CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 22: REUNION WITH ZHUO TINGQIU

"Brother Rong!"

Just as the two were passing through the corridor, a voice suddenly called out, and they stopped to look in the direction of the voice.

Not far away, two women were approaching. One wore a white ruqun, her appearance was quite beautiful, tending towards the gentle type, looking like a pool of spring water, giving a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze. She was the one who spoke.

The other woman wore a light pink ruqun, her appearance was also quite pretty, but inclined towards a more flamboyant beauty, with an aura that was just as bold, like a flame.

"Junior Sister Lin, Junior Sister Zhao." Rong Ye’s expression vanished instantly, turning into a rather cocky demeanor.

"Brother Rong, where are you headed? And is this young lady next to you the closed-door disciple of the Saint Master?" Zhao Yan, linked arm in arm with Lin Xian’er, walked up to Rong Ye and Gu Qingqing, scrutinizing Gu Qingqing with a critical eye, while addressing Rong Ye.

Rong Ye didn’t like the way Zhao Yan looked at Gu Qingqing, so he slightly shifted his body to shield Gu Qingqing from Zhao Yan’s gaze.

"Her name is Gu Qingqing, indeed the closed-door disciple of our master." He didn’t hide Gu Qingqing’s identity, as everyone would know eventually. Better they learn sooner, so no one unwittingly bullies Gu Qingqing.

"So this is the Saint Master’s closed-door disciple. Junior Sister Gu, hello, I am Lin Xian’er, a disciple of Elder Ye." Lin Xian’er’s gaze landed on Gu Qingqing, introducing herself with great enthusiasm.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Lin." Previously, Brother Yue had already explained the situation in Lingxi Sacred Land to Gu Qingqing. As soon as Lin Xian’er spoke, Gu Qingqing immediately knew who she was, and she greeted in a very polite manner with a smile identical to Brother Yue’s.

Lin Xian’er’s eyes flickered, and her smile became even more amiable, "Junior Sister Gu is truly beautiful, no wonder the Saint Master accepted you as a disciple."

"Junior Sister Lin, Master accepted Qingqing as a disciple because she matched his vision, not because of her looks." Rong Ye, in his usual blunt manner, frowned and replied without giving Lin Xian’er any face.

"Really?" Lin Xian’er’s smile stiffened for a moment, seemingly not expecting Rong Ye’s bluntness, but recalling Rong Ye’s disposition, she quickly understood, "Then Junior Sister Gu must be remarkable, to attract the Saint Master’s favor, she must surely be no ordinary person!"

"Thank you for your praise, Senior Sister Lin, Qingqing feels unworthy." Although Lin Xian’er’s words were impeccable and her smile appeared kind, Gu Qingqing still sensed a discordance from Lin Xian’er, and her smile became more formal.

"Junior Sister Gu is too modest." Lin Xian’er laughed, a mysterious light flashing in her eyes as she looked at Gu Qingqing.

"I heard Junior Sister Gu has also reached the eighth stage in cultivation. I’m at the eighth stage too, perhaps we could spar sometime?" Zhao Yan suddenly suggested from the side, her eyes filled with a fighting spirit as she looked at Gu Qingqing.

Gu Qingqing was momentarily stunned, not expecting Zhao Yan to be so direct. The problem was, she hadn’t considered sparring with others!

"Junior Sister Zhao, Qingqing just advanced to the eighth stage not long ago and is still no match for someone like you who’s been at the eighth stage for several years. Let’s skip the sparring, we have other matters to attend to, so we’ll take our leave." Rong Ye refused outright on behalf of Gu Qingqing before she could even respond.

He felt indifferent towards both Lin Xian’er and Zhao Yan. Though he didn’t want Gu Qingqing seeking out Jun Wu, he also didn’t want to waste time on Lin Xian’er and Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan’s expression stiffened, just like Lin Xian’er’s earlier, almost brought to her knees by Rong Ye’s straightforward nature. She could only force a smile, pretending not to mind, and let Rong Ye and Gu Qingqing go on their way.

Once Gu Qingqing and Rong Ye had left, Zhao Yan’s smile vanished instantly.

"Even after all these years, Rong Ye is still the same, he could choke someone with his words!" Zhao Yan, exasperated by Rong Ye’s unromantic nature and sharp tongue, directly complained.

"He doesn’t need to ingratiate himself with anyone. For years, others have catered to him, so of course he wouldn’t change his personality, and didn’t you notice how different he is in front of Gu Qingqing? It shows he just doesn’t want to talk to us properly," Lin Xian’er coldly retorted, equally dissatisfied with Rong Ye’s attitude.

"I just don’t get what’s so good about this Gu Qingqing, how come everyone seems to indulge her? I heard the Saint Master recently summoned all the Hall Masters for a meeting, Rong Ye and Gu Qingqing must have just come from the Saint Master. I wonder what they were summoned for!" Zhao Yan was quite well-informed. The meeting among Wen Guiyun and others hadn’t been kept secret from others, so naturally, she found out.

Hearing this, Lin Xian’er squinted as if she thought of something, her lips curling into a shallow smile.

