Worry

Li Yuan stepped aside, and Setis strode in. She walked to the side of the bed, turned around, and looked him up and down before asking a question.

“Is everything settled with your property in the Principality?”

Li Yuan was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected her to follow him in just to ask that—he’d almost forgotten the excuse he’d made up on the fly. But he recovered instantly and nodded.

“It’s settled.”

“That’s good.” Setis paused for a few seconds after those words, then looked up at him again.

“Does this mean... you’re never going back?”

This question plunged Li Yuan into a long silence. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to answer, but he truly didn’t know what to say in the moment.

Since returning from the City of Divine Grace, he indeed planned to stay in Kajinson for a while. The tea shop was nearly finished, there were loose ends to tie up with Hogg, and living at the Duke’s estate was far more comfortable than he’d imagined. He had no reason to leave anytime soon.

But he couldn’t say for sure about the distant future. He wasn’t the type to make long-term plans. During his hundred-plus years on the Kyushu Continent, he mostly went wherever the wind took him.

One day he might be a guest at a sect, the next he’d be hunting for treasures in a secret realm, and the day after that he might run off to some nameless, desolate mountain for meditative seclusion.

He had long since grown accustomed to this life of wandering. No one had ever asked him if he would stay, and he himself had never considered settling down in one place.

Besides—he did occasionally think of the Kyushu Continent. Although he couldn’t return for now, what if he found another way one day? Or if he suddenly found the path to ascend to the Immortal Realm, would he be able to resist going to see it?

These thoughts were buried deep in a corner of his mind. He usually avoided them deliberately, but if he were forced to say he would “never leave,” it felt wrong.

After some thought, he couldn’t give a definitive answer, so he finally said:

“I won’t be going anywhere for the time being.”

Setis stared at him for a long time. Her scrutinizing gaze was somewhat similar to how she looked at an opponent on the academy’s martial arts arena—sharp, focused, and not missing a single detail.

She saw the hesitation on Li Yuan’s face and read the unspoken words behind his brief pause, but she couldn’t be sure what he was actually thinking.

She pursed her lips, a trace of uncontrollable dissatisfaction creeping into her voice.

“Is there something wrong with this place?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Li Yuan quickly denied.

“Then why do you always have to run around everywhere?”

Li Yuan looked at the girl’s anxious and frustrated expression—brows tightly knit, lips slightly pouted, arms crossed... This look reminded Li Yuan of a kitten that had its dried fish treats stolen.

Was she... being protective? It didn’t quite feel like that...

He smiled and explained in a gentle tone:

“I’ve been used to a free and lazy lifestyle for a long time, so I rarely stay in one place for long. It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with anything here.”

“Then you’re going to stay here for good!” Setis’s tone was still as imperious as ever, but her voice trailed off with a slight rise, carrying a hint of trepidation she hadn’t even noticed herself.

Li Yuan looked at her—clearly nervous to death yet insisting on acting tough. That inexplicable feeling welled up in him again, and it felt... a bit strange.

So, he followed her lead and said, “Alright, then I’ll stay here for good.”

Setis blinked, her expression shifting from bossy to skeptical. She tilted her head and stared at Li Yuan for several seconds, as if trying to confirm if he was just placating her again.

“Really?”

“Really.” Li Yuan nodded earnestly. “I definitely won’t leave in the short term.”

“How short?”

“That—” Li Yuan was momentarily speechless. The girl’s mind was being far too active at a time like this. After thinking for a moment, he gave a compromise. “At least not in the next few days.”

Setis stared at him for a bit longer, seemingly evaluating the credibility of his words. Finally, she read the answer “he really isn’t lying” from his expression, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She nodded in satisfaction.

“Then get some rest.” She turned toward the door, took two steps, then looked back at him. “You must be tired from your journey. Go to sleep early.”

“I will. You too.”

Setis pushed the door open and left. The door clicked shut behind her, and the sound of her footsteps in the hallway gradually faded.

Li Yuan stood where he was and let out a long breath. He went over to make sure the door was properly closed and sat back on the bed. He rubbed his temples and couldn’t help but give a bitter smile—this wasn’t the first time he’d found it increasingly difficult to maintain his usual effortless composure in front of Setis.

Everything she said and did was unexpected. Every time he faced her raw, undisguised emotions, the “gentle yet distant” way of life he had practiced for centuries seemed mysteriously useless.

She was just a teenage girl who wouldn’t even qualify for the Foundation Establishment stage in Kyushu—yet she could make a Mahayana stage cultivator change his mind again and again. He couldn’t say if this feeling was good or bad... but at the very least, it wasn’t unpleasant.

He sighed deeply and lay down, closing his eyes. He soon fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Li Yuan finished washing up and changed his clothes. He pushed open his door to go downstairs for breakfast. When the door was only halfway open, he saw a hand raised in mid-air.

Setis stood at the door, still wearing the light-colored loungewear from before, her golden hair draped casually over her shoulders. But unlike last night, her complexion was noticeably poor—there were faint dark circles under her eyes, her lips were pale, and she looked as if she hadn’t slept at all.

When she saw the door suddenly open, her hand froze in the air for a moment before she slowly pulled it back to her side. She looked up at Li Yuan, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.

Seeing her like this, Li Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly. “Miss Setis, is something the matter?”

Setis didn’t answer. She stared at him for a long time, then suddenly took a step forward. Her arms wrapped around his waist, hugging him tightly.

The force was unusually strong. She buried her face in his chest, her breath trembling slightly, yet her movements were remarkably firm.

The embrace lasted for about ten seconds. When she let go, she took a small hop backward. Her expression had already returned to its usual cold and imperious mask. She spoke softly.

“Good morning.”

Li Yuan was still dazed with confusion. It was only after a few seconds that he realized Setis had already turned and was walking quickly toward the stairs. He looked at her retreating back, then down at his chest, and finally spoke slowly after another moment.

“Good morning...”