"Something terrible has happened, Senior Brother Meng has gone mad!"
That's what the Outer Sect disciples were all saying.
They rushed to Song Courtyard with grave concern and urgent determination, ready to join forces to subdue the enraged beast.
But they saw Meng Heze wearing an apron, carrying out a bowl of noodles.
Rich broth poured over the toppings, steaming in the cool night air, its aroma drifting with the spring breeze.
All the warmth and vitality of human life in the deep night was contained within this celadon noodle bowl.
Song Qianji kept his head down, eating the noodles with careful chewing.
Meng Heze was bathed in a layer of soft moonlight, a content and serene smile on his face, as if full of hope for life and love for the whole world.
Where was there even a hint of Qi Deviation?
"Senior Brother Meng, are you alright?" Zhou Xiaoyun asked hesitantly. "The injuries on you..."
Meng Heze couldn't afford to have anything happen to him. He wasn't just an individual now—he was the hope and backbone of the entire Outer Sect.
"I'll go tend to my injuries right away." Meng Heze didn't let her continue, smiling as he said, "Let's go, we shouldn't disturb Senior Brother Song's rest."
The disciples exchanged puzzled glances, then politely bowed to Song Qianji and took their leave.
Meng Heze was the last to exit the small courtyard.
After closing the vermilion gate and turning around, his expression instantly turned cold.
The group walked along the flower-lined path until they reached a distance where they were sure Song Qianji couldn't hear or be affected. Only then did Meng Heze speak:
"Were those six from Green Cliff in the audience earlier?"
Zhou Xiaoyun thought for a moment: "We did see them, why?"
"Nothing." Meng Heze fell silent.
He felt things weren't that simple.
The Six Sages of Green Cliff might have been able to bribe his opponent. After all, the opponent came from a small sect. Though talented, they were desperately short of cultivation resources, making it understandable they'd take risks for Spirit Stones.
But to bribe the arena Deacon and tamper with the arena shielding formation probably required direct instructions from Zhao Yuping of the Deacon Hall.
The Six Sages of Green Cliff were pushed to the forefront as pawns, while Zhao Yuping was responsible for the underhanded schemes.
"What about tomorrow?" someone interrupted his thoughts. "After the next round ends, it'll be time for the spectators to vote."
The Outer Sect disciples wore worried expressions.
Meng Heze had been too ferocious earlier—everyone watching from the sidelines had been terrified.
The martial test was also called a performance match—those who won hearts would win the day.
"The road isn't completely blocked yet." Meng Heze thought for a moment before saying, "Although this fight wasn't visually appealing, if handled properly, it could instead create its own unique style, standing out from the rest."
"What do you mean?" Zhou Xiaoyun didn't understand.
Meng Heze suddenly asked: "Have any of you ever wondered why everyone thinks Miaoyan is the most beautiful? Clearly none of us have seen her, so where does her reputation as the most beautiful come from?"
This was a question Song Qianji had once asked him. He had pondered it deeply since.
Everyone shook their heads blankly, wondering what this had to do with Fairy Miaoyan.
Meng Heze laughed: "Aesthetics can be influenced and changed."
His utterly confident tone and demeanor affected the other disciples, and they began to regain hope.
"Alright, we absolutely won't give up." Zhou Xiaoyun said firmly. "Whatever needs to be done now, we'll follow your lead."
"Then of course... get a good night's sleep." Meng Heze said. "Don't waste this bright moon and gentle breeze."
Under the bright moon and gentle breeze, some were destined not to sleep well.
Zhao Taiji sat in the main hall of Redwater Peak, his expression grave.
"A female cultivator with a large blade appeared out of nowhere?" he said coldly. "Say that again."The respondent broke into a cold sweat. "It was indeed a female cultivator. Her lifebound magical artifact is a golden-ringed broadsword. Her blade technique is fierce and domineering, brutal and vicious. She must be at least at the Golden Core realm or higher!"
The dozen or so people in the hall were not disciples from his Redwater Peak but guards dispatched by the Zhao family.
Taking advantage of the Grand Audience Assembly, they had entered the Huawel Sect to await Zhao Taiji's orders.
