Elder Bai Qingshui followed Lin Yijun!
And walked right into Hao’s store today with the precision of a sword master finding the weak point in a formation.
Lin Yijun looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself inside it.
He wasn’t just caught slacking off instead of cultivating or training…
He was the unknowing bait!
Lin Yijun took a deep breath, nodded to himself, and thought –
It’s fine.
Perfectly fine.
Totally fine.
Elder Bai Qingshui was from their sect, after all!
It wasn’t like some outsider had snuck in behind him.
It’s not like he invited the elder to follow him!
Besides, he didn’t say anything wrong, didn’t do anything wrong – he just drank some good stuff and fished a little too well.
That’s not a crime!
At worst… he was a victim of circumstance. A tragic tale of a disciple betrayed by his own snack break!
Yes. That sounded about right.
He’d cope with this memory just fine.
Probably.
Maybe.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of all this – Elder Bai Qingshui – wasn’t thinking about Lin Yijun’s feelings at all.
He didn’t care if Lin Yijun was internally panicking or coping with imaginary logic hoops.
His thoughts were somewhere far deeper.
The elder was here for one reason only.
Curiosity.
What exactly had that disciple of Elder Tang Sheng consumed that turned him into a one-man fishing net?
He had initially thought it might be some kind of forbidden stimulant. A rare explosive pill. A demonic elixir wrapped in mortal disguise.
But after careful observation, after more than a half day passed –
No signs of backlash.
No spiritual deviation.
No inner instability.
Even now, the boy sat there talking with his companions, not a hint of imbalance in his aura.
Lin Yijun’s complexion remained perfectly healthy. His qi flow unbroken. His eyes clear.
That was the absurd part.
Something that enhanced performance that much, but had no visible price?
Impossible.
Unacceptable.
And yet… undeniable.
Elder Bai Qingshui’s gaze shifted toward the glass shelves again.
His fingers almost itched.
That strange, colorful material container. Thin metal. Cold to the touch. Holding… what, exactly?
He didn’t know.
But from the moment he saw it in Lin Yijun’s hand, something in his gut had stirred.
It wasn’t like him to meddle in other people’s business.
In fact, he went out of his way to avoid it.
But those drinks…
It called to him.
Whispered to something deep in his meridians.
Elder Bai Qingshui didn’t know why – but he had the vague, persistent feeling that whatever was in that unfamiliar container…
Might just be the key to his next breakthrough.
That thought alone was ridiculous.
Unreasonable.
Absurd!
And yet –
He couldn’t deny it.
If this was madness, then so be it. He had been stuck in the same bottleneck for nearly two decades.
Maybe it really was time to go crazy.
Lin Yijun suddenly stood up with a calm, composed air, like he’d been expecting this meeting all along.
He clasped his hands together and bowed lightly.
“Elder Bai.” Lin Yijun greeted smoothly.
“What a surprise. If you wished to visit here, my sworn brother and I would’ve gladly guided you here ourselves.”
Pride shimmered faintly in his tone, the way an experienced host would greet a prestigious guest.
Then Lin Yijun turned to the side –
And gave Xiao Lianfeng a swift elbow to the ribs.
Xiao Lianfeng jolted upright like he’d been stabbed with a spear.
“…R-Right! Brother Yijun speaks true!” he said, voice a bit stiff, fists clenching at his sides as he awkwardly mirrored Lin Yijun’s posture.
“We would have guided you with utmost dedication, Elder Bai!”
Lin Yijun gave him a subtle sideways glance.
Then a smile.
That sworn brother kind of smile.
The one that said, “I dragged us into this, now help me lie properly or we both die.”
Xiao Lianfeng understood immediately.
He exhaled slowly, then added. “We… uh, we were even thinking of inviting you ourselves.”
Now that was just bold.
But Lin Yijun nodded, treating it as the undeniable absolute truth.
Together, they stood side by side, radiating the confidence of cultivators who were definitely not hiding a huge secret that could shake the entire continent and rewrite history itself.
“…”
Elder Bai Qingshui said nothing.
His face remained as still and unreadable as always.
But deep inside, he thought:
What do you mean you two younglings would guide me here?
Didn’t you both loop through random alleyways, cut through the morning market twice, and even pretended to drop something just to change directions?
If someone had asked you for directions to this place, you’d have looked them dead in the eye and said, ’Never heard of it.’
He had watched the whole thing from above, of course.
They absolutely had no intention of anyone ever finding this store.
If they had seen him back at the lake, Elder Bai was sure they would’ve just leapt into the river and floated downstream.
Still… he couldn’t really blame them.
If this drink was truly what he suspected it to be
Then their overly cautious behavior was actually not cautious enough.
If anything, it was still too careless.
A mysterious product that could enhance perception, bodily reflexes, and mind clarity all at once?
Without backlash?
Even he, an elder who stood at the peak of the mortal realm with no interest in worldly matters, had found himself drawn in.
He didn’t like getting involved.
But today…
He was very, very involved.
After a simple nod to Lin Yijun and Xiao Lianfeng, Elder Bai turned toward the exit.
’Old man, at least say something!’ Lin Yijun screamed in his head, face still frozen in a perfectly respectful expression.
Beside him, Xiao Lianfeng suddenly returned that earlier elbow – right into Lin Yijun’s chest.
By no means because he was petty.
As if a single elbow could shake his great dao of patience.
Truly, such accusations were beneath him… probably.
’What should we do, Brother Yijun? Should we… follow Elder Bai?’ Xiao Lianfeng asked innocently.
Lin Yijun kept smiling. He had no idea either.
Follow Elder Bai?
Did they look like they had a death wish?
On one hand, it would be disrespectful “not” to offer to escort such a revered elder.
On the other hand, Elder Bai Qingshui hadn’t even come here for them.
Before stepping completely through the door, Elder Bai Qingshui cast one final look toward the corner.
Where Old Tiger Zhao was crouched, licking the last edges of a vanilla cone like a starving beast just released from a hundred-year seal.