Nie Xing’an had been holding the fort at the front of the mountain for some time. It was only when he saw Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong arrive together that he finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Nie Shiyun offered an apology, noting that he had kept everyone waiting. However, since he and Zhai Bairong had been "reminiscing," the Yingyue Sect found it difficult to complain. Furthermore, the Nascent Soul cultivator accompanying the group was only there as a formality; he waved his hand repeatedly, insisting it was no trouble at all.
Socializing between sects was naturally a tedious affair. The congratulatory gifts brought by the Yingyue Sect were substantial, and Nie Shiyun naturally had to provide return gifts. Ordinarily, return gifts were merely a symbolic gesture, but because of his relationship with Zhai Bairong, he tucked in quite a few "extras" to ensure that Qu Zhanmeng would treat Zhai Bairong with more favor. In this exchange, Nie Shiyun ended up giving away significantly more than he received.
The people from the Yingyue Sect made a few hypocritical shows of declining before accepting everything. Having previously heard that Nie Shiyun’s response to other sects had been lukewarm at best, they now felt that this new Nascent Soul expert’s attitude toward them was quite gratifying.
"Cousin, why is this more than what we originally discussed?" Nie Shiyun found a moment to send a divine sense transmission to Nie Xing’an, who had left midway to bring back the updated gift list.
Nie Xing’an admitted frankly that it was Nie Li who had instructed him to do so.
Nie Shiyun was momentarily speechless, thinking to himself that his father was truly being thoughtful. Recalling Nie Li’s incredibly colorful expression from earlier, he felt that if he didn't take Zhai Bairong to be properly introduced later, it would be truly inexcusable.
"Uncle went to look for you earlier, and I didn't stop him. Nothing... unexpected happened, did it?" Nie Xing’an asked with a hint of apology.
"There was a small accident..." Nie Shiyun replied vaguely. "But it’s nothing. I was planning to introduce Bairong to him anyway. Even if I didn't say anything, he would have found out in a day or two."
After three rounds of wine, the Yingyue Sect elder knew that as long as he was present, Zhai Bairong could not, by etiquette, speak out of turn. Seeing Nie Shiyun and the others exchanging nothing but polite platitudes, the elder showed great self-awareness. He claimed to be fatigued from the journey and excused himself to retire early, leaving the youngsters to speak more freely.
Once he departed, Zhai Bairong became the highest-ranking member of his sect present, and he naturally moved closer to Nie Shiyun’s side.
Seeing that their sect elder had tactfully slipped away, the group of junior disciples from the Yingyue Sect looked at one another. They realized they wouldn't be able to integrate into this banquet today. Their elder had at least been a "hindrance" worth noting; whether they stayed or left made no difference, as they were being treated as thin air regardless.
"It has been a long time, Daoist Zhai. I heard that our sect's disciples received much care from you back in the secret realm."
Nie Xing’an had not seen Zhai Bairong since the Great Cultivation Assembly. However, he had heard from Qi Xuan’er that while the secret realm was rich in spirit herbs and resources, there were few outstanding alchemists. Everyone had either clutched their precious herbs waiting for the realm to close or had to pay a steep price to commission an alchemist, often facing a long queue. The disciples of Yunqing Pavilion had received somewhat preferential treatment from Zhai Bairong. Nie Shiyun had told them not to broadcast it, advising them to just enjoy the benefit in silence.
Nie Shiyun’s consideration was not without reason. After all, Zhai Bairong was supposed to treat all disciples equally, and he often avoided people entirely. This was a classic case of "turning one's elbow outward"—favoring outsiders over his own sect. It was better not to let those profit-driven old foxes of the Yingyue Sect hear such anecdotes.
"Daoist Nie need not be so polite; it was merely a small effort." Since they were among their own, Zhai Bairong dropped the stiff facade of a visiting elite sect member and greeted him warmly.
Nie Shiyun glanced at Zhai Bairong. "Hearing you call someone else 'Daoist Nie' always feels a bit strange."
Zhai Bairong had long since stopped calling him that. Hearing this, he said amusedly, "Then how should I address him? He is your cousin, after all. Calling him by his full name would be disrespectful."
"Why don't you call him 'Cousin' just like I do?" Nie Shiyun joked.
Nie Xing’an waved his hands in a fluster. "Daoist Zhai is the same age as me. Calling me that would be quite overwhelming."
"Eh?" Nie Shiyun looked at Nie Xing’an in confusion.
Nie Shiyun realized he had never actually asked Zhai Bairong his age.
After all, once a cultivator reached the Foundation Building stage, their appearance would slowly freeze at that stage. As their cultivation rose, their features often became even more flawless. People cared less about age and more about the level of cultivation. If one had to discuss age and seniority, a "generation" was usually calculated in increments of fifty years.
After transmigrating, Nie Shiyun hadn't even been clear on his own bone age. It was only during the standardized testing of age and aptitude at the last Great Cultivation Assembly that he learned this body was thirty-five. At that time, Nie Xing’an, the eldest of their generation in the sect, was forty-two.
"So you are seven years older than me," Nie Shiyun said, the realization coming late.
In truth, seven years was nothing in the cultivation world. However, both of them had the logic of mortals from Earth in their minds, so saying it aloud made it seem like quite a gap. Zhai Bairong feigned helplessness. "Indeed. Though it isn't an important matter here..."
