The day before the grand ceremony, the weather was clear and sunny.
Yuan Qingshi, the head disciple of Xu Yun, led the Inner Sect disciples to welcome guests at the mountain gate.
Sect Master True Person Xuyun and various Peak Lords sat dignified in the Cosmos Palace, smiling as they drank and listened to music.
The Fleeting Water Bridge was paved with fiery red mist satin, extending all the way to the Main Peak.
"The engagement ceremony is being held at the Huawel Sect, but when it comes to the union ceremony, it will be held at the Wei family ancestral home."
"In the blink of an eye, Hongzhu has grown up."
They spoke of Chen Hongzhu as if they cared deeply for her, yet Chen Hongzhu was still in the Discipline Hall and would only be allowed out tonight.
Wei Zhanyang, dressed in brilliant golden ceremonial robes, led a group of Wei clansmen as they stood at the head of the Passing Water Bridge to receive blessings from guests.
The rituals were tedious, the congratulations dull. His smile had stiffened at the corners of his mouth, and he was beginning to feel lightheaded when suddenly, a Daoist page from the Huawel Sect loudly announced:
"The Celestial Sound Sect has arrived—"
Everyone instantly sobered up, turning their heads in unison.
It was as if a spring breeze had swept through, carrying the fragrance of flowers, refreshing both mind and spirit.
"That's... that's Fairy Miaoyan," someone murmured. "We're all benefiting from Zhanyang's good fortune."
Miaoyan was not only beautiful but also ethereal and refined.
She was slender and tall, wearing a lake-green gauze dress that draped to her ankles.
With each light step, the hem of her dress rippled like water, resembling an ink wash painting.
A lone boat in drizzling rain, mist rising over tranquil waters.
But the crowd's daze wasn't solely because of her.
Beside Miaoyan stood a woman many were seeing for the first time.
Her skin was like jade, her lips like cinnabar. Her features were richly beautiful yet not seductive; instead, her long eyebrows and straight nose carried a touch of heroic spirit.
Her magnificent robes swept the ground, her cloud-like hair piled high, golden hairpins shimmering like rippling light in the sun.
Appearing suddenly before them, she was like a peony painted in vivid, heavy colors.
Initially, the two women each had their unique charm, equally matched.
But behind Miaoyan, numerous female cultivators all imitated her style, their dresses similar in cut and color.
At a glance, it was like a continuous ink wash scroll where a single peony bloomed fiercely, dominating the scene.
Thus the ink colors faded, and only the peony remained visible.
"I only knew the world held countless delicate beauties and myriad blossoms," Wei Zhanyang murmured, "but I never knew such beauty existed. It's a pity I must marry Chen Hongzhu."
"Fairy Miaoyan is indeed beyond compare," someone beside him said.
Wei Zhanyang shook his head. "I've seen Miaoyan before. I'm looking at the beauty beside her."
The person beside him disagreed: "Though she is beautiful, she's cold and icy, not a trace of smile on her face, far less gentle and perfect than Fairy Miaoyan. If I could choose, of course Fairy Miaoyan would be better!"
Though separated by over ten zhang, their discussion was extremely soft and discreet, yet they hadn't used sound transmission.
He Qingqing's ears twitched slightly, her gaze shifting to glance at Miaoyan, who remained as composed as ever.
Cultivators possessed keen hearing and sight. She knew Miaoyan could hear just like everyone else, but was pretending not to.
It seemed to be an unspoken rule in the Cultivation World that commenting on female cultivators didn't require sound transmission—whispering discreetly was sufficient.
He Qingqing's expression suddenly turned cold. With Ground Shrinking to an Inch, she stepped before the crowd in a single stride.
"Ah!" her maidservant exclaimed behind her, hurriedly following.
Miaoyan's expression changed. She stopped walking, her brows slightly furrowed.
The Celestial Sound Sect's procession had to halt.
The crowd was startled, unsure what she intended. The person who had just compared Miaoyan and He Qingqing grew particularly alarmed.
He Qingqing said: "Fellow cultivator, have you been to the Yaoguang Lake in Huawel Sect? In winter, it freezes smooth as a mirror."
"N-not yet, Fairy. What do you mean?"
"Go look in the mirror quickly," He Qingqing shook her head. "See what you look like.""You!" The man understood her implication, his face flushing red. "As a disciple of the Celestial Sound Sect, how can you utter such vulgar words!"
The female cultivators of the Celestial Sound Sect had always taken Fairy Miaoyan as their role model—when had such an anomaly appeared among them?
