When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

The moment the words were spoken, the entire hall seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Yi Chen closed his eyes briefly: "…………"

Suddenly I felt something stab my chest.

"Godfather?" Bao Yue, who was stuffing a chicken leg into her mouth, stopped what she was doing.

She choked up.

"Indeed," Chu Xianlan nodded firmly. "My godfather is kind, benevolent, and approachable, and he treats the younger generation well! Hearing that I was going into the valley to find herbs, he was worried and specially accompanied me to protect me." After saying that, he turned back and winked at Yi Chen, "Right, Godfather!"

Snap, snap, snap, three more stabs.

Yi Chen's expression darkened further.

"So that's how it is," Baoyue murmured in a daze.

Oh my? Becoming a father at such a young age, that's really... Well, no, you can't tell a cultivator's age by looking at them, so I guess I can't say that.

Ji Fuyao was also stunned. Doubts rose and fell in her heart. She frowned, looked at Chu Xianlan, and then at the young, handsome but expressionless man in black behind her. Her expression became somewhat indescribable.

Godfather?

So that's how it is.

"Then, I won't disturb Fellow Daoist Chu and this... godfather senior." Ji Fuyao nodded with difficulty. Well, at least he didn't seem like a suspicious person.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the inn.

"Is Fuyao there?"

"Young Master Bi's gift has arrived!"

The sound was drawn out, a man's high-pitched shout drifting in.

Hearing this commotion, the female cultivators of the Xuan Yang Sect all frowned, revealing expressions of disgust. Bao Yue reacted the most, slamming her fist on the table with a bang, and said resentfully, "It's that annoying brat again! That persistent ghost!"

As soon as she finished speaking, seven or eight men dressed as servants rushed into the hall, carrying all sorts of things in their hands.

"...?" Chu Xianlan stared incredulously as one of them pulled out a spirit fire stick.

Before he could stop them, the other party quickly lit it.

"Boom—!!"

In an instant, the inn's lobby exploded with colorful firework fireworks, ribbons fluttering wildly, smoke billowing, sparks flying everywhere, crackling and popping.

"Holy crap, my noodles! My hair!"

"What a madman acting like this in broad daylight!"

"Shopkeeper, aren't you going to do anything about this?! You're putting spirit fire indoors in your shop?!"

The sudden farce startled the guests and caused an uproar.

Chu Xianlan subconsciously took a half step back, but was protected by the ice-blue barrier that Yi Chen silently deployed, and was not affected at all. Even so, looking at the chaotic scene in front of him, he couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows.

What's going on?

City people really know how to have fun.

Amidst the commotion, a servant in blue stepped forward and eagerly presented Ji Fuyao with a delicate wooden box the size of a palm.

"Miss Fuyao, this is a congratulatory gift prepared for you by our young master Bi—the Crimson Mirror. Please take a look."

"roll!"

Bao Yue, having reached her limit, grabbed a paper umbrella in a fit of rage and swung it at the blue-clad servant. The group of people were beaten until they stumbled and fell to the ground, dropping everything they were holding.

"Take your junk and get out of here! If you dare bother our senior sister again, I'll smash your head in!"

Baoyue slung the umbrella over her shoulder and pointed at the group, cursing them angrily.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Ouch, ouch!"

The servants dared not linger any longer and scrambled out of the room.

The farce finally came to an end, but the innocent cultivators at the next table were left with very unpleasant looks. They couldn't help but mutter complaints under their breath, while the innkeeper looked at the mess on the floor with a bitter expression, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, Ji Fuyao sighed softly, walked up to the shopkeeper, and took out a bag of spirit stones, placing it on the counter.

"This small token is to compensate the inn for its losses. I am truly sorry for disturbing your peace and quiet earlier. All the guests' bills in the lobby today will be charged to me. I would be grateful if the innkeeper could make the necessary arrangements."

Knowing that she had suffered an undeserved misfortune, the shopkeeper hesitated and said, "Thank you for your understanding, young lady, but this..."

"It's alright." Ji Fuyao nodded, her gentle tone reassuring.

After finishing these tasks, she returned to the table, saying somewhat helplessly, "Fellow Daoist Chu, I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Bao Yue pouted: "Bi Shi acted like a jerk first, why should Senior Sister clean up the mess..."

