Elder Sun was in no hurry to leave. On the contrary, he straightened his robes and, with Lu Fengmian and Jin Le in tow, solemnly walked toward the Beast Taming Sect’s main hall.
No matter what, the other side had used a spirit beast cub with an ancient bloodline as the prize for the “spiritual trial,” which in itself was a trendous gesture; for a disciple of the Lingyun Sect to successfully form a contract with it was itself a matter of skill.
However, proper etiquette still had to be observed.
Inside the main hall, Jun Wanshou sat upright in the seat of honor. Upon hearing the announcent, he rose to personally receive them.
“Elder Sun, have you enjoyed your stay these past few days?” Jun Wanshou asked calmly, the proper smile on his face, showing not the slightest displeasure that the Ink Jade Flood Dragon had been “taken away.”
“I enjoyed it very much!” Elder Sun bead as he raised both hands in greeting, his voice loud and hearty.
“Thanks to Sect Master Jun Wanshou’s generous hospitality, this old man’s disciples benefited greatly. Especially…” He paused, his smile growing even brighter. “My little Lu, though he had only just begun to dabble in the beast taming path, unexpectedly caught the attention of your sect’s Ink Jade Flood Dragon. What a delightful surprise, what a delightful surprise!”
Jun Wanshou’s smile remained unchanged. “The Ink Jade Flood Dragon choosing its master was its fate, and Young Master Lu’s ability. Since the Beast Taming Sect already listed this beast among the trial’s choices, no matter where it ultimately went, we accepted it gladly. Elder Sun, there is no need for such excessive courtesy.”
“Oh, even so, gratitude still must be expressed.” Elder Sun stroked his beard, his face full of pride. “Sect Master Jun Wanshou is truly broad-minded! This old man admires such magnanimity!”
Jun Wanshou smiled and nodded, but did not respond.
The atmosphere turned a little subtle for a mont.
Standing behind her master, Jin Le silently averted her eyes.
Lu Fengmian stood quietly at the side, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, pretending he was rely a humanoid ornant.
At that mont, a clear female voice ca from outside the hall.
“Father.”
Silver bells tinkled softly.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue stepped across the threshold, followed closely by the imposing Baihu, Jing Heng.
Today, she had changed into a goose-yellow dress. Her black hair was still loosely gathered over her shoulders, but the burning look in her eyes seed to have softened sowhat.
Her gaze passed over Elder Sun and Jin Le and landed directly on Lu Fengmian.
“Young Master Lu,” she said, with less arrogance in her tone than when they first t, “could we speak alone?”
Lu Fengmian was slightly startled, then nodded. “Of course.”
The two of them walked out into the corridor beyond the hall.
Jun Wanshou glanced at his daughter’s back, but said nothing, continuing his polite exchange with Elder Sun.
Elder Sun gave a few perfunctory replies, but his ears were pricked up, trying to catch any movent from the corridor.
Unfortunately, he could hear nothing.
Under the corridor, Saintess Jiang Fuxue stopped and turned to face Lu Fengmian.
Today, she no longer looked down at him from atop the tiger’s back as before, but t him at eye level. The silver bells at her ankles swayed gently in the breeze, like a restrained yet still proud rhythm.
“You are very outstanding,” she said bluntly.
Lu Fengmian answered modestly, “Miss Jiang overpraises . It was purely a matter of good luck.”
“That was not luck.” Saintess Jiang Fuxue shook her head and looked at him frankly. “I have grown up alongside spirit beasts since childhood. I can tell the difference between luck and true ability. What you used to deal with the Ink Jade Flood Dragon was true ability.”
She paused, a trace of barely perceptible confusion flashing through her eyes, though she did not wish to show it. “But I still do not understand. How exactly did you do it?”
Lu Fengmian fell silent for a mont.
He lowered his gaze, and his sleeve moved slightly.
The one-foot-long Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon seed to sense his intent. It slowly poked out its tiny head, its vertical pupils narrowing slightly in the sunlight, and lazily coiled around his wrist.
It saw Saintess Jiang Fuxue.
Then, under Saintess Jiang Fuxue’s shocked gaze, this ancient-bloodline cub that had ignored her a few days ago and could not even be bothered to glance at her, actually craned its head out, looked at her with shining eyes, and even lightly swayed the tip of its tail.
As though greeting her.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue: “……”
For a mont, she did not even know what expression she ought to make.
Lu Fengmian was also sowhat surprised. Looking down at the little dragon on his wrist that had suddenly beco “hospitable,” he pursed his lips helplessly.
“It does not dislike you,” he said softly, raising his hand to gently stroke the pair of jade horns on the little dragon’s head. “It was only waiting too long.”
