The waiter quickly brought over a few more buckets of hot water and poured them into the wooden bathtub behind the folding screen.

Steaming hot air permeated the room. The scent of sandalwood mixed with the vapor, bringing an inexplicable sense of comfort.

Su Wan’er stood behind the folding screen, hesitated for a moment, and began to undress.

The sound of her clothes falling to the floor was very soft, but in this quiet room, it could be heard exceptionally clearly.

Lai Li’an stood by the window, gazing at the night scenery outside. His expression remained completely unmoving, but his ears twitched slightly.

Wait, what was he thinking about?

Lai Li’an took a deep breath and suppressed all the messy thoughts in his mind.

He was a Senior expert; how could he have such thoughts? Sinful, truly sinful.

Lai Li’an closed his eyes and began to silently recite the Diamond Sutra1 in his heart.

Although from his past life he only remembered one line—”All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow”—at this moment, he felt that reciting just this one line properly was enough.

A faint splashing sound of water came from behind the screen.

Su Wan’er sat in the bathtub. The warm water rose past her shoulders, enveloping her entire person in warmth.

She closed her eyes, feeling the hot water gradually seep into her skin, washing away the residual evil energy on the surface of her body.

Her mind was clear, her spirit tranquil.

Yet, everything that had happened over the past two days uncontrollably surfaced in her thoughts.

Falling from the sky and crashing into the bushes.

Waking up to see those eyes as calm as still water.

That composed and unhurried figure always walking ahead of her.

Su Wan’er’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. She hastily opened her eyes, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it on her face in an attempt to calm herself down.

She told herself this, but her heartbeat still quickened a fraction.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the splashing of water behind the screen stopped.

Su Wan’er’s voice drifted from behind, carrying a hint of embarrassment. “Se… Senior.”

“Hmm?”

“This junior’s clothes… are no longer wearable…”

Lai Li’an finally remembered that he had only ordered hot water to be brought up, forgetting to ask for a change of clothes.

“Wait a moment.”

He opened the door, walked to the staircase, and called down, “Innkeeper!”

The middle-aged man’s voice came from below. “Guest, what do you need?”

“Bring up a clean dress.”

Downstairs, there was a moment of silence, followed by the middle-aged man’s voice, suppressing a laugh, “Alright! I’ll send it up right away!”

Lai Li’an returned to the room and closed the door.

Not long after, a knock sounded on the door.

He opened it to find the Waiter standing outside, holding a neatly folded light cyan dress. Though the fabric was not particularly expensive, it made up for it by being perfectly clean and fresh.

“Guest, this is a fine dress the Innkeeper’s Wife kept at the bottom of her trunk. She said she is lending it to the young lady to wear, and there is no need to return it.”

With a wide grin, the Waiter turned and ran off.

Lai Li’an closed the door and placed the dress by the folding screen.

“I’ve left it here.”

“Thank you, Senior.”

A moment later, Su Wan’er walked out from behind the screen.

The light cyan dress fit her surprisingly well.

Her long, water-blue hair was still slightly damp. A few stray strands clung to her cheeks, accentuating her fair, luminous skin, making her look as if she had just stepped out of a painting.

She kept her head down, her hands subconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt, standing there rather awkwardly.

“Senior… does it look good?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

What was she saying? How could she ask Senior such a question?

Lai Li’an glanced at her, his gaze completely calm.

“Passable.”

A simple response, plain and devoid of emotion.

Su Wan’er felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment in her heart, but she quickly suppressed the emotion.

What kind of lofty expert was Senior? How could he care about such worldly matters?

Thinking this, she felt that asking such a question just now was truly too presumptuous.

“This junior was impolite.” She lowered her head, walked to the other corner of the room, and sat cross-legged by the wall. “Senior, please rest early. This junior will just meditate here.”

Lai Li’an glanced at her without saying much. He walked over to the prepared bedding, took off his outer robe, and lay down.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was racing.

Everything that had happened over the past two days was more thrilling than his past three years combined.

Every step felt like walking a tightrope.

But fortunately, the results weren’t bad, and the Cultivation Base provided by Su Wan’er had reached Peak Foundation Establishment.

