The turmoil caused by the demonic cultivators had ended. Now, the disciples of the Bright Star Sect were busy coordinating the repairs for the buildings and fields damaged by the invaders. Anything that could not be repaired, was completely demolished and rebuilt. The Elders were also discussing the rearrangement of the sect's defensive formations.
After the Elders searched the souls of a few remaining demonic cultivators, they discovered that although the demonic cultivators in the Eastern Region did not seem to make any movements, their minions had actually spread all over the Southern Region.
Before the demonic cultivators' surprise attack, they had spent a thousand years secretly exploring the position of the Bright Star Sect's formation, which allowed those Core Formation and several Nascent Soul-stage cultivators to attack the top of the twelve peaks so quickly.
Many Qi Refining disciples in the sect were killed or injured, but no Elders above the Nascent Soul stage died.
Although Zu Yuan had also returned to the ordinary people's world, the leaders of the Hedonistic and Magical Poison Sect had died. At least for the next thousand years, the two sects would not be able to make too many waves. Unless, some late-stage Deification cultivators in both sects would enter the Void Returning stage, which was a very small possibility.... ...
The Main Peak of the Bright Star Sect, Spring Courtyard.
Ta-ta... Ta-ta!
The sound of wooden swords colliding echoed around the courtyard.
In the small pavilion on the side of the lotus pond, Xiao Yunluo, wearing a light purple dress, sat in front of a stone table filled with cakes and tea as she watched Yun Tianchong and Pei Lianxue sparring in the yard. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Even at a distance of thirty feet, she and the bushes beside the pavilion could feel the sword wind drawn by the two people every time they swung their swords.
What surprised her even more was that Pei Lianxue had been fighting with Yun Tianchong for nearly a quarter of an hour without losing.Indeed, Yun Tianchong deliberately suppressed his cultivation and even went easy on her. However, putting aside his personality, he was also a cultivator who was personally taught by the Sword Ancestor in his childhood, had a profound comprehension of the sword intention and spiritual power, and had reached the late stage of Deification.
Pei Lianxue had touched fewer swords than he had touched women...
Lianxue was too scary...
Xiao Yunluo shrank her neck and suddenly felt that she had made the right choice to change from sword to magic practice. She would probably never be able to catch up with Lianxue on the same track.
"Third wife Xiao!! Third wife Xiao!"
?
"Huh?"
The parrot, who was pecking at the crumbs of pastries on the table, squawked cryptically.
Xiao Yunluo raised her eyebrows, grabbed the parrot, and shook it in her hand, bringing it in front of her. "Who said that? No matter what... I am the second wife! My cultivation is higher than Li Longling and Yun Yiyi's..."
The parrot stared at her with a look of contempt and said nothing.
Seeing its eyes, Xiao Yunluo suddenly felt like a fool. Why was she arguing with a parrot?
She took some pastry and stuffed it into the parrot's mouth:
"Eat and shut up!"
But on second thought, she noticed something wrong.
The parrot came to the Bright Star Sect, so where was her mother?
She had said before that she and Zu Yuan had killed the leaders of the Magical Poison and Hedonistic Sects, but why didn't she show up here?
Xiao Yunluo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. After she came back last time from the Eastern Wall, her mother suddenly told her that they would be just master and apprentice in the future. Aunt Qiu told her that it might not be a bad thing...
She didn't feel sad.
Ever since she could remember, apart from the last time in the Central Region, she could count the number of times she had met Si Xuanji on two hands. When she was young, she had basically grown up under the care of Aunt Qiu, Qi Baishi, and the other Elders of the Black Star Sect.
Thinking about it, Si Xuanji was indeed more like her master than her mother.
But!
Since there was no difference, why didn't her master recognize her as her daughter?
Sword wind blew from thirty feet away, causing her lavender hair to flutter.
Xiao Yunluo propped up her cheeks and looked up at the dragon horns on her forehead. Then, she puffed out her cheeks and blew out her bangs.
After much thought, she still couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it and looked up at the white clouds in the sky.
She also wondered where Ye Anping went...
Yesterday afternoon, she went to the Heavenly Pavilion to ask Zu Yuan.
Zu Yuan laughed inexplicably when he heard that she was asking about "Ye Anping", but the next moment, as if he thought of something, his expression suddenly became very solemn. He stared at her up and down for a long time, and then said somewhat embarrassedly, "Ye kid went to find a place to form his Nascent Soul."
Zu Yuan said he didn't know where he went.
When asked which direction he went, he also said he didn't know.
Xiao Yunluo had no choice but to bow and leave, but just when she turned around and flew out of the pavilion, she heard Zu Yuan say "Wow~~" and then burst into laughter again.
