Once Hua Xiangrong recovered her strength, Yun Xuechang continued to carry her.
The group stepped onto the marble-paved square and walked slowly toward the large hall ahead.
Although it was called a hall, it looked more like a wooden pavilion.
The decorations were not magnificent, yet they possessed a natural, effortless charm.
The three elegant characters for “Xiaoyao Hall” were carved into a wooden plaque.
As they walked, several disciples sprinkling water and sweeping the square turned to look, whispering among themselves in low voices.
“Look, it’s Senior Sister Yun and Senior Sister Lin!”
“They must have returned from the Evil Purging mission, right? How impressive!”
“Who is the child in Senior Sister Yun’s arms? She looks so adorable.”
“And who is that beautiful red-haired Fairy? Does our sect even have someone like that?”
“Hmm… don’t you think that child looks a lot like Senior Sister Yun and that red-haired Fairy?”
“…”
The moment those words were spoken, the grey-clothed female disciple who had opened her mouth was immediately stared at by everyone around her.
Following that, the discussion became even more heated.
“Holy crap! You’re right!”
“Then could that red-haired Fairy be Senior Sister Yun’s sweetheart? Has Senior Sister Yun actually fallen in love? And even has a child? Wuu… I feel like my heart is broken…”
The one saying this was the same female disciple who had just made the startling remark.
“Idiot! It’s a great thing if Senior Sister Yun has a Dao Companion! If she’s busy being in love, where will she find the time to train us so much?”
“Exactly, exactly! Senior Sister Yun is so ruthless when she trains people. If she’s distracted by love, she’ll definitely become much gentler. This is our lucky day!”
Unlike that grey-clothed female disciple, the young disciples nearby were all beaming with joy.
“…”
Relying on her cultivation, Hua Yan heard every word of this discussion without missing a single bit, and the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but twitch slightly.
[I say, do your Xiaoyao Sword Sect disciples not know that our cultivation is deep enough to hear them gossiping?] she sent via Telepathy to Yun Xuechang.
[They are outer disciples who just joined the sect. Most likely, they forgot themselves for a moment and became careless. Since they have such poor memories, they will easily be schemed against when they go down the mountain for experience in the future. It seems I still need to increase their training,] Yun Xuechang replied calmly.
“…”
‘Fine, you’re the boss.’
As Hua Yan continued to walk forward, she couldn’t help but offer a silent prayer for those chattering young disciples in her heart.
Speaking of which, she still didn’t know what kind of identity her grandmother had arranged for her in the Xiaoyao Sword Sect.
Since when could the Hundred Flowers Valley interfere in the affairs of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect?
Had her grandmother secretly bribed an Elder, or had she simply planted someone from the Hundred Flowers Valley within the Xiaoyao Sword Sect?
As Hua Yan walked, she couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.
During the journey from Yunjing to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect, she had tried to ask her grandmother about these things and even wanted to find an opportunity to talk to her about Hua Xiangrong’s origin.
However, for one thing, the Voice Transmission Talisman containing her grandmother’s laws was on Hua Xiangrong.
If she wanted to use it to contact her grandmother, the little girl would inevitably hear.
On the other hand, when Hua Yan finally managed to contact Hua Yuheng while Hua Xiangrong was asleep, the conversation went like this:
“Hua Yan! You stole your daughter’s protective talisman again! What do you want this time?!”
“Grandmother, let me explain. It’s like this…”
“Don’t give me that nonsense! What ‘daughter from another world’? If you dare to not acknowledge Rongrong, then you don’t need to acknowledge me as your grandmother either!”
“Grandmother, I…”
Thanks to her “excellent” credit in the past, Hua Yuheng didn’t believe a single word she said.
Instead, she gave her a harsh scolding and was even more determined to send them to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect, leaving Hua Yan with a bitterness she couldn’t voice.
‘Sigh, forget it. I won’t think about it anymore.’
‘Anyway, since Grandmother arranged this, it must be foolproof. She wouldn’t just watch her own grandchild be caught as a spy by the Righteous Path, would she?’
Hua Yan quickly tossed these thoughts aside and comforted herself.
……
The group entered the hall. The furnishings inside were just like the building itself—simple and plain.
There was a long table, a prayer mat, a cup of tea, and a Sect Master.
“Sect Master, we have returned,” Yun Xuechang said, taking the lead to step forward and pay her respects.
“Oh, Xuechang and Qianqian are back.”
Behind the table, a white-haired old man with kind eyes held his teacup and slowly looked up.
He didn’t look like the famous Sect Master of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect at all; instead, he looked like an ordinary old man sitting and drinking tea at the entrance of a mortal village.
“Come, come. Sit, sit.”
The old Sect Master, Ye Qingyuan, waved his hand with a smile. Several low tables and prayer mats flew out from his sleeve and landed gently to the side.
“Sect Master, regarding this trip to Great Chu…”
Yun Xuechang first put down the pink-haired girl in her arms and was about to speak in detail, but she was interrupted by the Sect Master raising his hand.
“Ah, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has already told me about your experiences in Great Chu. You both did very well.”
He chuckled and flicked his sleeve to pour several cups of fresh tea.
“Come, taste the tea I just brewed. This is top-quality Cloud-Mist Green. I picked it myself on the mountain.”
“Ah, that’s right. We have a little friend here too.”
He turned his gaze toward Hua Xiangrong, and a plate of dried fruits flew out of his sleeve, landing gently in front of the girl.
“Come, have a taste.”
“Wow! Thank you, Grandpa Sect Master!”
“Hoho, you’re very welcome.”
Hua Xiangrong’s eyes lit up, and she thanked him in a clear, crisp voice. Her behavior made the old man stroke his beard and smile even more broadly.
“Oh, Senior Sister, you know the Sect Master’s temperament,” Lin Qianqian said as she happily sat cross-legged on a prayer mat and took a sip of tea.
“After all these years, you’re still in such a hurry to talk about business as soon as you get back. The Sect Master doesn’t like listening to that!”
She smacked her lips, her eyes curving into crescents. “Wow! Sect Master, your tea-brewing skills have improved again!”
“Hohoho, Qianqian still knows how to talk.”
“…”
Watching the interaction, Yun Xuechang nodded slightly and sat down. She held her teacup and took a small sip, her back remaining as straight as ever.
“Then, Sect Master, regarding the aftermath of this Evil Purging mission…”
“The subsequent impact and the reason why Zhao Mingyuan fell into the evil path—I have already coordinated with the other sects to investigate those matters. As for the reward for this mission—”
Ye Qingyuan raised his hand and tossed out two storage pouches.
“Everything is in here.”
He paused, then looked at Yun Xuechang helplessly.
“However, Xuechang, I still have to remind you: in the future, when you are outside, don’t always give out IOUs. From time to time, Daoist Friends from various sects come to our door to collect debts. It makes our Xiaoyao Sword Sect look so poor. I’ve deducted the Spirit Stones you owe from your share of the reward according to the old rules. However, this Evil Purging mission was dangerous, and the commission reward was quite generous. There is still a lot left after the deduction, so you must spend it sparingly this time.”
Seeing Yun Xuechang accept the storage pouch and nod seriously, Ye Qingyuan finally turned his gaze to the side—to the red-haired young woman who had been looking around since she entered, had just taken several pieces of dried fruit from Hua Xiangrong, and was currently leaning her head close to the little girl’s to evaluate which fruit was the tastiest.
“Now then, shouldn’t we introduce ourselves properly, young friend?”
He still spoke cheerfully, the smile in his eyes gentle, but his voice was clear.
“Is that right? Young Friend Hua Yan, from the Hundred Flowers Valley?”
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