The Aftermath and the Cursed Letter
Two days after the Piglet Quest, Han Yu's reputation was split: half the sect admired his 'romantic devotion,' the other half thought he'd finally gone mad. Lady Xue had left for the Northern Ice Palace, but the betrothal tension lingered, thick as the morning mist.
Han Yu was enjoying a peaceful (and unrhymed) moment by the koi pond with Lin Mei.
"Honestly, Han Yu," Lin Mei sighed, folding her arms. "Fighting bandits for livestock while speaking in bad poetry? You've set a new low."
"Nonsense," Han Yu chuckled. "I fulfilled a Trial, gained 0.05% Love Crystal Diamond from the villagers' gratitude, and terrified Lady Xue. A triple victory, my dear. Now, tell me more about that tea recipe—it might be useful for my Divine Alchemy Hand."
Before Lin Mei could retort, a pale, tearful junior disciple, Li Sha, rushed toward them. She held a scroll of red, scented silk—a classic, elaborate love letter.
"Senior Brother Han Yu! It's terrible!" Li Sha wailed. "I tried to slip my letter to you, but I dropped it! And Zhou Feng found it! He thinks it was written for him!"
Han Yu's jaw dropped. Zhou Feng, his overly serious, by-the-book rival, receiving a heartfelt, flowery declaration of love? The comedic irony was palpable.
Jin-Jin, the Matchmaker Spirit, materialized on Han Yu's shoulder, cackling. "Oh, excellent! The Romance War needs a good misunderstanding! Zhou Feng receiving a love letter? Ten out of ten chaos points!"
The Confrontation and the Misunderstanding
The scent of panic led Han Yu to the main training grounds, where the tensions were already escalating.
Zhou Feng stood in the center, his face a mask of profound, utterly flustered confusion, clutching the letter. Opposite him stood a furious Qian Ru, who had interpreted the public reading of the letter as Zhou Feng trying to steal her rival's affection for Han Yu.
"This—this is an insult!" Zhou Feng stammered, holding the letter out. "I do not understand these florid declarations of eternal devotion! I seek only the path of the Dao, not the trivialities of the heart!"
Qian Ru sneered. "Stop pretending, Zhou Feng! You think you can use a cheap, sappy love letter to distract my rival's attention? You're even more pathetic than I thought!"
"But... the letter mentions 'The handsome, talented prodigy who shines like the morning star'!" Zhou Feng insisted, looking utterly miserable. "I am none of those things! I am merely diligent!"
Han Yu stepped in, his voice ringing with his usual charismatic confidence.
"Ahem! Gentlemen, lady. Allow me to clarify this tragic error."
Resolving the Mess with Void Severing Slash
Han Yu looked at the letter, then at Zhou Feng. He knew that simply claiming the letter was his wouldn't resolve Zhou Feng's embarrassment or Qian Ru's fury; it would just confirm Zhou Feng's humiliation. He needed a chaotic solution that protected Zhou Feng's pride while reaffirming his own overwhelming appeal.
Han Yu pointed dramatically at the love letter in Zhou Feng's hand.
"The letter is a fake! A mischievous illusion created by a frustrated rival!" Han Yu declared, lying smoothly.
"A fake?" Zhou Feng blinked.
"Yes! Look closely!" Han Yu activated his Heavenly Insight Eye, not to see truth, but to visually scan the letter, making the move look serious. "The true devotion written for me cannot be held by mortal paper! It exists only in the heart!"
To emphasize his point, Han Yu launched a low-power, precise attack. He channeled his Dao Celestial Soul Qi and used a gentle Void Severing Slash—a sword strike that cuts through space itself—aiming not at anyone, but at the piece of paper Zhou Feng was holding.
Fzzzt!
A clean, momentary rift of void energy sliced the red silk letter into a thousand pieces of confetti, which fluttered down across the courtyard.
Han Yu spread his arms wide, scattering the floating pieces.
"See? The illusion shatters! The trivial words vanish! The letter was never for you, Zhou Feng! It was for the air, celebrating its perfect Han Yu-like quality!"
The Damage Control and the Next Trial
The disciples murmured in confusion and awe. Qian Ru, baffled by the sudden appearance of the void energy, momentarily forgot her fury. Zhou Feng simply stared at the void sparks where the paper had been, too stunned to correct the situation.
Han Yu clapped Zhou Feng on the shoulder.
"My friend, you are too diligent for these frivolous romantic pursuits! Return to your studies!"
He then turned to Qian Ru, offering a dazzling smile. "As for you, Qian Ru, your passion is commendable, but your target was false! Come, let's discuss alliance strategy over spicy dumplings."
He had successfully resolved the chaos, protected Zhou Feng's dignity (in the most embarrassing way possible), and kept his rivals confused.
Jin-Jin appeared, tapping her miniature scroll with satisfaction. "Crisis averted! But that was messy. You still need to manage your fiancé tension, my prodigy!"
A new challenge materialized on the scroll, glowing ominously:
TRIAL OF THE LOVE-SICK SOUL: To balance the escalating romantic tension, Han Yu must use his Soul Resonance Art to enter the mind of a heartbroken admirer and cure their love-sickness before they cause a catastrophic power surge. The admirer is none other than the shy junior disciple, Ying Li, whose devotion has reached dangerous levels.
Han Yu sighed, looking at the floating mission prompt. "Oh, no. Not her. The Piglet was easier."