CHAPTER 190: CHAPTER 57: ARRIVAL AT THE WUJI SECT [SECOND UPDATE]

Gu Qingqing and Hua Shiyu weren’t very familiar, so she politely refused Hua Shiyu’s proposal to travel together.

Hua Shiyu’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment, and his gaze shifted, "Then when is Miss Gu leaving Baiyin City? I can come to see you off."

Considering Hua Shiyu’s decent looks, Gu Qingqing answered his question, "We’re only staying one night in Baiyin City, leaving tomorrow morning."

"Then I’ll come to see you off in the morning." Hua Shiyu said firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

Gu Qingqing nodded indifferently, whereas Jun Wu’s face turned grim, and his gaze toward Hua Shiyu was icy cold. Hua Shiyu matched him, and when their eyes met, sparks flew.

Next, Hua Shiyu, as the host familiar with Baiyin City, took Gu Qingqing and Jun Wu shopping. Gu Qingqing, not knowing much about Baiyin City herself, agreed.

Throughout the journey, Hua Shiyu frequently and subtly engaged Gu Qingqing in conversation, accurately targeting topics that interested her. Jun Wu remained sullen, almost ready to draw his sword against Hua Shiyu.

Finally, Hua Shiyu escorted Gu Qingqing and Jun Wu back to the inn. Gu Qingqing’s attitude towards Hua Shiyu became noticeably more familiar than when they first met. As Hua Shiyu left, he reiterated his promise to come in the morning to see Gu Qingqing off. This time, Gu Qingqing seemed slightly more concerned.

"Geng Geng, are you really going to let that guy come see us off in the morning?" Jun Wu asked Gu Qingqing after Hua Shiyu left.

"He’s mentioned it several times already; it’s just a farewell, what harm could it do?" Gu Qingqing frowned and said.

Seeing Gu Qingqing’s clear eyes with no underlying meaning, Jun Wu naturally couldn’t tell her that Hua Shiyu actually had feelings for her, and could only reluctantly nod and part ways with Gu Qingqing.

The next day, at Baiyin City’s gate.

When Gu Qingqing and the others were about to leave the city, Hua Shiyu was already waiting at the gate, and he was riding a Heavenly Qilin Horse. His appearance did not suggest he was merely there to say goodbye to Gu Qingqing.

"Miss Gu." Upon seeing Gu Qingqing, he dismounted, leading his horse to her.

"This," Gu Qingqing pointed to the horse he was leading, "doesn’t look like just a simple farewell, huh? Are you leaving too?"

"I’m traveling in the same direction as you to Qing City as well." Hua Shiyu’s eyes sparkled, and he patted the horse’s neck, smiling the perfect gentleman’s smile.

Jun Wu’s face beside him was grim, his gaze at Hua Shiyu was murderous.

Standing next to Jun Wu, Yue Zhao glanced at Hua Shiyu, then at Jun Wu’s expression, and instantly grasped Hua Shiyu’s intention, a gleam appearing in his eyes.

"Geng Geng, since this young master is on our way, why not let him join us?" Nan Hua fanned himself, suggesting lightly.

While speaking, he cast a sidelong glance at Jun Wu’s expression, seeing Jun Wu’s face darken further, a sparkle appeared in his eyes.

As a veteran in matters of the heart, he immediately perceived Hua Shiyu’s interest in Gu Qingqing. His suggestion for Hua Shiyu to travel with them was intended to provoke Jun Wu, who often competed with them over Gu Qingqing!

Jun Wu looked blankly at Nan Hua, then focused on Gu Qingqing, waiting for her response.

Gu Qingqing glanced at Nan Hua, then at Hua Shiyu, thinking that Hua Shiyu had already come this far, she could only nod.

Hua Shiyu’s lips curled slightly into a triumphant smile at Jun Wu, making Jun Wu’s face even colder.

Subsequently, Gu Qingqing and her companions did not linger in other cities, resting only one night before continuing their journey. They finally arrived in Qing City, Chiyun Prefecture, on the seventh.

Qing City, due to the presence of Wuji Sect, was more prosperous than cities like Baiyin City. The people passing through were also higher in cultivation level. Due to Wuji Sect’s celebration, many other forces arrived in Qing City, making the entire city even more lively.

After entering Qing City, Gu Qingqing and her companions split from Qian San and others, opted to first find an inn to stay. The next day, they held their invitation and went to Wuji Sect.

Wuji Sect was located outside Qing City on Wuji Mountain. Recently, many forces visited, and more people were stationed at the mountain gate. Each visiting sect had to present an invitation, and only upon confirmation by Wuji Sect’s members could they enter.

Upon Gu Qingqing’s arrival, several forces were already waiting at the entrance.

Even though Wuji Sect was an affiliated sect of Lingxi Sacred Land, Yue Zhao and company didn’t want to be too ostentatious, so they waited quietly by the side.

Although the carriage they were traveling in this time was still luxurious, it appeared relatively low-key from the outside. Furthermore, it was only pulled by an ordinary Heavenly Qilin Horse. Despite them looking rather attention-grabbing, the carriage seemed somewhat shabby among the heap of carriages.

Gu Qingqing and her companions understood their situation, so they didn’t feel embarrassed, but this wasn’t the case in the eyes of others.

