After all, as a direct disciple of Qingyun Peak, Ji Yunzhao had once been personally taught by Lu Guichen.
It was obviously unrealistic to expect him to kill the man outright or expel him from the sect.
After a brief moment of thought, Yuan Shu stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you, Master."
Yuan Shu knew that Shen Qi must have been mediating all of this behind the scenes.
Otherwise, given her status as the daughter of a nouveau riche merchant with low cultivation talent, it would have been impossible to actually make Ji Yunzhao guard the forbidden grounds for a hundred years.
Yuan Shu looked up and, sure enough, saw Shen Qi give her a gentle, earnest nod.
Once the matter was settled, Ji Yunzhao was taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall and temporarily detained.
In a couple of days, after the handover of his duties was complete, he would be escorted to the forbidden grounds, the Death Demon Forest.
Yuan Shu, on the other hand, had her path blocked by Qi An'an.
"Senior Sister Yuan, our Eldest Senior Brother asked me to bring you something."
Qi An'an blinked playfully at Yuan Shu, then pulled a brocade box from her robes.
Yuan Shu paused for a moment. Qi An'an was a direct disciple of Lingyun Peak, which meant her Eldest Senior Brother was... Yin Ruobai!
The square box was placed in Yuan Shu's hands. It was an antique and exquisite wooden box, decorated with patterns inlaid with pearls and agate.
"Senior Sister Yuan, hurry up and open it."
Qi An'an winked at her, urging her with a mischievous grin.
Yuan Shu smiled and did not keep her in suspense, opening the box right in front of Qi An'an.
An exquisite set of light blue hair jewelry rested quietly in the center of the box.
Beautiful ice crystals formed the main body of the jewelry, carved from Moon Soul Stone. It was cool to the touch and possessed an ethereal, fairy-like grace.
"This is called the Moon Soul Ice Crystal Jewelry Set. Wearing it refreshes the mind and accelerates the absorption of spiritual energy," Qi An'an explained from the side.
Yuan Shu's eyes lit up.
The ice crystals were not ordinary ice crystals, but the core stones of the rare Mystic Ice Crystal Ore found deep within the mountains.
They inherently possessed the ability to refresh the mind and aid in cultivation.
Coupled with the Moon Soul Stone, which absorbed the essence of moonlight, it helped purify and refine spiritual energy during cultivation.
This added a touch of practicality to the already stunningly beautiful jewelry set.
Even Yuan Shu, who was used to seeing fine things in the past, could not help but be amazed.
"Senior Sister Yuan, Eldest Senior Brother said he has some matters to attend to down the mountain for the next couple of days, and he will come find you when he returns."
Seeing Yuan Shu's amazed expression, Qi An'an knew that Yin Ruobai's gift had touched Yuan Shu's heart, and she couldn't help but speak with a mischievous smile.
This jewelry set was something Yin Ruobai had exchanged for from the treasury with the Lingyun Peak Master, using several highly precious spiritual plants.
It was the first time she had seen her Eldest Senior Brother treat a gift with such care and importance.
Therefore, when Yin Ruobai stopped her and asked her to deliver this gift to Yuan Shu, she was shocked to her core!
The woman who made her Eldest Senior Brother take things so seriously was actually Yuan Shu?
But after the surprise faded, Qi An'an felt happy.
Back at the Demonic Beast Cliff, when Yuan Shu grabbed her pack, told her to find a place to hide, and then charged into the horde of demonic beasts without hesitation—that sight had left her completely in awe!
To think that the person Eldest Senior Brother liked was Yuan Shu!
Perfect, she liked Yuan Shu too!
She immediately and joyfully accepted the task.
"I understand," Yuan Shu nodded with a smile. "Please pass a message back to your Eldest Senior Brother for me. Tell him that I really like this gift."
Qi An'an's eyes curved into crescents as she pressed two fingers together in a swearing gesture. "I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
This made Yuan Shu laugh.
Not far away, Su Lingxi watched the two of them chatting and laughing. The hands hidden in her sleeves were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She had no idea that Yuan Shu possessed such capabilities. To think she even had connections with a direct disciple of Lingyun Peak?
