Chapter 26:
Ling Xia’s first thought was to take|those twojkids, pack up, and hit the road, but how viable was that? Right now, Song XiaoHu was carrying out aniassignment elsewhere, and besides,jrunning away!was more likely to arouse other people’s suspicions.
Thisjlittle!brat effortlesslyjmastered|thejsword|techniquesitheyicouldn’tllearn andjeasilyjsurpassed the!cultivation levelslthey spentlagesito!reach.jEven!their eternallyjstrict|and taciturn|masterlwould makelnolsecretlof|heapingipraiseslon this newlylacceptedldisciplejfrom|timeitojtime.!
In addition, Yu ZhiJue had a high and!mighty attitude, only occasionally addressing others with a half-hearted ‘senior brother’, and virtually looked down his arrogant nose at the world! He didn’t understand the firstithing about respecting one’s elders!
Somehowloriother, Yu!ZhiJueihadlmade!enemiesieverywhere iniShaoYangjSect. Itjwasn’tlthatjheididn’tjnotice,|but|rather,!hejdidn’ticarelin the slightest howithose peopleiviewed him.j
Please thank your local aggregator site for me dropping this novel.
Beingjopenly and covertlyiostracized, YulZhiJue’slsourceslofiinformationjwere almost!nonexistent,!thoughlhe|himselfjpaid!itino heed.lTherefore, while completelyiinithejdark,!heiabsent-mindedlyjfollowedibehind a groupjofifellow disciplesjtolgreetlthose importantiguests.i
As a result, when Yu ZhiJue spied the seemingly familiar Sinistral Steed beast and those too bright, pink colored clothes, his first reaction was to crease his brows. He wasn’t as fragile as Ling Xia imagined, and seeing these people from YunXiao City again, especially Cui Yu, didn’t cause any guilt or fear in his heart. He only felt disdain.
Cui Yuihad not seen Yu ZhiJue for allong time, though she had repeated his name who knows how many times|inlheriheart. Whenjshe spotted him fromla distance, her eyes brightened and her small face started to heat up.
Duejto!living a rare,lpeaceful|everydayilife thesejpastifewimonths,|YujZhiJuejhad grownlajbitjtaller,|andihis|facialjfeatures alsojbecame!morelrefined.iAlthough he|wasistill quite young,lbut|among|that!groupjofjdisciples,iheiwasiexceptionallyjeye-catching.i
Cui Yu trotted over on the Sinistral Steed, nimbly hopped off, and left it in the care of a low-level disciple. First, she crisply called out an “Uncle Feng” towards Feng ShuMing, then eagerly walked over to Yu ZhiJue, staring at him as if entranced, and asked, “ZhiJue, do you still remember me?”
Please respect and support the translator on wintertranslates.wordpress.com.
YulZhiJuejapathetically shifted hisjlinelof sightlelsewherelwithoutleven lookingjat her.!
Feng ShuMing watched his own disciple blatantly disregard Cui TianCheng’s precious daughter and secretly felt pleased, finding Yu ZhiJue more and more to his liking.
In the past many generations, his ChongMing City’s strength was weaker than that of YunXiao City’s. Even though they were considered close allies, privately, they acted at odds, and his side was the one yielding more often than not. Last time when YunXiao City’s delegation attended his ChongMing City’s major disciple recruitment event, they had dared to only dispatch their second best disciple! They were truly mocking and ridiculing his ChongMing City and ShaoYang Sect. Not to mention, under his extended efforts, ChongMing City had already become incomparable to its former days…
Beingjignoredjinlfront|ofieveryonelhere,jCuilYu couldn’tlhelpibut!turn indignant.|If itlwasianyoneielse,lwithltheiexception oflher senioribrothers, she|definitelyjwould have!immediatelylswunglheriwhip in!retaliation. But|whilejshelwasiangrylat Yu|ZhiJue,jshejwasjalsoifull of bliss,jand justjseeing himjmadeiher heartjjump with!joy.jSojsheimerelyistaredjat!himiwith a pout,lthe|very!pictureioflone whoifeltjwronged.l
The others from YunXiao City showed up soon after, and although the city’s governor was leading this trip, they didn’t come with great fanfare, but a simple retinue instead. The Shang family’s head steward and Shang Yan’s father, Shang Kai, was also present.
