Chapter 350: Hundred Lotus, Gathering Together
The autumn sun hung high, bathing the peaks in golden light. A painted boat, flying through the air, broke through the clouds and leisurely glided over the mountain gate of the Hundred Lotus Sect.
Pei Lianxue had changed into the Hundred Lotus Sect’s water-blue sect uniform. She had arrived at the very front of the deck from the cabin long ago, leaning on the railing and craning her neck to gaze upon her ancestral sect.
Upon seeing the martial platform situated at a high point on the main peak, a trace of nostalgia flickered in her orange eyes. When she was little, her senior brother would always drag her to the martial platform to brave the snow and cold during heavy snowfall. After she could no longer bear the cold and fainted, her senior brother would carry her down the mountain path and rush her to the medical clinic to be treated by Madam Chen.
Feeding her蛊虫, breaking her bones, throwing her into the icy lake to bathe, accompanying her into demonic beast lairs to survive… flood of memories surged into her mind, making her feel a bit dazed.
She still remembered that whenever she was on the verge of collapse, her senior brother would encourage her: “Junior Sister, you feel resentful now, right? This is the rule among cultivators. You are weaker than Senior Brother, so Senior Brother can treat you however he pleases. When you can finally defeat Senior Brother, it won’t be you whose bones are broken, but Senior Brother’s.”
And so, when she was six or seven years old, her greatest ambition was to beat up her senior brother. This goal motivated her to endure the蛊虫, bone-forging, and ice-cold. It wasn’t until she was ten years old, when she sparred with her senior brother for the first time and won, leaving him bedridden at the medical clinic for half a month.
She was so happy that she couldn’t sleep for two or three days. When she visited her senior brother afterward, she triumphantly retorted, “Senior Brother, do you feel resentful?! You can’t beat me now!”
However, Ye Anping, lying on the medical clinic’s bed at the time, looked at her with great satisfaction, reached out to ruffle her hair, and praised her, “Junior Sister is truly amazing.”
From then on, their matches gradually shifted from alternating wins to her unilaterally dominating her senior brother. It wasn’t until she encountered a demonic cultivator named “Wu You” at the age of fourteen that she suddenly understood that her senior brother’s “malice” towards her was also a form of “love.” She also gradually came to realize that she seemed to be inseparable from the young man who had grown up with her.
While lost in memories, the flying painted boat had already reached the front of the Hundred Lotus Sect’s main peak. Liang Zhu and Ye Wan’er, who were piloting the boat, began to use their spiritual energy to slow it down.
Xiao Yunluo had also changed into the purple sect uniform of the Xuan Xing Sect’s Young Master. She came up from the cabin and saw Pei Lianxue at the bow of the boat, enjoying the wind. She went forward to strike up a conversation: “Lianxue, are your legs and back still sore?”
Pei Lianxue turned her head at the sound, a hint of blush on her cheeks. She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and shook her head slightly: “Woo woo, a little… they’ll be fine in a few more days of rest.”
Xiao Yunluo walked to her side, hesitated for a moment, and decided to use this topic to probe Lianxue. She asked again, “Ye Anping is so careless, he doesn’t know how to cherish a woman at all, to have made you like this.”
“No… it’s alright. Senior Brother used to break my bones often when I was little. Compared to breaking bones and such, this is nothing. It doesn’t hurt either, just a bit sore.”
*Who compares things to breaking bones…* Xiao Yunluo was stunned for a moment and averted her gaze, saying, “Lianxue, it’s not a solution to be bedridden for two to three days every time. What if Ye Anping encounters danger in the future, and you can’t get out of bed? How will you protect him then?”
Pei Lianxue fell silent for a moment, then shook her head: “He won’t. Senior Brother always plans ahead.”
“Mm…” Xiao Yunluo seized the opportunity and advised, “Although Ye Anping is clever, there are bound to be times when he makes mistakes, right? This is also a weakness for him and you. If someone were to target this weakness in the future, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
Pei Lianxue listened and pondered for a moment, feeling that what Xiao Yunluo said had some merit. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Yunluo, do you have any ideas?”
