The registration area has the Qingsong Sect.
Chapter Forty
The three arrived at the registration office at dawn today, but even so, a long queue had already formed in front of the Peony Terrace. The people at the registration office all seemed to be newly initiated disciples. Zhou Yulin did not see any familiar faces, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
It would have been better if I hadn't regretted it, because I discovered that an old friend I knew was sitting in front of a secluded alley. Unlike the crowds of people registering in front of the Qingyun Sect, this person's table was completely deserted, as if he had been exiled. The three large characters on the table were written in a ostentatious manner: Qingsong Sect.
Today's recruitment is not only for the Qingyun Sect, but also for other sects.
While the sects on both sides of the Little Tyrant were trying their best to recruit disciples, the only place left unattended was the middle one. The Little Tyrant rested his head on his arm, looking quite relaxed and carefree.
Even so, some people did come forward to ask questions. However, they were naturally driven away by that little tyrant's fiery temper. That person's temper was truly terrible. If it weren't for his status as the young sect leader, he would have been killed a hundred times over by his enemies.
Just as Zhou Yulin was thinking that, she saw a group of people storming up to the unattended table with great momentum. The leader was a burly man who was very tall and his body was as strong as a wall. Standing in front of the stall, he didn't seem to be there to register, but rather to cause trouble.
Sure enough, the burly man slammed his hand on the table, instantly turning the already broken wooden table into a pile of wood chips. "Quan Jin, when are you going to pay me back the money you owe me?"
"First, my name isn't Quan Jin. Second, sir, your eyesight isn't good; you've probably mistaken me for someone else." The man who had been quite temperamental just moments before now sat up straight, looked up at the imposing burly man, and gave a forced smile. "Would you like to take another look?"
The burly man lifted the boy sitting on the stool with one hand, examined him closely for a while, and indeed felt that something was not quite right. "I don't care if you are Quan Jin or not, you have to give me this money today."
This is truly a robber's theory.
The boy, who had been thrown back onto the stool, turned purple and took several deep breaths before he felt a little better. Only then did the boy forcefully lift the boy up, almost choking him as he spoke.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, his purplish face paled even more, and he timidly said, "Grandpa, I have no money."
"You dare come to Fengyu Pavilion if you have no money?" The burly man raised his voice, his rough voice reaching the disciples at the Qingyun Sect's registration desk. The disciples acted as if they hadn't heard him, continuing with their work. "Isn't that just cheating me out of my money?"
Just as the burly man's fist was about to land, Zhou Yulin reacted faster than her brain, stepping forward to block Quan Jin. "How much?"
The burly man stared at the suddenly appearing beauty with a suspicious expression. He didn't remember this kid knowing such a beautiful woman. "Who are you?"
Zhou Yulin didn't answer, but simply said, "How much money does he owe you? I'll pay it off for you."
It doesn't matter who pays the money.
The burly man, who had come to collect a debt, pointed his finger and glared at Quan Jin, almost jumping up to hit him. He muttered, "I didn't borrow that much money!" Hearing the sound of the person behind her fall, Zhou Yulin understood and turned to ask, "How did you lose so much money to him?"
“He was the one who wanted to gamble with me on fate.” As he said this, Quan Jin’s face showed a hint of regret. “I lost the bet and ended up owing him some money.”
"I'll bet with you."
The burly man glanced at Zhou Yulin, shook his head, and said with obvious disapproval, "What do you want to bet with me, you woman?"
"No betting, no betting. You bet with me, but that's a different price. As for the money he owes, you either pay it for him, or—he pays it himself." The burly man's sharp gaze went straight to Quan Jin. "I advise you, young lady, to stay away from people who study evil arts and have wicked intentions. Don't be bewitched by the words of these evil cultivators!"
Seeing this, Quan Jin quickly grabbed Zhou Yulin's sleeve, "Sister, you absolutely can't abandon me." At this moment, she called her "sister" fluently.
“I don’t have that much money.” Upon hearing this, Quan Jin’s face paled, and his body trembled. Zhou Yulin ruthlessly brushed his hand away. “But this person is an old acquaintance of my friend. You probably didn’t come to him today to collect a debt, did you?”
Zhou Yulin naturally saw the large characters above Quan Jin's table: Qing Song Sect.
