respectively
After finally managing to handle the important matters concerning the head of the family, the two were then held up by the people, who strongly urged them to stay longer.
They had no choice but to secretly leave the Zhu family under the bright moonlight at night.
Mu Qinghuai felt a pang of sadness: "Are you going back to your sect?"
Even after receiving a positive answer, he felt empty inside, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart.
Qi Yuan couldn't quite describe her feelings; her head was buzzing. "We have to part ways here. Thank you for your care these past few days. Well then, may we meet again someday."
His breathing became erratic, and he panicked as he looked at Qi Yuan, who had summoned her sword: "Didn't you say you were going to collect century-old sparrow flowers at Xueya in Quanzhou? Will you still go a month from now?"
Qi Yuan paused, not wanting to answer, but inexplicably opened her mouth: "Yes."
She glanced back at Mu Qinghuai, a lingering look in her eyes that she herself didn't even realize, before finally stepping onto the sword and setting off.
The moon appeared dull and lifeless.
Mu Qinghuai was still watching the figure gradually disappear in the moonlight when a deep voice suddenly rang out.
"Ah Huai, have you forgotten what I said?" The Venerable's voice echoed in his mind.
He suddenly came to his senses: "Your Majesty, I will return to the Demon Realm tonight."
It was almost dawn.
Qi Yuan looked up at the sign of the Silver Bamboo Sect, then dragged her weary body up to her own Honglin Peak.
After running around for almost a month, it all felt like a dream. So much had happened that she couldn't process it all.
never mind.
She had originally planned to rest for a while, but seeing that it was almost morning, she turned and headed towards her master's main peak.
Ruan Yiyun was checking the sect's expenses for magical treasures this month when she saw a green figure and was pleasantly surprised: "Wei Shuang is finally back. Your master has been missing you a lot these days."
Qi Yuan knelt on the ground and smiled slightly at him: "Master, you've been thinking of your disciple for so long. What will you do when your disciple goes to the secret realm for training?"
"Wei Shuang doesn't even want to be your teacher anymore, she's really grown up!" he laughed loudly.
"How could that be? I was just saying it casually. These past few days, I've been thinking about Master every single moment..." She lowered her eyes, hiding her emotions very well.
She wasn't actually lying. She really had been thinking about Ruan Yiyun all along.
Ruan Yiyun gently stroked her hair: "You're so sweet-talking! Alright, let's get down to business. I'm asking you, is Zhu Fu really a spy for the Demon Clan?"
"...This disciple believes he is not. He is a very good person and has helped this disciple a lot. This disciple has also examined the spiritual veins and found no demonic energy." Qi Yuan paused for a moment upon hearing the name.
He seemed lost in thought, while Qi Yuan asked earnestly, "Master, he's just a rogue cultivator who's been away from the Zhu family for many years, why did you suddenly send me to investigate him?"
Ruan Yiyun said meaningfully, "Wei Shuang should stay out of this matter."
He then changed the subject: "You should prepare well for the sect competition in two months. This year is different from previous years. It is not limited to a martial arts competition between disciples of a few sects, but will take place in the vast Tianqin Secret Realm. It is extremely dangerous and you may very well lose your life."
“This secret realm is different from the ones you’ve been to before. It wasn’t opened specifically for this sect competition, so rogue cultivators, and even demons and ghosts, might appear. Therefore, each sect will only send a few of its most outstanding disciples to participate in this competition. I believe you can achieve a good ranking.”
Ruan Yiyun examined her apprentice with satisfaction, as if she were looking at an object.
Qi Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "This disciple will prepare well, but next month the Hundred-Year Bird Flower will bloom, and this disciple will need to leave the sect to pick the flower."
This matter could not be kept from Ruan Yiyun.
Ruan Yiyun was surprised, then suddenly smiled: "I understand, you want to pick this flower for me, right?"
The air suddenly froze.
She quickly realized what was going on and replied, "Master guessed correctly, this disciple did want to give it to Master."
Ruan Yiyun waved her hand dismissively: "Go. I haven't spoiled you for nothing."
As Qi Yuan walked out of the main hall, she pondered his words.
What do you mean by "don't interfere"? They even changed the subject. It seems Zhu Fu isn't just a rogue cultivator after all…
She thought of Ruan Yiyun's wishful thinking and couldn't help but sneer inwardly: So what if she really did manage to pick it? She has her own ways.
Her desire for the Hundred-Year-Old Bird Flower stemmed not only from thoughts of autumn, but also from her own selfish motives. Hearing news of that secret realm only intensified this thought.
This bird flower has five petals. One petal increases cultivation level, two petals generate spiritual roots, three petals improve physical constitution, four petals increase lifespan, and five petals allow one to ascend to immortality.
The first four petals have been tested by predecessors, but the effect of the fifth petal is unknown. Ascension is just speculation, because this flower blooms only once every two hundred years, and there is a high chance that it will wither. Even if there is a complete flower, there will be no five petals left in the competition among the cultivators who come to pick it.
Qi Yuan's desire to pick flowers was ultimately for the sect's grand competition.
As her direct disciple, she was under immense pressure, barely having time to catch her breath. She straightened up and continued practicing, even as she faced the admiring yet fearful gazes of her disciples.
When she walked to the training ground, the disciples all saw their senior sister whom they hadn't seen for a while. They whispered among themselves, but no one went up to talk to her.
Seeing that they were standing far away and not moving, Qi Yuan shouted coldly, "What are you talking about? Go practice your skills! Run five laps around the training ground without moving within three seconds!"
The disciples reacted as if they had been electrocuted, and ran to the wooden pillar to stretch their limbs.
No doubt about it, it's still that senior sister.