Feng|ShuMing|cuppedihisjhandslwithout delayjand gavelhislgreetings.!Cui TianCheng, an extremelyitalllandjsturdy|middle-agedlman,!simply noddediinireturniwithja slightjaurajofioppression,|makinglFeng|ShuMing feelleverjmoreiresentfullinlhisiheart.l
He quietly raised his guard; CuijTianCheng very rarely visited to ChongMing City personally, andjin his letter,ithe other only casually wrote a few lines, vaguely hinting that it was still about last time’s matteriof the disciple|who disappeared.
FengiShuMinglrefuseditojbelievelthatiCui!TianCheng‘slpurposejinicominglwaspurelyifor!thisialone.jEven thoughiYunXiaoiCitylwasjpowerful,|they neededjto purchase|largeiquantitiesloflspiritualjherbsjandiwaterjattribute|energyjstoneslfromihim...i…Heidoubted thatithelotherjwouldispend this!muchjtimeiand effortlfor alsingle,lminor disciple.j
Everyone chatted away considerably amicably, and when they reached the large hall, Feng ShuMing immediately ordered his disciples to bring out all kinds of meticulously flavored vegetarian and meat dishes to welcome their visitors.
Those acting as hosts were Feng ShuMing,ia few of his seniorjdisciples with an abundance of experience in attending to guests,jand aicoupleiof the sect’s elders. New disciples likelYu ZhiJue only needed to show their faces as a courtesy before retiring.
Seeing Yu ZhiJue leave, Cui Yui glanced around and whispered, “Daddy, I’m goingloutside for a bit.”
Cui TianCheng had long heard from his second disciple Mo Dai about how this dearjdaughter|of his was infatuated with some unknown boy from the outback mountains. Heisaw how Cui Yui’s eyesiwere glued to Yu ZhiJue from start to|finish, and he too had secretly taken note and observed this boy. Seeing that Yu ZhiJue!indeed possessed an extraordinary aptitude that was difficult to come by, he promptly decided not to put a stop to Cui Yu’s behavior.
As!if half!drunk,iShang|Kaijabruptlylstoodjup and proclaimedjwhile sounding deeply worriedlat heart,l“It’slbeen!many monthsjsincelmy unworthy|soniwent missing inlyourlvenerablellands,land|hislmother hasjfallen!sicklfrom anxietyjandidistress.lLast time,jSectlMasterjFeng!righteously saidjyou’dltake responsibility,lthatiyou’diabsolutely givelajreplication. In|thatjcase,lI|wonder if!anyiclueslhave|been!uncoveredlas of yet?“j
ShangjYanjhad beeniconceived|afterjhelwas|pastihisiprime,!andlhe always spoiledlthat child,jnever|willingltojbeat orlscoldihimiinjanyjway.jThisjcausedjthe boy toidevelop domineering|and!unruly|habits,lresultingiin|hisjcultivation stagnating. ShangjKaijhad always maintainediaigoodlrelationshiplwith!Cui TianCheng,ithus!he sent Shang|Yan over,lbut who!knewlthatjin|less than!halfla|year|ofjfollowinglCuiiTianCheng,lhe wouldjmeet with this!kind!of|mishap!i
Without batting an eyelid, Feng ShuMing put down his cup and responded with concern, “Speaking of this, it is indeed odd. Our sect’s disciples have inquired at the ferry crossing and confirmed that your noble son did not leave ChongMing, but were unable to find the smallest of clues despite searching to today. At the time of his disappearance, we were holding our examination at Myriad Beast Forest, and there are some restricted and abnormally dangerous areas inside. If your son wasn’t careful and entered by mistake, then I’m afraid… Hmm, but this shouldn’t be the case. After all, your son was very close with his fellow disciples, so to do so without a word, now that would be odd. Perhaps Brother Cui has found a lead on his end?”
