“Sect Master?” Lin Hu saw An He suddenly standing motionless at the doorway and thought the young master’s cold expression had made the visitor afraid to enter. He walked to the entrance to look. The young master’s expression was quite calm, and nothing seemed amiss with the furnishings inside the hall, so what was wrong?

An He forced a smile and stepped through the door, performing a grand salute to Huan Zong: “This humble one’s master was the previous sect master of Hefeng Sect, Zhenren Wumi. My master passed away several years ago. On behalf of my master, I thank the benefactor.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted his robes and knelt down: “An He thanks the benefactor on behalf of my master for the life-saving grace.” With that, he bowed his head in obeisance.

“I merely encountered Zhenren Wumi by chance. Sect Master An need not be so formal.” Huan Zong raised his hand lightly. An He, who was about to kowtow, was uncontrollably lifted to his feet. He looked at Huan Zong with undisguised shock, never expecting that despite his Nascent Soul cultivation, he couldn’t even control his own body before this person.

Who exactly was this person? It was bad enough that he was better looking than An He, but his cultivation was higher too. When had the cultivation world gained such a figure, and why had he never heard of him? In the entire cultivation world, those of similar age to him with higher cultivation could be counted on one hand. If not for his exceptional talent, he wouldn’t have become a Nascent Soul cultivator in just two hundred years, even inheriting the position of Hefeng Sect’s master.

Zhenren Zhongxi of Liuguang Sect counted as one, and Chang De of Zhaohan Sect counted as one. The former rarely appeared in the cultivation world, and rumors said Zhenren Zhongxi was obsessed with the sword dao, cold-hearted as iron, and his appearance was quite horrifying—those who had seen him were often too frightened to speak. Chang De of Zhaohan Sect was slightly younger than him, but was still only at Golden Core Great Perfection, and who knew when he would breakthrough his mental barrier to become a Nascent Soul ancestor.

There was also Wu Chuan of Yunhua Sect and Lingyue of Jiufeng Sect—these could barely be considered heaven’s favored children. However, he had met the former, who was dull and boring throughout. If one didn’t know his identity, others would think he was a Liuguang Sect disciple. He had also met Lingyue of Jiufeng Sect—she was a woman.

“The benefactor’s life-saving grace cannot be forgotten. To the benefactor, this may have been merely a simple gesture, but to our humble sect, the benefactor is the immortal who saved the sect from fire and water.” Although An He’s heart was currently in turmoil, he dared not show it on his face, fearing it would displease the benefactor.

“That day I saved Zhenren Wumi from an evil cultivator’s hands. He gifted me this small courtyard, and our debt was settled. Sect Master An need not dwell on this matter.” Huan Zong pointed to a nearby seat. “Sect Master, please sit. But I truly cannot accept your grand salute.”

Clearly the other’s tone was gentle and his aura no different from an ordinary person’s, but An He felt somewhat intimidated before this person. When Huan Zong asked him to sit, he could only obediently do so, not daring to say another word. As a sect master, he had his own temperament and preferences, but when appearing before others in his capacity as sect master, he had to set all that aside.

“The benefactor’s noble character makes me admire you even more. Should the benefactor need anything in the future, I will certainly do my utmost to help.” Seeing the other truly didn’t intend to let him repay the favor, An He could only give up.

With their conversation at this point, it seemed they had nothing more to say. Though Huan Zong didn’t directly tell An He to leave, his gaze was full of such intent. How could An He continue sitting, even though he had only just sat down? “Yan City’s scenery is beautiful. Now that the benefactor has come to this place, you should properly appreciate the sights here.”

Huan Zong nodded.

“Then… I take my leave?” An He stood up, feeling this great hall was too solemn, making it almost difficult to breathe.

“Safe travels.” Huan Zong nodded slightly at him. As a disciple of Liuguang Sect, to show his friendly attitude, Huan Zong even squeezed out a stiff smile.

What does the benefactor’s smile mean? An He was both startled and puzzled. Did he think An He’s sincerity in repaying the favor was insufficient? He wanted to say a few more words to express his inner gratitude, but the benefactor had returned to his expressionless appearance, and the words at his lips could only be forcibly swallowed back.

Just as he was about to step over the threshold, he heard the benefactor call out to stop him.

“Wait.” Huan Zong stood up and walked behind An He.

A layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on An He’s forehead. When Huan Zong approached him, he almost instinctively pulled out his magical treasure fan to defend himself. This person was too unfathomably deep—he truly couldn’t help being on guard.

“I’ve heard your city’s Hundred Flowers Dance Festival is quite popular?”