She was instructing her disciples on their movements one by one when she suddenly heard a few complaints as she lifted her leg: "So annoying, can she please never come back?"
"Exactly, after finally relaxing for a month, we're back to square one."
"I don't know what he's so domineering about."
Qi Yuan paused, then walked over to the next disciple and gave him pointers on the moves, appearing completely nonchalant.
After all the disciples with problems had gone to practice on their own, she returned to her room to meditate and cultivate.
On her table sat a bag of spirit stones and a letter, with a line of small print next to the letter:
Miss Qi, I apologize. Tianxin Tower has limited resources and we haven't been able to find much information. Our master said we won't accept your spirit stones. Tianxin Tower can provide you with any information you want to know in the future free of charge.
The letter contained very little content:
Mu Qinghuai, 18 years old, is highly valued by the Lord of the Demon Realm. He is mysterious and his appearance is unknown. He once cultivated the righteous path.
Qi Yuan ignored the small print; why would she refuse a freebie? Her attention was focused on the four words "Zeng Zhengxiu Dao".
*
When Mu Qinghuai entered the Demon Realm, he reverted to his original appearance, exuding demonic energy. Upon entering the main hall, he discovered that everyone else was already there, waiting for him.
Even if some demons were dissatisfied, they dared not say anything. They wondered what abilities this new Demon Lord possessed that made him so favored by the Lord.
Those who participated in this meeting were all elites and important figures from the Demon Realm. Some demons did not attend. In addition to Mu Qinghuai, there were two Demon Kings and three young masters. The person on the far right was the Palace Master. Ouyang Lanyue was also present. The person sitting in the middle was the Venerable One.
He calmly withdrew his gaze and sat down in his seat.
The young palace mistress stared at him with a blush on her face, finding him more and more handsome the more she looked at him.
This man has fair, jade-like skin, a high and straight nose, slightly upturned eyes, well-defined features, and thin, slightly pursed lips, but his eyes are too cold!
Mu Qinghuai's gaze swept over her, passing by without hesitation.
The young palace mistress felt as if she had been doused with cold water and sensitively withdrew her gaze.
Why are you pretending to be so aloof!
His Highness's eyes seemed to see into people's hearts, and his voice was deep: "The future of the Demon Realm is in the hands of all the demons present. The Demon Realm has many low-ranking useless people, and we can't count on them. Whether we can conquer the Three Realms depends on us."
His magnetic voice pierced through everyone: "I won't say much about the human realm, it's basically all trash. Only the people in the cultivation world are more difficult to deal with. The ghost realm has already swallowed up the demon realm, and our biggest threat is mainly concentrated in the ghost realm. The Ghost King Di Ming is becoming more and more arrogant, and I can't stand it."
"The four of you will be in charge of the Ghost Realm."
The two demon kings and two young masters he pointed to stiffened, and finally accepted the task with trembling hands.
The Venerable One slowly said, "As for the human realm... I think we should not be too crude and come up with some interesting methods. Mortals are not under any pressure. The problem lies with the major sects in the cultivation world, such as the Silver Bamboo Sect, the Southern Realm Sect, and the Tomb Sword Sect. The Silver Bamboo Sect, in particular, has a great influence in the cultivation world. That... Ruan Yiyun is the most difficult to deal with."
He looked at the man meaningfully: "Ah Huai, let Ouyang go with you."
Several people present had their expressions change: Just how much does His Majesty admire him? Not only does he call him A-Huai, but he even has Ouyang Lanyue assist him?!
Mu Qinghuai's eyes were deep and his face was serious as he accepted the task. Ouyang Lanyue, sitting next to him, smiled and agreed.
"Finally, you are in charge of mortals," the Venerable One said, pointing to the last demon, looking tired.
Meeting adjourned.
Mu Qinghuai was in a bad mood, and to make matters worse, a few clueless people blocked his way.
He looked up impatiently and saw the demon kings and their young master.
"What is it?" He frowned.
Seeing his reaction, the group couldn't help but feel annoyed, but they forced a smile and said, "Demon Lord, we are colleagues and will inevitably have contact in the future. I am King Qin, you can get to know me!"
"I am Jin..."
Mu Qinghuai didn't have the patience and directly interrupted them, saying, "I don't want to hear it, and I don't want to know it."
Damn it, who does he think he is? The Demon King and the young master are furious that he dared to talk to them like that!
Ouyang Lanyue walked past them, fanning herself with a mocking look in her eyes.
The young palace mistress is the Venerable One's daughter, and she is always confined to the Demon Palace with little chance of escaping. Mu Qinghuai is the most handsome man she has ever seen, and she secretly resolves to win him over!
The demon realm places great importance on hierarchy. Hierarchy doesn't need to be revealed by anything. Even though high-ranking demons may have tokens, their status can be exposed simply by the dense demonic aura emanating from their bodies.
The Demon Lord is the foundation of the Demon Realm, and he manages all major affairs. The three young masters and the palace master, as his heirs, also show him the utmost respect.
Below the Venerable One is the Demon Lord. There can only be one Demon Lord. Mu Qinghuai killed the previous Demon Lord to take this position.
There can be three Demon Kings. Their status is slightly lower than that of the Demon Lord, but they can still reign as kings in the Demon Realm, which means they have a very high position.
The remaining demons can be divided into two categories: demon cultivators with some ability and demons with weak demonic energy.
After Mu Qinghuai became the Demon Lord, the Lord generously rewarded him with a palace and countless gold and silver treasures, but he was not very interested in them.
Lying in bed, he dismissed all the servants and grieved in silence.
What should I do...? How should I answer if His Majesty asks about Qi Yuan?
He didn't think much of the task when he first received it! But now that he realized the Venerable One had ordered him to seduce Qi Yuan, his cheeks burned.
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