Volume One, Chapter Seven: If You Dare Ignore Me Today, Will You Flatter Others the Day After Tomorrow?

It’s quite laughable, really.

The place where Su Yun’er, the one Liu Ruyan had been obsessing over, actually lay within the same gathering area as her.

The distance between the two was even less than that from the Drunken Immortal Tavern to the Pinru Clothing Shop.

Just as the weary Su Yun’er stepped into her own small courtyard, she received a message from Liu Ruyan through the communication talisman she carried.

Upon hearing Liu Ruyan’s words, Su Yun’er could not help but feel a surge of irritation:

“That wretched woman! She seizes every opportunity to flaunt herself.”

Every few days, she would boast about some new piece of jewelry she had acquired.

A few days later, she’d claim to possess some other treasure.

And today, she had even started bragging about her cultivation!

When it came to innate talent and effort in cultivation, Liu Ruyan couldn’t compare to Su Yun’er even if she rode a horse.

If it weren’t for Ye Feng, that sycophant always by Liu Ruyan’s side, how could she have reached the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, the same level as Su Yun’er?

What kind of status was that? How could she be mentioned in the same breath as Su Yun’er?

Though Liu Ruyan’s antics made Su Yun’er scornful, it was an undeniable fact that her cultivation had advanced rapidly.

Fortunately, Su Yun’er had been tirelessly working hard, pushing her own cultivation to the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, managing to pull ahead by a small margin.

Unexpectedly, that “green tea opportunist” Liu Ruyan had taken advantage of Su Yun’er’s false claim of seclusion—while secretly going out in search of opportunities—to nearly catch up to her cultivation!

How could she possibly accept that?

With lingering pains from the injuries on her body, Su Yun’er bit back her frustration and swallowed a spirit medicine. After applying new ointments, she slowly began to recover.

Truth be told, Su Yun’er held no affection whatsoever for Liu Ruyan in her heart.

People like Liu Ruyan only climbed the ranks by using their beauty to exchange for meager resources bit by bit.

Only fools like Ye Feng, who gave gifts without expecting anything in return, made Liu Ruyan’s life so palatable.

If it were anyone else, Liu Ruyan would have been devoured to the bone long ago.

With her appearance, how could Liu Ruyan ever truly catch Su Yun’er’s eye?

Though Su Yun’er was a wandering cultivator, her ancestors had once been affluent.

Her experience and aptitude were worlds apart from Liu Ruyan’s.

Even without those additional resources, hadn’t she reached the sixth layer of Qi Refinement through her own cultivation?

This trip, she had traveled far and wide in stealth to seek out the legacy of the Red Dust Immortal Ancestor’s cave dwelling.

Luckily, she had indeed found the cave.

But with her current cultivation, she was already blocked at the entrance.

To understand the situation, she had spent several months in hardship before finally uncovering the three conditions required to enter the Red Dust Immortal Ancestor’s cave.

The first condition was to possess the bloodline inheritance of the Red Dust Immortal Ancestor.

That was naturally unquestionable for her; as a descendant, her bloodline was intact.

However, the second condition proved to be troublesome.

Inside the cave entrance was a wind-attribute restriction formation.

Its power was formidable.

Su Yun’er judged that at least a mid-grade spiritual artifact was needed to barely withstand the force of the formation and force entry.

As for the third condition, it was even more exacting.

After breaching the wind-attribute restriction, there was a light shield protecting the cave’s resources.

Although its power had diminished over a century, it was not something a Qi Refinement cultivator could easily penetrate.

The only viable method was to have a cultivator practicing a top-grade Qi Refinement technique use pure spiritual power to sense and dismantle the incomplete restriction nodes left by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This gave Su Yun’er quite a headache.

Not to mention the top-grade technique, even a mid-grade spiritual artifact was beyond her current means.

Now, aside from good aptitude and a beautiful appearance, Su Yun’er possessed almost nothing.

To restore her ancestors’ former glory and obtain the resources within the Red Dust Immortal Ancestor’s cave, she was willing to endure any hardship.

Once she obtained those resources, breaking through to the tenth layer of Qi Refinement and entering a powerful sect would be within reach.

She had never considered sharing this matter for personal gain.

