The Little Purple Realm.
Looking at the over one hundred bottles of spiritual dew, Zhu Huai bowed with clasped hands and said, “Thank you, Senior Sisters and Senior Brother.”
“There is no need to be polite, Junior Brother Zhu Huai. If anything, we have been a bother to you these past two days,” Wen Sining replied with a bow.
Life over these past two days had been very peaceful and gentle.
Helping to collect spiritual dew in the mornings, meditating in the afternoons, and chatting in the evenings made for a fulfilling and satisfying routine. It was as if a pause button had been pressed on their fast-paced, busy lives.
“The Little Purple Realm trial is about to end. Come visit us at Tianyun Peak whenever you have time,” Wen Sining said.
Tianzhu Peak was relatively quiet and desolate. Elder Mo Yan had very few disciples under him; aside from Wang Xuanyi and Zhu Huai, there were no others.
Zhu Huai offered a faint smile and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister Wen. However, I still prefer to stay with my Senior Brother. Wherever Senior Brother is, I will be.”
“Then why didn't Senior Brother Wang come?”
Huo Huang asked listlessly, playing with a bamboo leaf.
She was extremely interested in Wang Xuanyi, especially that aura of keeping people thousands of miles away, which seemed to shroud him in a layer of mist.
Huo Huang had a rather carefree personality, but she was a good judge of character.
On the surface, Wang Xuanyi was very respectful and gentle toward everyone, but that could not hide the fact that he was unwilling to form deep connections with others.
This much was obvious from their last gathering.
Faced with a group of beautiful women, he hadn't shown even the slightest hint of interest.
Because of this, Huo Huang was highly curious.
For a normal male disciple at a hot-blooded age to not only avoid contact with the opposite sex but also deliberately keep his distance was unusual.
Especially his eyes—they didn't harbor even a speck of desire.
“Two days before the realm opened, Senior Brother received an external mission and rushed to the border of the Great Xia Dynasty to deal with a beast tide. That is why he did not come to the realm,” Zhu Huai answered truthfully.
She was well aware of her senior brother's every move.
“I see. Senior Brother Wang is... quite busy,” Huo Huang remarked.
“We're back.”
At that moment, Long Zitian and Leng Ning'an returned with their share of spiritual dew for the day, bringing back a full dozen bottles.
“Thank you.”
Zhu Huai stepped forward to collect the spiritual dew, then made a welcoming gesture. “Senior Sister Leng, Junior Brother Long, the food is ready. Please wait just a moment.”
“Thank you for the trouble, Zhu Huai.”
Leng Ning'an and Long Zitian didn't stand on ceremony, sitting down directly on the bamboo-woven stools.
It had to be said that this bamboo forest was indeed a wonderful place.
The chirping of birds and insects around them was highly pleasant, and the sunlight filtered down through the bamboo leaves. The peaceful atmosphere was refreshing, smoothing away all negative emotions.
Before long.
Zhu Huai brought out several dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted exquisite, placing them on the bamboo table. This instantly whetted the appetites of Leng Ning'an and Long Zitian, who had been busy all morning.
“Zhu Huai, your cooking is amazing. It's even more delicate than what most girls make. I really envy Wang Xuanyi, being able to eat such delicacies every day,” Long Zitian said as he ate, not forgetting to scoop himself another bowl of rice.
When he uttered those words, the already quiet atmosphere grew even more silent.
“Junior Brother, we shouldn't address Senior Brother by his direct name. It is very impolite,” Wen Sining reminded him, her expression slightly displeased.
“That guy doesn't deserve to be my senior brother,” Long Zitian said as if it were nothing. He continued, “Zhu Huai, why don't you just follow me instead? It's much better than following Wang Xuanyi.”
“Junior Brother!”
Wen Sining was angry. How could someone try to poach a follower right in front of others?
The other two also stopped eating, looking at Wen Sining with some tension.
“Jun—”
Just as Wen Sining was about to scold him, Zhu Huai cut her off. “Whether he deserves it or not is not for you to decide. Besides, Senior Brother Wang is not a senior brother of your Tianyun Peak; he is my senior brother, the Eldest Disciple of Tianzhu Peak.”
As she said this, the smile had vanished from Zhu Huai's face. The spiritual energy around her became highly unstable, and the temperature dropped by several degrees. She was clearly enraged.
Long Zitian froze, looking in surprise at the dark-faced Zhu Huai. The spiritual energy radiating from her body was laced with a strange fragrance.
