Dongfang Yu wasn't a fool, nor was he the kind of "fool" like Xiao Lin who pretended to be one. So when he saw Ning Yunmiao acting so strangely and giving such unconvincing reasons, he naturally raised a question.

"Yes, Senior Sister, do we know each other?" Lin Aotian, standing beside him, asked with a shy expression.

To be honest, he was stunned.

But it wasn't Ning Yunmiao's attitude that shocked him, it was her... beauty.

She was far more beautiful than Senior Sister Zhang from earlier. This must be what a true fairy looks like, right? This is the standard heroine beauty. Her glaring at me only proves how special I am in her eyes, doesn't it? According to the novel's trope, this girl must have some misunderstanding about me. Once I clear it up and use it as a starting point, I can win her over. Hahaha, I truly am the protagonist!

As Lin Aotian was thinking this, he heard Ning Yunmiao speak firmly, "Don't speak, I don't want to hear you."

"?"

Lin Aotian looked at Ning Yunmiao's disdainful face and thought, is this misunderstanding too severe?

"Nephew Ning, what do you mean by this?"

Hearing Ning Yunmiao's words, Dongfang Yu, Lin Aotian's master, frowned slightly and asked again.

As the de facto second-in-command of the Flowing Cloud Sect, because the sect leader was often absent, Dongfang Yu was very familiar with the temperament of the young ones on Green Lotus Peak. He knew Ning Yunmiao wouldn't act without reason, so he only inquired without taking any harsh measures.

"Uh, Uncle-Master Dongfang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Hearing Dongfang Yu's words, Ning Yunmiao realized what she had said instinctively and quickly waved her hand, "I just... I just..."

[What should I do? I can't say that Lin Aotian's face looks exactly like the guy in my dream, can I? That would be too unconvincing...]

Lin Aotian's face looks exactly like the guy in your dream?

Xiao Lin, overhearing this thought, immediately became alert.

Fourth Junior Sister hadn't met Lin Aotian before, so logically, she couldn't have dreamed of him. This means her dream foresaw Lin Aotian's appearance?

Well, it's also possible that because Lin Aotian was mentioned frequently lately, Fourth Junior Sister remembered the description of him in that novel and dreamed of his face... But even if it's because of the novel, it shouldn't be exactly the same...

His thoughts flashed by in an instant. Xiao Lin quickly looked at Dongfang Yu, first saluting and calling him Uncle-Master Dongfang, then respectfully said, "Uncle-Master Dongfang, it's like this, Fourth Junior Sister had some health issues yesterday and was sleepless the whole night, so she might be a bit out of it today and occasionally talk nonsense. Please forgive her."

"Sleepless the whole night? Oh, that's a big problem!" Dongfang Yu was surprised to hear this, "Did you report to the sect leader? What did he say?"

[Is it that serious? I just lost some sleep, does everyone have to treat me like I'm terminally ill?]

Ning Yunmiao silently clenched her little fists.

Xiao Lin, who was laughing loudly in his heart, still maintained a respectful demeanor and replied, "According to Master, Fourth Junior Sister just has a minor ailment and it's nothing serious. Thank you for your concern, Uncle-Master Dongfang."

Earlier, when they went to find Leng Youxue, he casually mentioned Ning Yunmiao's situation.

Leng Youxue's evaluation was—

"Insomnia? Oh? That's indeed serious, let me see, hmm, oh, I see... It's nothing serious, just drink more hot water."

In summary, it's nothing serious.

"That's good, that's good." Dongfang Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

These little monsters on Green Lotus Peak were basically half the future of the Flowing Cloud Sect, so nothing could go wrong.

"In that case, shouldn't you explain how you avoided the Divine Sense Probe to get here, and why you did it?" Confirming Ning Yunmiao was fine, Dongfang Yu's scrutinizing gaze once again swept over Xiao Lin and Ning Yunmiao.

"Uh..."

Hearing this question, Ning Yunmiao panicked.

[Oh no, I forgot to think of a reason beforehand. Who knew we'd get caught red-handed? What do I do, what do I do? Breathe, don't panic, Ning Yunmiao, stay calm. All I need is a time machine to go back and fix this!]

No, no, you're already completely panicking...

Xiao Lin's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't even glance at Ning Yunmiao. He directly saluted Dongfang Yu and replied, "Uncle-Master Dongfang, we actually used a magical artifact bestowed by Master to avoid the Divine Sense Probe of the seniors on Azure Sea Peak. As for why we did it, it's because our purpose this time was to catch a Seven-Plume Immortal Crane from Azure Sea Peak to take back, so we resorted to this."

Ning Yunmiao hadn't considered this issue, but Xiao Lin had naturally thought about it in advance.

"What? You want to catch another one to eat?" Upon hearing this, Dongfang Yu immediately blew his beard and glared.

The Rainbow Immortal Crane, with its beautiful form, flying like a rainbow across the sky, was a rather rare spiritual beast. Perhaps because of Azure Sea Lake, Azure Sea Peak was favored by several Rainbow Immortal Cranes at the founding of the sect, and they made their home there, adding a unique spectacle to the peak.

Although some Spirit Cuisine experts in the cultivation world had studied and found that the Rainbow Immortal Crane, besides being beautiful, had incredibly delicious and fragrant meat, the Flowing Cloud Sect's cultivators were all well-mannered and knew the rarity of such spiritual beasts. Moreover, they had no particular craving for it, so no one attempted to catch one to taste.

...Until Ning Yunmiao appeared.

That day, as a new disciple, Ning Yunmiao followed Xiao Lin to Azure Sea Peak to register. While waiting outside the main hall, she watched the crane flying like a rainbow across the sky and became curious about its taste.

Then, Xiao Lin had to apologize for half a day.

"Uncle-Master Dongfang, this time is different from last. It's really because my Fourth Junior Sister is unwell and has a strong craving, so I took it upon myself to bring her here to catch one. Please punish us!" Xiao Lin said, kneeling on one knee and bowing his head.

"?"

Beside him, Ning Yunmiao, though a question mark floated above her head, was a beat slow but followed Xiao Lin's lead, kneeling on one knee and bowing her head to admit her mistake, "Please punish us, Uncle-Master Dongfang!"

"Hmm, I see..." Hearing that it was because Ning Yunmiao was unwell, Dongfang Yu's anger subsided a bit. His gaze swept over the two kneeling figures, and he waved his hand, "Alright, alright, in that case, you can catch one to take back later, but remember, don't let it happen again!"

"Eh?"

Ning Yunmiao was overjoyed to hear this and immediately grabbed Xiao Lin's arm, "Senior Brother, let's go catch one!"

The taste of the Rainbow Immortal Crane was unforgettable to her. She had been holding back because it had caused Senior Brother to apologize for half a day. Now that she had the chance to try another one, she was eager.

However, when her eagerness met Xiao Lin's gaze, which seemed to say "you better think it through," Ning Yunmiao quickly calmed down and returned to her kneeling position to admit her mistake.

"Thank you, Uncle-Master Dongfang. By the way, is this the new disciple Uncle-Master Dongfang accepted?" As he stood up, Xiao Lin casually pulled Ning Yunmiao up from the ground and looked at Lin Aotian with a seemingly unintentional smile.