Although he still didn’t know any spells, at least the Indestructible Vajra Physique was genuinely useful. Taking Yin Wushe’s blade head-on today was the best proof of that.

Thinking of this, Lai Li’an felt his heart settle down a bit.

Time to sleep.

He still had to continue putting on an act tomorrow.

The oil lamp in the room was blown out.

Moonlight leaked through the cracks in the window, casting a thin silver line on the floor.

Su Wan’er sat cross-legged in the corner, her eyes closed and her breathing even.

But she wasn’t asleep.

Her Spiritual Sense quietly probed outward, sensing every trace of movement in the room.

Senior’s breathing was very light and steady, as if he had already fallen asleep.

A trace of doubt rose again in Su Wan’er’s heart.

Senior was actually sleeping.

He wasn’t meditating to regulate his breath, nor was he closing his eyes to rest his mind; he was genuinely sleeping.

Did cultivators at the Golden Core Stage… need to sleep?

A Golden Core Master had long since achieved Fasting, no longer consuming mortal food, untouched by worldly affairs, and not even needing sleep. They only needed to meditate for a few hours a day to feel completely refreshed.

But Senior…

Su Wan’er bit her lower lip.

Perhaps Senior was regulating his breath using a method she didn’t know about?

Or perhaps Senior was tempering his state of mind? Yes, that must be it.

Su Wan’er nodded secretly in her heart, feeling as though she had comprehended yet another layer of profound truth.

She stopped overthinking, closed her eyes, and began to circulate the Spiritual Power within her body, entering a state of cultivation.

Outside the window, the moonlight gradually shifted.

The night grew deep.

Su Wan’er was awakened by a strange, exotic fragrance.

She snapped her eyes open, her Spiritual Sense sweeping outward like a tide. Something was definitely wrong.

It was a scent, extremely faint, blooming quietly in an unnoticed corner. The moment the fragrance entered her nose, the Heaven-Grade Water Spiritual Root within her body trembled slightly, as if it had been gently plucked by something.

A fragrance capable of triggering a reaction from a Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root was absolutely no ordinary thing.

She rose quietly, walked to the window, and looked toward the source of the scent. Under the moonlight, the continuous mountain forest behind the small town was completely serene. The fragrance was drifting from that very direction, intermittent, like some ancient breathing.

She had read in her sect’s records that certain spiritual herbs growing in specific terrains would absorb and exhale moon essence on the night of a full moon. Their medicinal power would leak out, forming the phenomenon known as “medicinal fragrance spanning ten miles.”

Such spiritual herbs were of a grade that was at least a century old.

Su Wan’er subconsciously glanced back at the bed. Lai Li’an was still sleeping peacefully, his breathing even, completely unresponsive to this strange fragrance that was enough to stir a Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root.

The confusion in her heart deepened. Did Senior… not notice it?

Or perhaps, in Senior’s eyes, this fragrance was simply not worth mentioning at all.

Su Wan’er sat cross-legged in the corner again and closed her eyes, but that faint fragrance kept lingering at her nose, making it impossible for her to calm down.

What she didn’t know was that at this very moment, on the other side of the small town, three figures were quietly slipping into the night, speeding toward the direction of the mountain forest.

A moment later, Su Wan’er’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated. She quietly released a wisp of Spiritual Sense, cautiously probing outside the room.

Downstairs, three auras could faintly be felt. One of them was deep and vigorous, possessing a Cultivation Base of at least Peak Foundation Establishment. The other two were slightly weaker, but both were still Late Foundation Establishment cultivators.

For three such people to sneak into the inn in the dead of night was clearly no coincidence.

Su Wan’er’s gaze fell toward the bed. Lai Li’an was still lying there, his breathing even and completely motionless.

Could it be that Senior was completely unaware of the commotion outside? A surge of anxiety suddenly welled up in Su Wan’er’s heart. Could they be pursuers?

Why was Senior still sleeping? Had he really not noticed?

No, Su Wan’er suddenly remembered that along their journey, Senior’s style had always been unhurried and calm.