“I wouldn’t dare claim that—it just happens to provide some entertainment for everyone.” An He thought to himself, could the benefactor have some objection to the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival?

“In that case, I’ll trouble Sect Master to reserve three good seats for me.” Huan Zong said, “I have a dao friend who is very interested in your esteemed city’s Hundred Flowers Dance Festival.”

“The benefactor’s willingness to attend is my honor. I will certainly arrange the best seats for you.” An He turned to face the expert. Though he was no match for this expert, standing face to face gave him more security.

“Much obliged.” Huan Zong, hearing a satisfactory reply, smiled at An He again.

Looking at the smile on his face, An He cupped his fists toward him: “I take my leave.”

Lin Hu watched his hastily departing figure, then turned to Huan Zong and said: “He is the disciple that Zhenren Wumi constantly praised when alive.”

“Decent talent.” Huan Zong’s assessment was bland. He turned and asked, “How many days has Kong Hou been in meditation?”

“Young master, Miss Kong Hou only began meditating yesterday.” Lin Hu glanced at the sky outside. “It’s still early. Would you like me to accompany you to go shopping?”

Huan Zong looked at him and turned away: “No need.”

Being rejected didn’t upset Lin Hu. After all, young people liked playing with other young people. He was old, so it was normal the young master didn’t want to go out with him. “Then go wander around yourself.”

Huan Zong: “…”

“I’m going to meditate.” Huan Zong turned and returned to his room.

Outside the courtyard gate, the Hefeng Sect disciples saw An He stride out from inside and hurriedly straightened up to help him mount his horse. A junior martial brother who was close to An He noticed his expression didn’t look good and asked quietly: “Senior martial brother, is that benefactor’s temperament difficult to get along with?”

An He didn’t speak. The other’s temperament couldn’t really be called good or bad, because from start to finish they had hardly spoken. However, there was one thing he could be certain of—the other bore no ill will toward Hefeng Sect.

“Junior martial brother, tell me—if a female cultivator disguises herself as a man, would she be more attractive than a man?” After remaining silent all the way back to the sect, once the door was closed, An He finally asked the question weighing on his mind.

“Disguised as a man?” The junior martial brother laughed. “Senior martial brother, this isn’t a theatrical performance. With your cultivation level, can’t you tell whether someone’s bone structure is male or female?” What was wrong with senior martial brother these past few days? A few days ago he suspected a young lady was a man disguised as a woman, and today he didn’t know who he was suspecting of being a woman disguised as a man.

An He’s expression grew even worse: “I understand. Go back to your cultivation.”

The junior martial brother didn’t ask further questions. He withdrew from An He’s room and closed the door for him.

The sun set and rose again. After repeating this three times, the door to Kong Hou’s room opened. Having advanced to the Heart Stirring stage and stabilized her mental state, she was in an excellent mood. Her fair face glowed with healthy pink, and even her walking steps carried joy.

“Miss Kong Hou, you’ve finished your meditation?” Lin Hu, holding a bowl of medicinal soup, stopped when he saw Kong Hou and glanced at her complexion. “It seems you’ve gained something from this meditation.”

Kong Hou smiled and nodded. Seeing the medicinal soup in Lin Hu’s hands: “Has Huan Zong’s illness relapsed again?”

Lin Hu was slightly stunned, then nodded: “No need to worry, it’s just a minor ailment.”

“I’ll go with you to see him.” Kong Hou followed behind Lin Hu. “Has he been unwell these past few days?”

“Mm…” Lin Hu vaguely nodded, then asked, “Miss, are you still upset with the young master? Would it be inappropriate to go now?”

“Ten hours have long passed. Sick people are in worse moods—better to humor him more. Let’s not mention past matters for now.” Kong Hou still remembered that she had said she wouldn’t acknowledge Huan Zong for ten hours. “I’m angry with him, not ending our friendship.”

A smile appeared on Lin Hu’s face. He came to Huan Zong’s door and knocked: “Young master, Miss Kong Hou and I have brought your medicine.”

The door quickly opened. Huan Zong, wearing wide-sleeved robes, stood behind the door. His ink-black hair wasn’t bound with a jade crown but hung loose behind him. Combined with that pale face lacking any color, he looked even more like a beautiful, sickly young lord.

“Huan Zong, is your health alright?” In Kong Hou’s eyes, amazement and worry alternated, but ultimately worry prevailed.

“You should sit on the soft couch first.” Kong Hou grabbed his wide sleeve and pulled him to sit on the soft couch, then turned to Lin Hu: “Senior Lin, quickly come in. Don’t let the medicine be cooled by the wind.”

Lin Hu closed the door and brought the medicine before Huan Zong: “Young master, take your medicine.”

