“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!”
Song Yuzhi arrived in a flash. His first call came from seven or eight zhang away, but by the second, he was right in front of them. Cai Zhao silently admired his excellent lightness skill.
“Senior Brother, Sister Cai.” Song Yuzhi bowed to both, his jade-like face filled with urgency. “Senior Brother has Lingbo caused trouble again?!”
Zeng Dalou looked troubled, reluctant to cover up Qi Lingbo’s actions in front of Cai Zhao.
Song Yuzhi’s face turned ashen. “Senior Brother, stop protecting her. This keeps happening. I’m going to tell Master…”
“Wait!” Zeng Dalou held Song Yuzhi back. “Why are you in such a hurry? Can’t we discuss this calmly? I’m handling it, I’ll deal with Lingbo…”
“You’ll just go easy on her again!” Song Yuzhi’s gaze turned cold as he looked directly at Cai Zhao. “Sister Cai, were you just bullied by them? Was Qi Lingbo the ringleader? Wasn’t she?”
New to the sect and unclear about the relationships between her future siblings, Cai Zhao was reluctant to get involved. She shook her head, smiling brightly. “Senior Brother Song must have misunderstood. I merely crossed paths with Sister Qi. She treated me with one part surprise, two parts joy, three parts warmth, four parts enthusiasm, and five parts attentiveness. One moment she urged me to rest, lest I tire myself; the next, she was teaching me the rules of conduct. It was truly refreshing. Although it was just a brief encounter, I benefited greatly and already regard Sister Qi as my sister. It’s as they say, ‘kindred spirits at first sight.'”
Zeng Dalou’s mouth gaped open, unsure whether to be shocked or pleased.
Song Yuzhi glared, enunciating each word: “You’re lying.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Senior Brother if I’m lying.”
Zeng Dalou stammered, “She… she’s not lying. Lingbo did tell Sister Cai to rest and gave her some advice…” Language truly was a marvelous art.
Song Yuzhi stared at Cai Zhao. “Even if the first part is true, the part about regarding her as a sister must be false.” It sounded too nauseating.
Cai Zhao rolled her eyes. “How can Senior Brother know what’s true or false in someone else’s heart? Anyway, I’m fine. Third Senior Brother, please go about your business.”
Song Yuzhi’s chest heaved. Being angered twice in one day by this young girl was enough. He turned and left, no longer wanting to see this vexing future junior sister.
Zeng Dalou sighed in relief. “Sister Cai, you’re very magnanimous. As your senior brother, I thank you. It’s not that I don’t want to uphold justice, but if this matter isn’t handled well, Master and his wife will argue again.”
The word “again” was used quite skillfully.
Cai Zhao, being clever, didn’t pursue this topic and instead asked Zeng Dalou to continue introducing her future sect mates.
The fourth senior brother was Ding Zhuo, a man of few words who was devoted to martial arts. He probably wouldn’t be seen on an occasion like this.
Zeng Dalou sighed, “Fourth Junior Brother bears a deep blood grudge, which is why he trains so diligently, waiting for the day he can leave the mountain and seek revenge against the Demonic Sect.”
Cai Zhao paused. “Besides you and Third Senior Brother, is there anyone in our sect who doesn’t have a deep blood grudge?”
“Yes, Fifth Junior Brother.”
Zeng Dalou told Cai Zhao that if she saw a young man with dimples and a constant smile entertaining guests, that would be Fifth Junior Brother Fan Xingjia. He was the only disciple selected from the outer sect, recommended by Uncle Master Li who managed the outer sect. He had a good temperament, excellent talent, loving parents, and harmonious siblings – a rare case of a perfect family background. He was exceptionally skilled in medicine preparation and qi cultivation.
“Fifth Senior Brother is skilled in medicine and qi cultivation? That’s quite a rare talent,” Cai Zhao’s eyes lit up.
The saying goes: innate true qi is seven parts cultivation and three parts nourishment.
Those who practice martial arts go against nature’s course, often risking disrupted meridians and misdirected qi. In severe cases, they might even suffer qi deviation and bodily rupture. However, if someone with nourishing qi can gently guide and supplement the healing process, recovery becomes much smoother.
The problem was that twenty years ago, during the great battle between righteous and evil forces, Nie Hengcheng had scattered Demonic Sect minions everywhere, specifically targeting those skilled in medicine and qi cultivation among the Six Sects of Northern Chen. Unfortunately, those who cultivated nourishing qi often had lower martial prowess, making them easy targets. This led to many veteran heroes suffering unrecoverable injuries, greatly diminishing the Six Sects’ fighting power.
Moreover, those naturally gifted with this talent were rare, which explained why Uncle Master Li from the outer sect had recommended Fan Xingjia – rarity increases value.
The sixth junior sister was Qi Lingbo, Sect Leader Qi’s only daughter. In a few days, Cai Zhao would join as the seventh disciple.
“Master has taken so few disciples? I heard Siqui Gate accepts disciples widely, with over a thousand,” Cai Zhao asked, puzzled.
Zeng Dalou hesitated briefly, then carefully explained, “Master says that capable individuals often grow on their own, rather than being nurtured. Each year, many young people come to Mount Jiuli. As long as they have a clean background and upright character, Master accepts them all to study and practice martial arts together. Those who can stand out will naturally do so, depending on their aptitude.”
Cai Zhao rolled this idea around in her mind, then smiled lightly. “Master’s reasoning is sound. What use was it for Old Sect Leader Yin to accept so many disciples when our Master, who came from the outer sect, emerged as the best?”
“Indeed. When you master your skills in the future, you might even compete for the position of Sect Leader,” Zeng Dalou teased.
Cai Zhao rolled her eyes. “Thank you for your kind words.”
As they spoke, the residence of the Qingque Sect came into view – a majestic palace that inspired awe.
With jade steps, golden structures, white walls, black tiles, vermillion beams, and painted ridgepoles, the three-story palace seemed to float above the clouds. It truly lived up to its name: “Heavenly Palace in the Sky, Muwei Palace on Earth.”