You tend to attract unnecessary attention

"Dear respected elders, could you kindly shed light on the purpose of your visit?" inquired Oldman Lin, wearing a feigned smile.

"There is someone who has taken the lives of our elders. After considerable effort, we've uncovered traces leading us to Lotus City. Given your family's significant influence in this city, we have come seeking your assistance in identifying the individual responsible," Taser stated, his expression icy.

"What? Someone dared to harm your elders? We will certainly do our utmost to assist you in apprehending the culprit. If they are in Lotus City, they won't escape my grasp," Oldman Lin declared with a stern countenance.

"Don't underestimate him; he's a master capable of merging sword intent with his internal energy," Kalyug added, his brow furrowed.

"Ha? He can merge sword intent with his internal energy?" Oldman Lin exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, do you happen to know him?" Tu Faj inquired, his expression one of surprise.

"Yes, I... I know him. I've even battled him before, but I'm no match for him," Oldman Lin admitted with a regretful shake of his head.

"You're not his match? Did he truly defeat all the elders single-handedly, without resorting to sneak attacks?" exclaimed Taser, disbelief etched across his face.

"How can this be possible?" Kalyug muttered under his breath, wearing a dumbfounded expression.

"We're risking our lives by pursuing him," Tu Faj cautioned, his face deep in thought.

"Hmm," the other two elders nodded in agreement after hearing Tu Faj's words.

"Are you all just going to leave him be?" Oldman Lin asked, his expression filled with disbelief.

"What? If you're so eager to meet your demise, you can continue provoking him. We value our lives and have worked tirelessly to attain our current levels of cultivation and positions within our sects and families," Taser retorted, his face stern.

"I... I..." Oldman Lin began to speak, but the memory of the "body and sword as one" attack flooded back, and he shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness and despair, unable to say what he intended.

"Patriarch Lin, we shall take our leave," Tu Faj declared, and the three of them departed without looking back.

Oldman Lin watched as the three elders walked away, once again shaking his head before rising from his seat and making his way back to his room.

Meanwhile, at the inn...

"Sister Sese, what's this?" Xu inquired, as she applied a handful of face powder to her complexion.

"This is called face powder," Sese replied with a sniff, reveling in the pleasant scent of the powder on her cute face.

"And what's this?" Xu held up a colorful and exquisite perfume bottle.

"This is called a per... perfume bottle," Sese responded, reaching for the bottle and spraying some onto her body.

*Sniff... sniff...*

"You smell lovely after applying this per... perfume," Xu complimented, inhaling the delightful fragrance on Sese's skin.

*Hehe...*

*Hehe...*

The two girls giggled happily, playfully applying perfume and powder to each other.

"You two..." Ronin sighed and facepalmed upon seeing the antics of the two girls. Meanwhile, Zhen Xia struggled to stifle her laughter.

Ronin fetched a towel and gently wiped away the excess face powder from their faces, then changed their clothes, which were saturated with the scent of perfume.

"Don't let them use those items. You'll be responsible for looking after them from now on," Ronin stated with a stern expression, directing his gaze at Lin Fai.

"Okay," Lin Fai nodded, her gaze downcast. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the memories of the nightmare that had unfolded in the Lin mansion. She had given up hope of anyone coming to rescue her, especially after her own grandfather had sent her with Ronin to serve as his maid.

"Here, put on this mask," Ronin instructed, retrieving a mask from his storage ring.

"A mask?" Zhen Xia questioned Ronin instead of accepting the mask, her expression filled with curiosity.

"You tend to attract unnecessary attention. It's best for you to wear a mask if we want to reach Shell City as quickly as possible," Ronin explained, maintaining his stern demeanor. While he could temporarily alter her appearance, he couldn't do much about the missing part of her face, so he opted to provide her with a mask instead.

"Okay, if you say so," Zhen Xia acquiesced, taking the mask in her hands and securing it on her face.

"Alright, everyone, we need to continue our journey towards Shell City," Ronin announced calmly, addressing the group.

"Okay, let's go," Sese and Xu exclaimed simultaneously and sprinted in the direction of Shell City.

Ronin shook his head, closely trailing behind the two girls, with Zhen Xia and Lin Fai following him.

*Sniff... sniff...*

"This aroma is simply delicious," Xu exclaimed, a droplet of drool escaping from the corner of her mouth.

"Yeah," Sese agreed, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

"Where are you go—" Ronin began to say, but the two girls had already entered the only building in the area, a restaurant.

Ronin followed them inside the restaurant.

"Welcome to our restaurant, please have a se—." The server stopped mid-sentence and exclaimed loudly with a shocked expression. "It's you."

"It's you," Ronin also exclaimed loudly.

"What's going on, Geeta?" An elderly woman slowly emerged from the kitchen and gazed at Ronin, as well as the two girls who were looking around curiously, trying to decide where to sit.

"He's grown stronger, and I can sense that I'm no match for him right now," the old woman thought, her face reflecting her surprise.

"Welcome, customers. Please have a seat wherever you like," Geeta finally said after seeing two more young girls entering the restaurant.

They all chose a suitable spot and sat together. Ronin ordered the restaurant's famous dish, and they all patiently awaited their meal.

Inside the kitchen...

"Grandmother, I have a feeling he's more formidable than in the past," Geeta commented while watching her grandmother prepare the dishes ordered by the customers.

"Yes... now I'm no match for him. He can defeat me in just two or three moves," the old woman admitted while continuing to prepare the dishes.

"What?" Geeta exclaimed, her face reflecting her shock. Very few people had the power to make her grandmother feel this way, and she had never anticipated that a young man would be among those few.