Chapter 47: Beneath the Mask, Lin Meihua The Third Daughter of the Lin Family

Mei Hua took Yu Liang down a hallway that he hadn’t noticed before, a passage meant only for the staff. Narrow, leading to the garden courtyard at the rear of the main building. There was a tea room right in the center, which was plain but beautiful with paper screens and a small table.

"Please sit," Mei Hua said, pointing to the cushions."I will make some tea."

Yu Liang sat opposite to her. He looked at how gracefully she performed the whole tea ceremony. Water was heated in a stone heater, and she was adding just the right amount of tea leaves. Her movements were fluid and calm, something she never showed throughout the day.

The tea was served, and steam rose in gentle spirals. Mei Hua placed a cup in front of him and sat down herself.

"Thanks as you agreed to meet with me," she said. "I’m sure you want to know why I asked you to."

Yu Liang lifted his cup. Before sipping the tea, he took a whiff. "You have been watching me very carefully. Even more than the attendants."

Since his senses had been heightened by the ultimate grade pills, it would be weird if he did not feel that he was being watched all along.

A small smile appeared on her lips. "You are smart. Yes, I have been watching." She paused, running a finger along the rim of her cup. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Those items you purchased today, those weren’t random purchases, were they? You had it all planned out even before you stepped into the store."

Yu Liang put his cup down. "Is that strange?"

"Rich people only look around and brag. Spend money without considering anything at all. And let their employees decide on their behalf what to purchase." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But you didn’t do all that. Your choices were... as if you had done your homework on them. As if you knew cultivation well enough to make those choices."

"Does that worry you?"

"No." Mei Hua shook her head. "It piqued my interest. It shows me that you are not who you claim to be."

Yu Liang remained silent, waiting for her to explain why she had called him for a meeting.

She placed her cup on the table and sat up straight. "Before we continue our conversation, I think it’s important for me to be open and truthful." She touched the jade pin in her hair with her hand. "My name is not Mei Hua. Well, it is, but... not my full name."

She pulled the pin from her hair.

For a moment, Yu Liang simply stared.

Her appearance had not truly changed. Her features remained the same, yet without the concealment, her beauty was impossible to overlook.

Her skin was smooth and clear, her delicate features balanced perfectly beneath a pair of bright, captivating eyes. There was a quiet brilliance in her gaze that naturally drew attention, while her every movement carried an effortless elegance.

She was beautiful.

Beautiful enough that Yu Liang understood why she had chosen to hide her appearance.

Yu Liang was momentarily speechless. Although he regained his composure rapidly, but not fast enough.

Mei Hua noticed this, a slight smile appeared on her face. "My real name is Lin Meihua. I belong to the Lin family, to be precise The third daughter of the Lin family, who now is the owner of the Mystic Pavilion."

The discovery fell between them. Yu Liang took a sip from his tea, looking thoughtful. "Formation of disguise. Pretty clever."

"I had to use it." She says. "My father forces me to use it whenever I am working on the business."

The Lin family was no ordinary merchant family.

Their influence stretched across the entire continent, with businesses in nearly every major city. Their name was connected to transportation, trade, auctions, and countless other industries. Even some of the continent’s most powerful forces maintained business relations with them.

And Lin Meihua wasn’t merely a member of the family.

As the third daughter, she was one of the most recognizable young women of the Lin family and the Mystic Pavilion she controlled was itself one of their most successful establishments.

Naturally, Meihua had expected some reaction after revealing her identity.

At the very least, surprise.

Instead, Yu Liang simply took another sip of tea.

She couldn’t help but smile. ’As expected. He already knew.’

After all, someone capable of spending so freely and handling the Mystic Pavilion’s affairs so calmly couldn’t possibly be unaware of the Lin family’s reputation.

What she didn’t know was that Yu Liang had absolutely no idea who the Lin family was.

In his sect life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary nobody. Even after getting the system, he had spent most of his time worrying about surviving and improving his own cultivation.

Why would he know the names of some continent spanning merchant family?

And why would he ask? He simply assumed they were just another wealthy family but a powerful one.

Meihua had already given him the answer herself.

So, naturally, Yu Liang assumed there was nothing else worth asking.

Neither of them realized that they had just reached the perfect misunderstanding.

Meihua thought Yu Liang knew everything.

Yu Liang thought Meihua had told him everything that mattered.

And both were completely satisfied with the conclusion.

"You’re not just working here. You’re learning how to run the business, aren’t you?" Yu Liang asked.

Lin Meihuas eyes went wide. "How did you know—"

"The way you handle the customers," Yu Liang said. "You remember their preferences, recommend products based on what they need, and even notice when someone hesitates before buying."

He took another sip of tea.

"You’re paying attention to everything. That’s not something someone does just to serve customers."

She looked genuinely surprised for once. And then she laughed. It was a beautiful laugh, not at all like her usual professional one.