The Red Dust Immortal Ancestor’s cave was a legacy left by her ancestors.

She would never share it with other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If other strong figures learned of it, what benefits could Su Yun’er possibly gain?

Desperate to solve these problems, she remained deeply troubled.

Su Yun’er was nearly obsessed.

And now, even Liu Ruyan’s cultivation was about to catch up to hers.

She simply could not bear it.

The more she thought, the more agitated she became.

Meanwhile, the incessant chattering from Liu Ruyan’s message talisman continued.

At that moment, Su Yun’er’s eyes suddenly brightened.

If Liu Ruyan could rely on gifts from Ye Feng’s Drunken Flower Brew to break through her cultivation, then why couldn’t she?

This strange thought suddenly emerged in Su Yun’er’s mind.

Ye Feng gave gifts to anyone.

Why couldn’t it be her?

In terms of looks and character, how was she inferior to Liu Ruyan?

Even a miserly woman like Liu Ruyan could obtain so many resources from Ye Feng.

If she tried to flatter Ye Feng, wouldn’t she get even more?

Once this idea took root, it spread uncontrollably like wild grass.

Su Yun’er blushed.

For the first time, she felt ashamed of her own thoughts.

Yet she could not suppress the impulse within.

She knew relying solely on her own strength to obtain her ancestral cave’s legacy was nothing but a pipe dream.

But with the help of others, perhaps she could achieve her goal faster.

Biting her lip, Su Yun’er finally made up her mind.

Perhaps this really was a feasible plan.

Since Liu Ruyan loved to flaunt so much, she would make her suffer for once.

By some mysterious force, Su Yun’er seriously replied to Liu Ruyan through the communication talisman.

Then, blushing, she began selecting clothes and accessories in her room.

Her focused expression was no less determined than when she traveled thousands of miles in search of treasures.

...

Time flies like a fleeting horse racing past.

“Boss! Boss!”

“Immortal Lady Liu and the others have already arrived at the private room but haven’t seen you and are getting upset!”

“Boss, you better come quickly…”

“I’m afraid if you’re any later, the private room will be smashed.”

Outside, the waiter’s urgent knocking echoed.

Ye Feng took a deep breath and rinsed his mouth with the Drunken Flower Brew.

The spiritual liquor transformed into fragrance as Ye Feng spat it out.

He exhaled, feeling refreshed, finally at ease.

Hearing the waiter’s hurried calls, Ye Feng opened the door and instead asked, “What’s the rush?”

The waiter, already flustered, gave a bitter smile at Ye Feng’s words.

“You know Immortal Lady Liu’s temper, boss. How could I neglect her?”

“Besides, you already instructed that when Immortal Lady Liu arrives, we must not retaliate if she hits or scolds us, and must respond with a smile.”

“We wouldn’t dare add fuel to the fire!”

Ye Feng nodded with a wry smile.

He casually tossed the waiter a few spirit stones.

The waiter froze, eyes full of shock.

Unable to resist, he asked, “Boss, what’s this for...?”

Ye Feng smiled faintly and said, “Even if you didn’t contribute, you did endure hardship. Consider this a consolation fee.”

The waiter was completely dumbfounded.

His monthly salary was no more than three low-grade spirit stones.

And now, just for being scolded, he had earned a month’s wages!

Though his heart surged with excitement, he suppressed it and repeatedly thanked Ye Feng.

Then he hurried off to the kitchen to arrange the tasks Ye Feng had assigned.

Originally, he had planned to switch employers in time, thinking Ye Feng was about to sell off his assets.

But Ye Feng’s sudden generosity was simply too delightful.

With tips like this, no problem was really a problem.

With a tip, even helping to tear down a building would be no issue!

Ye Feng strolled leisurely.

Before entering the private room, he overheard Liu Ruyan angrily saying:

“This Ye Feng has really grown arrogant. He actually thinks that without his Drunken Immortal Tavern, we have nowhere else to feast?”

“Sister Yun’er, don’t drag me into this. If Ye Feng dared to make us wait today, he’ll dare to show me a cold face tomorrow!”

“If he dares to show me a cold face tomorrow, will he dare to lick others the day after?”