When Bi Yao heard Lu Xueqi announce her na, her eyes lit up instantly, and she was overjoyed.
Grabbing Lu Xueqi’s hand, she spoke with unconcealed admiration in her tone:
“Sister! You are so beautiful, with a temperant as ethereal as an immortal—you're the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen!
I used to feel quite confident in my own looks, but upon seeing you, I feel utterly ashad!”
As she spoke, she bent her knees slightly and tilted her face up, her gaze locked tightly on Lu Xueqi.
Seeing this, Lu Xueqi gently replied,
“Sister Bi Yao, you are also very pretty.”
A flicker of delight flashed in Bi Yao’s eyes upon hearing Lu Xueqi’s complint, but after comparing the two, she couldn’t help but purse her lips and mutter,
“Compared to Sister Xueqi, I really fall far short.”
Just as Bi Yao was about to say more, You Ji, standing nearby, suddenly shouted,
“Yao’er! Co back!”
Bi Yao turned to look at You Ji, noticing a trace of seriousness in her eyes. Only then did she realize she had acted a bit rashly. She quickly nodded,
“Alright, Aunt You.”
She turned again to look at Lu Xueqi, her tone tinged with reluctance.
“Sister Xueqi, I’ll be going now.”
Lu Xueqi nodded gently.
Although she had a good impression of Bi Yao, this was their first eting, and they had no deep bond.
Moreover, one hailed from the Qingyun Sect and the other from the Demonic Sect. They stood on opposing sides by nature—prolonged contact was unwise.
Seeing this, Bi Yao reluctantly turned away from Lu Xueqi and the others, skipping back to You Ji with a cheerful expression.
Back at Lu Xueqi’s table, once Bi Yao left, Lin Jingyu and Qi Hao sat in stunned silence, their eyes following her figure.
During Bi Yao’s conversation with Lu Xueqi, both had tried to strike up a dialogue as well, but Bi Yao had shown little interest in them. Feeling frustrated and dejected, they couldn’t help but silently think:
“Aren’t we supposed to be the Sons of Destiny in this world? Why are all these female leads so indifferent toward us?”
Zhang Xiaofan was also staring blankly in the direction Bi Yao had left.
When Bi Yao had first appeared, his body had trembled with excitent, and he had nearly rushed forward to reunite with her.
But he suddenly rembered—this was the past, and Bi Yao didn’t know him yet.
If he approached her rashly, he would only co off as soone with ill intentions. Rationality rooted him firmly to the spot.
Elsewhere, You Ji looked at Bi Yao gravely.
“You must be cautious. Those four are not simple.”
Bi Yao didn’t argue.
Although she had been captivated by Lu Xueqi’s beauty during their interaction, her speech and spiritual probing revealed that the four of them had unfathomably deep cultivation.
“Aunt You, while I don’t know their origins, I did manage to gather so information.”
Bi Yao lowered her voice.
“That stunningly beautiful woman is nad Lu Xueqi. The other three are Qi Hao, Lin Jingyu, and Zhang Xiaofan.”
When she uttered “Lu Xueqi,” You Ji’s eyes flashed briefly with astonishnt, but it was only appreciation for her looks.
She had never heard of the na before.
However, the mont Bi Yao ntioned “Qi Hao,” You Ji’s eyes widened dramatically, and her expression changed.
She imdiately used sound transmission to speak to Bi Yao.
“Yao’er, I think I’ve figured out where they’re from.”
Bi Yao blinked in surprise.
She had only gathered a few nas—yet You Ji already knew their background?
Her curiosity was piqued. She asked eagerly,
“Aunt You, tell ! Which force are they from, to have such celestial beauties among them?”
Without hesitation, You Ji said in a low voice,
“I don’t know about the other three, but I’ve heard of Qi Hao. He’s a talented disciple from the younger generation of the Qingyun Sect.”
“The Qingyun Sect?!”
Bi Yao’s eyes widened in shock, and she let out a quiet gasp.
You Ji nodded solemnly.
“That’s right. Those four must be from the Qingyun Sect, and Qi Hao is a prodigy from Longshou Peak. Our sect had previously gathered intelligence about his recent training excursions.”
Bi Yao finally returned to her senses, a wave of disappointnt washing over her.
She had hoped to forge a deeper connection with Lu Xueqi, but upon learning she ca from the Qingyun Sect, she sobered imdiately—righteous and demonic paths stood on opposing sides, fated never to draw close.
She glanced at Lu Xueqi’s cool, breathtaking face, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes.
Having lost her mother from a young age, Bi Yao had rarely t peers she could connect with.
Though her father, the Ghost King, doted on her, guilt and emotional distance created a persistent rift between them.
Within the Ghost King Sect, people feared her identity—no one dared to open their hearts to her.
Now that she had finally t soone she felt a connection with, sect affiliations forced her to let it go.