Saintess Jiang Fuxue lifted her head to look at him.
“The Ink Jade Flood Dragon’s perception is far stronger than that of ordinary spirit beasts.” Lu Fengmian carefully chose his words, doing his utmost to translate the mysterious effect of the system aura into human language. “It can distinguish between appreciation, longing, and ‘possessiveness.’”
“The first makes one feel comfortable, while the latter makes one feel weary. Because when too many people looked at it, what they saw was only its bloodline, its potential, and the glory it could bring—not itself.”
He paused, his gaze falling on the little dragon on his wrist, which had narrowed its eyes as though very comfortable.
“That day, the goodwill you showed it was genuine. But it was too tired—too tired to have the strength to distinguish whether that goodwill also concealed the sa desire.”
Saintess Jiang Fuxue listened quietly without interrupting.
“And I…” Lu Fengmian paused, “just happened to create a sense of safety.”
What he did not say was that this “safety” ca from a kind of cheating, an unfair advantage that even he himself felt was unfair.
The Affinity of All Spirits aura.
What the little dragon sensed was not how special Lu Fengmian himself was, but rather a kind of “being loved” buff granted to him by the system.
It was like wearing an invisibility cloak to eavesdrop on secrets; it was not that his own skill was superb, but that the cloak itself was useful.
He felt he did not deserve praise like her “You are very outstanding.”
Saintess Jiang Fuxue remained silent for a long while.
She did not continue pressing him. She only looked at the Ink Jade Flood Dragon, which had now withdrawn back into his sleeve, leaving only a small portion of its tail tip exposed, and said softly:
“I understand.”
She lifted her head. The confusion in her eyes was gone, replaced by a bright and candid light.
“Thank you for telling .”
Lu Fengmian nodded and said nothing more.
What ought to be said had already been said; what ought not to be said, he truly could not bring himself to say.
The two returned to the main hall. Elder Sun and Jun Wanshou’s exchange of pleasantries also ca to an end at just the right mont. Jin Le had already prepared the Cloud-Piercing Boat and was waiting outside the hall.
Just before departure, Lu Fengmian suddenly stopped.
He turned around and gave a slight bow toward the goose-yellow figure behind him.
“Sorry.”
Only two words.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue was slightly taken aback.
She looked at the composed young cultivator before her. For so reason, between his lowered lashes, she caught a trace of apology so faint it was almost impossible to detect.
Was it because she had given too much of herself that day, to the point of appearing bedraggled?
Was it because she had used every thod and yet been ignored, and he felt ashad for her?
Or was it because of so secret of his own that could not be spoken?
Saintess Jiang Fuxue did not know.
She rely shook her head.
“This was sothing you won through your own ability,” she said, her voice crisp, carrying the stubbornness and honesty unique to a young girl. “You do not need to apologize.”
Lu Fengmian looked up at her. A mont later, a smile curved at the corners of his lips.
He said nothing further, rely nodded once again in farewell before turning and walking down the stone steps.
The Cloud-Piercing Boat slowly rose into the air, breaking through the sea of clouds as it headed toward the Lingyun Sect.
At the stern, the moon-white figure stood with both hands behind his back, gradually becoming a faint little dot in the mist.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue stood atop the main hall, looking at the departing cloud-boat and the fading figure at its stern, and suddenly shouted loudly:
“Next ti! Next ti, I will definitely be better than you!”
Her voice pierced through the mist, carrying the unrestrained spirit of youth.
On the cloud-boat, that figure seed to pause for a mont.
Then, a hand stretched out from the side of the boat and gently waved to her.
Although Saintess Jiang Fuxue could not see his expression clearly, she sohow felt certain that he must be smiling right now.
She pressed her lips together, lowered her head to look, then reached out and vigorously rubbed Jing Heng’s fluffy head.
“Let’s go ho.”
Baihu let out a low whine and rubbed its nose against her palm.
The girl and the tiger turned around and walked toward the depths of the Beast Taming Sect, stepping through the broken golden sunlight on the ground.
The clear and pleasant sound of silver bells gradually faded into the distance.
anwhile, on the cloud-boat, Lu Fengmian withdrew his hand and looked down at the little dragon on his wrist. At so point, it had poked its head out again and was lazily basking in the sun.
He let out a soft sigh.
The Affinity of All Spirits aura had long since vanished, yet this little old ancestor still refused to leave his sleeve.
The System’s products were always high-end products.
But in the end, this “high-end product” was not his own ability.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue did not accept that “sorry.”
But he knew that a debt owed would have to be repaid in the end.
“…Next ti.”
He looked toward the towering mountain gate of the Lingyun Sect at the end of the sea of clouds, and a slight curve lifted at the corners of his mouth.
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