Chapter 16: Meeting for the first time, yet feeling like a long-lost friend returning home.

A moment later, Lin Chen and Mei Xiulan emerged from the golden house one after the other.

Lin Chen said with a helpless expression, "What a pity. If only this house could shrink, we could take it with us."

"Junior Brother, why don't you stay here and cultivate until the secret realm closes? Senior Sister will help you guard—" Before Mei Xiulan could finish her sentence, a miraculous scene unfolded. The golden house began to shrink, eventually becoming a small golden structure no larger than a palm.

Mei Xiulan was left dumbfounded, her eyes wide with shock. She could hardly believe what she was seeing and, in her excitement, completely forgot that Lin Chen could not see it. She shouted, "Junior Brother, look! Look! It has shrunk!"

Before the words had even faded, she nimbly picked up the miniature golden house from the ground and gently placed it into Lin Chen’s palm.

Lin Chen traced the contours of the golden house, his face instantly lighting up with ecstatic joy. "That’s wonderful! We’ve really struck gold this time."

Mei Xiulan smiled happily as well. "Junior Brother, put it away quickly. Make sure no one sees it."

Without hesitation, Lin Chen tucked the small golden house away. After all, even if the artifact wasn't particularly useful to others, its gleaming appearance would inevitably stir greed and envy in those who saw it. In the eyes of others, robbing a blind man would surely be an effortless task.

"This trip was truly worth it. We’ve come away with so much! Senior Sister, let’s go find what you need now," Lin Chen said with a smile.

Mei Xiulan shook her head with a smile. "Junior Brother, opportunities cannot be forced. If it is meant for me, it will appear naturally."

"That may be, but let's keep looking. Perhaps we'll stumble upon it as we go," Lin Chen replied, nodding in agreement.

Before long, the two encountered Fatty. He was beaming with joy, clearly having reaped a rich harvest in the secret realm. Upon seeing Lin Chen, Fatty hurried over and, acting secretively, gestured for Lin Chen to look at his storage pouch. The pouch was filled with various items, including many precious medicinal herbs.

"Wealth should not be flaunted. Aren't you afraid I might kill you for your treasures? Besides, I can't even see—you’re being far too careless," Lin Chen warned.

Fatty slapped his thigh and laughed. "Oh! Look at me, I forgot all about that in my excitement. As for robbing me, I trust you wouldn't do that. I’ve always had a good eye for people."

Just then, Mei Xiulan noticed a medicinal herb in Fatty’s hand. Her eyes lit up with surprise, and she asked, "Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to sell this herb?"

"There's no talk of selling. If you need it, I'll just give it to you," Fatty said, readily handing the herb to Mei Xiulan.

Mei Xiulan quickly took over a hundred taels of silver from her storage pouch and handed them to Fatty. "Thank you, but I must buy it. I left in such a rush that I didn't bring much silver. Take this for now, and I will give you the remaining two hundred taels when I return to my sect."

Fatty waved his hands repeatedly to refuse, but Lin Chen spoke up slowly, "Take it. Money is of little use to us cultivators, so just keep it."

Only then did Fatty accept the silver, saying, "Alright, then! But there's no need for the extra two hundred taels later; that would be too much trouble for you."

After some discussion, Fatty finally agreed to accept the silver and the subsequent payment. It turned out to be a thousand-year-old Rhinoceros Grass, a precious herb essential for those attempting to break through to the Grandmaster realm. The value of this herb far exceeded three hundred taels of silver, but Fatty deemed it a worthy price to secure an ally who could protect him as he left the secret realm. After all, if malicious individuals learned he possessed such a treasure, he would likely lose his life, let alone his money. Fatty had his own calculations, and Mei Xiulan, understanding his intentions, was happy to oblige.

At that moment, a woman in a short purple skirt approached with a light, graceful gait. She was followed by several men and women, and the group drew the attention of everyone nearby as they stopped before Lin Chen and his companions.

Because he could not see, Lin Chen remained largely indifferent, knowing only that someone had approached. Fatty, however, was a different story; his eyes were fixed, his mouth slightly agape, staring at the woman with a look of pure infatuation. She was, after all, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen—the cultivation world’s recognized beauty, Yan Ruyu.

Xue Chan, standing beside her, barked angrily, "Ant! What kind of expression is that? Keep looking and I’ll dig your eyes out!"

Startled, Fatty quickly regained his composure and stammered, "I am sorry, I am sorry. I have offended you, Fairy."

"If you don't want people to look, why walk so close? He didn't run up to you; you came to us. Blaming others is quite amusing," Lin Chen said coldly, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.

"Hey! You ant, how dare you speak to me like that? Do you not—" Xue Chan was incensed by Lin Chen’s words and prepared to lash out again.

"Enough, Xue Chan. If you continue to be so unreasonable, go back yourself," Yan Ruyu interrupted sternly. She then turned to Lin Chen with an apologetic look. "I apologize. My junior sister is ill-mannered; please excuse us."

Xue Chan, clearly unconvinced, turned her head away in a huff, her chest heaving with indignation.

"It is nothing. I simply dislike that self-righteous tone. Let us end this here; otherwise, my friend here might lose his eyes," Lin Chen said before turning to leave.

Yan Ruyu wanted to say more, but after a moment of hesitation, she simply let out a helpless sigh.

She turned to look at the still-fuming Xue Chan, her beautiful face suddenly darkening with anger. "I told you not to follow me, yet you insisted. Are you intentionally trying to defy me?"

Xue Chan, who had been furious, felt her legs tremble uncontrollably at Yan Ruyu’s words. She fought down her fear and stammered, "I... I... I am sorry, Senior Sister. I was wrong."

"You call the weak 'ants,' but where is your 'strong' demeanor now? You keep calling others ants—what makes you think they are beneath you?" Yan Ruyu spoke each word with such imposing authority that Xue Chan dropped to her knees with a thud, pleading, "Senior Sister, I truly know I was wrong. Please give me another chance; I will never do it again."

At this, Fu Rongcheng, who had been standing to the side, fanning himself with a folding fan, stepped in to smooth things over. "Senior Sister, I don't think this is necessary. If the disciples of the same sect are at such odds, it will become a laughingstock to others."

Fu Rongcheng thought to himself that this display would surely make Yan Ruyu see him as a man of great integrity. Instead, Yan Ruyu merely threw a cold remark over her shoulder: "You two disciples should reflect on yourselves."

With that, Yan Ruyu strode away, her movements crisp and decisive.

Upon hearing her words, a flicker of murderous intent crossed Fu Rongcheng’s eyes. He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "It’s all the fault of those two pieces of trash. If not for them, I wouldn't be in this position. They must die!"

"Junior Brother Fu, isn't Senior Sister being too harsh?" Xue Chan stood up, casting a pitiful, aggrieved look at Fu Rongcheng, hoping for his sympathy.

Fu Rongcheng, however, glared at her and spat out a single word: "Get lost!"

In his heart, only Yan Ruyu was worthy of his attention. What was Xue Chan to him? How dare she criticize Yan Ruyu? Stunned and humiliated to be scolded twice in such quick succession, Xue Chan had no choice but to swallow her rage. After a long moment, she stomped her foot and stormed off, cursing their ancestors under her breath.

Once Xue Chan had left, Fu Rongcheng turned to one of his fellow disciples and ordered with a grim face, "Find someone. I want those two pieces of trash killed."