Chapter 100: Returning Home

　　There was always someone in the noisy crowd that would outshine everyone and become the only light.

　　Jing Yuan, who had never been close to a female and been in love, felt a fire start flickering in his heart.

　　Yet in the next moment, he saw this smiling girl pull the sleeve of another man. While the moment was gentle, and she quickly released the sleeve, the little fire that just erupted in his heart was half diminished.

　　Then he saw the man lift his head, and met his gaze. He had no emotion in his eyes, cold and frightening. The gaze caused his fire to extinguish thoroughly. He even couldn’t help but shudder.

　　This gaze… so terrifying. It was like unmelted ice that could turn into cold blades at any time, and stab into other people’s chests.

　　“Not looking any longer?” Ling Yue had noticed his gaze long ago and only spoke mockingly after seeing him frightened by the man’s gaze. “I hope there won’t be any rumors that you fought another man for a partner and could not win.”

　　“Shijie…” Jing Yuan’s face flushed. “Leave some face for me. There are people here; it is not good if people hear.”

　　“You also know that people are around yet you stare at another girl. Is there any face?” Ling Yue’s expression darkened. “If you want face, you have to understand and act appropriately.”

　　Jing Yuan flushed and bowed to Ling Yue. “Shijie, I know I was wrong.”

　　“Shijie, there seem to be people from Cool Breeze Sect over there?” The young shimei warned in a small voice. “Look at the swords in their hands.”

　　Among the crowd, several women and men were holding swords inlaid with all kinds of grand gemstones that shone dazzlingly under the sun and publicly declared their existence far and wide.

　　“It really is them…” Ling Yue’s tone was complicated. In Ling Yue’s view, Cool Breeze Sect could not be considered orthodox sword cultivators. In this matter, Radiance Sect and Nine Phoenix Sect were similar.

　　These Cool Breeze Sect disciples were squeezed in front of a gemstone shop, picking and selecting all kinds of gemstones. Ling Yue felt doubt. They bought so many gemstones—did they still have place on their swords to inlay them?

　　Seeing them full of spirit, Ling Yue did not go up to disturb. She looked towards Kong Hou who was walking towards them and smiled slightly. “Miss, we meet again.” She did not frequently smile, and the smile looked slightly stiff. This would easily cause people to misunderstand and think she looked down on others.

　　Kong Hou tilted her head and said with a smile, “Greetings, Celestial.”

　　“Miss is going to Splendid Cloud Sect?” Seeing Kong Hou’s smile, Ling Yue sighed in relief. For some reason, whenever she exchanged greetings with other female cultivators, the other always looked unhappy. Before leaving the sect, Master said to her that people would not attack those who smiled. It seemed Master was right. When she smiled at this girl, this girl’s attitude grew much warmer.

　　“Yes.” Kong Hou nodded. “Celestial, will you travel with us?”

　　“No.” Ling Yue shook her head and said, “We have some other things to do. Miss, please go ahead. We will follow later.”

　　“In that case, we will go first. We can talk later on Splendid Cloud Mountain.” Kong Hou returned a smile to Ling Yue and then bowed slightly to the other three disciples. “Farewell.”

　　“Farewell.” The other three disciples returned the bow.

　　When Kong Hou was far away, Jing Yuan murmured, “Such a beautiful woman—how did she fall…”

　　The white-robed man walking beside the celestial looked back expressionlessly at him. Jing Yuan immediately changed his words—”in love with such an exceptional man. They are a match made in heaven.”

　　He turned to look at his shijie. She was looking gently at the girl and he felt his heart shudder. This one was good-looking, soft, and sweet when smiling but… a woman.

　　“Shijie,” he murmured. “The miss is a flower with an owner….”

　　“Good that you know this.” Ling Yue felt slightly comforted. This young shidi was slightly dumb but not to the point of being incurable.

　　The Cool Breeze Sect disciples finishing picking their gemstones and then turned to see the four from Nine Phoenix Sect in the crowd. They held their grand swords and walked towards Ling Yue’s group. Ye Fei, at the head, said, “Path Friend, greetings.”

　　“Greetings, Path Friend.” Ling Yue smiled. “Everyone has come to congratulate Path Friend Cheng Yi?”

　　“Yes.” Ye Fei pressed her lips together and forced a smile.

　　While they were all sword cultivators, their understanding of the sword path was all different, so they had nothing to discuss. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone bid farewell in unspoken agreement to avoid an awkward atmosphere.

　　“Shijie, was that female cultivator of Nine Phoenix Sect laughing at us?” Feng Qi thought back to the other’s sarcastic expression and felt wrongness. Even a top ranking sect should not look down on others like this.

　　Spirit Master Huan Zhong was an apprentice of the top sect, and hadn’t been so proud.

　　“Do you know who she is?” Ye Fei’s mood had turned for the best. While the other’s disdainful smile had angered her slightly, someone strong was qualified to be proud.

　　“Who?” Feng Qi asked.

　　“She is Celestial Ling Yue, who is almost equal in reputation to Spirit Master Zhong Xi, and the future sect master of Nine Phoenix Sect,” Ye Fei said. “There are many sword cultivators in the world who do not like us; you have to get used to it.”

　　These sword cultivators who did not bear to dress their lifebond swords were so shameless to look down on those that did dress up their swords. They were so unreasonable.

　　On the other side, Ling Yue was puzzled. She had smiled, but why did it suddenly become ineffective?

　　##

　　Splendid Cloud Mountain was forever shrouded in clouds and filled with spirit energy, so the mountain was named Splendid Cloud. When Splendid Cloud Sect was first founded, it was an unknown minor sect. But because Harmonious City was thought of by the cultivators as a place where people went to fall from grace, no cultivators liked to come here, including the evil cultivators who liked to make trouble.

　　Several hundred years passed like this, until the evil cultivators waged great attacks on the orthodox cultivators—then, Splendid Cloud Sect suddenly stepped forward bravely, and the entire cultivation world finally knew that Harmonious City had produced such a powerful sect.

　　As Splendid Cloud Sect helped more people, they established their status among the ten major sects. Even though… the cultivation world had been at peace for centuries, and Splendid Cloud Sect’s disciples were lazy in their conduct… no one dared to rattle their position.

　　Kong Hou’s excitement at returning home gradually calmed when she reached the base of Splendid Cloud Mountain. The birds were quiet in the mountain wrapped in complicated formations.

　　Lin Hu praised, “Good place.”

　　Against a spirit vein, surrounded by flowing water, it had the signs of a place that grew and multiplied without end. Was the founder of Splendid Cloud Sect one that looked at fengshui?

　　“Kong Hou, this place has such good scenery. Let’s… walk up slowly,” Huan Zhong suddenly said. “All right?”

　　“Ah?” Kong Hou stilled and then nodded. “All right.”

　　Lin Hu turned and looked at Huan Zhong, his expression one of understanding.

　　Why do this? Who in life did not die. The heart looks to the gutter. There was no use struggling against something that would come sooner or later.

　　##

　　Splendid Cloud Sect was happy all over, including the new disciples who had joined less than a year ago. While they had not seen Cheng Yi Shixiong many times, the food from the kitchens had grown better recently. This was enough for them to feel grateful to Cheng Yi Shixiong.

　　Just as the new disciples were wondering what they were eating at lunch, a disciple who was stationed to patrol ran over and said, “Major news—someone at the base of the mountain saw Kong Hou Shijie managed to con back here a sword cultivator from Radiance Sect!”