Goodbye, Yuè'er

The five people approaching were descending from the mountaintop. Three of them had met Duàn Yì before.

One was naturally the beautiful and refined Yuè'er, whose origins were extraordinary. Behind her, on either side, were Granny An, who was highly skilled in martial arts and had a close relationship with Yuè'er, and the square-faced elder.

As for the other two, they were likely disciples of the Golden Cauldron Sect.

The one in the light cyan skirt was a woman. She had delicate, curved eyebrows, a lovely, oval face, and a light blue gem earring on her right ear. She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, but her figure was voluptuous, making the still developing Yuè'er feel inadequate.

The other person looked about the same age as Duàn Yì. He wore fitted clothing and exuded an air of arrogance. His features were somewhat ordinary, with prominent ears and thick lips, and a few pimples on his face. Fortunately, he had a pair of bright, expressive eyes, making him presentable overall.

Helan Yuè'er had just walked down the mountain path when she saw Duàn Yì, whom she had often seen in her dreams lately. Surprised and delighted, she couldn't help but call out.

Immediately realizing she had been too forward, her heart pounded, and her cheeks flushed a faint red. Feeling as though everyone was watching her, she clutched Granny An's sleeve and lowered her head, unconsciously kicking at the stones on the ground. She was a far cry from the willful girl she had been when she first met Duàn Yì.

Aside from the two elders who had interacted with Duàn Yì, the others were indeed quite surprised, wondering how Helan Yuè'er knew Duàn Yì.

"Junior Disciple Duàn, you know Yuè'er?"

Zhào Yù's eyes flashed with a fleeting glint. He smiled, but the hand behind his back was bulging with veins, clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh without him feeling any pain. It was clear he was extremely agitated.

As an intelligent and sensitive man, Zhào Yù had sensed something amiss from Yuè'er's reaction upon meeting Duàn Yì. He, who had ulterior motives, found this development difficult to accept.

"How is that possible? Duàn Yì is just a destitute fellow who came up the mountain to seek relatives out of desperation. Why would he have any connection with Yuè'er? And for Yuè'er to... to him..."

The thought that his own efforts to please and tolerate Helan Yuè'er were not as effective as those of some young brat filled Zhào Yù with endless rage and frustration. It gnawed at him like a venomous snake, causing unbearable torment.

He even wished he could draw his sword and kill Duàn Yì on the spot to vent his hatred and grievances.

However, he had to endure it. At least he remembered that Duàn Yì might have learned the Invincible Treasure Codex, and behind him stood the pinnacle of the Golden Cauldron Sect's strength. It was not wise to offend him for the time being.

"Oh, before coming up the mountain, I met Miss Yuè'er by chance in Daming County. We're friends, I suppose."

Zhào Yù was very good at hiding his true feelings, so Duàn Yì had no idea what he was thinking, nor could he guess that a man in his twenties would harbor ill intentions towards a girl of twelve or thirteen. Duàn Yì replied with a bright smile.

He had thought it would be very difficult to meet her again, given how vast the world was. He never expected to reunite on the mountain so soon. They could indeed be considered fated.

However, he was more curious as to why Yuè'er was at the Golden Cauldron Sect. Was she also a disciple?

Impossible. He had heard clearly that day that the square-faced elder did not think highly of Qū Dōng Liú.

"As expected, this brat really doesn't call me husband, but Duàn. That scoundrel, he took advantage of me again. I'm so embarrassed."

Yuè'er was pricking up her cute little ears, eavesdropping on Zhào Yù and Duàn Yì's conversation. Upon hearing the words "Junior Disciple Duàn," she suddenly looked up, her clear black and white eyes fixed on Duàn Yì. She was both angry and shy, yet a sweetness bloomed in her heart.

Unconsciously, the pink on her cheeks spread to her earlobes, as if dyed with color, making her exceptionally noticeable.

Granny An and the square-faced elder exchanged glances, quite puzzled. They didn't understand why the young man they had met by chance that day would appear at the Golden Cauldron Sect, let alone converse so amicably with Qū Dōng Liú's most trusted disciple.

What surprised them even more was that Duàn Yì, who just days ago had only possessed the Minor Capturing Hand martial art and no foundation, was now full of vigor and spirit, clearly having entered the path of internal energy and becoming a true martial artist.

His talent and encounters were both exceptionally outstanding.

"Hmph, Senior Disciple Zhào, judging by his attire, he's not from this mountain. Who exactly is he?"

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the young man of similar age to Duàn Yì snorted coldly. He glanced sideways at Duàn Yì, a flash of jealousy in his eyes, clearly displeased.

What a pretty boy, dressed so shabbily. How could Yuè'er know someone like this?