Although it is unknown when the Qingyun Sect established a branch sect, there is only one possibility for today's provocation: someone does not want Quan Jin's Qingsong Sect to be successfully established.
The once-dominant little tyrant has become like a sick cat.
Zhou Yulin could not allow or bear to see this person being bullied like this.
Just as she was about to speak, a money bag was thrown into the burly man's arms. Looking up, she saw two young men standing not far away watching her. Amidst the bustling crowd, these two men stood in the flowing sea of people, watching and listening for who knows how long.
The one in white spoke first, still with his usual smiling demeanor, but his aura was not to be underestimated at this moment, "Now that you've taken the money, can you get lost?"
The burly man glanced at the two men. Although they were both young, the slightly taller one exuded a menacing aura and looked rather sinister. Considering the many important people visiting Chang'an recently, he sheepishly slipped away after quickly counting the money.
After the burly man left, the two men stepped forward and said, "Let go."
Hearing this cold voice, Zhou Yulin couldn't help but look up at Chen Muyao, only to see that the other party was staring at the piece of her clothes that Quan Jin was clutching. The latter reluctantly let go and then casually remarked, "Sister, your brother is so nosy about you."
Gu Ling quickly stopped Chen Muyao from drawing her sword. As for Zhou Yulin, she stared wide-eyed at Quan Jin, who was all tea and tea, as if she had seen a ghost. "Are you really Quan Jin?"
Quan Jin neither denied nor agreed, picked up the banner of the Qingsong Sect, and said, "The divination slip today was indeed correct. I think I'd better go back and sleep in."
"Wait a minute." Zhou Yulin called out to Quan Jin, who was about to leave, "My friend just helped you."
"Oh, this?" Quan Jin raised his head and casually tossed out a sentence, "Thanks, bro."
That's really... heartless.
It was at this moment that Chen Muyao recalled where Zhou Yulin's question about Quan Jin sounded familiar: "You are Quan Jin, the young sect leader of the Qingyun Sect?"
Quan Jin paused in his departing figure, as if he had been stabbed in the back. He merely clenched his fist and said nonchalantly, "It's just a coincidence of names. I'm not some young sect leader."
Indeed, no spiritual energy fluctuations could be sensed from him.
The young sect leader of the dignified Qingyun Sect could not possibly be a useless person with no spiritual power.
The only one who remained steadfast was Zhou Yulin. Watching the man's departing figure, she hurriedly turned back to the two and said, "I'll return the money to you, Gu Ling, later. This man is an old friend of mine. We haven't seen each other for many years. I'll chat with him for a bit. You two go and register first." After saying that, she quickly followed after him, leaving Chen Muyao and Gu Ling behind.
Gu Ling glanced at the young master Chen, who seemed to be in a bad mood, and cautiously probed, "Then what about us?"
The other person sneered, "Of course we'll register, otherwise, why wait for her to come back?"
*
Quan Jin finally stopped in front of a small villa.
Amidst the green tiles and white walls, mottled with moss, he turned around and said softly, "How long are you going to stay with me?"
Zhou Yulin calmly looked back, "Who said I followed you?"
"I was just going that way."
Hearing this, Quan Jin laughed in anger, "There's just an abandoned woodshed ahead. Are you some kind of wild ghost from the middle of nowhere?"
Zhou Yulin said, "I might actually be one."
"Don't follow me anymore! I told you I'm not Quan Jin!" Quan Jin was also getting angry. He waved his fist and threatened with wide eyes, "If you follow me again, I... I'll beat you up."
Unexpectedly, the woman didn't even blink as she faced the fist swung towards her, and said directly, "Who crippled your cultivation? I'll help you get revenge."
"Huh?" Quan Jin seemed to have heard a joke.
"Are you saying you're a weak woman with no spiritual power at all?" He looked Zhou Yulin up and down, disagreeing. "I don't need a woman to help me take revenge, and besides, I don't need to retaliate, because I don't even expect any kind of reincarnation."
The door was slammed shut, and Zhou Yulin was met with a closed door.
The spring flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom. She stretched out her hand, and the five-pointed petals swayed and fell into her palm, her thoughts wandering for a moment.
The Quan Jin she remembered was not like this.
At the age of sixteen, she and Chen Muyao broke through to the Golden Core stage one after the other. Although Quan Jin could not keep up with their abnormal cultivation speed, he was still a genius among the younger generation. He had a temper that would explode at the slightest provocation and seemed unapproachable, but in reality, he was an innocent and naive girl.
