On the high platform of the Sect Ceremony, the disciples looked up at the Sect Master standing far above them, as well as the Saintess, Chu Lingshuang, by her side.
It was more than just envy for her talent; the gazes directed at her were filled with a sense of worship and infatuation.
“Alright, Lingshuang, you’ve worked hard. You may go now,” the Sect Master said.
“Yes, Sect Master.”
Chu Lingshuang bowed in greeting.
Then, she lightly pushed off on her toes and flew down gracefully, landing among the disciples.
Seeing Chu Lingshuang descend, the disciples instinctively cleared a path for her, allowing her to leave without any obstruction.
Chu Lingshuang was already accustomed to this daily routine, but as she reached the end of the path, she was suddenly bumped by the elbows of two female disciples on either side of her.
“Ah! Sorry, sorry! We’re in a hurry!”
A woman with fiery red short hair and wheat-colored skin apologized, pressing her hands together as she nodded.
She then hurriedly chased after a pink-haired girl who had continued running ahead without even offering an apology.
“Hey! Xiaotang! Wait for me! Slow down!”
Before Chu Lingshuang could say anything, she saw the two of them sprint past her at an incredible speed.
Their cultivation was clearly not low.
‘It seems the sect truly has been full of hidden talents during the few years I was in seclusion.’
Chu Lingshuang smiled and shook her head, continuing her pace forward.
But before she could even take half a step, her progress was halted by a voice.
Su Xiaotang, who had reached the bottom of the stage, held two bags of steaming buns.
While still chewing, she shouted up to Chu Fan with a muffled, indistinct voice.
“Master! These buns are delicious! Hurry down and try some! Should I toss them up to you?”
The moment he saw Su Xiaotang, Chu Fan felt a pounding headache.
He turned toward Shen Yuying as if pleading for help.
Receiving the signal, Shen Yuying walked to the edge of the platform.
“Qianchi, take Xiaotang away to rest. Remember, let her eat ‘plenty’.”
Shen Yuying intentionally emphasized the word ‘plenty’, as if trying to stuff the girl’s mouth.
“Understood, Senior Sister.”
Without another word, Chen Qianchi grabbed Su Xiaotang and began dragging her toward the other side, leaving Su Xiaotang looking completely dazed.
Watching this farce, Chu Lingshuang only felt it was comical.
She smiled and shook her head, but just as she was about to leave, the following words forced her eyes to widen.
“Huh? What’s going on? Why are you dragging me away, Senior Sister? I haven’t given the buns to Master yet. Oh, right, look! There’s also this sugar figurine. I specifically asked the craftsman to write words on it. See, ‘Chu Fan.’ It’s Master’s name. The vendor even said it’s a good thing Master’s name is easy to write and has so few letters, otherwise he definitely would have charged extra.”
Chu Lingshuang spun around abruptly, looking up at the platform where she had just been standing.
When she saw that face clearly, her pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpricks.
She clenched her hands so tightly that her fingertips turned white.
She opened her mouth, trembling for a long time, but still couldn’t squeeze out a single word.
Only now did she suddenly recall how that woman had addressed Chu Fan.
And who was the person currently standing next to Chu Fan?
The one on the left was the Sect Master, and she seemed to be on good terms with him, but who was the person on the right?
Why was she clinging to his arm?
‘My head is a mess; it feels like it’s going to explode.’
On the other side, Chu Fan looked down at Su Xiaotang and Chen Qianchi from the stage and helplessly slapped his forehead.
Then, with a light leap, he jumped off the platform and approached the two of them.
Seeing Chu Fan come down, Su Xiaotang swallowed the food in her mouth in a few bites and presented the buns and the sugar figurine to him.
“Here, Master. These are the buns I just bought. The bag on the left has vegetable filling, and the bag on the right is… hmm?”
Su Xiaotang suddenly noticed the bag on the right felt light.
She shook it a few times and discovered there was nothing inside.
“Eh? Where did they go?”
“You probably ate all the meat-filled ones. Your mouth didn’t stop once on the way here,” Chen Qianchi teased mercilessly.
“Hehe…”
Su Xiaotang sheepishly poked out her pink tongue and reached up to cover the back of her neck, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“Sigh…”
Chu Fan let out a helpless sigh.
After taking the bag of vegetable buns, he turned and met Jun Lin’s gaze.
“Then, Sect Master, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Go on. I will find you if I have business. You cannot leave the sect, anyway.”
“Mm.”
Turning around, Chu Fan led his three disciples past Chu Lingshuang.
“Mas… Master…”
Hearing the hoarse, trembling voice, Chu Fan turned to meet Chu Lingshuang’s eyes, raising an eyebrow.
“Master, is that person calling you?” Shen Yuying asked softly.
“No way, Master! Do you actually have a secret student besides the three of us?! I don’t approve! I don’t approve!”
“Shut up!”
Chen Qianchi hit Su Xiaotang on the head irritably.
“Ouch!”
Chu Fan looked back, his expression still as calm as water.
“I don’t know her. She probably isn’t calling me. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Master.”
Watching Chu Fan’s receding back, Chu Lingshuang reached out her hand, but it only remained suspended in the air.
Suddenly, her nose tingled and her eyes grew hot, her vision gradually blurring.
Her hand remained frozen in midair, but his silhouette only grew smaller and smaller.
The chilly morning breeze seemed to flow through her pores and into her body, carrying a bone-chilling cold.
Back in the room, Chu Fan began drawing blueprints in a corner by himself.
His three disciples huddled together, whispering among themselves.
Su Xiaotang was the first to speak.
“Hey, Senior Sister, no matter how you look at it, that female disciple was talking to Master, right? Who exactly is she?”
Shen Yuying shook her head.
“Since Master doesn’t want to talk about it, then as his disciples, we shouldn’t ask, nor should we continue to discuss it. Do you understand, Xiaotang?”
“Oh.”
Chu Fan didn’t listen to what they were chatting about.
He was entirely immersed in his mechanics.
A significant amount of time passed, and just as he felt a bit thirsty and wanted to pour a cup of tea, he noticed someone standing beside him, holding a cup of cold tea.
“Master, please have some.”
“Ah… oh, Yuying.”
Chu Fan took the cup and drank half of it.
“Thank you.”
“Master, I have something I do not understand. I would like to seek your guidance.”
“Is it about your cultivation?”
Shen Yuying shook her head.
Hearing the sound of her head shaking, Chu Fan turned to meet her gaze and offered a faint smile.
“Jun Lin said she prepared a training ground specifically for you. Go take Qianchi and the others to see it.”
“…Yes… Master…”
Shen Yuying hesitated for a moment but finally agreed.
Once the three girls left, only Chu Fan remained in the room.
He began to enjoy his time alone, but at the same time, his brow began to furrow.
‘Tianxuan Sect. So she ended up here. It really is a small world. Sigh.’
Knock, knock, knock
Chu Fan’s sigh was only halfway out when a knock sounded at the door.