Seeing that the bait had been taken, Xiao Yunluo secretly rejoiced. She feigned contemplation for a while and blurted out the words she had prepared: “Let me think… Lianxue, why don’t you find someone to help you share the burden?”
Pei Lianxue fell silent for a moment, then tilted her head slightly: “Share the burden?”
“Yes… yes, Ye Anping’s Yang energy is too excessive. If you can’t handle it alone, you can find a girl you trust to help you dissipate his Yang energy. That way, when such a situation arises in the future, you can also protect Ye Anping, can’t you?”
Pei Lianxue’s brows furrowed slightly. After pondering for a while, she said, “Mm… it is indeed a way.”
*?!*
Hearing Pei Lianxue say this, Xiao Yunluo was momentarily taken aback. She had expected Lianxue to strongly resist and had prepared some persuasive remarks. To her surprise, Pei Lianxue actually agreed with her suggestion.
Lianxue didn’t have many close female friends around. Besides “Er Shazi,” it was only herself.
Xiao Yunluo quickly followed up, jokingly saying, “Hm? You’re not possessive? I was just kidding.”
“What do you mean possessive… I’m not a dog,” Pei Lianxue pouted. Then she looked at the sky and said, “Sigh… Senior Brother hasn’t mentioned it to me, but I also know that besides me, Senior Brother is also thinking about another girl.”
“Thinking about another girl?”
Xiao Yunluo’s expression became slightly dazed, wondering if Ye Anping had told Pei Lianxue about what happened that night. She felt a little nervous, pursed her lips, and replied, “Ye Anping told you?”
“Mm,” Pei Lianxue lowered her gaze, nodded, and sighed, “He told me a long time ago, and I’ve always remembered it.”
“A long time ago…?”
Did Ye Anping have feelings for her long ago? Then why did he only tell her a few days ago? *What a taciturn person!* Xiao Yunluo cursed inwardly, but she was also quite happy. She asked curiously, “Who… who is it?”
“Xiyue.”
“…?”
Pei Lianxue sighed slightly and said, “Senior Brother used to mention this name from time to time. I’ve never met her. I only know that she seems to live in Hantian Kingdom and runs a small inn, but…”
Xiao Yunluo was completely stunned, the words “Xiyue” repeating in her mind. Which “xī” was it? Which “yuè” was it? How old was she? What was her cultivation level? What was her family background? What did she look like?
“…”
Pei Lianxue continued, “However, this is only the last resort. If it’s absolutely necessary, I’m willing to share Senior Brother with her, but only a little bit! Senior Brother is mine! Hmph!”
“Ah… mm.”
Xiao Yunluo felt very awkward and didn’t know how to respond. She had originally thought that she was the only one besides Lianxue, but unexpectedly, a “Xiyue” had suddenly appeared. *When we return to the Xuan Xing Sect, I’ll have to ask an elder to investigate if there’s anyone named “Xiyue” in Hantian Kingdom…*
Xiao Yunluo thought this as the painted boat finally docked beside the floating platform above the main hall.
The next moment, a voice called out from the platform: “May I ask what business the Imperial Sect’s Xing Tian Division has with our Hundred Lotus Sect? If it is sect affairs, why was a Jade Slip not sent in advance?” The voice carried a hint of hostility.
Upon hearing this, Pei Lianxue quickly ran to the side of the boat, held onto the railing, and looked out at the platform.
Ye Ao was wearing a pink brocade robe adorned with gold and jade, and beside him stood the Crimson-crowned Spirit Crane he had bought for 880,000 spirit stones, making him look like a nouveau riche. On both sides of the platform stood more than twenty Hundred Lotus Sect Foundation Establishment disciples, all wearing neat sect uniforms and carrying spirit swords on their backs.
