My Twin Sugar Mommies and Two Systems are 100 Years Late! Chapter 25.
"Oh?" Yan Anle probed, "How so?"
Sanctuary Master Pei replied, "The two hundred Spirit Stones."
Yan Anle remained silent even though she paused. He was not entirely sure what she meant by bringing up the Spirit Stones. Surely, he was not the wealthiest customer the establishment had ever had, right? That was impossible. Otherwise, the Two-Crowned beauties would be short of customers and the Three-Crowned ones would not even see one for months or even years. Under such circumstances, how could they maintain the Bliss Token rules to this date?
He refused to show any hint of his emotions or thoughts on his face, and seeing this, the blue-clad lady expatiated. "Anyone who can cough up two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones so casually is definitely not a small character."
She paused again and, this time, he could not help but air a doubt, "Just based on this, you concluded that I am not a small character?"
Before Pei Wuxin could respond, Sun Ziyun interrupted them.
"Mr. Yan, the tea alone is good, but not as good as savoring it with complimentary snacks," she said, placing a small plate before him. "Here are some that I personally made this morning. Please, try them."
Yan Anle's gaze landed upon her smiling face, and he really could not bring himself to feel uncomfortable with her interruption. Still, he did not forget to consult his systems to check for poison or any other tricks.
'Are you sure? From what I have read in books, some things are individually harmless but are deadly once combined.'
[Immortal Clan System]: [Do not be concerned, Host. I have taken this into account as well. There are no issues.]
Having received another green light, Yan Anle thanked the system and boldly picked up a piece that looked like a macaron.
In her domain, somewhere within his Primordial Spirit, the Immortal Clan System's avatar nodded to herself, satisfied. "As expected of a Host recommended by Lord Green Tea. Cautious and thorough enough. Unlike those frustrating, immature, and often delusional Hosts I've had in the past."
Taking a bite, Yan Anle moaned lightly in appreciation, "Miss, the taste of this snack is quite nice. What is it called?"
"Mr. Yan, I only managed to perfect the recipe recently and am yet to give it a name." Sun Ziyun's smile deepened, "If Mr. Yan does not mind, he can bestow a name he feels suits it."
Lurking in the void, Feiruo and the other two hooded ladies pursed their lips, thinking, 'Those were clearly invented by the Empress.'
'You love them so much that you had the imperial kitchen prepare a whole ten thousand pieces of them and stored them in your Soul Palace so they don't go bad.'
'Now, you bring them out to boast. If he safely returns with us to the Black Lotus Secret Realm as intended, won't he discover the truth?'
Oblivious to this truth, Yan Anle pondered a bit and shook his head lightly, "Sorry, Miss. While literate, I am not particularly good at giving names."
"Eh, is that so, Mr. Yan? I did not know. Please pardon me."
"No need to apologize, Miss," Yan Anle said, prepared to return his attention to Pei Wuxin.
Except, against his expectations, the black-clad young lady did not stop. She told him, "Mr. Yan, my family name is 'Sun' and my given name is 'Ziyun'. You can call me 'Little Zi' or 'Little Yun'."
He was left a bit speechless at this point, and his gaze jumped back and forth between the two ladies, curious. He quickly composed himself and acknowledged, "So, it's Miss Ziyun. I will remember that."
He felt that, considering her cultivation base, although she suggested it, addressing her with such familiar names was out of the question. However, he could not completely disregard her intentions either, and hence could not call her Miss Sun. So, he settled for a compromise.
Realizing this, the Demon Princess did not fault or pressure him. She merely showed a look of acceptance. Secretly relieved that she indeed let it go, Yan Anle turned to Pei Wuxin.
"It seems that the Sanctuary Master and Miss Ziyun have quite a close relationship." He probed with a light chuckle while taking another sip of the tea.