"I remember Chen Jiawei from Li Huan Palace has a crush on Rong Ye, but Rong Ye never quite reciprocated? She should be attending this year’s apprenticeship ceremony, right? I wonder how she’d react if she knew how well Rong Ye treats Gu Qingqing?" If she was in distress, she wouldn’t let others be at ease; rather, she’d pull as many as possible into the same uncomfortable situation.

"She’d probably be furious, wouldn’t she? She doesn’t have a good temper." Zhao Yan also thought of Chen Jiawei’s potential reaction, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

The two exchanged a glance, their smiles flawless.

...

"Fifth Senior Brother, what was with those two Senior Sisters just now? I just arrived at the Holy Land, who could I have provoked?" Although Lin Xian’er and Zhao Yan didn’t say it outright, it was clear they held resentment towards Gu Qingqing. Their words had been picking faults from the start; how could Gu Qingqing not notice?

"After our master accepted the five of us as disciples, he said he wouldn’t accept any more for the time being. Lin Xian’er’s family holds a decent status in the Holy Land, and Lin Xian’er herself has quite the talent, so she wanted to become our master’s disciple but was rejected because master didn’t find her eye-catching. She must be unhappy thinking that you’ve become master’s disciple, surpassing her." Rong Ye was well aware of what happened back then and could completely understand why Lin Xian’er was now itching to find fault with Gu Qingqing.

"I see. I do feel for her, but taking it out on me is a bit much." Gu Qingqing felt she was completely caught in the crossfire. At the time she became the disciple, she had no idea her master was so impressive!

"You don’t have to worry about her. If she bullies you, don’t hesitate; we and master will back you up." Rong Ye didn’t care much about Lin Xian’er and directly told Gu Qingqing.

With Rong Ye’s words, Gu Qingqing knew exactly what to do.

Because of Lin Xian’er and Zhao Yan’s interruption, Rong Ye eventually took Gu Qingqing to Jun Wu’s courtyard. Jun Wu was inside waiting for Gu Qingqing, and since Gu Qingqing had heard about the market on Floating Island, she wanted to check it out with Jun Wu and the others.

Si Lin, the five others, Gu Qingqing, Jun Wu, and Yun Ran headed to the market in the Lingxi Sacred Land.

The Floating Island where Lingxi Sacred Land is located is quite large. It’s not only the disciples of Lingxi Sacred Land living there, but also other people who need to trade resources with the disciples to survive, which is the source of the market.

There, Si Lin and the others did not hide their identities. Once they arrived at the market, they caused quite a commotion because the five of them were really famous at Lingxi Sacred Land!

This market was not much different from outside ones, except it had some seafood stalls. Gu Qingqing wasn’t particularly fond of seafood, didn’t like eating those things much, and considering the strong fishy odor, she didn’t step forward to buy as she usually would.

Because of the apprenticeship ceremony, the entire Floating Island was bustling. Some sects very close to Lingxi Sacred Land had already sent people over.

Gu Qingqing and Yun Ran bought some uniquely styled decorations and then went to Lingxi Sacred Land’s most famous restaurant to eat.

As the eight were climbing the stairs, a group of people came from the opposite direction. As the two groups brushed past each other, Yun Ran and Gu Qingqing suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Yun Ran, Senior Brother Si, Brother Yue, Senior Brother Nan, Brother Mu, Brother Rong, and Mr. Jun." Zhuo Tingqiu looked at the group in front of him, calling out each name with slight excitement.

"Zhuo Tingqiu?" Yun Ran looked at the person speaking, and upon seeing the familiar face, she was also a bit surprised.

After ascending, she and Zhuo Tingqiu had lost contact, completely unaware of each other’s current situation. Unexpectedly, they met in Lingxi Sacred Land.

"It’s me, long time no see." Seeing Yun Ran recognize him, Zhuo Tingqiu immediately smiled.

"Little Qiuxiu, what are you doing here?" Gu Qingqing asked curiously, noting how much more mature Zhuo Tingqiu looked compared to before.

Zhuo Tingqiu initially found Gu Qingqing’s face quite familiar but hadn’t recognized her yet. Hearing her speak, he immediately realized who she was; Gu Qingqing was the only one who called him "Little Qiuxiu."

"Geng Geng?" He looked at Gu Qingqing, hesitantly calling out.

"It’s me. What brings you to Lingxi Sacred Land?" Gu Qingqing was curious about Zhuo Tingqiu’s experiences.

Having learned earlier that Zhuo Tingqiu and Yun Ran had lost touch, Gu Qingqing had thought of finding time to search for Zhuo Tingqiu. Unexpectedly, they ran into each other in Lingxi Sacred Land, which she found quite remarkable, and at the same time, she was curious about Zhuo Tingqiu’s journey.

Zhuo Tingqiu spoke a few words to his companions, letting them leave first, and stayed to chat with Gu Qingqing and the group.

"Zhuo Tingqiu, where have you been these past few years?" Yun Ran directly asked after they arrived in the private room.

"I’ve been in An City of Anxi Prefecture nearby, which belongs to a family founded by a Zhuo Family elder who ascended long ago. Later, I joined the sect Qiuyang Palace, where I reside now. I came here to attend the Spirit Fox Saint Master’s disciple acceptance ceremony." Zhuo Tingqiu briefly recounted his journey, then turned his gaze to Gu Qingqing, "How about you all?"