To their surprise, Lu Yaoyao and Li Daoxuan came to visit that very afternoon, bringing some pastries with them.
Sure enough, the "So amazing" note above Lu Yaoyao's head had already changed into "What a Pity."
Li Daoxuan, meanwhile, had gone from "a somewhat pleasing lecherous rogue" to "an exceptionally unlucky lecherous rogue."
"Senior Brother Zhou, try to look on the bright side. As long as you're safe and sound, that's what matters," Lu Yaoyao comforted him softly.
Li Daoxuan set the pastries on the table and said stiffly, "Perhaps when the Grand Elders gather the medicinal ingredients and reopen the Flame Spirit Blood Pool, they might make it up to you."
Zhou Qing dearly wanted to tell them that the thief had only appeared after he had already soaked for an entire night, and that he had not actually suffered any loss.
But after turning it over in his mind, he decided to remain silent.
After all, the reward had already drawn envy, jealousy, and resentment. Better to let people laugh at him than turn green with envy.
Thus, Zhou Qing immediately put on a dispirited expression. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister and Senior Brother."
Lu Yaoyao still wanted to say something, but when Li Daoxuan saw the frustration written all over Zhou Qing's face, he gently tugged his junior sister and shook his head.
Lu Yaoyao understood at once. Rising to her feet, she said, "All right, then. We won't disturb you any longer. Get plenty of rest, and try to let it go. It's no big deal."
Once he watched the two leave, Zhou Qing instantly sprang back to life.
He opened the Food Box and gazed at the exquisite pastries inside, unable to stop himself from licking his lips.
He had smelled their rich fragrance earlier and had been craving them terribly. It was obvious that a great deal of care had gone into making them.
Since they had not been sent by an enemy seeking revenge, these pastries naturally should not be poisoned. He then dug in with gusto.
That night, as Zhou Qing studied the "Silver Dragon Hand" while absorbing a Top-Grade Spirit Stone, a voice transmission suddenly arrived.
"Fourth Child, hurry to the foot of Jade Clarity Peak!"
Zhou Qing froze for a moment, then swiftly packed his things. Pushing open his door, he looked out at the night and felt puzzled.
It's so late. Why is Third Senior Brother calling me to Jade Clarity Peak?
Though filled with doubt, he still hurried over.
Before long, he spotted someone at the foot of Jade Clarity Peak. The person kept waving at him, leaving Zhou Qing no choice but to guide his flying sword down.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Zhou!" The visitor was an Inner Sect disciple dressed in yellow, with two wisps of eight-shaped mustache above his lip. He appeared to be in his thirties.
Zhou Qing frowned slightly, but the man hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Zhou, Senior Brother Yan has been waiting inside for quite some time. If you come any later, you'll miss it."
"Miss what?" Zhou Qing grew even more confused.
The man shook his head. "I don't know either, Senior Brother. You'll understand once you go inside."
As he spoke, he immediately took an array disk from his robes. Once activated, it silently opened a gap in the nighttime restrictions surrounding Jade Clarity Peak.
"This junior brother will lead the way!" With that, the man slipped inside.
Zhou Qing stared at Jade Clarity Peak, feeling that sneaking onto someone else's territory in the dead of night was rather inappropriate. Still, Third Senior Brother must have something important to do, or he would not be in such a hurry.
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Qing followed him in.
Under the cover of night, the two continually moved through the shadows, evading one Patrol Enforcement Team after another.
"This is the place!" Eight-Mustache suddenly stopped and pointed at the standalone courtyard before them.
Zhou Qing immediately crouched down and looked around. Lowering his voice in alarm, he said, "Are you joking? This is a Core Disciple's residence! And judging by the decorations, it belongs to some senior sister."
Eight-Mustache wore a serious expression. "Senior Brother Yan is inside. Don't tell me you don't know he already has someone he fancies?"
Zhou Qing was stunned. Yan Xiaohu's carefree, thoughtless appearance surfaced in his mind, and he shook his head repeatedly.
He would never concern himself with matters of romance between men and women.
