CHAPTER 349
Women's Assembly
============================================================
The past half-month had passed without much incident. Order in the Northern Domain gradually restored under the new Demon Emperor's governance, and reconstruction efforts in the Demon Capital steadily commenced.
Li Suyao seemed to have found a new rhythm to her life. Word was she wasn't hiding out anymore, and that certain lord hadn't come looking for trouble.
"Meow meow~ Aren't you tired of reading books all day? Want to go out and play with Shiyu?"
Li Shiyu lay sprawled across the desk in the library, watching Miao Miao intently flip through the tattered book before her. She'd been stuck on that same page all morning.
That's right—an entire morning. Miaomiao hadn't even turned to the next page. Whenever she encountered something she didn't understand, she'd have to flip back…
"Thank you for your kindness, Second Young Miss. Once I finish this section, I'll be heading out. Perhaps you could ask Sister Youwei to accompany you instead?"
Shiyao sighed inwardly. Unless their master needed her to deliver a message or had business, Chu Youwei paid the three sisters no mind whatsoever.
"What are you going to do, Miao Miao?"
"The war in the Northern Realm is mostly over now. I want to revisit the places I skipped earlier. Perhaps there are Ice Mist Flowers that Master Su requested."
"Is it dangerous? Should Shiyu accompany you? Shiyu is so bored, Shiyu wants to go out and play~"
Li Shiyuo was mainly just too idle. Her senior sister and Jue'er occasionally had work to attend to.
But not her. She never had to concern herself with Sacred Mountain affairs. Beyond eating, cultivating, and sleeping, her days were empty…
She wanted to go out and play~ Hmm~
"Second Young Miss, there's no need to rush. The Spirit Mountain's grand disciple recruitment ceremony is in two days."
No sooner had Miaomiao finished speaking than Li Shiyu heard her senior and junior sisters' voices.
Ye Qinghan emerged from seclusion just as Dongfang Jue returned from the main camp.
"Senior Sister, Jue'er picked up some pastries on the way. Please come try them."
"Just a moment, I'll wash my face first."
The moment she heard about snacks, Li Shiyao came over too~
"Why didn't you call Shiyu when you had snacks? Jue'er, you need to learn to share~"
"Senior Sister, you're wronging Jue'er! I brought delicious treats just for you~"
Ye Qinghan and Dongfang Jue went to wash their faces, while Li Shiyu went to brew tea. Before long, the three gathered around the stone table beneath the tree, chatting like old friends reunited after a long separation.
"The initiation ceremony is in two days. What are your thoughts, Senior Sister?"
Dongfang Jue took a small bite of pastry before speaking, eager to hear her senior sister's thoughts.
Ye Qinghan, however, looked puzzled. "Me? I don't have any thoughts."
"Jue thought Senior Sister would assist Master in overseeing matters."
Dongfang Jue lifted her teacup and took a small sip. Truthfully, she was somewhat surprised by Ye Qinghan's attitude.
She knew all too well how fiercely protective Ye Qinghan was of her own territory.
Would Ye Qinghan really allow Master to accept disciples indiscriminately during Ling Mountain's grand initiation ceremony?
She couldn't believe such a thing!
Back in the day, such worries would have been unnecessary. Besides the three of them, no one else would have wanted to apprentice at Lingxian Hall.
But times had changed. Now, the three of them had secured the top three spots in Ling Mountain's martial arts competition. The moniker "Ye Yanwang and the Pants-Pulling Immortal" had spread far and wide. If microblogs existed, it would undoubtedly be trending among cultivators.
Dongfang Jue could easily imagine the scene on the day of the initiation ceremony. Any woman with even a shred of beauty would likely flock to Lingxian Hall hoping for a chance.
And the Master? He wasn't exactly adept at dealing with women who came empty-handed.
"Gatekeeping? The Master said we can't interfere with this matter."
