Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Chapter 8: Zhaixing Tower and Qingyun Sect are vying for disciples!

This sound made everyone turn around to look.

A young man who looked like a scholar was seen bumping into them, stepping on people's shoes and his own robes.

As he pushed his way forward, he repeatedly bowed and apologized, which drew angry glares from the crowd.

Looking at the scene from afar, Zhu Wuyao muttered to himself: "They've really run away in a chaotic mess."

I don't know who they came looking for.

The thought had barely formed when the disheveled scholar appeared before his stall.

"Junior sister, how come you're setting up a stall as soon as you turn around? Luckily I heard the name Zhaixing Tower, otherwise I don't know how long I would have to look for it."

The surrounding townspeople were watching the spectacle, and their enthusiasm only grew when the disciples of Zhaixinglou came out.

Is this... a competition between the Star-Picking Tower and the Azure Cloud Sect for disciples?!

Good job, really good job.

Normally, if Zhu Wuyao were called "junior sister" for no reason, she would probably say: "Why don't you take a closer look? Maybe I'm just an innocent passerby with delicate features, both literary and martial skills, a bright future, and a promising career?"

But it's different now.

The person in front of me is not only a legitimate disciple of the Star-Picking Pavilion, but also seems to have poor eyesight, as he has to get so close to see the group from the Azure Cloud Sect clearly.

That's perfect... a lifesaver.

The scholar-like young man bowed and asked, "My name is Shen Anzhi. Fellow Daoists, it was my junior sister who offended you. Please forgive her."

As he spoke, he bowed repeatedly in front of Yun Qing and the others, appearing to be very good-natured.

However, Yun Qing dared not underestimate the other party.

The person before me had a restrained aura, yet a faint white aura emanated from their body, indicating that their cultivation level was higher than mine.

But now he's apologizing to himself.

Yun Qing could only repeatedly say he dared not. Just as he was about to explain, he saw Zhu Wuyao had already packed up the scattered belongings, grabbed Shen Anzhi's sleeve, and preemptively said:

"Fellow Daoists of Qingyun Sect, the token has been taken away by my master. I am here to perform divination in order to find my senior brother's whereabouts."

"Now that the person has been found, I have some urgent matters to inform my senior brother, so I must take my leave!"

The moment Zhu Wuyao approached, a hint of surprise flashed in Shen Anzhi's eyes.

He was about to say something when Zhu Wuyao pulled him away, and he fell silent.

Only when they were in a secluded spot, and their sleeves were removed, did Shen Anzhi repeatedly bow and apologize.

"Young lady, I am so sorry to offend you. My eyesight is not good, and I mistook you for someone else."

Zhu Wuyao felt even more embarrassed.

"It was because I desperately needed to get out of trouble that I rashly accepted the title of disciple of Zhaixing Tower, which led to the misunderstanding by the immortal master."

"It is my good fortune to be able to help the girl, but I really shouldn't have been so rash without knowing her well. It's my fault, my fault."

"No, no, Immortal Master, you're too kind. I grabbed your sleeve as soon as I came up. I was offended."

"No, no, it's my fault..."

"You're overthinking it, Immortal Master. This matter actually helps me out of this predicament..."

"Do not……"

……

After a few rounds of back and forth, Zhu Wuyao felt that the scene of the two bowing and apologizing to each other in an empty alley was really inappropriate, so she decisively said:

"Alright then, let's just say we were both at fault."

“No… Ah? Oh, right.” Shen Anzhi nodded repeatedly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"May I ask why you would impersonate a disciple of the Star-Picking Pavilion? Have you encountered any trouble or been bullied?"

"They're here!" Zhu Wuyao composed himself, deliberately feigning helplessness as he said:

"Because I helped someone, I unintentionally obtained a fake token of the Star-Picking Tower. Fearing that possessing such a treasure would bring trouble, I had no choice but to pretend that I was being tested as a disciple of the Star-Picking Tower in order to deter villains and save my life."

