Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 23: Purple Pear Burl Wood

Just as Ye Su stepped into the courtyard, Xiyu came out of the house.

"Senior Sister, you’ll stay with me tonight," Xiyu said, pointing toward Ye Su’s room. She lowered her voice, "The new junior brother is inside."

Ye Su had already heard about this from the sect master. She tilted her head and looked at the tightly shut door. "I’m heading to the back mountain to cultivate later. I might not be back tonight."

Xiyu adjusted the hair by her temple and mumbled, "Alright, got it."

The back mountain was quiet and peaceful. Ye Su often went there to train, so most of the disciples in Qianji Sect naturally avoided it unless necessary. It had become an unspoken rule among them—Ye Su’s unofficial domain.

"What about after tonight?" Ming Liu Sha asked, sticking his head out the window.

"We’ll figure it out later," Ye Su replied. In her mind, she knew that it wouldn’t be long before Yi Xuan left the sect to join the Sword Sect. Once that happened, his room—the one in the back—would be vacant, and she could just move in there.

Earlier, the sect master had called her over not just to talk about the new junior brother, but also to ask where Yi Xuan had gone and why he hadn’t returned with them.

Luckily, Yi Xuan wasn’t good at artifact refinement and had always wanted to focus on sword cultivation. She told the sect master that he had gone off on his own for training. The sect master merely frowned but didn’t press the issue.

"I’ll be back early tomorrow morning," Ye Su said. "I’ll take the juniors to Silent Sect."

After chatting for a bit more, everyone returned to their rooms. Ye Su remained in the courtyard for a moment before turning to her own room. She raised her hand and knocked gently on the door.

She had only come by to gather a few scattered personal items.

There weren’t many things, but they were traces of the ten years she had spent here.

……

No one answered the door. Just as Ye Su was about to knock again, a cool, slightly lazy voice came from inside:

"Come in."

Ye Su raised an eyebrow and moved her hand down—sure enough, the door wasn’t locked.

The moment she stepped inside, she immediately noticed that everything in the room had been moved around.

The new junior brother had already changed into a loose black robe that shimmered faintly, as if embroidered with gold thread. He sat lazily on the edge of the bed, leaning to one side. His long black hair fell freely to his waist, the ends spilling messily across the bed like a painting—casual, but strangely alluring.

A noble family’s young master?

Ye Su found herself doubting again—his temperament didn’t quite fit the profile.

But when she blinked and got a clearer look at his face, the suspicion faded somewhat.

His features were striking—clear and refined like a painting, eyes cold like frost and snow. He had that aloof, sacred aura often associated with sons of great families.

"Junior Brother, I just came to collect a few things," Ye Su said, quickly scanning the room, but saw no trace of her belongings.

Where were they?

Her tea set that had been on the table, the book under the table leg, and a set of carving tools—all gone.

You Fushi, clearly sleepy, noticed her looking around and lazily lifted a slender, pale finger to point behind the door. "Over there."

Ye Su turned her head. In the corner behind the door was a box. She fell silent.

It was made entirely from purple pear burl wood.

Purple pear trees were already rare and expensive. For one to form a gall—those knotty, beautiful, textured growths—was even more rare, something you could hardly ever buy even with enough money.

Disciples of a nearly washed-up sect like Qianji shouldn’t even have the chance to see something like this. But Ye Su had seen it once.

Five years ago, Ning Qian Yao had followed Elder Yang on a trip and returned with a tiny bead the size of a pinky nail, carved from purple pear burl wood. Even the sect master had stared in awe, going on and on about how it could be used in high-grade artifacts, and how incredibly valuable even that tiny bead was.

Ye Su had even looked it up afterward—purple pear burl wood was known for its knotted texture and dazzling natural patterns. The impression it left was deep, which is why she instantly recognized the material of that box.

Ye Su calmed herself and walked over. She ran a hand across the surface—smooth and cool to the touch, not nearly as rough as it looked.

...It really was purple pear burl wood.

She carefully opened the box—and found, inside, her handful of cheap, ordinary things. Combined, they weren’t even worth a single mid-grade spirit stone.