Perhaps Senior had discovered them long ago but merely felt they were not worth his attention. But what if those people really barged in…

Su Wan’er’s mind raced with thoughts. She subconsciously wanted to wake Lai Li’an, but swallowed the words just as they reached her lips.

The Senior was an expert, a Golden Core Master. How could a Golden Core Master need someone else to warn him of danger?

Perhaps the Senior was testing her. Thinking of this, Su Wan’er’s heart suddenly settled a bit.

That was right, it must be so.

The Senior was deliberately pretending not to notice just to see how she would react.

Su Wan’er took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She closed her eyes and carefully sensed the auras of those three people.

They lingered downstairs for a moment, seemingly conversing in low voices, and then footsteps sounded as they headed toward the back of the inn.

Su Wan’er frowned slightly.

It seemed they were not coming for them, but she did not dare relax her guard, keeping her senses locked onto the auras of those three.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the auras of the three people gradually faded away, disappearing into the night.

Su Wan’er let out a long exhale, figuring that they were likely heading toward that strange fragrance. Her tense body slowly relaxed, and she turned her head to look at the bed.

Lai Li’an happened to roll over, mumbling something incoherently before continuing to sleep soundly.

Su Wan’er blanked for a moment, then couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curl into a smile.

“Senior…”

He truly didn’t put on the airs of a Golden Core Master at all. She sat back down in the corner but found that she couldn’t calm her mind no matter what she did.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened.

The morning light shone through the cracks in the window, spreading a faint layer of gold across the floor.

Su Wan’er looked up at that ray of morning light and suddenly felt as if something in her heart had brightened along with it.

She stood up, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open.

The fresh morning air rushed in, carrying the scent of earth and grass.

In the distant streets, early-rising vendors had already begun setting up their stalls.

It was an ordinary morning, filled with the ordinary hustle and bustle of the mortal realm.

She turned around and looked at Lai Li’an.

The morning light fell across his face, highlighting his sharp, distinct features.

Su Wan’er suddenly realized that Senior looked very young.

He appeared to be no more than in his early thirties. When she thought about how Senior had once been her mother’s Master, he had to be quite old in reality. To still be so handsome, could it be that he possessed some secret technique?

Su Wan’er quickly suppressed these thoughts.

Senior’s origins, Senior’s realm, Senior’s past, these were all Senior’s own affairs. If Senior didn’t speak of them, she shouldn’t ask.

This was the rule, and a matter of knowing one’s boundaries.

She told herself this.

Lai Li’an’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

Su Wan’er hastily withdrew her gaze, walked quickly back to the corner of the wall, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and pretended as if she had been cultivating the entire time.

Lai Li’an opened his eyes, yawned, and slowly sat up.

He glanced out the window, then looked at Su Wan’er in the corner.

“You’re awake?”

Su Wan’er opened her eyes, stood up, and bowed respectfully. “Good morning, Senior.”

Lai Li’an nodded, stood up, and stretched his somewhat stiff neck.

“Nothing happened last night, right?” Lai Li’an asked casually.

Su Wan’er hesitated for a moment but still spoke truthfully, “Replying to Senior, before dawn, three people lingered downstairs for a moment and then headed toward the back of the inn. This junior sensed that one of them has a Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivation Base, while the other two are at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation.”2

Lai Li’an’s movements paused for a moment.

“Three people? Mid Foundation Establishment?”

He had slept like a log last night and hadn’t heard a thing.

But there was no ripple of emotion on his face; he merely gave a faint “Hmm.”

“Pay them no mind.”

Seeing Lai Li’an acting so breezy and unconcerned, Su Wan’er grew even more certain that the Senior had known all along and simply didn’t care.

“Yes, this junior understands.”

Lai Li’an walked to the window and looked out at the street below, which was already bustling with activity, but his mind was racing.

Three cultivators appearing near this small inn in the dead of night, was it a coincidence, or were they targeting them?

He couldn’t figure out the answer.

But he knew he couldn’t panic.

No matter what happened, maintaining his composure was the top priority.

Because Su Wan’er was watching him.

Her Fantasy Points were built precisely upon this facade of calm composure.

“Pack up, we’re going down for breakfast.” Lai Li’an turned around, his tone casual.

“Yes, Senior.”