“That’s the sect leader of Yuanji Sect, Master Shuangqing.” Noticing that Kong Hou was quite curious about Shuangqing, Huan Zong told her his identity. “This person excels at business management, but his cultivation is merely average. Not long after he succeeded as sect leader, he discovered a massive spiritual vein. Yuanji Sect took advantage of this opportunity to vigorously develop their economy, earning quite a bit of spirit stones in the cultivation world in just a hundred years.”

“Average cultivation but excellent at making money?” Kong Hou lowered the curtain, leaving only a small gap. Through the gap, she watched as Shuangqing drew closer and closer to their carriage. His horse became somewhat uncomfortable after approaching the celestial flying horse and pawed at the ground with its front hooves.

Sensing the horse’s agitation, Shuangqing turned to glance at the carriage he hadn’t paid any attention to before, and his eyes met Lin Hu’s. Lin Hu nodded to him, and Shuangqing also nodded reservedly, tightening the reins without yielding.

Lin Hu didn’t want to get entangled with him over such a small matter and drove the celestial flying horse aside a few steps. After Shuangqing left, Lin Hu drove the carriage toward the inn.

When they met Chang De at the inn, he had already reserved two small courtyards. Originally, he had planned for male cultivators to stay in one courtyard and female cultivators in another, which would work out perfectly.

Who knew that Huan Zong, this sword cultivator, didn’t seem to like living with other cultivators? He spent money to reserve another courtyard and moved in with Kong Hou Immortal. After thinking it over carefully, Chang De felt this arrangement was also good, saving everyone from being uncomfortable living together since they weren’t very familiar with each other.

Seeing Huan Zong and Kong Hou go to the other small courtyard, Chang De returned to the back courtyard and found several junior brothers and sisters: “When entering the secret realm this time, safety comes first. Don’t let yourself get injured over spiritual herbs and treasures, and you absolutely cannot act impulsively out of momentary anger.”

“Yes.” The junior brothers and sisters responded half-heartedly.

“Coming along this time are also disciples from Liuguang Sect and Yunhua Sect. Don’t let other sects laugh at you.”

“Liuguang Sect and Yunhua Sect are also joining in this excitement?” Lingbo thought she had heard wrong. For this kind of small secret realm that only opened once every five hundred years, when had Liuguang Sect ever cared? Now they were actually arriving by appointment with Yunhua Sect disciples—could there be some good treasure inside?

“You’ve met those two fellow daoists before.” Chang De worried that Lingbo would make a scene right now, so he explained things clearly in advance.

“I’ve met them?” Lingbo thought of Yunhua Sect’s Kong Hou. She frowned. How could she encounter her even in something like this? After what happened at the inn back then, not long after returning to the sect, she heard about the evil cultivators’ conspiracy—deliberately provoking conflicts between sects and independent cultivators, trying to throw the cultivation world into chaos.

If not for Kong Hou’s intentional and unintentional interference at that time, she didn’t dare guarantee that with her temper, she wouldn’t have made things even worse. Thinking back on it now, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat fortunate. “Is it Kong Hou Immortal from Yunhua Sect?”

“Exactly her and Huan Zong from Liuguang Sect.” Chang De nodded. “This time I made arrangements to go together with them, so we can look out for each other.”

Lingbo’s lips moved. Thinking of her master’s teachings before leaving, she could only swallow her words back down.

“If you’re not comfortable traveling together with others, after entering the secret realm and figuring out the environment inside, you can then decide whether to split up and act separately.” Chang De thought for a moment, then said to a junior brother: “Junior Brother, these next few days if you encounter Yuanji Sect’s sect leader Master Shuangqing, you must remember—under no circumstances can you let him know your name.”

“What’s wrong with my name?” The junior brother was named Fang Yingzheng. Having just established his foundation not long ago, he was following his senior brothers and sisters on this trip to gain experience.

“Master Shuangqing has a little quirk.” Chang De coughed lightly. “He really doesn’t like people with the surname Fang.”

“What’s wrong with the surname Fang? It’s not like I ate his family’s spirit rice or pills. Can he even control what my surname is?” Fang Yingzheng muttered quietly, but not daring to be presumptuous in front of the sect’s eldest senior brother, he agreed reluctantly.

“Senior Brother, why doesn’t Shuangqing like people with the surname Fang?” Lingbo felt this quirk was truly bizarre.

“How would I know about other people’s private affairs? If you have time to worry about this, you’d be better off returning to your rooms to meditate and consolidate your cultivation.” Chang De said with a stern face. “You don’t care about important matters, but you’re extremely interested in these trivial details. Where’s the bearing of core disciples?”

Hearing these words, even though the junior brothers and sisters had countless questions in their hearts, they didn’t dare ask them aloud.

