Chapter 164: The Troubled Girl

Fei Chengji directly led Hong Jian and Lu Yangchang to his own cave dwelling on Fragrance Peak.

Since "Xiao Guangdu" wished to keep a low profile, Fei Chengji did not make a fuss about introducing him to people within the sect.

Though Fei Chengji felt that such secrecy was entirely unnecessary—it was merely pulling a few strings, and among the disciples he had taken in, there were plenty with all sorts of backgrounds, and no one would ever ostracize a newcomer for that reason—it was ultimately a minor matter, so he decided to humor the siblings.

Fei Chengji had been away from the mountain with Zhang Yu for some days, and upon his return now, his disciples hurried over to pay their respects.

Including Zhang Yu, Fei Chengji had taken a total of five disciples: four men and one woman. Hong Jian found the three senior brothers looking familiar, though she could not match their faces to their names. When she was back at Late Tide Peak, these few were presumably still Foundation Establishment cultivators, but now they had all successively formed their golden cores.

The female disciple, Tong Dai, was a tall beauty with a gentle and refined temperament, currently at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Hong Jian was entirely certain she had never laid eyes on her before.

Seeing their master bring back strangers, the group inevitably took a few extra glances. Although Hong Jian’s attire was truly hard to look at, they were all exceptionally well-bred. It was only when Fei Chengji introduced her as his newly accepted disciple that they could not help but wear strange expressions.

Fei Chengji smiled and said, "I have an old acquaintance with Xiao Xiao's brother. Taking Xiao Xiao as a disciple is both to help her successfully form her core and to take care of her for a period on behalf of her brother. You all should grow closer in the future. You mustn't bully her just because she's a newcomer."

At this point, Fei Chengji actually perceived the benefits of concealing Xiao Guangdu's true identity.

Taking a female cultivator with a water spiritual root as a disciple out of friendship with a peer sounded entirely natural and was far better than having people point fingers behind his back, accusing him of using any means necessary to cozy up to the Futu Sect.

Could it be that Xiao Guangdu had considered this very angle when he made such a demand?

Fei Chengji instantly dismissed the thought. How could an arrogant brute possess such delicate and meticulous considerations? It must have been a blind cat running into a dead mouse; the two siblings were simply unlike anyone else, and goodness only knows what went on in their minds.

Just as this thought finished crossing his mind, "Xiao Xiao" delivered a blow to his prestige. She gave a light, scoffing laugh and said indifferently, "Bully me? What a joke. Anyone with that notion is welcome to try!"

While the three senior brothers and Tong Dai stood there utterly dumbfounded, they saw her brother standing nearby nod in deep agreement, glaring fiercely at everyone with wide eyes.

Fei Chengji felt a severe headache coming on. He waved a hand and said, "Alright, Tong Dai, you take the junior sister to the Guihua Garden area to pick a residence first, and the rest of you can disperse. Zhang Yu, come with me to see the Sect Master."

With that, he turned to Lu Yangchang, "Brother Xiao, you..."

Lu Yangchang laughed heartily, stood up, and said, "I'll be leaving once I see Xiao Xiao settled in. You go attend to your business; I won't meet Peak Master Mu, and you needn't mention it either."

Fei Chengji was more than happy to oblige. "I wonder how we might contact each other in the future?"

Lu Yangchang glanced at Hong Jian. "Just have Xiao Xiao find me. Besides, I'll come often to check on her when I have free time."

Hong Jian purposely pursed her lips and let out a reluctant, aggrieved "Hmph."

Convinced he had hooked a massive fish, Fei Chengji bid farewell to Lu Yangchang and hurried off with Zhang Yu to see Mu Fengshan.

He still needed to report in detail to the Sect Master about the matters regarding the Xianyun Sect's secret realm, where an extraordinary treasure had manifested and vanished without a trace. Pu Pingping had died within the secret realm, and the secret realm itself had collapsed—every single matter was of great importance, so he did not dwell much on the Xiao siblings for the moment. He only planned to casually mention it to his master when the latter was free, stating that he had taken a friend's younger sister as a disciple, and then explain his initial intention behind taking a water-spiritual-root disciple.

