His Reason for Coming

At the sound of the voice, Bai Yang turned around. His face lit up with delight, and he stood. "Miss Bai Yun, so it really is you!"

The newcomer was Bai Yun. She and Bai Yang had left the Blood Lotus Sect's forbidden grounds together back then, and she had departed after the Blood Lotus Sect was destroyed. Now that they had met again, she had hardly changed.

"Mr. Bai, we meet again. It's been a while, and I never expected you to have reached the Heavenly Master realm already. I'm truly humbled. You could have come straight to Tian Yin Sect and given them my name. Why bother taking that pointless test with everyone else?"

Bai Yun stepped into the courtyard and greeted Bai Yang. Clearly, she knew all about what he had done since arriving at Tian Yin Sect.

She was every bit as beautiful as Qing He, but she lacked Qing He's otherworldly aura. Perhaps she had gotten used to being the big sister in the Blood Lotus Sect's forbidden grounds; there was a distinctly rough-and-tumble air to the way she spoke.

What did she mean, just give them her name? Did she think she ran Tian Yin Sect?

Bemused, Bai Yang smiled. "I would've liked to come straight up the mountain, but your people at the foot said Tian Yin Sect was closed to visitors. I had no choice but to follow your rules. Luckily, I'm a little clever. Otherwise, who knows when I'd have gotten to see an old friend again?"

"If your methods count as just a little clever, what chance do the young talents down the mountain have? Enough of this useless talk. Sit down. It's been ages—let's drink a whole jar first."

Bai Yun strode into the pavilion with an easygoing air