Xu Qing also saw Yao Yunhui and frowned slightly. However, he was here with Fairy Zi Xuan today, so it wasnât convenient for him to say anything.
As they neared the pavilion, the gazes of the woman in palace clothes and the female cultivator in the Daoist robe landed on Xu Qing in unison.
Their gazes were filled with curiosity when they noticed that the two of them were under an oil-paper umbrella. They smiled, but didnât say anything.
Xu Qing fell silent. At the same time, he sensed the cultivation levels of the two women in the pavilion other than Yao Yunhui.
Just like Zi Xuan, a thousand Dao threads flowed in their eyes like starlight. They were at the first stage of Nihility.
While Xu Qing was observing, Zi Xuanâs lotus-like footsteps had already moved slightly. She walked into the pavilion and smiled.
âSister Feihe, Sister Shitao, long time no see.â
The woman in palace clothes and the woman in Daoist robe smiled sweetly. The former smiled at Zi Xuan while the latter continued to size up Xu Qing. Her red lips parted slightly and a sweet laughter rang out.
âSister Xuan, who is this little friend?â
âHeâs Xu Qing, the person I like.â Zi Xuan was straightforward. As soon as she spoke, Xu Qing didnât know what to say.
He was a little overwhelmed.
Not only him, but the expressions of the woman in palace clothes and the Daoist-robed female cultivator also changed slightly. The spiritual glint in their eyes intensified.
Only Yao Yunhui was a little dazed when she heard this.
Zi Xuanâs beautiful eyes swept past her two best friends and she smiled gently, indicating for Xu Qing to sit beside her. After that, she pointed at the Daoist-robed woman and smiled at Xu Qing.
âXu Qing, this is younger sister Li, Li Shitao, one of the three deacons of the Observance Palace.â
âThis is elder sister Yao, Yao Feihe. Sheâs Marquis Yaoâs younger sister.â
From the start to the end, Zi Xuan didnât even glance at Yao Yunhui.
Xu Qingâs heart was in a mess, and could only cup his fists in greeting.
Li Shitao blinked her beautiful eyes and covered her mouth as she laughed and teased Xu Qing.
âSo youâre Xu Qing. Do you know that youâre the first person Iâve seen Sister Xuan introduce like this? Hurry up and tell us how you moved Sister Xuan so much.â
Yao Feihe clearly had a more stable personality than Li Shitao. She didnât joke with Xu Qing but spoke in a gentle voice.
âPreviously, I heard that Sister Zi Xuanâs Alliance produced a peerless genius. From the looks of it today, heâs even better than the rumors.â
Zi Xuanâs direct introduction caused the two women to be quite interested in Xu Qing. They didnât act like high-level cultivators but treated him as a peer. However, it was inevitable that they would joke around.
âA few days ago, we invited Sister Xuan but she kept on rejecting us, so this was the reason. You wanted to give us a surprise.â
âNow that I think about it, a month ago, she asked us about the emperor-level cultivation art merging with the Heavenly Palace. I think it was also prepared for you, right?â
When Xu Qing heard this, he could only nod. His expression was solemn and uncomfortable.
Just Zi Xuan alone was enough to make him nervous. Now that he was facing her best friendsâ teasing, he, who wasnât good with words and had never had such an experience, didnât know how to deal with it.
The more he was like this, the more Sister Li felt joy in teasing him.
âEh, little brother, why arenât you saying anything?â
âAiya, Sister Xuan, your Xu Qing is so shy.â
Realizing that Xu Qing didnât know what to say, Zi Xuanâs beautiful eyes flickered.
âHow have you been all these years? How is your relationship with Senior Brother Chen from the Primordial Lightning Lineage?â
âDonât mention him!â Li Shitao sighed and her gaze landed on Xu Qing again.
âLittle brother, do you have any good friends by your side? Introduce one to me.â
Xu Qing thought about it and nodded.
âI have a senior brotherâŠâ
When Zi Xuan heard this, she immediately coughed and changed the topic, glancing at Yao Yunhui.
