"Wait, senior brother, what did you say! How old are you this year?"
Lu Zhaozhao screamed, startling Ying Che.
He rubbed his ears, which had been disturbed by the noise, and repeated good-naturedly, "You have been in the back mountain for more than three years now. The Golden Palace Banquet will begin as soon as the year-end is over."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaozhao anxiously paced around the room twice, her hands clasped together.
Now she has been ordered by her master Yunxian to stay in the mountains, but the Golden Banquet is just around the corner, and she must do something.
Seeing her like this, Ying Che continued, "Your journey into the back mountain was fraught with danger. When the two-year period was up, I noticed you hadn't come out yet, so I set off to find you. But I couldn't sense your presence in the back mountain. I searched for a year without success before finally seeking out Master. Now that you've returned safely, that's a great blessing. Listen to me, just stay in the sect and rest to recover."
Lu Zhaozhao was moved by Ying Che's earnest advice. She knew that the concealment of his aura must have been Wei Zhanjie's doing, but for a moment she didn't know how to speak. A great demon who had died a thousand years ago had returned to the world, not to harm the world, but to set a trap for a junior in the cultivation world. Even Lu Zhaozhao herself thought this was absurd.
Therefore, she had to contort her facial features to think of how to start the conversation.
But this look of having eaten a fly took on a different meaning in Ying Che's eyes.
He sighed, reached out and patted Lu Zhaozhao's head, and said earnestly, "I know you're worried, Junior Sister. It's also my fault for being so slow that I didn't notice your distress."
"Huh? What are you saying, senior brother?" His words left Lu Zhaozhao, who was still struggling with her thoughts, somewhat confused. She couldn't help but look at him, and when she did, she was surprised to find that his face was shining with a maternal glow.
Seeing that his junior sister was still hiding her feelings, Ying Che felt even more sad. He looked at Lu Zhaozhao with affection and hesitated before saying, "Junior sister, you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself. You can't force things in cultivation. The Golden Palace Banquet is just an occasion to show your strength. Neither Master nor I have ever thought about demanding the top spot."
After he finished speaking, Lu Zhaozhao finally understood that her senior brother thought he was being suppressed by the name of the major sect, and was willing to break the rules and disregard his health in order to improve his cultivation.
After thinking it through, she couldn't help but smile wryly and asked, "Senior brother, why do you say that? The Golden Palace Banquet is a place that disciples of all sects yearn for, and I am no exception. I did make a mistake by going into the back mountain, but as you can see, senior brother, I have also made considerable progress. Besides, Master is away from home all year round, and I have been cultivating with you since I was a child. You must know my character better than anyone else."
Seeing that Lu Zhaozhao had said so, Ying Che didn't offer any further words of comfort, only advising her to get more rest.
Lu Zhaozhao agreed to everything, and before Ying Che was about to leave, she asked casually, "Senior Brother, why did you say so many mushy things today? You've never done this before."
Ying Che didn't take her teasing attitude too seriously and casually continued, "I only realized that female cultivators are more sensitive because I accidentally saw my junior sister crying many times. Looking back, I realized that I had never seen my junior sister sad before, and that's when I reflected on my dereliction of duty."
"Junior Sister? Junior Sister Nian Zhi? Does she cry often?"
"Yes, after I bumped into her twice and comforted her, she often came to me to confide in me. Only then did I understand her worries. She had suffered an accident when she was young, left her hometown at a young age, and was noticed by others because she was a disciple of the Master. She was often ridiculed for her slow progress in cultivation in Qinghui. I had never noticed these things before she told me."
As Ying Che spoke, his eyes and brows were filled with heartache.
Lu Zhaozhao listened to his words and smiled slightly. When he said, "Junior Sister is also a female cultivator, so naturally she will have these troubles as well," she interrupted and comforted him, "Senior Brother, you are mistaken. Among all my peers in Qinghui, in terms of talent, I am not even afraid of you. Who would dare to provoke me? Besides, I entered the mountain voluntarily, and my family sends me things every year. It is impossible for me to be troubled by these things. Don't worry, Senior Brother, you have been very good to me all these years."