The Hundred Lotus Sect used to be a small sect, so it rarely received visits from cultivators of noble status. However, because of Ye Anping, the Hundred Lotus Sect had obtained a spirit stone mine from the Xuan Xing Sect. Therefore, Ye Ao had spent a significant amount of money to create some prestige specifically for welcoming distinguished guests. These more than twenty disciples carrying valuable spirit swords represented the greatest show of prestige the Hundred Lotus Sect could muster to welcome guests.
Pei Lianxue was stunned for a moment. She hesitated and waved, saying, “Ye… Sect Master Ye, it’s us.”
Ye Ao, who had been looking worried, saw Pei Lianxue peeking from the side of the boat. His expression instantly froze. He couldn’t believe it and looked at the Imperial Sect’s painted boat again: “Pei… girl?!”
Huang Shanhu, who was behind him, glanced at Pei Lianxue. Seeing that she didn’t look old, but was already at the Pseudo Core stage, and was wearing the Hundred Lotus Sect uniform, he was astonished: “Old Ye, this girl is a disciple of your Hundred Lotus Sect? You have such a powerful girl in your sect?”
“…”
Ye Ao glanced at him and said with great pride, “What? Old Huang, let me tell you upfront, Pei girl is my daughter-in-law. Don’t you have any ulterior motives?”
“…”
Huang Shanhu awkwardly pursed his lips, finding it hard to believe. This girl, at such a young age, was already at the Pseudo Core stage. Why would she be willing to be the wife of Ye Ao’s son, who only had dual spirit roots?
Xiao Yunluo also walked to Pei Lianxue’s side at this time. She was about to bow to Ye Ao, but upon seeing Elder Wang of the Xuan Xing Sect standing beside Ye Ao, she was also stunned. Although Elder Wang’s cultivation was only at the Core Formation stage, he was a disciple of Mr. Qi. Sometimes, when Mr. Qi was busy, he would accompany Xiao Yunluo’s mother for a game of chess. In other words, Elder Wang was one of the few Core Formation stage elders in the Xuan Xing Sect who had seen her mother.
“Elder… Elder Wang?”
Seeing that Xiao Yunluo was also present, Ye Ao thought that his promising son was likely on the boat as well. Returning on the Imperial Sect’s Xing Tian Division ship, Ye Anping had certainly brought honor to his Hundred Lotus Sect. However, honor was one thing. Ye Ao couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive now – what exactly had Ye Anping done in the Central Domain to be returning on the Xing Tian Division’s ship? He no longer had the inclination to show off to Wang Shanhu. He quickly jumped onto the side of the boat and landed beside Pei Lianxue.
“Pei girl, where is Ping’er? Is he on this boat too? What did you do in the Central Domain? Why did you return on the Xing Tian Division’s ship?”
These several questions made Pei Lianxue unsure which one to answer first. Fortunately, Liang Zhu also came out of the cabin at this time.
Xiao Yunluo quickly interjected, “Sect Master Ye, Ye Anping is inside the cabin. You can ask him directly. In short, some major events have occurred.”
Ye Anping always brought something back with him every time he returned. The first time he brought back Feng Yu Die. The second time he brought back Xiao Yunluo. The third time he brought back Liang Zhu and his daughter… And this time…
Ye Ao fell silent for a moment, looked at the melon seed shells scattered all over the deck, and the Imperial Sect flags hanging above. He nodded slightly and walked towards the cabin.
Elder Wang and Huang Shanhu naturally followed him into the cabin, wanting to see what had happened. However, seeing Elder Wang heading into the cabin, Xiao Yunluo hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, “Elder Wang.”
“Mm?”
Xiao Yunluo glanced at Pei Lianxue, cupped her fists, and said, “That… please speak and act with caution.”
“?”
Elder Wang was stunned for a moment, feeling puzzled, but he didn’t ask further. He nodded and followed Ye Ao into the cabin.
