The group of people came out of the buffet and headed straight to a restaurant in the next mall over. Along the way, the little foxes passed through many clothing and jewelry shops. The exquisite clothing dazzled them to the extent that they could barely keep walking.
Su Chan looked at the gorgeous outfits with eager eyes. She tugged on Li Yundong’s sleeve and winked at him.
Li Yundong felt a migraine coming on and didn’t dare to respond. Last time he had bought clothes and jewelry for Su Chan, he had directly made himself bankrupt. This time, there were so many people to buy for. Who should he treat? Who shouldn’t get anything?
“If I buy something for all of them, I’ll end up a spendthrift no matter how rich I am. If I only buy something for Su Chan, people will gossip behind my back that I’m not fair as the head of sect.
“No way! Absolutely not!”
Li Yundong pretended not to see her eager wink and strode ahead.
The girl had no choice but to turn back at every step, watching the beautiful clothes get farther and farther away from her.
Finally entering the restaurant on the ninth floor, the group of people found that there was room for them all. Li Yundong was relieved and said to the waitress, “Miss, we’ll order now.”
They sat at two tables and began to order the dishes they wanted.
But they had arrived at noon – rush hour for any place which serves food. After ordering their dishes, they did not get served for a long time.
Su Chan was a little restless. She was still thinking about the beautiful clothes from earlier, so she tugged on Li Yundong’s sleeve and begged, “Yundong, I’ll go and just have a look at them. I won’t buy any. I just want to have a look.”
Li Yundong sighed in his heart, “Honey, my everything is yours, but right now I still need to be responsible for your shibos’ and shijies’ clothing, food, accommodation, and transportation.”
But Li Yundong couldn’t help thinking of the time Su Chan had been scared and alone on Shantang Street. She had been so poor that she had been unable to even afford to eat a pancake. However, she hadn’t accepted any handouts from the rich young men around her. He thought for a while and finally relented, drawing out a stack of cash and handing it to Cao Yi, saying, “I didn’t let you live a good life even when I was the leader of your sect. Take these little girls to see if there are any clothes they like and buy them as gifts for them.”
Cao Yi was shocked. “You can’t do that. Leader, there’s no reason for you to buy anything for us. Besides, didn’t you buy clothes for us last time?”
Li Yundong laughed and said, “How can a single set of clothes be enough? Don’t you need to wash them? Don’t refuse me, just take the little fellows and go shopping. Anyway, it’s only a little money. You can buy things as you wish.”
In a tone filled with a mixture of shame and gratitude, Cao Yi said, “Leader, we…”
Li Yundong waved his hand and said, “Don’t say anything. The dishes won’t be served for a while anyway. You can go out and buy clothes.”
Cao Yi felt like she couldn’t refuse, so she looked at Zhuang Yating and Liu Yuehong. Liu Yuehong’s face was full of hesitation and she wasn’t saying anything. However, Zhuang Yating smiled and said, “The Leader is generous and understanding, we can’t refuse him. Sixth junior sister, you ought to accept the offer.”
Li Yundong smiled and said, “You could go with them…” Then, he turned his head and looked at Zhou Qin. “Do you want to go with them?”
Zhou Qin was looking a little expectant. She glanced at Li Yundong and asked in response, “May I?”
Seeing that she was being so careful that she was no longer herself, Li Yundong couldn’t help sighing. He shook his head and said with a smile, “Of course you can. You can go if you want!”
Zhou Qin was in the prime of her youth, completely beautiful. The more beautiful a woman was, the more she loved to be beautiful. How could she be an exception? Hearing Li Yundong’s words, Zhou Qin immediately smiled and said, “Then I’ll go and have a look.”
Su Chan was overjoyed. She clapped her hands and said excitedly, “Great! Great! Let’s all go together!”
Li Yundong smiled and watched them head out to the various clothing shops. He smiled and shook his head. After a while, he saw that Zi Yuan was unmoved and still drinking tea calmly, so he asked curiously, “You’re not going?”
Zi Yuan opened her mouth and was just about to speak when she felt Ruan Hongling pulling at her clothes under the table. Therefore, she changed her mind and said, “Actually, I’ll go out and have a look.”