Huan Zong looked at Kong Hou, then turned to look at Lin Hu, his expression somewhat inexplicable. An hour ago, Lin Hu had said that with more and more flowers blooming recently, he worried Huan Zong’s body might be affected by the strong floral fragrance, so he went to brew preventative medicine. How was it that now when the medicine returned, Kong Hou’s expression was as if something serious had happened to his body?

“The medicine isn’t too hot or cold—just right to drink.” Kong Hou took the medicine bowl from Lin Hu’s hands, tested the temperature with the back of her hand, and held the bowl to Huan Zong’s lips. “People in poor health can’t be too willful.”

“Much… much obliged.” The pale, slender hand was too close to him—so close he could smell the faint fragrance from the back of her hand. Huan Zong took the bowl and gulped it down, not even tasting what flavor the medicine was.

His thoughts were only on the faint flower fragrance from the back of the young lady’s hand filling his nostrils.

“Cough, cough.” Drinking too hastily, he couldn’t quite adjust. He coughed lightly a few times: “I’ve reserved seats for the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival. Will you accompany me to watch it then?”

“Alright.” Kong Hou patted his back, not daring to pat too hard, afraid she might make this fine specimen of a man cough up blood. Sick people always needed gentle treatment.

“Are you still angry with me?” Huan Zong rinsed his mouth with clean water and wiped his lips. His usually composed face showed a hint of uncertainty. “I’m sorry. I handled things somewhat inappropriately before and made you angry. If I’m accidentally injured in the future, I definitely won’t hide it from you.”

“Huan Zong, it’s not just about the injury.” Kong Hou pulled up the brocade quilt from the soft couch and covered Huan Zong’s knees. She found his words both exasperating and amusing, but facing that flawlessly handsome face, she was left only with helplessness and heartache: “No one is perfectly invincible. When you’re unhappy, you can be unhappy. When you’re hurt, you can say it hurts. When you’re sick, you can also show weakness and act spoiled. This isn’t incompetence, it’s…”

Kong Hou paused, trying to find words to describe her thoughts: “How should I put it? We cultivators pursue the great Dao, and our lifespans are much longer than ordinary people’s. In such long years, shouldering everything yourself, supporting everything yourself, being extremely harsh on yourself—such a life is too exhausting. What meaning does the path to longevity have then?”

“In the long years, throwing little tantrums when angry, not forcing yourself when injured, showing weakness and acting spoiled when sick—these are all pleasures of living.” Kong Hou crouched by the soft couch, her bright large eyes looking at Huan Zong. “I’m upset that you don’t cherish yourself. Your behavior—does it do justice to this perfect body of yours?”

“Not angry anymore.” Huan Zong smiled at Kong Hou and extended his jade-like hand, gently tugging twice on her sleeve with small movements.

“Hm?” Kong Hou looked at her sleeve. “Huan Zong, what do you mean by this?”

“This is showing weakness and acting spoiled when sick.” Huan Zong looked at Kong Hou with complete seriousness, his earlobes flushed red. “I’ve acted spoiled, so you can’t be angry anymore.”

Kong Hou—Kong Hou was immersed in the man’s supreme beauty and nodded without any backbone: “Not angry, not angry. I’m not angry at all anymore.”

A beautiful man acting spoiled with a straight face was truly impossible to refuse. How could there be such an adorable man as Huan Zong in the world?!

Under the apricot tree in the courtyard, Lin Hu leaned against the trunk, arms crossed, looking up at the sky. The azure sky floated with a few white clouds—beautiful indeed. As expected, the feelings between young people were best. Even when he left the room, those two didn’t notice.

A knock sounded. He glanced at the two people in the room, then turned to walk to the outer courtyard and opened the gate.

“Greetings, Ancestor Lin.” The visitor was An He’s junior martial brother. He respectfully presented three gold-embossed invitations with both hands: “Five days from now will be the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival. This is the distinguished guest invitation our sect master asked me to deliver. We hope Ancestor and the benefactor will honor us with your presence.”

“Many thanks.” Lin Hu accepted the invitations. “We will certainly come to impose.”

The junior martial brother’s face showed a smile. Though this Ancestor Lin didn’t show much expression, he was easy to talk to. With such a servant, no matter how eccentric the master’s temperament, it wouldn’t be unbearably difficult.

Huan Zong, having “reconciled” with Kong Hou, was in a very good mood. During dinner that evening, he even asked Lin Hu how to make spicy fish slices. Lin Hu, seeing the enthusiastic and studious expressions of both Huan Zong and Kong Hou, explained everything from start to finish.

