Gu Ming slowly opened his eyes at the sound of knocking. After answering, he got out of bed.
He changed his clothes and walked to the front gate. He stood there dazed, his expression turning a bit complicated. A line of carriages was parked at the entrance. A quick count revealed at least a dozen of them. Aside from the carriages, there was a team of people, drivers, and accompanying guards.
However, to Gu Ming’s surprise, the leader was a strange young girl. Her hair was tied in a bun, her face was clear and pretty, and she had a well-proportioned figure. She wore a white leather skirt, beneath which were a pair of shapely, strong calves. Her eyes darted around as she looked left and right, appearing quite intimidated by strangers. But when she saw Gu Ming come out, she immediately stepped forward and bowed slightly to him.
“Master Nameless, hello. I am Xiao Yue. I have been ordered by the Saintess to come and escort you to Saintess Mountain.”
Gu Ming’s expression turned odd as he asked, “You know who I am?”
“Yes.” Xiao Yue nodded vigorously. “Master Nameless is currently the Man of the Hour at Saintess Mountain. Everyone knows who you are.”
Gu Ming’s face stiffened. “Just because of my looks…”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Xiao Yue kept nodding. “Everyone says you had incredible luck and won too easily. Also, because you barely fought during the finals, many people suspect the Saintess rigged the match.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said Master Nameless had dumb luck…” She suddenly realized her slip of the tongue and bowed repeatedly to apologize.
Gu Ming quickly stopped her. He held his forehead and thought, ‘I haven’t even entered the sect yet, and I’m already the Man of the Hour?’ It felt like it would be a lot of trouble. Gu Ming felt a headache coming on.
Xiao Yue said, “Master Nameless, I’ll have someone go inside and pack your bags for you. Is it convenient for you to lead the way?”
“I don’t have much luggage.”
Gu Ming gave a wry smile, thinking, ‘The Saintess couldn’t possibly have thought I had so much stuff that she needed to send so many people, right?’
“Then… then…”
Xiao Yue panicked. The script she had practiced so hard was thrown into disarray by Gu Ming’s response. Her mind went blank, and she didn’t know what to say.
“Just take me directly there.” Seeing her stuck, Gu Ming gave a bitter laugh and helped her out of her predicament.
“Yes, yes, of course. Then, please… Aah!”
Xiao Yue nodded sharply, but as she turned around, her left foot tripped over her right. She fell face-first, her forehead turning red from the impact. She let out a sharp cry of pain.
Gu Ming covered his face. ‘This girl is way too clumsy.’
The others remained calm and composed, as if they were used to this.
*Sob, sob, sob…*
Xiao Yue climbed up from the ground despite the pain and bowed to Gu Ming again. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine.” Gu Ming was helpless but waved his hand to put her at ease.
Following Xiao Yue’s “please” gesture, Gu Ming boarded a carriage. Xiao Yue followed behind and sat inside as well. The carriage was quite spacious, enough to fit six people. With only two of them, there was plenty of room to move.
Xiao Yue sat diagonally across from Gu Ming, huddling her body as if she were sitting across from a heinous villain.
Gu Ming smiled bitterly. “No need to be so nervous. I won’t do anything to you.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Xiao Yue nodded frantically, shrinking back even more.
Gu Ming found it quite helpless but didn’t dwell on it. The carriage bumped and swayed as it slowly moved forward.
Gu Ming lifted the curtain and looked outside curiously. What he saw startled him; many commoners had gathered nearby. They were whispering among themselves.
“Wow, look at that display. Who’s in the carriage?”
“Look at the crest. It seems to be from Saintess Mountain — the Saintess’s personal carriage fleet.”
“The Saintess’s? Could it be that pretty boy who’s been the talk of the town lately?”
“Most likely. The Saintess’s fleet doesn’t travel easily unless they’re picking up someone important.”
…
A pretty boy? Are they talking about me?
Gu Ming felt a sharp pang in his heart. ‘Just because I’m handsome doesn’t mean you have to call me a pretty boy. How hateful. This is pure jealousy.’
Gu Ming angrily dropped the curtain. At that moment, he decided he wouldn’t look at the scenery anymore. He closed his eyes to rest.
Time passed minute by minute. About one hour later, the carriage finally reached the gates of Saintess Mountain.
Saintess Mountain was divided into the Inner and Outer Sect. Once they passed the main gate, they entered the Outer Sect area. Beyond that was the Inner Sect, their final destination. The Saintess and the Great Elder were both in the Inner Sect.
However, the carriage stopped once they reached the Outer Sect.
“We’re here?” Gu Ming lifted the curtain and saw people wearing Outer Disciple robes.
“Not… not yet. We need to walk to the Inner Sect from here,” Xiao Yue explained.
She got off first to lead the way. Gu Ming followed, but as soon as he stepped out, he froze. A red carpet was rolled out, stretching into the distance until it disappeared from sight.
‘Special treatment for a Personal Disciple? Is this really necessary? This is social suicide.’
Gu Ming looked awkward, but there was no other way. This was likely the tradition of Saintess Mountain. He paused and asked Xiao Yue, “Xiao Yue, can we skip the red carpet?”
“No… we can’t. This was unanimously decided by the Second Elder and the Elders Council to give you a grand entrance. The Saintess opposed it, but it didn’t work because the Second Elder is in charge of personnel.”
“It sounds like the Saintess and the Second Elder don’t get along…” Gu Ming remarked as he stepped down. At the same time, he thought, ‘The Saintess is actually quite considerate. It seems I misunderstood her.’
At the mention of the Second Elder, the timidity on Xiao Yue’s face vanished, replaced by indignation. “Yes! The Second Elder always loves to go against the Saintess. He’s a real villain.”
Gu Ming’s expression turned subtle. “Isn’t the Saintess the highest authority on Saintess Mountain? Why is an Elder going against her?”
“Be… because the Saintess interfered with some of the sect’s affairs. So, a group led by the Second Elder is opposing her,” Xiao Yue explained in a low voice.
Gu Ming finally understood. Whether it was the Saintess of Saintess Mountain or the Divine Maiden of the Divine Maiden Palace, they shared a common trait: they enjoyed the sect’s resources but were not allowed to interfere in internal affairs.
The Saintess had clearly crossed the line. However, the Elders Council couldn’t do anything to her. Gu Ming finally understood why Ling Yuyan had said the Saintess was arrogant and overbearing last night. If she wasn’t, how could she cross the line to handle sect affairs?
“What about the Great Elder?” Gu Ming remembered the Great Elder was the backbone of Saintess Mountain.
“The… the Great Elder was forced into semi-retirement by the Saintess. He doesn’t get involved in many things anymore…”
Xiao Yue’s voice grew quieter and quieter.