"Fang Bai, this is Senior Brother Ye Renjie."
Zheng Hong led Fang Bai to a male disciple from the External Courtyard. He clasped his hands politely in a respectful salute, then warmly introduced, "Senior Brother Ye is the number one on our External Courtyard Combat Rankings and is about to advance to the Foundation Establishnt realm. At the year’s end advancent assembly, Senior Brother Ye is very likely to enter the Inner Court."
Fang Bai scrutinized Senior Brother Ye for a mont. He saw that Ye Renjie was tall and upright, with strikingly handso features—a refined and graceful young man. However, the look in his eyes toward Fang Bai carried a hint of hostility, as though he bore so grudge against him.
"Senior Brother Ye."
Fang Bai thought to himself, "I’ve never even t this Senior Brother Ye Renjie before. Why does he seem so hostile towards ?" But he still managed a smile and clasped his hands in deference.
The goodwill Fang Bai extended was t with no response. Ye Renjie gave him a disdainful glance, let out a soft snort, then turned and walked away, leaving only his retreating figure behind.
"Senior Brother Ye... This..."
Zheng Hong’s expression turned sowhat awkward. He took a couple of steps forward and waved, seemingly trying to call after Ye Renjie but hesitating as if sowhat intimidated by him. He could only let out a dry laugh before turning back to Fang Bai and saying, "Junior Brother Fang, Senior Brother Ye has a rather difficult temperant... um... don’t take it to heart..."
Fang Bai truly wouldn’t let sothing so trivial bother him. He smiled faintly and said, "Understood. Since he’s the number one on the External Courtyard Combat Rankings, a bit of pride is only natural."
Hearing this, Zheng Hong’s face finally returned to its usual color. He signaled to Fang Bai with a glance, and, under the watchful gazes of the other External Courtyard disciples, the two left together.
"Junior Brother Fang, Senior Brother Ye is the kind of person who holds grudges and retaliates for even the smallest offenses. You’d better be careful and try not to provoke him."
Once they were out of sight of others, Zheng Hong lowered his voice and spoke to Fang Bai.
Fang Bai chuckled, waved a hand, and said, "As long as he doesn’t co looking for trouble with , I certainly won’t go looking for trouble with him."
Zheng Hong nodded, thought for a mont, and added, "Senior Brother Ye’s hostility toward you is probably because you’re more popular among the female disciples in the External Courtyard. He might feel like you’ve stolen his spotlight! Before you joined, Senior Brother Ye was known as the most handso man in the External Courtyard, and many female disciples admired him!"
Fang Bai couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. He said, "If that’s really the case, how petty must this Senior Brother Ye be? Forget it, let’s not talk about him anymore!"
As they passed through a bamboo grove in front of a small hill, Fang Bai glanced around and noticed a small bamboo hut built within the grove. A young woman was reclining on a bamboo chair outside the hut, staring blankly at the sky in a daze.
The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with phoenix-shaped eyes and a delicate nose. Her beauty was gentle and elegant, but her complexion was unnaturally pale, carrying an unhealthy pallor. Her fine brows were furrowed tightly, and she occasionally let out soft sighs, evoking a sense of pity in anyone who saw her.
"That’s Elder Sun’s granddaughter, Junior Sister Sun Lin."
Noticing Fang Bai looking at the young woman by the bamboo hut, Zheng Hong lightly cleared his throat and transmitted a ssage to Fang Bai.
"Oh, I know of her."
Fang Bai nodded.
Previously, Fang Bai had overheard a conversation between Elder Wu and Elder Sun and learned so things about Sun Lin.
Sun Lin had outstanding innate talent and potential, with great prospects for advancing to the Foundation Establishnt realm and entering the Inner Court for further cultivation. However, during a training expedition, she suffered a severe injury, severing her connection to the Martial Dao and rendering her talent useless.
For a Martial Artist, such a blow was trendous, even more heartbreaking than death.
