Meng Qianxue looked at Chen Qing's calm profile. After hesitating for a moment, she still said softly, "Junior Brother Chen, thank you for seeing me home today. Our circumstances now... are actually quite similar. If those True Disciple Candidates hold gatherings again in the future, they probably will not invite me either."
"If... if you gain any insights in cultivation later, or feel troubled, perhaps... we could visit each other more often and exchange pointers."
She had always been proud and arrogant, a star surrounded by admirers among the Inner Sect disciples.
Yet her crushing defeat at Lu Chenming's hands had been like a basin of icy water. It had not only extinguished her arrogance, but also shown her the cruelty of reality.
The fellow disciples who had once hovered diligently around her were outwardly unchanged, yet their warmth had quietly faded.
The small gatherings of Wan Shangyi, Han Xiong, and the others no longer sent her invitations.
Such was the coldness of the world.
Out of the corner of her eye, she quietly studied the young man beside her.
He neither deliberately fawned over her nor showed the slightest disdain. That calmness instead made her feel at ease.
Chen Qing nodded at her words. "Senior Sister is right. If there is time, I will certainly discuss and spar with Senior Sister."
Meng Qianxue nodded. "Good. You are welcome anytime."
Afterward, Chen Qing escorted Meng Qianxue to the outer perimeter of the Yu Chen Peak residential area, clasped his fists, and said, "Then, Senior Sister, I'll be heading back first."
Meng Qianxue returned the salute. "Take care, Junior Brother Chen."
Watching Chen Qing turn and leave, his back vanishing around the corner, Meng Qianxue stood where she was, her heart filled with countless tangled emotions.
True Disciple Candidate... It sounded