At this moment, Tuoba Qiyue felt a surge of delightful warmth.
Yes, this was the feeling.
Holding hands with her junior disciple, it was as though her entire being became more transparent, clear-headed even. A flood of inspiration swirled in her mind, making it hard to resist the sensation.
Tuoba Qiyue did her best to keep a straight face, all to ensure that neither Ye Yu nor Hong Luan would notice anything amiss.
As for repairing Lin Miaoxue's damaged soul, it wasn't an overly difficult task for Tuoba Qiyue, just a bit time-consuming. Yet, she didn’t find it bothersome in the slightest. As long as she could keep her fingers intertwined with her junior’s, she’d be happy to sit there for ten days and nights.
Ye Yu, of course, didn’t understand anything about soul restoration. But Hong Luan certainly did! Holding hands to help out? Please. It was obvious Tuoba Qiyue was just looking for an excuse to get closer to him.
It was surprising. This newly accepted disciple of hers was proving to be quite charming. Honestly, if Saintess Yun Roumu weren't around, internal romance within Five-Finger Peak wouldn't be so bad! After all, both Tuoba Qiyue and Xie Muling seemed to suit him well!
Hong Luan glanced subtly toward a boulder not far off, where a figure with white hair—Xie Muling—was practically grinding her teeth in frustration.
"Outrageous!" she muttered under her breath. "This is just too much!"
To think that Tuoba would seize the opportunity for herself, brazenly holding hands with Ye Yu without any sense of restraint. Wasn’t she the senior disciple? Shouldn't she at least maintain a bit of dignity?
“Just you wait,” she muttered to herself. “You’ll both regret this.”
Moments later, Lin Miaoxue's soul fractures were fully mended, and she returned to her body. Tuoba Qiyue exhaled deeply, opened her eyes, and said in a gentle voice, "For now, it’s stable."
Ye Yu immediately asked, "For now? Why only for now?"
“Oh, and I almost forgot,” he added. “After her soul was damaged, she seemed to have lost part of her memory. What’s the reason for that?”
"Her soul was damaged quite severely, so memory loss is expected. I've stabilized it for the time being, but for a full recovery, she'll need the aid of a Heavenly Soul Fruit."
At this, Tuoba Qiyue let out a soft sigh, as if reluctant.
Ye Yu didn't notice this; he continued questioning, “Senior Sister, where can I find this Heavenly Soul Fruit? Or, if it’s available for purchase, I’ll buy it! Spirit stones are no problem for me!”
At that last statement, Master Hong Luan’s gaze shifted, a glint of intrigue in her eyes. It seemed her new disciple was genuinely wealthy. After casually tossing out over a thousand high-grade spirit stones earlier, he could still make such a bold statement. It looked like she’d need to come crying to him after her next inevitable losing streak—perhaps he’d part with a whole stash of spirit stones.
Tuoba Qiyue responded slowly, "It’s not hard to get the Heavenly Soul Fruit. I have some back at home. Just come with me to retrieve it."
Relieved, Ye Yu thanked her profusely. But then he realized something: Tuoba Qiyue still hadn’t let go of his hand. In front of Master Hong Luan, they remained hand in hand, like a couple in the throes of young love. He felt a bit uncomfortable and tried to pull away, only to find her grip was iron-clad.
"Uh, Senior Sister, about this hand..." he began, only to be interrupted by Tuoba Qiyue’s feigned disappointment.
“Oh? Do you also want to be one of those faithless men in the stories? I just helped you, and now you’re so quick to pull away? Do you know how much spiritual energy I just expended? And now, even a simple hand-hold for warmth is too much?”
Her words caught Ye Yu off guard, making him feel a twinge of embarrassment.
Strictly speaking, if Lin Miaoxue’s soul could be fully repaired, Tuoba Qiyue was truly to thank. She’d even need to help him find the Heavenly Soul Fruit in the future. Reason and etiquette dictated that he should be sincerely grateful to her.
But this hand-holding... it was a bit much. Well, if she wanted to hold on, so be it. Her hands were soft and delicate—no harm in holding them for a bit longer.
"Alright, alright. You’re right, Senior Sister. I shouldn’t be the one to pull away. You can hold my hand for as long as you like."
Seeing that Ye Yu had relaxed, Tuoba Qiyue's lips curved into a beautiful smile. Without further ado, she took him along as they left Five-Finger Peak and headed east.
After they left, Xie Muling, who’d been hiding behind the boulder, could no longer contain herself. She stormed over to Hong Luan, visibly frustrated.
“Master, are you just going to let this slide?” she demanded. “Senior Sister has no restraint whatsoever! She’s holding hands with Junior Brother in broad daylight! If someone saw this, what would they think?”
Hong Luan took her time, slowly sipping from her wine gourd before replying softly, “Why worry about the opinions of others? Many advised me against accepting you all as disciples, yet I brought you all in regardless.”
Xie Muling huffed, speechless. It was true; Hong Luan’s ways were unconventional, often beyond the understanding of others, and she’d never cared for anyone’s judgment. If she decided to do something, no one could stop her; if she chose not to, no one dared force her.
But Xie Muling couldn’t stand Tuoba Qiyue’s audacious behavior. Ye Yu should’ve been hers, and yet... couldn’t Tuoba Qiyue share, just for a little while?
The more Xie Muling thought about it, the angrier she got, stomping her foot in frustration. Hong Luan chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her silky white hair.
“Alright, don’t be upset. I know what you've been up to with Ye Yu,” Hong Luan said with a mischievous smile. “You were just too hasty; that’s why he’s so wary around you.”
“But, Master, you know I just couldn’t hold back!” Xie Muling replied, her tone sullen.
Hong Luan’s smile widened. “Then cultivate well, and if you can’t hold back... take what you want.”
These words were like a revelation to Xie Muling, who straightened up, newly inspired. She nodded firmly.
Once Xie Muling departed, the Qingyun Sect leader Luo Ze appeared, clearly intent on a serious matter. Seeing that his perpetually inebriated senior was awake despite her earlier binge, he hesitated.
Noticing the exceptionally beautiful woman lying on a boulder nearby—someone he’d never seen before—he asked curiously, “Senior Sister, who is that?”
“Why so curious?” Hong Luan replied dismissively. “Just tell me what trouble has brought you here.”
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Unnerved by her bluntness, Luo Ze quickly collected himself. This was urgent; he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.
“Senior Sister, this is dire news—Ye Yu has been captured by the demon Lin Fengyuan!”