Guan Peng and the others were stunned after they came out of the hallway, even more so when they saw their master smiling with satisfaction.

“Why are your expressions like that, kids?”

“Master!” Qiao Lingzhi screamed and ran over to Ye Zhong, and she punched his chest repeatedly. “You are really mean! You lied to us about that item!”

“Haha!” Ye Zhong laughed and hugged Qiao Lingzhi. “I thought you guys would come back later, but you found that room so quickly, and you’re here now.”

“What exactly is your purpose in giving us such a test, Master? You even confiscated our returning jades, and we almost died in the forest.” Dongfang Xu asked with an angry look.

“Aren’t you guys still alive now?” Ye Zhong immediately explained it to them. “You guys will leave this sect and join other sects soon, so I want to see the readiness of all of you to face harsher situations.”

“So how did we do, Master?” Guan Peng asked him.

“You made it through well, and you’re ready to move forward, Peng’er.” Ye Zhong then said to the other three. “You guys aren’t bad either, but there are still many things you all need to improve.”

“What should we improve, Master?”

“Tell us about our shortcomings, Master.”

Ye Zhong sighed softly before telling them one by one about their shortcomings, which made them sigh heavily, but they immediately nodded and said to him. “We will definitely improve our weaknesses, and we will definitely become even better, Master.

“That’s good.” Ye Zhong then released Qiao Lingzhi from his arms. “All right, the three of you can go back to your rooms to rest, but Nichang stays here, and I want to discuss something with you.”

Nangong Nichang nodded in understanding, for she had already guessed what Ye Zhong wanted to discuss with her, and the other three immediately left them alone.

Ye Zhong then asked her. “Has Lady Xiuxi told you some things?”

“Yes.” Nangong Nichang responded by nodding. “She told me about the future husband that my father had prepared, and she also told me about several other things.”

“I see.” Ye Zhong then asked her again. “What do you think about that?”

“Honestly, I still don’t have the answer to that matter, Master.” Nangong Nichang let out a heavy sigh before continuing. “However, I don’t want to just accept my father’s decision, especially since I don’t know Huang Ba, and I also want to determine my own future.”

Ye Zhong was not surprised by her answer. “Unfortunately, you can’t possibly determine your own future, and your father will definitely come here to pick you up as soon as you turn twenty one. After that, he will force you to marry Huang Ba, and you won’t be able to refuse his orders.”

Nangong Nichang lowered her face after he heard that, for she was aware that Ye Zhong’s words were true. Even though she really wanted to determine her own future, she could never refuse their orders, especially since she was too weak for that.

Ye Zhong immediately got up from his seat and walked over to Nangong Nichang, and he gently rubbed her head. “I really want to help you solve that problem, but you know that I can’t interfere with your clan’s affairs.”

“I know.” Nangong Nichang then hugged Ye Zhing and asked in a sad tone. “What should I do, Master? I still don’t want to get married, let alone marry a stranger.”

Ye Zhong hugged her back and asked. “Did Lady Xiuxi offer you anything?”

“Yes.” Nangong Nichang then took the token that Zhou Yu gave her. “Big Sis wanted me to leave the sect soon, but I refused her request, and she gave me this to contact her if I change my mind.”

Ye Zhong took the token and observed it for a moment, and he immediately returned it to Nangong Nichang again. “Why did she ask you to leave this sect? Did she ask you to join another sect?”

“No.” Nangong Nichang answered by shaking her head. “Big Sis hasn’t said anything to me, but I can guess the purpose of her asking me to leave the sect.”

“Oh? What’s his purpose?”

“Big Sis seems to want me to join the Eternal Spring Palace.”

“Hmm?” Ye Zhong instantly frowned after he heard that. “Why does she want you to join the dual cultivation sect?”

“I’m sorry, Master.” Nangong Nichang replied apologetically. “Big Sis asked me not to tell anyone else, including you, and I already promised her, so I can’t tell you the truth.”