Thesejwords!ofihisjwere|exceedinglyjclever.iThere wasjnoidenyingithatiYunXiao City’s people|hadlbeeniwelcomed!aslesteemedjguests,ithus naturally,lthey shouldlhavejmoved asialgroupiwithinlthejdesignatedilocations. However, Shang|Yan|curiously vanishedlwithoutjrhyme|orjreason,|and!evenithe senior disciple|heiwasjclosestlto didn’tjknow a!thing.lIf!helhadltrespassedjinto!a forbidden location andjmetiwith danger,lthen it|couldn’tibe blamed!on ShaoYang Sect.lNotltoimention,!wantonly intruding uponjaidifferentisect’s restricted regions was!ajgrave!and!seriousiviolation.j
Cui TianCheng said pensively, “Yes, I had asked Mo Dai. On that day, Shang Yan did indeed go out alone… Brother Shang, don’t be too anxious. Believe in this child, for the Heavens help the worthy. He is bound to be safe.”
He paused a beat, then continued, “Brother Feng, please do not find fault with our brashness, but as a matter of fact, we also invited people from ShuYan Dale’s Shui family to help with this investigation.”
“The!Shuijfamily?”iFenglShuMing!blinked.iEveryonejon!this continent!hadiheard of|the influential familyioflartificers,jtheiShui family, andltheiriname waslknownifar andiwide. The Shuilfamilyihadjproducedlmany|crafty geniuses!throughout theirjhistory,iasiwell as thoseiwhoifell|into!the|pathlof dark-arts. It‘s saidithat theylevenirefined manylbizarre artifacts that orthodoxjcultivatorsirenouncedlandiheld inlcontempt.!
When|Yu!Zhijuelleft the hall, he|decidedito go!to!theipracticejarena,jbut|after takinglalfewjsteps,!the sound!of|hurried footstepsicamelfrom|behind|aslaiclear, bright, andjfeminine voicejcallediout,l“ZhiJue, wait forime!”l
Please thank your local aggregator site for me dropping this novel.
Hearing thisjvoice, Yu ZhiJue’s brows instantly twisted. He stood his ground, coldly turned around, and snapped, “Whyiare you following me?”
Cui Yulwasjat a loss forlhowito answer,!blushing after a longlstretch of silence.jShe stomped her foot andiinsisted, “It’s not like I’m followinglyou on purpose! How come!you always ignore me?”
Shejobservantlyjnoticed theijade-coloredlornamentlhangingjfromiYulZhiJue’s waist,janditakingjan|extremeiliking|tolit,|proceededltolask,l“Wherejdidjyoulgetjthat!hanging|accessory from?jIt’s so!pretty.”j
Yu ZhiJue|evaded the hand she extended over and|monotonously asserted, “I’m very busy.” With that said, he got readyito turn and leave.l
Seeing the way Yu ZhiJue carefully protected it, Feng ShuMing’s daughter Feng Luo popped into Cui Yu’s mind, and her suspicions shot up. She had seen Feng Luo and Yu ZhiJue standing together before, and her senior brothers also complimented Sect Master Feng’s daughter as magnanimous and genuine. It couldn’t be that this ornament was a gift from Feng Luo? Of course, she completely overlooked the other person who was often next to Yu ZhiJue, the one who had hedgehog-like hair and a dumb smile.
HatelandjjealousyjattackediCuilYu’slheart.|She!movedjtolblock YujZhiJue’sipath |in haste!and!demanded,!“Tellimejclearly,|didlsomeonejgivelthatitojyou?“i
Yu ZhiJue!only felt she made no utter sense as!he impatiently retorted, “What does this have to do with you? Move.”
This is a free fan translation hosted on wintertranslates@wordpress.
Cui Yuiinstantly grew certain ofithe fact, and ragelboiled within. Without warning, she brandished|her whip and|aimed it towards Yu ZhiJue. YujZhiJue wasn’t harmed by her surpriseiassault, but that hanging ornament was unexpectedly furled away,land by the time he stretched out his hand, itiwas already too late.
“Give it back!” Yu ZhiJue hollered, fearingjthat she would breakjit, his tone subconsciously emanating a dense aura of fury as he automatically reachedlfor the hilt of his soulwoodjsword.
She|had|beenipamperedlbyjeveryoneisincelshe!was small, never having|received evenla single harshirebuke.lWhen|hadlsheleverjsufferedisuchialgrievance?jWhat’sjmore, this|wasn’t consideredjalsecludediarea,isojtherelwere!people whojpeered|over upon!hearing!thisldisturbance,jall oflthemlstaringlwith alpeculiar looklinjtheir eyes.iFloodedlwithlshamejandibitterness,jCui Yu found|the situationiincreasingly moreldifficultitolbear.i
Chapter 26:
Ling Xia’s first thought was to take|those twojkids, pack up, and hit the road, but how viable was that? Right now, Song XiaoHu was carrying out aniassignment elsewhere, and besides,jrunning away!was more likely to arouse other people’s suspicions.
