Fang Ting’s face darkened with anger as he clenched his fists.
The disciples of Falling Cloud Peak were all stunned on the spot, not quite grasping the situation.
Who was Qin Yao?
The Peak Flower of Clear Mist Peak, ranked firmly in the top ten among the Five Peaks disciples, and moreover, a Second-Grade Dan Cultivator.
She was the idol in the hearts of many Inner Sect disciples.
Why was she so attentive to just an apprentice?
The expressions of the other Medicine Hut disciples were quite subtle—each one wore a half-smile, half-smirk, feeling greatly relieved.
Everyone had obviously heard the early gossip from the Head Seat—about the strange fate of Yun Liu’s parents who met because of Celestial Phenomena Peak, and how their child was left in the “Forbidden Land” that had a connection with the little junior aunt.
If one were to ask why Fang Ting’s attitude was so sharp, it probably had to do with the previous generation, specifically his arrogant father.
Yun’s Father and Fang’s Father were both disciples of the First Peak, both outstanding, a pair of rivals equally matched.
Back then, they were both pursuing Liu Ru of Clear Mist Peak—bitter enemies like water and fire.
The ending was clear to all: the flower fell to the Yun family, and the child had grown up.
It was said that Junior Brother Yun took after his mother, with a delicate appearance resembling Master Uncle Liu Ru by six or seven points, deeply favored by Ge Lan.
As the elder brother, Elder Fang, having been surpassed in cultivation by his junior brother was one thing—but he was utterly defeated in the realm of romance.
The funniest part was that the same drama was playing out again, even more one-sided and brutal, with no suspense whatsoever.
Little Junior Brother Yun had only been at Rosy Fragrance Pavilion for a few days, and already he was involved with Qin Xiang.
And it was the senior sister who made the first move—can you believe it!
This little office romance was well known throughout Clear Mist Peak, yet only the senior sister herself stubbornly denied it.
It was said that Mister Kuai and Head Lan had even prepared the dowry.
Now the new generation of the Yun family had stolen the heart of another Clear Mist Peak beauty, a classic rerun of old family traditions…
All day long, Fang Ting refused to leave Rosy Fragrance Pavilion, pacing back and forth anxiously, no longer carrying the arrogance he had at first.
A toad wanting to eat swan meat!
To think he could win over Sister Qin like this was truly naïve. He wanted to see how far a useless person could go relying on a woman.
Fang Ting sneered inside, constantly glancing toward the inner room, repeatedly stopped by Tian Tian, who even invoked Mister Kuai’s name to push back this haughty First Peak disciple.
His goddess was in a little dark room with another man—how could he not be anxious!?
Yun’s Father was carefree and wild in youth, completely opposite to the gentle and gentlemanly image of Junior Brother Yun.
It was said that decades ago, he had used solid strength to suppress the sword cultivators of the Five Peaks, often winning and then taunting his opponents, offending many fellow disciples—until he met Liu Ru and settled down, obediently listening to the woman he loved.
Because of this, many contemporary elders defeated by Yun’s Father harbored bad feelings toward the Chief of Celestial Phenomena Peak.
Seeing Yun Liu rise, they were reminded of that arrogant yet helpless junior brother from the past.
A prodigy cut down halfway, the sect was divided between sympathy and schadenfreude due to historical grudges.
As dusk neared, the Mistress of Rosy Fragrance Pavilion finally appeared, hair disheveled and cheeks flushed.
Qin Xin sat at the counter, sometimes dazed, sometimes stealing smiles, her face full of endless reminiscence.
Someone spared no effort entertaining the future guest, making Qin Sister exclaim in delight, and even the Blonde-haired girl apprentice benefited.
In contrast, Yun himself remained calm and collected, simply taking the hot towel from the Blonde-haired girl to wipe his hands, giving a few instructions about the Happy Farm task, then left.
“Received!”
Ji Shiyu saluted respectfully—like a loyal little general of the Yun Guard, devoted to the family’s duty.
The Blonde-haired girl thought she had gotten all the advantages: eating others’ food, profiting off them, and even “free-riding” a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
She was a little embarrassed—how could she not contribute to the family business!
Ao Tian pecked at the foolish girl’s empty head and asked, “Learned it?”
“Learned it all wrong!”
Ji Shiyu nodded firmly.
“Just do this first, then that, then jabber-jabber, dinosaur carries wolf, big success, heehee!”
“…”
Feng Chu sighed.
Fang Ting was once again cold-shouldered by Qin Xin, getting nowhere. He stormed off in a dark mood, old and new grievances piling up.
No wonder Qin Sister had been missing lately—when asked, the answer was always “busy.”
Turns out her home had been stolen (typical arrogance)!
Originally, he didn’t want to waste time quarreling with a useless person—it would be beneath his dignity.
But since someone had the audacity to mess with his woman, he wouldn’t mind forgetting the bonds of brotherhood!