Following her master's orders, Tong Dai took Lu Yangchang and Hong Jian on a brief tour of Fei Chengji's domain. Guihua Garden was a secluded corner among them. Previously, sensing that the little junior sister had quite a distinct personality, she had been afraid the girl might be dissatisfied, but to her surprise, both of them thought quite well of it after the tour.

She had no idea that the two people beside her were quietly exchanging opinions via spiritual sense. Lu Yangchang said, "Lend me the 'Immortal Rainbow Glow' so I can hide in the shadows and help you keep an eye out."

"Don't worry. Matters like this cannot be accomplished in a day or two. Otherwise, I would have just snuck in using the 'Immortal Rainbow Glow' instead of going through all this trouble. Brother Lu, everything is fine on my end. You can pretend to return to the Futu Sect to check on Helian and the others; goodness knows how they're progressing with building the sect these days."

"How could I possibly feel at ease about this? Be obedient, I'll just take it and stay a few extra days, making sure everything is truly safe and sound before I leave."

"Really, there's no need..."

The "Immortal Rainbow Glow" was in Hong Jian's possession, and Lu Yangchang could never win an argument against her, so he had no choice but to say, "Then I'll head to Tongcheng first and come see you again in a few days. You must keep your composure and refrain from casually contacting that Shi Qingxiang. After all, he is currently Daiming Chi's disciple; who knows what intention lay behind that letter he wrote to Jiang焰. Caution is paramount—wait until we have fully grasped the situation before doing anything."

"Mhm, I understand."

"And as for Late Tide Peak, whether it's your master or your martial uncle, you must pretend not to know them when you meet. Do not let any flaws show." Lu Yangchang conjured yet another instruction to impart.

"Alright, I know what I'm doing."

"Also..." Lu Yangchang continued nagging endlessly.

"Got it, you're so long-winded." Hong Jian finally reached her limit.

Lu Yangchang did not feel he was nagging at all; he still had a multitude of parting admonitions left unspoken. Yet, seeing Hong Jian's impatience, he didn't get annoyed either. He chuckled twice and said, "Playing my bad-tempered younger sister is quite addictive, isn't it? You can't even switch back now."

Hong Jian smiled as well, then turned to remind him, "Qi Tianbao hails from the Qi family of Tongcheng; you shouldn't go to Tongcheng. The towns around here are teeming with all sorts of unsavory characters, far more complicated than over at the Xianyun Sect. Instead of lingering in places like that, you'd better busy yourself with proper business."

After inspecting the residence, Hong Jian sent off the reluctant Lu Yangchang right in front of Senior Sister Tong Dai, and next came the task of decorating her new abode.

Because Guihua Garden had been uninhabited prior to this, the courtyard was empty save for a few osmanthus trees. However, it was currently the season when the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, filling the air with a rich fragrance and scattering a blanket of golden yellow across the ground whenever the wind blew, creating a truly splendid sight.

Tong Dai smiled and said, "I hadn't noticed before, but this garden not only has an auspicious portents, the scenery is quite fine as well. If Junior Sister doesn't mind, I can help set up a few minor wood-element array formations so these osmanthus trees will flourish ceaselessly, blooming like this all year round."

Never expecting that Tong Dai would even know how to set up array formations, Hong Jian deliberately cast a skeptical look at her before replying, "Alright. Can you make those flowers stop falling altogether? They blow everywhere and have to be swept up—so annoying!"

Tong Dai opened her mouth, wanting to say that the very beauty of this scenery lay precisely in these falling blossoms, but after glancing at Hong Jian's attire, she managed to hold her tongue.

Tong Dai was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and her attainments in array formations naturally could not compare to Guan Yibai's. She merely circled a few osmanthus trees with a crude, rudimentary setup. Still, she was nimble and dexterous, and the few minor formations she laid out did not mar the poetic aesthetic of the drifting osmanthus petals in the slightest.

When Tong Dai stepped into Guihua Garden again a day later, she felt immensely glad that she had not run her mouth further and made a fool of herself.