She followed Ruan Hongling outside and said with a frown, “Hongling, how can we cultivators enjoy owning worldly possessions? Don’t tell me that you also want to buy clothes?”
Ruan Hongling pulled on Zi Yuan’s sleeves and said nervously, “It’s not what you think, Sister Zi Yuan. I think I saw the second shibo just now!”
Zi Yuan was shocked and couldn’t help looking back at Li Yundong in the dining room. He seemed to sense her gaze, looking back at her. Zi Yuan nodded and smiled at him, then took Hongling into the noisy crowd and whispered, “You saw the second shibo? Where is she?”
Ruan Hongling kept looking around. “I saw that after those guys from the Fox Zen School entered a clothing store, the second shibo appeared nearby shortly after. I also saw her glance at me. You know, she has such profound cultivation that if she deliberately looks at you, you’ll definitely feel it.”
Zi Yuan nodded slightly. “You’re right. Her Yuanying phase has reached its peak. However, if she appeared nearby… Oh no, Fox Zen School and Su Chan must be in danger!”
Zi Yuan’s expression changed and they dashed off towards the clothing boutique nearby. As soon as she entered the store, she saw Su Chan and Zhou Qin, who were picking out clothes from the clothes racks, raise their heads. Seeing her, Su Chan beamed and asked, “Sister Zi Yuan, are you also going to buy some clothes?”
Zhou Qin’s power of observation was superior to Su Chan’s. When she saw the tense expression on Zi Yuan’s face, she thought something was up immediately and stared at Zi Yuan without saying a word.
Ruan Hongling followed and rushed in as well. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask if anyone from the Fox Zen School had seen her second shibo, Zi Yuan grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, making her swallow back her words.
Zi Yuan smiled slightly at Su Chan and said, “No, we’re just wandering around. The clothes here are not suitable for me. Hongling and I will go somewhere else to browse.”
Su Chan put down the milky white dress in her hand and smiled, “Sister Zi Yuan, shall I go with you?”
Zi Yuan was stunned. As she was looking for her second shibo’s whereabouts, she was unwilling to let Su Chan follow her. She could not help but frown slightly. When Zhou Qin saw this, she immediately turned to Su Chan and said, “Su Chan, could you take a look at this dress for me?”
“Oh”, Su Chan replied and smiled apologetically at Zi Yuan. “I’m sorry. Guess I can’t go with you since Zhou Qin needs me to pick out her clothes.”
Zi Yuan glanced at Zhou Qin gratefully, and then said to Su Chan with a smile, “It doesn’t matter. Take your time.”
Then, she left with Ruan Hongling.
The two walked back into the crowd, chattering to each other in low voices. Ruan Hongling asked in confusion, “Sister Zi Yuan, why didn’t you let me ask just now?”
Zi Yuan sighed lightly and said, “Do you really not understand or are you only feigning ignorance? The second shibo holds such a deep grudge against the Fox Zen School. Nearly a hundred disciples from the inner and outer chambers of the Fox Zen School died because of the grudge between the second shibo and the Fox Zen School. This time, the second shibo was the one to initiate the siege of the the Great Six against the Fox Zen School. Don’t you know that the entire Fox Zen School hates her guts? If the Fox Zen School knew her whereabouts, what kind of reaction would they have?”
Ruan Hongling only became more puzzled upon hearing this. “I know that, but we’re only reminding them. What’s wrong with that?”
Zi Yuan smiled bitterly and said, “You’re a smart girl but you can be so dense sometimes. By rights, we and the second shibo are from the same sect, while the people from the Fox Zen School are outsiders. No matter what, we have a closer relationship with the second shibo. Who do you think we’ll help when a conflict arises?”
Ruan Hongling sneered and said, “Humph, the second shibo used to be indifferent to us. Nine years ago, she disappeared and has stayed hidden all this time. We of the Linggong Sect have been bullied so much, but she didn’t do us any favors. Now, as soon as she appeared, such a big problem has been stirred up. Humph, such a second shibo is not even worth mentioning!”