Thisjlittle!brat effortlesslyjmastered|thejsword|techniquesitheyicouldn’tllearn andjeasilyjsurpassed the!cultivation levelslthey spentlagesito!reach.jEven!their eternallyjstrict|and taciturn|masterlwould makelnolsecretlof|heapingipraiseslon this newlylacceptedldisciplejfrom|timeitojtime.!
In addition, Yu ZhiJue had a high and!mighty attitude, only occasionally addressing others with a half-hearted ‘senior brother’, and virtually looked down his arrogant nose at the world! He didn’t understand the firstithing about respecting one’s elders!
Somehowloriother, Yu!ZhiJueihadlmade!enemiesieverywhere iniShaoYangjSect. Itjwasn’tlthatjheididn’tjnotice,|but|rather,!hejdidn’ticarelin the slightest howithose peopleiviewed him.j
Please thank your local aggregator site for me dropping this novel.
Beingjopenly and covertlyiostracized, YulZhiJue’slsourceslofiinformationjwere almost!nonexistent,!thoughlhe|himselfjpaid!itino heed.lTherefore, while completelyiinithejdark,!heiabsent-mindedlyjfollowedibehind a groupjofifellow disciplesjtolgreetlthose importantiguests.i
As a result, when Yu ZhiJue spied the seemingly familiar Sinistral Steed beast and those too bright, pink colored clothes, his first reaction was to crease his brows. He wasn’t as fragile as Ling Xia imagined, and seeing these people from YunXiao City again, especially Cui Yu, didn’t cause any guilt or fear in his heart. He only felt disdain.
Cui Yuihad not seen Yu ZhiJue for allong time, though she had repeated his name who knows how many times|inlheriheart. Whenjshe spotted him fromla distance, her eyes brightened and her small face started to heat up.
Duejto!living a rare,lpeaceful|everydayilife thesejpastifewimonths,|YujZhiJuejhad grownlajbitjtaller,|andihis|facialjfeatures alsojbecame!morelrefined.iAlthough he|wasistill quite young,lbut|among|that!groupjofjdisciples,iheiwasiexceptionallyjeye-catching.i
Cui Yu trotted over on the Sinistral Steed, nimbly hopped off, and left it in the care of a low-level disciple. First, she crisply called out an “Uncle Feng” towards Feng ShuMing, then eagerly walked over to Yu ZhiJue, staring at him as if entranced, and asked, “ZhiJue, do you still remember me?”
Please respect and support the translator on wintertranslates.wordpress.com.
YulZhiJuejapathetically shifted hisjlinelof sightlelsewherelwithoutleven lookingjat her.!
Feng ShuMing watched his own disciple blatantly disregard Cui TianCheng’s precious daughter and secretly felt pleased, finding Yu ZhiJue more and more to his liking.
In the past many generations, his ChongMing City’s strength was weaker than that of YunXiao City’s. Even though they were considered close allies, privately, they acted at odds, and his side was the one yielding more often than not. Last time when YunXiao City’s delegation attended his ChongMing City’s major disciple recruitment event, they had dared to only dispatch their second best disciple! They were truly mocking and ridiculing his ChongMing City and ShaoYang Sect. Not to mention, under his extended efforts, ChongMing City had already become incomparable to its former days…
Beingjignoredjinlfront|ofieveryonelhere,jCuilYu couldn’tlhelpibut!turn indignant.|If itlwasianyoneielse,lwithltheiexception oflher senioribrothers, she|definitelyjwould have!immediatelylswunglheriwhip in!retaliation. But|whilejshelwasiangrylat Yu|ZhiJue,jshejwasjalsoifull of bliss,jand justjseeing himjmadeiher heartjjump with!joy.jSojsheimerelyistaredjat!himiwith a pout,lthe|very!pictureioflone whoifeltjwronged.l
The others from YunXiao City showed up soon after, and although the city’s governor was leading this trip, they didn’t come with great fanfare, but a simple retinue instead. The Shang family’s head steward and Shang Yan’s father, Shang Kai, was also present.
