Qingzhu Peak: Chang Yan, Xie Jingyun

Qingzhu Peak.

The mountain was covered in all kinds of bamboo, their colors vivid and varied.

Green, black, white, purple...

Rumor had it that at the summit grew the miraculous Spirit Gathering Bamboo, a type of spiritual bamboo that could gather the world's spiritual energy and transform the living environment.

Living there long-term would even enhance one's martial cultivation.

The essence of the Inner Qi Realm was to accumulate energy and open the meridians within the body. This accumulation generally came from absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, or consuming Spirit Pills, spiritual medicines, Spirit Meals, Spirit Food, and other things rich in spiritual energy.

Most ordinary Martial Artists relied solely on absorbing the monotonous spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A thousand years ago, all kinds of spiritual medicines and pills rich in spiritual energy were mostly monopolized by powers like the Famous Mountains Great Sects, Noble Families Dynasties, and the like.

Legend said that a thousand years ago, when Outer Realm Demonic Evils invaded, Martial Dao Sky-Supporting Giants rose up. After a hundred years of war, they initially drove out the Outer-Realm Demons.

But this world was left scarred and battered. After the war, the several Giants held a secret meeting. No one knew the specifics of what was discussed.

All that was known was that after the meeting, they jointly announced they would support the development of martial arts in the True Spirit Realm, opening up all kinds of martial techniques. Some even said they passed down secret methods for breaking through to the Dharma Form, Void Insight, and other peerless realms.

The entire world erupted in excitement. Over the following millennia, countless sects and countless heroes and heroes emerged.

Five hundred years ago, many rare treasures, strange spirit beasts, astonishing secret arts, miraculous techniques, and the like suddenly appeared.

Most Martial Artists guessed that the Sky-Supporting Giants at the top had made another breakthrough.

At the foot of Qingzhu Peak, Chen Qinglin and the other two arrived.

Su Yuexing tossed a Sound Transmission Talisman from her hand, then started chatting with the other two.

"Let's wait a bit. I know Senior Sister Chang Yan of Qingzhu Peak. When she comes down, I'll ask her for you."

"This Sound Transmission Talisman is really amazing." Chen Qinglin pretended to be impressed, like someone who had never seen the world before.

"Convenient, right? Talismans only appeared in the last five hundred years. They spread from the Central Region to our area, and that already took two or three hundred years." Su Yuexing explained to him.

"Senior Sister, I saw you had nothing in your hand just now. How did you make it appear?" Chen Qinglin noticed the ring on Su Yuexing's finger and, having a guess, deliberately asked.

Before Su Yuexing could answer, Ling Ling raised her fair finger and waved it in front of Chen Qinglin's eyes, saying:

"Junior Brother, you haven't seen a Storage Ring yet, have you? Look! This is one."

"There's a Void Space inside a Storage Ring. You can store a lot of things in it. That way, when you leave the sect for missions, you don't have to carry a bag. The Sound Transmission Talisman was taken out from inside too."

Hearing this, Chen Qinglin sighed with admiration and praise, satisfying this little Senior Sister's desire to teach.

But in his heart, he was thinking, This martial world really has many surprises waiting for me to discover!

"Senior Sister Ling, where can I buy a Storage Ring?" Chen Qinglin was quite eager for a Storage Ring.

"There's one at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Qingfeng City at the foot of the mountain. Mine is a Human Tier Low Grade Storage Ring. It cost me a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Now I'm so poor I have to work at the Disciple Promotion Office and find outstanding disciples for Master. I'm so miserable! Boohoo..." Ling Ling put on a very sad face as she said this.

"..." You call that miserable? Chen Qinglin was speechless.

"Don't listen to your Senior Sister Ling's nonsense."

"She stole your Master's Spirit Wine and drank it, so Martial Uncle punished her with this mission."

"Your Senior Sister has never even left the sect. That little stash of hers all came from doing sect missions, plus what your Master and Senior Brothers and Sisters gave her out of pity." After saying this, she shot Ling Ling a glare, clearly knowing her friend's temperament well.

"Don't expose my hardships, Yuexing! Next time you do a mission, take me along. I won't have money to buy good food soon."

"..." Chen Qinglin looked at this Senior Sister with new eyes. She doesn't do missions and still has money to buy, buy, buy. And she dares to steal Master's Spirit Wine to drink. Master Fu Shenxing's punishment might as well not exist...

As they chatted, after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the person Su Yuexing was waiting for arrived.

"Yuexing, you're here."

Following the voice, a beautiful woman came down Qingzhu Peak. She was tall and slender, wearing a cyan form-fitting outfit, her hair tied up in a neat ponytail, giving her a dashing and spirited look.

She was greeting Su Yuexing.

When she got close, Su Yuexing introduced them to each other.

"Sister Chang Yan, you're here."

"Ling'er, Junior Brother Chen, this is Senior Sister Chang Yan of Qingzhu Peak."

"The last time I went to kill an Evil Method Cultivator that had fled to Youzhou, I went with Senior Sister Chang Yan. I owe a lot to her care."

"Sister Chang Yan, this is my good friend, Ling Ling of Qingyun Peak, and her little Junior Brother Chen Qinglin."

"Yuexing, I heard you're at the Mission Hall now. How do you have time to come find me?" Chang Yan exchanged greetings with the two, then spoke to Su Yuexing.