Her hand trembled slightly. A mess of thoughts ran through her mind, but they all collapsed into one phrase: A complete waste!

Her junk didn’t deserve to be kept in a box like this.

Ye Su stuffed all her things into her Qiankun bag, then picked up the box and walked back to You Fushi. "Junior Brother, you should take care of this box."

You Fushi looked up slightly, finding this mortal woman increasingly annoying. First she gave him something worthless, and now she was trying to hand him back the ugly box.

He had finally managed to get rid of the eyesore.

"No." He flatly refused, then lay down on the bed with his back to her. "You put your stuff in it, so it’s yours."

He was determined to foist the ugly box back onto her.

Ye Su: "???"

Are noble family kids in the mortal world all this loaded these days?

"Junior Brother, this box is made from purple pear burl wood. It’s extremely rare and valuable." Ye Su thought maybe he didn’t know what it was, so she explained.

But You Fushi just raised a hand and covered his ears, refusing to listen. His sleeve slipped down to his elbow, revealing a pale, slender forearm—smooth like fine porcelain.

Ye Su awkwardly looked away and placed the box back on the table. "I’ll take you to start training tomorrow morning."

After she left, You Fushi sat up and saw the ugly box still sitting there. His irritation deepened.

That mortal’s Qiankun bag had so much trash in it. Why couldn’t she just fit in one more thing?

……

Ye Su left the room and strolled toward the back mountain. Along the way, she glanced down at her hand—she had just touched a whole chunk of purple pear burl wood, and her mood was still hard to settle.

That new junior brother is way too rich.

He actually just tossed a box made of purple pear burl wood into a corner like it was nothing—and even used it to store her random junk.

Someone like that didn’t feel like he came from an ordinary mortal noble family. And even in the cultivation world, who would be so extravagant as to use burl wood for a storage box?

Ye Su bounded a few steps forward and entered a cave. Her brow furrowed slightly—this junior brother of theirs was… odd.

Still, Qianji Sect had never bothered with digging into disciples’ pasts. Even the sect master just assumed the boy was the spoiled son of some wealthy mortal clan.

Ye Su took out her tea set and placed it on a flat rock nearby. Maybe it was because she had just pulled it out of that burl wood box, but even the teacups today seemed to give off a faint glow.

That glow? It was called wealth.

The next morning.

Ye Su returned from the back mountain. Passing by the new junior brother’s room, she paused, remembering the box from yesterday.

"Senior Sister, are we heading out?" Xia Er poked half his body out through the window. "Wait for me!"

"No rush," Ye Su said as she walked up the steps and knocked. "Junior Brother, we’re headed to Silent Sect today for training."

Inside the room, You Fushi was sprawled halfway across the bed. His long lashes slowly fluttered open, still heavy with sleep.

He hadn’t been awake long after hundreds of years of slumber, so he was still easily tired.

Hearing that mortal girl's voice from outside, he slowly got up and changed into a long robe of deep star-purple before stepping out of the room.

The moment he entered the courtyard, Ming Liu Sha and the others collectively gasped.

It wasn’t him—it was the robe.

It just looked too expensive.

Ye Su, after yesterday’s burl wood box experience, was surprisingly calm.

"Junior Brother, we’re going to Silent Sect today," Xia Er explained to You Fushi. "There’s spiritual energy there. Senior Sister will teach you how to draw it into your body."

From their perspective, You Fushi had absolutely no cultivation base.

You Fushi walked slowly toward Ye Su, his gaze landing on the Qiankun bag at her waist. His fingers twitched, wanting—on instinct—to stuff that ugly box into it.

"I’ll head down first. You guys fly down on your swords," Ye Su said, pulling out a sword and addressing Xiyu, Xia Er, and the others.

Last night, while organizing her bag, she’d found some leftover materials she’d bought in Dinghai City—just enough to forge a basic flying sword. She figured it could serve as a mount, so she stayed up all night crafting it.

She summoned the sword and was just about to fly down alone when she remembered the new guy. Turning around, she met his eyes. "Want a lift?"

No need to walk. No need to use his own spiritual energy. You Fushi found this mortal’s offer acceptable and nodded with quiet elegance, signaling his agreement.

