Chapter 83: Offering Tea

　　“Cang Hai.” Peak Master Song He saw his apprentice’s expression was still strange and asked, “What do you have to say?”

　　“I…” Cang Hai turned and looked at Xiao Dong who did not dare to speak. “Sect Master, this junior has something else to say.”

　　“What is it?” Jin Yue saw Cang Hai with such a serious expression and put away his amusement.

　　“Sect Leader, I feel that Shidi will marry into Splendid Cloud Sect.” Cang Hai swallowed. “Xiao Dong said he saw Shidi and Miss Kong Hou of Splendid Cloud Sect holding hands and talking happily in front of others.”

　　“Is this true?” Jin Yue looked at Xiao Dong.

　　Xiao Dong nodded minutely. “When Shishu and Kong Hou Shishu came out, many cultivators were surrounding them and this junior did not see anything. But when this junior went near, he saw Shishu holding Miss Kong Hou’s hands very intimately.”

　　The room suddenly became silent. Xiao Dong felt a wave of cold sweat. Would Grand Shishu go find Shishu in anger and split him and Kong Hou up?

　　“Song He.” Jin Yue was silent for a long time and then looked at Song He. “Last month, you discussed the path with Peak Master Wang Tong of Splendid Cloud Sect for a fortnight. Did you have pleasant interactions?”

　　“Path Friend Wang Tong is a humorous person and has deep cultivation. I had good interactions with him.” Song He thought of Wang Tong who accompanied him to eat all over the streets and tried his best to ignore Wang Tong’s unreliable personality. It was difficult to find his shining parts from his usual conduct.

　　“You and Peak Master Wang Tong are old friends. I can only ask you to go…”

　　“Sect Leader—” Song He interrupted Jin Yue. “Miss Kong Hou is still seventeen. Even if I go ten times, I cannot say some things.” If he dared to speak, according to Wang Tong’s temper, he would dare to raise his weapon. Wang Tong would chase him all the way from Splendid Cloud Sect back to Radiance Sect.

　　“What are you thinking?” Jin Yue stilled. “I ask you to bring gifts to Peak Master Wang Tong using the excuse of sending gifts to Splendid Cloud Sect. Does Path Friend Wang Tong like calligraphy, painting, pills, talismans or seals?”

　　“He does not like any of those.” Song He thought back. He said uncertainty, “Wang Tong is a master of a peak. He should not lack those things. He lacks spirit stones.”

　　Jin Yue looked suspiciously at Song He. He was really a good friend with Path Friend Wang Tong?

　　“Sect Leader, I am not joking. Path Friend Wang Tong’s fate is slightly special. He is born as someone who cannot keep spirit stones. So he never has any spirit stones.” Even though Wang Tong himself did not admit this, because they frequently went to eat together, he could generally guess what the other lacked and wanted to have.

　　“Then prepare some spirit stones, talismans and medicines to take along. If we just send spirit stones, Path Friend Wang Tong may misunderstand and think we are looking down on him. That would not be good,” Jin Yue commanded. Seeing Song He looking at him with a strange look, he sighed and said, “If in a few decades, Huan Zhong really does marry into Splendid Cloud Sect, I have to curry the favor of the elders for him first.”

　　Men who married into the wife’s family did not have it easy.

　　Song He had not thought the sect leader was so open-minded. He was willing to let his genius apprentice marry into another sect.

　　“Oh.” Jin Yue sighed. “When he was young, I hoped he could control himself and go further on the path of the sword, and become the first to ascend in a millennium for Lingyou World. But…

　　“Lingyou World does not belong to a person, and he should not be burdened with something so heavy.” Jin Yue’s expression eased and he seemed to think through something. His entire presence became refreshed. “When he was young, he came with me to Radiance Sect. He has never disappointed me. I, as his master, cannot disappoint him either.”

　　The majority of cultivators did not have children. To them, their apprentices were their children. As a father, other than being stern towards children, they had to have emotions.

　　“But I only taught him the sword path, and not the emotions that ordinary people had. He does not know how to interact with other people, he does not understand emotions—this is why his mental state has problems…”

　　“Sect Leader, how can this be blamed on you?” Song He heard this and felt something was wrong. “Even if Shizhi heard this, he would not agree with you.”

　　“You do not need to be so nervous.” Jin Yue smiled seeing Song He so. “I rejoice that Huan Zhong encountered someone who can teach him to feel. The heavens have left a chance for him at least.”

　　Song He saw that Jin Yue did not seem to have a mental demon due to this matter and was reassured. “Miss Kong Hou is a woman who is easy to like.”

　　No one would dislike a pair of eyes that could speak. When making friends, sword cultivators regarded as most important a person’s inner self. People with simple and honest personalities were most attractive to sword cultivators. Song He was not surprised that Kong Hou and Shizhi could become friends. The only surprise was Huan Zhong had feelings towards the young girl.