“Oh no...”
Before those words could even leave his mouth, the four of them—Leng Ning'an, Wen Sining, Huo Huang, and Long Zitian—passed out, without even time to process what was happening.
It was only a single instant, a mere trace of leaked spiritual energy, yet two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and two Qi Refining Realm cultivators had completely lost consciousness.
Zhu Huai looked coldly at the four people collapsed on the ground and said, “No wonder Senior Brother always avoids you all. It turns out you're just a bunch of scumbags.”
With that, Zhu Huai withdrew her aura and calmly walked out of the grand formation. She looked at the disciples who had been waiting outside for the past two days and said, “The realm is about to close. The four from Tianyun Peak are inside. Don't go too far.”
The dozens of disciples blanked for a moment, then responded with a single word.
“Understood.”
Afterward, Zhu Huai deactivated the illusion array, walked over to the realm's exit, sat down cross-legged, and waited for the exit to open.
She wasn't worried that the disciples would do anything too outrageous, nor was she worried that the four of them would be beaten to death. It would just be a little painful, that's all.
An hour later.
The realm's exit opened.
Once again, it was a harvest season. Whether they were from the inner or outer sect, every disciple had a satisfied smile on their face.
Except for the last four to emerge.
They had not only lost the resources they had previously snatched, but even the spiritual herbs and spirit stones they had initially collected were gone. It could be said that they had spent seven days in the realm completely in vain.
Upon exiting the realm, the disciples returned to their respective peaks to find their masters, not lingering around. Zhu Huai did the same.
...
Tianyun Peak.
Xiao Hongye held Murong Qing in her arms as she looked at the dejected four. She asked in confusion, “Why do you all look so listless? Did something happen?”
“N-Nothing... Master...” Long Zitian replied, keeping his head low, not daring to look up.
“Sining?”
“Master, it's nothing.”
Wen Sining also answered with her head lowered.
The more they acted like this, the more Xiao Hongye wanted to know what had transpired.
“Huo Huang, tell me. What happened? Why are you all so dejected and covered in dirt?”
“Yes, Master.”
Pressured by Xiao Hongye's intimidating aura, Huo Huang revealed everything that had happened in the realm, describing in vivid detail how Long Zitian had insulted Wang Xuanyi and tried to instigate Zhu Huai.
Of course, she did not leave out the part about Long Zitian getting beaten up.
In the last hour before the Little Purple Realm's exit opened, Long Zitian had received the most brutal beating. He had been hung from the tallest, sturdiest bamboo tree, allowing dozens of disciples to take turns whipping him.
Compared to the male disciple, Leng Ning'an and the other two girls had fared slightly better. They had merely had their storage rings emptied by the female disciples and were subjected to half an hour of verbal abuse.
On the way back, Long Zitian hadn't cared about anything else except restoring his swollen, pig-like face to normal before he dared to step foot onto Tianyun Peak.
After listening to Huo Huang's account, Xiao Hongye became terrifyingly calm. She said coldly, “Zitian, I do not recall teaching you how to instigate others. How can your character be so wicked? To actually insult a fellow senior brother of your own sect, and even try to coax Zhu Huai into becoming your lackey—what do you think the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect is? A gathering place for thugs?”
“Th-This disciple knows his mistake.”
Long Zitian quickly admitted his fault, but in his heart, he thought: in the future, let's see if you still have this kind of attitude.
“It is useless to apologize now. You will be punished according to the sect rules. Go to Xuanlei Peak and contemplate your actions for a month, otherwise, you will never learn your lesson,” Xiao Hongye said coldly.
“Master!”
“Get out and reflect.”
Long Zitian wanted to argue further, but Xiao Hongye, feeling annoyed, waved her hand, tearing open space and directly sending him to Xuanlei Peak.
Looking at the purple mystic lightning filling the sky, Long Zitian was completely dumbfounded.
He had not expected his master to be so decisive.
In his heart, his hatred for Wang Xuanyi and Zhu Huai escalated to a whole new level.
Originally, he had only viewed Wang Xuanyi as a minor trial within the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect, planning to torture him a bit before killing him. But now, mere torture would no longer suffice.
“Of all the enemies I encountered in my past life, you are the absolute weakest. Yet, you have managed to make me this angry in this life. Fine, fine, fine! Then do not blame me for being ruthless and merciless.
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