Mu Qingren opened the door, and Jing Zhe, without any ceremony, strode in without any hesitation.
Seeing Jing Zhe acting so nonchalantly as if he were in his own backyard, Mu Qingren slightly pursed her lips and then closed the door.
This was the fourth major sect Jing Zhe visited, but the only one where he was received privately in a personal room.
It was nearly noon, and food and dishes were laid out on the table in the room, indicating that Mu Qingren was preparing to eat.
"Sect Leader Mu is too kind. Knowing I was coming, you even prepared a meal for me. Then I won't stand on ceremony!"
Whether it was yesterday or this morning, Jing Zhe went to the other three major sects but didn't get a single meal. It's clear that these sects don't stand on ceremony with you. If he doesn't actively ask for food, he'll probably go hungry again like yesterday.
Therefore, after saying that, without waiting for Mu Qingren's reaction, he picked up the bowl and started eating.
"Hey, you—"
Mu Qingren was ultimately too late.
Jing Zhe took a couple of bites of rice, swallowed, and then asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Pavilion Master Mu?"
He then praised, "The food at Wuxian Pavilion is quite good, especially the first bite, it's very delicious!"
"..."
Mu Qingren paused for a moment, then finally blushed and said, "Oh, it's nothing... I was just asking if you'd like some water."
"Of course I drank it."
"Oh, then I'll... go pour you some..."
Watching Jing Zhe put the chopsticks in his mouth and lick the chopsticks and the edge of the bowl with his tongue, Mu Qingren's face was much redder than when Jing Zhe had hugged her before.
Sigh~
You can't exactly tell him that you ate half of that bowl of rice yourself, can you?
Is this considered... an indirect kiss?
She poured a bowl of water for Jing Zhe and handed it to him. Watching him devour his food and even suck on his chopsticks at the end, Mu Qingren blushed and secretly cursed him in her heart: "You lecher!"
...
After Jing Zhe finished eating, Mu Qingren, afraid of being exposed, didn't call for anyone to clean up, but went straight to the point.
"I thought you would value Yingqiu highly, but I never expected you to be the last one to come to our Wuxian Pavilion!"
In fact, when Mu Qingren came down from Changsheng Mountain yesterday, he even fantasized that he might escort Wang Yingqiu back to Wuxian Pavilion on the way, out of consideration for her and because he was injured.
And then this guy just left...
Then this morning I waited in vain again.
He only arrived half a day before tomorrow's martial arts tournament, clearly having already interviewed the other sects and being the last to arrive!
Jing Zhe smiled and asked, "If I had arrived earlier, would Pavilion Master Mu have agreed to let me see the Garden Master?"
"Then you agree to join my Wuxian Pavilion?"
"disagree."
"Then I disagree!"
"So, I knew Pavilion Master Mu wouldn't agree, so why did I come so early?"
"..."
These words left Mu Qingren speechless.
...
Mu Qingren calmed herself down, trying her best not to have any thoughts of fighting. Her eyes darted around slightly as she said, "I do have a way to prevent you from joining the Wuxian Pavilion, and at the same time, I'll agree to your relationship with Yingqiu!"
"Oh? What method?"
Jing Zhe became interested.
"Come with me!"
"oh…"
So, Jing Zhe followed Mu Qingren out and flew along the surrounding desolate forests, feeling like they had circled around for more than half a day, before finally stopping at the foot of Changsheng Mountain.
"???"
Jing Zhe was completely bewildered: "How did we get here?"
Mu Qingren turned around and said calmly, "The solution I'm suggesting is that you help me one more time, and we'll go in and get another Breakthrough Flower!"
"..."
If it weren't for the fact that she was Wang Yingqiu's teacher, Jing Zhe would have already started cursing.
But to follow her to Changsheng Mountain, I must have been incredibly foolish!
Without saying a word, they prepared to make their escape.
Seeing this, Mu Qingren quickly stopped him.
"Sect Master Mu, are you still half asleep?"
Jing Zhe sneered: "We were lucky to save you from the Tongtian Twin Monsters yesterday. If you still want to go in and die, then go by yourself. I don't want to!"
Today, his master, the old medicine boy, is not here. If the two strange monsters of Tongtian really want to stop them, Jing Zhe and Mu Qing will most likely be defeated. How can an ordinary person withstand the power of two grandmasters?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he sneered, "Yesterday I saved Pavilion Master Mu, and you didn't even say thank you. Now you want to drag me to my death? What are you up to, Pavilion Master Mu?"
Mu Qingren's face turned from red to white, which did not look good.
Finally, biting her lip, she looked into Jing Zhe's eyes and said, word by word, "I beg you, please help me this once!"
"..."
Jing Zhe wanted to retort directly, but he read despair, helplessness, and a little bit of pitifulness in Mu Qingren's eyes.
My heart softened for no reason.
"Tell me, why is it necessary to use the Breakthrough Flower? Is it really, as the Twin Monsters of Heaven said, for your master Cui Yuanji to use for a breakthrough?"
Mu Qingren smiled sadly, shook her head, and said in a low voice, "Actually, it's for myself..."
"..."
Ignoring Jing Zhe's stunned expression, Mu Qingren continued talking to herself.
...
After listening to her intermittent account, Jing Zhe finally understood the awkward situation of Mu Qingren—or rather, Wuxian Pavilion.
Despite being one of the four major sects, Wuxian Pavilion's development has stagnated in recent years, and there has even been a sense of regression.
All of this started after Mu Qingren's master, Cui Yuanji, took over Wuxian Pavilion. Since Cui Yuanji became the pavilion master, Wuxian Pavilion has been in an awkward situation of having no grandmasters.
Cui Yuanji's realm was once very close to the Grandmaster realm. He thought he could break through in a few years, but who knew that after becoming the Pavilion Master for a period of time, Cui Yuanji was still stuck at the peak of the sixth level.
This has had a huge impact on Wuxian Pavilion. Not only is it weaker than the other three major sects in terms of power, but its reputation has also declined significantly, as can be seen from the quality of the new disciples that Wuxian Pavilion has recruited in recent years.
Furthermore, due to the decline in the sect's strength, Mu Qingren sometimes had to be mindful of the attitude of Yu Li, the governor of Ruzhou. Otherwise, why would he have recruited Yu Haixing, that annoying son of Yu Li?
Cui Yuanji was well aware of the problems with Wuxian Pavilion, so he handed over the position of Pavilion Master to Mu Qingren and went into seclusion to cultivate, hoping to break through his limitations.
However, once someone reaches his level, a breakthrough is not something that can be achieved overnight; it can happen quickly or slowly. Mu Qingren cannot sit idly by and wait for her master to break through. What if her master hasn't broken through even after ten or twenty years?
We can't wait until her master finishes his seclusion and finds that Wuxian Pavilion has become so weak that it's no longer even one of the four major sects, can we?
In that case, how could she possibly have the face to be the head of the pavilion?
Therefore, Mu Qingren attached great importance to this martial arts tournament. If she could win the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader, not only would the reputation of Wuxian Pavilion be greatly enhanced, attracting more outstanding students, but more importantly, they would be able to obtain more resources, providing a better environment for the cultivation of the pavilion's disciples and achieving a virtuous cycle.
————
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