"This Junior Brother Chen Qinglin wants to find someone on your Qingzhu Peak, but he doesn't know anyone here, so I came to make an introduction. And besides, I missed Sister Chang Yan." She said this with a look of utmost sincerity at Chang Yan.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Who are you looking for?" Chang Yan was a straightforward woman, and she couldn't handle Su Yuexing's tactics.

"Senior Sister Chang, we're looking for Senior Sister Xie Jingyun, a disciple of Elder Meng Yunling of Qingzhu Peak. May I ask if Senior Sister Xie is available?" Chen Qinglin stepped forward to answer.

"Junior Sister Xie? Wait here. I'll go call her for you."

Then she added apologetically, "Qingzhu Peak only has female disciples. Male disciples aren't allowed in without special permission."

"Junior Sisters Ling and Su can come with me, though."

"Both Senior Sisters, go on ahead. I'll wait here." Seeing Ling Ling and the others wanting to go yet reluctant to leave Chen Qinglin behind, he took the initiative to speak to them.

"It shouldn't take too long, I think."

"Then we're off. Wait for us here, Little Junior Brother." Ling Ling hesitated.

"Mm..."

"Let's go." Chang Yan took out the Qingzhu Peak disciple jade token and led the two into Qingzhu Peak.

Chen Qinglin waited there for a while, but before Ling Ling and the others came down, he saw several disciples walking toward him.

When they spotted Chen Qinglin, they gathered around and whispered, "Junior Brother, you're here to check out the Qingzhu Peak Senior and Junior Sisters too, right?"

"Let me tell you, I heard that among the latest batch of new disciples, there are a few beautiful Junior Sisters. Didn't expect you to be one of us, hehehe!"

As they spoke, they let out lecherous chuckles. The few of them didn't look bad themselves, dressed in fine clothes, but their words ruined the impression.

"I'm waiting for someone here, Senior Brother!"

"We get it, brothers are here waiting for people too." Seeing their expressions that screamed 'I know what you mean,' Chen Qinglin felt a bit at a loss to explain.

So he stopped bothering to clarify and just waited there, listening to them chat.

"Senior Brother, will we get to see the new Junior Sisters today? We've been coming for days straight!"

"What's the rush? If you don't want to watch, you can leave. I'll wait here just fine."

"Hehe, Senior Brother, what are you saying? How could we leave you here alone? I heard one of the Junior Sisters who entered Qingzhu Peak is drop-dead gorgeous, named something like Hua..." He scratched his head, momentarily forgetting.

"Hua Yunqing?" Chen Qinglin recalled a young girl from the disciple recruitment assembly and answered aloud.

"Ah, right, right, that's the name! I told you Junior Brother is one of us, and you denied it. You've even got the name down, hehehe!"

The group winked and nudged at Chen Qinglin.

"Song Yong, you're corrupting Junior Brother again!" Hearing a voice from behind, they turned around and saw Chang Yan and the others coming down.

"Senior Sister Chang Yan, we were just passing through. How can you slander us out of nowhere!" Song Yong hurriedly said.

"Get lost, or I'll beat you up." Chang Yan's face was full of disdain.

To be fair, Song Yong wasn't a bad person—he just liked looking at pretty Senior and Junior Sisters, always running his mouth without any restraint.

"Senior Sister Chang Yan, don't get rough. We really were just passing through." As he spoke, he gestured with his eyes for the others and Chen Qinglin to follow him.

Watching this speechlessly, Chen Qinglin hopped over beside Senior Sister Ling Ling and joined them in sneering at Song Yong and his group.

Song Yong stared dumbfounded, secretly giving Chen Qinglin a thumbs-up.

"I heard a Junior Brother was looking for me. Was it you?"

Along with Chang Yan and the others, several women came down. One of them, dressed in a light yellow dress, spoke to him.

Chen Qinglin looked at this woman. What caught his attention were her eyes—her pupils held a lively sparkle, giving her an energetic feel.

"It was me. Senior Sister, do you know the Iron Sword Martial Arts School?" Chen Qinglin asked in return.

"Ah! How do you know about the Iron Sword Martial Arts School?" The woman was a bit surprised but still answered, "My father is Xie Feng of the school. Might I ask who Junior Brother is?"

"Senior Sister Xie, Xie Feng is my master. This is a letter he asked me to bring you." Saying this, he took out Xie Feng's letter from his bosom.

Xie Jingyun took the letter and stepped aside to read it. After a long moment, she came back and said to Chen Qinglin, "So you're the new little Junior Brother Father took on. From now on, just call me Yun Jie. I'll look out for you. If you ever have any trouble, you can tell me."

"This is my Sound Transmission Talisman. Come find me if anything comes up."

"..."

Receiving news from home, Xie Jingyun seemed visibly emotional—perhaps she hadn't contacted her family in a while.

She pulled Chen Qinglin into a talk about the Iron Sword Martial Arts School, asking about Xie Feng, Xie Jingjiang, and the others.

Later, the Senior Sisters who had come along—Ling Ling, Su Yuexing, Chang Yan, and the others—joined in the conversation.

It went on until dusk was falling, and only when Chen Qinglin said his farewells did Xie Jingyun reluctantly drop the topic.

He thanked the Senior Sisters especially and returned to Qingyun Peak with Ling Ling.

Sometimes, Chen Qinglin felt he was a lucky person.