Shui Qingxi's soft moan brought Ruan Yuan, who was initially consumed by anger, back to his senses.
Thinking of the punishment hall in the inner courtyard, Ruan Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.
Within the inner courtyard of the Eastern Wilderness Academy, although there is freedom, there is zero tolerance for harming fellow students. The Hall of Punishments was established to prevent such incidents from happening. Once someone is found to have harmed a fellow student, they will be expelled from the Eastern Wilderness Academy. What's worse, in severe cases, their entire cultivation will be destroyed.
"I didn't expect that Miss Qingxi would know this person as well."
Xia Qi, who was standing with his hands behind his back, was also taken aback when Shui Qingxi suddenly walked over. A special look flashed in his eyes, and when he looked at Qin Xin again, there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.
With a light step, Shui Qingxi walked to Qin Xin's side and said calmly, "Of course, having only recently joined the Kunmen main peak, I naturally have to speak up for the peak master of this peak."
"The main peak of Kunmen has a new peak?"
Shui Qingxi's words were like a boulder in a still pool, immediately sparking a discussion among many inner court disciples.
The fact that Kunmen's main peak had been abandoned for nearly a thousand years was known to everyone in the inner courtyard. Now that the main peak had a new peak, it meant that Kunmen's main peak had been restarted.
Of the eight inner courtyards of the Eastern Wilderness Academy, the other seven have long been integrated and are managed by the sect leader and deputy sect leader. Only the Kun Sect, due to the lack of a main peak, has always been like a pile of loose sand, with constant internal strife.
"It's just good luck. He's just a kid in the Enlightenment Realm. How could he possibly rebuild the glory of the Kun Sect?" Ruan Yuan raised his eyebrows and looked disdainful when he heard the discussions of the inner courtyard disciples around him.
"I never expected the Second Prince to invite a mere Enlightenment Realm youth."
"The banquet was originally delicious, but now it's hard to swallow."
Upon hearing that Qin Xin was only at the Enlightenment Realm, the inner court disciples, who had initially been somewhat amazed, began to question the invitation extended to Qin Xin.
He was initially pleased to find the boy who had ruined his plans and escaped from his grasp in the inner courtyard, but after hearing the doubts around him, his face darkened instantly, and he glared angrily at a guard standing behind him.
Seeing the second prince's gaze, the guard quickly lowered his head in fright. He had also ordered the invitations to be sent to the more powerful disciples from the various inner court sects, but many inner court disciples disdained attending such banquets. Therefore, when extending invitations, he also sought out some inner court disciples with greater reputations among the seven sects. Qin Xin's victory over Kong Bai in alchemy was well-known within the Kun Sect, so an invitation was extended to Qin Xin as well.
"Second Prince, please forgive me. Qin Xin surpassed Kong Bai in alchemy, so..." The guard knelt on the ground, begging for mercy without moving.
Xia Qi did not speak, leaving him kneeling. However, the inner court disciples quickly changed their tune, feeling that Qin Xin's ability to become one of the top ten disciples of the Kun Sect was clearly due to his strength. Some inner court disciples even felt that the existence of the Kun Sect was a disgrace to the inner court and should be disbanded, leaving cultivation resources to the other seven sects.
"It seems the second prince doesn't think much of alchemists."
Shui Qingxi chuckled softly and spoke directly in the guise of Qin Xin, the alchemist.
She also felt that Qin Xin's ability to restart the Kunmen main peak was largely due to luck, but she still felt a bit disgusted when she heard Ruan Yuan and some inner court disciples' slander.
Upon hearing Shui Qingxi's words, the Second Prince appeared somewhat nervous. After all, alchemists were a very noble profession on this continent, and even his father would show deference to some high-level alchemists. "Miss Qingxi is setting a trap for me. Alchemists are of noble status, how could I possibly look down on them?"
"Alas, what a pity. This alchemist has suddenly lost his appetite after being disturbed like this. Sister Qingxi, it seems we should return to Kunmen and find a place to eat."
Qin Xin seemed to deliberately take out an alchemist's badge and hang it on his chest. The inner court disciples who were originally complaining were speechless when they saw the ancient alchemy furnace on Qin Xin's chest with three shimmering silver ripples.
This badge is a certification obtained through the examination of alchemists in the Dan Tower; no one can fake it.
“I don’t have much of an appetite here, let’s go.” Shui Qingxi smiled lightly and walked directly to Qin Xin’s side.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two strode out of Zuixiao Tower.
Ruan Yuan wanted to step forward to stop him, but Xia Qi stopped him directly and said softly, "I have just arrived at the Eastern Wilderness Academy. I should keep a low profile. I can't let this matter make my father unhappy with me. As for Qin Xin, I will find an opportunity to get rid of him."
~~~~~~
After a man and a woman left Zuixiao Tower, they headed towards the outside of the main gate.
As Shui Qingxi walked, a hint of worry crossed her face. She couldn't help but say, "Qin Xin, you're such a troublemaker. How did you manage to provoke Xia Qi in the inner courtyard?"
"While in the outer courtyard, I accompanied Princess Xia Yue into the ruins of the Luoshen Gate and had some friction with them," Qin Xin said truthfully.
"The ruins of Luoshen Gate? No wonder. But Xia Yue was the same; she didn't tell me about this." Shui Qingxi stared at Qin Xin with eyes as clear as autumn water and said softly.
Qin Xin was puzzled upon hearing this. They had not been in contact since Xia Yue left the outer courtyard. "Does Sister Qingxi know Princess Xia Yue?"
“Of course, she and I are best friends, you know? But after that girl returned to the palace from the outer courtyard, she seemed like a different person. She started hiding a lot of things from me.” Shui Qingxi said with some indignation.
Seeing Shui Qingxi like this, Qin Xin could tell that her relationship with Xia Yue was indeed very small, but this also made some thoughts rise in Qin Xin's mind.
"She should be able to let it go!"
Qin Xin sighed inwardly. After all, the things they discovered were not intentional on Qin Xin's part, and were later done to resolve the potential threat to her martial spirit. However, Xia Yue was unwilling to tell Shui Qingxi about this, so Qin Xin also chose to keep it a secret, not wanting to affect her reputation.
The two men, each with their own thoughts, walked to the exit of the gate. Just as they stepped out, a voice came from behind them, "Brother Qin Xin, wait for me!"
Qin Xin turned around and saw Ye Langtian chasing after him. He was also a little puzzled. "Hey, Brother Ye, what brings you out here too?"
"Sigh, this banquet is already so boring," Ye Langtian said helplessly. "I hope Brother Qin Xin won't take it to heart for not helping you earlier."
"Miss Qingxi, it's been a long time." Ye Langtian then greeted Shui Qingxi.
Shui Qingxi looked completely bewildered, because in her memory, she seemed to have never had any interaction with Ye Langtian.
"I suppose Miss Qingxi doesn't recognize me. Years ago, the Prince of Zhennan was invited to the Yan Dynasty for border negotiations, and I met you once." Ye Langtian noticed Shui Qingxi's confusion and quickly explained.
"Oh!" Shui Qingxi replied simply, sounding somewhat aloof.
"Hehe, please forgive me, Brother Ye. That's just how Sister Qingxi is. Since we're going the same way, let's return to Kunmen together."
Qin Xin quickly stepped in to smooth things over, and Ye Langtian didn't mind. So, the three of them headed towards the Kunmen.
Throughout the journey, Qin Xin felt a chill emanating from beside him. Seeing that Shui Qingxi seemed somewhat displeased, he wondered what she had done to offend him and dared not say anything.
They walked in silence until they reached the Kun Gate.
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