“I’m not a sword cultivator, so my fish-slicing technique definitely won’t work.” Hearing about the complex ingredient preparation and how to master the heat, Kong Hou was very self-aware. She decided to give up learning this life skill.

Sword cultivator Huan Zong: “…”

“Cooking damages the hands. Young ladies shouldn’t learn it.” Huan Zong changed the subject. “I’ll have Lin Hu put the artifact-refining furnace and spirit fire in the right side room. Tomorrow we’ll practice artifact-refining again.”

“Good.” Kong Hou was still bothered that she had only refined an ugly and useless low-grade iron ring. Hearing Huan Zong mention this, she quickly agreed. Such trivial matters as cooking—how could they compare in importance to learning artifact-refining?

A message talisman flew through the darkness. Kong Hou reached out to catch it. Scanning it with her divine sense, she saw this message talisman wasn’t only sent to her alone, but transmitted to all disciples of the sect who were out traveling.

Seeing her expression turn grim, Huan Zong put down his chopsticks: “Kong Hou, what happened?”

“An evil cultivator attempted to harm our Yunhua Sect’s new disciples. One of these disciples even has excellent aptitude with single spiritual root. Fortunately, these new disciples were alert and discovered the evil cultivator’s disguise, managing to escape from her hands.” Placing the message talisman on the table, Kong Hou frowned.

“Your sect… is summoning you all back?” Huan Zong felt an uncomfortable emptiness in his heart. During this time, he had grown accustomed to having this clever and lively young lady by his side. He had hardly thought about her leaving.

It wasn’t until this message talisman arrived that he realized—Kong Hou wasn’t his disciple, nor his fellow sect member. She would eventually leave his side and return to Yunhua Sect.

“The message doesn’t mention that. It only tells us to be careful, not to easily trust others, and not to go to remote places. Those being summoned back are only disciples in distant locations.” Kong Hou shook her head. “Disciples like me don’t need to return to the sect. We only need to help investigate whether any evil cultivators are lurking when passing through affiliated sects or affiliated cities.”

“I see.” Huan Zong’s brows relaxed. “If I remember correctly, the next place is Feng Prefecture. The city isn’t large—it’s guarded by a small sect called Jixiang Pavilion. This Jixiang Pavilion happens to be an affiliated sect of your esteemed sect. Five days from now, after we attend the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival, we’ll head directly to Feng Prefecture by flying artifact.”

“It’s an affiliated sect of our Yunhua Sect?” Kong Hou pulled out the Yunhua Sect Disciples’ Training Manual from her storage ring. The last few pages listed all affiliated sects and cities under Yunhua Sect’s name. At the very bottom in an inconspicuous spot, it indeed said Feng Prefecture Jixiang Pavilion.

Over these six years, aside from secluded cultivation, she had learned techniques from her master and senior martial brothers. Her remaining leisure time was spent playing with her senior martial sisters. She still didn’t have a very clear understanding of Yunhua Sect’s sphere of influence. Because her senior martial sisters often told her that children who mature too early don’t fare well—worrying about too many trivial matters would prevent her from growing tall and make her ugly—and her master and senior martial brothers also didn’t want her to worry about sect affairs too early, she had always lived a life of cultivating, eating, drinking, and collecting monthly stipends without working.

Now, hearing that even Huan Zong, someone from another sect, understood Yunhua Sect’s sphere of influence better than she did, Kong Hou felt somewhat embarrassed and decided to properly memorize the list at the back of the manual these next few days.

“Young ladies can’t worry about too much.” Huan Zong placed the soup before Kong Hou. “It not only affects cultivation and mental state, but also causes hair loss.”

“Hair loss?” Kong Hou touched her hair, which she was very satisfied with. “Really?”

Huan Zong nodded, his expression so calm it didn’t show the slightest hint of joking: “There’s a female disciple in my sect who spent a period constantly worrying about other matters. Later, her hair began falling out in clumps. She had to take many elixirs before her hair grew back properly.”

Kong Hou tossed the manual into her storage ring. Learning should follow a gradual progression—one couldn’t just memorize by rote.

After dinner, Kong Hou returned to her room to rest. Lin Hu practiced a set of sword techniques for Huan Zong to see. After Huan Zong gave some pointers and saw that Lin Hu had fully comprehended everything, he said: “Lin Hu, don’t use my health to frighten her in the future. She’s still just a young lady.”

“Young master, I remember Xianzi Tengluo lost her hair because her cultivation went awry.” Lin Hu answered irrelevantly.

“It was precisely because her mental state was unstable and she overthought things that her cultivation went awry.” Huan Zong looked at him expressionlessly. “Is there a problem with that?”

