The attention of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples had originally been focused on Feng Lingshuang’s injuries.
Their gazes held concern mixed with a hint of instinctive wariness toward their unfamiliar surroundings.
However, when Lu Li introduced himself, the words “Lu Li, Peak Lord of Duanqing Peak from the Xuling Sect” reached their ears clearly.
The expressions on the faces of several disciples underwent a subtle shift in an instant.
The woman leading them, the one called Mingyue, slightly arched her sword-like eyebrows.
A flicker of obvious surprise flashed through her eyes, which quickly transformed from scrutiny into a respectful solemnity.
She immediately straightened her posture and cupped her hands once more, her movements far more formal than before.
“So it is Peak Lord Lu of the Xuling Sect! Please forgive my lack of etiquette!”
Her voice was clear and carried a sense of heartfelt admiration.
“I am Lin Mingyue, a core disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Your name, Peak Lord Lu, precedes you like a clap of thunder. To meet you today is truly my good fortune.”
The young disciples behind her could not help but exchange astonished looks.
Their gazes toward Lu Li were suddenly filled with curiosity and admiration.
One of the younger male disciples could not resist whispering to his companion, “It really is that Peak Lord Lu! I heard he became the lord of a peak at such a young age, and his cultivation is unfathomable. After resolving that major case involving the Demonic Path in Yangzhou City, his cultivation is said to be aimed directly at the Golden Core stage…”
Another female disciple echoed in a low voice, her tone unable to hide her excitement.
“Yes, I didn’t expect to run into him here!”
Ever since Lu Li had cracked the case in Yangzhou, his name had gained significant weight and fame among the younger generation of cultivators around the Jin Kingdom.
This was not just because of his status as a Peak Lord, but also because of his chivalrous heart, which was enough to earn the respect of even these proud geniuses of the sword.
Lin Mingyue clearly heard the whispers of her Junior Brother and Junior Sister.
She turned her head slightly, signaling them with her eyes to keep quiet, but her own expression of respect toward Lu Li did not diminish.
This sudden recognition and the undisguised respect of the disciples caught Lu Li slightly off guard.
Although he knew he was not entirely unknown in the cultivation world, he had not expected such a reaction from the core disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
He returned the gesture with a humble bow.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, you overpraise me. It is but a hollow reputation, nothing more.”
Lin Mingyue then spoke to Lu Li again.
“My apologies, Senior Lu. The sect elders have urgent matters to attend to, so I am afraid we cannot stay to keep you company.”
She then turned to Feng Lingshuang.
Her tone remained respectful, but it carried a hint of urgency.
“Grandmaster-Aunt, there is an emergency message from the sect. The Sect Master has issued a strict order for you to return immediately to make a decision. What do you think…?”
Hearing this, Feng Lingshuang turned toward Lu Li.
The veiled hat concealed all of her complex emotions, leaving only a polite sense of distance.
“Thank you for your assistance, True Person Lu. I am deeply grateful. The sect’s summons is urgent and cannot be delayed, so please forgive me for taking my leave first.”
Lu Li followed suit and said, “You are too kind, Fellow Daoist. It was merely a small effort. Since your sect has important matters, please, go ahead.”
His internal thoughts echoed at that moment, carrying a faint sense of loss that even he did not deeply investigate.
‘Gone? That’s for the best. The affairs of the Heavenly Sword Sect ultimately have nothing to do with me. Feng Lingshuang… I hope you are well in this life.’
This last thought was like the final straw, nearly suffocating Feng Lingshuang.
She did not dare to stay for another second, fearing she would lose control.
Surrounded by Mingyue and the others, she left the stone pavilion somewhat hastily, limping away.
She did not even have the courage to look back at the lone figure in green standing in the pavilion.
The night wind blew again, yet it could not disperse the complex emotions and unresolved mysteries remaining in the pavilion.
Lu Li stood where he was, watching the backs of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples as they walked away.
After a long while, he let out a soft sigh and turned to blend into the night.
As for Feng Lingshuang, the moment her fellow disciples supported her, her body was still trembling slightly.
Beneath the veiled hat, tears once again fell silently.
‘Master…’
‘There must have been some kind of misunderstanding between us in our former lives. I will find out everything… I will definitely uncover the truth!’
Lu Li stood alone in the stone pavilion, watching the group of Heavenly Sword Sect disciples as they surrounded that white, slightly hurried and stumbling figure.
They gradually disappeared at the end of the garden path, merging into the distant lights and the sounds of the crowd.
The night wind brushed past, bringing with it a faint, distant clamor that only served to emphasize the silence of this spot.
The inexplicable sense of loss in his heart did not vanish; instead, it felt as if it were being soaked by the night wind, winding around him in thin threads.
“Gone…”
He let out a soft breath, trying to dispel the strange emotion.
However, at the very moment the white figure was about to completely vanish around the corner of his vision, a vague yet persistent sense of familiarity surfaced in his heart like a hidden reef beneath the water.
“Strange…”
‘That Fellow Daoist’s back just now…’
Lu Li frowned slightly, searching through his memories.
That posture, that slightly thin but upright silhouette—especially the skeletal frame he had briefly felt through her clothes when he supported her earlier…
‘Have I seen her somewhere before?’
But as for where exactly, it felt as if it were separated by a thick fog, blurry and without a single clear clue.
Was it some other Elder from the Heavenly Sword Sect?
Or a fellow cultivator he had met once during a sect ceremony or a Secret Realm exploration?
He thought back carefully, but found nothing.
The feeling was subtle, like his fingertip was about to touch the answer, only for it to remain a hair’s breadth away.
“Master!”
“Master! Why did you run off to this place!”
Two shouts, filled with obvious anxiety and reproach, broke Lu Li’s contemplation.
He turned toward the sound and saw Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu searching for him, one behind the other, hurrying down another path.
Gu Qingying ran in front, her purple eyes full of worry, her small face slightly flushed from running.
“We’ve been looking for you for ages! You disappeared in the blink of an eye. We thought you’d been offended by some blind fool!”
Gong Shangyu followed behind at a slightly slower pace, but her face also carried the tension of a failed search.
She approached and habitually scanned Lu Li’s body.
Just as she was about to echo Gu Qingying’s words, her nostrils flared almost imperceptibly.
A very faint, crisp scent, carrying an ethereal fragrance of cold plum blossoms, was lingering around the collar and sleeves of her Master’s robes.
This was definitely not the scent her Master usually carried, nor was it the fragrance of ordinary flowers in the garden.
‘This scent…’
Gong Shangyu’s pink eyes narrowed slightly as a sliver of doubt rose in her heart.
‘It seems… a bit familiar? Like I’ve smelled it somewhere before?’
She tried to remember, but for a moment, she couldn’t pinpoint the corresponding memory.
She only felt that this fragrance did not belong to an ordinary female cultivator; it carried a unique, inimitable cold charm.
‘Oh no…’
‘Master was alone while Junior Sister and I were gone… He couldn’t have been “stolen” by some vixen, could he?’
As she thought of this, the expression on Gong Shangyu’s face instantly became serious.
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