"Senior Brother, what do you think the Sect Master of the Wuji Sect is thinking? How can they invite just anyone? Even those small sects are here to attend the ceremony, aren’t they afraid they’ll be unable to present fitting gifts?" A woman glanced at Gu Qingqing’s carriage and deliberately said loudly to her senior brother.

Gu Qingqing and her companions didn’t realize the woman was talking about them, not even giving her a glance.

However, the woman was not satisfied. The reason she spoke was to catch Gu Qingqing and her companions’ attention, but they didn’t react at all, which naturally dissatisfied her.

"Look at that carriage, it’s really too shabby, could they be here to freeload?" she said, covering her face as she seemed to look disdainfully at Gu Qingqing and her companions.

With such obvious hints, Gu Qingqing and her companions weren’t fools and naturally understood. Gu Qingqing turned her head, scanning the woman from head to toe, and amidst the woman’s smug expression, shook her head and looked at Yun Ran beside her.

"Sister Yun, do you think people who look so ugly have no self-awareness nowadays? Running around scaring people with such looks, isn’t it a bit too much?" Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the woman to hear.

He Yutong’s face immediately changed upon hearing Gu Qingqing’s words. She stared hatefully at Gu Qingqing, "Hick, who are you insulting?"

"Whoever responds is the one I’m insulting." Gu Qingqing turned her head, looked at He Yutong, with a smile on her lips but a chill in her eyes.

"You!" He Yutong glared at Gu Qingqing, her expression somewhat twisted. Her peripheral vision caught their carriage, and she seemed to regain her confidence, suddenly smirking, "Hicks will be hicks, no manners at all!"

Before Gu Qingqing could speak, Yun Ran had already interjected, "Manners also depend on the person. With someone like you, of course, we don’t need to be polite!"

When it comes to sharp tongues, Yun Ran hasn’t lost in years!

"What do you mean? What’s wrong with me?" He Yutong’s eyebrows shot up, glaring at Yun Ran as she asked aggressively.

"Don’t you know what’s wrong with yourself? You say we’re impolite, but are you polite?" Yun Ran gave He Yutong a sidelong glance, "Truly cultured people don’t casually gossip about others, didn’t your elders teach you that?"

"Do you know who I am? How dare you lecture me?" He Yutong, not expecting Yun Ran to be so sharp-tongued, found herself unable to match her words and directly revealed her identity.

"Oh? Judging by your tone, you seem quite formidable?" Yun Ran raised an eyebrow, looking at He Yutong with a mischievous smile, "Then may I ask this young lady, which sect are you from? Are you perhaps a disciple from one of the three Sacred Lands?"

He Yutong’s momentum faltered, she spoke irritably, "Miss here is from the Luoyu Sect, which is a second-tier sect, not on the same level as those unranked sects of yours!"

"Pfft!"

Yun Ran looked at He Yutong’s pompous expression and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Even when He Yutong glared over, she didn’t stop laughing, "I’m sorry, let me laugh for a moment first,"

He Yutong stared at Yun Ran, her face becoming increasingly unpleasant, on the brink of losing her temper. Yun Ran finally stifled her laughter.

"I’m sorry, seeing your earlier demeanor, I thought you were a disciple from one of the three Sacred Lands. At the very least, you should be from a first-tier sect. I didn’t expect you to be from a second-tier sect. Do the disciples from second-tier sects nowadays all come out with such confidence?" Yun Ran looked at He Yutong, blinking with curiosity.

How could He Yutong not realize Yun Ran was mocking her? Her expression twisted for a moment, just as she was about to explode, the Wuji Sect disciples at the front called for people, and she could only glare at Yun Ran and follow her fellow sect members forward.

After verifying the invitations with the Wuji Sect members to ensure there were no issues, one person went to lead He Yutong and her sect members. However, not content with Yun Ran’s earlier words, He Yutong wanted to know which sect Yun Ran and her companions belonged to for further humiliation, so she stayed behind. A few others from her sect, wanting to watch the commotion, stayed behind as well.

Another sect was also in front of Gu Qingqing and her companions. Having overheard the exchange between He Yutong and Gu Qingqing earlier, their curiosity piqued, they stayed behind too, waiting to see which sect Gu Qingqing and her companions belonged to.

The invitation for the Lingxi Sacred Land was with Yue Zhao, so Yue Zhao handed the invitation to the Wuji Sect disciple.

The moment the invitation was taken out, the Wuji Sect disciple’s curiosity turned to awe upon seeing the cover. He respectfully took the invitation from Yue Zhao, cautiously opened it, and after seeing its contents, the disciple was stunned. It wasn’t until someone next to him nudged him that he hurriedly checked and confirmed the invitation in his hand was indeed real, his gaze towards Yue Zhao and his companions completely changed.

"Young Master Yue, please keep the invitation safe, I will notify the Sect Leader that you’ve arrived." He handed back the invitation to Yue Zhao respectfully with both hands.

"Mm." Yue Zhao responded indifferently, casually putting away the invitation.

Those watching the commotion at the side turned pale when they saw the black-gold colored invitation, different from theirs. Hearing the disciple’s words, they looked at Yue Zhao and his companions in shock.