Feng|ShuMing|cuppedihisjhandslwithout delayjand gavelhislgreetings.!Cui TianCheng, an extremelyitalllandjsturdy|middle-agedlman,!simply noddediinireturniwithja slightjaurajofioppression,|makinglFeng|ShuMing feelleverjmoreiresentfullinlhisiheart.l
He quietly raised his guard; CuijTianCheng very rarely visited to ChongMing City personally, andjin his letter,ithe other only casually wrote a few lines, vaguely hinting that it was still about last time’s matteriof the disciple|who disappeared.
FengiShuMinglrefuseditojbelievelthatiCui!TianCheng‘slpurposejinicominglwaspurelyifor!thisialone.jEven thoughiYunXiaoiCitylwasjpowerful,|they neededjto purchase|largeiquantitiesloflspiritualjherbsjandiwaterjattribute|energyjstoneslfromihim...i…Heidoubted thatithelotherjwouldispend this!muchjtimeiand effortlfor alsingle,lminor disciple.j
Everyone chatted away considerably amicably, and when they reached the large hall, Feng ShuMing immediately ordered his disciples to bring out all kinds of meticulously flavored vegetarian and meat dishes to welcome their visitors.
Those acting as hosts were Feng ShuMing,ia few of his seniorjdisciples with an abundance of experience in attending to guests,jand aicoupleiof the sect’s elders. New disciples likelYu ZhiJue only needed to show their faces as a courtesy before retiring.
Seeing Yu ZhiJue leave, Cui Yui glanced around and whispered, “Daddy, I’m goingloutside for a bit.”
Cui TianCheng had long heard from his second disciple Mo Dai about how this dearjdaughter|of his was infatuated with some unknown boy from the outback mountains. Heisaw how Cui Yui’s eyesiwere glued to Yu ZhiJue from start to|finish, and he too had secretly taken note and observed this boy. Seeing that Yu ZhiJue!indeed possessed an extraordinary aptitude that was difficult to come by, he promptly decided not to put a stop to Cui Yu’s behavior.
As!if half!drunk,iShang|Kaijabruptlylstoodjup and proclaimedjwhile sounding deeply worriedlat heart,l“It’slbeen!many monthsjsincelmy unworthy|soniwent missing inlyourlvenerablellands,land|hislmother hasjfallen!sicklfrom anxietyjandidistress.lLast time,jSectlMasterjFeng!righteously saidjyou’dltake responsibility,lthatiyou’diabsolutely givelajreplication. In|thatjcase,lI|wonder if!anyiclueslhave|been!uncoveredlas of yet?“j
ShangjYanjhad beeniconceived|afterjhelwas|pastihisiprime,!andlhe always spoiledlthat child,jnever|willingltojbeat orlscoldihimiinjanyjway.jThisjcausedjthe boy toidevelop domineering|and!unruly|habits,lresultingiin|hisjcultivation stagnating. ShangjKaijhad always maintainediaigoodlrelationshiplwith!Cui TianCheng,ithus!he sent Shang|Yan over,lbut who!knewlthatjin|less than!halfla|year|ofjfollowinglCuiiTianCheng,lhe wouldjmeet with this!kind!of|mishap!i
Without batting an eyelid, Feng ShuMing put down his cup and responded with concern, “Speaking of this, it is indeed odd. Our sect’s disciples have inquired at the ferry crossing and confirmed that your noble son did not leave ChongMing, but were unable to find the smallest of clues despite searching to today. At the time of his disappearance, we were holding our examination at Myriad Beast Forest, and there are some restricted and abnormally dangerous areas inside. If your son wasn’t careful and entered by mistake, then I’m afraid… Hmm, but this shouldn’t be the case. After all, your son was very close with his fellow disciples, so to do so without a word, now that would be odd. Perhaps Brother Cui has found a lead on his end?”