It was late autumn, the sky was like rice paper dyed with orange juice, gradually spreading from west to east, the distant mountains had lost their green coats, and withered leaves were flying everywhere.
Zhou Yulin was punished for being late. While standing outside the door, she was bored and saw a young man in a purple robe drawing a formation on the ground not far away. Although she did not understand formations, she could tell that the young man was a complete novice. After painstakingly drawing a teleportation formation, he examined it for a long time.
Zhou Yulin thought about it carefully and realized that he really remembered this person. He was the young sect leader of the Qingyun Sect, surnamed Quan, named Jin, and nicknamed Qingyu.
The moment the spiritual energy was channeled in, Quan Jin appeared atop the towering, cloud-piercing Bu Chun tree.
This usually grumpy little tyrant was now trembling like a little turtle, clinging to a tree branch. You'd never guess he was afraid of heights!
Zhou Yulin wasn't one to meddle in other people's business. Standing at the classroom door, looking at the person in the tree who wanted to scream for help but was afraid of losing face, she hesitated for several seconds before finally going forward to rescue the person from the tree. However, once the person was down from the tree, they didn't even say thank you and just ran away with their head down.
As for the teacher of that class, he happened to see Zhou Yulin not standing properly at the door, but sneaking under the Buchun tree. So he punished her by making her write a thousand blessings under the tree. After she finished writing, he hung them on the tree as a warning to everyone.
Not only did she fail to save someone, but she was also punished by this old man. Zhou Yulin really had no way to complain, especially since she happened to be in the same class as Chen Muyao. This man quietly walked past Zhou Yulin, who was being scolded, and Zhou Yulin's smile of being taught a lesson became somewhat forced.
As the teacher finished his tirade, he seemed to run out of words. He stroked his beard and said leisurely, "You should learn more from Chen Muyao." Following the teacher's gaze, Zhou Yulin saw her nemesis who had been standing behind her for who knows how long, and met the teacher's rather mocking gaze, as if she were watching a spectacle.
"..." Zhou Yulin closed her eyes, wishing that everything before her was a dream.
The master left, but Chen Muyao remained.
"The spring flower is my mother's favorite flower."
Zhou Yulin pursed her lips, "What's it to her?"
"Your note doesn't deserve to be here."
His eyes suddenly shifted, becoming sharp and cold, and the smile that had just appeared on his lips now carried a hint of provocation. "I will copy these thousand notes myself. If the teacher finds out, you will know the consequences."
Zhou Yulin glanced at the other person, narrowing her eyes, "Are you threatening me?"
As the sun sets and a lone goose flies across the sky, warm light spills between the two, yet it cannot warm the icy atmosphere between them.
"I'll copy it." A faint voice came from the corner.
The newcomer was dressed in purple robes, his face still bearing clear traces of tears, yet his eyes held an unwavering resolve. "I will speak with the Master."
"Shut up," Zhou Yulin coldly ordered.
"What does my punishment have to do with the two of you?"
Quan Jin pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
In the silence, Chen Mu spoke up, and with a deep look in his eyes, he casually replied, "It's related."
Zhou Yulin's breath hitched, pulling herself out of her reverie.
Inside the courtyard, Quan Jin sat on a stone bench, gazing at the towering evergreen tree, lost in thought for a moment.
Trees that are born in autumn and wither in spring are called trees that do not bloom in spring.
In spring, the tree branches are gnarled and twisted, and in late autumn, a subtle fragrance wafts through the air.
Incense and candles burned on the inkstone. The last wisp of smoke broke apart like a spider's thread, and the remaining warmth curled up in the air, gradually being swallowed up by the twilight.
Perhaps unable to find the answer, Quan Jin sighed deeply.
The door was opened from the inside out. "Come in."
Zhou Yulin turned around, and as dawn broke through, she seemed to see the purple-clad boy from back then running back, his ears red, "Here's a thank-you gift for you..."
And a heartfelt "Thank you," fading into the dust of the moment.
Even after so long, Zhou Yulin still remembers it clearly.
A gentle breeze swept by, and the spring blossoms on the trees seemed to awaken, turning into a light purple snowflake that landed on the two of them.
When we meet an old friend again, it seems we don't recognize each other.
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