Hongjun and Qiongxiao's Time Together

This... seemed wrong.

Nan Ji rubbed his eyes and saw Qiongxiao pulling Hongjun along by the hand.

And Hongjun simply let her pull him.

"Oh my, it hasn't been long at all, and yet we're meeting again. I never knew this old Daoist was so dearly missed."

Same familiar formula, same familiar flavor.

Nan Ji had originally prepared a whole bellyful of pleas on Qiongxiao's behalf, but upon seeing this scene, he could not bring himself to speak.

What was there to say? Judging from the smile on that old man's face, they were clearly getting along just fine.

"Uh..."

After thinking it over, Nan Ji decided to tell the truth. "Well, Ancestor Master, this disciple rushed over because I was worried this girl had made you angry."

"Angry?"

"Why would this old Daoist be angry?"

"You brat left this old Daoist sitting there and only came by to offer incense. This girl at least knew to wipe me down."

"Tsk, tsk. If we're talking about who causes the most trouble, your martial uncle is definitely the best at it."

"Out of all this old Daoist's disciples, there is only one so outstanding."

Listening to Hongjun's long-winded speech, Nan Ji did not know whether he should agree or remain silent.

The one consolation was that Qiongxiao had actually made an impression on the Dao Ancestor.

Thinking of this girl's future fate, he had heard that she would be beaten to death by her own master with the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi.

Since she would not enter the Investiture of the Gods in the flesh, how could she possibly have good days ahead in the Heavenly Court?

Upon hearing Hongjun say this, Qiongxiao coquettishly said, "Grandpa Dao Ancestor, you can't say that. I haven't even entered Master's sect yet."

"If I have to return to Three Immortal Island, what if I get bullied again someday?"

As she spoke, pearls truly seemed ready to fall from Qiongxiao's large eyes.

Seeing Qiongxiao like this, Nan Ji's heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

The person before her was Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Why was she acting spoiled before him?

Yet to his utter surprise, Hongjun seemed to fall right for it. He nodded repeatedly and said, "All right, all right, this old Daoist won't say it anymore. Is that not enough?"

Hearing Hongjun's answer, Qiongxiao's face immediately went from cloudy to clear. Grinning, she said, "That's more like it!"

Nan Ji:...

One thing really did keep another in check.

But who could have imagined that the hard-hearted Hongjun had such a side to him?

One only had to look at how much effort Jieyin and Zhunti had spent to obtain their Saint positions.

And the three thousand guests in Purple Sky Palace had practically wanted to smash their heads open kowtowing.

Yet Hongjun had never acted this way with them.

Perhaps to confirm Hongjun's own thoughts, he took a jade token from his robes and handed it to Qiongxiao. "This is the jade token Grandpa is giving you. When you return, give it to Tongtian, and he will understand."

Qiongxiao accepted the jade token and happily said, "Thank you, Grandpa."

After watching her accept it, Hongjun continued, "After the next sermon ends, Grandpa will become part of the Heavenly Dao. I will no longer have personal thoughts or emotions."

Nan Ji understood when he saw this.

The second sermon had already ended. After the third sermon, Dao Ancestor Hongjun would merge with the Heavenly Dao.

At that time, Hongjun would be the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao would not be Hongjun.

He would not even emerge unless something momentous occurred.

So before merging with the Dao, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had unexpectedly experienced the feelings of a grandfather and granddaughter.

Upon hearing Hongjun's words, Qiongxiao froze, yet she did not immediately cry.

She merely held the jade pendant in her hand and stared blankly at it. "Grandpa, ever since I took form, my brother and sisters have taken very good care of Qiongxiao."

"Before this, Qiongxiao never knew what it felt like to have a grandfather."

"But now Qiongxiao understands. This feeling is truly wonderful."

At this point, Qiongxiao suddenly revealed a radiant smile. "Although the time was short, Qiongxiao was very happy. Thank you, Grandpa!"

After saying that, Qiongxiao jumped down from the cloud bed in Purple Sky Palace and properly kowtowed three times to Hongjun.

Hongjun openly remained seated and accepted Qiongxiao's salute, then said, "Good, good. Remember to give the jade pendant to your master!"

"Mhm!"