Ye Su had considered stuffing him in a giant basket and strapping it to the sword—it would’ve been easier for everyone. But the junior brother looked too good for something like that. It just didn’t fit. So she went with Plan B: grabbed him by the collar and leapt onto the sword.

In a flash, they were diving down the mountain.

Ye Su stood sideways at the front, one hand gripping the collar of the junior brother behind her, sighing internally.

Good thing my flying skills have improved—can even do it one-handed now.

Otherwise, junior brother really would’ve ended up in a basket.

She didn’t notice that behind her, You Fushi’s irises had deepened in color—from black to violet, his pupils briefly slitting like a snake’s before returning to normal.

You Fushi looked down at the hand gripping his collar—pale, clean, but not delicate. There were small rough patches and tiny cuts near the knuckles.

"Senior Sister!" Several disciples were already waiting at the base of Jiuxuan Peak. When they saw someone flying down, they squinted up—and upon recognizing Ye Su, immediately waved and shouted.

Ye Su landed smoothly with the junior brother, just finished stowing her sword when she heard a chorus of surprised gasps around her.

She looked up just in time to see Xiyu and Ming Liu Sha tumbling headfirst down the mountain: "…"

She flew up again, caught Xiyu with one hand, adjusted the sword’s path to the right, and grabbed Ming Liu Sha with the other—bringing both of them safely down.

CLANG—

Their sword, Bu Ping Dao, crashed to the ground. Xiyu didn’t care, immediately turning to grab Ming Liu Sha.

"Senior Sister! He pulled my hairpin!" Xiyu tattled.

"I was nervous and accidentally grabbed your hair," Ming Liu Sha shot back. "You’re too short—that’s not my fault."

"Ming Liu Sha! I was trying to help and you betray me like this?!"

"Call me Second Brother!"

"Ming Liu Sha!!"

And just like that, round one of the bickering match began.

Ye Su stood in the middle, being yanked back and forth, completely dead inside: "...Can you not?"

They ignored her.

"Out of the way—aaaahhh!"

Ye Su heard something above her, instantly dodged to the side, dragging the new junior brother along. A second later, Xia Er came crashing down—right on top of Xiyu and Ming Liu Sha.

As he tried to stand up, his sword, arriving fashionably late, smacked him in the head. The three collapsed again.

"Keep practicing. You’ll get better," Ye Su said sincerely, in the tone of someone who’d been there. If it weren’t for the glint of laughter in her eyes, it would’ve sounded completely earnest.

Ming Liu Sha & Co.: "…"

After the chaos settled, Ye Su led the group grandly toward Silent Sect.

Silent Sect sat just beyond a small town—basically Qianji Sect’s next-door neighbor. But while Qianji’s spiritual veins had long dried up, Wuyin’s were still rich with energy.

"What’s going on?" Silent Sect’s gatekeeper frowned as the group approached. "Ning Qian Yao’s not here."

"We’re here to see Elder Yang," Xia Er replied confidently. "We have some questions about artifact crafting."

"Doesn’t Qianji Sect have a sect master? Why do you need Elder Yang?" the disciple said suspiciously. He’d been warned by Senior Brother Xin not to stir up trouble, but the sight of so many Qianji folks made him uneasy.

"Elder Yang has his specialties," Ye Su said coolly, locking eyes with the gatekeeper. "By the way, your spiritual tool seems… off."

Gatekeeper: "…"

He was terrified of Ye Su. The woman had insane persistence—and she was an artifact refiner who’d "accidentally" tampered with Silent Sect’s gear more than once.

Silent Sect did offer sound-based spiritual tools to their disciples, but unless you were inner sect, if yours broke, it wasn’t getting sent to Qianji Sect for repair. They’d have someone from a smaller sect fix it—but afterward, the tool always felt a little… off.

Swords were a sword cultivator’s life. A musical tool was an audio cultivator’s second life. No one wanted theirs to glitch.

The gatekeeper silently turned around and pretended not to see them.

"I must’ve been mistaken," Ye Su said, patting his shoulder, and strolled in with her group like she owned the place.