She was kind of scared by his laughter.
Xiao Yunluo pouted. The last time was a while ago, in the City of Dreams... She was a little worried that Ye Anping's yang energy would suddenly explode or something...
"Really? He just left without a word..."
"Fooling around!! Fooling around!!"
?
Xiao Yunluo was taken aback, and she stared at the parrot with a frown, quickly pinching its beak. "What are you talking about? How could Anping fool around? Do you think Anping is..."
Xiao Yunluo's gaze involuntarily fell on Yun Tianchong, who was focused on fighting Pei Lianxue, but she quickly shook her head and felt that it was impossible. She poked the parrot's belly. "If you slander Anping again, Lianxue will hear it. She will stew you and feed you to the Second Idiot."
"It's Her! I'm talking about Her!"
Xiao Yunluo didn't understand and tilted her head. "Huh?"
"The Beauty!! Fooling around!!"
"?"
Xiao Yunluo raised her eyebrows and asked, "Anping is a man, how is he a beauty..."
But the next moment, she pursed her lips and lowered her head with a red face.
"...Although he is indeed beautiful..."
The question mark shifted to the parrot's head, who seemed to think that Xiao Yunluo was hopeless. It shook its head and exhaled like an old man, then closed its beak and lowered its head to continue pecking at the osmanthus cake.
Not long after, a spiritual light passed over the courtyard.
Zu Lingzhi, wearing a black-and-white robe, landed in front of the pavilion with a box in her hand. Seeing Pei Lianxue fighting with Yun Tianchong, she watched them in amazement for a while before walking to the pavilion and handing the box to Xiao Yunluo.
Zu Yuan lived for twenty thousand years after all, and there were quite a few descendants in his clan. The total number of people in the side branches and distant relatives outside the four branches was more than a thousand, but none of them had extraordinary talents, and most of them only had double or triple spiritual roots.
Finally, after he discussed with the Elders in the sect for a while, the position of Young Master temporarily fell on Zu Lingzhi's shoulders.
Although Zu Lingzhi was young, she was the only cultivator with a heavenly spiritual root among the descendants of the Zu family.
As long as she could succeed in completing the Deificationstage, she could sit in the position of the sect leader.
For now, Elder Cao, Elder Liu, and other confidants who had followed Zu Yuan for a thousand years were handling the affairs of the sect together.
Zu Lingzhi walked up to Xiao Yunluo and put the box on the table. "Miss Xiao... I brought you some cakes and tea."
"Miss Zu, didn't you come to see the Second... Feng Yu Die this morning? Why are you here again before noon?"
"Ah... Miss Feng is my savior after all." Zu Lingzhi rubbed her fingers shyly, like a little girl who had just fallen in love, then asked in a low voice, "Is she awake?"
"Not yet."
"Then, I'll go see her..."
"Okay."
Xiao Yunluo nodded to indicate that she was free to do as she pleased, but Zu Lingzhi didn't have the intention to leave. She stood in front of Xiao Yunluo and opened and closed her mouth several times.
Surprised, Xiao Yunluo asked, "...Say it, what is it?"
"Well, Miss Xiao, can you tell me what Miss Feng likes?"
"Roasted chicken... I guess."
"What else?"
"Umm..."
Tap-tap--!
The sound of wooden swords knocking came from a distance, attracting Xiao Yunluo's attention. Feeling there was nothing that couldn't be said, she pointed at Pei Lianxue with her chin. "And Lianxue."
Zu Lingzhi turned her head, confused. "Does she like Miss Pei?"
"Well, probably because of her master, she has always liked girls."
"Ah?!" Zu Lingzhi was shocked, and then asked again, "But... she and Ye Anping..."
"She has nothing to do with Ye Anping! She has always wanted to marry Lianxue."
"Is that so..." Just when Zu Lingzhi walked out of the moon-shaped door not far away---
Ta--!
With a clear sound, the sword in Pei Lianxue's hand snapped in two, and one half flew past Xiao Yunluo's cheek like an arrow, startling her so much that her breath hitched.
"Hiss---"
Yun Tianchong let out a long breath, threw his wooden sword full of cracks to the side, and looked at Pei Lianxue who had been pushed back several steps by him. Although he seemed very relaxed, his forehead was already covered in cold sweat.
If he wasn't afraid that his 'father' would come out of Pei Lianxue's storage bag and scold him for being useless, he really wanted to shout, "Holy shit! This girl is freaking amazing..."
"Hehe, Miss Pei, you are still a little inexperienced!"
