When Yuchi first arrived in the state capital, he was aiming to make some money, so he went to the Celestial Craft Workshop. He figured he could find some good jobs there, but the place was just full of material quests, and who knew where to find those materials?

With no other options, Yuchi wandered around the state capital with Yin Shuang, hoping to find some poor young ladies in need of help. That’s when he accidentally stumbled upon Li Xiao’an waiting by the roadside. After a little conversation, he succeeded in coaxing Li Xiao’an into joining Ascension Gate.

Initially, he planned to grab a bite with Li Xiao’an in the state capital and then send her back to Ascension Gate. But then, a big bald guy appeared in front of them.

The bald guy was wearing a sect robe and carrying a very massive longsword on his back. He looked at Yuchi with a rather enthusiastic expression, displaying the kind of excitement a junior would have when meeting a senior. "Senior, I am the elder responsible for recruitment this time for Sea Heaven Sect. I didn’t come to greet you right away upon your arrival, and I truly apologize. I was next door at the inn, having tea and picking my toes."

Why say you’re picking your toes so directly...? Yuchi glanced up and down at the man, and roughly understood why he returned to greet him. Probably because Yuchi had shown the Token from Celestial Craft Workshop, they assumed he was part of the Workshop, and came over to curry favor.

Ah, this is quite the conundrum. Yuchi didn’t originally have this kind of plan. He simply wanted to discreetly take Li Xiao’an back to the sect.

So what should he do now?

The bald guy continued to speak:

"Senior, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what are you planning to do with this young girl? Could it be that Celestial Craft Workshop is also venturing into the courtesan business?"

The bald guy’s thoughts were straightforward. While Li Xiao’an might be a decent young girl, it was only at the level of "decent." Comparing her looks to a courtesan was quite the difference, undoubtedly related to her previous living conditions.

She didn’t eat well, so she was rather thin, giving her a frail appearance. To the bald guy, this wasn’t a petite beauty but more like the figure of a bamboo stick. Her pale complexion was obviously aided by some powder, with her hand backs looking malnourished and sallow.

How could she become a courtesan? The disciples were intimidated by Celestial Craft Workshop, but he certainly wouldn’t be. After all, they were a local association in the state capital. How could they fear such a thing? Unlikely, given he was a Spirit Storage Stage elder, he had nothing to fear.

Hey, you’re managing quite a wide range, aren’t you? Can’t I just like her for myself? When Yuchi saw Li Xiao’an feeling a bit guilty, he put his arm around her fragrant shoulder and said with a smile, "As for courtesans or whatnot, that’s another matter. Mainly, I find this young girl very nice and naturally want to take her under my wing. Does our Sea Heaven Sect also have something to say about that?"

Yuchi’s tone wasn’t very pleasant, and his speech carried a bit of a lisp, imitating the local accent of the state capital.

Yin Shuang: Wow, the evil brother Yuchi has finally shown his true colors to Li Xiao’an.

Li Xiao’an was dumbfounded. She didn’t know what was happening, but at that moment, she definitely chose to stand by Yuchi’s side. Since Yuchi had put his arm around her, she pretended to be calm and leaned against him, not daring to move, and was very obedient.

"Ahahaha."

The bald guy quickly composed himself, scratching his round head in a naive manner. "Oh, I see, so that’s what you mean, senior. Then there’s no problem. I just don’t know what your name is. I’ve never seen you before."

The bald guy was clearly using the most amiable tone to ask a very serious question.

Yuchi had a quirky expression: "You suspecting me?"

Yin Shuang: Oh no, he’s going to be found out!

The bald guy laughed:

"No, no, I just find you unfamiliar, senior. Since you are from Celestial Craft Workshop and have such a Token, you must be very outstanding, so I genuinely couldn’t recognize you at first. I’m ready to apologize properly."

"So, may I know senior’s name?"

After saying that, the bald guy even enthusiastically poured Yuchi a cup of tea, though there was clearly a hidden agenda in his words.

He evidently wanted to find out who Yuchi really was. If Yuchi was just putting on an act, he would have no hope left, blatantly snatching people on Sea Heaven Sect’s territory? And even pretending to be from Celestial Craft Workshop? If he handed Yuchi directly to Celestial Craft Workshop, who knows what they’d do?

Of course, if Yuchi truly had a legitimate identity, then so be it; at most, he would just apologize. To be able to establish a sect in the state capital and recruit people there, who isn’t of some significant background? He genuinely had no fear of Celestial Craft Workshop.

In essence, it boils down to four words: "Neither servile nor overbearing."

Yuchi still didn’t seem angry, smiling as he said, "You should have your sect’s Nascent Soul stage cultivator take a look at me. I don’t even know how to answer your questions."