"I'm thinking of you."
At any other time, Zhou Yu might have blurted out that phrase.
But at this moment, saying such cheesy pickup lines would be rather inappropriate.
Given what Su Yu Yan had gone through recently, she must have been deeply preoccupied. Teasing her now would only lead to more awkwardness.
Zhou Yu was no fool.
"Look at these fish, swimming freely in the water. They seem so carefree," he said, pointing to the pond beneath the rockery with a smile.
Fish, carefree?
Su Yu Yan suspected he was speaking metaphorically.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" the man asked, puzzled.
Su Yu Yan remained silent for a long time.
She simply stared at the man before her with her beautiful eyes.
A gentle breeze stirred, carrying a captivating scent into his nostrils.
Inhaling the intoxicating aroma, Zhou Yu took a deep breath.
Seeing his uninhibited action, Su Yu Yan secretly scoffed, then rolled her eyes and asked, "Does it smell good?"
How could she not know Zhou Yu was taking in the scent of her perfume?
The perfume she wore today contained sandalwood, and it seemed that whenever Zhou Yu smelled this scent, he would become somewhat peculiar.
Su Yu Yan didn't know what had gone wrong.
But Zhou Yu definitely wouldn't tell her!
It was because a certain demoness liked to have perfumers add sandalwood to her perfumes.
If Su Yu Yan were to know that smelling this fragrance made Zhou Yu think of another woman...
No!
Su Yu Yan would certainly not find out.
As long as he didn't say it, and heaven didn't speak, no one else would ever know.
"The fragrance is so rich, I can't help but smell it," Zhou Yu chuckled.
Hearing the man's words of praise, a hint of a smile finally appeared on Su Yu Yan's face.
She knew that Zhou Yu was trying to cheer her up.
But thinking about what had happened today, Su Yu Yan found it hard to feel happy.
Her stepmother was poisoned to death by her father.
And her own father even intended to poison her grandfather!
Su Yu Yan had experienced everything that one would rarely encounter in a lifetime today!
This left her feeling utterly helpless.
It was the same feeling she had when her mother left...
Thinking of her birth mother, Su Yu Yan glanced at Zhou Yu again. She felt it was necessary to have a good chat with her "contractual husband" about the past.
"Zhou Yu, I know you're a martial artist, and a very skilled one at that. That bodyguard, Ah Wei, he's a Houtian Ming Jin martial artist. Are there any realms above his?" Su Yu Yan asked curiously.
She wouldn't directly ask Zhou Yu about the level of his own strength.
If the man wanted to tell her, he would.
Su Yu Yan was an extremely intelligent woman.
Therefore, she didn't want to be disliked by Zhou Yu, so she wouldn't ask.
But asking about the division of martial artist realms was certainly not a problem.
"Why are you suddenly interested in this?" Zhou Yu asked, puzzled.
Su Yu Yan wasn't a martial artist, so understanding this wouldn't benefit her.
Unless, she also wanted to become a martial artist.
"Don't misunderstand me, I don't want to be some martial arts master. I'm asking you these things because I want to understand you better," Su Yu Yan quickly replied.
The events of today, besides being overwhelming, had made her feel increasingly unfamiliar with Zhou Yu's mystery.
Before this, Su Yu Yan had never considered the vast distance between herself and Zhou Yu.
But now she understood.
Perhaps she was the one who was overreaching, with this man willing to go to the civil affairs bureau with her.
Zhou Yu's mystery and power far exceeded Su Yu Yan's imagination.
A divine doctor?
A martial arts master?
A genius with monstrous intelligence?
Su Yu Yan didn't know how many more labels Zhou Yu fit.
"What? You don't mean to say that I've already fallen for you..."
"You mean, I've already fallen for you?"
"Have I?"
"Perhaps a little."
"How much is a little?"
"Not much, just a tiny bit."
"Then I won't tell you."
...
Hearing this.
Su Yu Yan's cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
Seeing her adorable expression, Zhou Yu felt a strong urge to reach out and pinch her little face.
He managed to restrain himself.
"Ahem... I was just teasing. Since you want to know about higher martial arts realms, I'll tell you," Zhou Yu said, gesturing for her to sit beside him.
Su Yu Yan did not hesitate, sitting gracefully close to him.
They weren't touching, but they were very near.
Smelling the lady's fragrance again, Zhou Yu composed himself and said, "The strength of martial artists is generally divided into four early stages: Body Tempering, Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin... And Body Tempering..."
Listening to the man's words, Su Yu Yan gazed at his profile, her lips involuntarily curving into a crescent moon.
"He looks even more handsome when he's serious than usual."
Su Yu Yan's heart pounded, her face flushed.
She subtly glanced at Zhou Yu.
Fortunately, her current expression wasn't noticed.
Quickly patting her cheeks, Su Yu Yan refocused and listened intently.
In reality, he was fully aware of her every move, he just chose not to expose it.
"When a martial artist reaches the Houtian Ming Jin stage, they need to start trying to control the true qi within their body. The difference between Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin corresponds to each martial artist's ability to control their true qi."
"Ming Jin masters have very weak control over their qi. So, at this level, they can only exert the minimum possible power of their true qi. That guy Ah Wei is at this stage."
"An Jin masters have considerably good control over their qi. When they punch, you can't tell with the naked eye how much force they've used, so the literal meaning of 'An Jin' fits this characteristic."
"Hua Jin masters, there are some within the country of Long Guo, but certainly not many."
"When their strength reaches the Hua Jin level, many martial artists are also getting on in years, essentially 'old monsters.' None of them are under fifty years old. Of course, this doesn't mean a fifty-year-old martial artist is likely to be a Hua Jin master."
Listening to Zhou Yu's explanation, Su Yu Yan actively inquired, "Based on what you're saying, Hua Jin masters are already extremely rare. Are there any beyond that?"
"Beyond that?"
Zhou Yu fell into contemplation.
After a moment, he uttered four words: "Xiantian Shang Ren."
"Xiantian Shang Ren?"
For some reason, upon hearing this term, Su Yu Yan felt a surge of excitement.
It seemed to evoke a magical world beyond the mortal realm.
"Alright, that's all about the martial artist realm division. Now, let's talk about your past."
Zhou Yu looked at Su Yu Yan, his gaze clear, serious, and sincere.
He knew she had something on her mind but no outlet for it.
In that case, he would be the one to listen.
"How did you know I wanted to talk to you about my past?" Su Yu Yan asked, surprised.
"You want to understand me more, and I want to understand you more. This is the perfect opportunity."
Zhou Yu reached out and caught a falling leaf.
He then gently flicked it.
The yellowed leaf was shot into the pond, startling several goldfish that were busily eating fish food.
Their carefree lives were mercilessly disrupted by Zhou Yu.