"Hmm, then I'll leave it to you." Ye Yutian replied lightly.
"This stone of yours looks quite nice to me. I wonder where you bought it?" Ye Lanshan nodded absentmindedly, but as her eyes swept to the side, they caught sight of a blue-white stone.
That was a spirit-gathering stone—using it for cultivation would be far more effective than any pill.
"This stone is merely an ornament. If you like it, I'll give it to you." Ye Yutian drew the stone over with his mystic energy, placed it in his hand, and handed it to her.
"Do you have any more stones exactly like this one?" Ye Lanshan carefully took the stone, cradling it as if it were a treasure.
"If you want them, I have them." Behind his mask, Ye Yutian's eyes held a trace of deep affection, but he perfectly concealed it, not letting Ye Lanshan notice.
Ye Lanshan's expression first brightened with joy, then quickly dimmed. "I just thought the stone looked pretty and asked a few casual questions. Having this one for appreciation is enough. Thank you for the gift, Dark Lord. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
Ye Yutian watched her leave the Floating Life Auction House, but instead of returning to Dream Red Pavilion, she headed alone toward the outskirts of the city.
"Is my method working? Did you find out what Miss Ye likes?" A strategist in a pink robe, looking rather flamboyant with a fox mask on his face, walked in.
"She seems to favor sweet words and romantic things like wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight." Ye Yutian frowned, appearing quite troubled by the matter.
"Miss Ye appears gentle and refined, but her nature is cold. Someone like that probably can't be moved by sweet talk alone, right? Looks like this method won't work either. Still, you could use this excuse to stick by her side and gradually figure out her preferences." Bai Li Wumo lounged unceremoniously in a chair, a jug of wine in hand, about to take a swig.
"Hmm." Ye Yutian remained standing by the window, gazing at the figure that had already vanished.
"I heard Sikong Kuang is also in the capital. Should we send someone to find him? Even if you don't need him anymore, Miss Ye might." Bai Li Wumo set the wine jug on the table and asked.
"I've already instructed Bai Yan to handle that. We should find Sikong Kuang soon. When we do, think of a way to send him over. I want to know what kind of injury she needs Sikong Kuang to treat." Ye Yutian finally turned around and sat in the chair next to Bai Li Wumo.
"Hey, you're the one chasing a woman here. You want me to deliver the guy? What are you thinking?" Bai Li Wumo propped his head on his hand, his peach blossom eyes filled with exasperation, showing no regard for rank.
"There's a bit of an issue with the Star Kingdom."
"Stop, stop, stop. Actually, chasing women is my specialty. I've never failed to win over a woman in the game of love. If you want to pursue her, I have other methods, guaranteed to be much faster than this one." Bai Li Wumo cut him off at the mention of the Star Kingdom.
"Besides, having me deliver Sikong Kuang to Miss Ye doesn't make sense. We've never met. If I suddenly bring him to her, she'll definitely think I have ulterior motives and turn us away." Bai Li Wumo's reasoning wasn't without merit.
But what they probably didn't know was that Ye Lanshan had already found Sikong Kuang and was getting along with him quite harmoniously.
Because of Ye Lanshan's interference, even after turning the capital upside down, Bai Yan couldn't find a trace of Sikong Kuang.
"Keep searching. I refuse to believe he just vanished into thin air." Bai Yan was furious at this point. He had scoured the capital several times, secretly searching every household, big or small, yet there was no sign of Sikong Kuang.
"Isn't it better that we can't find Sikong Kuang? That way, the prince won't be burdened by Ye Lanshan as a liability." Bai Yong's voice whispered seductively in his mind.
"Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. I'm telling you, I won't let you out for a while, and I definitely won't give you a chance to sabotage the prince's plan to win his wife." Bai Yan sneered, pressing a hand to his chest, a thin layer of mystic energy forcing Bai Yong into slumber.
"My dear brother, do you really think that can stop me? How naive." Bai Yong, lying in bed, suddenly opened his eyes, but his gaze lacked its usual coldness, carrying instead a different allure.
He donned a set of night clothes, blending perfectly into the darkness outside.
How strange. The vast Ye residence had no one guarding it. Bai Yan suppressed the odd feeling and continued sneaking toward Ye Lanshan's room.
Ye Luotian, who had been sleeping, immediately sat up. He quickly dressed and flew toward Ye Lanshan's quarters.
What's going on? Why is the room empty? No, could she not be staying here? Bai Yan stabbed his dagger into the bed, but it was empty. Panic set in.
"Young friend, barging into my Ye residence so recklessly doesn't seem appropriate." Just then, Ye Luotian arrived.
Hearing the voice, Bai Yan held his breath and carefully crawled under the bed.
"Young friend, your hiding skills are quite impressive. Ah, well, when one gets old, they lose their taste for killing. Since you entered my residence without harming anyone, I'll spare your life this time. If you trespass again, I won't be so lenient." Ye Luotian chuckled, finished speaking, and turned back to his bed. But with a wave of his hand, he summoned a hidden guard, ordering him to follow Bai Yan and find out which faction he belonged to.
After Ye Luotian left, Bai Yan finally let out a breath. He rolled out from under the bed and immediately flew out of the Ye residence.
The hidden guard followed him at a leisurely pace.
But Bai Yan was no ordinary man. As a dual-soul being, his perception was naturally sharp, and he soon noticed the guard trailing not far behind.
To mislead him, Bai Yan headed toward the Holy Land. As expected, the guard believed he was sent by the Holy Land.
"The Holy Land, after all these years, still so despicable and shameless." Ye Luotian trembled with rage upon hearing the guard's report, but then he thought of Ye Lanshan's plan, and his anger subsided.
...
"Master, is this the tavern?" Shuang Bai stared at the dilapidated building before him, teetering on the verge of collapse, and twitched his lips in exasperation.
No sooner had he spoken than the tavern's signboard crashed to the ground with a clatter.
Ye Lanshan was equally speechless at the sight of the building. She hadn't expected Qu Shui's taste to be so unique, picking out a place like this after all that searching.