Chapter 26: Yan Ruyu!
Yan Ruyu wasn’t the mischievous type.
As the Saintess of the Demon Realm, having lived under high authority for so long, her temperament had long since settled.
However, this time, even she didn’t know why she did something so childish.
That young man gave her a special feeling.
Although he, like everyone else, was focused solely on her appearance, in that brief glance, she saw a clarity in his eyes that others lacked.
Besides that clarity, what she liked even more was the way he looked at her.
It was a gaze of pure appreciation, unlike the subtle (or not so subtle) desires in everyone else’s eyes.
If Lin Mo knew Yan Ruyu’s thoughts, he would probably be unsure whether to laugh or cry.
It wasn’t that he had no thoughts; it was just that knowing it was impossible, he only intended to admire from afar, not to take liberties.
Lin Mo’s most prominent trait was his self-awareness.
He wouldn’t hold onto hope for things with such slim chances.
He lived with clarity!
But Yan Ruyu didn’t know this. Even if she did, she would still appreciate Lin Mo.
It was rare for her to have such favorable feelings towards a strange man, so Yan Ruyu kept her eyes on Lin Mo’s every move.
She could naturally see Lin Mo’s cultivation level, which was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. However, she could tell that Lin Mo had the ability to stop that middle-aged cultivator who had reached Golden Core through pills.
Defeating a Golden Core cultivator with Foundation Establishment strength, even if it was just a “false core” (one formed solely through pills), would absolutely make him famous.
He would undoubtedly be among the ranks of young prodigies.
But he didn’t intervene.
What Yan Ruyu didn’t see on Lin Mo’s face was fear, but rather an expression that said, “This looks too troublesome, I won’t bother.”
And that was precisely the case; Lin Mo was a person who disliked trouble.
Moreover, for him, this was the true cultivation world, and one had to be cautious in everything they did.
Could he guarantee that the middle-aged Golden Core cultivator didn’t have other forces behind him?
Or that he didn’t possess high-level magic treasures?
Why risk defeating this Golden Core cultivator just for temporary fame, an opportunity to stand out?
Forget it, could reputation and fleeting glory feed him?
Furthermore, once he gained some notoriety, there would undoubtedly be many bored individuals seeking him out for challenges to prove themselves.
Wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?
Lin Mo naturally wouldn’t do something with such low returns and high risks.
Yan Ruyu didn’t like people who chose to “draw their swords when they saw injustice” at the first sign of trouble.
In her opinion, such people were simply hot-headed fools, ignorant and reckless.
This type of personality often led to endless entanglements and continuous troubles.
Of course, these people weren’t inherently bad, but their actions, in “certain” aspects, were extremely irritating.
Conversely, she greatly admired Lin Mo’s personality of “As long as you don’t provoke me, I’m fine.”
Based on her observation, Lin Mo didn’t seem to get along well with that Junior Sister and was unwilling to pay her much attention.
Yet, this Junior Sister constantly picked fights with him, her words not just foolish, but utterly inane.
She didn’t appreciate Xia He’s attitude, and even less so her treating him, whom she favored, that way.
Therefore, for this competition, she hadn’t looked at any of the works from Lin Mo’s group at all.
Even if Lin Mo had submitted nothing, she would have passed him.
As for Xia He, no matter how well she wrote, it would be in vain.
As for letting that glutton girl pass, it was purely to annoy Xia He.
Xia He also sensed something was amiss. She slightly raised her head and found Yan Ruyu looking at her with a slight smile, her eyes full of playful amusement.
What was going on? When had she offended the owner of this building?
Xia He felt inexplicably annoyed. For some reason, she suddenly disliked this building owner.
“Hey, don’t you know the owner of this Jiangyue Building?”
“No!” Lin Mo’s reply was swift and direct, not understanding why Xia He would ask such a strange question.
Xia He snorted coldly. Her intuition was sharp, and she had already decided that her elimination in the first round was related to Lin Mo.
A large portion of the people in Jiangyue Building had already left, their faces etched with disappointment, regretting their lack of talent and inability to spend a pleasant night with the owner.
The current emptiness within Jiangyue Building was a stark contrast to before, giving it a feeling of abandonment.
At a glance, the number of people remaining was visibly small.
From the upper floors, the maidservant beside Yan Ruyu slowly descended and approached Xia He with a smile. “This ‘Young Master,’ you did not pass the first round of the competition. Please leave to avoid disturbing the other Young Masters’ subsequent matches.”
“It’s you!” Xia He immediately recognized the maidservant; it was the one who had caused trouble when they entered Daliang City a few days prior.
She looked at Lin Mo and said, “I get it now. You do know this building owner, don’t you? No wonder you didn’t help me and Senior Sister Xie back then!”
“I told you I don’t know her!”
“I already explained why I didn’t act earlier,” Lin Mo said, frowning.
“Our Owner truly didn’t know this Young Master before, but she will know him in the future,” the maidservant said then.
Will know him in the future?
Lin Mo couldn’t quite understand what this maidservant was talking about.
“Alright, ‘Young Master,’ the competition is about to begin. Please make haste and leave. I don’t want to delay the other Young Masters.”
The maidservant’s voice wasn’t quiet, and everyone could hear it clearly, casting looks of displeasure at Xia He.
Noticing Nangong Xu also looking at her with displeasure from afar, Xia He said indignantly, “Fine, fine, fine, I’ll leave then.”
“Ruoyan, and Zhi’an, Zhiqu, are you coming with me?” She was the only one here who hadn’t passed the first round of the competition.
Xie Zhi’an’s gaze towards the maidservant felt as if it could cut her, so she naturally didn’t want to stay any longer.
Xie Zhiqu chose to follow her elder sister.
“But, Xia Xia, the food here is so delicious…” Qu Ruyan seemed reluctant to leave the foodies.
“I’ll take you to eat even better things outside,” Xia He enticed her with food.
“Then what about Senior Brother…?” Qu Ruyan’s mouth watered at the thought of better food outside, and she looked at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo wasn’t particularly bothered by this gluttonous girl. He smiled and said, “It’s fine, you go with them.”
“Then Senior Brother, when will you return to the inn?” Qu Ruyan asked.
Lin Mo replied without hesitation, “As soon as the competition is over!”
He added, “While I’m gone, none of you are allowed to act on your own.”
He had emphasized this point several times already.
This reminder was to prevent any unexpected incidents.
…
