"Ye Tian! More good news!"
"Xie Yue and Yan have been taken for a Soul Hunt! Haha, I just found out today that they'll have to call me senior sister from now on!"
Jin Yue'er's voice was clear and melodious, carrying remarkable penetration. Both Ye Tian and Hu Liena heard it distinctly.
"Is that Sister Xue and Sister Yue'er?" Delight flashed across Hu Liena's face, followed by overwhelming joy. "That's wonderful! My brother and the others have gone for a Soul Hunt!"
Hu Liena understood perfectly what this meant—it signified that Xie Yue and the others were about to become genuine Soul Masters! Moreover, they would be Soul Masters possessing Thousand-Year Spirit Rings!
Ye Tian shook his head helplessly, rising to open the door. "Yue'er, wait. Knock first."
"Why bother with formalities? Ye Tian, can we come in?" came the voice from outside.
Hearing the conversation, Ye Tian couldn't help but smile and responded clearly, "Come in."
Before his words fully faded, the door to 'Eternal Heaven' burst open with a bang!
"Ah!" Hu Liena let out a startled cry.
Jin Yue'er had shoved the door open with her hip, immediately turning to face Ye Tian with arms spread wide. "Haha, got quite a scare, didn't you?!"
"Not really," Ye Tian replied, curling his lips in a smirk.
Jin Yue'er's bright smile suddenly froze as she looked strangely at Qian Renxue. "Sister Xue, was that you screaming just now? I thought I heard a girl's voice."
"I didn't scream," Qian Renxue retorted, rolling her eyes at Jin Yue'er before offering an apologetic smile to Ye Tian.
She then began surveying the room... She had undoubtedly heard that startled cry too, and it sounded somewhat familiar.
Soon enough, Qian Renxue spotted Hu Liena sitting by the desk. Confusion immediately washed over her face. "Nana?"
"What? What Nana?" Jin Yue'er followed Qian Renxue's gaze and let out a strange exclamation. "Eh—? It really is Nana! What are you doing here?"
Hu Liena patted her chest to calm her racing heart, looking at the two girls before her and greeting them obediently, "Good morning, sisters!"
"Heh," Ye Tian chuckled lightly as he walked over to them, explaining helplessly, "After Xie Yue and the others were accepted by the Hall of Worship, our teacher went to the orphanage and took Nana in as a disciple too."
"What?!" Qian Renxue's eyes widened in shock at Ye Tian's words. "Mother took another disciple?"
Mother? Hu Liena's mind reeled. Sister Xue and the Saintess were mother and daughter?
"Yes," Ye Tian confirmed, watching Qian Renxue with a helpless expression.
"..." Qian Renxue stared intently at Hu Liena. She never expected that her mother would take on another female disciple—and one who hadn't even awakened her Martial Soul at that.
Qian Renxue confirmed another fact: it wasn't that she was exceptional enough for Bi Bi Dong to view her differently. Clearly, her mother still harbored intense hatred for someone in her heart!
But then why was this happening?! Qian Renxue truly couldn't understand and couldn't help but turn to Ye Tian to ask, "Why did she take Nana in?"
"..." Ye Tian opened his mouth, then closed it, hesitating to speak. This question seemed to be another difficult one to answer.
"You don't know either?" Qian Renxue gazed at Ye Tian, a trace of disappointment appearing on her face. She knew...
Ye Tian seemed to know the truth behind many things, yet like her, he was trapped in the whirlpool and couldn't speak it aloud.
Qian Renxue understood Ye Tian, so she didn't press him for answers.
Ye Tian sighed inwardly. Right now, he and Bi Bi Dong were maintaining a delicate balance, and he had no intention of disrupting it.
But then another matter came to Ye Tian's mind—something that was soon to occur. He had heard earlier that Tang Xiao, one of the Haotian Twin Stars, had made a high-profile return to his sect. After all these years, Tang Hao's life in seclusion should be coming to an end, shouldn't it?
Of course, Ye Tian had neither the intention nor the ability to get involved in such affairs. However, once this matter was settled, the internal power struggles within Spirit Hall would likely calm down for quite some time. Many things could then be explained to Qian Renxue.