He Qingqing said, "Even my master doesn't control how I speak. Who are you to discipline me?"
"Esteemed fairy, I offended you earlier." Wei Zhanyang bowed. "I apologize to you."
He Qingqing turned to examine him: "So you're Chen Hongzhu's fiancé?"
"Indeed... Why does the fairy laugh?"
He had originally been angered by her lack of courtesy, but knowing he was in the wrong, he had no choice but to publicly display his magnanimity.
Yet the beauty's smile transformed blades and swords into tender threads around his fingers, leaving him momentarily stunned.
He Qingqing laughed: "I've heard your imitation of the 'Hero Summons' is already ninety percent similar."
During the calligraphy test at the former Grand Assembly of Distinguished Appraisals, had Song Qianji not written the Hero Summons, Wei Zhanyang's inscription on the stone wall would have stolen the spotlight.
When the Calligrapher Sage invited all candidates to observe the writing at the Star-Picking Platform, Wei Zhanyang had no choice but to admit defeat. He returned home and secluded himself, painstakingly copying the four-line fragment until he could write it in one continuous flow, with characters indistinguishable from the original.
This proved he was no less capable than Song Qianji.
Hearing the beauty's laughing question, Wei Zhanyang felt quite proud and coughed lightly:
"The Hero Summons isn't particularly difficult. If the fairy likes it, I can write it for you to see."
He Qingqing's smile deepened as she rapidly whispered:
"You don't like Chen Hongzhu, yet you don't dare defy the marriage arrangement—this shows no courage."
"You want to become the Wei Family's young master, but have no method beyond political marriage—this shows no strategy."
"Such a cowardly and foolish person needn't bother imitating the 'Hero Summons'."
Superficially, they appeared to be chatting amiably, but Wei Zhanyang's companions heard every word clearly and immediately bristled with rage: "How dare you!"
But Wei Zhanyang stopped them with his horizontally held sword.
After speaking, He Qingqing turned to leave. Wei Zhanyang called out: "Fairy, please wait! I still don't know..."
He Qingqing glanced back at him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
A trembling maidservant behind her called: "Head Senior Sister."
"Sister Qingqing." Miaoyan's voice happened to sound at that moment.
"Let's go." He Qingqing turned and left, her skirt flowing in the wind without the slightest hesitation.
Wei Zhanyang watched her cross the Fleeting Water Bridge until she disappeared into the clouds and mist.
He murmured dazedly: "So she's the Celestial Sound Sect's Head Senior Sister, He Qingqing. I've heard she currently manages over half of the sect's Spirit Stone Mines and has trained a group of loyal Outer Sect followers. No wonder she fears nothing."
"You've always been proud. Weren't you angry being insulted face-to-face by a female cultivator of your generation?" Someone beside him nudged him secretly.
Wei Zhanyang said: "You don't understand. That she spoke so many words to me—she must treat me differently, wanting to attract my attention. Otherwise, with so many people watching her earlier, why did she ignore everyone else and specifically come to speak with me?"
"If Fairy Miaoyan hadn't stopped her, she would have hit you. How is that treating you differently? I thought you didn't like willful female cultivators like Chen Hongzhu?"
"But she's too beautiful. This is what they mean by 'Only the peony possesses true imperial beauty' and 'Even without emotion, she moves people's hearts.'" Wei Zhanyang murmured distractedly.
...
As the day's excitement faded, the moon quietly climbed above the wall.
The Huawel Sect hadn't yet recruited new Outer Sect disciples for the current term, leaving the Outer Sect dormitories as silent as graves.
The paths of Song Courtyard stood empty, with untamed smoke and overgrown grass interspersed with patchy remnants of unmelted snow.The door was locked, its vermilion paint faded and bronze rings rusted green.
Chen Hongzhu had left the Discipline Hall and should have returned to the Glazed Palace, yet found herself wandering here without knowing why.
She saw the gnarled branches of an old peach tree casting sharp, desolate shadows on the white wall.
There was also the silhouette of a woman against the wall, graceful and delicate.
Chen Hongzhu halted. Someone had arrived before her.
The woman wore magnificent hibiscus-red robes, her dark hair shimmering under the moonlight like a waterfall cascading over her shoulders.
Chen Hongzhu found the figure vaguely familiar and was about to speak when the woman turned:
"We meet again."
"It's you." Chen Hongzhu didn’t recognize the face but remembered the voice.
After a moment’s pause, she replied, "Greetings, Fairy He."
He Qingqing stood before the steps of Song Courtyard, evoking in Chen Hongzhu a sense of time’s relentless flow—as if the seas had turned to fields and the stars shifted in the sky.
