Chapter 82 Part 1

The other masters sighed in regret upon hearing this—they had never thought of it that way.

Even if they had, it wouldn’t have mattered. Zhao Zhen and his two junior brothers shared an extremely close bond and always supported each other no matter where they went. They either brought along a disciple or worked solo, so their conditions truly couldn’t compare.

What a pity. They weren’t just eyeing the Comforting Spirit Incense; they coveted Chu Yi’s divine skills in Pill Refining and Drawing Talismans. Hooking up with the Yu Family was no different from hooking up with Chu Yi himself. No one was a fool!

Yu Qingxian finished negotiating the terms with Zhao Zhen and the others, then turned to Chu Yi with a hint of guilt in his heart. “Sorry, the Condensing Spirit Incense was something you specially found for me, and I gave half of it away.”

Chu Yi patted his hand. “It’s fine. There are plenty of good things in this world.”

Chu Yi didn’t take a mere Condensing Spirit Incense seriously. After all, in his era, century-old minor demons roamed everywhere, and he had subdued quite a few millennium Great Demons. By his standards, the Condensing Spirit Incense was only a mid-to-low tier cultivation material. He had given it away without a second thought, confident he could always find something better for his partner.

Zhao Zhen chimed in, “Exactly. With Master Chu’s divine skills, who would hide away any good treasures from him?”

Zhao Zhen didn’t want to offend the crowd. This remark flattered Chu Yi while reminding everyone: instead of handing treasures to him for processing, why not let Chu Yi handle it? Sure, by convention, half would be deducted as a fee, but that was far better than other masters fumbling through ancient texts and potentially ruining all the materials.

It wasn’t that Zhao Zhen looked down on the existing Magic Treasure crafting masters—it was just that they didn’t seem as professional as Chu Yi. Take the Comforting Spirit Incense, for example: Chu Yi had refined it right in front of them, controlling his Spiritual Power effortlessly—strong when needed, subtle when required—as if he had done it hundreds or thousands of times. His fluid, seamless technique made everyone believe it would succeed without a doubt.

The other masters could handle familiar items well enough, but when it came to knowledge gaps, they constantly referred back to texts, leaving clients on edge, terrified their hard-gathered materials would be destroyed.

Chu Yi gave a light smile at Zhao Zhen’s words, tacitly agreeing. In terms of Mystical Arts knowledge, he was confident no one in this world could claim first if he claimed second. Spiritual Qi had been declining year by year for centuries—the gap wasn’t something a few ancient books could bridge.

“Alright, masters, please head to the dining room. The food will get cold soon,” the Yu Patriarch said, smoothly wrapping up the discussion now that it had concluded.

Yu Zhensheng caught on immediately and stepped up with the poise of a host, leading the way.

With the hosts speaking, the masters naturally gave face and filed into the dining room one after another.

Father Yu seized the moment and strolled up to Chu Yi. “Chu Yi, right? I’m Little Xian’s father. We met briefly at the hospital last time, but we haven’t been properly introduced.”

Yu Qingxian frowned. “Dad?”

Father Yu shot him an unhappy glance. “Little Xian, you too—why didn’t you introduce your friend?”

Yu Qingxian had no idea what he was up to but composed himself and made the introductions.

“Uncle Yu.” Chu Yi’s smile faded slightly as he nodded politely.

That was it?

Father Yu had expected him to be at least flustered or offer a meeting gift to curry favor with his “father-in-law.”

Dissatisfaction brewed in Father Yu’s heart again. “Originally, I didn’t want Little Xian involved with a man. Men with men—what kind of nonsense is that? Marrying a wife and having children is the proper way…”

The moment Yu Qingxian heard such words, he knew his father was deliberately picking a fight. Not wanting to ruin Chu Yi’s mood, he turned and said, “You go eat first. I’ll be right there.”

Chu Yi quietly squeezed President Yu’s hand and walked away.

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t stand up for his lover—he trusted that President Yu could handle anything outside of Mystical Arts issues on his own. He wasn’t some pitiful thing who needed constant backing.

Besides, clashing with Father Yu in the Yu Family home… that wouldn’t look good if word got out!

So Chu Yi left without hesitation.

“Hey, why did he leave…” Father Yu was stunned. He was in the middle of asserting dominance—what was he supposed to do now?

Did this guy even know the rules for visiting your in-laws?!

“Dad!” Yu Qingxian grabbed his father.

Chu Yi entered the dining room and had just sat down when President Yu came in and pulled out the chair beside him.

Chu Yi glanced up and saw Father Yu hadn’t followed, so he knew his President Yu had surely gone “big righteousness over kinship.”

He didn’t ask for details but piled a full plate of stir-fried noodles and various seafood in front of President Yu. “Is this enough? Want me to get more?”

Yu Qingxian: “…Enough.”

Though Chu Yi sometimes treated him like a pig being fattened, he had to make an effort to finish his boyfriend’s thoughtfulness.

Sure enough, Chu Yi’s estimate was spot on. Yu Qingxian not only polished off everything in front of him but also had an extra bowl of small wontons.