The ground beneath the osmanthus trees had been swept meticulously clean, but right inside the little array formations were crammed an array of brightly colored potted flowers of all sorts. Heaven only knows where this junior sister had scavenged them from. The crucial part was that these flowers were constrained by the shapes of the arrays, arranged in neat circles one after another, looking for all the world like offerings prepared for the deceased.

Moreover, the room where this Junior Sister Xiao Xiao lived had undergone a complete transformation. It was heavy with a cloyingly sweet fragrance, with over a dozen layers of curtains hanging down tier upon tier. When a draft blew through the room, a riot of colors fluttered and flapped about, and without careful searching, one couldn't find a trace of where a person actually was.

As a female cultivator with exceptionally refined taste, Tong Dai felt that staying another moment or two in Junior Sister Xiao Xiao's domain was simply unbearable. She fled in a rush, throwing all the thoughts she had harbored upon arrival—such as "following Master's instructions to take good care of the junior sister" and "making a friend to keep company"—completely to the back of her mind.

In fact, it wasn't just Tong Dai; over these past few days, the three senior brothers who had originally wanted to interact with Junior Sister Xiao Xiao felt the full brunt of her immense destructive power.

As a result, everyone unanimously felt that it was truly a misfortune among misfortunes that she kept herself occupied entirely within Master Fei Chengji's little patch of territory instead of running outside to disgrace them all.

Three dignified Golden Core cultivators of some renown had been reduced in her domain to "Fatty," "Shorty," and "Big Nose."

The one who suffered the most was the Big Nose Senior Brother. Once disciples of the Danxia Sect formed their golden cores, they were permitted to take in disciples with their master's consent. This gentleman was rather refined and had found a pair of handsome twin boys from the foot of the mountain, both newly entered into the Qi Refinement stage. Rather than teaching the two anything, he kept the brothers exclusively around to warm his wine, brew his tea, and tend to his flowers and plants.

As a result, on the very day she arrived, this Junior Sister Xiao Xiao demanded both boys along with the dozen pots of flowers they so meticulously tended. The flowers were piled haphazardly beneath the osmanthus trees, while the two fairy-like youths—one holding a broom, the other a hemp sack, trailing twin strands of snot and covered head-to-toe in mud—were stationed under the tree specifically tasked with sweeping up the falling blossoms across the entire courtyard for their Martial Aunt.

Hong Jian purposely made herself an object of public detestation for two reasons. First, she had already planted such an impression in Fei Chengji's mind previously, and she had to keep up the act. Second, she intentionally wished to avoid too much contact with her senior brothers and sister, having long ago set her sights on Zhang Yu, who genuinely believed in her Futu Sect background.

When everyone else refused to set foot in Guihua Garden again, only Zhang Yu continued to visit diligently.

He showed not the slightest trace of regret over Hong Jian's squandering of such natural treasures and would even offer a word of praise when the occasion called for it. Although Hong Jian's attitude suggested she did not appreciate it at all, she was ultimately much more polite to him than to anyone else.

When Hong Jian casually and seemingly without intent inquired about the situations of Qi Tianbao and Shi Qingxiang on Red Wheel Peak, Zhang Yu did not find it the least bit strange. Those two belonged to the same sect as her brother and held a much higher seniority; it was completely normal for her to be curious.

As for Shi Qingxiang's current state, Zhang Yu knew exceedingly little, and everything he had known while at the Xianyun Sect had already been told to Jiang Yan. This time, he was merely repeating it for Hong Jian, offering nothing new.

On the other hand, regarding the Futu Sect's Elder Qi Tianbao, Zhang Yu mentioned that the man was not often seen on Red Wheel Peak.

Ever since Shi Qingxiang's arrival, Qi Tianbao had been interacting much more frequently with Peak Master Ying Qin of Cold Autumn Peak due to pill-refining. Although Ying Qin had failed to cure Shi Qingxiang's strange affliction, he had successfully brewed a kind of pill that Qi Tianbao held in high regard. For some time recently, Qi Tianbao had been staying continuously on Cold Autumn Peak.

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