Cao Mei woke up in an elevated mood, and as she turned her hazel eyes up, saw his gaze, calm, soothing and caring.

“Morning”

She smiled, blushing as the memories of last night went through her head.

“Morning”

He answered with a smile and she sank into an ocean of emotions, still in a daze that this was real.

After enjoying some time cuddling enjoying the warm and fuzzy feeling of being in his embrace, she sat up on the bed, the covers sliding off her. The sun rays that broke through the windows lit her gorgeous body, slender and yet with enchanting curves. She raised her arms and stretched, but then, sensing a gaze from the side looked at him and saw a glint of appreciating the view in his eyes.

Her cheeks reddened and her hands came to cover her ample chest, somehow making the scene he saw even more enticing, as she sat basked in sunlight, half-turned with rosy cheeks, looking slightly down, covering her chest that still peeked out of both arms. Her waist was slightly turned and bent to the side, creating a graceful pose. Her black short hair were still messy, adding to the picturesque scenery.

“Heh, if those guys were not approaching the mansion at the moment, that gesture would have started a morning cultivation session”

Wu Long chuckled, warning her as she became redder and he got up from the bed, starting to put on a new set of white robes with navy blue lining.

As he was putting on his robes, he glanced back to see her bent over, putting her long and slender, elegant leg through a different set of bikini strings, setting her foot and then putting another one through as well, sliding it up as she unbent with an elegant wavy motion, not noticing that he was looking.

‘Really, those guys truly have bad timing’

Wu Long inwardly chuckled as he finished putting on his robes, and leaned on the wall as he looked at her putting on her tight shorts, and then finally taking out a white blouse. As she put her arms through the elbow-length sleeves she turned while tying it below and froze as she saw those same eyes that she did not long ago when she woke up, but now bearing a resemblance to the eyes of a tiger watching its prey.

She quickly tied up the blouse as her face flushed red and he chuckled as he went to the door while she turned to look out of the window with her heart racing.

Wu Long came out of the room and saw Ye Ling who saw a glimpse of the Pirate Princess in the room and smiled at him.

“Finally, I thought you are going to make the poor girl go through as long period as you once had me go through”

She chuckled and he wryly smiled as he was not always so perceptive of the feelings, or open about his desires and good with words, his relationship with Ye Ling evolving extremely slowly.

“Hah, she does not yet have a lifespan long enough for that don’t you think?”

Wu Long said and both laughed as she approached him and fixed the linings of his robes on him as he usually wore his clothes quite casually. Her refined fingers, slid under his collar, straightening out the wrinkled parts.

He leaned in and gave her a kiss, and warning her about Gong Liwei as Butler Bang approached to inform that Elder Jue arrived. He nodded to the old butler and went out, on the way giving a kiss to a sleepy Wu Mengqi who came out of her room while rubbing her eyes, with bed hair and still yawning.

When he arrived at the hall he was in yesterday, he saw Gong Cui standing next to Fan Shuei, smiling while the Sect Master was speaking with a puzzled expression on her face.

“…-id not learn it? But you spent three times the time you usually do in this seclusion… the Song of a Broken Spear is not any more difficult than the Song of the Ethereal Mountain you learned last time. Are you sure you took the right scroll?”

Fan Shuei’s voice reached Wu Long and he smiled since she probably did not even read it, let alone learn it.

“Oh! That might be true, anyway, I might need another seclusion, Palace Master”

“Haa~ I would love to give you that opportunity but there is going to be a meeting of the Five Great Sects soon, and we do not know if your next seclusion will also become delayed, we cannot risk it”

The Palace Master massaged her temples as she spoke, prompting a slightly panicked expression to appear on Gong Cui’s face.

“Eh? Is that why there are people from the Cloud Piercing Sect here?”

“Hm? How do you know about it?”

“…Ahahahaha”

As the younger Gong sister asked with a realization the Sect Leader widened her eyes, and the former started profusely sweating as a dry laugh escaped her, her eyes starting to wander, causing the latter to narrow her eyes. She knew her disciple as the back of her hand, and the fact she did not learn the piece that she went into seclusion to comprehend was already questionable enough. But this reaction just now was a dead giveaway that something was wrong.

In truth Gong Cui could have just answered that she heard it on the way around the sect and that would not have been questioned, but the reaction she gave made Fan Shuei finally suspicious.

“Khm”

At this time, Gong Cui’s wandering gaze met Wu Long’s and a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes as he chuckled and lightly cleared his throat, shifting the Palace Master’s attention to himself while the young maiden sighed with relief, at least for now.

“Greetings, Mister Wu, I hope the stay was not too uncomfortable”

“Thank you for the hospitality, Palace Master Fan”

scrutinizing eyes. His tone did not match the fact that there was an altercation between him and the other guest party.

“I heard you had trouble with Elder Miu of the Cloud Piercing Sect… may I ask you elaborate on what happened?”

“Elder Jue was there so I doubt there is anything I can add that you do not know”

Fan Shuei slightly frowned as she was expecting at least an apology or, better, an explanation to his actions. It was long since evident that there was no missing information about the incident, and this question was just a way to give him an opportunity for those things.

The expressions of the people in the hall darkened as well as Wu Long consistently talked with their Sect Leader on equal terms, and did not lower his head. He was not a disciple or even a member of the sect so it was a given that Fan Shuei’s status did not bear as much weight on him, but his demeanor would normally only be acceptable if he was a ruler of a country on par with the three empires or a leader of an organization of comparable prowess and influence.

“Regarding my request, I have heard it was already granted, so I would like to ask to be guided to the one who granted it”

A murmur went through the hall as Wu Long took the initiative to push the talk through, effectively ending the topic without giving leeway to continue it. It was essentially ‘not giving face’ to the Sect Master at all. As Fan Shuei furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to answer…

“Where is he? Where is the one who disrespected the mighty Cloud Piercing Sect?”

Suddenly a shout resounded within the hall as the doors opened with a loud *Bang*.