“No.” Lin Hu shook his head. “I’m going to sleep.”

Watching Lin Hu’s retreating figure, Huan Zong turned to look at the soft couch, his expression somewhat uncomfortable.

He… he was a man over three hundred years old. How could he actually act spoiled toward a young lady? It was truly shameful to the extreme.

The Hundred Flowers Dance Festival was a wonderful occasion to appreciate flowers, scenery, dances, and beauties. However, beauties were behind clouds—one could only admire them without any hint of disrespect. In earlier years, someone who didn’t understand the rules had been extremely disrespectful in his words toward the Hundred Flowers beauties. In the end, he was beaten by Hefeng Sect disciples and thrown out of Yan City’s gates.

Over time, those who came to Yan City to attend the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival all knew that the Hundred Flowers beauties were proper young ladies—some were ordinary people, some were female cultivators. They only performed as flower immortals on stage to make the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival more lively.

This year was the two-hundredth year of the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival, so this year’s celebration was especially grand. For this grand occasion, Hefeng Sect had prepared for nearly half a year. On the day the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival officially began, Yan City’s inner city was almost packed to bursting. Even the food stalls in the outer city were crowded with tourists from various places who had come seeking its fame. Inner gate admission tickets were limited in number. Tourists who hadn’t managed to snag entry tickets lamented in frustration and could only wait to try again tomorrow.

The Hundred Flowers Dance Festival would be held continuously for seven days, but the first day was the liveliest. Those who could squeeze into the inner city on this day were all delighted. Hefeng Sect disciples stood everywhere on the streets. Anyone caught stealing, littering, or making a racket and disturbing order, regardless of their status, would be dragged out.

Each year, watching tourists being dragged out of the Hundred Flowers Dance Festival was one of the great hobbies of Yan City’s local residents.

On the viewing platform, all the important figures who had received Hefeng Sect’s invitations took their seats one after another. Soon, people discovered that the three seats closest to Sect Master An were still empty. They wondered who could be so composed during this grand occasion.

Several small sect masters on good terms with Hefeng Sect asked with a smile: “Sect Master An, which distinguished guests have yet to arrive today?” That An He arranged their seats in this location was sufficient proof their identities were very special.

“These few are my late master’s life-saving benefactors. The benefactor has been busy with cultivation these years, and I had no opportunity to meet him.” An He nodded to the sect master who asked. “Fortunately, the benefactor finally honored Yan City with his presence these past few days.”

Hearing An He’s words, everyone immediately understood—so they were Zhenren Wumi’s life-saving benefactors. No wonder An He was so solemn. Just as everyone was speculating about these three people’s identities, they saw Hefeng Sect disciples leading three people this way. The man in the lead was exceptionally handsome, wearing superior-grade robes. His face was pale and colorless, making him appear very unapproachable. Following beside him was a young lady who looked quite young but was already at Heart Stirring stage cultivation. Her pretty face bore a smile, making her appear warm and approachable. Walking behind them both was a man with a resolute expression. The black brocade robe on his body appeared ordinary but was also superior-grade, and the aura emanating from him was extremely well-concealed.

This was… this was a Nascent Soul ancestor?

Some sect masters who had already reached Golden Core Peak cultivation vaguely discerned the black-robed man’s cultivation level. However, since Golden Core cultivation was still a full realm below Nascent Soul, they could only see indistinctly, unable to perceive clearly.

“Benefactor, please take the seat of honor.” The moment An He saw Huan Zong appear, he involuntarily stood up to greet him and cupped his fists toward Huan Zong. “May the two dao friends also be seated.” When his gaze fell on Kong Hou, An He was momentarily stunned. Wasn’t this the female cultivator at the city gate that day who had no reaction to his appearance?

Huan Zong noticed An He’s gaze on Kong Hou and spoke: “Thank you, Sect Master, for leading the way.”

An He immediately came back to his senses: “Please, this way.”

Huan Zong didn’t immediately follow behind him. Instead, he turned to Kong Hou and said: “Kong Hou, come.” Many cultivators were present today, as were numerous sect masters and peak lords. Kong Hou was still young—she couldn’t be frightened by these people.

Kong Hou extended two fingers and quietly grasped the edge of his sleeve, giving him a brilliant smile.

An He, walking ahead, noticed that this female cultivator’s attention was entirely on the benefactor from start to finish. Aside from the initial greeting, she hadn’t glanced at him again.

Once the three were seated, An He cupped his fists toward Huan Zong: “May I ask who this immortal lady is?”

“My friend.” Huan Zong’s tone was bland.

An He: “…”

Thank you, I know she’s your friend, but what about her name and identity?