At once, Zhou Qing became wary and even took two steps back. "Who exactly are you? And where is my Third Senior Brother?"
The voice transmission had indeed come from Third Senior Brother, but this manner of doing things was completely unlike him.
Seeing Zhou Qing's guarded appearance, Eight-Mustache laughed and clicked his tongue. "So I couldn't fool you after all. You've got a bit of brains. To repay you, this old man even specially catered to your tastes."
When that familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from Eight-Mustache's mouth, Zhou Qing's expression changed drastically.
"Who's outside?"
Suddenly, the courtyard door behind him flew open. Immediately afterward, a figure wrapped in a bath towel shot into the sky.
Her waterfall-like long hair hung wet over her shoulders, droplets constantly rolling down her locks. Her gaze flashed like lightning as it locked onto Zhou Qing in an instant.
"Senior Sister Shi Zhen!" Zhou Qing's face went pale at once.
The first lecture he had ever attended some time ago had been taught by Senior Sister Shi Zhen. At the time, she had even specifically explained the cultivation method for the "Azure Wood Spirit Shield."
Zhou Qing hurriedly turned his head, only to discover that Second Uncle, who had tricked him into coming here, had vanished without a trace at some point.
He swallowed hard.
It was over. Mud had fallen into his pants—whether it was shit or not, it would still look like shit.
At this moment, Shi Zhen's exquisite face was filled with embarrassed fury, and flames seemed to burn in her eyes.
But in the very next instant, Zhou Qing's legs suddenly gave way. His entire body collapsed to the ground, and he began convulsing uncontrollably.
His limbs flailed violently, as though invisible forces were pulling at them.
His facial muscles twisted, his eyes rolled back, and his mouth gaped open as painful rattling sounds escaped his throat.
Strings of white foam even bubbled from the corners of his mouth, making him look utterly terrifying.
Shi Zhen's face, once brimming with rage, changed slightly. Furrowing her delicate brows, she called out tentatively, "Junior Brother Zhou?"
Seeing that Zhou Qing was still convulsing, she hurriedly descended. One hand clutched her bath towel tight while the other took Zhou Qing's pulse, and she was soon greatly alarmed.
"Why is his pulse so chaotic? Something's wrong. It looks like poisoning, but also like qi deviation. Master, Master—"
Shi Zhen did not dare delay in the slightest. She hurriedly took out an SOS Talisman to call for her master. After all, if a Core Disciple came to harm outside her door, she would not be able to clear herself even with a hundred mouths.
"What exactly is going on with this child?"
Tong Min, the Jade Clarity Peak Lord, watched Mo Xingjian emerge from the room and hurriedly stepped forward to ask.
Mo Xingjian gratefully bowed to Tong Min. "Thanks to Junior Sister's timely rescue, and because you immediately sent him back to Little Spirit Peak, he is out of danger now. He only needs to sleep for a day or two."
Only then did Tong Min let out a sigh of relief.
Then Mo Xingjian looked at the somewhat uneasy Shi Zhen beside him and said with a smile, "This has nothing to do with you. This child's sleepwalking disorder has not been around for merely a day or two. I just never expected it to become so severe now. You did not mean to frighten him, either."
Shi Zhen suddenly understood. She had heard that sleepwalkers could not be awakened, or there would be unimaginable consequences. So it was true.
She hurriedly bowed apologetically. "Martial Uncle Mo, I was the one who caused this in the end. Once he has fully recovered, I will personally apologize to him."
Mo Xingjian quickly waved his hands. "It's fine, it's fine. So long as you don't misunderstand."
At that moment, Yan Xiaohu was tiptoeing by the window inside the room, eavesdropping.
Zhou Qing, however, sat on the bed as though nothing had happened, cautiously poking his head out.
"Third Senior Brother, has he left?" Zhou Qing did not dare make a sound, using gestures only the two of them understood to ask.
Yan Xiaohu made a silencing gesture, listened for a while longer, then finally sighed in relief. "Master went to see them off. Fourth Child, you've really got some nerve!"
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