Finding Li Xiaoquan and seeing he was unharmed, Ye Wen's most pressing concern had finally been resolved. With his mind at ease, he no longer paid much attention to the minor details around him until Artemis interrupted them - then it dawned on him that this wasn't a suitable time for conversation.

He waved to Li Xiaoquan, "Let's discuss this in our lodgings!" Then pointed toward the girl nearby, "Bring her along too. She seems rather spirited; I'd hate to see her transform into an angry hedgehog!"

Bitterly smiling but obeying nonetheless, Li Xiaoquan turned back and beckoned to the woman. The girl approached with evident caution, stopping three paces away from Ye Wen while positioning herself slightly behind Li Xiaoquan as if shielding against potential attacks.

As soon as Li Xiaoquan introduced them, he mentioned how they should address each other. This revelation surprised the girl - that this young man barely older than Li Xiaoquan was actually his teacher and sect leader. Her small eyes widened curiously as she studied Ye Wen with new interest.

"Enough of that for now," Qin Shi Huang said, "We should leave first." Though Li Xiaoquan and the girl had come to assassinate him, the Emperor's dignity would not allow petty grievances. Especially since he'd learned their intentions were not personal but commissioned by others - making them merely pawns in a larger game.

Ye Wen led the way through what seemed more like an honor guard than a blockade. The soldiers stood two-by-two as if clearing a path for royalty, which left Li Xiaoquan feeling distinctly awkward. His companion was even less composed, standing there locking eyes with suspicious officers before finally moving away.

While walking ahead, Ye Wen took in their reactions to the girl's childish behavior. He now understood where Li Xiaoquan had gotten his assessment - someone with such a temperament aiming for imperial dominance was indeed laughable.

The courtyard assigned by Ying Zheng wasn't originally small, but now crowded with so many people it felt cramped. Fortunately Huangquan and others had already pledged allegiance to the Emperor, who would naturally provide proper accommodations rather than leave them in disarray.

After their relocation, only Liu Bei, Xue Rengui, Tianzhao, and Chong Lou remained in this courtyard.

As Li Xiaoquan and his companion entered, servants had already prepared fruits and drinks. Ye Wen settled into the dais with a lord's air, dismissing the attendants before signaling to Li Xiaoquan, "Now we can discuss things properly." With everyone seated, Li Xiaoquan knew his teacher was no stranger to informality in private settings.

He casually grabbed a snack first before recounting his adventures since leaving Shushan. After departing from the sect, he hadn't known where to go - though Shushan occupied the westernmost part of the Eastern Divine Realm, wasn't there still Olympus and Western Buddhism further west?

Initially wanting to explore that direction since his teacher had just returned with a goddess, he thought it would be interesting even if not for marriage. Plus his junior brother Yuzhentuo had settled there - though tired of traveling, he could always stop by for tea.

Unfortunately after only two days he encountered chaos between heavenly and Buddhist forces. From afar he saw Sheshou Mingwang, Sun Wukong, Yang and Nezha engaged in a sky-darkening battle. Sensing the terrifying power from his distance, he quickly changed course eastward while avoiding Shushan by first heading north.

Along this detour through the mortal realm, he wandered between villages, sometimes descending to mingle with ordinary people. This behavior led to countless encounters - fortunate that as an immortal he could handle whatever came his way. In fact, he eliminated so many human threats that rumors of "righteous swordsmen" began circulating in these regions.

Eventually this path brought him face-to-face with the girl. At that time she was in dire straits but still managed to command a mountain range and extract offerings from nearby villages through sheer terror.

She hadn't expected Li Xiaoquan though - their first meeting ended badly when he damaged her clothes during combat, inadvertently catching glimpses of private areas before her enemies arrived again. After another fight where Li Xiao'quans Wanjue technique saved them both, they traveled together for a while until her pursuers finally cornered him by numbers and captured the girl.

Though unsure about their relationship status, he couldn't just let her be taken so he gave chase all the way to this world - losing his cooking utensil was merely an accident during that pursuit into the Yamata no Orochi lair.

"In summary," Ye Wen summarized, "You had nothing better to do and wandered here out of boredom."