Ye Qinghan sneered inwardly, thinking how his master's plan centered on non-intervention and leaving things to fate~
Interfere?
There's nowhere to intervene!
There's absolutely no room to maneuver!
Cang Jue had visited a few days prior, mentioning that Ling Mountain had prepared seats for the Master and the others, even erecting a grand platform.
But the Master flatly refused, saying he already had plans.
But what was the real reason?
Plans? If not for Cangjue coming, the Master would have forgotten all about it!
It's just that she was present at the time, so it felt awkward to say…
"Why? Is Master worried we'll cause trouble?"
"No, Master was afraid… mainly afraid of me…" Ye Qinghan sighed helplessly, feeling she needed to change the image Master had of her.
Dongfang Jue looked utterly unconvinced. If Master favored Ye Qinghan, she had no argument.
But to say the Master feared Ye Qinghan? That was utter nonsense!
Your butt's better now, huh? You were eating standing up just two days ago, and you've already forgotten?
"Master? Afraid of Senior Sister?"
Ye Qinghan pursed her lips. "Master worries we'll scare people away…"
Dongfang Jue decided not to press further and simply shared her own thoughts.
"But honestly, Jue'er thinks Master seems rather disinterested in taking disciples."
"But lately, he suddenly seems to care about it."
Li Shiyao remained silent. She nodded when her senior sister spoke, and nodded again when her junior sister shared her thoughts.
In short, it was best to say little.
This was serious business; saying too much would make her seem dull.
If it were casual chatter or idle gossip, she'd freely share her thoughts.
Ye Qinghan smiled. "Yes, you're right. Our Master is now planning for the future of Lingxian Hall."
Dongfang Jue looked puzzled: "The future?"
Ye Qinghan nodded, not particularly bothered about sharing some information with Dongfang Jue.
"Currently, Lingxian Hall has only three direct disciples and two elders or stewards. Even counting Bai Tao and Chu Youwei, there aren't many people. Even if one person could fight a hundred, we're still outnumbered, aren't we?"
Dongfang Jue grasped the meaning quickly. Ye Qinghan's hint was all she needed to understand.
If that was the case, then Master's intentions weren't hard to guess.
"That's true enough, but what if Master actually takes on a few difficult individuals as our sisters?"
The implication was clear—she might as well have named Chu Youwei outright.
Indeed, Chu Youwei had been at Lingxian Hall for some time now.
She acted as if she'd returned home. Aside from ignoring the three of them, she was actually flawless.
Apart from the subtle difference in her jade pendant, her treatment was essentially identical to theirs.
Except that she was a nominal disciple.
"Difficult to get along with? You mean Chu Youwei?"
Ye Qinghan no longer cared at this point. Through reading minds, piecing things together, she could grasp the general picture.
Simply put, Ye Qinghan and her two junior sisters had personally killed her.
If that was the case, Chu Youwei's behavior made perfect sense. If she had actually smiled and greeted Ye Qinghan warmly, Ye Qinghan would have suspected Chu Youwei was up to no good…
"Yeah, that girl always looked down on everyone. Even though Jue'er arrived a few days before her!"
Ye Qinghan didn't dwell on it much and turned to ask Li Shiyao instead.
"Shiyao, what do you think of Chu Youwei?"
Li Shiyao looked as if she hadn't fully woken up yet, her expression dazed and absent-minded.
After a moment's thought, she swallowed her pastry whole, tilted her golden head, and spoke with casual indifference.
"Even though she doesn't like Shiyu and never acknowledges me, I don't dislike her either."
"She respects our Master, never causes trouble for Shiyu, and doesn't fight over food. Shiyu can accept her."
Ye Qinghan chuckled. In plain terms, it meant they each mind their own business and don't bother one another, right?
In that sense, Bai Tao and Chu Youwei’s dispositions were quite similar—though Bai Tao was cold toward men, while Chu Youwei was cold toward the three of them.
============================================================