Since birth, this kid had clung to the favor of two Head Seats.
Later, with prospects brightening, he even became betrothed to the Xiao Family’s precious little princess, envied by all.
Xiao Xinran was the personal disciple appointed by the Great Elder, with the rare Fire Spiritual Root.
No surprise she would become Falling Cloud Peak’s favored disciple, holding a status far above Fang’s father, an ordinary cultivator.
Yun Liu’s path to immortality was smooth and blessed, surpassing his father.
Now he was down and out, much to the delight of both fathers.
Who would have thought this fellow was addicted to freeloading, perfectly inheriting his father’s bad habits, and even roped in a battalion of women servants just to court a senior sister from Clear Mist Peak.
Truly shameless!
As Fang Ting stepped outside, he saw passersby at Shenhua Pavilion all looking up, mouths agape, frozen as if turned to ice.
A spiritual light shot up into the sky, swirling and glowing, especially eye-catching in the sunset.
The Heavenly Dao phenomenon reappeared, covering Rosy Fragrance Pavilion like a living signboard, spreading the news across the district—everyone in Yun City knew.
Inside the pavilion, none noticed, but to outsiders it was obvious.
Among the Medicine Hut disciples, who besides Clear Mist Peak’s senior sister could pull off such a feat?
The Five Peaks disciples all speculated what masterpiece Qin Xiang had unveiled, brimming with anticipation.
“Truly worthy of Sister Qin…”
Fang Ting was a bit slow on the uptake but seeing this, his heart burned hotter, strengthening a certain resolve.
His original impure intention to get close to Qin was to find a pharmacist wife for Falling Cloud Peak, to bring glory to the sect and make his father look up to him.
The Outer Sect selection was a trivial matter the Great Elder didn’t bother with.
He could easily manipulate things, rigging the Celestial Phenomena Chief’s selection, publicly embarrassing the little junior aunt and getting her expelled from the Inner Sect.
That way, no matter how much the Clear Mist Peak Head Seat cared about Master Uncle Liu Ru, he couldn’t interfere, and the senior sister certainly wouldn’t care about someone defeated by an Outer Sect disciple.
With Qin’s assistance, Yun Liu’s second Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill was even smoother than expected.
The moment it came off the cauldron, a large crowd of Shenhua disciples gathered, surrounding Rosy Fragrance Pavilion, blocking every exit.
Inner Sect disciples poured in too, bringing more commissions.
Tian Tian and the other junior sisters were laughing so hard they could barely close their mouths.
“Eh? No, no, it’s not me, don’t misunderstand!”
The Mistress of Rosy Fragrance Pavilion was at a loss but proud of her junior brother.
When she looked back, the adorable junior brother was gone.
The Heavenly Dao phenomenon appearing again over the cloud sea matched Yun City’s rumors exactly.
That legendary Heavenly Dao Pill Refining Master was clearly a Shenhua Sect disciple.
Three such people here was no surprise—Ge Lan and Mister Kuai were proud, applauding their own wisdom and cheering for Qin’s romance.
Now only one problem remained—how to rightfully bring home the Clear Mist Peak female in-law whom the little junior aunt had raised so painstakingly!
No one knew which family’s child would have the fortune to use this second Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill… probably the sweet and lovely Xiao Family Little Princess?
If not for the Xiao Patriarch’s momentary confusion in breaking up the couple, the first Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn’t have fallen to Ji Shiyu.
No, it was better to say that thanks to the Xiao family’s failure to recognize talent, otherwise Xin’er wouldn’t have intercepted it.
The Yun family wet nurse thought so.
The third person was an old janitor, still puzzled.
How could some useless people be so lively, even refining a Heaven-grade spiritual medicine?
This was no luck—it was genuine Heavenly Dao foundation…
Anyway, the First Peak Grand Elder was already rushing to the Medicine Hut to seek out Mister Kuai, determined to shamefacedly secure a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for his future precious disciple, ordering Rosy Fragrance Pavilion to put Xiao Xinran at the front of the queue.
Dan Cultivators were revered in the cultivation world—no matter how much stronger one’s cultivation was, politeness was necessary.
A Second-Grade Heavenly Dao Pill Refining Master could bring many Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment potentials to the sect.
Higher-ranked alchemy cauldron masters were invaluable beyond measure.
Good horses were common, but good jockeys were rare.
Pill cultivators could develop so-called geniuses’ talents to the extreme—an excellent guardian of a great sect’s future…
No one expected that this Foundation Establishment Pill was promised to Her Highness the Princess and that before moving into Shanhai Pavilion, Yun Liu had no plans to use it elsewhere.
Yun Liu now carried the fragrant, steaming Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill to Xixu Peak to report.
Since his promotion, he rarely visited the Four Academies and hadn’t expected to one day arrive at the female dormitory.
Jing Tan’er lived alone in the Earth Courtyard, a “bedchamber” only shared with her future prince consort.