Qiongxiao tightly gripped the palm-sized jade pendant with both hands and nodded.

Hongjun actually felt a sour ache in his heart, but he said nothing more. Instead, he gently told Nan Ji and Qiongxiao, "Then Grandpa will send you back. Get ready."

Only after seeing Qiongxiao close her eyes did Hongjun slowly wave his sleeve, teleporting her and Nan Ji outside Purple Sky Palace.

Then he waved his hand and drew up a teardrop from the ground, for he had clearly seen that it was shed by Qiongxiao the instant she closed her eyes.

When Nan Ji and Qiongxiao returned, they discovered that Tongtian and the others had long since left Changsheng Hall.

"Little Nan Ji, bring your junior sister to Biyu Palace!"

The moment Nan Ji steadied himself, he heard Tongtian's voice transmission.

Qiongxiao, who had just landed, no longer wore that bright expression. Rarely, sorrow clouded her face, while she still tightly clutched the jade pendant Hongjun had given her.

Nan Ji naturally understood her reluctance to part with Hongjun and could only say, "Junior Sister, come on. I'll take you to become a disciple."

"Mhm, all right."

The feeling of gaining something only to lose it again made Qiongxiao miserable, but she also knew it was only a beautiful memory.

So she took a deep breath and followed Nan Ji toward Biyu Palace.

Inside Biyu Palace, Tongtian still sat calmly atop the cloud bed.

Looking at Nan Ji and Qiongxiao as they entered, he slightly raised his brows and asked, "Qiongxiao, are you willing to take me as your master?"

"This disciple is willing."

Upon hearing this, Qiongxiao respectfully saluted Tongtian.

Nan Ji looked at Qiongxiao like this and found it somewhat strange.

When she had been chattering away before, he found her a little annoying, but now that she had suddenly quieted down, he felt unaccustomed to it instead.

"Mhm! Since your eldest martial uncle has not yet accepted any disciples, I shall take the four of you siblings as nominal disciples."

Tongtian nodded, then repeated to Qiongxiao what he had said to Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao.

Seeing Qiongxiao's quiet appearance, Tongtian merely assumed that she had gone through the same experience he once had in Purple Sky Palace. Thus, he comforted her, "Qiongxiao, your master has been through it too. Your Ancestor Master once took me to Purple Sky Palace as well."

As he spoke, Tongtian stepped down from the cloud bed and came before Qiongxiao. "But look at me. Haven't I gotten over it now? I can jump and hop just fine."

After saying that, Tongtian even bounced twice in front of Qiongxiao.

Nan Ji looked at Tongtian with a face full of black lines. Well then, as expected, his image had completely collapsed.

He could not stay serious for more than two minutes.

Perhaps sensing Nan Ji's resentment toward him, Tongtian raised a sword-like brow and looked at Nan Ji. "What? Does Little Nan Ji have an objection to your martial uncle?"

"Ah, yes."

Nan Ji was not afraid of Tongtian at all. Instead, he said to Qiongxiao, "Junior Sister Qiongxiao, didn't Ancestor Master give you a jade token and tell you to hand it to your master?"

"Hm? Master gave you something too?"

"Why didn't I get anything last time?"

Tongtian asked in confusion.

After hearing Nan Ji's words, Qiongxiao reluctantly stroked the jade token before presenting it to Tongtian with both hands. "Master, Ancestor Master said this was for you."

"Huh?"

Tongtian accepted the jade token and found it to be nothing more than a plain, unadorned piece of jade.

Then Tongtian sent his divine sense into it.

"Tongtian!"

Hongjun's voice rang out, startling Tongtian into shuddering.

However, Tongtian then remembered that this was merely a message left by his master, so it did not matter whether he answered or not.

But then Hongjun's voice came again.

"Very good. So you still know this old Daoist is your master?"

"What disciples are you taking? You made your eldest brother, second brother, and martial nephew worry themselves sick over you. How did I end up with such an outstanding disciple?"

"From now on, you shall be called Outstanding Daoist Tongtian."

Hongjun's words came one after another.

Tongtian's face changed from shocked white to frightened green, then embarrassed red, and finally aggrieved purple.

That familiar feeling, as though tens of thousands of venomous snakes were crawling over his body, assailed Tongtian once more.