"This is a last resort, please forgive me, Zhaixinglou."

Although Shen Anzhi seemed to have a good temper, Zhu Wuyao still dared not underestimate him.

Everything she said was true; she just changed "deliberately" to "out of necessity."

To everyone's surprise, after listening, Shen Anzhi nodded thoughtfully, his eyes seeming to lift the mist that had veiled them, his clear gaze almost tangible, as if trying to see through her soul.

I wish you an invitation that feels like a thorn in my side.

She knew that the person in front of her was kind, and she also knew that what she had done was not excessive.

But she couldn't help but think about what she could do as an ordinary person if Shen Anzhi really got angry and turned against her. This feeling of powerlessness, of only being able to wait for the verdict, made Zhu Wuyao angrier and angrier. If she were a hedgehog, all her quills would have stood on end by now.

As a result, the whole world is no longer a good place.

"You seem to be lying."

Zhu Wuyao lowered her head, her heart seemingly skipping a beat.

"But it doesn't matter."

"You haven't done anything wrong. As an apology, how about I treat you to dinner?"

Zhu Wuyao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay."

The world is still beautiful for now, but the panic of that moment still lingers.

After they were seated in the restaurant, and Zhu Wuyao introduced himself, Shen Anzhi hesitated before asking:

"Miss Zhu, is there something I did wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood?"

Zhu Wuyao paused slightly in his chopsticks, then said casually:

"I was caught lying, and I felt a little ashamed and annoyed."

It's not just because the person in front of her is open-minded and peaceful, which makes her seem petty.

Furthermore, this was Zhu Wuyao's first time interacting with a cultivator. Even though Shen Anzhi was gentle enough and showed no signs of aggression, the feeling of having to rely on someone else's character still instinctively made her feel a sense of urgency and defensiveness.

Even now, I still feel lingering fear.

Unless one embarks on the path to immortality, worries will be hard to dispel.

Shen Anzhi held the menu up to his eyes, ordered several dishes, and only after the waiter left did he explain:

"It's my fault, it's my fault."

"I originally wanted to see how your fate was with the Star-Picking Tower, but I found that the cause-and-effect relationship was very strange, as if it was connected backwards."

As he spoke, Shen Anzhi complained to himself, "My master told me not to look at things randomly, but I always forget. I'm going to get scolded again when I go back this time."

"However, I only considered your connection with the Star-Picking Tower; I didn't look at anything else."

Zhu Wuyao nodded thoughtfully.

That is consistent with the facts.

She first falsely claimed to have a connection with Zhaixinglou, but it turned out that there really was a connection.

That's exactly what it is – connected backwards.

Thinking of this, she became nervous again. Did Shen Anzhi mean that she was not destined to be with the Star-Picking Tower?

The dishes were already on the table. Since transmigrating, Zhu Wuyao had never eaten such a good meal, and her mood instantly improved.

She picked up a piece of mutton, then shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into her mouth, deeply moved by the meal.

"Is this kind of connection considered fate?"

Shen Anzhi ate very little, seemingly only tasting each dish. He nodded and said:

"Of course it counts! If it's all predetermined and nothing can be done by human intervention, then wouldn't we just be lying there waiting to die?"

Besides these, there were some things he didn't say aloud. Now, the connection between Zhu Wuyao and Zhaixinglou was already quite deep.

Especially the moment he looked at the line of cause and effect, Shen Anzhi watched as the fate became even more intertwined.

He had never seen such a strange situation before, so he dared not speak rashly.

That's why Shen Anzhi took the initiative to invite Zhu Wuyao to dinner and brought up things he shouldn't have said, wanting to see what was going on.

Zhu Wuyao was unaware of these things; she simply felt a little more at ease.

In the alley, when Shen Anzhi looked at her, the unease and vigilance that had always been hidden in his heart could no longer be ignored.

Fortunately, the person who saw through her lies was Shen Anzhi.

That phrase, "It's okay," immediately silenced her.