Pei Wuxin's eyelashes twitched subtly. She could not help but cuss inwardly. Was this princess not the one who reminded her repeatedly not to slip up and give the act away? Why was she the one going off-script now? Alas, even if the Heavenly Dao gave her ten more lives, she would not dare spit out the words that were on the tip of her tongue. For committing the crime of being the weaker party, she could only swallow the bitter fruit and play along.
"Mr. Yan is right on this matter." Wearing a kind and doting expression as she gazed upon Sun Ziyun, she said, "Ziyun is the only living descendant of an old friend of mine. Taking her under my care is my way of repaying her father's life-saving grace."
"So, that is how it is." Yan Anle mostly believed it. "It seems the Sanctuary Master is someone who notes down rights and wrongs clearly."
Pei Wuxin leaned back in her chair and tried to steer the conversation back on track, "Mr. Yan was curious why I said you were only half right about why I concluded you were not a small character, yes?"
"...Sanctuary Master, please enlighten me."
Pei Wuxin posed a question. "Mr. Yan should know what a Foundation Establishment cultivation base means in this dynasty, right?"
Yan Anle did not take long to come up with an answer, "Foundation Establishment can neither be considered powerful nor weak. At least, outside the One Palace, Five Great Clans, and Nine Flourishing Sects, the other forces only have a handful of Core Formation masters at their helm."
"Indeed." Pei Wuxin nodded, "So, Mr. Yan, what do you think about someone who, while giving off no signs of possessing cultivation, has a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a maid? Could their background be simple?"
Yan Anle thought about it from her perspective and found that her caution made sense. "I see."
"Even if that person was actually concealing their cultivation through some means, such means could only be handed down by a notable force and cannot be ordinary. Or worse..." Sanctuary Master Pei added, "Their cultivation could be too far from ordinary. Perhaps it is so high that passersby cannot detect it even if they tried."
Towards the end, her gaze momentarily flickered towards Sun Ziyun, but Yan Anle did not notice this. He smiled, "Sanctuary Master Pei's observations and caution are sensible and wise."
In his opinion, it was most wise to neither deny nor verify her suspicions. Pei Wuxin's eyes narrowed slightly at this, but she did not insist. Instead, she pushed towards the main agenda. "Alright, Mr. Yan, how about we get down to the primary agenda for which I summoned you back?"
"Miss Fu already gave me some hints." Yan Anle blinked twice and adjusted his posture slightly. "Though, I am not clear on whether she was pulling my leg or not."
The lady with mature charm nodded and posed a question, gesturing at Sun Ziyun, "I wonder what Mr. Yan thinks about my friend's granddaughter?"
Yan Anle's response, after a moment, was, "Miss Ziyun has a warm temperament and seems to possess refined skills. Her appearance is also quite pleasing to look at. It makes one want to marry and protect her for life."
His intention for uttering such bold words was not only to probe their reactions and intentions but to subtly but indirectly confirm Pei Wuxin's suspicions of his strong background or cultivation base. Still, after a very brief pause, he added in a calm tone, "This is my honest opinion, ladies. Please, pardon me."
Pei Wuxin sneaked a glance and found that Sun Ziyun's eyes lit up and she looked pleased. Seeing this, her plastered smile remained, "So, Mr. Yan, what do you think about redeeming her, allowing her to leave this line of work and follow you from now on?"
"I believe that would be wonderful. I doubt there would be many who would not be open to the thought. But—" Yan Anle began and paused abruptly.
Amid the silence that followed, Sun Ziyun's mood that had been rising suddenly crashed and her brows creased. Pei Wuxin, feeling a lump in her throat, probed, "Mr. Yan, do you have any difficulties?"
"It's not necessarily a difficulty." Yan Anle flashed a toothy smile, "I'm just brimming with curiosity."
"Oh? And what, may I inquire, is Mr. Yan curious about?" Sun Ziyun took charge at this point.
"I won't beat around the bush since you have asked." The gray-haired man made eye contact with her, "Miss Ziyun, can you tell me what it is exactly about me that caught your eye?"