“Shen Xun…”

Qinghe repeated the name, going through his mind, but he really had no recollection of it.

"You can also call me by my pseudonym, Zhu Xun."

Qinghe: "There are quite a few names."

Shen Xun looked into the distance, his small stature somehow conveying an air of having experienced the vicissitudes of life. "When you're in the martial world, you always need to have a few aliases, just in case."

Qinghe's lips twitched, but he ignored it and tentatively asked, "Are you also from the Qingyun Sect?" Someone with such high cultivation level couldn't possibly be a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, could he?

Shen Xun lowered his eyes and fiddled with the copper coin on his wrist, saying, "No, I was just here when I woke up. Before that, I was injured."

"Oh," Qinghe said, understanding. "You're staying here to recover from your injuries? You've chosen the wrong place. The Qingyun Sect is very poor; they don't have any miraculous medicines to heal your wounds."

Shen Xun's lips twitched almost imperceptibly: "Indeed, but the spiritual energy here is very abundant, which is still somewhat helpful to me."

Qinghe nodded, glanced out the window; it was getting late.

"I should go now. Thank you for saving my life. If you ever need any help in the future, feel free to contact me. My name is Qinghe."

Shen Xun did not speak, but watched her figure slowly disappear into the darkness, her footsteps gradually fading away until the entire Heavenly Book Pavilion returned to silence.

He jumped off the table, walked to the window, and saw Qinghe's receding figure.

"Is it her?" A faint, ethereal female voice echoed in the dimly lit room.

Shen Xun nodded: "Yes."

"well."

A soft sigh dissipated into the darkness.

*

It was past 1 AM when they returned to Luhua Terrace, and Qinghe prepared to go back to his cabin to bathe and rest.

"Senior sister."

Suddenly, a plaintive voice drifted from behind. Qinghe's hand trembled, and she stiffly turned around.

Damn it, can the male lead please stop scaring people all the time?!

"How long have you been here?"

"It's been two hours. Where did you go, Senior Sister? You haven't come back all night. I'm very worried about you."

Qinghe found the sentimental words awkward to hear, especially since they came from Mo Junqian's mouth.

"I have my own things to do, no need to worry. It's getting late, you should go back and rest."

"By the way, Senior Sister, I've been accepted as a disciple by the Sect Master. From now on, we're senior and junior sisters." Her joy was palpable.

"Yes, congratulations." Qinghe's tone was cold and indifferent, without any fluctuation.

Seeing Qinghe's calm and composed expression, as if she had known all along, Mo Junqian couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. But seeing her tired expression and impatient look, he could only swallow his words and softly said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer. Senior Sister, please get some rest."

"Hmm." Qinghe waved his hand, turned around and went inside, leaving Mo Junqian outside.

Mo Junqian stood there for a while before turning around and leaving.

*

Unbeknownst to her, three months had passed since the Weigu Trial, and Qinghe's cultivation had successfully advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage. What annoyed her was that in just over half a year, Mo Junqian had jumped from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the late Golden Core stage, and had even been found to have a rare Chaos Spiritual Root. It was truly infuriating to compare oneself to others.

She had planned to visit Mount Fu again in a few days to collect more herbs for alchemy, but ever since Mo Junqian went on a tantrum, he's been hanging around her at Luhua Terrace all day, either asking for cultivation tips or discussing hobbies. She could never find a suitable opportunity, which gave Qinghe a real headache.

That day, Mo Junqian arrived at Luhua Terrace early in the morning, carrying breakfast in his hand. He walked slowly to the stone table, put down the food, and smiled at Qinghe, saying, "Good morning, Senior Sister. Come and eat your breakfast. I'm going to practice my skills."

Without waiting for Qinghe's reply, he went off to cultivate elsewhere, seemingly oblivious to the resentful expression on Qinghe's face.

With a light tap of her fingertips on the table, Qinghe rested her head on her hand and glanced at the food on the table. She had no appetite at all. Then she looked at Mo Junqian in the distance and sighed softly.

"This guy must be getting revenge for making me wait two hours last time," Qing thought to himself.

If this continues, even if she doesn't say anything, others will probably start gossiping. What kind of behavior is it for a newly initiated disciple to run to his senior sister's place all day long? It's improper.

Even though Qinghe is open-minded, she still felt it was necessary to talk to him, since she couldn't bear this kind of indirect surveillance from the male lead.

I took a deep breath and just stood up when Boda walked in from a distance.

Before he even got close, they heard Boda's hearty laughter: "I knew he was here with you. It was definitely worth the trip."

Qinghe gestured for her to sit down, and Mo Junqian also came over.

"You haven't had breakfast yet?" Boda noticed the food on the table.

Qinghe shook his head and said, "No rush, what do you need us for?"

Boda: "Oh, it's the sect leader who wants to see you. He says he has something important to discuss."

Qinghe: "Now?"

Boda waved her hand: "No rush, we can go later." Her gaze shifted to Mo Junqian, "Kid, your cultivation has improved again. It seems the sect leader was right to take you in."

Mo Junqian smiled shyly.

The three talked for a while longer before getting up and going to the Lingxiao Palace.

Qi Changfeng stood in the center of the hall, along with his Uncle-Master Lu Chang, Li Jiang, and Lin Nanmu Dong.

Qinghe's intuition told him that this matter was extraordinary.

Once everyone was present, Qi Changfeng glanced at each person and said, "Please sit down."

After everyone was seated, Qi Changfeng took out a bead from his bosom, which was the Wind-Fixing Bead that had been found when he captured the tiger demon.

"The divine pearl has appeared in the world, and the world will surely face a great calamity. This is a prophecy in the divine record."

