“Junior Sister, hello! My name is Xiao Ri!”
A thin cultivator greeted Jiang Ke’er enthusiastically.
“I’m Xiao Ming!”
The plump cultivator beside him hurriedly chimed in, “We should’ve met before, at the mountain gate!”
Jiang Ke’er recalled these two; when she first arrived at the Taiming Sect, they were the ones guarding the gate.
Moreover, her encounters with them were more than just once—later, while they were still guarding the gate, the two were ambushed by disciples of the Hall of the Wild Dragon, having all their meridians broken.
Right after that, the Hall of the Wild Dragon had treated them cruelly, nearly sending them to their deaths.
If it weren’t for her, these two unlucky fellows would have died twice over.
“You’re easy to remember,” Jiang Ke’er smiled. “The thin one is named Thin, and the fat one is named Fat. Xiao Ri and Xiao Ming… truly fitting names!”
“To be remembered by the Goddess herself!”
The two brothers instantly flushed red and hugged each other, tears streaming down their faces. “Wuwuwu, my life is fulfilled!”
“You two still haven’t gotten serious. What kind of discipline is this!”
A deep voice sounded from the side.
Jiang Ke’er looked up—it was a man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a sharply defined masculine face with fair skin, dressed in a sword robe, exuding an extraordinary aura.
He looked like the cold, aloof second male lead from a historical idol drama.
With that appearance, no wonder he had a good track record with women.
In her past life, Jiang Ke’er probably would’ve first savored a pound of lemons after seeing him, but not this time… because now she no longer even had the qualification to sour at anyone…
“I am disciple Xuanyang, greetings to Yiqin Shifu and Qingyi Junior Sister.”
Xuanyang’s etiquette was proper.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Xuanyang.” Jiang Ke’er returned the salute.
She had often heard her senior sisters mention Xuanyang’s name. He was basically the annual prodigy of the sect, the perfect partner in the eyes of many senior sisters.
He was the personal disciple of the sect leader of the main peak, Xihe Peak.
Despite coming from a humble background and starting cultivation late, he reached the Five Elements Realm in just three years—truly the greatest talent of the Taiming Sect at present.
What’s more, he wasn’t a bookish cultivator who only knew how to train; he was also extremely skilled in combat, quick-witted and agile in battle, able to seamlessly switch between manipulating magical tools and casting formation talismans.
He was a true all-rounder.
If Jiang Ke’er was the hope of Lingyin Valley, then Xuanyang was the hope and future light of Taiming Sect’s combat cultivators.
Xuanyang didn’t say much, and during the remaining time, Jiang Ke’er only heard Xiao Ming and Xiao Ri babbling nonstop.
“Shifu, is everyone here?” Jiang Ke’er, a little impatient, asked Yiqin.
“Still missing one… but she’s coming.”
Jiang Ke’er looked up and saw a figure in the sky. Her eyes immediately widened.
Her long skirt fluttered slightly, revealing slender white legs and a pure white ankle beneath.
There was an overwhelming gentleness in her brows and eyes, a kind of elegance that could melt the hardest of heroes—an utterly devastating grace!
The key was her aura! Jiang Ke’er found it impossible to resist this presence!
Perhaps because it was the exact opposite of that rigid Qiao Xiaoxian, and her aversion to Qiao Xiaoxian made her feel a strong fondness for this person!
The woman was smiling at Jiang Ke’er, and that smile made Jiang Ke’er’s heart tingle.
“Senior Sister Qian Yue, hello.”
But Jiang Ke’er didn’t lose her composure and quickly suppressed her fluttering heart, smiling politely in return.
“I am disciple Qian Yue, greetings to Yiqin Shifu and Qingyi Junior Sister.”
“Hm, everyone’s here now,” Yiqin smiled but didn’t rush to move on. Instead, she looked at Qian Yue with concern and asked, “How’s your injury?”
Huh? Injury?
Jiang Ke’er secretly pricked up her ears.
“It will take quite some time to fully recover, but as long as I don’t exert spiritual power too much, it’s fine,” Qian Yue said with a faint, bitter smile.
“On the journey here, you should have let your Junior Sister help you rest and recuperate properly,” Yiqin sighed softly. “With such a severe injury, it’s remarkable you’re still alive.”
So severe? How bad?
Jiang Ke’er’s heart tightened. Because of her inexplicable fondness for Qian Yue, she couldn’t help but worry slightly.
She carefully observed Qian Yue’s complexion and noticed a hint of abnormal pallor, her spiritual power fluctuating unstably.
This was likely the result of a heavy blow from a powerful cultivator, excessive blood loss, wounds not fully healed, plus foreign spiritual energy still lingering in her body, causing weakness.
The treatment method was to first clear the residual foreign spiritual energy around the wounds, then help smooth the meridians and spiritual energy to expel the foreign energy, and finally use the Divine Light Technique to completely heal and seal the wounds.
Uh… why did she suddenly start thinking about treatment methods so naturally?
Jiang Ke’er blushed and told herself to stay calm again.
“Everyone’s here. Change into the merchant clothes and prepare to descend the mountain. Remember to return within three days.” Yiqin Shifu instructed.
“Yes!”
Though she didn’t understand why Yiqin Shifu had suddenly changed her mind, going down the mountain was definitely a good thing.
Jiang Ke’er changed into the coarse hemp merchant clothes, covered her face with a cloth-wrapped hat along with the others, and left Taiming Sect through the main gate.
It had been a long time since she’d gone out. She didn’t know how Qiao Xiaoxian was doing at this moment, but through the subtle sensing of cultivation methods, Jiang Ke’er knew she was still alive.
Why hadn’t that brat died yet? Jiang Ke’er couldn’t help but mutter in her heart.
Well, it was good that she hadn’t died; Jiang Ke’er would feel much better if she could personally defeat her!
“The Secret Realm in half a month depends on all your big guns!” Xiao Ming said with a grin, his chubby round face looking quite amusing.
Jiang Ke’er’s heart stirred. “Senior Brothers and Sisters, are you all the chosen ones for entering the Secret Realm in half a month?”
“Yeah.” Xiao Ri answered quickly.
“This time, Shifu had us come down the mountain together so we could get familiar with each other and understand our teammates beforehand. That way, it’s easier to form teams inside the Secret Realm.”
“Alright,” Jiang Ke’er finally understood why Yiqin Shifu had suddenly changed her mind.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Ke’er raised a finger seriously and said, “Let me say this in advance—I’m going to slack off! You all take care, develop quietly, don’t be reckless! Don’t keep getting hurt.”
“Is that the proud concern of the Little Junior Sister? Ah, I’m dead!” Xiao Ri clutched his chest and dramatically fell back onto the wagon.
“…”
Jiang Ke’er’s temple twitched. She had a pretty good idea of Xiao Ming and Xiao Ri’s style.
But could these two actually manage to develop quietly and avoid causing trouble?
She soon got her answer.
She had originally thought this trip down the mountain would be a simple stroll to check the market and buy some materials… but less than ten minutes after leaving Taiming Sect, trouble happened.
A group of cultivators dressed in red robes stopped them.
Though their clothing was also red and their expressions just as hostile, filled with malice and murderous intent, they were not from the Hall of the Wild Dragon.
If she remembered correctly, that style of clothing…
“Titled Blood Sect.” Xuanyang’s tone was grave.