It felt like just yesterday they had sat side by side on these stone steps, waiting for someone.
"I believe in him. If he asks me to wait, I’ll wait."
"I bet he won’t return tonight, but I’ll wait too."
Now the peach blossoms had withered, and the steps were covered in moss.
How unpredictable life could be.
Times change, circumstances shift.
Only the moon over Song Courtyard’s walls remained the same, and the distant green hills stood unchanged as ever.
He Qingqing studied Chen Hongzhu in return. The other woman wasn’t wearing her usual red robes but a plain white cloak, devoid of any hairpins or jewels—unlike a cultivator about to be betrothed tomorrow.
Chen Hongzhu murmured, "I heard you scolded someone today on Fleeting Water Bridge."
He Qingqing shrugged indifferently. "I did. Are you angry?"
A few harsh words wouldn’t normally cause such a stir. But publicly rebuking the groom-to-be on the eve of the betrothal ceremony seemed like a deliberate slight to the Huawel Sect and Chen Hongzhu herself.
Yet Chen Hongzhu shook her head. "No, Miss He. I know you meant well, and I appreciate it."
He Qingqing felt a stir of emotion. "You understand. Then it wasn’t in vain that we once shared the moonlight here."
Chen Hongzhu fell silent.
They had met only a few times and stood on opposing sides—far from being friends.
But today, while others offered empty congratulations, only He Qingqing had spoken up for her.
He Qingqing suddenly asked, "Do you think he’ll come?"
Chen Hongzhu replied, "I heard he’s been living freely in Thousand Canals. If I were him, I wouldn’t come."
Why walk into a trap and invite trouble?
The ceremony was tomorrow. Guests from all sides had already arrived, but Song Qianji was nowhere to be seen.
Chen Hongzhu didn’t want to hope. "Even if he comes, what could he do?"
"I believe he’ll come." He Qingqing smiled faintly. "Care to make a bet?"
Chen Hongzhu felt a flicker of her old pride and lifted her chin. "You’re on."
Boom!
Beyond the green hills, a red firework soared into the night sky, blooming brilliantly.
He Qingqing and Chen Hongzhu turned to look in unison.
...
Tonight, Huawel City was a city that never slept.
The Huawel Sect leader had ordered fireworks to be set off all night in celebration of Chen Hongzhu’s upcoming betrothal.
The layout of Thousand-Ditch Prefecture’s Sky City had originally been modeled after Huawel City, with similar street plans.
Ji Chen wanted to study the city’s formations, and the other Guard Squad disciples were eager to join the festivities.
So the Seven Wonders treasure ship was stored outside the city, and Song Qianji’s group meandered through the streets, eating and drinking along the way.
The city was ablaze with lanterns and teeming with crowds, as Rogue Cultivators from all regions gathered to join the excitement.
Ji Chen, ever playful, slung an arm over Song Qianji’s shoulder, exclaiming at everything and greeting every passerby with enthusiasm: "Congratulations to us all!"
Song Qianji found it amusing. To those who didn’t know better, it seemed like Ji Chen was the groom, not Chen Hongzhu’s betrothal they were celebrating.Meng Heze remained vigilant, standing straight with one hand resting on his sword.
Lin Feiyuan, disguised as an ordinary disciple, hunched slightly to blend inconspicuously into Song Qianji’s guard squad. Yet his expression was calm, his eyes scanning every passerby.
When Meng Heze’s gaze occasionally met his, a subtle sense of mutual understanding arose between them.
The improvement in their relationship was entirely thanks to Ji Chen.
By the time they reached the foot of Huawel Sect’s mountain, the gates were nearly closed.
Enforcement Hall disciples stood at the entrance holding lanterns, greeting late-arriving guests:
"Have your invitations ready for inspection."
"Latecomers line up at the back—no cutting in."
The major sects and noble families requiring lavish hospitality had already been accommodated during the day. Those arriving now were mostly overseas factions or representatives of minor sects and small countries affiliated with the Huamei Sect.
Inner Sect disciples assigned to welcome guests had brought recliners, lazily lounging as they shirked their duties.
Cultivators outside the mountain gate queued obediently, chatting leisurely without any urge to rush.
Meng Heze and the others looked to Song Qianji for direction.
Song Qianji gazed at the fireworks blooming across the night sky and took his place at the very end of the line.
His companions naturally fell in behind him.
A cultivator ahead turned back and struck up conversation:
"Hey, do you think Song Qianji will show up this time?"