If it was any other time, Yao Yunhui definitely wouldnât be so silent. However, today, her aunt called her here. She also didnât expect that her aunt, who even her father had to be polite to, was actually a close friend of Fairy Zi Xuan.
She sighed inwardly and suppressed her complicated feelings as she stood up and bowed to Zi Xuan.
âYunhui greets Fairy Zi Xuan.â
Zi Xuan nodded indifferently and looked at Yao Feihe.
âSister Yao, what is the meaning of this?â
âYunhui was rash in her actions before. I specially called her over today to apologize to you and Xu Qing.â
Yao Feihe noticed that Zi Xuanâs way of addressing her had changed. She knew that Zi Xuan didnât like it, so she explained softly.
Her original intention was to get her niece to apologize to Zi Xuan. Today, when she saw the other party introducing Xu Qing like this, she instantly understood all the reasons. Hence, her words also changed.
She was different from Li Shitao. Li Shitao had always had a lively personality and made friends with all kinds of people. However, as the younger sister of Marquis Yao, she cared a lot about the quality of her friends.
For example, although Zi Xuanâs Alliance was in a remote place and couldnât be considered a large faction, regardless of intelligence or aptitude, she was a top-notch person. Such a personâs future was ever-changing. You could never underestimate her because of her background. Perhaps with an opportunity, she would be able to reach a level that even you had to look up to.
This was especially so since she knew very well that her brother had sacrificed his reputation for Fenghai County and she couldnât tell anyone about this. Hence, although the Yao family seemed huge, they were actually unstable.
She couldnât let the Yao family continue to make enemies. This was also the fundamental reason why she wanted to turn hostility into friendship.
She also made the same judgment about Xu Qing. However, the other party hadnât truly grown up after all. She still had to observe how he would do in the future.
After she finished explaining, she looked at Yao Yunhui with a stern expression.
Yao Yunhui lowered her head. In reality, she no longer had the thought of scheming against Xu Qing. Instead, her feelings were getting more and more complicated. Seeing Xu Qing walking together with Fairy Zi Xuan today, especially with Fairy Zi Xuanâs introduction, made her feel an inexplicable jealousy.
She also knew that this jealousy was inexplicable, but she couldnât control it.
When she heard her auntâs words, she bowed to Zi Xuan and Xu Qing.
âYunhui is also a pitiful person. Her husband passed away early. Itâs not easy for a widow with a child.â Yao Feihe looked at Zi Xuan and said softly.
Zi Xuanâs expression was calm. She didnât agree or disagree. Instead, she chatted about the past with Yao Feihe and Li Shitao. Their laughter soon rang out through the pavilion.
As for Yao Yunhui, under her auntâs arrangement, she played the zither at the side. The tune coupled with the wind and rain exuded a different charm.
From the start to the end, Xu Qing didnât express his stance on this. He didnât know the true relationship between Fairy Zi Xuan and Marquis Yaoâs sister, so he couldnât reveal any inclinations on this matter.
In reality, to him, it didnât matter if he reconciled or not. It wouldnât affect his choice.
If there was a chance, he would still deal with the mother and son and end things once and for all.
At the thought of this, Xu Qingâs gaze turned cold as he glanced at Yao Yunhui. Coincidentally, Yao Yunhui also lifted her head and looked at Xu Qing.
The instant their eyes met, Yao Yunhui instinctively avoided his gaze. The sound of the zither became slightly chaotic.
Xu Qing frowned and felt surprised. At the same time, he became vigilant.
He felt that the other party must have some ulterior motives, so the killing intent in his heart fluctuated slightly. However, he controlled it very well and didnât reveal it at all.
Just like that, as time flowed by, when dusk arrived, Zi Xuan ended her conversation with her two best friends and bade farewell.
Before she left, Li Shitao, who was also leaving, smiled at Xu Qing and continued to joke.
âLittle brother, you said earlier that you will introduce me to your senior brother. Iâll remember it.â
Xu Qing looked at the other party seriously and nodded.
Li Shitao was satisfied. She waved at Zi Xuan and slowly walked away.
