Upon further scrutiny of the woman leading the two, her face was like a lotus flower, quite beautiful.
Unfortunately, the arrogance on her face undermined her overall beauty. Observing her attire, Ye Lingyue found it strangely familiar.
Upon a closer look, the hem of her dress was embroidered with the Nirvana Heart Lotus pattern. It was said that the Nirvana Heart Lotus was the totem of the Yaochi Immortal Pavilion. Ye Lingyue had previously seen Die i wearing a similar dress, so it seed this woman was from the Yaochi Immortal Pavilion.
To be acquainted with Chen Mu and others, could this woman be the very person Die i had described— the prideful and conceited, flat-chested, and brainless direct disciple Yue i?
However, how did Yue i co to be with Chen Mu and An Yang?
They had not yet completed the trial; by all accounts, they shouldn’t be appearing in Sifang City at this ti.
"Hold on, I’m entering the city." Yue i didn’t even regard the Sifang City Lord, let alone a re Southern Envoy.
"Miss Yue, at this hour, why are you still outside the city? And who are these two... Doesn’t the Yaochi Immortal Pavilion only take in female disciples?"
Sifang City isn’t a place you could just co and go as you please.
Otherwise, the Sifang City Lord wouldn’t have stipulated that each contestant could bring at most one person into the city.
Even the people from the Three Sects and Nine Schools had to report in advance before entering Sifang City.
Yue i had only been in Sifang City for one day, but the Southern Envoy had long heard about how she offended the Three-Life Valley and the City Lord within a few sentences.
He was quite disgusted by this young lady but, as the saying goes, guests should be received courteously.
"What, you doubt ? It’s not your place to manage who I bring into the city. Get lost! If you delay my business, not even your City Lord can save you."
Yue i glared, her face filled with malice.
If it weren’t for the fact that she needed to maintain so dignity in front of Chen Mu who was behind her, Yue i would have already clashed with the Southern Envoy.
The Southern Envoy was not pleased at all, not knowing whether to block them or let them pass, fearing Chen Mu and An Yang were up to no good.
The standoff between the two parties continued until Great Elder Chang Luo hurried over, urgency written all over his face.
"Miss Yue, thank you for helping this old man find these two disciples."
Great Elder Chang Luo paid his respects to the Southern Envoy and explained,
"Southern Envoy, this is my fault. I took a few disciples to contemplate at the Rift Valley Sand River during the day, but who knew that these two boys would wander off and disappear. Miss Yue happened to know about this, and her master has so connections with , so she helped bring them back."
Great Elder Chang Luo knew of Yue i’s haughty nature and feared she might cause trouble. Upon sensing the tension, he stepped in to diate.
While speaking, the Great Elder slipped so advantages into the hands of the Southern Envoy behind his back.
It was then the Southern Envoy’s expression eased a bit, and he allowed the two to enter.
While the Southern Envoy was preoccupied with Yue i and Great Elder Chang Luo, Ye Lingyue, Feng Xun, Long Baobao, and the others took the opportunity to sneak into Sifang City undetected.
At the city gate, the tily arrival of Great Elder Chang Luo defused the situation.
Chen Mu and the others were briefly searched and then let in.
Upon entering, Chen Mu leaned in to whisper sothing to Yue i, imdiately making her look radiant; the previous arrogance vanished, replaced by a shy deanor.
Ye Lingyue sneered internally.
Like master, like disciple indeed. Great Elder Chang Luo had his connections with Elder Ying, and who would have thought his disciple, Chen Mu, would also swiftly engage with Yue i.
Unfortunately, this person nad Yue i had been misled by Chen Mu’s appearance and sweet nothings, truly believing she had found a treasure. In the future, the Yaochi Immortal Pavilion would likely fall into the hands of Chen Mu and his disciple.
However, Ye Lingyue didn’t have any sentint towards the Three Sects; it was not her place to worry if they fell from grace or not.
She could only hope that Yue i would not be further beguiled by pretty words, as the ti appointed with the Sifang City Lord was drawing ever nearer.
"We’re in luck, that person is Yue i. We’ll just follow her when the ti cos." Ye Lingyue spoke softly.
After sharing so laughs, Yue i glanced at the moon and the joy on her face subsided, replaced with a more solemn expression.
"Senior Brother Chen, Disciple An Yang, it’s getting late. I must go to fulfill my appointnt. Before that, I have to trouble you to follow . Rember, without my signal, you must not reveal yourselves."
It turned out that Yue i, bravely as she acted, dared not completely fall out with the Sifang City Lord.
She also planned to wait until the Sifang City Lord opened the Demon Awakening Gate and was too preoccupied to notice, before having Chen Mu and An Yang co out.
Hence, Yue i led the two n in a certain direction within the city.
The three of them maintained a distance of about three li apart from each other.
Yet what Yue i didn’t expect was that, like a mantis stalking the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, Ye Lingyue and Feng Xun, along with another person, were following right behind her.
The location of the Demon Awakening Gate was known only to the Sifang City Lord.
Yue i arrived at the north of Sifang City as agreed upon.
There sat a small temple.
Fearing being discovered by Yue i, Ye Lingyue dared not follow too closely.
Only after Yue i had entered the temple and around midnight, did Ye Lingyue and Feng Xun and the others proceed inside.
"!"
It appeared to be a temple with waning incense offerings.
Run-down with ti, even the Buddha’s paint on the walls was peeling off, and there were several large-leaved Bodhi trees by the entrance.
Despite its dilapidation, the courtyard was relatively clean, yet deserted at this hour, leaving only moonlight scattered across the ground.
"Where did everyone go?"
Ye Lingyue and Long Baobao wondered.
"Wait, look over there, a cluster of Moonflowers."
Feng Xun pointed them out to Ye Lingyue, and indeed, in the corner of the Daoist Temple, blood clusters of the fiery Demon Flower Moonflower.
In such a quiet moonlit night, the red flowers were a assault on the eyes, prompting Ye Lingyue to involuntarily recall a terrifying scene she had encountered last ti in the Desert Garden.
She couldn’t recall the details of what had happened that day, but had a vague sense that it was nothing good.
A pair of cool yet comforting hands covered hers, enveloping her small hand within his palm.
"Don’t be afraid; I’m here. This thicket of flowers is just a simple Eye-blocking Technique," Feng Xun reassured Ye Lingyue, which considerably relaxed her.
She was growing more dependent on him. There was a ti when she used to look after him, but without knowing when exactly, Feng Xun had started to stand in front of her, protecting her.
When had it begun?
Ye Lingyue pondered in silence, only to see Feng Xun raise his hand.
Upon closer inspection, there were three clusters of Moonflowers.
Feng Xun’s hand moved to the flowers, and he plucked "three" Moonflowers from the first cluster.
Then he picked "six" from the second cluster, and finally "six" more from the third cluster.
"Brother Feng, what does this an?" Long Baobao asked curiously.
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