After seeing the three of them leave, Xiao Yunluo sighed earnestly and said, “Lianxue, why don’t you show me around the Hundred Lotus Sect? When I came last time, Ye Anping didn’t show me around.”
“Mm!” Pei Lianxue pondered for a moment and nodded, “While we’re at it, I’ll take you to see A Ting. It’s been so long since we’ve been back, I wonder if she’s been diligently practicing her sword.”
… …
—
In the center of the round table in the stern cabin, Ye Anping was sitting on one side, contemplating how to explain to his father later that the Empress had been tricked into coming to the Hundred Lotus Sect. Given his father’s personality, he would surely be terrified.
In addition to this, which would startle his father, he could also fulfill the promise he had made earlier – to bring Dan Yue Shang Xian back to meet him.
Ye Anping sighed softly and glanced at Si Xuanji, who was sitting beside him, cracking melon seeds. Seeing him looking over, Si Xuanji immediately stopped eating melon seeds. She winked at Ye Anping, took the melon seeds out of her mouth, split them open with her fingernail, extracted the kernels, and offered them to Ye Anping’s mouth: “Young Master Ye, would you like some? This humble girl will peel them for you.”
“No need, Miss Xuanji, please eat them yourself.”
“They’re very fragrant, would you like to try one?”
“…There’s really no need.”
Si Xuanji frowned and pouted, complaining, “Try one!”
“…”
Facing the heavenly might of the elder lady, Ye Anping paused, then opened his mouth, allowing her to place the melon seed kernel into his mouth.
“Delicious, isn’t it? This humble girl will peel them for you.”
“No…”
Tong Zilan, sitting opposite them at the table, watched the interaction between the elder and the younger with a hint of amusement, as if finding it quite interesting. The dignified Dan Yue Shang Xian was personally peeling melon seeds for a young cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage. *The world is deteriorating~~*
Meanwhile, Ye Wan’er, leaning against the wall on the other side, secretly glanced at Si Xuanji. She quickly grabbed some melon seeds and said, “Young Master Xuanji, you peel for Young Master Ye, and I’ll peel for you~ What do you say?”
“…”
Si Xuanji remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at her and asked, tilting her head, “Who are you?”
Ye Wan’er flinched at that gaze, awkwardly shrinking her neck. She took out the bell from her waist, the one Si Xuanji had given her. With a fawning smile, she said, “Young Master Xuanji, this… this humble one was ignorant of heaven and earth back then, and trespassed into your and Young Master Xiao’s bedroom in the middle of the night. But this humble one now regrets it. I wonder if Young Master Xuanji can forgive me? This humble one is willing to compensate you with double the spirit stones for that spirit sword and a few talismans.”
“Oh~~” Si Xuanji understood and nodded. “So you’re that little thief who stole my elder sister’s spirit sword last time.”
“Ah… mm-hmm, I am that little thief. Young Master Xuanji, look at this bell…”
Ye Wan’er was now extremely humble. After witnessing the Demon Emperor kill the city guards, she was terrified that Si Xuanji and Xiao Yunluo would tell their mother about that incident. She apologized profusely and gestured to Ye Anping, signaling him to put in a good word for her.
However, Ye Anping didn’t know Si Xuanji’s intentions and didn’t dare to speak for Ye Wan’er rashly. He didn’t want to offend Si Xuanji by helping Ye Wan’er.
Si Xuanji turned to look at Ye Anping, covered her mouth, and chuckled, “Considering you’ve been a great help to Young Master Ye, I won’t pursue this matter. I won’t tell my mother when we get back, but you should keep this bell.”
“Ah…”
“One must take responsibility for their own actions. This is your consequence,” Si Xuanji said with a smile, patting her shoulder. “From now on, you must work hard for Young Master Ye, understand?”
“…”
Ye Wan’er forced a smile. Although she was unwilling, under the pressure of this dwarf’s mother, she rubbed her hands together and nodded: “Yes! From now on, this humble one will definitely work hard for Young Master Ye… Young Master Xuanji is magnanimous. This kindness, this humble one will surely repay with a lifetime.”
