Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Here to Settle the Score with Li Shuang?

People turned their heads in curiosity. Lin Qing Ling lifted her brow.

[Meng Yi Fei hid earlier because he was annoyed, so why is he showing up now?] Ye Zhao Zhao quietly let out a breath. The sudden appearance of the Sect Master pulled everyone’s attention away; maybe her own trouble could be brushed aside.

She had just thought that when she turned and saw the person following behind Meng Yi Fei. Her pupils shrank and a flash of fear crossed her eyes: “Steward Qiu?!” [Why is Steward Qiu here, and why is he walking behind the Sect Master?]

Meng Yi Fei was speaking with a thin man in a black robe, likely the “Old Hong” he had mentioned. Right behind Meng Yi Fei and Old Hong, Steward Qiu trailed along step by step.

Ye Zhao Zhao stiffened, then turned her body to avoid Steward Qiu’s gaze. She forced herself to calm down. [I’ve worked with Steward Qiu for years, but every time I changed my face and wore a veiled hat. I never showed my real identity. So he can’t be here for me. He shouldn’t even recognize me.] She kept telling herself that, yet her heart still jumped wildly.

Lin Qing Ling arched a brow and said, half teasing, half cold: “Sect Master, you were willing to show up after all?”

Meng Yi Fei looked a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and said: “Peak Master Lin, don’t make it sound like I was hiding on purpose. I did have a sudden stomachache.”

Afraid she would keep mocking him, Meng Yi Fei hurried on: “Let me introduce a friend. This is Hong Sheng, an Integration Stage expert and an old friend of mine.”

He gestured around as he made introductions: “Lin Qing Ling, Peak Master of Emotionless Peak. Ling Xu, Peak Master of Ling Xu Peak. Pang Zhi Xue, Disciplinary Hall Master.”

Everyone exchanged nods. With Meng Yi Fei and Hong Sheng here, there were now five Integration Stage experts on the scene. Above Nascent Soul is Divine Transformation, and after Divine Transformation comes Integration. Meng Yi Fei and the leaders of the Sword Sect’s five peaks and three halls were all at this level.

Meng Yi Fei looked at Hong Sheng with interest and asked: “Old Hong, can you tell us now why you suddenly wanted to come to Ling Xu Peak?”

He and Hong Sheng had become friends decades ago, back when he wasn’t yet the Sect Master of the Sword Sect. They met while traveling, and they had shared life and death. Later, after Meng Yi Fei took charge of the Sword Sect, Hong Sheng chose not to be bound by a sect and became a Guest Elder of the Artifact Pavilion. As a Guest Elder, he received monthly resources and only needed to act when major matters arose. It was much freer than joining a sect. Hong Sheng even asked to be stationed at a Treasure Pavilion near the Sword Sect. Because they were close by, the two often met to drink tea and wine, and their friendship had lasted to this day.

As Meng Yi Fei spoke, Hong Sheng glanced back at Steward Qiu and asked: “Did you spot the person?”

Ye Zhao Zhao had already turned her back on purpose, but Steward Qiu still recognized her at a glance. He also noticed Li Shuang, though she didn’t bother him as much. After all, Li Shuang hadn’t planned to join the blind box event at first; he was the one who had gone to invite her. Even if he felt bitter toward her, what could he say? Say that he tried to trick Li Shuang but failed? That would never hold up; he had no moral high ground. If he dared target Li Shuang here, the Sword Sect would throw him out.

From the start, Steward Qiu had asked Hong Sheng to bring him up the mountain for Ye Zhao Zhao. He stared at Ye Zhao Zhao, grinding his teeth. He knew he wasn’t a good person either. Over the years, he had been dazzled by Ye Zhao Zhao’s fresh ideas and had used some underhanded methods in business. The Treasure Pavilion had many branches; with her ideas, the branch here had grown its numbers fast. That made him trust her methods even more. But some things you can’t see right away. While using her ideas, the Treasure Pavilion’s reputation slowly dropped. After this blind box incident, the cultivators’ anger exploded, and the Treasure Pavilion’s good name was ruined. Then he panicked. It had taken the Treasure Pavilion a hundred years to open branches across the continent, built on a great reputation among cultivators. Now he had destroyed it. If he didn’t find someone to take the blame, he would face heavy punishment. He didn’t want to die, so he decided Ye Zhao Zhao had to be the one to pay.

He clenched his jaw and said, sweat beading on his forehead: “I see her.”

Meng Yi Fei grew even more curious and asked: “What’s this about?”

Hong Sheng gave a thin smile and said: “Sect Leader Meng, your Sword Sect disciples are truly clever.”

Meng Yi Fei felt lost. The tone sounded like a jab. Hong Sheng was just about to continue when Chang Le An cut in, unable to hold back: “What is there to guess? In the Disciplinary Hall, Senior Sister Luo said she and Li Shuang just returned from the market. Steward Qiu is the Treasure Pavilion steward in the market. I bet those two did something at the Treasure Pavilion, and now someone has come to settle it.”

He looked at Luo Ming Yue and Li Shuang with glee. [So Li Shuang got herself in trouble outside and someone chased her here? Let’s see how she wriggles out of this now.]

Hearing him, Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes moved and her heart settled a bit. She had panicked on instinct. Thinking it through now, [Li Shuang used five mid-grade spirit stones to win a final prize worth one hundred top-grade spirit stones. Steward Qiu must be here to settle the score with Li Shuang.]

Ye Zhao Zhao’s body relaxed.

Li Shuang looked at Steward Qiu, frowning as she asked: “You came for me?”

She felt no guilt about the market. If Steward Qiu insisted on making a fuss, she didn’t mind sorting it out.

Chang Le An sneered and said: “Who else would it be? Better think hard about what shady thing you did.”

Luo Ming Yue snapped, angry: “Steward Qiu, what happened in the market was you being unfair. You can’t blame our Little Shuang.”

Lin Qing Ling’s eyes cooled as she asked: “What happened?”

Before Steward Qiu could speak, Luo Ming Yue rattled off the whole story. Everyone here was sharp; once she told it, nothing was unclear. Lin Qing Ling gave Steward Qiu a cold stare and said: “So, blind boxes and stone gambling. Looks like the Treasure Pavilion played dirty, while Little Shuang used her own skill to win the prize. What now, you came to take back that Clearheart Jade Pendant?”

Her gaze was sharp, her hand near the sword at her waist as if it could leave the scabbard at any moment. [If he dares say yes, I’ll show him my sword is still keen.]