Lu Zhaozhao's tone rose, her eyes smiling. Ying Che looked at her and couldn't help but smile as well. He reached out and ruffled Lu Zhaozhao's hair, saying with a smile, "That's right, it's good enough that you don't provoke others."
"Senior brother!"
"Alright, alright, I won't disturb your rest anymore. You're already a Nascent Soul cultivator, but you broke through at a relatively young age. You still need to consolidate your strength and not be impatient for quick results. As you know, haste makes waste."
As Ying Che spoke, his expression turned serious, and Lu Zhaozhao also straightened her posture and earnestly agreed.
After Ying Che left, Lu Zhaozhao collapsed onto the bed as if she had no bones left, and began to carefully plan.
Although the past three years have been tough, they were completely detached from the main storyline, like a secluded paradise. But now that she's out, she has to face the world before her.
During this trip, she clearly noticed the change in her master Yunxian and senior brother Yingche's attitude towards Nian Zhi. It seemed that many things must have happened in the sect during the past three years while she was in the back mountain.
Recalling Ying Che's words about Nian Zhi being ridiculed for her cultivation speed, Lu Zhaozhao couldn't believe it. After all, as the female lead in the original book, everyone who got close to her would develop a good impression of her, except for the vicious female supporting characters like Lu Zhaozhao who would gang up on her. But honestly, she had been in the mountains for three years; how could she possibly bully Nian Zhi?
Unable to figure out this one thing, she changed to another.
It is said that on the night she entered the mountain, a villain broke into the back mountain. Just before he went in, he was stopped by her master, Yunxian. The two fought, and the villain fled in fear. But unexpectedly, Yunxian was unable to catch him!
If it were anyone else, Lu Zhaozhao wouldn't be surprised, but this is Yun Xian! The male protagonist of this book, Yun Xian, who has reached the Void Returning stage at a young age!
Who exactly is it that can escape unscathed from his clutches?
A figure flashed through Lu Zhaozhao's mind.
Could it be Wen Sheng? Was his help also in Wei Zhanjie's disappearance?
"When we met in the stone chamber, you were clearly just an ordinary mortal. Wen Sheng, what realm are you at?"
Lu Zhaozhao closed her eyes, feeling a throbbing sensation in her temples and a sudden, inexplicable irritation.
"Knock knock knock".
There was a knock on the door, and Lu Zhaozhao was forced to sit up and open her eyes, her tone not very pleasant: "Who is it?"
There was silence outside the door. Just as Lu Zhaozhao frowned and was about to lie down again, a soft voice, trembling slightly, came from outside: "Senior Sister Zhaozhao, it's me. I heard from Senior Brother Ying that you're back, so..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, and Lu Zhaozhao couldn't hear what she said after that.
But since they've come, there's no reason not to open the door.
Lu Zhaozhao cleared her mind of the jumbled thoughts and hurriedly went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a woman came into view.
Her eyes were like pools of clear autumn water, her long eyelashes trembled as delicately as cicada wings, and her arched eyebrows, like crescent moons, seemed to be furrowed but not furrowed. Her well-tailored white dress made her skin appear even more fair and delicate, and her waist was so slender that one could encircle it with one hand. Her eyes and brows were so charming that even Lu Zhaozhao, a woman herself, couldn't help but feel affection for her.
"She truly lives up to her title as the female lead," Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself.
In fact, the original Lu Zhaozhao was also a beauty, but she was the complete opposite of Nian Zhi. Her almond-shaped eyes were slightly upturned, her eyebrows and eyes were three-dimensional, and she had been pampered for many years, so she unconsciously carried an arrogance. She was not easy to approach and made people feel intimidated.
Seeing that Lu Zhaozhao remained silent, Nian Zhi bit her lower lip, lowered her eyelashes, and whispered, "Senior Sister, did I come at the wrong time?"
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