Si Xuanji squinted at Ye Anping beside her and said, “Then go and give Young Master Ye a shoulder massage now.”
“…”
Ye Wan’er was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up, walked behind Ye Anping, and began to massage his shoulders.
Then, Si Xuanji turned to Ye Anping and said, “Young Master Ye, if anyone bullies you in the future, tell me, and I’ll uphold justice for you.”
“…”
Ye Anping felt somewhat speechless, but he accepted the elder lady’s good intentions. He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, Miss Xuanji.”
“You’re welcome~ Come, ah~~”
Looking at the melon seed kernel Si Xuanji offered, Ye Anping was stunned and reluctantly opened his mouth to take it. He now felt that the atmosphere in the room was very stiff and even missed Si Xuanji’s parrot. He hadn’t seen the parrot for several days, and it had likely been sent on an errand by Si Xuanji.
Just as Si Xuanji peeled another melon seed kernel and offered it to Ye Anping’s mouth, footsteps were heard from outside the door. Hong Yu, who was guarding the door, said, “Young Master Ye, Sect Master Ye is here,” and then pushed the door open, leading Ye Ao and the other two into the room.
Ye Ao was still feeling somewhat annoyed. Upon entering the room and seeing his son with women on either side, he was directly stunned. His gaze swept over Si Xuanji, Ye Wan’er, and Tong Zilan, and his brows furrowed slightly. He had seen Si Xuanji before when he went to the Xuan Xing Sect, but the other two were Core Formation stage cultivators! Why was one of them massaging his son’s back?
“Ping’er, what is this…”
Ye Anping paused, quickly spread his hands, and greeted him, “Father, it’s a long story. Let’s sit down and talk slowly.”
It was only then that he noticed two more people at the doorway. The one with the full beard and tiger-patterned Daoist robe was likely the Sect Master of the Tiger Roar Sect, who was currently staring at him in utter confusion, as if he had seen a ghost. The other person, Elder Wang of the Xuan Xing Sect, was currently staring at Si Xuanji beside him in total bewilderment, as if he had seen a ghost, his jaw almost dislocated.
Si Xuanji was still feeding melon seed kernels to Ye Anping, holding them in her hand. Seeing Wang Shourén there, she was also surprised. She really hadn’t expected Wang Shourén to be at the Hundred Lotus Sect now. Si Xuanji narrowed her Yin-yang heteromorphic eyes slightly, then smiled and greeted, “Elder Wang, why are you at the Hundred Lotus Sect?”
“…”
Elder Wang’s jaw moved up and down several times. His gaze shifted back and forth between Ye Anping and her sect leader. He immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, “Greetings…”
Si Xuanji immediately interrupted him, glaring, “Elder Wang, why such a grand礼? This little lady is also just a young master.”
“?”
Elder Wang was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted: “Ah… Greetings, Young Master.”
“I already said you don’t need to be so formal,” Si Xuanji’s expression softened. “You are truly persistent.”
“Ah… mm…”
Elder Wang didn’t know how to respond. He looked at the melon seeds his sect leader was offering to Ye Anping’s mouth and asked with his eyes, *Sect Leader, what are you doing?*
Ye Anping looked at the interaction between the two, feeling somewhat speechless. He sighed softly, spread his hands to signal Ye Ao and the other two to take their seats, and told Hong Yu to close the door and withdraw.
The moment the door closed, the room fell silent. The four people present exchanged glances, each filled with questions. Regarding the events in the Central Domain, Ye Anping had prepared a lengthy explanation, but seeing the atmosphere, he decided to keep it brief and said, “Father, Elder Wang, Sect Master Huang, your junior will be direct—the Demon Race rises, and Fox Shepherd King rules. The Emperor of the Central Domain has fallen.”
… …
