CH 86.1

"Mis-Mistress, why is Junior Sister Zhen'er here?" Chao Gan Yun asked in a daze.



At this moment, her psyche received a critical blow.



At first, Chao Gan Yun thought that allowing Nie Zhen'er to reply without kneeling was Mistress's limit for doting on her. However, she didn’t expect  the apathetic Mistress would let Nie Zhen'er stay a night on her ta!



Chao Gan Yun couldn't figure out why Nie Zhen'er was so bold, and even more why Mistress would indulge her so.



"Hmm." Nie Zhen'er rubbed her eyes and sat up from the ta. After seeing Chao Gan Yun, she greeted her naturally. "Second Senior Sister, good morning."



Luan Qing Xiao saw that Nie Zhen'er's hair was a little messy, so she helped her tidy it up before saying to Chao Gan Yun faintly. "Gan Yun, your position is over there, go practice there."



Chao Gan Yun wanted to say something but stopped. Facing Luan Qing Xiao's cold eyes, her heart skipped. Suddenly, she realized Luan Qing Xiao's identity. If Mistress let Nie Zhen'er stay overnight, then she can stay overnight at the Luscious Spring Hall. It wasn’t something she, a small disciple, could control.



"Yes, Mistress." Chao Gan Yun pursed her lips. She bowed and walked over to her practice position. Then she sat cross-legged and took a deep breath to remove the distracting thoughts from her mind as she focused on cultivating.



Since Nie Zhen'er had just woken up, she sat on the ta muddle-minded. Luan Qing Xiao stood up and said to her, "I'll need to talk with the palace lord to discuss matters related to the Grand Competition, you stay here and practice."



As she nodded docilely, Nie Zhen'er's eyes were still covered with a sheen of haze. "Zhen'er will properly cultivate."



Luan Qing Xiao left the Luscious Spring Hall and flew on her sword to Jing Meng Jun's Flowing Dream Hall.



The two outer disciples guarded outside the Flowing Dream Hall bowed and saluted her. "Disciples have seen Elder Luan."



Luan Qing Xiao nodded back, "Is Palace Lord inside?"



"Answering Elder Luan, Palace Lord and Senior Brother Ying went to the foot of the mountain yesterday and has yet to come back."



"They’re still not back?" Luan Qing Xiao furrowed her brows.



"Qing Xiao, you’re here." Jing Meng Jun dropped Ying Yuan Yu from his jade gourd, smiling.



"Palace Lord, you went to the foot of the mountain?" Luan Qing Xiao probed unceremoniously.



Jing Meng Jun chuckled, "Qing Xiao, don't be so strict. It was just for one night, nothing will happen."



"Yuan Yu, come meet your Shishu."



Among the five elders in Shang Qing Palace, only Luan Qing Xiao and Jing Meng came from the same teacher. Their Master was the previous Shang Qing Palace Palace Lord.



The original owner has outstanding talents, and her cultivation speed was much faster than Jing Meng Jun. When the previous palace lord of the Shang Qing Palace passed the position of the palace lord to Jing Meng Jun, she felt uncomfortable for a long time afterwards. She couldn't understand why Master did not pass the position to her, but instead gave it to Jing Meng Jun, who always had a smile on.



Up til Luan Qing Xiao’s arrival, the original owner still didn’t manage to figure it out. For this palace owner position, a heart demon was almost born.



After Luan Qing Xiao entered this body, the premature heart demon disappeared by itself. What the original owner cared about had no effect on someone on her level. Because Luan Qing Xiao had experienced two worlds, it caused her state of mind to further improve.



Ying Yuan Yu bowed, "Yuan Yu pays homage to Luan Shishu."



Luan Qing Xiao examined him up and down, causing Ying Yuan Yu's body to become stiff and his scalp numb.



Jing Meng Jun acted like he didn’t see it. He smiled as usual, "Qing Xiao, my disciple isn’t bad, right?"



Luan Qing Xiao retracted her gaze. She lifted her chin and faintly exclaimed. "His name isn’t bad."



Ying Yuan Yu's eyes flashed.



Jing Meng Jun shook his head helplessly as he sighed. "Qing Xiao, you are too obsessed with Bai Li Yuan Yu. He’s dedicated himself to ascending to immortality. Regardless of how much you invest in him, you won't be able to touch his heart."



Luan Qing Xiao stated indifferently, "This is my business, don't worry about it."



"Well, don't just stand at the door. Come on, let's go in and talk." Jing Meng Jun had tried to dissuade Luan Qing Xiao more than once, but Luan Qing Xiao was extremely persistent in her feelings toward Bai Li Yuan Yu and wouldn’t give up no matter what.



Jing Meng Jun even knew that Luan Qing Xiao had raised a furnace for Bai Li Yuan Yu, or as she disguised it, her direct disciple.



Nie Zhen'er's Pure Yin Physique was a secret, which Jing Meng Jun also discovered by accident. Under his questioning, Luan Qing Xiao admitted her real reason for accepting Nie Zhen'er as a disciple.



