Chapter 144: She is as beautiful as our Saintess.
“Shuiyu Valley?”
Qi Huang was no stranger to the name, as Shuiyu Valley was the largest purely female sect in the Xihui Kingdom. Every generation’s Saintess possessed both beauty and strength, and received attention from all sides from the moment she was born.
Take the current Saintess, Mu Ruoyi, for example. More than ten years ago, she was already crowned as the most beautiful woman in the Xihui Dynasty’s cultivation world. Although she looked only around twenty-six or twenty-seven now, her cultivation had already reached the late Guiyi Realm.
“Have you heard of Mu Ruoyi, the Saintess of Shuiyu Valley? She’s that most beautiful woman in the Xihui Dynasty’s cultivation world. Her cultivation is about the same as mine. Because she cultivates a technique called ‘Mullinglong’, she can imbue plants with spirituality in an extremely short time. With her help, we can easily find out who the murderer is,” Cheng Hong Ling explained with astonishing speed.
“But why would she help us for no reason?” Qi Huang was a little worried, as they had no prior connection.
“How could she be willing? We don’t know her, do you expect her to be infatuated with your looks like Young Master Dong?” Cheng Hong Ling scoffed.
“Uh…” Qi Huang’s face instantly turned red. Those memories were truly unbearable.
Cheng Hong Ling then said seriously, “But we can make a trade, can’t we? If she needs help with anything, we can also lend a hand.”
“That’s the only way.” Qi Huang said after a moment of thought.
Because the situation was urgent, the two immediately set off towards Nansheng Prefecture, where Shuiyu Valley was located. They were both in a somber mood along the way, so they only spoke occasionally. However, Qi Huang also learned from the main body that the people from Shuiyu Valley had once tried to recruit her.
Qi Huang understood as she thought about it. The main body had shone brightly at the Evergreen Convention, gaining some fame. Shuiyu Valley recruits the most outstanding female cultivators in the Xihui Dynasty, so it was natural for them to extend an olive branch.
“Now it’s good, you rejected them, and now we’re going to their door for help. This probably won’t be easy,” Qi Huang sighed.
“For Father, no matter how difficult, it must be done,” Cheng Hong Ling gritted her teeth, then used her movement technique to accelerate towards Nanchang Prefecture.
Qi Huang was mentally exhausted, so she didn’t waste any more spiritual sense and directly immersed herself in the main body’s Sea of Consciousness to recuperate.
The distance was seven to eight thousand li. Cheng Hong Ling didn’t hold back, constantly circulating her true qi. She spent four days and covered only half the distance, about the same as a swift horse. After all, human endurance couldn’t compare to a horse, so even though she was much faster, this was the best she could do.
On the fifth day, Cheng Hong Ling was already exhausted, while Qi Huang was full of energy. So, they switched shifts. To conserve her spiritual sense, Qi Huang didn’t come out of the Sea of Consciousness and directly coiled around the main body’s body, flying at high speed.
It only took two days for Qi Huang to bring the main body to Shuiyu Valley. This wasn’t to say she was twice as fast with someone else, but simply because a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. Cheng Hong Ling felt a bit dejected. If it weren’t for her being a burden, the clone’s speed would have been much faster without carrying anyone.
‘Is spiritual sense really as useless as I thought?’ Cheng Hong Ling felt a slight waver in her heart.
Shuiyu Valley was located within the Caiyun Bamboo Sea of Nansheng Prefecture. Qi Huang looked down from a high altitude. In the bright sunlight, it was full of vitality. A crystal-clear stream flowed between two bamboo mountains. Under the dense bamboo forest, birds sang and flowers were fragrant. Pavilions and towers were hidden within, and coupled with the faint mist, it was like a fairyland. Coupled with the faint “chirping and sweet voices,” it made her yearn for it.
The excellent environment of Shuiyu Valley was attributed to the fact that it was the largest purely female immortal sect in the Xihui Dynasty, with three to four thousand formal female disciples and tens of thousands of outer disciples. The number of ordinary women living there reached three to four hundred thousand. With more people, the Yang energy was more abundant, so Shuiyu Valley had much longer sunlight hours than sects like HongHua Sect.
