Confinement

"Sorry, my two junior brothers are not very obedient."

The disciple from the Enforcement Hall standing opposite was quite surprised and immediately replied, "What are you saying, Senior Sister? They should apologize themselves. There's no way you can apologize on their behalf."

Chu Li shook her head, "It's my fault for not teaching them well. As for the confinement..."

"I understand, they're just playing around, there's no need to—"

"No, what I mean is, let them stay locked up, and perhaps... for a little longer if necessary."

Chu Li didn't spare a single glance for the two people in the distance, who were also in a sorry state. One had scorch marks all over its blue feathers, while the other had uneven feathers on its back.

Wen Xiangluan and Nan Yi both lowered their heads and remained silent, listening as Chu Li casually defined their mutual fight.

"Then thank you very much, junior brother. Please take them to the confinement room."

The disciple from the Enforcement Hall was quite flattered. This senior sister had recently become a prominent figure in the sect; some said she was strong, while others said she was beautiful.

But this time, she actually seems quite understanding.

Originally, the Enforcement Hall was supposed to be responsible for punishing disciples who violated the sect rules, but they often encountered some "connections." If someone intervened and the disciple's offense was minor, they would sometimes choose to turn a blind eye.

This time it was originally his two junior brothers. He thought that this person was going to plead for his junior brothers. After all, a fight is not a big deal, but it is not a small deal either. It can be said that the injury was accidentally caused while playing around.

But they never expected that this person would be so supportive of their Enforcement Hall's work!

The disciples of the Enforcement Hall, looking grateful, each grabbed one of them and left. Only then did Chu Li raise his palms, and the scene before him began to distort. Finally, a small, flat object appeared out of thin air.

She scoffed. Her two junior brothers had certainly gotten bold, actually using this to isolate all the surrounding fluctuations.

But unfortunately, they forgot about the heavens.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have failed to hear anything.

The two were forcibly taken into the solitary confinement room. This so-called solitary confinement room was actually one of the various areas built near the Hall of Law Enforcement, but none of these areas were offensive.

The disciples of the Enforcement Hall will be confined to different domains according to the mistakes each person has made. Since the Myriad Manifestations Sect has no shortage of domains, each person is usually assigned to a domain.

This time, however, the disciples of the Enforcement Hall confined the two of them to the same area—and before leaving, they informed them of the duration of their confinement.

Considering this was their first offense, they were initially prepared to detain them for seven days as a token gesture, but the disciple from the Enforcement Hall remembered Chu Li's instructions earlier...

The number of days that was already on the horizon has been doubled.

As soon as the two were locked inside, everything went black. Even though they were cultivators, they couldn't see anything here.

It seems that other factors have affected the external environment.

In the dark, the two of them, without prior arrangement, headed towards the place furthest from each other.

Wen Xiangluan was somewhat indignant, feeling that she had been tricked by the other party. If he hadn't deliberately used foxfire, she would never have been able to retaliate. As long as she didn't retaliate, she wouldn't have had to go to the solitary confinement room.

Without having to go into solitary confinement, one can cherish the time spent learning from one's master.

The fox truly lives up to its reputation for cunning!

Did he think he didn't see it? He even used a magical artifact to shield the area before making his move—

If it's blocked, why is the sky still leaking out?

To be honest, Nan Yi felt really wronged. He genuinely didn't expect that someone would actually ride a crane and come down from above.

They only took a second or two to make their move, just as the disciples of the Enforcement Hall passed overhead—their luck was truly terrible.

Now, not only am I being put in solitary confinement, but the confinement itself is secondary; the main issue is that my senior sister seems to be quite angry.

He needed to take this opportunity to think of a way to appease his senior sister.

"Master, you were looking for me?"

The sect leader looked at the visitor and went straight to the point: "That's right. About a year from now, the sects will hold another grand competition, so I would like to ask for your opinion this time."

The sect competition is usually held once every ten years. Each competition results in a ranking, and based on this ranking, the top-tier sects, second-tier sects, and so on on the continent are selected.

There are only five spots for first-class sects, and for the past few decades, it has always been the same five sects. However, their Myriad Manifestations Sect has always hovered around the bottom two spots.

It's not that the Myriad Manifestations Sect is much worse than the previous sects, but Chu Li had said when she handed the sect over to Xie Wanqiu that the sect didn't need to be too conspicuous. Her intention in creating the sect was simply to provide other cultivators with a place to learn how to construct domains.

I also hope that the sect will focus most of its efforts on improving its strength, rather than researching other methods just to achieve a good ranking.

However, with the continuous development of the sect, they have now reached the position of a first-class sect.

If she really wanted to compete for a top-three spot, Xie Wanqiu felt that the Myriad Manifestations Sect could give it a shot. However, for such a major decision, she would subconsciously still seek her master's advice.

Although her master sealed her memories this time, she still wanted to hear his opinion, just like before.

"My opinion? My opinion shouldn't matter."

The sect leader stroked his chin, feeling a bit of a headache. In the past, his master would have given instructions directly, but now that he had lost his memory, he didn't even express his thoughts.

However, she was not surprised by her master's reaction. Her master did not like to manage trivial matters, and she probably did not care about this sect competition.

So the sect leader brought up another matter, which was still somewhat related to the sect competition.

"In that case, I plan to hold a competition within the sect in six months. Only the top-ranked disciples will be allowed to participate in the sect's grand competition."