No wonder Sun Lin now appeared listless, like a withered tree, devoid of the vitality and exuberance one would expect from soone her age.
The two of them, afraid of disturbing Sun Lin, didn’t linger and continued walking past.
After another hundred breaths or so, Fang Bai was led to a small hill.
In front of the hill stood two small bamboo huts, with a dicinal herb garden behind them. Beside the huts was an enormous tree so large it would take several adults stretching their arms to encircle its trunk. Its dense foliage blocked out nearly all sunlight.
"So this will be my ho from now on? Hmm, not bad. I like it."
Fang Bai walked up to the bamboo huts, surveyed the surroundings, and looked satisfied.
Although these bamboo huts couldn’t compare to grand halls, they were serene and secluded, offering peace and quiet.
What pleased him most was the dicinal herb garden behind the huts. Fang Bai couldn’t help but feel thrilled as he considered the possibility of secretly picking herbs to refine elixirs.
While Lingxu Palace prohibited disciples from harvesting spiritual dicine without permission, he thought to himself, "East pick one, west steal another—who would ever notice?"
"That’s right, Junior Brother Fang. This will be your temporary residence. But it’s only temporary. Considering you’re a Martial Dao Genius, you’ll surely enter the Inner Court in the future, and your accommodations will be far better than this."
Zheng Hong said this with a face full of envy.
From Zheng Hong’s envious expression, Fang Bai sensed a trace of bitterness. He patted Zheng Hong’s shoulder and said, "Senior Brother Zheng, whenever you have ti, feel free to visit here. The Martial Arts Techniques and the Martial Dao Arcane insights Elder Wu has taught —I can share them with you."
Zheng Hong’s heart was filled with joy, and he expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
Elder Wu, a high-ranking Foundation Establishnt expert, seldom provided lectures on the Martial Dao Arcane. For an External Courtyard disciple like Zheng Hong, being able to occasionally hear even one lesson was a rare privilege.
But with Elder Wu personally ntoring Fang Bai, he would have far more opportunities to learn, coupled with his Innate Spiritual Root and exceptional comprehension. Under Elder Wu’s guidance, Fang Bai’s progress in the Martial Dao would undoubtedly be rapid.
For Zheng Hong, Fang Bai sharing these insights would be an invaluable boon, significantly benefiting his cultivation journey.
In the past, so disciples from the External Courtyard, who were on friendly terms with Zheng Hong and shared a camaraderie like brothers, had entered the Inner Court. After gaining access to the teachings of Inner Court experts and making breakthroughs, they hoarded their insights like treasures, unwilling to share them with Zheng Hong, leaving him disheartened about the cold realities of human nature.
As such, Fang Bai’s considerate gesture deeply resonated with Zheng Hong, making him feel truly fortunate to have such a friend.
After chatting with Fang Bai for a short while, Zheng Hong left, beaming with joy as he went off to handle other matters.
Fang Bai watched Zheng Hong’s figure disappear into the distance before turning back to continue surveying the scenery around him. He strolled leisurely through the small "world" that was now temporarily his.
Not long after, Fang Bai suddenly detected a familiar Martial Artist Aura. He raised his gaze toward the mountain path in the distance and saw a figure striding briskly towards him.
"Brother Shi, don’t tell you live nearby?"
As the figure approached, Fang Bai stepped forward to greet him with a smile and a question.
"Haha... You guessed right! We’re neighbors from now on—what a coincidence!"
The man was tall and broad-shouldered, nearly a zhang in height, and none other than Shi Ming, who had joined Lingxu Palace alongside Fang Bai.
The two of them sat down at the stone table in front of the bamboo hut and exchanged a few words. They soon discovered that their residences were separated by only a small hill, making it easy for them to visit each other frequently in the future.
After a while, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old nial servant disciple arrived, carrying a large wooden box. He walked up to Fang Bai with great respect and said he had brought the day’s al.
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