Since she was asking for a favor, Cheng Hong Ling did not dare to intrude rashly, so she asked Qi Huang to land nearby before taking her into the Sea of Consciousness. The reason was it would be too high-profile to enter with the clone like this.
Qi Huang entered the Sea of Consciousness and then looked out from the “window of the mind.” She was naturally curious about this purely female sect. It was said that no man could come within a hair’s breadth, proving that it was a 100% women’s country.
‘If I go in today, I’ll probably be the first man in history to enter Shuiyu Valley, right?’ Qi Huang thought dazedly, assuming she was still considered a man.
Cheng Hong Ling tidied her appearance and then walked gracefully towards the main gate. She knew that many outstanding female cultivators gathered here, so she couldn’t afford to lose face for HongHua Sect and herself.
The gate of Shuiyu Valley was not grand; rather, it appeared exceptionally exquisite. The gate walls were carved with many beautiful flowers and plants, revealing feminine subtlety and delicacy. At the moment, four good-looking female disciples were on guard. A dense stream of women came and went between them, making it as lively as a marketplace.
However, despite the liveliness, the order was very good. Both inner disciples and other women entering and exiting had to use their waist tokens or identification provided by Shuiyu Valley. Cheng Hong Ling naturally did not have a pass, so she had to go up and negotiate.
“Greetings, Senior Sister! I am Cheng Hong Ling from HongHua Sect, and I request an audience with your Saintess, Mu Ruoyi.” Cheng Hong Ling walked up generously and handed over the Immortal Elder’s waist token she was carrying.
“I know HongHua Sect; it’s that sect in the rat’s nest. But Cheng Hong Ling? Who is that? Our… our Saintess can’t be seen by just anyone.” The female disciple obviously had limited knowledge. After examining the waist token for a moment, she looked up and said, but her tone gradually became hesitant, and her pretty face showed surprise. She reflexively said, “You… how can you be so beautiful?”
“It’s natural,” Cheng Hong Ling pursed her red lips slightly. This question was clearly awkward. If not for her seeking a favor, she would never have paid attention.
The surrounding women, upon hearing this, all focused their gazes on Cheng Hong Ling, and gradually they all showed expressions of shock.
“Heavens! This is the first time I’ve seen a woman whose appearance is comparable to our Saintess.”
“In terms of pure looks, she even has a slight advantage. She only loses to our Saintess in terms of figure, and she will definitely surpass her in a few more years.”
“Isn’t our Saintess the most beautiful woman in the Xihui Kingdom’s cultivation world? Why is there another woman who is comparable to her?”
“Could she be Cheng Hong Ling?”
“Cheng Hong Ling? Who is that?”
“A female disciple of HongHua Sect in Huang Tian Prefecture, Yongning Prefecture. Not only did she break into the top sixty of the Xihui Kingdom’s cultivation world at the age of twelve, but her appearance is also peerless, enough to rival our Saintess. Outside, people are already calling her and our Saintess the ‘Twin Beauties of Closed Moon’ of the Xihui Kingdom.”
“Why ‘Twin Beauties of Closed Moon’?”
“Haven’t you heard of ‘Dropping Fish and Falling Geese, Closing Moon and Shaming Flowers’? They are all used to describe women of extraordinary beauty. ‘Twin Beauties of Closed Moon’ means they are already not much different from those peerless fairies on the ‘Dropping Fish Ranking’.”
… The surrounding people were all shocked after seeing Cheng Hong Ling’s appearance. Qi Huang didn’t find it strange at all; she knew very well how much of a visual impact Cheng Hong Ling had upon first meeting her. Cheng Hong Ling, being watched by so many people, gradually showed a hint of impatience. She had heard too many compliments like this since she was young and had long become numb to them.
“Are you Junior Sister Hong Ling? Please wait for a moment. I will go report to the Saintess.” Another slightly older female disciple was understanding and walked directly into the gate.
“Thank you, Sister!” Cheng Hong Ling thanked her politely.
About a quarter of an hour later, the female disciple returned and then invited her, “Junior Sister Hong Ling, our Saintess requests your presence!”
‘Am I about to meet the most beautiful woman in the Xihui Dynasty’s cultivation world?’ Qi Huang became incredibly excited. She wondered how this renowned peerless fairy compared to the main body.