Chu Li nodded slightly: "It's fine if Master decides. But, may I participate?"

The sect competition is divided into three groups: Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. To be honest, with her current Nascent Soul stage strength, she should be able to participate as well.

Upon hearing Chu Li's words, the sect leader nearly broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly waved her hand and said, "You don't need to participate."

What's the point of participating in this kind of competition? To bully weaker opponents? What if someone recognizes my true identity? Wouldn't I be subjected to insults and abuse?

Chu Li wasn't interested in this kind of thing to begin with, and it would be better if she didn't participate. She casually agreed and prepared to leave.

Half a year is a good time to properly teach her two junior brothers. Even if she doesn't participate, her two junior brothers will eventually have to.

With her two noisy junior brothers away, Chu Li enjoyed a peaceful period of time. She even took the opportunity to go into seclusion for a short while to consolidate her cultivation.

But when she finally opened the door to her room, full of energy, she saw two people standing there.

The two leaned against the walls on either side, as if separated by a vast galaxy.

"Senior Sister!" the two called out almost simultaneously.

Chu Li's gaze swept over the two of them, and suddenly she had an urge to close the door and continue her seclusion.

What are you doing here?

"I brought some spiritual fruits for my senior sister. They were just picked and are still very fresh." Wen Xiangluan stepped forward immediately, opening her palm to reveal several plump and juicy fruits.

Nan Yi snorted coldly, not to be outdone, "Senior sister, look, these are the tender buds of the paulownia tree that I picked myself. They're good for your health if you steep them in water."

Chu Li looked at the two people huddled together in front of her and softened her tone: "You're very kind."

Upon hearing this, the two were immediately delighted, their eyes meeting briefly before instantly turning away.

Then they heard the woman's indifferent tone, devoid of any discernible emotion: "So, all you've come up with in solitary confinement is this?"

"Senior sister, this wasn't my idea! It was Nan Yi's!"

"Hmph, you copycat, you even have the nerve to say that..."

As the sounds faded into the distance, Chu Li closed the door without hesitation. This time, she was smarter and added a domain to her residence, so that no one could enter without her permission.

Nan Yi and Wen Xiangluan were chased away. The two looked at each other in bewilderment. They had just come out of the confinement room, and were now being asked not to appear in front of their senior sister for the next month.

"Look at the ridiculous idea you came up with," Wen Xiangluan muttered, giving Nan Yi a disgruntled look.

"Who insisted on learning it? If it weren't for you, I might not have been kicked out by my senior sister."

Nan Yi felt utterly frustrated. It seemed that ever since he met Wen Xiangluan, nothing but bad things had happened. He had spent so much time with his senior sister before, and there had never been any of this mess.

Does he really have to wait a month before seeing his senior sister? That won't do.

Vientiane is located in a remote area.

Nan Yi stood in front of the familiar stone tablet and this time knocked on it with considerable politeness.

A moment later, a transparent soul floated out, and she seemed extremely happy to see Nan Yi.

"I just sensed a familiar presence and thought I was imagining things, but it really is you. Did you sneak out again this time?"

Nan Yi shook his head: "I came to see you this time—can I enter the domain?"

That's right, he came to his master's residence again, but this time his target was not his master, but that wisp of soul in his master's domain.

He originally wanted to ask his senior sister about her hobbies so that he could prescribe the right medicine later, but after thinking it over, he realized that the people who were really familiar with his senior sister were probably Wen Xiangluan and his master.

But he couldn't possibly ask his master. His master might not keep his secret and might just tell his senior sister. As for Wen Xiangluan—he'd better stay away from her. He felt like his luck had been getting worse lately.

So in the end, he remembered the soul in his master's domain. That soul had said that it had stayed in the Myriad Manifestations Sect for a long time and might know some information.

"You want to ask about the current sect leader's eldest disciple?" The soul hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth: "I only know a little about Xie Wanqiu at most. As for her disciple, I have never even met him."

After all, she had been trapped in the domain and couldn't see him even if she wanted to.

"I see." Although Nan Yi was somewhat disappointed, this answer was within his expectations. His senior sister had only recently returned to the Myriad Manifestations Sect, so it was normal that the person in front of him did not know.

"You've finished asking your questions, isn't it my turn now?" The soul was eager to try; she had finally waited for someone to come to her, so how could she not say a few words?

Nan Yi had already experienced the power of her words before and was planning to make an excuse to slip away, but she didn't expect her to bring up her grandmaster directly.

He paused involuntarily—knowing more now would only benefit him.

"...You probably already know her most obvious characteristic—she loves furry things. But you absolutely mustn't tell anyone this, she's very sensitive about revealing her weaknesses...I only figured this out after spending a lot of time with her..."

Nan Yi perked up. "Finally, something serious. Do you like furry things?"

Does that mean his original form counts?

After that, the soul rambled on about this and that, and flew off somewhere unknown. It wasn't until almost sunset that the soul finally let the person go back, satisfied.

On his way back, Nan Yi kept thinking about his master's preferences. But as he thought about it, he couldn't help but think of his senior sister—if only her preferences were the same as his master's, then he could simply offer up his original form...

etc!

He stopped in his tracks, quickly recalling his previous interactions with his senior sister, a somewhat subtle expression appearing on his face.

Why did he feel that his senior sister seemed to be very fond of his fox fur?