Chapter 7 - Pairing Up

In a big yet simply decorated hall.

Yu Jing and many other servants like him were standing together. In front of them was an old man whose eyes were half-closed. 

His name was Darrek, leader of the servants. All the orders from the elders are sent through him. 

Darrek glanced at everyone to see if everyone was present. After confirming it, he said it softly. "I summoned everyone here today because there will be no work for the next six days."

Every servant's eyes widened as they couldn't wait to go outside and cheer in unison. 

Darrek shocked his head and splashed cold water on these younglings. "But you will be busy giving away leaflets in the town you are assigned to."

Even Yu Jing, who didn't care much about anything, reacted. 'What the heck! I am a cultivator now, so it is easy for me. However, everyone is a mortal here. Don't tell me they have to stand all day.'

Fortunately, Yu Jing's worries didn't come true.

"Don't panic. You will be given a table and a pair of chairs to sit on." Darrek left before leaving one more sentence. "Pick your pair now. We will leave in a short while."

Yu Jing stood alone with his darkened face. 'What do you mean, pick your pair? A loner like me doesn't know anyone.'

Yu Jing looked around and saw no one coming in his direction. With a drowned mood, he headed to sit on a bench. 'Whatever, I will get the one who is also alone.'

Closing his eyes, he silently cultivated, as he couldn't waste even an ounce of time. 

A couple of minutes later, Yu Jing felt someone standing before him. Opening his eyes, he was first greeted with two large bags of meat; fortunately, they were covered by clothes, or something could have risen in him. Still, it was enough for Yu Jing to get flustered.

He looked up and saw two big, round eyes looking back at him. 

"Ahhh… ummm… Are you alone?" The girl whispered softly while wiggling her fingers together.

This structure, this shyness, those big melons, that figure—Yu Jing clearly knew who he was about to encounter. 'Oh no, not this one.'

Seeing no response coming from Yu Jing, the girl got scared. She felt Yu Jing was angry at her. "I am so sorry. I will leave right away."

"Wait." Yu Jing immediately stopped her. He looked at her with a smile. "If you are alone, can I be your duo?"

The girl's face turned red like a tomato after hearing Yu Jing. "Su–su–sure."

'Well, if you present me with this troupe-like girl, how can I miss them? This type of girl is easy to control.' Yu Jing stood up and approached with the friendliest smile in his arsenal. "Let me first introduce myself. I am–"

"Yu Jing." The girl spoke before letting Yu Jing finish his sentence. "You are Yu Jing. I have known you for a while."

Yu Jing was surprised. 'Is this girl a stalker?'

The girl instantly dispelled his doubt. "Yu Jing, don't misunderstand. I am not a stalker or anything. It is just that you are famous among the servants. They say how punctual you are and how you can gain a favorable impression from the cultivators. Many people admire to become like you."

Yu Jing was dumbfounded, as he didn't know he was this famous among the servants. Yu Jing couldn't lie, as he became a bit flustered. "Hahaha, I didn't know that. I am just being myself; I am sure they can also be like that."

"Hmm." The girl pecked her head lightly, as if she were getting praise from her idol.

"By the way, what is your name?" Yu Jing asked curiously. He didn't pay any attention to the other servants, so he was very clueless.

"My name is Lily. I am of the same age as you. Grandpa Ryu also took me with you." Lily replied.

At that moment, something clicked in Yu Jing's head. "Oh, so it is you! I thought I was hallucinating seeing your face. I am sorry for not recognizing you."

He was clearly lying. He doesn't even remember Grandpa Ryu's face, who took him into the sect.

"Hahaha, it is okay. You are always living alone, so I expected that." Lily's shyness also vanished a bit after seeing Yu Jing open up.

"Has everyone paired up?" At that moment, Darrek came. 

Seeing everyone quiet, he knew there was no need for his intervention. 

"Alright, head to the sect gate. A deacon will be there to randomly assign you your town."

Yu Jing and Lily followed the crowd and waited in line for their turn.

After a few moments, Yu Jing found out they were assigned to a town with several others. Yu Jing didn't know much about the outside world, so he was oblivious to what kind of town it was.

Lily looked at their town and squeaked in surprise. "We got this one!"

"Is there something wrong with this town?" Yu Jing asked curiously, with nervousness deep inside him.

"This was quite famous in the past. YellowSpring town was built by a Tier-3 sect. Unfortunately, it offended someone and met its demise. However, that powerhouse didn't take any treasure. So it became a battleground for tier-1 and tier-2 sects to fight for the treasures. I heard even a few Tier 3 sects joined in the fray. This led the YellowSpring town to bloom more. But it didn't last long when the sects left after looting everything." Yu Jing listened to Lily's explanation with relish.

Yu Jing praised Lily. "You are very knowledgeable, Lily. Servants like us don't care much about the outside; on top of that, the history of a town so far away."

Lily became flustered hearing Yu Jing's praise. "It's.. it's just that I want to travel around the world, but because I am mortal, this dream is just in vain. So I try to listen to any news of the outside that the outer sect disciples bring."