He is much more than what he seemed to be. I never even thought of the possibility of being watched by someone because I believed I was the one who was watching.

"You are... Very smart," she said, still smiling. "Most people never notice."

"Well, most people are not paying attention."

She looked at him for a time. "You are different from customers. No... Actually you are different from cultivators I have met."

She tilted her head, a playful smile appearing on her lips. "With those observation and information gathering skills, you could probably become a terrifying assassin."

Yu Liang shrugged. "An assassin? I was thinking more along the lines of becoming a rich young master who does absolutely nothing all day."

Then both laughed.

"You’re rather interesting."

Yu Liang raised an eyebrow. "That sounds suspicious."

She chuckled softly. "I just didn’t expect someone who spends money like you do to be this easy to talk to."

Yu Liang relaxed a little because she no longer wore the mask of her profession.

"So," he said. "Why tell me this?"

Lin Meihua rubbed the edge of her cup with her finger. "Because I think you might understand things that others would not." She paused to think. "I am in what people call... a fight for power in my family. A succession war."

Yu Liang listened closely.

"But it is not what you think," she continued hurriedly. "It’s not... hostile. My older brother, Lin Chen, runs the northern divisions of our company. He’s very good with logistics and expansion. My older sister, Lin Yue, runs all the southern trade routes. She has contacts everywhere."

She smiled gently. "They aren’t my enemies, they are my teachers. When I was young, I watched them do their jobs and felt... inadequate. I’m the youngest and didn’t have a defined role."

"So they made one for you?"

"Yes." There was warmth in the voice of Lin Meihua. "They persuaded my father to allow me to go into undercover work within our main pavilion. So that I could learn everything about business from scratch, the way business really works."

She glanced down at her hands. "My brother drops by sometimes, and my sister likes throwing orders at me just to see if I can handle them. I suppose they’re making sure I’m ready for the family business."

"That is quite unusual," Yu Liang whispered. "Siblings who help one another rather than quarrel and sabotage."

"Yes, you are right. I am very lucky." She looked into his eyes. "But it is lonely too. I cannot confide in anyone about my identity. I can’t even befriend anyone since people would treat ’Mei Hua the worker’ differently from ’Lin Meihua the owner’s daughter’."

She stopped, then whispered, "I’ve never talked so much to someone who isn’t part of my family. You’re... different. I felt I could speak the truth and be honest with you."

The words were quite genuine and true.

Yu Liang found himself smiling slightly. "I appreciate your honesty."

"Even though I lied to you at first?"

"You were just protecting yourself. I understand that."

Lin Meihua’s face brightened, and she laughed again, that same genuine laugh which somehow warmed the tiny tea room.

He found that he really enjoyed listening to it.

"Well," she said, leaning slightly forward, her eyes looking at me curiously. "Now that I have confessed my secret, can I know yours?"

Yu Liang raised an eyebrow. "My secret?"

"Like where you’re from. A family with that kind of wealth wouldn’t keep their heir hidden, and no organization would let someone your age control that much money on his own."

She looked at him for a moment.

"Yet here you are, living like an aristocrat without acting like one."

She only asked because, in her own circle, even among the older generation, she had never once heard the someone named Yu Liang. She was simply curious whether he came from a family she knew.

Yu Liang stayed quiet for a moment thinking about what to say.

Lin Meihua watched him. Her look softened. "You do not have to tell me. I should not have asked."

"No," replied Yu Liang. "It’s only right." He looked into her eyes. "Let’s say I have a mysterious benefactor whose identity I want to keep secret for some reason."

It wasn’t entirely a lie. The system, in its own way, was exactly that.

Lin Meihua nodded. "Then your helper chose well."

The conversation continued naturally after that. By the time they noticed, the tea before them had already gone cold. They spoke of many things like her being taught the business, his views on Jade City, and trivial stories of cultivation world.

And just like that hours passed.

As Yu Liang got up to leave, Lin Meihua accompanied him to the courtyard gate.

"Thank you," she said. "It’s been a while since I’ve had such a relaxed conversation."

Yu Liang smiled. "Then I suppose the tea wasn’t a complete waste."

Of course, feeling relaxed didn’t mean he had let his guard down. Yu Liang wasn’t foolish enough to drink something simply because someone told him to. He still didn’t know whether Lin Meihua genuinely wanted to befriend him or had some other reason for approaching him.

So far, he hadn’t sensed any ill intent from her.

"Will you come back to the shop?" She questioned.

"Eventually as I have things to do first."

She smiled but this time it lacked all the professionalism that it held before, only warmth remained. "I hope to see you again, Yu Liang."

"I hope too Lin Meihua."

He left through the side gate. Back out into the bustling streets. Lin Meihua remained in the garden behind him. She observed his retreating figure with an expression she didn’t bother to hide.

For the first time in months, she felt like she had genuinely connected with someone not because of her family, her position, or the name she carried, but simply because of the person she was.