　　He feared this matter would be difficult. The people of Splendid Cloud Sect…

　　Splendid Cloud Sect’s management looked loose. But he, who had stayed in Splendid Cloud Sect, found that although Splendid Cloud Sect’s teachings towards their disciples were different, they were the most effective for the disciples of their sect.

　　They could go with their personality, but still remember to restrain themselves. When he heard that the disciples of Splendid Cloud Sect after reaching Base Building would have to go to the underground prison to see the evildoers’ end, he was shocked.

　　Many sects feared that disciples would change. They would keep their disciples in the sect to cultivate in the decade after Base Building to avoid their seeing and hearing other things. But Splendid Cloud Sect directly gave a shock to their disciples.

　　But then he thought about it. The seemingly loose Splendid Cloud Sect rarely had disciples that betrayed the sect. Radiance Sect managed their disciples very strictly, but they had more disciples betray the sect than Splendid Cloud Sect.

　　Maybe Splendid Cloud Sect taught their disciples one thing—fear.

　　One would only have respect if they knew fear. If they knew respect, they would know what they had to do.

　　It was good if Huan Zhong had to marry into a sect like this. He only feared… they would not be willing.

　　##

　　Ever since Gui Ling had exposed the evil cultivator and successfully led everyone to escape, Gui Ling could feel the enthusiasm from his fellow disciples. When he ate in the food hall, they would never forget to keep a space for him. If they got something good to eat, they would leave half for him. Even that young shimei with terrifying strength would carry him and run to the food hall when he was tired from sword practice.

　　This kind of enthusiasm was troublesome for him. He had hinted several times for them to stay away from him. But… this group of people seemed to not understand his hints.

　　“Gui Ling small Shidi. Kong Hou Shijie mailed fresh fruit from Kui City today.” Gao Jian Yan saw Gui Ling being dragged in by Shimei and waved at the two. “Rou Rou, come here.”

　　Gui Ling could not understand what Li Rou’s parents were thinking. Their daughter clearly had great strength, but they named her Rou Rou. ¹

　　Disciples like them who had just joined did not qualify for seniority. So they defaulted to the same generation as the sect eldest shixiong, and their ranks were based on this. After they joined the inner sect, their seniority may change and everyone had to adjust to new names.

　　“Kong Hou Shijie is so powerful.” Hearing Kong Hou’s name, Rou Rou’s eyes lit up. “She reached Mind Activation Stage in a short seven years, and brought back so many fruits from the secret realm to send to us. I want to marry her.”

　　Gui Ling glanced at her. Did she know her gender?

　　He took a bite of the spirit fruit. It was sweet and delicious, filled with spirit energy. This was not an ordinary fruit. Splendid Cloud Sect was willing to share such good fruits with ordinary disciples. He turned to look at everyone else. The inner sect disciples had only received one, just the same as the ordinary disciples. However, these senior disciples did not seem to care how much they received. They laughed and chatted together without any of the composure that sect disciples should have.

　　“Did you see just now, Radiance Sect’s Peak Master Song He has come.”

　　“Didn’t Peak Master Song He just return to Radiance Sect?”

　　“I don’t know about that. Eldest Shixiong Wu Chuan and Tan Feng Shixiong went to receive him. I just encountered them on the way. This time, Peak Master Song He did not come alone. There were several disciples behind him, each of them with frosty expression and brimming with sword energy. They are just like swords.”

　　“Sword cultivators, they are all like this.”

　　“Radiance Sect is coming frequently to our sect. Do they want to work together with our sect on a major matter?”

　　“This is not something we should attend to. Do not worry for nothing.”

　　“Gui Ling, what are you dazing about?” Gao Jian Yan knocked on his arm. “Let’s go; we need to line up for food.”

　　Gao Jian Yan stood up silently and followed behind Gao Jian Yan.

　　Radiance Sect had been frequently making gestures of goodwill towards Splendid Cloud Sect. Was it because of Splendid Cloud Sect’s merpeople scales? They were all major sects. Even if Radiance Sect knew that Splendid Cloud Sect had merpeople scales, they could not burn their ties, so they had to use emotion to persuade the other.

　　However, from how they came every few days, he could see that Splendid Cloud Sect had not agreed to this.

　　Over time, Radiance Sect and Splendid Cloud Sect would gradually have discord.

　　When he thought of this, Gui Ling frowned. He should be happy that Splendid Cloud Sect had offended the strongest sect. But looking at those ignorant fellow disciples, he felt slightly wrong.

　　If Splendid Cloud Sect lost power, could these fellows with slow brains who usually just thought of food be affected by this?

