Chapter 440: A Sect Master Who Relies Entirely on His Own Two Legs to Go Out

The hall's beams and furnishings were all somewhat dilapidated, but thankfully it had been cleaned reasonably well.

Elder Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, watching the crowd filing in below.

Although he had not been able to make direct contact with Shen Yi, when his gaze swept over Tong Xinchuan and Xu Qing'er, whom he had met earlier, he too perked up a bit.

Though, set against the monster, the two of them did look a little dimmed by comparison.

But if placed within Qingyue Sect, they were both extremely fine seedlings—particularly that Miss, who at such a young age had been able to use her innate talent and comprehension to narrowly defeat Yan Wencheng on the formation disk.

Once her realm rose, her future achievements might well be boundless.

Just then, Elder Yang suddenly received a transmission. He frowned and took out his jade slip; the voice coming from within was Liu Qianyun's.

"Disciple Liu Qianyun wishes to go out on business and urgently needs assistance. I wonder if Elder Yang has any idle deacons under him—no need for cultivation too high, Void Return third layer will do."

"Sigh."

Elder Yang sighed. As an outer-gate elder in charge of formations, every time this group went out, they wished they could requisition a formation-savvy deacon from him to avoid any mishaps.

Where would he find that many people to lend out?

"Since you're idle anyway, why don't you go?" Elder Yang turned his head to look at Yan Wencheng beside him.

Though this disciple was only at Void Return first layer, given time to set up formations, he might well not lose to a Void Return third-layer deacon.

Moreover, Liu Qianyun most likely only wanted him to help distinguish formations. For a deacon leaving the sect like this, the rules required at least a formal deacon of Void Return fourth layer to lead the way—where would there be any need for a formation master to step in and fight?

If it was just book knowledge, that was even less of an issue.

"……"

Yan Wencheng was silent for a moment. He actually would have preferred to stay here and exchange more with Shen Yi, at least to let him know exactly how he had lost that day.

But Elder Yang was his mentor, and a teacher's command could not be disobeyed.

"This disciple accepts the order."

Yan Wencheng bowed respectfully with cupped fists, then somewhat reluctantly swept out toward the hall's exterior.

……

Qingyue Sect.

It had to be said, Liu Qianyun's efficiency in handling matters was extremely high.

The moment she came out from Elder Liu's place, she had already found a suitable errand, and had even contacted a close sister-friend. The other party's strength ranked upper-middle even among deacons, and being an acquaintance, she was extremely reliable.

However, although Shen Yi had Shi Gui at hand, he did not count as a member of Qingyue Sect and did not quite meet the rules for going out, so she had sought out several outer-gate elders to ask.

"How did it go?"

Zheng Qian shot her a glance: "With that mouse-sized courage of yours, how do you dare run outside too?"

"……"

Liu Qianyun elbowed the slender woman: "You're the mouse. I've made contact—it's a deacon who specializes in formations."

She knew this sister's blunt, straightforward personality well, and knew she wouldn't really get angry.

"That's more like it."

Zheng Qian pouted and frowned slightly: "To be honest, although my cultivation is much higher than yours, out there it doesn't amount to much. Ordinary matters would be fine, but why are you going to provoke some fire-attribute bird demon?"

"It's not like you don't know—in this Hongze region, that group of aquatic beings are naturally averse to fire, and would rather kill one on sight. Any yao that can survive under those circumstances is no easy opponent; their lairs are full of traps."

Hearing this, Liu Qianyun withdrew her elbow and shifted her gaze: "Just happened to come across this errand, that's all—no need for so many whys… Also, aren't you only one layer higher than me? What's with this 'much higher'?"

Zheng Qian shook her head with a smile and did not continue to poke at her sore spot.

Those who had never experienced it would find it hard to understand just how vast the gap of that single layer truly was.

"Not here yet?"

Zheng Qian walked out of the sect and arrived at the Qingyue relief sculpture.

"Still have to wait a while."

Liu Qianyun looked up. Given General Nanyang Sect's current resources, it would probably be hard for them to scrape out any movement-substitute treasure.

The two waited a short while.

Finally, they saw a flying shuttle streak across the sky.

Yan Wencheng landed lightly and cupped his fists toward the two: "Disciple Yan Wencheng, here on Elder Yang's orders. Greetings to the two deacons."

"How is it you?"

Liu Qianyun instinctively frowned. If she remembered correctly, this kid had lost to Shen Yi that day.

She had sought a formation-savvy deacon to avoid mishaps, not to invite someone to add to the chaos.

"You don't know squat."

Zheng Qian rolled her eyes at her, then turned to Yan Wencheng with a warm smile: "No need for such formality—just call me Jiang Shijie… Yan Shidi Yan's methods are in no way inferior to a deacon's. Once he makes his move, you'll understand."

"Many thanks, Jiang Shijie Zheng Qian. Wencheng shall, of course, do his utmost."

Yan Wencheng thanked her neither obsequiously nor arrogantly, and did not bother explaining himself to the layman Liu Qianyun.

Given the formation assistance that could be found for the errand her strength allowed her to take on, he was confident he was inferior to no one.

"You're welcome."

Zheng Qian smiled and waved her hand. Setting formations aside, just Yan Shidi Yan's figure and looks alone were already pleasing enough to the eye.

"Let's set off."

With a grand wave of her hand, she snatched the Qingyue Treasure Ship away from Liu Qianyun.

"What do you mean 'let's set off,' the main person… someone else hasn't arrived yet."

Liu Qianyun snatched the ship back and shot her an annoyed glare.

To put it bluntly, the reason she had put this gathering together was that she was somewhat worried she couldn't keep Shen Yi in check, and that she'd have to keep him company for another three months. Given that Shen Zongzhu's temper, who knew what kind of trouble he might stir up.

"Someone else?"

Both Zheng Qian and Yan Wencheng were taken aback for a moment.

The next moment, purple and white interlaced streams of light descended from the horizon.

As the light streams dispersed, a figure in black robes appeared.

Shen Yi clasped his hands toward the crowd: "Sorry to keep you waiting."

While the Qingyue Sect had arrived within a single stick of incense before, he had taken a full four hours.

"No, we just arrived too; I should have gone to fetch you." Liu Qianyun shook her head; had it not been for the need to steady Zheng Qian, she would have gone to the General Nanyang Sect long ago.

This sister hated people who relied on their status to take advantage of others; had her own father, an Elder, not been so rigid, even she would have been despised by Zheng Qian.

"Return to Emptiness, first layer?"

Zheng Qian raised an eyebrow; although this young man was equally handsome and extraordinary.

But taking two disciples out, would that not be too risky? She was supposed to protect Yan Shidi Yan.

Before the words had fully faded.

Yan Shidi Yan's expression instantly became far more peculiar.

He looked at himself, then at Liu Qianyun, and finally fixed his gaze back on Shen Yi.

Yan Wencheng did not quite understand; with this kind of spectacle, why call him here? He looked entirely superfluous.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, bent low, and bowed: "Wencheng pays respects to Shen Zongzhu."

Though he had lost unclearly before, it was merely a trivial matter of formation discs.

If he could truly witness the other party's combat, it would allow him to be convinced from the heart.

The moment the two words "Zongzhu" were spoken.

Zheng Qian's expression instantly became equally peculiar.

Combined with the young man's cultivation, she needed almost no thought to deduce his identity.

"General Nanyang Sect Master?"

She fell silent, looking at the somewhat guilty Liu Qianyun, reined in her smile, and slowly turned her gaze elsewhere.

Since she neither wished to truly bow and address him as Sect Master nor willing to tear open the face, she simply chose not to see and thus not to be troubled.

(End of this chapter)