Before dinner that evening, Lin Hu discovered that Miss Kong Hou seemed to have deliberately dressed up again. He turned to look at the sky outside that was growing dark. It was almost nighttime—what was the point of all this fuss?

Women’s hearts were truly unfathomable needles at the bottom of the sea, and young women were the same.

When they arrived at the main hall for dinner, Lin Hu finally understood why. Zhaohan Sect’s Lingbo was also there, also elaborately dressed, her eyes burning as she looked in their direction. However, this ardor wasn’t for his young master, but for Miss Kong Hou.

“Kong Hou Immortal.”

“Lingbo Immortal.”

The two beautiful women smiled at each other and exchanged blessings, as if they were close friends from the boudoir who hadn’t seen each other in years.

Lin Hu seemed to understand why Kong Hou had deliberately dressed up.

“I heard Miss Kong Hou broke through to the Heart Stirring stage. Allow me to congratulate you first, Immortal.” Lingbo’s pupils were beautiful. When she looked at someone, it gave the person being looked at the illusion that they were her entire world.

“Thank you, Immortal. My cultivation is shallow—how could I compare to you?” Kong Hou smiled slightly and walked to the table. Huan Zong, following behind her, pulled out a chair for her and silently poured her a cup of water.

When men don’t understand what women are saying, the best way to handle it is to remain silent.

Hmph, showing off that someone was pouring tea for her? Lingbo sneered inwardly and pushed her cup in front of her junior brother. The junior brother looked at Lingbo’s teacup that was already eight-tenths full, staring at her in confusion. What did Senior Sister mean by this? If he poured more tea, it would overflow.

Lingbo tapped the teacup with her index finger and mouthed: “Pour tea.”

Fang Yingzheng took an empty cup from the side and poured Lingbo a fresh cup. After pouring it, he shrank to Chang De’s side, determined not to come out even if beaten to death before dinner ended.

After dinner, Chang De invited Kong Hou and Huan Zong to the courtyard for a conversation.

“Regarding the secret realm, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate for us to enter privately. In the two fellow daoists’ opinion, should we notify Yuanji Sect?” Chang De looked toward Huan Zong and Kong Hou—more precisely, he was looking at Huan Zong. Although both Kong Hou and Huan Zong were sect disciples, Huan Zong’s cultivation was profound, so he should be the one who could make decisions between the two.

Who knew that Huan Zong didn’t answer his question, but instead turned his gaze toward Kong Hou.

“I think we should still notify Yuanji Sect. Whether they’ll send disciples to participate is their own business.” Kong Hou thought carefully. She and Huan Zong were entering the secret realm mainly to obtain branches from the Cloud-Seeking Tree; other items were dispensable to them. So the number of people entering the secret realm didn’t greatly affect them, and this would also prevent rumors from arising.

The higher a sect’s status, the easier it became the target of other cultivators’ gossip. So if they went to a secret realm today, by the time they came out tomorrow, the rumor would become “Three great sects forcibly seized a small sect’s secret realm.” Regardless of whether such rumors were reasonable, if people believed them, it would be troublesome.

“Miss Kong Hou speaks reasonably. I feel the same way.” Chang De smiled warmly at Kong Hou. This Miss Kong Hou was truly likable.

“Are you thirsty?” Huan Zong suddenly spoke. Kong Hou, who had been about to look at Chang De, could only turn to look at him. “Huan Zong, we just finished dinner. I can’t drink anything right now.”

“Alright.” He didn’t insist, nodding: “My thoughts are similar to yours. Since that’s the case, tomorrow we’ll submit name cards and formally pay a visit to Yuanji Sect.”

Chang De smiled and agreed. Only after Huan Zong and Kong Hou had both left did he say hesitantly: “Did any of you feel that Fellow Daoist Huan Zong seemed particularly cold toward me?”

The other three junior brothers shook their heads in unison.

“What’s strange about that?” Lingbo removed the hairpin from her temple and tossed it back into her storage ring. “Kong Hou and I can have undercurrents flowing between us. Between you two men, even if there’s some coldness, it’s not strange.” The essence between men and women was actually the same. As long as they were people, they would compare and would produce emotions. It was just that clever people knew how to alleviate these emotions, while those who weren’t clever enough would only make themselves ugly.

“Senior Sister, you were clearly laughing and chatting with Kong Hou Immortal. How did it become undercurrents flowing?” A junior brother asked in confusion. “Weren’t you just happy for her breakthrough to the Heart Stirring stage?”

“You believe women’s polite talk?” Lingbo raised her chin. “If you can’t even see the essence through the appearance, how will you cultivate?”

Junior Brother: “…”

Why had he opened his mouth to speak just now?

