<h4>Chapter 421: Chapter 417 Tea Girl</h4><h4></h4>


    Ling Chen halted his steps, inwardly groaning that this woman was relentless and seemed intent on holding him ountable. Fearing his eyes might offend her once more, Ling Chen responded without turning back, "That... it was really a misunderstanding. It wasn’t intentional."


    "Just stand here for now," said the woman in an indifferent tone. Immediately after, Ling Chen heard the sound of the bedroom door closing.


    In less than a minute, the woman’s voice rang out again, "Sit down."


    Hearing this, Ling Chen turned around and found the woman already seated behind the curtain. Since she had spoken, Ling Chen dared not disobey; he was at fault, after all. He thought to himself that he should apologize sincerelyter; maybe she would forgive him.


    With that thought, Ling Chen honestly took a seat outside the curtain.


    "What’s your name?"


    "Ling Chen."


    "Ling Chen?" The woman behind the curtain chuckled lightly, as if talking to herself, "So you’re Ling Chen."


    Ling Chen asked in surprise, "You know me?"


    "I’ve heard of you. The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion initially nned to ce you on the Neer List, but after thorough consideration, they decided not to include you."


    As I thought!


    Ling Chen nodded inwardly, confirming his guess that this woman was also a member of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, although he didn’t know her status within it.


    "When you came in just now, didn’t you see the warning sign outside?"


    "I did."


    "Yet you still entered?"


    "Well..." Ling Chen touched his nose awkwardly, exining, "I didn’t mean to barge in. I just wanted to find someone."


    "There’s only me living here, so were you looking for me?" the woman asked.


    "I..."


    Before Ling Chen could finish speaking, the woman behind the curtain cut him off, continuing, "Never mind, I won’t pursue it since it’s your first offense. Since we’ve met, it must be fate. Take a seat and we can chat."


    Ling Chen was secretly relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. He was indeed afraid that this woman would hold him ountable and that it would affect Qiu Yong and the others, especially since this was someone else’s territory.


    As he heard the sounds of washing tea utensilsing from behind the curtain, Ling Chenpletely rxed and asked with a smile, "I still don’t know what to call you."


    "I have no name. People have referred to me by various titles, but no one has ever called me by my name. Over time, I’ve forgotten it. A name is just abel; you can call me whatever you like."


    Ling Chen cracked a smile, finding the woman’s personality quite simr to that of porridge girl.


    Thinking of porridge girl, an idea shed through Ling Chen’s mind, and he grinned, "Since you don’t care for titles, I’ll call you Tea Girl."


    "As you wish."


    As they spoke, a pair of smooth and fair hands emerged from behind the curtain, offering a cup of steaming tea.


    Ling Chen hurriedly took it, thanking her.


    "Did youe to the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony this time to broaden your horizons, or is there another purpose?" asked Tea Girl.


    "Settling some issues of enmity and gratitude."


    Tea Girl seemed to sigh as she said, "People in the Martial Arts can never escape these words of enmity and gratitude. Despite the evolution of the ages, this has never changed."


    Ling Chenughed, "Where there are people, there will be grievances. Times change, but human nature does not."


    "You seem to have a deep understanding," Tea Girl said with a hint of admiration in her voice.


    "One learns from experience."


    "Who is your opponent?"


    "Yi Shuiyan."


    "Is it him?" Tea Girl seemed surprised and peered at Ling Chen through the curtain, asking, "Are you confident you can defeat him?"


    "To be honest, no."


    "Then why still go through with it?"


    Ling Chen sipped the tea. The bitterness spread through his mouth but quickly transformed into a sense of rity and invigoration.


    "Good tea." Ling Chen’s lips curved upward as he smiled, "Many things aren’t done based on certainty, but on necessity. If I believe it’s the right thing to do, no matter how strong the opponent, I will not back down. To put it simply, you could say it’s a man’s pride."


    "You’re quite frank. But I know Yi Shuiyan well; his martial arts are exceptional. On the Neer List, aside from Song Ge who ranks first, Han Yu in the second ce, Qu Jinxian in third, and Yi Shuiyan in fourth, their abilities are quite close. The reason why Han Yu is ranked second is that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion sees potential in him." Pausing with a yful tone, Tea Girl asked, "Do you want to know how the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion evaluates you?"


    Ling Chen’s eyes lit up with curiosity, "What’s their evaluation?"


    "Mediocre talent, mediocre martial arts, mediocre background, but the one thing that’s quite good is your charm with women."


    Er...


    Hearing this, Ling Chen’s face turned red, and he awkwardly scratched his head. He had to admit, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s intelligence capabilities were quite impressive to have such a clear grasp of his poprity with women.


    He coughed lightly, masking his embarrassment, andughed, "At least there’s one good thing."


    "If you don’t mind, would you tell me what Internal Cultivation Methods you practice?"


    Ling Chen puzzled, "Why ask that?"


    "Nothing much, just to assess the gap between you and Yi Shuiyan. When masters contend, besides external skills, the most important is Inner Strength. The types of Internal Cultivation Methods are many, some strong, some weak, each with different effects. As far as I know, Yi Shuiyan doesn’t practice the inherited mental method of the Dangyang Sect; instead, he practices a type of robust Inner Strength. This method paired with his unique sword technique is highlyplementary, rendering it extremely powerful."


    "My Internal Cultivation Method is quite special; it’s called the Prajnaparamita Sutra. Have you heard of it?" Ling Chen didn’t hide it, as it was just the name of the method and not the content; there was no harm in telling her.


    "The Prajnaparamita Sutra?" Tea Girl sounded surprised from behind the curtain.


    Noticing the change in Tea Girl’s tone, Ling Chen asked, "Do you know of this method?"


    "Hundreds of years ago, there was an exceptional individual in Buddhism who, before his conversion, was a wanderer in the Martial Arts with high skill, having exchanged moves with the past several Pavilion Masters of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, neither of them superior. This wanderer was free and unbound, known for many good deeds. However, he had one bad habit."


    "What habit?"


    "He..." Tea Girl seemed reluctant to speak, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "That person liked to seduce daughters from noble families and virtuous women. Moreover, his actions were worse than a rapist: not only did he take their bodies, but he also took their hearts, a true heartbreaker. Later, no one knows why he suddenly changed his ways and converted to Buddhism. In less than ten years, he transformed into a high monk and even served as a Buddhist abbot."