"Aren’t you pleased to see me, Young Master?"

  The lady’s smile was gentle as she stepped forward, her gait poised, each movement graceful and deliberate. She looked every bit the image of refined nobility, a soft glow in her eyes, but Jin Yu wasn’t swayed.

  He still remembered the mischief in those eyes earlier… and the calculation beneath.

  His gaze met hers, cold and steady.

  "I don’t recall us being friends." he said flatly.

  She chuckled softly, covering her mouth with delicate fingers.

  "Friends aren't born together, Young Lord. All it takes is a little effort... a little sincerity."

  Jin Yu tilted his head slightly, as if amused by her persistence. "Effort and sincerity?" he echoed. "You're in the wrong place, then."

  She didn’t flinch, her smile never wavering. "Is that so? Then perhaps I’ll keep trying until I’m in the right place."

  A pause.

  "Besides..." she added with a touch of playfulness, "You asked for my name earlier. That’s something, isn’t it?"

  Jin Yu’s expression didn’t change. "I asked for your name. Doesn’t mean I'm interested in you."

  Her smile twitched, not fading but clearly strained for the briefest moment before she smoothly recovered.

  "So cold, Young Master. But cold things often conceal fire beneath... I wonder what yours hides."

  He didn't answer, just turned and walked toward the stairs.

  Unbothered, she walked beside him.

  "Perhaps you'd allow me to treat you to a drink next time. As thanks for the entertainment today."

  Jin Yu stopped mid-step and glanced at her.

  "You think I did it to entertain you?"

  She smiled again. "No. But I was entertained all the same."

  He let out a low, unamused exhale and resumed walking without a word.

  As he reached the top of the stairs, Seer leaned over the railing, watching the exchange with a wide grin. "I must say, friend, you do attract the bold ones."

  "Keep talking," Jin Yu muttered without looking up "and I’ll rent us two rooms."

  Seer laughed heartily and backed off, hands raised in surrender.

  Behind him, the lady lingered on the ground floor, her smile still fixed in place, but her eyes shimmered with something deeper. Curiosity. Interest. Challenge.

  ---

  In the middle of the night, when the City’s bustle had died down and silence blanketed the streets, Jin Yu lay on the bed, eyes closed, arms folded, appearing asleep.

  But threads of consciousness spread across the room like invisible threads, waiting to snap at the slightest disturbance.

  Beside him, Seer sat cross-legged, motionless and oddly serene. A coin-shaped disc of dull silver, etched with strange runes, hovered in front of him, spinning endlessly as if it'll spun till eternity.

  All was quiet… until Seer’s eyes snapped open. His eyes, pure milky white, locked on the door for a moment before dimming back to their usual brown.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “We have a visitor.” he said softly.

  Right as his voice fell, Jin Yu's eyes snapped open.

  "Loud bitches," he muttered, twisting his neck with a crack. "I could hear them miles away."

  His system had been dinging non-stop.

  He climbed out of bed and went downstairs, not even halfway down the steps when—

  Bang!

  The inn doors flew open. Five young women stormed in, all clad in matching sky-blue robes, the emblem of their sect carved into their chests. They looked furious, faces tight with rage, and their presence crackled with hostility.

  Jin Yu raised a brow the moment he spotted a familiar face among them.

  His tension vanished instantly.

  Just revenge, he mused to himself, shoulders loosening.

  The girl in question lowered her head the moment his eyes met hers, clearly embarrassed.

  The others, however, spotted him and immediately marched forward. The one at the front with posture like a mannequin, jabbed a finger at him and roared,

  "You beast! How dare you harm my sister?! Not even the heavens can save you today!"

  Jin Yu nearly winced.

  What a loud bitch.

  The shout echoed so loudly it stirred half the neighborhood. Spiritual senses began sweeping across the inn’s lobby, curious and amused.

  Another of the women stepped up. "Pretty face, ugly heart! How could you hurt such a delicate girl? Didn't your father teach you anything?"

  "Yes, he’s a beast!"

  "Even a feral beast is better than you. So shameful!" one spat in disdain.

  Jin Yu stood there silently, arms crossed, as if watching a display.

  "Sisters, let’s cook a heart soup with his ugly heart!"

  "Eew, that’d be too bitter."

  "Yes, and probably black. One whiff and we’d puke!"

  "I can already smell it from here!"

  "So rotten!"

  "Bleeeeegh!" One of them even mimed vomiting.