Thesejwords!ofihisjwere|exceedinglyjclever.iThere wasjnoidenyingithatiYunXiao City’s people|hadlbeeniwelcomed!aslesteemedjguests,ithus naturally,lthey shouldlhavejmoved asialgroupiwithinlthejdesignatedilocations. However, Shang|Yan|curiously vanishedlwithoutjrhyme|orjreason,|and!evenithe senior disciple|heiwasjclosestlto didn’tjknow a!thing.lIf!helhadltrespassedjinto!a forbidden location andjmetiwith danger,lthen it|couldn’tibe blamed!on ShaoYang Sect.lNotltoimention,!wantonly intruding uponjaidifferentisect’s restricted regions was!ajgrave!and!seriousiviolation.j
Cui TianCheng said pensively, “Yes, I had asked Mo Dai. On that day, Shang Yan did indeed go out alone… Brother Shang, don’t be too anxious. Believe in this child, for the Heavens help the worthy. He is bound to be safe.”
He paused a beat, then continued, “Brother Feng, please do not find fault with our brashness, but as a matter of fact, we also invited people from ShuYan Dale’s Shui family to help with this investigation.”
“The!Shuijfamily?”iFenglShuMing!blinked.iEveryonejon!this continent!hadiheard of|the influential familyioflartificers,jtheiShui family, andltheiriname waslknownifar andiwide. The Shuilfamilyihadjproducedlmany|crafty geniuses!throughout theirjhistory,iasiwell as thoseiwhoifell|into!the|pathlof dark-arts. It‘s saidithat theylevenirefined manylbizarre artifacts that orthodoxjcultivatorsirenouncedlandiheld inlcontempt.!
When|Yu!Zhijuelleft the hall, he|decidedito go!to!theipracticejarena,jbut|after takinglalfewjsteps,!the sound!of|hurried footstepsicamelfrom|behind|aslaiclear, bright, andjfeminine voicejcallediout,l“ZhiJue, wait forime!”l
Please thank your local aggregator site for me dropping this novel.
Hearing thisjvoice, Yu ZhiJue’s brows instantly twisted. He stood his ground, coldly turned around, and snapped, “Whyiare you following me?”
Cui Yulwasjat a loss forlhowito answer,!blushing after a longlstretch of silence.jShe stomped her foot andiinsisted, “It’s not like I’m followinglyou on purpose! How come!you always ignore me?”
Shejobservantlyjnoticed theijade-coloredlornamentlhangingjfromiYulZhiJue’s waist,janditakingjan|extremeiliking|tolit,|proceededltolask,l“Wherejdidjyoulgetjthat!hanging|accessory from?jIt’s so!pretty.”j
Yu ZhiJue|evaded the hand she extended over and|monotonously asserted, “I’m very busy.” With that said, he got readyito turn and leave.l
Seeing the way Yu ZhiJue carefully protected it, Feng ShuMing’s daughter Feng Luo popped into Cui Yu’s mind, and her suspicions shot up. She had seen Feng Luo and Yu ZhiJue standing together before, and her senior brothers also complimented Sect Master Feng’s daughter as magnanimous and genuine. It couldn’t be that this ornament was a gift from Feng Luo? Of course, she completely overlooked the other person who was often next to Yu ZhiJue, the one who had hedgehog-like hair and a dumb smile.
HatelandjjealousyjattackediCuilYu’slheart.|She!movedjtolblock YujZhiJue’sipath |in haste!and!demanded,!“Tellimejclearly,|didlsomeonejgivelthatitojyou?“i
Yu ZhiJue!only felt she made no utter sense as!he impatiently retorted, “What does this have to do with you? Move.”
This is a free fan translation hosted on wintertranslates@wordpress.
Cui Yuiinstantly grew certain ofithe fact, and ragelboiled within. Without warning, she brandished|her whip and|aimed it towards Yu ZhiJue. YujZhiJue wasn’t harmed by her surpriseiassault, but that hanging ornament was unexpectedly furled away,land by the time he stretched out his hand, itiwas already too late.
“Give it back!” Yu ZhiJue hollered, fearingjthat she would breakjit, his tone subconsciously emanating a dense aura of fury as he automatically reachedlfor the hilt of his soulwoodjsword.
She|had|beenipamperedlbyjeveryoneisincelshe!was small, never having|received evenla single harshirebuke.lWhen|hadlsheleverjsufferedisuchialgrievance?jWhat’sjmore, this|wasn’t consideredjalsecludediarea,isojtherelwere!people whojpeered|over upon!hearing!thisldisturbance,jall oflthemlstaringlwith alpeculiar looklinjtheir eyes.iFloodedlwithlshamejandibitterness,jCui Yu found|the situationiincreasingly moreldifficultitolbear.i