It was evident that this young man was also an admirer of Yuè'er. However, compared to Zhào Yù's handsome and dashing demeanor, he seemed rather insignificant and lacked any pretense. His dislike for Duàn Yì was almost written all over his face.

The girl in the green dress, however, was quite curious about Duàn Yì. She fiddled with the earring on her right ear, her bright, lively eyes darting between Duàn Yì and the shy, adorable Yuè'er. She pursed her lips and smiled, as if she understood.

There weren't many female disciples in the Golden Cauldron Sect, and she was probably the only one who had gotten close to Yuè'er and gotten along well with her recently.

Zhào Yù, known for his handsome and dashing appearance, seemed to pale in comparison to the shabbily dressed Duàn Yì. She probably understood why Helan Yuè'er behaved the way she did when facing Duàn Yì.

A young girl's crush didn't need a complex reason; perhaps a single glance was enough to stir her heart.

And undoubtedly, Duàn Yì possessed the qualities that could make any woman in the world fall in love at first sight.

"Allow me to introduce Junior Disciple Duàn Yì. He is a distant relative of Uncle Bai Xī Wén. He came up the mountain just a few days ago. Although he hasn't formally joined our sect, he has received martial arts instruction from Uncle Bai and his future is boundless.

I was just showing Junior Disciple Duàn around the mountain."

Zhào Yù was quite shrewd. Facing the seemingly dissatisfied question from the young man, he smiled slightly to ease the awkwardness and introduced Duàn Yì to everyone with a seemingly friendly demeanor, showing no deliberate animosity despite his inner turmoil.

He then turned to introduce the five people to Duàn Yì.

"As for these five, the younger one is Miss Helan Yuè'er, my master's niece and the jewel of the Helan Family.

This is Granny An, and this is Eunuch Qiu. They are experts from the Helan Family and serve as Miss Yuè'er's personal guards. Even my master praises their martial arts, considering them seniors of the martial world.

These two are Senior Disciple Leng Qingmei and Junior Disciple Ruan Dong, both inner disciples of our sect's Vice Sect Master Liu Zhiwei."

After Zhào Yù introduced both parties, their emotions underwent a subtle shift, especially for Duàn Yì.

He had never expected that Yuè'er not only came from a prominent background but was also related to Qū Dōng Liú. He couldn't help but be momentarily dazed.

However, he quickly regained his composure, not allowing anyone nearby to notice any peculiarity.

In terms of reason and in name, Qū Dōng Liú was his enemy. It wasn't that they couldn't coexist, but it was difficult to resolve their animosity.

Currently, Duàn Yì lacked the strength and did not harbor any thoughts of revenge. But if he gained strength in the future, he might not hesitate to act, perhaps for his mother, or for Elder Sister Yuè, who had shown him great kindness.

And no matter who it was for, if that time came, it would be difficult for him to remain friends with Helan Yuè'er.

Fortunately, with his current low strength, he didn't need to think too much about it.

Granny An and Eunuch Qiu, upon hearing that Duàn Yì was studying martial arts under Bai Xī Wén, felt their confusion diminish considerably.

Both Duàn Yì and the other person knew of Bái Xī Wén. His formidable power from the Invincible Treasure Codex shook the region; he was a renowned expert in Hebei. With their own self-assurance and pride, even they had to acknowledge his strength.

What was most frightening was that Bái Xī Wén was still young, only thirty-three years old, making his future potential impossible to estimate.

With such a master to guide him, coupled with Duàn Yì's exceptional talent, it wasn't unreasonable for him to grasp internal energy in such a short time.

"What? He's a distant relative of Uncle-Master Bái? And he's learning martial arts from Uncle-Master Bái?"

Upon hearing this news, Ruǎn Dòng was momentarily stunned, his gaze towards Duàn Yì filled with complex emotions, a mix of envy and jealousy.

His family was wealthy merchants from Wei Prefecture, and they had spent a great deal to send him to the mountain to learn martial arts.

Ruǎn Dòng had originally wanted to directly study advanced martial arts under Bái Xī Wén, the top expert of the Golden Cauldron Sect. Unfortunately, Bái Xī Wén never took disciples and had never set a precedent for anyone, so he had to settle for the next best thing and become a disciple of Liú Zhì Wēi.

Duàn Yì, however, had easily obtained what he desired, fueling Ruǎn Dòng's envy, jealousy, and resentment.

At the same time, his previous dismissive and disdainful attitude towards Duàn Yì changed significantly. This was because Bái Xī Wén was the master he most admired and worshipped. Duàn Yì, having been trained by Bái Xī Wén, was bound to be no ordinary person.