Zi Yuan frowned slightly. Just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly sounded in their ears. “Hongling, is this how you make up stories about your elders?”
Zi Yuan was shocked and immediately looked in the direction of the voice. Ruan Hongling seemed to have heard it too. She looked around in shock and found the source of the voice after a moment’s searching.
The two of them stared. Sure enough, they could see Yan Fang looking at them from a hidden corner of the mall.
Zi Yuan and Ruan Hongling looked at each other and immediately began chasing after her.
When Yan Fang saw that they were about to get close, she turned around and left. Zi Yuan and Ruan Hongling followed her all the way to a remote corridor, where she stopped, turned around, looked them up and down, and said lightly to Hongling, “I haven’t seen you for so many years. My, how beautiful you’ve grown!”
Then, she looked at Zi Yuan and nodded, “Zi Yuan, in the past, our senior fellow apprentice doted on you the most. And now, if he saw how beautiful you are and how high your cultivation is, he’d no doubt be ecstatic!”
Zi Yuan saw that Yan Fang was still at the Yang Spirit stage, emitting a faint fluorescent light that was hard to see with the naked eye. However, ever since she had been out of the body of Mo Ahshi for such a long time last time, the Qi throughout her body had not weakened at all, and in fact showed signs of strengthening. This really surprised Zi Yuan.
Zi Yuan knew that no matter what cultivation she achieved, if the Yin or Yang Spirit had been out of her body for too long, it would definitely have caused the Yin Qi and Yang Qi to continuously disperse between heaven and earth. In the end, when her Yuanqi ran out, her soul would disappear along with it.
This was why cultivators who had just begun to cultivate couldn’t get the Yin Spirit out of their bodies for too long.
The longer a person’s primordial spirit left their body, the weaker it would become. However, Yan Fang’s Yang Spirit had left her body for such a long time, yet it was still so exuberant and strong. It was really incredible!
Zi Yuan and Ruan Hongling couldn’t help looking at each other. She also saw the shock and confusion in Ruan Hongling’s eyes.
Yan Fang saw that the two of them were standing there in a daze and did not say a word. She spoke again, saying, “What, you two really don’t want to acknowledge me as your second shibo?”
Zi Yuan was a cultivator who respected her master greatly. She lowered her head and went forward, then saluted and said, “Second shibo, I hope that you’re well.”
Although Ruan Hongling wasn’t convinced in her heart, she still followed Zi Yuan’s lead, stepping forward and saying with a reluctant salute, “Second shibo.”
Yan Fang laughed and said slowly, “No wonder. I have not taken care of you since you were children. Especially ten years ago, when your master left our sect with that b*tch, I also left you behind to seek revenge. Alas, it was right when you two needed to be taken care of that you had to take on the responsibility of guarding Linggong Sect. I don’t know how you two survived it all.”
Zi Yuan stayed calm and said emotionlessly, “What we suffered is far less than what you, second shibo, went through. You have been steeling yourself to take revenge for nine years and enduring all kinds of hardships.”
Yan Fang laughed heartily. “Zi Yuan. We haven’t seen each other for nine years. You’re still the same Zi Yuan as before, gentle and just and always hiding your firm side. Well, no wonder our senior fellow apprentice is so fond of you! Sure enough, you have the bearing of a great cultivator. That’s right. I came to find you today for this matter.”
Zi Yuan’s heart tightened, and she thought to herself, “Finally!” She asked, “What can we do for you, second shibo?”
Yan Fang cooled her expression and said neutrally, “Zi Yuan, Ruan Hongling, both of you are direct descendants of Zhengyi School of Linggong Sect. How can you hang around with demons and followers of the path of evil! I’m here today to advise you to turn back as soon as possible! As long as you promise me that you’ll help me destroy Fox Zen School, I’ll let you in on a big secret!”
Zi Yuan frowned. Just as she was about to speak, Yan Fang raised her palm and smiled. “Don’t rush to answer. I can tell you firstly that this great secret, which I hid in the Fox Zen School for nine years to discover, is related to your master! Think carefully before you answer me!”
As Zi Yuan heard this, her heart was thrown into chaos, and she could only blurt, “My master? What’s going on?”