　　##

　　In Primary Luck Sect, Shuang Qing’s dark face finally eased hearing all the disciples had returned safely. When he heard Jin Ling say that she received Celestial Kong Hou’s care many times in the secret realm, Spirit Master Shuang Qing nodded. “I see. Go rest, and we will talk about other matters tomorrow.”

　　Watching these disciples joyfully leave the main hall, Shuang Qing leaned back in his chair.

　　“Sect Master.” The subordinate who had followed him for several centuries appeared. “Sect Master, Young Master Xu Feng has recently been in better spirits and will write characters.”

　　A smile appeared on Shuang Qing’s face. “That child is most skilled in calligraphy. I have lived so long and cannot compare to him.”

　　The subordinate said, “Young Master Xu Feng has always been so.”

　　Ever since that night when Celestial Kong Hou told Master that his mother hoped he would be obedient, the young master was much quieter. But he would not say such things to the sect master.

　　The sect master had taken Eldest Young Master from the mortal world. Back then, his birth mother had abandoned him in a pond. The sect master rescued him out of soft-heartedness. Then he discovered Young Master had a spirit base and took him back to Lingyou World.

　　Sect Master used great care with his first apprentice, as though he was raising a child. But Young Master Xu still had a mental obstacle and still remembered how his birth mother had abandoned him. During an ordeal, he was invaded by a mental demon. He became ignorant like a three-year-old child.

　　Shuang Qing thought of his eldest disciple’s past events and his expression was both joyful and sad. After a long while, he said, “Has any news come from Splendid Cloud Sect?”

　　“No,” the subordinate said, “recently, we have received fewer and fewer news. Maybe…”

　　“No, I saw that child’s eyes. He is filled with ambition. He cannot adjust to Splendid Cloud Sect’s teaching method.”

　　“If this succeeds, you truly plan on making him the sect disciple?”

　　“He is talented and intelligent, and has both cunning and ambition. He is more suited to become the sect eldest shixiong than Zhou Xiao,” Shuang Qing said. “Zhou Xiao has done nothing wrong, he has a gentle personality and an open mind. However, he is more suitable to become a steward or an elder—he is unable to become a sect master.”

　　The subordinate thought of Zhou Xiao’s filial piety and loyalty, and felt he almost could not bear it. However, the sect master had always been one not to change his decisions. He did not dare to speak.

　　“You…” Shuang Qing thought. “Nevermind, I will go see Zhou Xiao. That child always fears making trouble for me, and will not tell me if he encounters anything. If I do not ask, he will not tell me what he encountered in the secret realm. He should not be like Xu Feng. If he gets a mental demon, his life will be ruined.”

　　Seeing the sect master hurriedly walk out with an impatient expression, the subordinate sighed.

　　Saying vicious things but doing soft-hearted things—what did this person intend?

　　##

　　Outside Primary Luck Sect, Kong Hou’s party of three encountered the disciples of Clear Dawn Sect. She found that the disciple called Fang Yingzheng had not come. They probably felt… his name was not good enough. In order to keep the joyful atmosphere, they did not let him come?

　　Their group stayed at Primary Luck Sect for a few days. They could not leave immediately after coming out of the secret realm. They could not lack the necessary courtesies between major sects.

　　Chang De and the others were not surprised when they saw Kong Ho and the others. After greeting each other, they saw Zhou Xiao come out to invite them in. Chang De thanked Zhou Xiao but peeked at Huan Zhong several times.

　　It may just have been him, but he felt… Spirit Master Huan Zhong’s aura was even more controlled?

　　After coming out of the secret realm, Kong Hou and Huan Zhong tried universal paired cultivation. The effects were better than imagined. Kong Hou felt a great sense of pity. If Huan Zhong was a member of Splendid Cloud Sect, they could perform paired cultivation every day.

　　When she said this, Huan Zhong did not argue, and just poured a cup of tea for her.

　　Lin Hu worried greatly for this and feared that Master really did have such thoughts. Then he would become the first peak master to betray Radiance Sect. After this, Master’s fame would grow greater, and he would be remembered in Lingyou World for millennia.

　　Full of thoughts, Lin Hu followed the pair and saw Sect Master Shuang Qing again. Spirit Master Shuang Qing’s face was still so rectangular, but his smile looked much more sincere than previously.

　　At the banquet, Kong Hou looked at the spirit fruits and dishes that covered the table. She guessed that the disciples of Primary Luck Sect had obtained good things in the secret realm. Otherwise, why would Spirit Master Shuang Qing be so happy?

　　“Celestial Kong Hou, this old man toasts you with this cup of tea.” Shuang Qing stood and raised his cup to Kong Hou. He said, “Thank you, Celestial.”

　　Kong Hou: “…”

　　Had someone discovered she had helped the secret realm spirit scheme and ensnare her companions?