Chapter 110: Going Crazy

Where?

Tianfu Mountain?

Master Yu Xuan immediately gasped in shock, saying: “No, our Grand Void Gate has never had much contact with Tianfu Mountain—why would anyone come to pay a visit?”

And they came all the way up to Xiuzhu Peak?

Let’s go, everyone—let’s go see!

Yu Xuan’s face was unusually grave: “They might be here to challenge us!”

So the crowd surged forward, following Master Yu Xuan as they flew down from the high peak toward the main hall of Xiuzhu Peak.

In a few breaths, they landed at the entrance of Yuning Palace.

After everyone entered Yuning Palace together, they saw that inside the vast hall, besides Yu Ning, there were only three people.

A Daoist nun, roughly the same age as Yu Ning, but whose cultivation and aura were immeasurably thicker.

Beside the nun were two disciples, one male and one female.

The man was handsome and elegant; the woman was breathtakingly beautiful—anyone who glanced at her could never forget her.

So beautiful!

Everyone was astonished, but He Pingsheng’s eyes lit up.

Isn’t that Sister Qiao?

That elderly Daoist nun is Sister Qiao’s aunt, Senior Qiao.

“What’s going on?” Yu Ning looked at the crowd crowding the doorway and said: “Didn’t I say only Ninth Junior should come?”

Yu Xuan’s face flushed red: “Sister, we also wanted to pay our respects to the senior from Tianfu Mountain!”

“Hehehe…” Senior Qiao chuckled: “You flatter me!”

Yu Ning quickly said: “Brother, this is Senior Qiao from Tianfu Mountain.” Then she turned to the disciples and added: “Come over, all of you—pay your respects to Senior Qiao!”

Everyone was stunned again.

Senior?

Even Master and Senior Brother must call her Senior—so her cultivation must have reached the Golden Core realm?

“We pay our respects to Senior!”

Everyone bowed in turn.

Senior Qiao waved her hand: “No need for formalities—stand up!”

After everyone rose, Qiao Hui Zhu walked up to He Pingsheng, raised her pale hand, and gently measured his head twice, then exclaimed in shock: “He Pingsheng, you… in three years, you’ve grown taller?”

He Pingsheng said: “What’s wrong with that?”

Compared to three years ago, He Pingsheng had indeed grown taller.

Back then, Qiao Hui Zhu was about his height; now, he stood half a head above her.

“How old are you?” Qiao Hui Zhu asked, then immediately blushed furiously.

That question was poorly phrased.

But He Pingsheng didn’t notice anything amiss: “I’m just over twenty-two, not quite twenty-three.”

“So young!” Qiao Hui Zhu pouted: “I’m much older—I’m twenty-nine!”

As Qiao Hui Zhu spoke, her entire gaze was fixed on He Pingsheng.

Far away, the elderly Daoist nun gently shook her head and sighed.

“Enough!” she said: “I’m waiting here for Master Chongyang—you young ones go play on your own.”

Everyone was even more startled: Master Chongyang?

To be called a peer by my Ancestor Master—that means she’s truly a Golden Core cultivator.

“Go on!” Yu Ning waved her hand, signaling the disciples to leave.

The disciples filed out of Yuning Palace one by one!

Walking along the courtyards where Xiuzhu Peak’s disciples lived, near the cliff stood a massive cypress tree.

Beneath the tree was a stone table and several stone benches.

He Pingsheng and Qiao Hui Zhu sat facing each other on the stone benches.

Below their feet, the sea of clouds stretched endlessly, pure and white.

Squeaking and whistling, two snow-white snow eagles circled around them, flying back and forth.

Other disciples of Xiuzhu Peak watched from afar, wisely keeping their distance.

Tian Xiaoqing said: “This woman is so beautiful—how did she know my junior brother?”

“I don’t know!” Xu Kunlun shook his head.

Zhao Linger said: “Don’t you remember? My junior brother once said that after he emerged from the secret realm, this woman helped him evade Senior Yu De’s spiritual sense—they must have met inside the secret realm!”

“That’s right!” Tian Xiaoqing said: “Look at the way she looks at He Junior—she’s clearly interested in him!”

“Obviously!” Zhao Linger pouted: “Who couldn’t tell?”

…

Beneath the cypress tree!

He Pingsheng was surprised: “You’ve reached Foundation Establishment?”

“Mm!” Qiao Hui Zhu lifted her lovely face, gently brushed aside her slightly disheveled bangs, and smiled warmly: “I was lucky—I planned to use a Water Elemental Apricot to break through, but couldn’t find one in the secret realm, so I took a Foundation Establishment Pill when I returned—and it worked!”

“You’re not bad either—you’ve advanced a level!”

He Pingsheng, unwilling to seem inferior, quickly added: “It’s not just one level—I’ll break through to the ninth level soon!”

“Really…” Qiao Hui Zhu’s eyes fixed on him, her beautiful eyes like two black jewels, radiating an extraordinary glow.

“He Pingsheng… do you… like me?”

Qiao Hui Zhu leaned on the stone table, propping her chin with her right hand, her large eyes fixed on He Pingsheng.

The beauty was close enough to smell her faint fragrance!

The question came suddenly.

He Pingsheng panicked and didn’t know how to answer—he turned beet red.

“Hehehe…” Qiao Hui Zhu covered her mouth and giggled: “Junior brother, you’re blushing!”

A blush also rose on her own cheeks.

He Pingsheng stared at the white clouds before him, took a deep breath, then turned to Qiao Hui Zhu and said: “Yes, I like you!”

“I like you too,” Qiao Hui Zhu said slowly, her large eyes fixed on He Pingsheng: “My family has been close friends with the Xiao family of the Ice Pole Sect, so since childhood, I was betrothed to Xiao Bu Fan of the Xiao family!”

“In the secret realm, he drugged me, trying to take my body!”

“I refused and escaped—luckily, I met you!”

“You saved me!”

“I never got the chance to thank you!”

He Pingsheng rubbed his face, looking at Qiao Hui Zhu with confusion.

Qiao Hui Zhu asked: “What’s wrong, Junior Brother? Do you have a question?”

He Pingsheng frowned: “You just said Xiao Bu Fan tried to take your body?”

Qiao Hui Zhu suddenly grew flustered: “That’s not what you think—I mean, he tried, but he didn’t succeed, because you saved me!”

He Pingsheng asked the soul-question: “How do you ‘take’ someone else’s body?”

Qiao Hui Zhu was left utterly bewildered.

But this wasn’t He Pingsheng’s fault.

He truly didn’t understand.

He lost both parents young, had little contact with others, and lived entirely in his own world.

He started as a laborer at fourteen, then trained ever since.

Until now!

No one ever explained to him anything about men and women.

And crucially, this isn’t even recorded in the [Manual of Cultivation Miscellany]—how was I supposed to know?

Qiao Hui Zhu opened her mouth wide, staring blankly at He Pingsheng for over a dozen breaths, then took a deep breath and said: “Junior Brother, I don’t know how to answer that question!”

“Can we not talk about it now?”

He Pingsheng said: “Fine—I’ll ask Master later. She’s seen so much—she’ll surely explain it to me.”

“Don’t you dare go…” Qiao Hui Zhu went frantic.