After a quick test of her spiritual power, Yun Jin was more than satisfied. From this day forward, she too was a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage.
She turned to the Tian Po Sword. "Tian Po Sword, we can leave seclusion now."
The Tian Po Sword nodded reflexively. "Leave seclusion? Oh—yes, of course. Time to leave seclusion." His voice sounded a little absentminded.
Yun Jin gave him a puzzled look. "Senior, is something wrong?"
"Me? Nothing's wrong! I'm experienced and worldly, what could possibly be wrong with me? Ha… haha…" The Tian Po Sword's awkward laughter dragged on.
Yun Jin tilted her head slightly. "So…?"
The Tian Po Sword straightened his tone with effort. "It's nothing. I just suddenly found myself reminiscing about my long-lost youth. Go ahead, Young Master, leave seclusion."
With that, he transformed back into a sword seal and returned to the space between Yun Jin's brows.
Yun Jin couldn't shake the feeling that something about the Tian Po Sword was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Instead of dwelling on it, she activated the mechanism and opened the door to the chamber.
Having been shut in for several days, her eyes narrowed slightly against the sudden sunlight.
"Senior, how long was I in seclusion this time?" she asked.
The Tian Po Sword responded in a muffled tone, "Exactly seven days."
Seven days…
Yun Jin nodded. Her timing had been quite precise. That meant her senior brothers and sisters should be arriving right about now. Maybe… they were already here?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a disciple of the Yu family approached and bowed. "Fairy Yun, the Patriarch's senior brothers and sisters arrived yesterday. He instructed me to bring you to the East Courtyard the moment you emerged from seclusion."
They're already here?
Yun Jin's eyes lit up. "Quickly, lead the way."
The Yu family disciple hurried ahead.
East Courtyard.
Yue Zhao was patiently listening to Yu Songnian. It was no small feat for Yu Songnian to speak so much—he was saying more now than he likely had his entire life.
Yue Zhao remained thoughtful, listening while mentally sorting through details.
Meanwhile, Si Wanning looked bored out of her mind. She had no intention of taxing her brain; as long as Eldest Senior Brother was around, she didn't have to.
Gu Jinghong looked even more indifferent.
He was the Master's servant. He would follow her instructions without question.
As for anything else, that was none of his concern.
Just as Yue Zhao was about to inquire about more specifics—
Yu Songnian's face brightened in obvious relief. "Little Junior Sister has emerged from seclusion! Eldest Senior Brother, if you have more questions, just ask her."
Yun Jin walked closer and immediately saw the enthusiastic gleam in Yu Songnian's eyes.
She froze for a moment.
She'd only been in seclusion for seven days… was Third Senior Brother really this eager to see her?
"Little Junior Sister, here, sit here," Yu Songnian said warmly, pulling her into a seat and gesturing subtly to Yue Zhao that he could begin asking his questions.
Yue Zhao gave Yun Jin a careful once-over and frowned slightly. "Xiao Jin, have you not been eating properly? Is the food in the Yu family that poor? You look a bit thin."
Yu Songnian glanced at Yun Jin and suddenly felt disillusioned with life.
Could cultivators… even become thinner?
At their level, going without food or drink wouldn't change their physical appearance at all… right?
Si Wanning gave Yun Jin a long look, then added with concern, "He's right. You really do look thinner."
Yu Songnian: "???"
He finally turned to Gu Jinghong.
This man looked like an honest type—surely he wouldn't just say things for the sake of it, right?
Gu Jinghong didn't speak.
But he just stared at Yun Jin with eyes full of sorrow, as if she'd suffered some kind of unspeakable hardship.
Yu Songnian was suddenly full of doubt.
Had his eyes deceived him? Was Little Junior Sister really thinner?
"Eldest Senior Brother, don't you have more questions?" Yu Songnian couldn't help asking.
Yue Zhao shook his head, his expression disapproving. "Little Junior Sister is already so exhausted—how could I possibly burden her further with questions? It would only wear her out."
Yu Songnian was speechless.
Yun Jin had just advanced to Nascent Soul. Her spiritual energy was abundant, and she looked quite refreshed.
Yun Jin gave a light cough, a little embarrassed. "Actually, I'm not that tired."
"Little Junior Sister, you don't need to say more." Si Wanning took her hand and handed over a large bundle of dried meat. "This was made by Sister Mu. You probably finished the batch you brought when you left, right? Take this to replenish your stores—don't let yourself go hungry."
Yun Jin quickly accepted it.
Even though she wasn't much of a glutton anymore—after all, she could refine pills to restore spiritual power—this dried meat was just too delicious. It made for the perfect snack.
Si Wanning watched Yun Jin's eager movements and felt another wave of heartache.
Little Junior Sister really had suffered.
Next time she left the mountain, she absolutely couldn't be left alone with Yu Songnian.
Third Senior Brother was way too quiet—he probably hadn't taken proper care of her.
"Little Junior Sister, another batch of spirit sunflower seeds ripened on Tianjian Peak. I packed some just for you," Yue Zhao said, handing her a bag.
Yun Jin took them happily.
She poured some into a dish in the center of the table and called out cheerfully, "Come on, everyone. Let's chat and crack some seeds."
Now it felt like a proper gathering.
Yue Zhao and the others smiled and followed her lead, chatting as they snacked on the melon seeds.
Yun Jin asked about the recent happenings on Tianjian Peak. Upon hearing that Zhao Wuji had been unusually well-behaved, and that Ye Danxia and Yang Yun had been too swamped with tasks to cause trouble, she raised an eyebrow.
Zhao Wuji was a schemer. The male and female leads might not seem too smart on the surface, but they were blessed with Luck. Yang Yun's Luck was still at 85 points—lower than before, but still far above average, even higher than many so-called geniuses like Jin Yu.
For all three of them to suddenly behave, not stirring up any trouble at all… Yun Jin found that hard to believe.
Right now, Tianjian Peak only had Master and Ye Cheng—two sweet and clueless souls. She just hoped they didn't get into any trouble.
"No need to worry too much," Yue Zhao said, sensing her thoughts. "We've already secured support from most of the peak lords. Even if Master makes a questionable decision, the others will be alert. Besides, Master isn't as naïve as you think. Sometimes, he does use his head. If something truly goes wrong, he'll use the communication token to contact us."
"Sometimes…"
That qualifier really said it all.
Yun Jin thought it over. Tianxing Sect probably wouldn't make a big move anytime soon, but they couldn't afford to drag things out either. They needed to move quickly.
She looked up. "Senior Brother, Senior Sister—what's your current condition?"
"Peak condition," Yue Zhao replied.
Si Wanning nodded. "You left us plenty of pills before you departed. We traveled by flying tools, so we didn't exhaust ourselves much. We arrived in Lin City yesterday and had a full night's rest—we're fully adjusted."
Yu Songnian added, "With Elder Mu's pills, I've completely recovered too. I just can't use Royal Stone's power again for a while."
Gu Jinghong looked at Yun Jin expectantly, clearly waiting for his turn.
Yun Jin glanced at him.
Gu Jinghong immediately straightened. "Master, I'm also in perfect condition."
"Good." Yun Jin thought of Duan Yiwei and the others, and suddenly found Gu Jinghong a lot more pleasant to look at. She gave him rare praise. "You may just be here to make up numbers, but at least you're still my servant. Once we're in the hidden realm, do your best. Don't embarrass me."
Gu Jinghong trembled with excitement.
His master… had encouraged him!
What did that mean?
It meant he was becoming more important in her eyes!
Gu Jinghong silently made up his mind—this time in the secret realm, he would prove himself, and truly secure his place in her heart.