When Yun Liu arrived, he saw two sentinels standing guard at the small courtyard’s entrance.
“Stop right there, Senior Brother Yun. Do you know where this place is?”
A slightly plump young girl raised her hand.
Yun Liu found it amusing and replied formally, matching the princess’s style with a raised hand, “Please inform Her Highness that Rosy Fragrance Pavilion has successfully fulfilled the commission.”
“Really? That’s great! I’ll go tell Her Highness right away. You wait here!”
The villainous noble daughter went off to report, while the other slimmer girl with black-rimmed glasses, apparently a fresh import from the Eastern Isles, remained.
The royal daughters’ fashion was noticeably more stylish than other disciples.
The two daughters of the dynasty were both good-looking, with above-average spiritual roots, cultivation around the seventh or eighth stage, elite Outer Sect disciples, royal attendants who looked after Her Highness’s daily life.
The bespectacled girl was quiet, secretly observing the white-robed youth, wondering what magic this notorious useless person possessed that made the little princess constantly talk about him.
Her Highness’s thoughts were always unpredictable.
Originally thought to be mortal enemies, yet upon meeting, they acted as if bewitched—she even moved her residence to Celestial Phenomena Peak.
“Ahem, Her Highness says you should wait a bit longer; she’ll be here soon!”
But that “soon” dragged on for half an hour.
The sun had set, yet she hadn’t emerged, still tinkering inside, occasionally causing clatter and screams, making the waiting girl so anxious she fell over.
With nothing else to do, the bespectacled girl suggested playing something, and the three began throwing dice around a stone table.
“Three twos.”
The quiet girl pushed up her glasses.
“Four fives.”
The plump girl’s round face tightened nervously, looking adorable.
“Open.”
Yun Liu yawned, uttering just one word that drained the girl’s complexion—she lost again.
“Guh!”
The youth’s powerful divine sense spread like a web around him.
No slight anomaly escaped his gaze.
The dice’s situation was clear at a glance.
With Foundation Establishment cultivation, his divine sense was still perfect, and having even surpassed his stage to refine Third-Grade spiritual medicines, the vastness of his merged soul sea could only be imagined by those who reached Golden Core.
The plump girl gritted her teeth in frustration.
“Again!”
“Again what?”
The small door of Earth Courtyard opened quietly, a lively and excited voice calling out.
The two girls immediately returned to Her Highness’s side, bowing low.
“One person owes me five hundred.”
Yun Liu waved his hand, not idle while waiting.
The two mischievous girls scowled, quite unwilling—they thought this boy was terribly annoying!
Then came the belated arrival of the chestnut-haired girl.
A faint light flickered in Yun Liu’s eyes as he blinked.
This time Jing Tan’er didn’t glare sideways with a disdainful look but kept her head lowered, shyly fiddling with her skirt, blush and powder tinting her pretty face perfectly, seeming afraid Yun Liu would get impatient waiting.
Her long hair was pinned up with vermilion and silver hairpins.
Her purple-red long dress looked like a court lady’s, dignified and composed. Her straight long legs were wrapped in black stockings.
For their first “date,” Jing Tan’er went all out with ceremony, her peach blossom makeup bright and stunning, clearly spending a lot of time and effort to dress up.
“S-sorry to keep you waiting.”
“So you can be embarrassed too? I thought it was only natural for us commoners to wait on a princess.”
Yun Liu stroked his chin, teasing softly, much like a boy waiting downstairs at the school dorms for his girlfriend to finish makeup.
“What do you mean? I’m not putting on airs! I’m usually very approachable, okay?”
Jing Tan’er lifted her chin proudly, her fair neck extended like a swan, delicate collarbones clearly defined.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Go… where?
Yun Liu scratched his head. Before handing over the commission, the girl already pulled him out of the courtyard by the sleeve.
The two strolled through the academy courtyard, while their resentful attendant followed ten steps behind, guarding Her Highness.
Passing disciples were all stunned, never having seen the proud and harsh Senior Sister Jing show such a charming side.
The white-clothed youth lagged behind, silently gazing at the girl’s profile.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Nothing, just looks nice.”
Yun Liu complimented her, unlike the usual flattery she heard from her attendants.
Good was good, bad was bad—simple and straightforward.
Jing Tan’er turned her head away, fingers trembling, so nervous she didn’t even notice her hands and feet shaking in sync.
“Hmph~ flattering me won’t work. T-this is just basic royal etiquette, not something I went out of my way to prepare for you!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Today was too sudden. I just finished training and was all sweaty. It’d be too embarrassing to be seen like that. If you like, next time give Nini and Lu’er a heads-up. They’ll order Junfu Wangchen to prepare a banquet at the academy. There are still many things you don’t know about!”
The little princess wiggled her index finger, clearly delighted, her face flushed, the smile at the corners of her eyes impossible to hide.
Finally, all that effort had paid off.
Next time?
Next time—who knew when that would be.
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