What a Coincidence?

"It's her!"

The person was a tall, slender young woman dressed in a black, wide-sleeved robe and carrying a long sword. Her hair was tied high behind her head. She had bright eyes, pearly teeth, skin as smooth as jade, and a fresh, charming air.

Yet that was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that Lu Ming actually knew her by her appearance.

She was precisely the young woman who, outside Shuofeng City by the official road, had ordered someone to give him a bundle from inside the carriage.

Although he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her, he still remembered that face vividly.

"You know her?"

Seeing Lu Ming's expression, Cui Bai asked in confusion.

"I do." After confirming it once more, Lu Ming nodded.

"Then do you want to go say hello?" Cui Bai was somewhat surprised, but did not think much of it.

Lu Ming turned his head and glanced over. Seeing that the line was almost up to him, he said, "I'll register first, then."

Actually, he was still hesitating over whether he should go say hello.

After all, the other party might have forgotten him long ago.

Soon, he had no time to think about it any further, because it was already his turn.

"Identity token," the recording elder said.

Lu Ming hurriedly handed it over.

The elder accepted it and merely registered him before giving him a contestant's pass. It bore a number: Team Ten, Number Sixty-Nine.

With that, his registration was complete.

Next came Cui Bai's turn.

Lu Ming stepped aside but did not leave, because he had still decided to say hello to her and offer the thanks he had not had a chance to voice last time.

After all, that bundle had been of enormous help to him.

Otherwise, merely surviving would have taken him a very long time.

After Cui Bai finished registering, he saw that Lu Ming was waiting for someone. Understanding the reason, he did not disturb him and left on his own.

The registration went quickly, so her turn came soon as well.

After the elder accepted her identity token, he frowned and said, "Zhu Ningyun, how did you end up at the very back?"

"Elder, the Sect Master and Elder Gongsun stopped me for a conversation, so I arrived late."

"I see. Then all you can receive now is Team Ten, Number Ninety-Two."

"Yes."

"I never thought she would be Zhu Ningyun. Right, of course. I was wondering how someone who had only just entered the inner sect could cultivate so quickly."

From nearby, Lu Ming suddenly overheard their conversation. He was surprised, but at the same time, everything dawned on him.

As soon as he saw her finish registering, he hurried over.

"Is something wrong?"

Suddenly being blocked, Zhu Ningyun knitted her brows.

Lu Ming said directly, "Over a year ago, outside Shuofeng City, there was a beggar by the roadside. You ordered someone to give him a bundle. Do you remember?"

"A beggar?"

Hearing this, Zhu Ningyun began recalling the past in confusion. Soon, the figure who had immediately lowered his head upon seeing her surfaced in her mind.

"I remember."

Having recalled it, the confusion in her eyes deepened. She looked at Lu Ming and asked, "Are you his family or friend?"

Lu Ming gave a light cough and explained, "That was me. I'm cultivating martial arts now."

"Oh."

Zhu Ningyun nodded while holding her sword. Just as Lu Ming wondered why her reaction was so calm, he saw her suddenly cry out:

"It's you?"

"It's me."

"That's impossible... Back then, you were still... Yet now..."

She kept sizing Lu Ming up. Seeing that he had actually reached the mid-stage of the Zhen Qi Realm, and that his build and bearing were completely impossible to reconcile with the image in her memory, her expression shifted from doubt to surprise and then to disbelief.

It was an exceedingly vivid display.

"To be honest, before I met you, I had just obtained a fortuitous encounter. Then you gave me ten taels of silver as my starting capital," Lu Ming added.

"Then your talent..."

After carefully observing him, Zhu Ningyun confirmed that although Lu Ming's build and bearing had changed drastically, his appearance had not changed much.

Thus, she believed him to be eight or nine parts truthful.

But she soon realized another problem.

At that time, he had clearly possessed no cultivation at all. Even counting from then, he had not been cultivating for very long.

Yet his cultivation was actually equal to hers.

That was rather inconceivable.

Could Lu Ming say that he was faster than her? He could only say, "In any case, I waited here because I wanted to thank you."

"There's no need. At the time, I merely had a sudden burst of kindness and acted on a whim."

Zhu Ningyun still found it somewhat difficult to believe. After all, that casual act of hers seemed to have created a person.

It was a strange feeling.

Lu Ming smiled instead. "During this time, I've also saved many people while carrying out missions. Whenever they thanked me, I often said the same thing."

"Now that it's my turn, I can finally understand how at a loss they felt. After all, the debt of gratitude was simply too great."

"What did you do at the time?"

Zhu Ningyun was somewhat surprised—both that he had suddenly said this and that he had already begun carrying out missions.

"Simple. I brushed off my clothes after the deed and left, hiding my merit and name."

