Seeing the two sigh sorrowfully and murmur with emotion, Nie Kong's mind suddenly sprouted an eccentric notion. Gu Changgong and this senior master of Moxue Sect must have had more than a simple relationship in their youth. Just as he was indulging in idle thoughts, Yuan Xinyu's gaze shifted toward him and Lan Shang: "Senior Brother Changgong, are these disciples from Lingyu City who entered 'Juyehuo Yinquan'?"

"Exactly."

Gu Changgong collected his emotions and briefly introduced Nie Kong, Lan Shang and the other ten people.

Yuan Xinyu smiled with admiration at intervals, especially when hearing Bai Yuqing was an ice spirit master and Nie Kong a rare wood spirit master. Her eyes lit up with something peculiar.

"Master."

A melodious voice like a magpie's cry suddenly emerged from the side tent. A girl in her teens stepped out, her white dress like snowflakes, hair flowing like clouds. Ethereal beauty radiated from her, as if she had just descended from a painting to grace this mortal world with divine elegance.

Nie Kong's mind instantly recalled a name: Nie Fenghua.

Indeed as he'd anticipated earlier, Nie Fenghua was here in the "Windsand Valley." Fortunately, Nie Fenglei at Molo Holy Mountain was already an Adept Spirit Master, and Nie Fengu from Tianzhen Sect had likely also reached the Adept realm. Otherwise all three siblings would have reunited here.

The moment Nie Fenghua appeared, apart from Bai Yuqing who already knew her well, not only Lan Shang and Liu Heming but even female disciple Jinglan revealed slight surprises in their eyes - none expected such breathtaking beauty to appear suddenly before them.

Bai Yuqing was undeniably beautiful too, yet this girl's radiance contrasted entirely with hers. Bai Yuqing's allure stemmed from her youthful features, fiery figure and cold temperament, exuding an unusual temptation that easily stirred conquest desires in unsteady hearts. Nie Fenghua, however, resembled a noble lotus - her aura of haughtiness transcended mere physical beauty, emitting an air of true aloofness only suitable for distant admiration.

A pang of emotion struck Nie Kong's heart. When his soul was reborn into this world, he had merely glimpsed Nie Fenghua from afar once before. Back then she lacked the current regal bearing entirely.

"Fenghua, come here," Yuan Xinyu gently waved to her with a warm smile. "Changgong Senior Brother, this is my last disciple Nie Fenghua - of course quite promising in talent."

"Respectful greetings, Senior Master Gu." Nie Fenghua bowed slightly.

"Perfect." Gu Changgong smiled warmly as he nodded. With his cultivation and discerning eyes, he instantly recognized the girl's extraordinary potential. After a brief spiritual scan, he deduced her cultivation must be dangerously close to Adept. Among his own disciples, only Nie Kong and Lan Shang could possibly rival this.

Then Nie Fenghua turned toward Gu Changgong's side: "Respectful greetings, seniors..." Before finishing the sentence, her clear gaze flickered with surprise as she blurted out two words naturally: "Nie Kong."

Those elegant eyebrows subtly furrowed imperceptibly.

"Fenghua, do you know Nie Kong?" Yuan Xinyu looked puzzled. "Both bearing Nie surname - could Nie Kong also come from Jiyang City's Nie Family?"

"Yes," Nie Kong smiled. "Fourth Miss belongs to the main branch while I'm from the side branch."

"Ah," Yuan Xinyu nodded in understanding, but her expression showed no lesser regard for Nie Kong's lineage. To cultivators like herself and Gu Changgong, heritage meant little compared to innate talent. In this realm of spirit masters, distinctions between main and side branches had never been absolute anyway.

Moments later she smiled: "Fascinating. Lingyu City and Moxue Sect have always maintained good relations. Who knew you two would share such a connection? Fenghua, go call your senior brothers and sisters over. Tomorrow we enter 'Juyehuo Yinquan.' Let these young ones get to know each other better - if any difficulties arise inside, they can assist one another." She then turned to Gu Changgong: "Changgong Senior Brother, shall we retire into the tent for discussion?"

"Yes," Gu Changgong nodded. After a few more instructions, Yuan Xinyu and Gu Changgong entered the front tent together. Nie Fenghua exchanged a glance with Nie Kong before swaying her slender figure toward other tents.

"Senior Brother Nie Kong, who knew your family still had such a beautiful girl? How about introducing me to her?"

"Jishen, aren't you already betrothed at home?"Nie Kong's ten Lingyu City disciples began clustering around him immediately after Jide's bold declaration, whispering conspiratorially as if afraid their conversation might be overheard by the tents - though they apparently forgot both Gu Changgong and Yuan Xinyu possessed hearing so acute even whispers would reach them.

Hearing this, Nie Kong was already exasperated. Though he'd spent considerable time in the Nie Family alongside Nie Fenghua, there had been virtually no interaction between them. Perhaps now she still secretly resented him for her third brother's death - how could he possibly introduce these guys to her?

He closed his eyes and ignored them entirely. While not every one of Jide's followers truly coveted Nie Fenghua on sight, their reactions were mostly opportunistic. Once they saw Jide making the first move, others naturally joined in for fun. Naturally if he actually agreed, they'd certainly welcome the arrangement.

Seeing this, Lan Shang couldn't help but chuckle and interceded quietly: "Enough, don't trouble Senior Brother Nie Kong anymore. If my intuition isn't wrong, Fourth Miss Nie must be perilously close to Adept cultivation. At such a young age with such talent, she's undoubtedly among Moxue Sect's most outstanding disciples. No matter how you desire her, there will never be any possibility - would Moxue Sect ever let Lingyu City disciples steal their treasures? Unless..." Jide and the others fell silent as Lan Shang's words sank in - after all, unless someone abandoned their family or sect to join Moxue Sect entirely.

At this moment Nie Kong gradually understood. If there had truly been a forbidden romance between Gu Changgong and Yuan Xinyu in their youth, it must have also been doomed by similar reasons. Considering their eventual attainment of Heavenly Spirit cultivation status, they'd certainly both stood out among their peers during those years. Moxue Sect would never allow Yuan Xinyu to marry into Lingyu City, just as Lingyu City would reject Gu Changgong's attempt to join Moxue Sect. In this strange silence, Nie Fenghua and other disciples from Moxue Sect approached together.

To everyone's surprise among the ten Moxue Sect disciples present, half were female. With two groups of young disciples mingling naturally, they quickly became a lively crowd - at least on the surface.

"Nie Kong, follow me," Nie Fenghua suddenly stood before him, then turned to leave without waiting for reply. The entire valley fell silent as Nie Kong merely hesitated a moment before following her under curious gazes. His mind already guessed Nie Fenghua's intentions quite well.

After walking nearly a hundred paces together, Nie Fenghua finally turned back. Her beautiful face revealed no expression at all, speaking in an emotionless tone: "Nie Kong, I didn't expect to meet you here."

This statement itself held nothing unusual - if Bai Yuqing had said the same unexpectedly, Nie Kong would have felt comforted. But hearing it from Nie Fenghua made him feel peculiar, as though she wasn't addressing a person but merely speaking into air.

"This little girl truly has an arrogant attitude," Nie Kong thought to himself, unbothered by this strange sensation and even finding amusement in it. He grinned playfully: "Fourth Miss, are you expecting me still suffer endlessly in Lingyu City's outer district? Is that what conforms with normal logic?"

As he spoke, his eyes watched Nie Fenghua like one observing a spoiled child's antics.

Nie Feng

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