As the air grew heavy with silence, Jin Yue'er frowned, disliking the oppressive atmosphere. "Sister Xue—" she began, intending to offer comfort, but her eyes suddenly caught sight of some small garments on Ye Tian's bed. Her already unconventional train of thought immediately took a wild turn.
"Ah—!" Jin Yue'er let out a sharp cry, pointing at Ye Tian's bed. "Are you two sleeping together?!"
"!??"
Both Qian Renxue and Hu Liena were startled by Jin Yue'er's outburst. But hearing such a question, Qian Renxue immediately forgot about the unanswered matters from before, fixing her wide-eyed gaze on Ye Tian. Surely, he could answer this directly?
"Hey, why are you shouting so loudly?" Ye Tian pressed his ears irritably and glared at Jin Yue'er before explaining nonchalantly, "It's just that Nana isn't quite used to things yet, so she's staying with me for a couple of days."
"Oh~ So you're sleeping with her for a couple of days first," Jin Yue'er repeated with an expression of sudden understanding, but her rewording instantly gave the situation a completely different connotation.
"?!"
Qian Renxue's gaze locked onto Hu Liena, full of scrutiny. How could this be allowed?!
"Ah, Senior Brother~" Hu Liena, like a frightened little rabbit, quickly hid behind Ye Tian, blinking curiously at Qian Renxue. That gaze bore some resemblance to the dangerous look the Saintess had given her yesterday.
"What do you mean, sleeping together?!" Ye Tian felt his vision darken. He raised his hand and delivered a swift chop toward the five sky-piercing braids on Jin Yue'er's head. Like dominoes, all five braids tumbled down.
"Ah~ My hairstyle!" Jin Yue'er hurriedly raised both hands to protect her hairdo, glaring furiously at Ye Tian.
Ye Tian paid her no mind and calmly explained, "I sit and cultivate; Nana lies down and sleeps."
"Is that so." Only then did Qian Renxue relax, shooting a reproachful glance at Jin Yue'er before bursting into laughter at the sight of her crooked hairstyle. "Pfft!"
Hu Liena also giggled softly from behind Ye Tian.
"Ah—Ye Tian!" Jin Yue'er stamped her feet in frustration, exclaiming, "You messed up my hairstyle and made me the butt of jokes! You have to compensate me!"
"Fine, fine, I'll compensate you," Ye Tian said leisurely as he took out a pill. At the same time, he instructed, "Little Xue, please inform Xie Yue about Nana becoming the Saintess's disciple when you return."
"Don't worry, I'll tell them," Qian Renxue replied softly, then turned her gaze to Hu Liena, who was still hiding behind Ye Tian.
Even though she knew Bi Bi Dong might have some ulterior motive for taking Hu Liena as her disciple, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel envious.
—
Time flew like an arrow.
Wisteria Residence was exceptionally tranquil in the night.
Hu Liena curled up in her room, sleeping soundly as if dreaming of something wonderful.
It had been over ten months since she became a disciple.
Ye Tian had just agreed during the day to let her awaken her Martial Soul two months early—tomorrow!
Naturally, Hu Liena was overjoyed. It took her a long time to exhaust that excitement before she finally drifted into a blissful slumber.
Separated by 'Eternal Heaven,'
a flickering oil lamp still burned in Bi Bi Dong's bedroom.
Two figures sat cross-legged on the bed.
Pill Fragrance, mist-like as usual, drifted around them.
Strangely,
the Pill Fragrance seemed repelled by an invisible force, unable to approach Ye Tian and the others.
Instead, it was pushed further and further away.
"Hmm?"
Ye Tian opened his eyes in confusion and looked toward Bi Bi Dong beside him.
Whoosh—!
A powerful gust of wind carrying a subtle fragrance rushed toward him!
Ye Tian instinctively narrowed his eyes.
The Pill Fragrance around them swirled to one side of the room, and the oil lamp went out.
Bi Bi Dong's eyes blazed like torches as they abruptly opened.
A smug, cold smile curled at the corners of her lips. Finally—she had finally reached level ninety!