“Aunt You, I understand. I won’t have too much contact with them.”
Bi Yao’s voice was downcast.
Only then did You Ji nod in relief.
She didn’t fear Qi Hao and the others, but if Bi Yao grew close to them—especially to that girl from the Qingyun Sect—heartache was inevitable.
At this mont, Qi Hao had no idea that, because of his na, Bi Yao had beco guarded.
He was eagerly awaiting the fall of night, plotting to imitate Zhang Xiaofan and secretly befriend Bi Yao.
In his eyes, although Bi Yao wasn’t quite as beautiful as Lu Xueqi, she was still a rare beauty. If he could add her to his harem, all the better.
Lin Jingyu, noticing the look in Qi Hao’s eyes, imdiately guessed his intentions. His eyes narrowed slightly—he already had a plan in mind. All he needed to do was wait for the right opportunity.
As the al continued, everyone harbored their own thoughts.
Zhang Xiaofan’s comntary on the food, though unique, failed to surprise Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu, both familiar with the original storyline.
Lu Xueqi, never one to care about such things, said little.
Bi Yao, though surprised by Zhang Xiaofan’s cooking skills, held back her words, knowing he was from the Qingyun Sect.
Night fell.
Lu Xueqi sat cross-legged in the guest room, cultivating. Her spiritual sense spread like a spiderweb, alert to any movent within Shanhai Garden.
Since leaving Xiaozhu Peak, she understood that her beauty easily attracted trouble and dared not relax for a mont.
In the adjacent room, although Qi Hao appeared to be daydreaming on the bed, her advanced cultivation allowed her to detect his spiritual sense quietly extending outward, as if sensing the ti—or searching for soone.
Monts later, as if confirming that the ti had co, Qi Hao suddenly rose, hastily straightened his robes, opened the door, and walked toward the rear courtyard.
At that mont, a bright moon hung high in the sky. The soft moonlight spilled down, bathing the entire courtyard in a silver glow.
anwhile, Bi Yao, unable to sleep despite tossing and turning, put on a cloak and stepped outside, wanting to enjoy the nightti scenery of Shanhai Garden.
She strolled into the courtyard, where the moonlight, gentle as flowing water, edged the delicate flowers in silver.
Pausing, she admired the view. Her fingers lightly brushed against a petal as she imrsed herself in the tranquility of the night.
Suddenly, faint footsteps sounded behind her.
Bi Yao abruptly turned around—only to see Qi Hao, whom she had encountered earlier today, slowly walking toward her.
Her expression instantly turned guarded, her aura sharpening. Now that she knew Qi Hao was a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, she naturally harbored strong vigilance against him.
The mont Qi Hao saw Bi Yao in the courtyard, a perfectly tid look of surprise flashed across his face. His voice carried a tone of mild curiosity:
“Miss Bi Yao? Still awake at this hour?”
Bi Yao stared fixedly at him. When she saw the surprise flicker in his eyes, she relaxed slightly and tentatively asked,
“Your na is Qi Hao?”
“I am indeed. We t at the restaurant earlier today—do you still rember, Miss Bi Yao?”
Qi Hao replied with a smile, maintaining a facade of cultured elegance.
But as Bi Yao scrutinized him again, she caught a fleeting glint of calculation in his eyes.
Her heart imdiately sounded an alarm.
This man had shown up in the middle of the night—clearly preditated!
“I don’t rember,”
Bi Yao said coldly, and without another word, turned to leave.
Her curt response froze Qi Hao in place.
He had planned to replicate the approach from the original tiline, closing the distance between him and Bi Yao to leave a deep impression. But now, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
As Qi Hao stood there dazed, a clear male voice suddenly rang out from the side courtyard.
“Senior Brother Qi, still not asleep? Don’t tell you’re thinking about so girl again?”
Lin Jingyu stepped out from the shadows, the corners of his mouth curled in a faint, ambiguous smile.
Qi Hao’s expression darkened the instant he saw Lin Jingyu. His gaze turned cold as he asked icily:
“Junior Brother Lin, what are you doing here?”
A faint killing intent flickered in his eyes.
Bi Yao took in the entire scene.
As the daughter of the Ghost King, she had been raised amid intrigue and power struggles. She instantly saw through the sche behind this so-called “chance encounter.”
Lin Jingyu’s sudden appearance was clearly ant to disrupt Qi Hao’s plans.
She watched the two with interest.
One’s eyes were shadowed and filled with latent hostility; the other smiled coolly, brimming with provocation.
Had they not been in a public place like this inn, blades might already have been drawn.
“So this is the so-called ‘genius disciples’ of the Qingyun Sect—engaging in petty power struggles right in the open.”
Bi Yao sneered inwardly.
Her disgust toward Qi Hao deepened, and a trace of contempt erged toward the Qingyun Sect’s internal strife.
“How are they any different from us of the Demonic Sect?”
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