Pei Lianxue puffed up her cheeks, patted her dress, and pulled out another intact wooden sword from her storage bag before bowing. "Master Yun, please teach me again!"
Then, she rushed forward again, and Yun Tianchong gasped. Hiss--- Come again? You have broken forty wooden swords!! My God~~!!
"Hiss---"
Tap--tap...
The tapping of the wooden swords subsided for only three breaths, and then it sounded again.
... ...
The window was half-open, the sun shone on the window lattice, and the shadows of the pear tree outside the house were reflected on the silver-haired girl sleeping on the bed by the window. Her eyes were closed, and she was tightly grasping a lavender robe in her hands.
On the round table in the room, Xiao Tian was in high spirits, with bright eyes, and was vigorously brandishing a branch she had picked up from outside the window.
She didn't know where Xue'e had gotten the wooden sword from, but since she had started to practice sword, how could she not practice too?!
She was waiting for Ye Anping to form his Nascent Soul, and then she would ask him to get her a suitable weapon too!
The next time she saw Xue'e, she would knock her down to kneel and call out, "Master Tian! Stop hitting! I was wrong!!"
"Humph!!"
It was all because of her incompetence.
If she hadn't failed to beat Xue'e, how could Gu Mingxin kiss her Anping?
If Gu Mingxin hadn't kissed her Anping, her Yu Die wouldn't have slept for so long because of the inner demon.
The cause of everything was that she was too weak!
"I will become stronger!! Ha!"
The branch suddenly hit the teapot on the table, and with a "crash", the teapot slid off the table and broke into pieces.
Feng Yu Die, who was lying quietly on the bed, seemed to have heard the noise and opened her eyes in a daze, but was dazzled by the sunlight coming through the window, and she raised her left hand to cover it.
"Eh... Yu Die?"
Feng Yu Die sat up from the bed abruptly, looked around anxiously, and shouted, "Master Ye!!"
Not seeing Ye Anping, she tried to get out of bed, but perhaps because she had no strength after sleeping for too long, it took a lot of effort just to move her legs out of bed.
Xiao Tian saw Feng Yu Die's anxious and pale face and was both relieved and distressed. She hurriedly flew over and comforted her. "Anping is fine, he went out to find a place to form his Nascent Soul."
"But..."
"With the spiritual root of the old man Zu Yuan, he is now a pseudo-heavenly spiritual root cultivator. Moreover, the most dangerous first lightning tribulation has been passed. Unless he deliberately wants to be killed by the thunder tribulation, the remaining thirty-five tribulations will definitely not pose a danger to him."
"..."
Feng Yu Die listened in silence. Suddenly, she realized that her right hand was tightly grasping a lavender outer robe. She looked up at Xiao Tian with a puzzled face, inquiring about the origin of the robe.
"Hehe... At that time, you fainted. When Anping carried you back to the Main Peak, you refused to let go, so Anping simply took off the robe."
Xiao Tian smiled motherly, sat on Feng Yu Die's shoulder, and poked her cheek.
"A few days ago, Xiao girl came over several times and wanted to take the robe away, but you just refused to let go, so she let you hold it."
"Oh..."
Feng Yu Die nodded weakly, looking at Ye Anping's robe in her hand. After a long pause, she slowly brought it to her nose and sniffed it.
"Sniff..."
Even though it had been a few days and the scent of her and her bedding was all over the robe, she did not know why she felt warmth in her heart just by smelling it, as if Ye Anping was right beside her.
A faint blush gradually appeared on her pale face.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Tian hugged her chest like an old-fashioned matchmaker, and said: "Hehe... Are you dependent on Anping? You feel anxious when you can't see him, right? Yu Die... this is love, hum~"
Feng Yu Die bit her lips lightly and did not refute. She remembered what she blurted out in front of Gu Mingxin in a state of confusion.
"..."
"Yu Die, don't be embarrassed~ Come on! Say it! I'll help you tell Anping then! Come~~ ah... say it with me, I. Like. Young. Master Ye."
Pouting, Feng Yu Die glared at her. "You useless guy, so annoying, shut up! Let me think about it!!"
"Well~ Okay... Hehe-- tell me if you want to say it, I'm right next to you."
"..."
Seeing Xiao Tian returning to the table to practice swordplay, Feng Yu Die sat on the edge of the bed and lowered her eyes to look at her bare feet resting on the wooden floor. She put her hair around her ear, and then, as if she had thought of something, she felt around, took the storage bag in her hand, and summoned the portrait that she had bought in the City of Dreams a while ago.
Whoosh---
The painting unfolded, and the solemn boy in black filled her golden eyes, causing her pupils to tremble slightly.