Zhao Yuping, standing nearby, ventured cautiously, "Could it be that 'that person' sent someone to secretly protect Song Qianji?"
Someone sent by Xian Jianchen?
Zhao Taiji had considered this possibility but quickly dismissed it.
After Xian Jianchen left the Huawel Sect, he had no disciples, no friends.
No one pledged loyalty to him, nor did he need anyone's allegiance. Who could he possibly send to protect Song Qianji?
The Calligrapher Sage had the Azure Cliff Academy, the Chess Devil had the Purple Cloud Temple, and Qin Xian had the Celestial Sound Sect.
The Sword God only had his sword.
He came and went alone, his whereabouts elusive and unpredictable. Even his sword hadn't been seen in public for a long time.
If he truly regarded Song Qianji as his disciple, keeping him by his side would be far better than sending someone for close protection.
If it wasn’t Xian Jianchen, then who?
Zhao Taiji carefully pondered the possibilities but still had no leads.
Because among the famous Golden Core cultivators in the Cultivation World known for their domineering blade techniques, none were women.
Unable to discern the opponent's background, he felt not only anger but also a long-lost trace of fear.
He even thought that if time could be reversed, he shouldn’t have drawn his sword in the Cosmos Palace.
At the very least, that fatal strike shouldn’t have been aimed at Song Qianji.
Zhao Taiji closed his eyes. "If we cannot resolve this matter, I will report it to the family head. Before that, find out if there’s really only one Golden Core cultivator by his side, or if there are other formidable figures."
Zhao Yuping inwardly groaned. One Golden Core cultivator was already more than enough—dare there be more?
Song Qianji, with such powerful backing, why did you come to the Huawel Sect as an outer sect disciple and remain one for three years?
Back then, you were trampled upon without any ability to fight back. Are you dropping the act now?
※※※
The wind swept through the bamboo forest, rustling the leaves.
The bamboo loft was draped with white curtains on all sides. Moonlight filtered through the fluttering gauze, casting a long, slanting shadow of Miaoyan.
Inside the loft, a hundred flowers bloomed, rivaling the daytime flower appreciation gathering.
The silver lotus before her was even better than the one she had brought to the gathering.
It was a twin silver lotus, with two blossoms on one stem—a sight rarely seen in a century.
During the flower competition earlier, every female cultivator had showcased their most treasured and exotic plants.
Miaoyan had not done so.
As a disciple of the Celestial Sound Sect, she devoted herself fully to playing the qin and composing music. For other pursuits like gardening, tea art, or chess, she only displayed ninety percent of her skill, never seeking to outshine others in everything.
Under the moonlight, each petal of the silver lotus shimmered faintly, like countless tiny stars scattered across the water.
—"If you like it, I’ll give it to you."
—"No need."
At this thought, Miaoyan picked up the small golden scissors for trimming flowers, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Snip.
One blossom fell into the water.
Only a single flower remained on the twin lotus, blooming alone.
Miaoyan set down the scissors and turned back to the desk, lighting a lamp to examine her qin.
No matter what she did during the day or how tired she was, she always practiced the qin upon returning to her residence.
Her master, Wangshu, once said that among the younger generation of sound cultivators, she was the most diligent and focused.
But Miaoyan loved playing the qin, so she never found it painful.Playing the qin was beautiful, effortless, and liberating. All the unspoken words and restrained thoughts could be expressed through its melodies.
She lowered her head, fingers gliding over the strings, pouring out her heart's deepest sentiments with unrestrained candor.
Moonlight bathed the emerald bamboo grove as Fairy Wangshu followed her maidservant along the winding path.
At one hundred and twenty years of age, Fairy Wangshu maintained her youthful appearance through cultivation arts.
Time had left no trace upon her; she remained breathtakingly beautiful, with skin like congealed cream, so delicate it seemed it might break at a touch.
Her phoenix eyes and slender brows framed by cloud-like coiled hair, every gesture carried an authority young female cultivators lacked.
For someone of her stature, people no longer paid excessive attention to her appearance.
Fairy Wangshu's cultivation had reached a bottleneck, lacking only a final opportunity to advance to the Transformation Stage.
