister so wholeheartedly, but... he should also consider who he was facing.
His sister had reminded him so many times, why hadn't he come to his senses?
"You're mistaken. The matter I want to resolve isn't this."
Su Yi calmly spoke up.
Yuan Luo Yu's face darkened. "Then what is it?"
Su Yi pointed to the courtyard gate and said, "My humble abode has a front door, yet you entered without proper etiquette, instead jumping over the wall. Such behavior is akin to that of a thief. Do you think this matter can be easily forgotten?"
Yuan Luo Yu looked bewildered.
But when he understood the meaning behind Su Yi's words, his face instantly turned extremely ugly, almost bursting out in laughter.
This kid really knows how to bring up a touchy subject!