Before Song Qianji could respond, someone further ahead interjected:
"After getting assassinated even in Thousand Canals, would he dare to appear?"
The conversation swiftly shifted:
"Well, he didn’t die from the assassination—instead he broke through. I heard he captured the assassin but didn’t kill him. That assassin’s locked up in Song Courtyard, barely recognizable as human yet kept alive."
"When the assassination failed, the killer should’ve self-destructed his Golden Core. Now that he’s fallen into his target’s hands, of course he’s being tortured day and night with creative methods to repay that sword strike."
Ji Chen and Meng Heze exchanged covert glances, their eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.
No matter how Lin Feiyuan lounged around Song Courtyard freeloading meals, singing tunes, and cuddling cats like he owned the place—to outsiders, he was being brutally disciplined.
Lin Feiyuan hissed softly, rubbing his ears while mentally cursing Wei Ping.
The speculations grew increasingly absurd as they approached the gate, eventually focusing on Song Qianji himself:
"Killing someone would be merciful. Song Qianji’s methods are too cruel."
"Never judge by appearances—he seems refined and elegant, but inside he’s twisted and vicious."
Lin Feiyuan clenched his fists, suddenly lowering his head to stride forward—only to be yanked back by a firm grip.
Song Qianji asked, "Where are you going?"
Lin Feiyuan retorted, "Didn’t you hear what they’re saying?!"
Song Qianji sighed helplessly, "I dislocated your jaw earlier to make you take medicine. Sealing your Spirit Qi and tying your hands was to keep you from hurting yourself by thrashing around. And I only used the Silence Talisman when you started ranting nonsense—it wasn’t meant to torment you..."
"Why bring that up now?!" Lin Feiyuan snapped, though his voice quickly dropped. "I already know that."
Song Qianji looked puzzled. "Then why are you angry?"
"Who said I’m angry at you?" Lin Feiyuan said. "I’m furious they’re spreading lies that tarnish your reputation."
After the Grand Audience Assembly, Song Qianji had gained an impeccable reputation—a cultured talent excelling in both zither and chess. Now he was the youngest Nascent Soul genius, yet people made him sound like some deranged sadist who enjoyed torturing others.
Lin Feiyuan thought: Those who can’t find real flaws just invent rumors to satisfy their own twisted minds. How dare they call themselves noble immortal sects.
But Song Qianji thought: I’m just a farmer—what do I need reputation for?
If my reputation gets too good, what if Xian Jianchen comes looking for me?
"These things—I don’t care about them," he said.Lin Feiyuan fumed with frustration: "Fine, let's say I care, alright? When they talk about me like that, don't I have any dignity to uphold?"
Song Qianji nodded: "Alright then."
"What's alright?" Lin Feiyuan was taken aback. He saw Song Qianji had already stepped forward, stopping the group of cultivators outside the mountain gate, speaking earnestly:
"Refrain from creating rumors, refrain from spreading rumors - starting from each individual, the Cultivation World will become more peaceful and harmonious!"
Lin Feiyuan leaned against a tree, laughing hysterically, his anger instantly vanishing.
The group stood bewildered, looking at each other in confusion.
One person recovered first, shouting angrily: "Where did you come from? What business is it of yours?"
"I'm also here to attend the banquet," Song Qianji replied.
Lin Feiyuan anxiously slapped the tree trunk - release your Nascent Soul Realm pressure! Slap them across the face! Song Qianji, what are you doing?!
An Enforcement Hall disciple raised a lantern, illuminating Song Qianji's face.
"It's you!" an exclamation came from within the mountain gate.
Everyone followed the sound. The speaker wore Huawel Sect's Inner Sect disciple uniform, originally busy receiving other guests. Now he was trembling all over, pointing a finger, "You're Song Qianji!"
He turned his head and called out: "Quick, someone! Protect me!"
The atmosphere instantly changed. Song Qianji signaled Meng Heze and the others not to move.
Zhao Jiheng looked around, comforting himself that they were in Huawel Sect, where experts were as numerous as clouds - he mustn't show fear.
So he shouted loudly, shaking snow from the trees:
"How dare you come here?!"
Song Qianji thought to himself that after all this time, this guy was still lacking in brains.
But considering the other had gifted him the recliner - which was very sturdy and comfortable - he smiled:
"You sent me an invitation to attend the banquet."
Zhao Jiheng's face turned pale, stammering: "Y-you actually dared to come!"
Song Qianji: "Attending banquets doesn't cost money."
"Song Qianji is here!"
—This news shattered the deep night's silence, awakening the entire Huawel Mountain.
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