Yuanji Sect was located on the eastern side of Kui City. The entire mountain had many spirit-gathering formations set up, with spiritual energy so concentrated it had condensed into mist. Seen from afar, Yuanji Sect looked like a palace floating in the clouds.

Three visiting cards were delivered together into the hands of Yuanji Sect’s sect leader, Master Shuangqing.

“Liuguang Sect, Zhaohan Sect, and also…” Master Shuangqing examined the last visiting card back and forth several times. “Why have Yunhua Sect disciples come running here?” Many thoughts flashed through his mind. Finally, he put down the visiting card and said: “Open the main gate to welcome them.”

Kong Hou’s group was still waiting for Master Shuangqing’s reply when, after standing at the mountain’s foot for just a moment, the mountain gate suddenly opened wide. Countless disciples dressed in flowing golden brocade robes descended from the sky, standing in two rows on the left and right, bowing in unison.

“Everyone is too kind.” Kong Hou looked at the dark gold patterns on these disciples’ clothes and the uniform gemstone rings on their knuckles, feeling that these people were radiating golden light all over.

“When friends come from afar, my heart is greatly pleased. Fellow daoists, please enter.” A voice transmitted down from the mountain gate. “Fellow daoists, please come inside.”

Kong Hou turned to look at Huan Zong, not knowing whether they should follow this voice’s meaning and go directly up.

“Don’t be afraid.” Huan Zong grasped Kong Hou’s wrist through the fabric of her clothing. Rather than walking the sect’s mountain path, he rose into the air and flew toward the source of the voice. Seeing this, Chang De, Lingbo and the others also followed.

Shuangqing had originally planned to dress himself up with an immortal bearing, then walk out under the curious gazes of the juniors. Who knew this plan would fail at the first step? Who would have known that the seemingly taciturn Liuguang Sect sword cultivator would also have such an impolite side?

“Wow.” After landing, the first thing Fang Yingzheng saw was Shuangqing’s square head and square face. He had never seen such a square head before and couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, drawing a glare from Shuangqing.

No wonder the Yuanji Sect leader didn’t like hearing the word “square.” This face was so earnestly and meticulously square that his chin was almost as wide as his forehead.

“Since you’ve all come from afar, please sit down and we can speak slowly about whatever matters you have.” Shuangqing straightened the golden outer robe on his body and walked in front of them, leading them toward the inner hall. Halfway there, he turned to look at everyone. “I heard earlier about Kong Hou Immortal’s feat of killing an evil cultivator above her level. The elders and peak masters in my sect praised it repeatedly. Please forgive my rudeness, but I don’t know which one is Miss Kong Hou?”

“This junior is she.” Kong Hou said with a smile. “Greetings, Senior.”

“Truly heroes emerge in youth—seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Though the immortal is still young, you’ve already achieved such status. Your future is especially promising.” Shuangqing pushed open the inner hall’s great door. “Your honored sect has taught its disciples very well.”

The moment the hall door opened, Huan Zong suddenly reached out and pulled Kong Hou behind him. He looked at the somewhat dim inner hall and frowned.

Noticing Huan Zong’s action, Chang De reached out to block his junior brothers and sisters, preventing them from stepping through the door.

A trace of barely detectable bloody smell permeated the air. Shuangqing’s expression didn’t look good.

There hadn’t been a murder inside. A man whose mind seemed somewhat abnormal sat on the ground, blood dripping from the back of his hand, looking somewhat aggrieved.

“Grandfather.” The man saw Shuangqing and hurriedly raised his hand. “My hand hurts a lot.”

Shuangqing held back his emotions, stepped forward to wipe the blood from the back of the man’s hand with a clean handkerchief, fed him a pill, and only then did a disciple lead the man away.

“I’ve made you all witness something embarrassing.” Shuangqing invited everyone to sit down. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat awkward, and that faint trace of bloody smell made this awkwardness mixed with some unreliable speculation.

“When I had just established my foundation, I brought back a disciple from the mortal realm.” Shuangqing’s gaze swept over Kong Hou. “His aptitude was quite good, but in the end, because his heart and nature were unstable, when he was tribulation testing, his inner demons were triggered. Not only did he lose his sanity, but he also thinks he’s a three or four-year-old child.”

“I shouldn’t have brought him from the mortal realm back then.” Shuangqing forced a smile. “Perhaps his origins destined him to be unsuitable for cultivation.”

Huan Zong spoke coolly: “A cultivator’s heart and nature have no relationship with where they come from. Master Shuangqing jests.”

Master Shuangqing met Huan Zong’s cold gaze, and his mind felt as if it had been frozen for a moment. What had he just been trying to say?

—

Author’s Note: Square-head: Don’t mention “square” in front of me. I’m allergic to that word.