"How dare you speak in this manner!?" Zhang Zhiyuan was incensed. Yi Yun's words were a subtle smack in his face. Wasn’t he implying that by selling himself to the Zhou family, Zhang Zhiyuan made his martial path worthless? How could he tolerate such an insult?
Yi Yun ignored Zhang Zhiyuan. He sensed from the start that this person was rather hostile towards him. The first thing he said carried a threatening tone. What did being a distinguished guest have to do with the difficulty of doing things single-handedly?
Zhang Zhiyuan had become a distinguished guest and wanted others to follow in his footsteps. When he encountered other able distinguished guests, he even felt jealous. Yi Yun could not be bothered to humor such a person with any sincerity.
Young Master Baifeng looked at Yi Yun as his expression turned cold."I came here personally to talk with you about joining us. I even brought Young Master Zhang. It should be very clear how sincere I am. Perhaps Master Yi doesn't think much of my Zhou family?"
Yi Yun cupped his hands at Young Master Baifeng and said,"I have nothing to say if Young Master Baifeng wants to interpret my words in such a manner. I, Yi Yun, am used to being free. At this time, I do not want to pledge allegiance to anyone. Since the both of you aren't here for pill refinement, I must return to my secluded cultivation. Please leave."
Although it was his first time meeting Zhou Baifeng, Yi Yun had a general idea of him from Dong Xiaowan's description. Zhou Baifeng was inviting him to be a distinguished guest of the Zhou family only to elevate his own standing within the family.
By pledging allegiance to the Zhou family, he would naturally become one of Zhou Baifeng’s protégé. In the future, when Zhou Baifeng inherited the family estate, he would have more chips in hand. But Yi Yun had already cultivated to such a level on his own, so why would he need to be a distinguished guest of a young master?
"Please listen to my young master's words and leave." Dong Xiaowan said. Yi Yun had saved her life so she only listened to Yi Yun.
Young Master Baifeng's face turned extremely grim and gloomy."Then, I wish that Master Yi does not regret this in the future. You are only an alchemist. Take care for your safety after making so many enemies."
Having said that, Young Master Baifeng snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves.
Zhang Zhiyuan also stared coldly at Yi Yun before following behind Young Master Baifeng, walking out of Yun Xin Loft.
"Young Master Baifeng, that Yi Yun really doesn't know how to appreciate what's good for him! Not only did he think nothing of me, he also did not think anything of Young Master Baifeng and the Zhou family." Zhang Zhiyuan turned to look at Yun Xin Loft's plaque and said,"He is so arrogant only because he knows Fairy Wuxia and she is City Lord Qin's junior."
Young Master Baifeng raised his hand to stop Zhang Zhiyuan from continuing."He does have some skill, but there are so many geniuses in this world. Yet, few of them can successfully mature."
He continued:"He is a top alchemist and has a promising future. The benefits such a person would bring to a large faction are obvious. But he is still only a junior and so cannot put up much of a fight. He may have rejected my Zhou family, but others from the major factions will definitely come to solicit him. Soon, he will be in a position he cannot control. What faction would allow a genius junior who could pose a threat to them in the future, but won’t pledge allegiance to them, mature? Furthermore, he has also offended the Myriad Immortal Pavilion. I would love to see how he handles that! Let's go back!"
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Yi Yun avoided guests by giving the excuse that he was in seclusion.
With Zhou Baifeng as a precedent, Yi Yun knew that many factions in Myriad City would want to make him one of their distinguished guests.
To the various large factions, he was equivalent to a fat lamb for the slaughter because he seemingly did not have the means to protect himself. Everyone wanted him to pledge allegiance to them. They would probably want him to sign a contract if he joined their factions.
The contracts warriors signed always involved the soul. Even if the conditions were loose, Yi Yun would absolutely not sign. Yi Yun decided to keep his shop closed while rejecting all visitors instead of meeting and subsequently offending each and every one of them.
In ten days, people from the Mystic Yang Manor, Five Elements Mountain Manor, and Core Heart Sword Clan came to Yun Xin Loft. However, they did not even get to meet Yi Yun. On this point, they were inferior to Zhou Baifeng.
"Young Master, Fairy Purple Rain from the Guiyuan family has come to seek your refinement services. The Guiyuan family is second only to the Myriad Immortal Pavilion in Myriad City. Fairy Purple Rain is also a famous, beloved daughter of heaven outside. In terms of reputation, however, she is slightly inferior to Fairy Youqin. However, this does not mean that Fairy Purple Rain is inferior to Fairy Youqin. Rather, Fairy Youqin plays the zither in Heavenly Treasures Arch, so it's only natural that more people know of her. Fairy Purple Rain, meanwhile, dwells in deep seclusion in the Guiyuan family. She seldom appears in public, thus only few know of her. Young Master Yi, do you think…" Dong Xiaowan said gingerly.
Yi Yun had instructed her that he would not see anyone from any faction. However, Fairy Purple Rain was different. Her status was higher than even Zhou Baifeng's, to begin with. Furthermore, she was someone from the Guiyuan family. The only faction in Myriad City that was qualified to compete with the Myriad Immortal Pavilion was the Guiyuan family.
As an elite of the Guiyuan family, Fairy Purple Rain had taken the initiative to visit Yi Yun. It was something that young masters of many factions wished would happen to them. Therefore, after some thought, Dong Xiaowan decided to inform Yi Yun.