The rest wasn't hard to guess - Li Xiaoquan defeated her enemies again and rescued the girl. Since he didn't want to return to Shushan immediately and this world seemed interesting enough, they stayed together.

"About right," Li Xiaoquan scratched his head without embarrassment before getting distracted by local cuisine unfamiliar to him from heaven. Unlike the divine realm where plants/animals resembled earthly counterparts with just more spiritual energy, this world had strange species that intrigued him for culinary experimentation.

Understanding his disciple's nature well, Ye Wen could guess their reason. Sighing as he pressed his temples, "So when do you plan to return to Shushan? Considering we've found you now, it would be poor etiquette to let your betrothed Claire wait any longer on the mountain."

Remembering his pending marriage reminded Li Xiaoquan of his freedom's end, so even while eating his speed slowed from 5th gear to 3rd.

Using his uncle as an example, Ye Wen added, "Look at your Uncle Xu - married but still free. I don't think Claire is someone who dislikes fun either. You two used to play around a lot together before, right? Do you really think marriage changes people that much?"

Twisting awkwardly and rubbing his face, Li Xiaoquan finally admitted, "It just feels like once you're married you can't be the same anymore."

Curious now about what scared him so badly into fleeing down the mountain unceremoniously, Ye Wen almost bled from nosebleed at his response: "I feel like marriage makes me an adult! I have to mature and stop being spontaneous!"

"Adult?" Ye Wen nearly choked. At over a century old he should already be mature but here he was acting childish? Why hadn't he considered this years ago?

Upon reflection, Ye Wen realized it stemmed from childhood conditioning where marriage signified responsibility as family head - needing maturity instead of nonsense.

Finally grasping the issue, he simply patted his disciple's shoulder: "You'll still be you at Shushan. Just learn to think about a wife in addition to yourself when making decisions."

"Yes," Li Xiaoquan replied glumly, then asked, "Master, weren't you also nervous when you got married?"

Thinking back, Ye Wen realized he hadn't felt that anxiety because by then his mindset had already matured through years of leading Shushen. Plus marrying a fellow sect member didn't change much beyond closer living arrangements.

Unlike Li Xiaoquan who'd lived free-spirited after avenging himself with no prior responsibilities to burden him...

After more discussions where Ye Wen decided he wouldn't let Li Xiaoquan wander anymore and insisted they return together to Shushan, Ye Wen finally had time for the girl.

Only now did he realize he hadn't asked her name yet. "Miss... what should we call you?"

The mixed-race looking girl with brown hair and wheat-colored skin fidgeted nervously in her seat.

"My name is Shuiyun."

Her strange posture suggested she was trying to project regal authority but couldn't quite pull it off - Li Xiaoquan secretly informed Ye Wen: "She wants to impress you with an air of dominance but feels awkward doing so."

"Ah, I see," Ye Wen replied. Through their conversation he learned Shuiyun was from this world and had ambitions for power despite her limited abilities.

Ambitious yet ill-equipped, she'd declared intentions to conquer the realm through strategic marriages - only for her plans to be foiled before implementation when her targets exposed her scheme. Now hunted by those who wanted to capture her as a concubine instead of wife, Li Xiaoquan had rescued her during their chase here.

Hearing this, Ye Wen almost asked why they wanted to capture her so badly but quickly understood it was due to Shuiyun's own imprudent plan for using her beauty to infiltrate powerful families.

"Without strength, without brains and unwilling to act decisively," he sighed, "how could you possibly succeed?"

Her embarrassment at this exposure made her face flush bright red - Ye Wen noted this lack of emotional control was another strike against her leadership potential.

With such a candidate in mind, Ye Wen decided not to involve his disciple with her. For establishing Shushan's influence here, he'd have to rely on his relationship with Ying Zheng and Chong Lou instead.

Regarding Chong Lou, Ye Wen remembered his disciple still needed cultivation solutions - though many techniques existed now, few seemed suitable for him.

At this thought, Ye Wen absentmindedly rubbed the ring on his finger: "Looks like I need to consult this little treasure again."

...PS: Empty...