At that moment, the rain outside also stopped. On the way back to the branch sect, Zi Xuan and Xu Qing walked side by side and spoke slightly.
âThese two are my good friends in the county capital. Li Shitao seems to have a lively personality but sheâs actually quite scheming. However, sheâs responsible and can be trusted at critical moments.â
âAs for Yao Feihe, her ambition is far-reaching and not something Fenghai County can hold, and she doesnât have many friends. Although she has a utilitarian heart, she has her own principles. Today, she took the initiative to call Yao Yunhui over to reconcile. You donât have to worry about this. Just act according to your principles.â
Xu Qing nodded. This was also what he was thinking.
Zi Xuan didnât speak anymore. Her footsteps were brisk, indicating her good mood.
Xu Qing followed beside her. Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched behind them until they arrived at the entrance of the branch sect.
There was a chill in the wind. That was the scent of winter approaching.
âWinter is coming. The autumn rain passed so quicklyâŠâ Zi Xuan turned around and her bright eyes reflected the moonlight. Under the moonlight, she was exceptionally beautiful.
She gently helped Xu Qing tidy his clothes that were blown by the wind. She then smiled gently as Xu Qingâs body stiffened.
âXu Qing, you have to progress fasterâŠâ
She spoke softly and cast a deep glance at Xu Qing. After that, she turned and walked into the branch sect. Her graceful back view and the purple dress gradually moved away, and the fragrance was no longer there.
The maidservants who followed behind also bowed to Xu Qing and followed.
Xu Qing stood in front of the branch sect and looked at the departing Zi Xuan. The other partyâs last words echoed in his mind.
After a long time, he nodded, cupped his fists, and bowed before turning to leave.
He didnât return to the Sword Pavilion but accepted missions to earn military contributions.
In the next few days, Xu Qing worked hard to accumulate military contributions. The daily missions that gave the most military contributions were none other than capturing wanted criminals. Hence, Xu Qing remembered most of the wanted criminals. He had a deep impression of one of them.
This was because this wanted criminal had a nickname. Just like him, he was also known as Kid.
Seven days later, after accumulating his military contributions to a certain extent, Xu Qing went to the ninth floor of the Prison Department. There, he used his considerable military contributions to apply for the guardian assessment of Area D1.
This assessment was also the only way for Area D Pawns to advance to Area C.
Only by suppressing the criminals in Area D1 could one advance to Area C and have the qualifications to head to the floors below 89th.
To the Prison Department, Area D and Area C were completely different places.
The latter was mysterious and profound. The Pawns there were even more savage. Most of their cultivation levels were in the Nascent Soul realm. Any one of their identities and statuses surpassed the Pawns of Area D by a great extent.
Becoming a Pawn in Area C was one of the things that all the Pawns in Area D yearned for the most.
Hence, Xu Qingâs application immediately attracted the attention of the Pawns from Area D.
Just like that, under the gazes of many Pawns from Area D, Xu Qing stepped into Area D1, which was located on the 88th floor!
Two hours later, as the cell gate of Area D1 opened, a figure covered in blood staggered out step by step.
He was slightly out of breath and one of his legs was crippled. The path behind him was stained with a long trail of blood.
His arms were also dislocated and there were many parts where he suffered serious injuries.
The injuries were so deep that his bones could be seen, especially his back. There was a huge wound from the back of his neck to his waist.
There was also a wound that connected from his forehead to the right corner of his mouth. His flesh was exposed and blood still dripped from there.
The people imprisoned in Area D1 were all Golden Cores with nine palaces.
Although many years of suppression had caused them to be extremely weak, every one of them was once a heavenâs chosen of their respective races. Even though Xu Qing had activated the Poison Restriction fully, the price he had to pay wasnât small.
At that moment, when he walked out, Xu Qing spat out a piece of flesh he had bitten off. He then grinned at everyone who was waiting outside.
âTheyâre all dead.â
Behind him, inside the open gate of D1âs cell, the ground was covered in so much blood that it looked like a pool of blood. There were no corpses inside.
Due to the Poison Restriction Pill, all the corpses melted into a part of the blood pool.