Luan Qing Xiao's cultivation was high and wouldn’t listen to any persuasion, nor can Jing Meng Jun control her, so he can only let her be.



Entering the Flowing Dream Palace, Jing Meng Jun and Luan Qing Xiao sat on the platform, while Ying Yuan Yu sat closer to Jing Meng Jun on a lower level.



Jing Meng Jun talked like he was discussing the weather, "The Grand Competition is about to start, how are your disciples?"



Luan Qing Xiao glanced at Jing Meng Jun, "Pretty good."



"Will all three participate in the Grand Competition?" As the palace lord, Jing Meng Jun was buried in business and had no time to pay attention to what cultivation stage Luan Qing Xiao's disciples were.



"Two."



A steward served them tea. Luan Qing Xiao took a sip and put it down before saying. "Zhen'er is still at Qi Training."



Zhen'er should be the furnace that Luan Qing Xiao prepared for Bai Li Yuan Yu. Jing Meng Jun thought.



"Palace Lord might as well talk about your disciple as well. I heard that Guan Xue has broken through to the late stage of Foundation Building not long ago. How about the new disciple?"



"Haha, Qing Xiao, your Senior Brother has found a treasure! How long has it been and Yuan Yu has already reached Mid-Foundation Building. My disciple is going to bag the competition this time." Jing Meng Jun proudly claimed.



"Really." Luan Qing Xiao didn’t agree nor denied.



"Palace Lord, let's get to business." Luan Qing Xiao peered at Ying Yuan Yu. "Ying Yuan Yu, go find a place to cultivate by yourself, don't disturb us while I’m discussing things with your Master."



Luan Qing Xiao's tone wasn’t polite at all. Ying Yuan Yu lowered his head as the muscles on his face twitched. For the past few hundred years, no one dared to talk to him like this. Sure enough, once the tiger leaves its element, even a dog can bully it.



Jing Meng Jun rescued his disciple. "Yuan Yu, help me deliver a letter to Steward Xu."



"Yes, Master." Ying Yuan Yu took the envelope and left.



It was already two hours later when Luan Qing Xiao finished her discussion with Jing Meng Jun about the Grand Competition process.



Luan Qing Xiao flew back to Luscious Spring Hall and found there were only Chao Gan Yun and Hui Meng Tong who came in the afternoon at Luscious Spring Hall. However, Nie Zhen'er was nowhere in sight.



There weren’t many places where Nie Zhen'er could go. Luan Qing Xiao checked them one by one, and eventually found Nie Zhen’er in her own courtyard.



Luan Qing Xiao appeared directly in front of Nie Zhen'er, scaring Nie Zhen'er into almost falling. Luan Qing Xiao caught her waist with one hand, "You clumsy lass."



Nie Zhen'er ignored Luan Qing Xiao's reprimand and exclaimed in surprise. "Mistress, why are you looking for me?"



Luan Qing Xiao looked into her clear apricot eyes, "Didn't I tell you to stay there in the Luscious Spring Hall to cultivate before I left? Your senior and junior sisters are all practicing seriously, only you sneaked out. Why else do you think Mistress came to find you?"



Nie Zhen'er appeared confused, "Mistress, you told me that? But when I woke up, you were no longer in Luscious Spring Hall."



Luan Qing Xiao: "... … " She felt Nie Zhen’er wasn’t awake when she left her instructions.



"Return to Luscious Spring Hall to cultivate, or practice right here, choose."



Nie Zhen'er boldly grasped Luan Qing Xiao's hand, "If I practice here, will Mistress stay with me?"



Luan Qing Xiao glanced around at Nie Zhen'er's residence in disdain. "It's too simple."



After saying that, she took out a pile of gold-weaved curtains with jade gauze bead curtains from her space. "Take this, and then cultivate." She paused before continuing. "I’ll accompany you."



Hearing Luan Qing Xiao would stay here to accompany her, Nie Zhen’er happily accepted the things to decorate the room. With some decorating, Nie Zhen'er's bedroom finally appeared livable.



The curio shelves were filled with rare antique jade wares, pink Naga bead curtains hung in front of the door, and warming jade cushions were spread on the ta. These caused the original slum looking room to instantly become a luxurious den.



"Sit on the ta." Luan Qing Xiao instructed while she sat on the chair.



Nie Zhen'er got on the ta obediently and began to practice.



It takes three hours for Nie Zhen'er's body to circulate her spiritual energy through her upper meridians. By the time she opened her eyes again, it was already dark. There were also luminous pearls placed evenly around the corners of the room, emitting a subtle glow.



Luan Qing Xiao said, "Zhen'er, come over and let me see your cultivation level."



Nie Zhen'er walked up to Luan Qing Xiao and defenselessly extended out her hand, letting Luan Qing Xiao check her cultivation by her meridians.



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Notes:

Shishu (师叔): a honorific used by the previous younger generation to answer an elder that is lower ranked than the speaker’s maste