"Please, forgive my-your foolish Senior Sisters." Elder Qiao's voice regained its composed, melodic tone as she returned to her usual demeanor.

A faint smile bloomed across her delicate features, crinkling the corners of her almond-shaped eyes. She rested her chin on the back of her interlocked hands, elbows propped gracefully on the table before her. Her gaze found Ji Wuye, eyes bright with a hint of mischief.

"My, how time flies swifter than the spring breeze. You've grown into quite the charming young man—it's becoming difficult even for this Big Sister not to be captivated by you, Little Brother." She paused, perfectly arched brows raising slightly as she gave him an exaggerated wink.

"Not only that, you've finally advanced. Perhaps, if Elder Sister were here witnessing this moment, she would beam with pride at your achievement." The warmth in her smile faded as her eyes drifted outwards, following the swaying branches beyond the windows. Taking a slow inhale from the long ivory-stemmed pipe, wisps of fragrant smoke danced around her long dark tresses.

A tranquil hush settled around them as Ji Wuye calmly studied her pensive expression. "Is that why you've treated me with such kindness all this time, Big Sister?" he asked at length, his deep timbre cutting through the stillness.

Elder Qiao's gaze flickered back towards him momentarily before returning to the vista beyond, watching the geese take flight amidst the rhythmic flapping of wings.

"Why did you refuse to let your Senior Sister take over the sect's task?" she spoke again after a pause, completely disregarding his query as she steered the discussion in a new direction.

Now, the bright eyes and smiling lips were gone - her brows knitted firmly together, exuding an aura of grave solemnity that contrasted her previously playful mien. Though her chin remained cupped in her palms. "Did you take lightly the warning I imparted back then? Did you think it mere jesting?"

Ji Wuye's piercing crimson eyes held her somber stare, unblinking. Unlike before, her demeanor had transformed, emitting the formidable aura befitting her status. This was not the whimsical Elder who delighted in wordplay and tests of wit.

"No, I thank you for the warning, Big Sister. But I'm a man - what kind of man and martial artist would I be if I cowered at home, safeguarded by all my Sisters?" Ji Wuye's voice rang with quiet determination, his expression resolute.

It would be foolish to admit he aimed to enter the Dungeon from the outset. Moreover, Elder Qiao's probing question and abrupt shift in demeanor hinted at this being some manner of test.

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Just as he expected, the tense atmosphere melted away as a warm smile bloomed across Elder Qiao's features once more. "Of course I know that well, Little Brother. After all, you possess a skill that could even fell a gigantic wolf, do you not?" she remarked, eyes twinkling with mirth.

Regarding her oblique reference, Ji Wuye remained stoically silent, holding her curious gaze with an unwavering crimson stare.

"Not only that, but you even managed to 'massacre' an entire horde..." Elder Qiao trailed off, tilting her head in feigned contemplation, though Ji Wuye could see through the act.

Her delayed response, the rigid tilt of her neck, the lack of typical tells like widened eyes or furrowed brows - all betrayed her lack of genuine ponderation.

"Goblins," Ji Wuye supplied evenly, his gaze composed, never blinking.

"Ah yes, the goblins! How could I forget?" Elder Qiao's eyes crinkled into upturned crescents once more as she affected an airy tone. "You even cleared our sect's headache, that cave thing, the 'Dungeon'."

A pregnant pause hung between them as Li Rong entered, deftly pouring fragrant green tea into their empty ceramic cups. Throughout, neither Ji Wuye nor the Elder broke their locked stare.

Only after Li Rong had finished and departed did Elder Qiao continue, "And yet despite all that, I find myself puzzled - why would you choose to stay low?"

Elder Qiao paused, observing Ji Wuye's expression for a moment, "In case you don't know, by revealing you are the one who cleared that thing called the Dungeon, your name would be spread throughout Jianghu. Isn't that what all martial artists dream of? And not only that, your contribution to the sect would be greatly appreciated."

On the other hand, many potential answers surfaced in Ji Wuye's mind, though none he felt compelled to voice aloud. Instead, he simply intoned, "Big Sister..."

As Ji Wuye briefly addressed her, the curious act Elder Qiao had been putting on melted away. Her hand, previously poised to take a sip from the delicate ceramic cup, slowly lowered as she set the untouched green tea down. Her full attention turned towards him, eyes sharpening with focus.

"I'm grateful for the aid you've provided thus far," Ji Wuye began, his deep voice solemn. "From granting my request to access the restricted 2nd floor of the Kunlun Thousand Pavilions, to assigning Senior Sister Li Rong as my protector, and even secretly intervening to prevent Elder Xia and Elder Mu from making rash decisions regarding me." He paused briefly to draw breath.

"However, I am a man who understands there is no such thing as a free meal in the world of Jianghu. I am a martial artist who despises owing favors." As he spoke, Ji Wuye cupped his hands together in a respectful gesture. "So I implore you, tell me plainly - what do you actually want from me in return for your aid?"

In the previous timeline, he had always assumed the Elder who helped him did so out of infatuation for his handsome looks. Perhaps because all of the men in Jianghu were not as good-looking as he was, that Elder wanted to marry her daughter, nephew, or niece to him as repayment. But fate had other plans - that Elder abandoned him after just two years, likely realizing having a son-in-law with only a pretty face was not that useful.

After that devastating loss of his secret backer and not to mention so many beloved Big and Senior Sisters in that vicious attack, Ji Wuye persevered alone.

But now, he had discovered his benefactor was Elder Qiao. A question that had plagued him for so long burned anew - why had she discarded him after those two years of support in that previous timeline?

Moreover, in this timeline, Ji Wuye recently uncovered that people were hunting him - a supposed nobody possessing nothing but good looks.

He couldn't shake the sense that these pursuers were connected to the fragmented lavish scenes of his dream.

Ji Wuye was certain the lavish scenes were flashes of a noble clan's courtyard. But who was he? A mere servant? The discarded son of a lowly concubine? The notion seemed almost cliché, making him inwardly skeptical. 'This is all just too convoluted,' he thought as he held Elder Qiao's intense stare.

Then, he noticed a shift in her expression - her brows softened, lips pulling downward as she regarded him with an unmistakable look of pity and sadness.

"You are just a nobody."