Ye Zhong nodded in understanding and patted her head. “Nichang, Lady Xiuxi is an upright woman, so I think it would be better if you accepted her offer.”

“But-”

“Little girl, I raised you from childhood, so I know your character very well, and I know exactly why you don’t want to leave the sect.” Ye Zhong gently said to her. “Don’t you want to determine your own future? You will never be able to do that as long as you continue to stay in this sect, and I also don’t have the authority to help you, so your best choice is to follow her. If she asks you to join the Eternal Spring Palace, then you should join that sect.”

Nangong Nichang’s expression was filled with dilemma after listening to her master’s words. “Master, the disciples of that sect are dual cultivators, and I am an ordinary cultivator. Besides, I’m afraid that they will force me to be their partner, so I don’t want to join it.”

“Silly girl.” Ye Zhong rubbed her head gently and spoke to Nangong Nichang again. “Lady Xiuxi herself asked you to join the sect; I’m sure that she will protect you. Besides, the Eternal Spring Sect has very strict rules, and male disciples cannot force female disciples to become their partners, or else they will be punished severely.”

“Really? Are they really not going to force me to be their partner?” Nangong Nichang asked with a doubtful look.

“Yes.” Ye Zhong nodded to her. “Their sect master is Tian Ya, and he devised the sect rules. Even though he came from the Tian branch clan, he has a very good reputation in their main clan; even Tian Huang values him so much, so you don’t need to worry about joining that sect.”

“All right, I will rest and think about it first, Master.”

“You can leave now.” As Nangong Nichang continued to walk away, Ye Zhong looked towards her and sighed softly. “Little girl, I hope you make a decision quickly, especially since your father will arrive in a few days, or it will be too late.”

.

.

.

Two men and a woman were strolling down the busy streets of Tian City, especially since the people of the Tian Clan were still searching for traces of the demons who had infiltrated their clan, and a little girl was casually sitting on the shoulders of one of the men.

However, everyone they passed always pointed at the woman, and they kept whispering and wondering about her situation, and it happened because Tian Yueling had not appeared in public for too long due to her illness.

Even though they had heard the news about her recovery, they were still shocked to see Tian Yueling, especially since her face had become much more beautiful compared to before, and she was strolling around the city with two men.

One of the men was Ling Yun, while the other man was Xiao Xiao, who was deliberately wearing men’s clothing, and she even wrapped her breasts very tightly with a cloth.

After all, beauty often causes problems, and Xiao Xiao’s beauty is far above that of other women; not even Tian Yueling’s beauty can be compared with hers.

Although Tian Yueling had swallowed the beauty returning pill, Xiao Xiao had the Ice Phoenix Bloodline, and a phoenix was known to be very beautiful.

Since they recognized Tian Yueling’s identity, not a single man dared to glance at her openly, but they were also deeply amazed by her beauty.

Unlike the men, the women kept glancing at Ling Yun and Xiao Xiao, both young and old, and they looked jealous of Tian Yueling.

Even so, there was a man who kept looking at Tian Yueling from the third floor of a teahouse, but he kept sighing to himself.

“Hey, Yueling, isn’t that guy your ex-boyfriend?” Zhao Yu suddenly asked as she pointed at the man in the teahouse, who was none other than Zhong Cunhai.

Tian Yueling looked at Zhong Cunhai, but there was only disappointment in her eyes when she saw his face, and she immediately looked away again. “You don’t need to talk about him anymore, Big Sis. My relationship with him ended a long time ago, so he’s just a stranger to me now.”

Ling Yun and Xiao Xiao also glanced at Zhong Cunhai, but they didn’t say anything, especially since their relationship was none of their business.

However, they suddenly heard some fast and heavy steps heading towards them, so they immediately turned towards those people and saw a young girl walking in front of several guards, and her appearance was like a girl in her early twenties.

Tian Yueling sighed softly after she saw the woman with long black hair, especially since her appearance was like that of a seductress, and her purple dress was quite revealing in some parts, so men could see her breasts and smooth skin. “What are you doing here, Du Yanyao?”

– To Be Continued –