Chapter 34: Betrothed Since Childhood

"Who is cursing me?" Yun Zhao rubbed her nose, muttering to herself.

Qi Yan handed her a handkerchief. "Perhaps the wind is a bit strong."

Mu Qianqian twitched the corner of her lips. "One sneeze means someone is thinking of you, two means someone is cursing you, and three means someone is gossiping about you. Why couldn't it be that someone is missing you?"

Yun Zhao let out an "hmm." "Maybe it's Uncle Master missing me. Senior Sister, let's head back. Uncle Master should be finishing his seclusion soon, right?"

Previously, when she was at odds with Song Zhiyuan, she hadn't been too worried, knowing that Song Zhiyuan wouldn't dare to cause trouble for her openly. But now that she had implicitly formed a vendetta with Hu Guichen and might face him directly in the future, she felt much safer with Venerable Hanyue by her side.

Yun Zhao made up her mind: as soon as she returned, she would cling to that support!

The journey back was uneventful. Song Zhiyuan was sensible enough not to cause any trouble, and the spirit boat arrived safely at the Qingyun Sect. The only thing that dissatisfied Yun Zhao was that Qi Yan’s affection level had not increased for a long time. It remained stuck at 45; no matter how much she fed him or shared drinks with him, it never budged. This gave Yun Zhao a massive headache. She even secretly considered whether she should bring Song Zhiyuan around to provoke Qi Yan, hoping it might turn into a blessing in disguise. However, she noticed that the moment she accidentally glanced at Song Zhiyuan, her affection level plummeted, so she dared not entertain that thought again. Fortunately, it rose back up later; otherwise, Yun Zhao would have truly been a case of "stealing a chicken only to lose the rice."

Upon arriving at the Qingyun Sect, Yun Zhao informed Venerable Guiyuan and then took Bai Lingxiao and the others back to Qingyun Peak. Having not seen Xiaotong for quite some time, she missed her dearly. After arranging lodgings for Bai Lingxiao and his companions, she slipped into her room with Xiaotong.

"Ah Yan, you are also a master of Qingyun Peak, so please take good care of our guests~"

Qi Yan: "..."

A look of helplessness flickered in his eyes before he said with a serious expression, "Senior Sister Mu, Senior Brother Lin, you are more familiar with Qingyun Peak than I am, so I’ll leave it to you."

Mu Qianqian: "..."
Lin Shu: "..."

These two shameless lovebirds!

Fortunately, cultivators were not so particular. Bai Lingxiao and the others simply went into their rooms to meditate. They had come to the Qingyun Sect specifically to buy time for cultivation; the sooner they reached the Nascent Soul stage, the more confidence she would have in confronting Hu Guichen. Venerable Hanyue had not yet emerged from seclusion, and to her surprise, Qi Yan had also entered seclusion.

After Lu Mingdao received the Dragon Saliva Grass from Yun Zhao, he spent three days refining a Body Tempering Pill. To avoid any complications, Yun Zhao had Qi Yan take the pill and enter seclusion to refine its power.

The process of cultivation was incredibly dull. Yun Zhao had only felt a glimmer of interest at the very beginning. Later, finding meditation too agonizing, she only practiced for two or three hours a day. Ending yet another day of practice, she stretched and looked at the other rooms with their doors tightly shut, feeling quite bored.

"Day after day, they just focus on cultivation. I'm so bored being alone."

Her goal here was to conquer Qi Yan, and she would leave sooner or later, so whether she cultivated or ascended didn't matter to her. Besides, this body had such high innate talent that even with her slacking off every day, her cultivation base still soared.

Just then, Xiaotong arrived with some newly researched snacks. She said helplessly, "Sister Zhaozhao, are you slacking off again?"

Yun Zhao tugged on Xiaotong’s sleeve and swayed. "Xiaotong, I really don't want to cultivate. Is there any fun place in our Qingyun Sect? I want to go for a stroll."

Xiaotong thought about it and listed several locations, but they were all cultivation spots, and Yun Zhao couldn't muster any interest. Yun Zhao sighed. It was just so boring.

Xiaotong smiled helplessly. Just as she was about to say something, her transmission talisman suddenly trembled. She probed it with her divine sense and her expression changed instantly.

"Xiaotong, what is it?"

Xiaotong said with displeasure, "Sister Zhaozhao, Song Zhiyuan is here, and he insists on seeing you."

"I won't see him," Yun Zhao flatly refused. "Xiaotong, tell the people guarding the peak to stop him; he is not allowed up."

Xiaotong agreed and sent the message to the disciples, but soon she added, "Sister Zhaozhao, Song Zhiyuan says he has something extremely important to tell you, concerning..." She paused, then continued, "Concerning Qi Yan."

"He said if you don't come to see him, he will go and have a word with the Sect Master."

Yun Zhao’s palms tightened. The only thing Song Zhiyuan could possibly bring up was Qi Yan's identity. Although Qi Yan had cleared his standing before the Sect Master and used a secret technique to mask his demon clan identity, there was no guarantee that Song Zhiyuan didn't have some method to see through it.

Yun Zhao took a deep breath. "Xiaotong, let Song Zhiyuan come up."

Xiaotong frowned. "Sister Zhaozhao, if you don't want to see him, I will go and drive him away." She caught a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. "I don't know what he is using to threaten you, but if you are unhappy... I can get rid of him!"

Yun Zhao was stunned. "Xiaotong, you..."

Seeming to realize she had gone too far, Xiaotong softened her expression. "Sister Zhaozhao, my life was saved by the old Sect Master, and you are the old Sect Master’s only bloodline. Even if I have to give everything, I will protect you!"

Yun Zhao giggled. "It's not that serious." She patted Xiaotong’s head. "It's fine. I'll just see him; I actually have a few things I need to discuss with him anyway."

Xiaotong then gave the order. Before long, Song Zhiyuan arrived. Seeing Yun Zhao sitting in the courtyard, he smiled slightly. "Zhaozhao..."

"Stop!" Yun Zhao quickly interrupted him. "Don't call me Zhaozhao. Senior Brother Song and I are not close; just call me Junior Sister Yun."

Song Zhiyuan’s expression darkened, but then, remembering something, he returned to normal. "Fine, Junior Sister Yun, let's go inside to talk." He glanced around meaningfully. "This place doesn't seem very suitable for such matters."

Yun Zhao ignored him and activated the courtyard's defensive array. The array was soundproof, though one could see inside from the outside. She gave Song Zhiyuan a fake smile. "Let's talk here. If I happen to say something unpleasant and you get angry, what will happen to my little life?"

"Yun Zhao!" Song Zhiyuan couldn't help but say, "You know my feelings for you; how can you say such things!"

Yun Zhao treated his words like chanting nonsense. "Say what you have to say quickly. If you keep blathering on about useless things, I will have someone show you out."

Though dissatisfied with her attitude, Song Zhiyuan suppressed his temper, thinking of what he had to say.

"Zha... Junior Sister Yun, I came here today to tell you something." Song Zhiyuan chuckled lightly. "I wonder if Junior Sister Yun has ever heard the story from Venerable Hanyue?"

Yun Zhao said impatiently, "Get to the point!"

Song Zhiyuan smiled slightly. "Junior Sister Yun and I were betrothed in our childhood. We were only waiting until we grew up to be joined as cultivation partners in the presence of our elders."

"Is Junior Sister Yun aware of this?"

This bombshell left Yun Zhao’s mind blank. Before she could react, a cold, clear voice came from inside the room—

"Zhaozhao, is that true?"