"Senior, it should be enough now..."
"It really is enough."
Perhaps it was because there were only familiar faces on Qingfeng Edge usually, so when a somewhat close junior from outside the mountain finally visited, Zhu Ling completely ignored Wang Anfeng's helpless expression, reveling delightfully in her chance to show off.
It also helped that Wang Anfeng was the one below.
If it had been any of the other disciples from Noble Clans at Qingfeng Edge, even if their elders had good relations with Qingfeng Edge, she couldn't have spoken those words.
To praise the disciple too highly and have someone take them away would leave her with nowhere to cry.
This wasn't the time for youthful exuberance, could she really grab a Five Phoenix Sword, mount a horse, and head down the mountain to stage a bridal rescue drama?
But Wang Anfeng did not need her to worry.
By now, everyone in Jianghu, young and old, knew of the bold act he had performed before the new year.
One wonders how many women of Noble Clans, still unwed, and the heroine sect members roaming Jianghu, were seething in secret, uniting in rare solidarity, despite old disputes, particularly over this incident.
They say that even the lowliest trader takes care in purchasing vegetables, yet how could this outstanding Qing Shirt Swordsman make such a hasty decision at the base of Wind Character Tower, to sell himself out so easily?
But in the end, it couldn't escape the fact that it was consensual; ultimately, all could only reluctantly comment that it was a wooden-headed decision, entirely squandering his Martial Arts skills.
Zhu Ling, looking down at Wang Anfeng, only saw his amiable face.
He seemed so approachable, utterly lacking the aura of sharpness, as if without the undeniable presence of robust, masculine True Qi around him, he could have been a genial Master in some private school, watching over children at play while reluctantly reading a book.
How could he have done something so bold?
Zhu Ling chuckled inwardly.
However, perhaps that was the only time he was daring? Who knows how many years and months of courage he had used up.
Just then, catching Wang Anfeng's resigned expression, after a pause, Zhu Ling cut herself off mid-thought, and said,
"At this time, if we talk about Martial Arts, there is no one in this generation of Qingfeng Edge who could rival her."
"In the future, she is definitely going to wield the Five Phoenix Sword and lead our sect."
"But still, it's not enough..."
Wang Anfeng let out a deep sigh of relief inside; he had been standing here for a long time, and finally, they were getting to the matter at hand. He looked up and saw Zhu Ling, sighing with a troubled expression, appear very worried, and said,
"Yu'er, although she has had a few experiences in her youth, those were merely following elders of the sect traveling around two counties at the foot of the mountain, termed as training but no different from a spring outing."
"Her experience in Jianghu is very naive, and because of her pure mindset, she has made rapid progress in the world of the sword, unimpeded. But it is also because of her pure heart that I truly can't rest easy about her."
Realizing this, Wang Anfeng couldn't help but comment internally, wondering why these things, which could have been explained in a few words, needed to be drawn out so much. Looking at the troubled Zhu Ling in front of him, worried she might digress even further, he straightforwardly pointed out the core issue, saying softly,
"Senior, do you want the heroine Gong Yu to accompany the junior on his journey?"
"As long as Gong Yu doesn't change her mind, the junior doesn't really mind..."
Zhu Ling's eyes lit up slightly, and she clapped her hands laughing,
"Indeed, magnanimous, unlike the pedants beneath Wind Character Tower."
"Since that's the case, adding two more disciples shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
Moments later, Wang Anfeng exited the door, sunlight sprinkling on his face, feeling somewhat itchy, but his expression was somewhat bewildered.
Wasn't he originally traveling with Gong Yu?
Why did it suddenly become a trip down the mountain with two disciples in tow?
What's called going down the mountain once is going down the mountain, going down twice is still going down the mountain, might as well take the trouble and cover the disciples' travels altogether.
Thinking of Zhu Ling's nearly rogue-like words, Wang Anfeng couldn't help but feel both amused and frustrated.
Outside the door, Gong Yu still stood with her sword, her expression cold and clear.
Her skin was extremely delicate; under the sunlight, she seemed like a Nine Heavens Fairy sculpted from top-quality jade, admirable yet unapproachable—it wouldn't be hard to believe if someone said she was an immortal descended to earth.
Wang Anfeng nodded in acknowledgment.
Gong Yu clearly had no intention of continuing to travel with Wang Anfeng, and upon seeing his nod, she just nodded back.
As Zhu Ling's voice came from inside, Gong Yu pushed the door open with her sword and entered; Wang Anfeng watched her back as she stepped into the house, the door closing behind her as if shutting off two different worlds, even their breaths seemed unreachable.
Wang Anfeng watched quietly, thinking of the Great Elder in Qingfeng Edge who was as chilly as an immortal, and Zhu Ling, who occasionally exuded an ethereal aura, yet could show many signs of worldly desire, he withdrew his gaze and sighed leisurely:
"Traveling down the mountain..."
"Traveling down the mountain is just a pretext, the real intention is to draw her down from Jade Void, isn't it?"
"However, the amount of human aura on Elder Gong Yu is indeed too scant, three parts chilliness, three parts sword qi, and at least thirty-five percent immortal qi, with less than one part of worldly qi; it's not an easy burden to bear..."
He shook his head and chuckled lightly, Wang Anfeng slowly walked outward, having only taken a dozen steps when his mind began to race, thinking back to his first time arriving at Qingfeng Edge.
Back then, there were four of them. Later, when they went down the mountain, including Master Fu Mo, there were five, and Gong Yu could recognize all of them.
But why was it a bit hard to recognize people this time?
Wang Anfeng furrowed his brows in thought, stepping forward unconsciously, his gaze falling on the martial practice field far away, where disciples in white sword robes were numerous and, occasionally, some disciples from noble clans in brocade robes added a splash of vivid and beautiful colors.
The young man who just attempted to strike up a conversation with Gong Yu was among them, not practicing martial arts.
As he watched, Wang Anfeng suddenly recalled what Gong Yu had said before she ascended the mountain, a thought striking him, his eyes growing slightly wide.
I remember at that time Tuoba wore red, Baili wore black, Qinshuang disguised as a man in a snow-white long robe, then the blue clothes were mine...
Master Fu Mo was even easier to describe.
He was the old man in black following behind the four.
Wang Anfeng stood there like a puppet, his intuition telling him this was indeed the truth, yet it seemed too absurd, causing his mind to involuntarily conjure up a scene.
The lady in white, with her cold, detached demeanor and the air of a chill immortal, was locked in a room alone before seeing them, racking her brain to match each name with a color of their clothes.
Perhaps she even took some secret notes.
Then looked at those notes with a frown...
Thinking this, Wang Anfeng suddenly burst into laughter.
The laugh was quite light-hearted, yet he felt from the bottom of his heart that the Gong Yu, enveloped in an aura of sword qi, chilliness, and immortal qi, now carried much more of the worldly aura than before, no longer having one foot already in the realm of Jade Void.
PS: Today's first update delivered...