Signature?

The woman's smile froze, but then she quickly became amused.

​​

"Oh, I don't need signatures. If anything…"

She seemed to have thought of something and changed the subject. "So you're looking for a place of your own? You're a member of the Inner Yard now?"

"Umm, I guess you could say so…"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know how to explain his situation to her. Because of the agreement he had with Elder Sang, he couldn't just tell her about how he'd become Elder Sang's disciple.

And it'd be absurd to tell her that Outer Yard disciples could look for a place of their own in the Inner Yard.

But then again, the woman in blue didn't pester him further about the matter. She kept grinning and said, "I know of a place that I suppose you'd like."

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou's interest was piqued.

"There's a mountain at the back of the Inner Yard that sees very little traffic. That place has a lot of vacant places." The woman pointed in a specific direction. "It's not far. Take a turn up front and keep taking the smaller path. You'll see the place soon enough."

Xu Xiaoshou was elated, yet after pondering it for a bit, he realized that something was off.

"If it's such a good place, why hasn't anyone picked there to settle down? And umm… a lot of vacant places?"

"The Inner Yard is huge, and not everyone is as picky as you are. Some people just walk around and pick any they come across and fancy."

The woman shrugged, showing more of her supple skin. "How they see it, walking any further would probably result in them losing something big for something small. That would be quite a loss."

Xu Xiaoshou thought what she said made sense. If he hadn't run into this woman, he probably would've stopped going any further.

"Thank you."

The woman stared at him, and the corners of her mouth twitched. "Don't mention it."

Xu Xiaoshou felt his skin crawl. Why was she so bold? And were all the women in the Inner Yard this hot?

The look in her eyes was more than just a fan's admiration.

The look seemed to say that she'd set her sights on him and there was nowhere he could run to.

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave to keep looking for my own place." Xu Xiaoshou knew that fans could be terrifying when they got hysterical, so he shirked away, about to leave.

"Didn't you say you'd give me a signature?" the woman then asked, somewhat capricious.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. "The h*ll…" he thought.

"Didn't you tell me you didn't want my signature?

"Hehe, women are indeed fickle."

"Where should I sign, then?" he asked.

Xu Xiaoshou casually turned around and took out a brush from his ring. It was a gift from his first fan.

"I don't have anything with me, so just sign my body." The woman lifted her hand and alluringly turned around like she was dancing, making her look like some blue fairy.

"Your body… where, if I may ask?" Xu Xiaoshou gulped.

"Anywhere you fancy."

Her voice was so alluring that it was starting to make him tingle all over, and he felt like he was going to pass out.

Seduced, Passive Points +1.

"I knew it…" he thought.

"You witch. You're actually trying to seduce me!

"H*ll if I'm gonna just succumb to your wiles!"

He took the brush and inwardly told himself to resist her charms. Then, he said calmly, "On the hand, then. Coincidentally, I signed the hand of my first fan's too."

The woman tilted her head. Her jet-black hair draped over her shoulder as she extended her hand to him.

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath and gently touched it, finding it soft and warm.

"Huh?" he thought.

"What's happening?

"The witch is tickling the palm of my hand?"

Seduced, Passive Points +1.

Xu Xiaoshou felt like something bad would happen if he stayed around any longer. He immediately lifted his brush and steadied her hand, getting ready to sign.

"Sign my name instead," the woman then said.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. "There're fans actually crazy enough to tell me to sign their name instead?" he thought.

He then recalled not having asked her her name. That was rather rude of him.

"Alright. May I know your name then, miss?"

The woman chuckled as she looked at him, licking the corner of her lips a bit. Her voice sounded mystical.

"Lan Xinzi."

Nightfall came coincidentally, drowning the last bit of dusk colors in the sky. A breeze blew, and the rustling of fallen leaves was heard.

The atmosphere was immediately rendered silent the moment her name fell from her lips.

Xu Xiaoshou felt like a wave had just come crashing down on him.

"Lan Xinzi?" he thought.

"Isn't she one of the Inner Yard Thirty-three that Su Qianqian told me about? One of the three major enemies that I need to look out for in the future?

"Oh sh**!

"What the h*ll is happening?

"How did I run into my enemy when I was only out asking for directions?

"D*mn it. It's not my name she wants. It's my life!"

He felt a torrent of emotions raging inside of him, but he didn't let it reflect on his face.

He recalled how the woman had stiffly turned around and how a killing intent had lingered through their entire conversation.

"Yeah!" he thought.

"How many in the Inner Yard would know me, right?

"How could someone I've never met possibly be a fan of mine? She's definitely seen my picture or something and knows that I'm the one she needs to kill!"

While he had no problem playing the fool when nothing much was happening, when it was his life on the line, his brain would definitely get to work faster than anyone else's given how much he valued his own life.

He didn't pause his brush in midair again. He deftly twirled the brush in his hand and wore a rather ambiguous grin on his face as he brushed his thumb across her hand without being too obvious.

"Lan Xinzi? That's a nice name."

When he was about to sign, he stopped again and looked up with a faint smile. "I just want to check if I got your name right."

"Hehe!" Lan Xinzi chuckled while covering her mouth, seemingly noting that she knew he was flirting.

She noted that the young man before her was indeed a fine one. It was a pity that she couldn't go any further with him.

She nodded slightly, yet inwardly she had her doubts.

"Did he…" she thought.

"Halt for a bit back there?

"So he knows who I am, then.

"Does that mean he's just putting on an act?

"How about I just dispose of him right now.

"Wait, no…

"While he did stop, he did touch me nonetheless, although it wasn't that obvious.

"But then again, that's normal right? I'm Lan Xinzi, one of the Inner Yard Thirty-three. What kind of a man would be able to resist me after touching my hand?

"So that's why he halted? Because he touched my hand?"

Lan Xinzi was hesitating. Whether she killed him or not would come down to her whims.

"If the kid really knows me and dares to play me like this," she thought. "I should just kill him and report the matter later. I could dump his body at the Spiritual Library Division and claim that I acted at my own accord after seeing a disciple of the Outer Yard trespass into the Inner Yard. That could work.

"Well, I would only get punished somewhat for overdoing it at most."

However, she recalled what happened to He Yuxing.

"This kid may have someone backing him," she thought. "If even an assassination attempt could result in something like that, killing him outright would get me into really big trouble.

Should I just let him go?

"I may not get any better excuses from here on out..."

Doubted, Passive Points +1.

Doubted, Passive Points +1.

Doubted, Passive Points +1.

The Information Bar quickly refreshed, and Xu Xiaoshou was rather dazed from the sudden rush of information. He hated having to do psychological warfare, yet he had to go along with it.

"Alright, done."

He finished signing and put away his brush. He slowly let go of her hand, putting a reluctant look on his face.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Lan. This name will be what connected us. I hope to see you in the future."

He put on a hopeful look, then looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. I'd best keep looking, or I won't have a place to settle down tonight."

At first glance, he looked like someone who was feeling the itch deep down yet still wanted to maintain an air of politeness without hinting at anything more than that.

Lan Xinzi lightly touched the name on her palm as she looked at how he was behaving. She was unable to see past his façade.

"Off you go, then. We will meet again." She waved as she saw him off, yet there was yet another line that she kept to herself:

"If you're able to emerge out of that mountain, that is..."