Qinghe was slightly surprised; the Divine Record really was in the Qingyun Sect!

Qi Changfeng's expression was solemn: "The Divine Records foretell that someone is secretly gathering the five divine pearls, causing suffering and harm to the common people. As the leader of the five major sects, our Qingyun Sect cannot sit idly by and wait for its demise."

Li Jiang asked, "Since it's a prophecy, has it told us who's behind it all?"

Qi Changfeng shook his head: "That's the troublesome part. The Divine Records record all things in the Three Realms and can predict the past and future, but it can't find the person behind it all. Perhaps the other party's strength is beyond the Three Realms, or perhaps he used some other method to cover up his whereabouts."

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Not long after, Qinghe suddenly spoke up: "Since he wants to collect all the divine pearls, and we happen to have one, why don't we just destroy it?"

As soon as she said that, everyone turned to look at her.

Qing and Mo Ming: "Is there a problem?"

Boda whispered to her, "The Divine Pearl is formed from the soul of an ancient god. When the ancient god created the world and the chaos began, he sat in the void and passed away. If the Divine Pearl is destroyed, it will also bring disaster to the Three Realms."

Qinghe nodded: "I see."

Bertha was a little surprised: "These are also recorded in the Ke family scroll, how come you don't know them?"

Qinghe shuddered and said calmly, "It's been too long, I'm a little forgetful."

Boda nodded, without suspecting anything.

Qi Changfeng continued, "Since we can't find the person behind this, we can only find the remaining four divine beads first. I have already discussed this with the leaders of the other four sects, and each sect will send disciples to search for the divine beads."

Qi Changfeng gestured to Lu Chang, who nodded, stood up, and said, "Qingyun Sect plans to send Li Jiang, Qing He, Mo Junqian, and Mu Dong. This is the result of my discussion with my senior brother. If anyone is unwilling to go, we will not force them."

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Is this some kind of business? Shouldn't this kind of opportunity to cultivate feelings belong to the male and female leads? What's the meaning of bringing in a cannon fodder like me?" But it's a good thing for her, traveling the world and broadening her horizons.

Li Jiang took the lead, stood up solemnly and said, "Master and Uncle, rest assured, we will definitely find all five divine pearls on this trip, save the world and live up to your mission!"

The others followed suit.

...

The next morning, the group packed their luggage and prepared to set off. Before leaving, Qi Changfeng gave each of them a spatial magic artifact containing many pills and spell manuals. He also gave the Wind-Fixing Pearl to Li Jiang for safekeeping, saying that the five pearls were interconnected and that carrying it would save them from taking detours.

Suddenly leaving the Qingyun Sect, Qinghe felt a little reluctant. Standing in front of the two vermilion gates, Qinghe suddenly recalled the scene of his first visit to the Qingyun Sect, and a year had passed in the blink of an eye.

"Don't worry, we'll be back soon," Mo Junqian said, walking to her side.

Qinghe replied softly, "Mm."

Sonai

Standing atop the towering building, Qi Changfeng looked down at the backs of Li Jiang and the others, lost in thought.

Before long, Lu Chang arrived, his expression filled with worry, and whispered a few words in Qi Changfeng's ear.

"What!" A hint of surprise flashed across Qi Changfeng's face. He subconsciously stroked his chin, then suddenly raised the corner of his lips and said, "I see."

Seeing his senior brother's expression, Lu couldn't help but feel worried. Qi Changfeng comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, with that person there, they will definitely come back safely."

Lu Chang wanted to say something more, but in the end, he sighed deeply.

...

The journey was long, and the group started arguing about how to get there.

Li Jiang firmly stated, "Flying on a sword is the fastest way."

Mu Dong disagreed: "Flying on a sword is so boring. The scenery along the way is so beautiful. Wouldn't we be missing out if we flew on a sword? I think riding a horse is better."

Li Jiang retorted, "Riding a horse? Do you know how much a horse costs? We don't have much money to begin with, how can we spend it on such a trivial matter?"

Mu Dong still disagreed: "It's been so long since I've been out. I've almost forgotten what the outside world is like. It would be such a waste not to take this opportunity to travel around and see the world. I don't care, I want to ride a horse!"

Li Jiang retorted again, "Do you think we came out here to play? Don't forget we have a mission. We should finish it as soon as possible and come back to report."

Mu Dong: "Horse a horse!"

Li Jiang: "Sword control!"

"horse riding!"

"Sword control!"

"..."

After a stick of incense had burned, Li Jiang broke the vicious cycle: "There's no point in arguing like this, let's just vote to decide."

Mu Dong didn't want to waste any more words: "Alright then, Qinghe, Junqian, sword riding and horse riding, what do you choose?"

They finally realized there was someone else besides the two of them.

Qinghe, who was sitting by the roadside in a daze, and Mo Junqian, who was sitting beside her, both looked up.

Mo Junqian looked at Qinghe and said, "Whatever Senior Sister chooses, I will choose too."

Qing glanced at him sideways, thinking, "This kid's trying to trick me."

Now, the decision-making power has inexplicably shifted to Qinghe's hands, and no matter which one she chooses, she will offend the other.

"Which one should I choose?" Qinghe was conflicted.

Li Jiang and Mu Dong both pricked up their ears to listen to her answer.

Qinghe scratched his head: "I choose..."

"I suggest you proceed on horseback."

Suddenly, a crisp, childlike voice rang in her ears. Qinghe frowned slightly; the voice seemed familiar.

The others looked in surprise at what was happening behind Qinghe, where a small head had peeked out.

"It's you! What are you doing here?"