"You can't just go in! Get in line!"

When Su Xuan rode his white horse to the gates of Jiuding Men, he was stopped. An elderly woman, over sixty years old, wouldn't let him in. The female alchemy apprentice, Xiao Yun, who had been at the door yesterday, was nowhere to be seen.

"I have an appointment with the Third Elder," Su Xuan explained to the old woman.

"Who do you think you're fooling?" The old woman raised her eyebrows. "How come I didn't see you yesterday?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Su Xuan's white horse. She had never seen such a conspicuous mount before and was convinced Su Xuan was trying to deceive her.

"It was my brother who came to make the appointment yesterday," Su Xuan said patiently. "He came riding a golden crocodile."

"Ah, I know that man." The old woman nodded, but then added, "But he is he, and you are you. You have to get in line; that's the rule at Jiuding Men. No matter who you are, you can't break the rules!"

Su Xuan rubbed his forehead. He was already starting to miss Xiao Yun's helpfulness. He still had Lu Dachun's appearance, and it wasn't a good time to change back to his own.

"Where is Xiao Yun?" Su Xuan then asked the old woman. "Can you please let her know I'm here?"

"She doesn't have time. She's been in seclusion with the Third Elder since yesterday. They aren't meeting with anyone," the old woman replied, dismissing Su Xuan as she raised her hand. "Next, please sign in."

"Wait a minute."

Just then, a small hand landed on the old woman's shoulder and pressed gently. The newcomer glanced at Su Xuan, then said softly to the old woman, "Auntie Liu, this Master Lu here is my friend. Can you make an exception for him?"

"Oh my, it's little Wan!" Seeing Ning Wan, the little princess of the City Lord's Mansion, the old woman's face lit up with joy. She patted Ning Wan's hand and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? All you had to do was ask. Go on in!"

"Thank you, Auntie Liu!" Ning Wan said sweetly. She then walked over to Su Xuan, lifted her pretty face, and whispered teasingly, "Even a Longevity Realm Expert from the Immortal Mountain can have a hard time, eh?"

Su Xuan just shrugged without saying a word.

"Let's go!" In a somewhat exaggerated gesture, Ning Wan reached out, hooked Su Xuan's arm, and led him through the gates of Jiuding Men.

The old woman was stunned, disbelief written all over her face. So they really are friends? This can't be just a normal friendship, can it?

Ning Wan, who ranked among the top three beauties in Hua Shui City and was bound to be number one once she fully matured, was actually arm-in-arm with an ordinary man whose looks couldn't even compare to his mount! This was huge news!

Not only was the old woman shocked, but the people queuing for alchemy requests were also dumbfounded. They wanted to slap themselves to see if they were dreaming. The daughter of City Lord Ning actually fancied this type of man? What terrible taste!

But what they didn't know was that Ning Wan was born with a unique vision that enabled her to see the essence of things. The seemingly ordinary man she was clinging to was, in fact, the most handsome man in all of Hua Shui City!

"How will you thank me?" Ning Wan finally let go of Su Xuan's arm once they were inside Jiuding Men and had walked to the Third Elder's courtyard.

"Here," Su Xuan said, tossing Ning Wan a banknote.

"Who wants this!" Ning Wan didn't even glance at the amount on the banknote. She crumpled it up and tossed it back at Su Xuan. "I can have as much of this stuff as I want!"

Her real goal was to get Su Xuan to get rid of the fake City Lord for her and avenge her father. For the past few years, she had been secretly improving her strength, especially in the art of assassination, hoping to kill her enemy herself. At the same time, she was continuously looking for reliable experts to do the deed for her but had never succeeded. Su Xuan was the most promising person she had ever met.

"Fine, then." Su Xuan caught the crumpled paper, unfolded it, and looked at it, muttering to himself, "It's not damaged. Still usable."

"You!" Ning Wan stomped her foot in frustration. Her still-developing figure trembled with the motion, creating a beautiful scene for a moment.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Fearing that the Third Elder was truly in seclusion, Su Xuan knocked gently on the door. But there was no answer.

"Master, it's Wan'er! I'm here to see you!" Ning Wan, however, unabashedly shouted in her clear voice.

She had become the Third Elder's student to learn alchemy long before her own father had passed away. Her father had once told her that alchemy was the best and most promising pursuit for a girl, as the other trades on the mountain were far too dangerous.

"Coming, coming!" The alchemy apprentice, Xiao Yun, ran out from the Third Elder's house. Upon seeing Ning Wan, she said, "Sister Ning, I haven't seen you for several days!"

"I had a headache," Ning Wan said, pointing to her head. "I slept for a few days."

In truth, she had been cultivating. Yesterday, however, she had been investigating Su Xuan, trying to figure out where the man on the golden crocodile had come from. She could find no trace of his origins. It was as if he had simply appeared out of thin air in their mountain world. Of course, this made her doubt his claim of being from the Immortal Mountain even more. People from the Immortal Mountain never traveled alone to gain experience; they always had companions. Su Xuan and Lu Dachun, on the other hand, were both alone. Because of this, she believed she had some leverage over him.

"What's my master busy with?" Ning Wan asked Xiao Yun.

"A Young Master Su came yesterday and asked the Third Elder to help refine an elixir. My master was extremely interested in it and has been working nonstop ever since," Xiao Yun explained.

As she finished, she cast a curious glance at Su Xuan, wondering how this ordinary-looking man had gotten involved with the highly selective Ning Wan.

"You can stop hiding now," Ning Wan suddenly said to Su Xuan. "There are no outsiders here. You can show your real face."

"Fine." Su Xuan nodded. Secretly reciting the Thousand Facets Stone Mantra, he reverted to his true appearance. He had also scanned his surroundings; indeed, there was no one else present.

"Oh, Brother Su!" Xiao Yun exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Su Xuan change his appearance in the blink of an eye. Then, she smiled radiantly.

"Don't be fooled by his looks," Ning Wan said in a deliberately cold tone when she saw the unmistakable infatuation on Xiao Yun's face. "He's not a good person. He not only killed the Ge Family's young master but also usurped their home!"

However, even as she said this, she too found it hard to resist the appeal of Su Xuan's appearance and charisma. When she had looked at him before with her special sight, she had seen his essence, but it was like looking at someone with poor vision—it wasn't sharp. Now, however... every detail was vividly clear.

He truly was the most handsome man in Hua Shui City. He was indeed worthy of being called a peerless talent.

Ning Wan found herself inexplicably thinking, Holding his arm was totally worth it...

Afterward, the three of them entered the Third Elder's house. The room was filled with smoke, heavy with the scent of medicinal herbs, and numerous scrolls were piled on the tables. An elderly man was measuring herbs while perusing the scrolls, not even glancing at the three who had entered.

Su Xuan spoke softly, "Third Elder, have you found anything yet?"

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