Nie Xing’an hadn't expected to be the one to reveal this and momentarily worried if it was inappropriate. However, seeing the casual tone the two used with each other, he felt relieved that there was no issue.
While they chatted enthusiastically, the Yingyue Sect disciples in the distance, who were dutifully freeloading on the food and drink, couldn't hear what was being said. They began to whisper among themselves.
"Say, do you think we should leave too?"
"They don't seem to mind anyway. Why don't we finish this spirit wine before we go?" the person next to him said longingly. "The seniors look down on these things, but for us, this is the good stuff that would cost half a year's salary for a single jar..."
"True. Yunqing Pavilion is quite generous."
"I heard—and this is just a rumor—that Yunqing Pavilion is only this polite to us. Chiyan Cliff didn't get this kind of treatment when they visited."
Several cultivators lowered their voices and whispered, their eyes meeting as they glanced toward Senior Brother Zhai Bairong, sharing a look of mutual understanding.
The fact that Zhai Bairong had dumped Duan Mingyu to be with Nie Shiyun was no longer a secret. However, news didn't circulate back to the cultivation world during the years in the secret realm, and without phones or computers, the gossip only began to spread after they emerged. Many people were still skeptical. Nie Shiyun estimated it would take another six months to a year for the majority of the cultivation world to know for sure.
Others might still be in doubt, but the Yingyue Sect disciples were currently on the front lines of the gossip and saw the situation clearly. Zhai Bairong and Duan Mingyu had truly broken up. Furthermore, Duan Mingyu, who had always been highly valued by the sect, had not been included in the traveling party this time. It seemed Senior Qu and the others were aware of the situation and were siding with Senior Brother Zhai Bairong.
"If you ask me, Senior Brother Zhai Bairong’s move was brilliant. I’d choose the same if I were him."
"Indeed... At first, who among us didn't think Duan Mingyu was breathtakingly beautiful, like a heavenly being descended to earth, a perfect match for Senior Brother?" The speaker was honest; Duan Mingyu had possessed that enchanting appearance since the day he joined the sect. Male cultivators had all been attracted to him to some degree, but with Zhai Bairong standing beside him, no one else dared to harbor such thoughts.
"But then he got involved with Rong Lü of Lingfeng Mountain and Xu Yehua of Chiyan Cliff... If Pinyin Pavilion didn't consist only of female cultivators, I bet he would have collected a full set from all four major sects."
The group chuckled lowly at the description. Once upon a time, they had vaguely felt that if one could be with such a celestial beauty, sharing him with others might not be unacceptable. But for some reason, that feeling had gradually faded in recent years. Looking at Duan Mingyu from afar, he was indeed still radiant, possessing a charm that attracted the opposite sex with every gesture, but these men now felt that looking from a distance was enough.
Likely because they had seen firsthand how much trouble Duan Mingyu had stirred up over the years, they had come to understand a truth: a beauty may be beautiful, but ordinary people like them could not afford the cost.
"Cough, if you ask me... I didn't notice it before, but looking closely now, isn't Senior Nie also very handsome?"
The group glanced at the seniors chatting in the distance, feeling that Nie Shiyun had undergone a complete transformation compared to before. In truth, his features hadn't changed much, but his entire temperament had shifted after reaching the Nascent Soul stage. During the Great Cultivation Assembly, even standing on the arena, he had seemed somewhat reserved, not drawing much attention to himself. Now, Nie Shiyun was like an unsheathed sword; even doing nothing, just standing there, he possessed an aura that could not be ignored.
Nie Shiyun and the others did not intentionally use their divine sense to eavesdrop on the juniors' gossip, otherwise they might have shared a knowing smile. Indeed, after emerging from seclusion, Nie Shiyun had stopped deliberately suppressing his presence. Previously, hiding his light was for the sake of keeping a low profile, but now that he had reached the Nascent Soul stage, continuing to act that way would be too timid and would likely invite contempt.
Remembering that they still had to visit his father, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong did not drink much. Hearing that they were going to see Nie Li, Nie Xing’an nodded, signaling that they shouldn't worry about things here and that he didn't want to waste their time.
"Then we shall take our leave first. Thank you for all your hard work, Cousin."
"It’s nothing," Nie Xing’an smiled. Recalling Nie Shiyun’s unreliable past, he felt deeply gratified to see his younger cousin grow up and settle down with such an outstanding Daoist companion, even going so far as to meet the parents.
The Yingyue Sect disciples finished their food and drink, chatted about gossip, and then turned around—only to find that the subjects of their gossip had both vanished! The group felt a sudden wave of awkwardness; it truly felt like they had just come here to scrounge a meal.
Nie Xing’an saw their awkwardness but didn't try to make the juniors stay. Instead, he generously distributed the remaining spirit wine among them, letting them take it back to enjoy slowly. Overjoyed, the group thanked him profusely before returning to their quarters together.
According to protocol, Yunqing Pavilion had naturally prepared a room for Zhai Bairong. But was it possible he would actually sleep there? The answer was obviously no. Looking at that unoccupied room, the disciples felt more and more that something was subtle. Nie Shiyun had taken Zhai Bairong away early, while the Yingyue Sect people had feasted and finally dispersed with gifts—had they come all this way to congratulate Senior Nie on his breakthrough, or had they traveled thousands of miles just to send off a bride?