"What a fine verse. It carries the carefree air of a wandering hero. It's a good idea as well. Goodbye."

Zhu Ningyun praised him, then suddenly leaped away.

Her departure was naturally a joke. The two of them could be considered old acquaintances, so they felt a sense of familiarity with each other and began chatting.

While they were at it, Lu Ming invited her to eat at Cuiyun Tower, as a small expression of his gratitude.

It was not until dusk that the two of them parted.

In the Sect Master's main hall, Wuji Sect's Sect Master, Li Ansheng, was discussing matters with Gongsun He.

"Are all the preparations for the inner-sect grand competition complete?" Li Ansheng asked.

"Rest assured. Everything is ready," Gongsun He replied.

Li Ansheng nodded. He was just about to say something else when a disciple reported that Zhu Ningyun was asking to see him.

"It's that girl. Quickly, let her in."

Li Ansheng immediately stopped the discussion.

Soon, Zhu Ningyun entered. After saluting, she stood there without saying a word.

This left Li Ansheng and Gongsun He, seated above, at a loss.

Gongsun He gave a light cough to break the silence and asked, "Ningyun, didn't you go register for the grand competition's preliminaries? What happened? Did you miss it?"

"Elder, I made it in time," Zhu Ningyun replied.

"Then what's the matter?" Gongsun He asked, puzzled.

Zhu Ningyun said directly, "Elder, Sect Master, is there someone in the sect with greater cultivation talent than me?"

The two of them were startled. "Why would you ask that?"

Zhu Ningyun then told them about her encounter with Lu Ming.

Only after hearing the whole story did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief. Lu Ming had not exposed himself. But in the next moment, they were once again filled with astonishment.

When Lu Ming had joined the sect, he had told them everything except for the Jade Pendant. Naturally, they knew that he had received the help of a kind-hearted person outside the city.

But they had never imagined that person would be the talented young woman before them.

What a marvelous, ineffable coincidence.

"It could actually be such a coincidence?" Li Ansheng turned his head.

"The facts are right before us." Gongsun He spread his hands.

"Good, good!"

Li Ansheng suddenly laughed heartily. "For such a coincidence to involve our Wuji Sect proves that our sect's rise has the blessing of Heaven!"

"Chu Yunxiao deserves a great deal of the credit. Otherwise, Lu Ming would have gone to the Nine Heavens Sect," Gongsun He added.

"Reward Chu Yunxiao handsomely!"

"Huh?"

Gongsun He had only mentioned it in passing. Who could have expected Li Ansheng to react this way? He hurriedly said, "He's already been rewarded twice."

"Reward him again!"

Gongsun He helplessly rubbed his forehead.

And so, Chu Yunxiao inexplicably received another reward.

"Sect Master, what about me?"

Zhu Ningyun suddenly spoke.

Only then did the two men realize that there was a third person present. Gongsun He laughed and asked, "Ningyun, what reward do you want?"

Zhu Ningyun said, "I want to participate in the secret-realm trial after the grand competition."

"No." Li Ansheng immediately refused. He stood up and said, "It's perilous beyond measure inside. You absolutely cannot go."

"I'm not afraid of death. Besides, Lu Ming has even better talent than I do, yet he has already left the sect and completed quite a few missions," Zhu Ningyun immediately retorted.

The two men smiled awkwardly, and Gongsun He took on the stern role:

"Ningyun, your situations are different. Not fearing death is a fine quality in a Martial Artist, but there's a difference between not fearing death and actively seeking it."

"But you can't protect me for the rest of my life. How am I supposed to grow like that?"

Zhu Ningyun's voice carried a sob.

The hall fell silent. Gongsun He opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what else to say. Instead, Li Ansheng suddenly spoke:

"Fine. If you place in the top thirty of this inner-sect grand competition—no, the top twenty—no, the top ten. As long as you enter the top ten and reach the peak of the Zhen Qi Realm when the secret realm opens, I'll agree to let you go."

"Good, I agree. Just watch me."

Zhu Ningyun turned her tears into a smile and immediately left, afraid they might regret it.

"Gasp, Sect Master, why do I feel as though you've fallen into her trap?"

"Have I?"

Li Ansheng stroked his chin. He felt that he might have, but naturally would not admit it. "Rest assured. Those little fellows in the top ten each have their own special skills. They're no easy opponents."

"Although Ningyun's talent is decent, she ultimately has had too little time to cultivate and lacks foundation. She absolutely won't make it into the top ten."

"She may even struggle to enter the top thirty. I only said that to be safe."

He was brimming with confidence.

Gongsun He nodded, then asked, "I heard Ningyun say just now that Lu Ming has also reached the mid-stage of the Zhen Qi Realm. What place do you think he can obtain?"