From Bao Yue's angry supplement, Chu Xianlan roughly understood the whole story.

It turns out that Bi Shi is the only son of the city lord of Shuangyun City.

The city lord and his wife doted on their son. Bi Shi was a spoiled brat who, relying on his status and the power of the city lord's mansion, always acted arrogantly in Shuangyun City and often frequented brothels. Until he met Ji Fuyao, Bi Shi fell for her beauty on the spot, calling it a prodigal son's return, and began a passionate pursuit (harassment) of the senior sister of Xuan Yang Sect.

Ji Fuyao felt like she had attracted a fly. She had already clearly refused several times, but Bi Shi was extremely shameless and instead felt that the other party was playing hard to get, so his methods became more and more blatant and annoying.

However, Bi Shi was not a good-for-nothing playboy. It was rumored that he was very skilled in weapon crafting and was able to craft high-grade magic weapons at a young age. He was quite famous in Shuangyun City and was respectfully called "Weapon Crafting Master" by many people.

"A master weapon refiner?"

Chu Xianlan bent down and picked up the boxes scattered on the ground.

I've never heard of this person before, so it's quite unusual.

"What kind of master is he?" Bao Yue scoffed. "He was just an ordinary weapon cultivator before, but recently he must have had some good luck and suddenly figured out the secrets, so people have been praising him."

She glanced at the wooden box in Chu Xianlan's hand and said disdainfully, "Hmph, I heard that when you artifact cultivators want to pursue someone, you will give them a magical artifact that you made yourself. This box is probably just some junk that Bi Shi made."

"Fellow Daoist Ji, may I open it and take a look?" Chu Xianlan asked, raising her eyes.

Ji Fuyao nodded, her tone indifferent, "Go ahead." She wouldn't accept these things anyway.

The latch clicked open, and the wooden box opened.

The box was lined with soft, shiny gold velvet, and on the cloth lay a mirror the size of a palm.

The mirror is carved from lustrous white jade, with the handle edge covered with auspicious floral patterns. The mirror surface is so smooth that it reflects one's image, and the workmanship is exquisite.

"That's it?" Baoyue joined in the fun, clicking her tongue in amazement. "This is the Crimson Beauty Mirror? How tacky, and such an unoriginal gift..."

Chu Xianlan frowned as soon as she saw the mirror.

Subconsciously turning around, Yi Chen exchanged a glance with his master behind him. His gaze also fell on the magic artifact, a faint look of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Just as Ji Fuyao and the others were about to leave, they saw Chu Xianlan examining the artifact closely and assumed he was interested in it. So they said gently, "If Fellow Daoist Chu doesn't mind, please take this with you."

This time, Chu Xianlan did not refuse.

He closed the wooden box, smiled slightly, and said, "Then thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Ji."

After the Xuan Yang Sect group left, Chu Xianlan reopened the wooden box and examined it closely.

strangeness.

Am I seeing things correctly?

As he was wondering, his master's voice rang out: "This is a magical artifact that you crafted yourself."

Yi Chen used an affirmative sentence.

Others might not be able to tell, but Yi Chen was extremely familiar with his disciple's craftsmanship. He could identify the craftsman's work with just one glance.

Chu Xianlan lowered her head.

The wooden box didn't contain any "Crimson Beauty Mirror" at all, but rather a small magical artifact he made in his early years—the "Self-Deception Mirror."

The effect is simple: those who hold the mirror can see their most beautiful appearance in the mirror. The artifact is imbued with a slight beautifying illusion. In short, it is a thing that can make people "look more beautiful and handsome".

Chu Xianlan made many of these little gadgets as a hobby, but those that were no longer useful were mostly sold.

He couldn't possibly mistake something he made himself.

Chu Xianlan closed her eyes and carefully scanned the magical artifact in her hand with her divine sense, searching for the spiritual seal.

Engraving a unique spiritual mark on a work is a basic operation for weapon refiners, serving a similar purpose to signing their name.

As expected, the spirit seal he had carved had been erased, clearly done intentionally by someone.

Ah, this.

This has caused quite a stir.

Chu Xianlan's lips twitched; wasn't this just awkward?

...I am actually the master weapon refiner?