  Muffled laughter rippled from onlookers upstairs.

  Jin Yu: “...”

  Did I just meet my match?

  He sighed.

  Well, let’s see who the boss really is. It’s been a while since I put some sense in someone’s head.

  He stepped forward. His voice came out soft and calm, like discussing a lovely sunset:

  "Are your mothers dead?"

  Silence slammed into the room.

  "You—!"

  "Wha—?!"

  "How dare—!"

  "Basta–!"

  He didn’t let them finish.

  "Or did your fathers run off before you were born?" he added coolly. "Because clearly, no one raised you. Not a single ounce of grace among you. Doesn’t your face hurt from the shame?"

  Their mouths fell open, speechless.

  "Pfft–!”

  A few louder chuckles broke out from above the inn.

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Humiliation)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Embarrassment)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Shame)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Fury)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Embarrassment)

  They exploded at once, their cursing louder and far more vulgar than ever.

  “You bastard!!”

  The mannequin-like lady finally found her voice. “Do you think you're impressive just because you can speak a few sharp words?”

  "You're nothing but a coward hiding behind insults!"

  "Yes! A true man would never harm a girl, much less mock her afterward!"

  "You’re disgusting! I bet you’ve never even had a proper woman in your life!"

  “Exactly! Someone this cruel must be compensating for something... small.”

  A few of them snickered at that, like they’d said something clever. The onlookers stirred with laughter and soft whistles, the crowd growing by the minute.

  Jin Yu, arms still crossed, tilted his head slightly, expression flat, gaze unreadable.

  “Finished?” he asked, tone almost bored. “Or should I offer you tea so you can drag this drama till dawn?”

  The group bristled.

  “You—! You pervert!”

  “Arrogant scum!”

  “Don’t think that pretty face of yours makes you noble. You’re just filth wrapped in silk!”

  The embarrassed girl at the back finally stepped forward, hesitantly reaching toward the arm of one of her sisters.

  “S-Senior sisters, please… I think it’s enough…”

  But they ignored her.

  “Your ancestors must be weeping,” one snapped. “To think they produced such a foul descendant.”

  Jin Yu finally let out a long breath, as though mildly inconvenienced.

  “That’s rich...,talking about ancestors,” he murmured. “When all I see in front of me are five desperate hens with cracked beaks, squawking to be noticed.”

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Immense Fury)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Jealousy)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Rage)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Killing Intent)

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Embarrassment)

  "Beast!!!"

  One of them reached for her sword in anger, but Jin Yu’s eyes flicked to her in a single, razor-sharp glance.

  She froze on the spot.

  “Draw that sword,” he said calmly, “and I promise the only thing you’ll take home is a limp.”

  His tone was even, casual, yet no one doubted the threat buried beneath.

  A heavy silence fell, tension thick in the air.

  Then…

  Clap. Clap. Clap.

  A slow applause echoed from the staircase behind them.

  “Ah, friend,” Seer said, descending leisurely with a smile, pale hair draped behind him. “Making enemies again so early in the morning? Couldn’t wait till breakfast?”

  He landed lightly on the ground floor, stepping beside Jin Yu with a grin. “Still, that was impressive. I was almost charmed myself.”

  The girls turned to him sharply, fresh venom on their tongues.

  “And who are you? His lackey?”

  “No,” Seer replied brightly. “I’m worse.”

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000 (Bewilderment)

  Jin Yu sighed and muttered under his breath, “Why do I feel like you enjoy this too much?”

  Seer nudged him. “Because I do.”

  Jin Yu ignored the now-sputtering women and turned to the girl who had spoken softly earlier, the only one who looked truly remorseful.

  His voice was steady. “You...do you need help?”

  The girl flinched at first, but when she met his eyes, her own widened in surprise. There was no hostility in his gaze. No cruelty. Just clarity.

  “I…” she hesitated. “I only wanted to say thank you.. for not… killing me.”

  Her words made her sisters whip around, stunned.

  “YOU WHAT?!”

  Jin Yu waved lazily toward the stairs.

  “We’re done here.”

  And without waiting for permission, he walked off, Seer close behind, the tension melting in their wake like fog before the sun.

  The lobby remained quiet for a moment, stunned by the clash that just occurred.

  Then, someone among the spectators whispered, “...I kind of want to know what soup his heart would actually taste like.”

  “I Bet it’s spicy,” someone else muttered.

  Laughter echoed softly behind him.

  Jin Yu didn’t look back.