Chapter 742: Enemies Meet

"A hooligan?"

Gu Xin'er was stunned.

The good man who loved his wife so deeply was actually that hooligan? For a moment, she found it hard to accept. How could two such extreme people be the same person?

"Am I seeing things?"

She tried closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, it was still Jiang Fan's detestable face. Thinking of him threatening her with aphrodisiacs and making her run in circles, anger instantly flared up. With a tap of her foot, she was about to charge: "He won't escape this time!"

The hairpin, however, sighed, "If you make a move, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master will have to intervene. Don't cause an irreparable disturbance."

Gu Xin'er abruptly stopped. She was here to do business, not to make an enemy of a Nascent Soul expert who governed a human territory. Her eyebrows raised, and she said:

"But the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master just saw the hooligan's portrait and said he didn't know him. Why would the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master intervene for someone he doesn't even know?"

The hairpin smiled helplessly, "Think carefully again about how the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master answered you."

Gu Xin'er frowned, "I asked him if he knew the person in the portrait. He answered that he didn't know him..."

"Wait, what he said was, 'I haven't seen him!'"

The hairpin said meaningfully, "Do you understand now? 'Haven't seen him' refers to not having seen the person in real life. It doesn't mean he didn't recognize who was in the portrait. He answered evasively, clearly protecting Jiang Fan and not wanting you to harm him."

Gu Xin'er suddenly realized! Seemingly similar answers had such a vast difference in meaning.

"Playing word games, I see!" Gu Xin'er felt deceived.

The hairpin continued, "I heard the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is recruiting disciples recently. This person must be one of them."

Gu Xin'er was startled, "How could that be? Isn't he a disciple of the Myriad Tribulation Saint Hall?"

The hairpin, however, chuckled, "A Myriad Tribulation Saint Hall disciple who knows Cloud Shadow and has Scented Corpse Pills?"

Gu Xin'er asked in surprise, "Master, are you saying he's a rogue cultivator? And he cultivated Cloud Shadow to perfection on his own? That's unbelievable, isn't it? How many elite disciples of the Myriad Tribulation Saint Hall struggle to cultivate it even with elder guidance? To cultivate it alone, how high must his talent be?"

The hairpin said, "That's why the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master would protect him. Give up. Since he has the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master's protection, and you might not be able to outwit him, don't bring trouble upon yourself anymore."

Gu Xin'er was annoyed. Saying she couldn't outwit Jiang Fan? What a joke! She was determined to prove her master wrong. She cast a glance at Jiang Fan. She quietly retreated back into the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, letting out a soft huff:

"I'm not leaving! Not until I've taught him a lesson and made him submissive!"

The hairpin smiled without a word. Clearly, she was intentionally provoking Gu Xin'er. She thought to herself: "With my help, your cultivation level has risen too quickly, but your mental fortitude hasn't matured enough. This boy's caution, cunning, and stratagems are all things you need to learn. Let him thoroughly temper you, and learn his strengths. If it truly helps you grow, I'll grant him a stroke of good fortune as well."

Gu Xin'er was too young. She possessed a powerful cultivation but lacked matching maturity. If she conflicted with those old Nascent Soul monsters, Gu Xin'er could easily suffer greatly. She had always wanted to find an opportunity to properly temper Gu Xin'er. There just hadn't been a suitable chance. Tempering her with those old Nascent Soul monsters carried the risk of her being harmed or even losing her life. And with Core Formation stage old monsters, her cultivation was too high, potentially suppressing them and preventing effective tempering. Jiang Fan's appearance made her eyes light up. This boy's strength wasn't too high, so he couldn't harm Gu Xin'er. But his cunning and methods were on par with those Nascent Soul monsters, capable of infuriating Gu Xin'er. Missing Jiang Fan, she wouldn't find a more suitable candidate.

Therefore, she smiled and suggested, "Disguise yourself as a rogue cultivator from outside this domain and join the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. That way, as a fellow disciple, you can get close to Jiang Fan and exact your revenge."

Since tempering was the goal, a long-term interaction was naturally best.

"Huh?" Gu Xin'er's eyes widened, "Is teaching him a lesson that difficult? Do I really need to go to such lengths, joining the Heavenly Secret Pavilion as a disciple just to get close to him? Master, you're underestimating me too much, aren't you?" She felt personally insulted.

The hairpin chuckled hoarsely, "Then do as you see fit."

Gu Xin'er's beautiful eyes spun. When her gaze fell upon Liu Qingxian, she couldn't help but giggle. "I have an idea." She smiled slyly, like a little fox, and quietly melted into the shadows.

On the other side.

Jiang Fan seemed to sense something and looked towards the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's entrance. He wondered if it was just his imagination. It felt as if he was being watched.

"Xiao Fan, what's wrong?" Liu Qingxian asked, puzzled.

Jiang Fan thought for a moment, then slightly shook his head, "Nothing."

"Why are you here in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?" He had been wondering. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master had announced the three girls' names for selection, but Liu Qingxian seemed to have vanished. When he asked Liu Wenchen, he was evasive and unclear. It turned out Liu Qingxian had arrived at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion ahead of everyone else.

Liu Qingxian hugged Jiang Fan's waist tightly, leaning affectionately on his shoulder, and said: "Before you went on the Yunxia Concubine mission, didn't I take on a task?"

Jiang Fan recalled, dimly remembering. That time, Liu Qingxian had also intended to join, but she took on a task and left before departure.

"My task was to perform duties here at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. But although they called it duties, they didn't make me do any work at all. They only told me to cultivate diligently, and occasionally, some seniors would come to guide me. Especially Vice Pavilion Masters You Yunzi and Gu Huaxi. They would come to teach me every few days and even gave me many spirit pills."

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. It turned out the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master's arrangement for the three girls to enter the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was not a sudden impulse. Instead, arrangements had been made as early as after the Battle of Boundary Mountain.

"The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master has been very good to me. Both Vice Pavilion Masters have also treated me very well." Looking towards the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's entrance, he was filled with gratitude. He called out to Xu Youran and Chen Siling on the spirit beast's back behind him: "Youran, Siling, let's go!"

Xu Youran and Chen Siling came forward together. They had been watching the couple's tender moments; they just hadn't interrupted.

"They were here too?" Liu Qingxian's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled away from Jiang Fan's embrace. She had expected Xu Youran to scold her. What she didn't expect was that Xu Youran merely glanced at her without saying much. She gently linked her arm with Jiang Fan's and said:

"Husband, after we've paid our respects to our masters, let's go visit Vice Pavilion Master Gu and Vice Pavilion Master You. Sister Liu has been well cared for by them these past days."

Jiang Fan nodded, "Of course we should go. Let's go inside first."

The two entered the Heavenly Secret Pavilion side by side. Liu Qingxian looked at them both with some reluctance. She wanted to go up and link Jiang Fan's other arm. But after seeing Xu Youran's back, she ultimately lacked the courage to confront her directly and could only follow half a step behind with Chen Siling.

Inside the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Ruan Qingsu was caught between laughter and tears: "Master, why are you dressing me up so beautifully?" She sat in front of the dressing mirror. Her master, Lin Yuhang, was meticulously applying her makeup. This treatment made Ruan Qingsu feel overwhelmed.

Lin Yuhang said excitedly, "Jiang Fan is formally joining the Heavenly Secret Pavilion today. To catch a wolf, you need bait. Good disciple, make a sacrifice today."