Yet her life's proudest achievements were twofold: first, becoming Qin Xian's disciple, and second, taking Miaoyan as her own pupil.
As she approached the bamboo pavilion, crystalline qin notes greeted her—flowing like drifting clouds and running water, clear as spring water striking stone.
Like the ancient tune "High Mountains Flowing Waters," finding a true musical soulmate was rare. Miaoyan must be in low spirits, yet her playing remained exquisite.
With a raised hand, she signaled her maidservant to withdraw silently.
Wangshu restrained her aura and ascended the stairs alone, quietly listening until the final note faded before calling out tenderly:
"Yan'er."
Startled by the voice, Miaoyan rose and hurried forward, her face bright with surprise:
"Master, you've come!"
Fairy Wangshu's brows furrowed: "You're smiling too much!"
Her tone was stern, her gaze icy.
Miaoyan halted mid-step, her smile freezing as the corners of her lips slightly lowered.
Fairy Wangshu circled Miaoyan, examining her from head to toe: "That's better."
Satisfied, her eyes crinkled with a smile that felt like warm spring breeze:
"When I first met you in this Huawel Sect bamboo pavilion, you were just a girl, thin as a wild monkey. How time flies."
Miaoyan smiled faintly with lowered eyes: "Yes, Master.Miaoyan couldn't laugh heartily—it would destroy her ethereal, immortal-like aura and diminish her transcendent elegance.
Nor could she remain completely unsmiling. Her features weren't naturally sweet; instead, her mouth naturally curved downward. Without a smile, her cheeks appeared gaunt, her bone structure prominent. Combined with her tall, slender frame, this created an impression of austere stubbornness.
Nothing in this world was perfect—only perfect illusions existed.
Everything came with a price.
"I came this time accompanying your grandmaster and your martial aunt." Fairy Wangshu gently took her hand, sitting together to talk with the affectionate ease of a mother with her daughter.
Miaoyan looked surprised: "Grandmaster came personally? Should this disciple pay respects tomorrow?"
"No need. You'll see him during the Music Examination." Fairy Wangshu's smile faded slightly: "After emerging from seclusion, your martial aunt wishes to take a disciple and came to observe the examination for suitable candidates. Your grandmaster accompanied her."
Miaoyan's grandmaster was Qin Xian.
Qin Xian had taken two personal disciples, so Fairy Wangshu had an elder martial sister. By seniority, she was Miaoyan's martial aunt.
But these two disciples had incompatible temperaments and maintained a distant relationship.
As Qin Xian grew older and gradually withdrew from Celestial Sound Sect affairs, their rivalry intensified.
The Celestial Sound Sect had split into two factions.
Miaoyan knew her master believed inheriting Qin Xian's legacy was the key opportunity for her own advancement to the Transformation Stage.
That the grandmaster personally accompanied the martial aunt to select a disciple showed clear favoritism—this must displeasure her master greatly.
"Have you prepared the piece I asked you to play after the Music Examination?" Fairy Wangshu inquired."I will do my best," Miaoyan said cautiously.
"Not just your best," Fairy Wangshu stared intently at her, "You must give your all, your absolute all!"
In any setting where Miaoyan played the qin, people would only remember Miaoyan, retaining no impression of other performers.
How could the faint glimmer of a grain of rice compete with the radiance of a luminous pearl?
Wangshu thought to herself, when everyone is overshadowed by Miaoyan during the Music Examination, what disciples could you possibly recruit, senior sister?
"I will certainly exert my utmost effort."
Fairy Wangshu said, "If my senior sister takes on a personal disciple, according to our sect's tradition, that disciple would become the senior disciple among your generation. Even if her cultivation is lower than yours or she's younger than you, you would still have to address her as 'Eldest Senior Sister' when you meet her."
Miaoyan suddenly understood, for she was most adept at discerning her master's intentions.
Thus she declared, "I have no need for an Eldest Senior Sister."
Fairy Wangshu nodded with satisfaction: "The Celestial Sound Sect can only have one Miaoyan, and the Cultivation World can only have one Miaoyan. Very well, what piece have you prepared? Play one for your master now."
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