Before she knew it, she was mesmerized.
Xiao Tian had already swung her sword for the hundredth time, but Feng Yu Die was still sitting by the bed holding the scroll, staring at the person in the painting, only blinking from time to time.
"Hehehe..."
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door.
Knock knock---
Startled, Feng Yu Die hastily rolled back the painting and hid it under her buttocks.
She looked up and saw that it was the Bright Star Sect girl she had saved from Gu Mingxin who opened the door and poked her head in.
---You are Zu... Zu something?
Zu Lingzhi was a little surprised to see Feng Yu Die sitting on the bed. She hurriedly took out some pills from the storage bag, handed them to her, and sat down beside her.
"Miss Feng, these are some top-grade Spirit Gathering pills. You should take them to nourish your body after you have been sleeping for so long. If it weren't for you, I would have died in the hands of the demonic cultivator disguised as a disciple of the Bright Star Sect."
Feng Yu Die nodded woodenly and took it directly. She unscrewed the cork and poured two pills into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed them, then stuck out her tongue bitterly. "Well... you're welcome."
However, when she looked at Zu Lingzhi, she found that Zu Lingzhi seemed to be preparing herself mentally as she was taking a few deep breaths with a blushing face.
"Miss Feng, that... I heard from Miss Xiao that you like girls... right?"
?
Feng Yu Die was stunned and did not respond, wondering why she asked this question.
"..."
Seeing that she did not deny it, Zu Lingzhi smiled shyly and continued, "I don't mind girls... You saved me, and I would like to repay you, if possible! Will you consider it? I know you like Miss Pei... but no one said that there can be only one cultivation partner..."
Hearing this, Xiao Tian, who was standing on the table, suddenly bared her teeth and took a deep breath. "Hiss---"
Yu Die was finally straightened by Anping, why did this Zu Lingzhi suddenly come out and want to change her Yu Die back?!
Xiao Tian narrowed her eyes and wanted to kick Zu Lingzhi in the face. However, just as she jumped up, Feng Yu Die frowned and said, "We don't even have a bird together, how can we be cultivation partners?"
"?"
Xiao Tian was stunned. She felt as if she had heard these words from Yun Jiujiu before...
Zu Lingzhi was also stunned. She had clearly prepared herself mentally for a while before entering the room. After all, the original concept, the harmony of yin and yang was common sense.
But she didn't care. She could accept the double yin.
And now, she was stumped when she heard Feng Yu Die's question...
"Ah... But Miss Feng... Don't you like girls?"
"But two girls can't have children." Feng Yu Die raised an eyebrow and asked, "Miss Zu, you don't even know this?"
"I know... No... I don't know... No... I..."
"The crane won't bring the baby."
"..."
Zu Lingzhi looked at Feng Yu Die who explained things to her seriously. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. After opening and closing her mouth several times, she simply didn't say anything.
The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tian was like an old mother seeing her son, who had been stupid for more than twenty years, suddenly become normal one day.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she threw herself on Feng Yu Die's head, hugging her. "Waaaa, Yu Die! My Yu Die!! My Yu Die has grown up!"
Zu Lingzhi finally sorted out the mess, and asked with a sigh of relief, "However, I have to repay you. Is there anything you lack? Spirit stones, pills, natural treasures, houses, caves... Even if you want to be an Elder of the Bright Star Sect, I can do that for you."
Feng Yu Die peeled off Xiao Tian from her head, thought for a while, and her eyes lit up as she said,
"Spirit stones, the more the better."
At least it's better to be straightforward than saying "Give me what you see fit"...
Zu Lingzhi nodded, then asked, "Can I make another small request?"
"Oh?"
"Just come to the Bright Star Sect when you have nothing to do in the future, and I'll take you to the market." Zu Lingzhi stroked a strand of her hair and lowered her head. "Don't look like I am the great-granddaughter of the Immortal Patriarch Zu Yuan. In fact, I... I don't have many friends."
"Okay."
"By the way, I will be the Young Miss of the Bright Star Sect in the future! Great grandfather has lost all his cultivation now. If you need anything in the future, just send me a letter and tell me. As long as I can do it, I will agree!"
"Okay."
"Then... I won't disturb your rest. I still have to help the disciples of the sect to repair the spiritual fields. Bye. By the way, just call me Lingzhi in the future."
"Okay, Lingzhi."
Zu Lingzhi smiled, walked out of the room, slowly closed the door, and then leaned against it, letting out a heavy breath. She secretly rejoiced for a while because she had finally made the first cultivator friend she wanted to make, and then flew to the mountainside on her sword.