"Fairy Purple Rain? Guiyuan family?" Yi Yun stroked his chin and asked Dong Xiaowan,"Xiaowan, how's the relationship between the Guiyuan family and the Myriad Immortal Pavilion?"
"Young Master, every faction has their interests at stake. They might appear amiable on the surface, but they really aren't."
At that moment, outside Yun Xin Loft, a white-jade carriage was parked. The tiny carriage looked warm and crystalline. Four snow-white, purebred unicorns were attached to the reins of the carriage. They had wings on their backs and they were very docile.
"Miss, I heard that Yi Yun would reject anyone from any faction. He's truly arrogant!"
"However, Miss, you are different. You are a fairy of Myriad City. It's unknown how many young masters are unqualified to even kneel before you. And here you are, coming personally to Yun Xin Loft. Won’t Yi Yun come forward in thankful tears or shock to see you? It's an opportunity for him to be a distinguished guest of the Guiyuan family. In all of Myriad City, only our Guiyuan family can fight the Myriad Immortal Pavilion."
There were two girls in the carriage. One was dressed in maidservant's attire. She was speaking to a lady in a purple dress.
The purple-dressed girl smiled slightly. Her skin was creamy in color and she had a slim figure. Her facial features were intricate and her eyes seemed to contain a fresh spring in them. A glance at her would make the surroundings lose their vibrancy. Her slight smile made it seem like she was glowing.
"All you know is how to deliver such sweet talk. Why won’t you learn anything else from me?" The purple-dressed girl rapped the maidservant's forehead gently."However…My Guiyuan family is indeed the only choice that Yi has. He has already rejected the Zhou family, Mystic Yang Manor, Five Elements Mountain Manor, and Core Heart Sword Clan one after another. He is likely waiting for my Guiyuan family to visit him so that he can sell himself for the highest bid."
"That is quite a clever plan. I have already gotten permission from the Circle of Elders. For me to approach him in person, he can't ask for anything more. The Circle of Elders have also permitted me to make some changes to the contract, allowing me to loosen the conditions."
"Hehe, Miss, you see things with such clarity. So this Yi Yun is trying to sell himself to the highest bidder. I thought he was being overly arrogant. Let's see if he dares be arrogant when he welcomes you." The maidservant beamed like a blooming flower. Just as her voice faded, the door to Yun Xin Loft opened.
The maidservant saw Dong Xiaowan casually walk out before bowing slightly at the carriage. She knew of Dong Xiaowan. She had heard that Dong Xiaowan had been listed on the blessed daughters of heavens rankings but, of course, she was ranked far below her mistress.
The maidservant daintily lifted the curtains of the carriage. Looking down at Dong Xiaowan from above, she said lightly,"What did your young master say?"
Dong Xiaowan said,"Our young master is still in seclusion so he will not be able to meet Fairy Purple Rain."
"Oh?"
The purple-dressed girl inside the carriage was slightly taken aback. Before she could open her mouth, the maidservant beside her spoke with fury. Her eyebrows flared up as she said,"What? He's still in seclusion? What bullshit! How audacious you are. Our mistress is outside waiting. What right do you have…"
"Enough." Inside the carriage, the purple-dressed girl cut off her personal maidservant's rant. Her beautiful eyebrows were slightly knitted. She never imagined that Yi Yun would also reject the Guiyuan family. Furthermore, his rejection of her was no different from any of the ones before.
Yi Yun was really ignoring all factions in Myriad City. However, didn't he realize that, with his background and foundations, he was powerless against them?
"As the saying goes, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. I thought he was waiting to sell himself to the highest bidder. That would have been some impressive thinking, but I never expected him to be so naive as to think that he will be able to become an existence equivalent to City Lord Qin while standing independent from the factions. Forget him if he does not want to meet us. Let's go back."
Since the purple-dressed girl had given her order, the maidservant could only lower the curtain.
The scene of the white-jade carriage leaving Yun Xin Loft was seen by many. They naturally knew who sat inside.
"That's surprising news. Even Fairy Purple Rain from the Guiyuan family has been rejected. If it were me, I would have agreed without any hesitation."
"Hehe, stop dreaming in broad daylight. However, it has to be said that Yi Yun's present situation is dire. He has offended the Myriad Immortal Pavilion and left so many major factions wary of him. Who wouldn't want to pick up an exquisite piece of jade that was thrown into the streets? If it refused to be picked up, it would probably be in trouble."
Rhinoceros are killed for their horns while calamities befall elephants because of their tusks. If one was worth too much but was unable to defend themselves, one could end up being captured and forced to refine medicine for others.
A few days later, more than half of the top ten factions of Myriad City had gone to Yun Xin Loft but left dejected.
One day, Ru'er was looking out into the streets in a daze. Suddenly, she saw a blur in front of her and an elder appeared.
"Lady, this is a letter meant for Young Master Yi from the City Lord." The elder smiled as he took out an invitation letter before passing it to Ru'er.
Upon hearing that it was a letter from City Lord Qin, Ru'er hurriedly took it over and said,"Thank you, Uncle. I will deliver it to my master."
"Oh? City Lord Qin's invitation? It's probably the zither recital…"
Back when the pill refinement was over, City Lord Qin had invited Yi Yun to participate in a zither recital half a month later at the City Lord Manor. Today was precisely half a month later.
He never expected City Lord Qin to especially send him an invitation. Yi Yun smiled faintly as he turned to Ru'er and said,"Follow me to the City Lord Manor."