“Young Master Xu, here is the key to your courtyard. During the Zixia Grand Ceremony, we apologize for the humble accommodations,” said an outer sect disciple responsible for hosting guests as she handed Xu Ming a jade token.
“You’re too kind. This residence is already quite impressive,” Xu Ming replied, taking the jade token.
He wasn’t just being polite; the disciple was truly being modest. The environnt on the guest peak of the Tianxuan Sect was exceptional. With the support of a Spirit Gathering Array, the spiritual energy here was abundant. The courtyard was spotless, elegantly designed, and surrounded by bamboo forests and a waterfall nearby.
Such an environnt would be enough to make rogue cultivators outside fight to the death over it.
But of course, this was the Tianxuan Sect. A guest area like this represented the sect’s face. Poor hospitality could leave a bad impression on visitors.
“Isn’t it a joy to have friends visit from afar?” Such diplomacy was essential in the world of cultivation. It wasn’t all about fighting and killing; relationships and etiquette mattered too.
“Please rest well. If you need anything, you can call for using this jade token,” the female disciple said with a polite smile.
“Thank you for your trouble,” Xu Ming replied, bowing slightly.
After the disciple left, Xu Ming activated the jade token with his spiritual energy. The token glowed and rged with the courtyard, resonating with its protective array, which then opened. Xu Ming entered with Shen Shengsheng and Yue Lou.
Inside the courtyard, a pot of tea had already been brewed.
Xu Ming poured a cup for Yue Lou, smiling. “Miss Yue, you seem to have a lot of questions for .”
Yue Lou nodded. “A lot! Way too many!”
“Feel free to ask,” Xu Ming said, pouring tea for himself and Shen Shengsheng. He took a sip, savoring the tea’s sweetness and the way it replenished his spiritual energy. The tea was so good that he even considered taking a few pounds of it with him.
Shen Shengsheng, on the other hand, stuck her tongue into her cup for a tiny lick, only to wrinkle her nose and stick her tongue out in distaste before hurriedly putting the cup down. Clearly, children weren’t fond of tea.
“Are you really that close to Senior Brother Xia?” Yue Lou asked, recalling the scene earlier when Xu Ming and Xia Donghua had addressed each other as brothers. It had left her completely baffled.
“Not at all,” Xu Ming answered imdiately. “Not only are we not close, but we also have so bad blood between us.”
Yue Lou was even more confused. “Then what about the things you said to Senior Brother Xia at his courtyard just now?”
Xu Ming chuckled. “All lies.”
“All… lies?” Yue Lou was stunned.
Xu Ming nodded and explained slowly, “As I ntioned earlier, there’s so enmity between Xia Donghua and —or rather, quite a lot of enmity. Back in the Baiwa Secret Realm, Xia Donghua ford an alliance with disciples from other sects to seize a treasure. Sohow, the treasure flew toward on its own.
“I’m no fool; of course I wouldn’t hand it over. Naturally, a big fight broke out. Xia Donghua and his group were beaten badly by , and as the leader of the alliance, he ended up being the most humiliated.
“On top of that, he seems to have a thing for Qing Wan, but she sided with during the incident. That made him even more hostile toward .
“As for the fifty high-grade spirit stones and five first-grade spirit fruits I said he owed —completely fabricated.”
“Then why did you say it?” Yue Lou asked, still puzzled.
Xu Ming smirked. “To collect compensation, of course.”
He set down his teacup. “Those disciples from Liefu Peak earlier—Miss Yue ntioned that they didn’t get along with Xia Donghua. But from my perspective, they’re nothing more than Xia Donghua’s dirty gloves.
“Precisely because they don’t appear to get along, whatever they do won’t be traced back to Xia Donghua.”
“So, they must have acted on Xia Donghua’s orders and deliberately ca to ss with . Being antagonized by those people naturally calls for compensation. I can’t let myself be annoyed for nothing, can I?
I’ve defeated so many of your Tianxuan Sect disciples and risen to second place on the Qingyun Ranking. With all the attention on , Xia Donghua undoubtedly knows better than to provoke directly.
At this mont, Xia Donghua would never want to risk stirring up trouble. Instead, he’d want to put on an act of ‘this has nothing to do with .’ That’s why he greeted so warmly.
Xia Donghua doesn’t want to burn bridges with , so he’s forced to play along. If he’s acting, then I’ll act too.
As long as I don’t push things too far, whatever I say goes. Xia Donghua will have no choice but to go along with it.”
Yue Lou thought carefully before speaking, “Then why didn’t you just outright accuse Xia Donghua? Wouldn’t that have been better? You could’ve exposed him as a petty person and crushed his arrogance.”
Xu Ming looked at Yue Lou as if she were an idiot.
“Young Master Xu Ming, I really don’t like that look in your eyes,” Yue Lou grumbled, tempted to punch him.
“My apologies, my apologies,” Xu Ming said with a laugh. “I just spaced out for a mont, no offense intended.”
“Fine.” Yue Lou nodded, then added, “But didn’t I keep telling you earlier not to act impulsively?”
“Yes, you did.”
“And yet you went ahead and kicked Senior Brother Xia the mont you saw him. Isn’t that impulsive?”
Xu Ming shook his head. “Not at all. As long as I don’t completely fall out with him, it’s not considered impulsive. Besides, I kicked him, sure, but I also said in his courtyard that I thought he was two-faced, which is why I got angry. But Xia Donghua claid it was all a misunderstanding.
Since it’s a misunderstanding, clearing it up is enough. If I were to take your advice and openly accuse him, exposing him as a petty man, it wouldn’t work out well for . For starters, we’re on Tianxuan Sect’s territory—how many people would even believe ?
He’s the Sect Master’s son. With the Zixia Grand Ceremony approaching, accusing him would effectively trample your Sect Master’s reputation into the dirt. I’d be smashing it to pieces. That’s not a good look for anyone, especially .
Not to ntion, your Sect Master is a peak-level cultivator in the Immortal Realm. So, this approach works perfectly.”
“You think a lot, don’t you, Young Master Xu?” Yue Lou remarked, staring at him. “Doesn’t all that thinking wear you out?”
Xu Ming sighed. “I have no choice. If I don’t think things through, I might not live to regret it.”
“Then… do you think Xia Donghua will try to harm you again?” Yue Lou asked.
“Unlikely. On the contrary, Xia Donghua will likely make every effort to maintain a good relationship with —at least on the surface,” Xu Ming replied.
“Alright then.” Yue Lou stood up and said, “Rest well, Young Master Xu. If my Martial Aunt Qin cos out of seclusion, I’ll inform you right away.”
“Thank you, Miss Yue. Take care.”
After Yue Lou left, Xu Ming indeed planned to take so ti to recover. As long as he was on soone else’s turf, true safety didn’t exist. He had to stay in peak condition at all tis.
But just as Xu Ming was about to head back to his room to rest, he stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around.
Outside the courtyard, a veiled woman stood, gazing silently at him.
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