And from the looks of it, their relationship was quite good?
Su Lingxi gritted her teeth in resentment. Just as she was about to leave, a sudden exclamation rang out from behind her.
"Isn't that Senior Sister Su, who made a bet with Senior Sister Yuan the other day?"
An ordinary junior disciple of Qingyun Peak cried out, drawing the attention of many people nearby.
Su Lingxi's face paled. She was just about to quickly walk away when a voice called out from behind, stopping her in her tracks.
"Junior Martial Sister? Speaking of which, I won that bet regarding the Xiu Snake the other day. So, what about your promise to bow and apologize to me in front of everyone?"
"And you still haven't done the punishment of saying loudly ten times, 'I, Su Lingxi, was blind and underestimated Seventh Senior Sister. Seventh Senior Sister is really awesome, really great, really fantastic!'"
Su Lingxi gritted her teeth and turned around, meeting Yuan Shu's half-smiling expression.
"Junior Martial Sister, you aren't planning to back out, are you?"
"Third Senior Brother, one must accept defeat when betting. Don't you dare plead for Junior Martial Sister."
Yuan Shu smiled brightly, her gaze sweeping over the fellow disciples standing around, specifically winking at Long Yunhui.
"Right, Senior Brothers? One must accept defeat when betting?"
"Right, right, right! Accept defeat when betting!" someone nearby immediately echoed, clearly wanting to watch the good show.
Su Lingxi forced a smile and cast a pleading look for help toward Shen Qi and Shu Linyuan, who were standing to the side.
If it were in the past, Shen Qi definitely would have stepped forward to stop this. After all, they were fellow disciples of the same peak; how could they be at each other's throats like this?
But now, it was uncertain whether Yuan Shu would even pay attention to him. How could he possibly help Su Lingxi go against Yuan Shu?
As for Shu Linyuan, his heart was already completely biased. He only had eyes for Yuan Shu; how could he possibly have room for anyone else?
Su Lingxi looked around, and only Long Yunhui shrugged at her, revealing an awkward smile that said he couldn't help.
Su Lingxi was so furious that she could barely maintain the fake smile on her face.
If she had known that Yuan Shu truly understood the human transformation of fierce beasts, she never would have run her mouth!
It was too late for regrets now.
But what was done was done. If she continued to stall here, the more people who saw, the worse it would be for her.
Su Lingxi took a deep breath, finally making up her mind. She bowed to Yuan Shu and apologized, "Seventh Senior Sister, I am sorry."
"I, Su Lingxi, was blind and underestimated Seventh Senior Sister. Seventh Senior Sister is really awesome, really great, really fantastic!"
"I, Su Lingxi, was blind..."
Her clear voice rang out around the grand hall, instantly drawing many gazes eager for a good show.
Even Lu Guichen, who had already walked some distance away, turned his head to look.
Seeing the farce over here, he frowned.
Fortunately, Su Lingxi spoke very quickly. She finished the ten apologies in no time, covered her face, and ran out.
She left behind the uproarious laughter of the crowd.
Lu Guichen, who was originally preparing to come over and intervene, furrowed his brows.
He cast a glance at Yuan Shu, who stood with her arms crossed and a calm expression on her face. With a look of displeasure, he turned and left.
In his view, no matter how wrong Su Lingxi was, Yuan Shu shouldn't have made her look like a fool in front of everyone.
Su Lingxi making a fool of herself meant Qingyun Peak was making a fool of itself!
This Yuan Shu was truly becoming more and more unruly!
However, thinking about it carefully, this was already the tenth year since he had made his promise to the Yuan Manor of the Central Province.
If Yuan Shu still couldn't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, then he would have an excuse to drive her down the mountain.
With this thought, Lu Guichen's mood improved significantly. He turned around and walked away briskly.
Su Lingxi ran out of the grand hall and took several deep breaths before forcing herself to calm down.
Yuan Shu was just having a moment of triumph.
Just wait. One day, she would definitely make her regret this!
...
