Yun Shu leaned toward Bai Yunxian, whispering, "Palace Lord... I think we might need to step in."
The system giggled.
[Step in?! Host, are you serious? You’re going to save him from a BRICK?! This is hilarious! But yes... yes, go, go! Protect your Palace Lord from the overly dramatic!]
Bai Yunxian’s eyes narrowed slightly, finally tilting toward her. There was no amusent in them— only a quiet, cool calculation.
He said softly, "Then be careful. Rember, it’s not the artifact that is dangerous. It’s them."
Yun Shu’s jaw set. She nodded, standing and brushing off crumbs from her dress. "Got it. Ti to play the chatterbox with teeth."
The system purred excitedly.
[YES! Host, unleash chaos! But don’t forget, your Palace Lord is watching. Impress him while you ss with everyone else!]
’I’m not doing this to impress him! I’m just protecting him!’
Yun Shu scread in her mind as she facepald herself innately.
Taking a deep breath, Yun Shu stepped onto the lotus pavent.
She moved with practiced grace, hands gesturing innocently, her chatter flowing like a stream, sweet, distracted, and utterly deceptive.
"You there! Oh, yes, you in the red robe! Stop pushing! That’s rude! Did your teacher not teach you etiquette? The artifact isn’t going anywhere, you know!"
Cultivators stopped mid-gesture, blinking. They had no idea how a seemingly harmless girl could command such a presence.
Another group advanced, sliding talismans across the air to claim the artifact, but Yun Shu flitted between them with a mischievous smile.
"Oops! Did you trip? Watch your steps! The lotus is slippery!"
They stumbled.
She twirled around another, flinging a small pastry at their head. The tal brick shimred above, untouched, as cultivators shouted in indignation.
The system was howling with laughter.
[YES, HOST! BRICK DEFENSE MODE: ACTIVATED! You are unstoppable! Look at them scramble! Look at them inventing more ridiculous nas while failing to touch it!]
Yun Shu, despite the chaos, couldn’t help glancing at Bai Yunxian.
He was still sitting, calm as a mountain, eyes following her with the faintest trace of interest and not interfering or comnting, just watching her in silence.
And that... gave her courage.
Then let them all shout, stumble, and invent nas that would make a modern person faint. I will defend him and protect this ridiculous ’divine artifact’...
The brick hovered majestically, the lotus pavent glowing beneath it. The cultivators around it continued to bicker, push, and flail, shouting titles that twisted tongues and defied logic.
And Yun Shu, disguised as the chatterbox girl, danced among them, laughter and exasperation intertwined, her heart silently tethered to the calm, dark eyes beside her.
The divine artifact, which was just a tal brick, had beco the epicenter of a storm. A storm of envy, chaos, laughter, and... subtle, unspoken affection.
And for Yun Shu, that was far more valuable than any magical relic in the world.
The lotus pavent glead like a divine stage, yet the "artifact" at its center stubbornly remained unmoved.
Cultivators were nearly hoarse by now. They had called it everything from the Supre Pillar of Eternal Celestial Resonance to the Heavenly tallic Stone of Nine Heavens and Ten Thousand Dao Convergences. Each na is more ridiculous, more self-important, and more desperate than the last.
And still... There was nothing.
The brick hovered silently, utterly unbothered by their effort. It didn’t glow brighter, nor did it shift or descend into anyone’s grasp.
It was, as Yun Shu knew very well, just a modern piece of tal. A piece of brick.
She pressed her lips tightly to hide the twitch of a laugh. Her sides hurt from holding back at the way cultivators were prostrating before a construction scrap.
The system, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor in her mind.
[HAHAHA! Host, they’re choking on their own syllables! They’ve called it Lotus-Anchored Supre Monunt of Tiless Eternity at least six tis already! This is GOLD! Oh, my circuits can’t take this anymore!]
Yun Shu smothered a cough and turned to glance at Bai Yunxian.
He had not moved from his place at the lakeside. Still seated, posture perfectly straight, his long fingers rested lightly against the lip of his teacup. His gaze never left the brick, calm and inscrutable.
No one would guess what he was thinking.
But Yun Shu... Yun Shu wanted him to have it.
Even if the brick turned out to be nothing more than cosmic junk, she wanted it in his hands. She didn’t care if it beca a weapon, a shield, or even just a shiny paperweight.
It should belong to him.
Her heart drumd with determination.
She stood, smoothing her dress, then walked quietly back toward him. The chaos behind her continued unabated, the elders shouting, and the disciples yelping, the occasional splash of soone falling into the lake from the glowing lotus.
She bent down, leaning close, so close her breath brushed the shell of his ear.
"Palace Lord..." Her voice dropped, soft and coaxing, the way she always spoke when she wanted to guide him. "Try calling it."
For the first ti that night, Bai Yunxian’s composure shifted. His hand stilled against the teacup. He turned his head fractionally, eyes cutting toward her.
"Call it?" His voice was cool, yet there was a faint thread of suspicion beneath.
Yun Shu nodded, lips curving into a tiny smile. "Mm. They’ve been giving it all sorts of silly nas, haven’t they? But none of them worked. Maybe it’s waiting for the right one."
[Host, are you scheming? You’re scheming! I like this! Go on, whisper more sweet nonsense into his ear!]
She ignored the system, her gaze fixed steadily on Bai Yunxian. Her hand brushed lightly against the mat, steadying herself. "Just try. If you call it, maybe it will recognize you. Maybe... It’s ant for you."
A faint ripple of emotion flickered across his features. Doubt. Contemplation. And perhaps, even though Yun Shu might have been imagining it, a flicker of warmth at her insistence.
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