Everyone Loved Qiu Changtian

[Location One: Kunlun Taiqing Sect, Jinling Cave Mansion.]

[Character Identity: Qiu Changtian.]

[Mirror Flower Water Moon template overlay, currently traversing space and time.]

His body was transported into Jinling Cave Mansion, and the Mirror Flower Water Moon technique on him adjusted accordingly.

His hairstyle and the air about him had both changed: Luo Yan had become Qiu Changtian.

He cast Universal Clear Sound Minor Brightness Art once more, calming the feelings Shi Liuli had stirred in him.

Qiu Changtian calmly picked up the bronze mirror beside the stone bed and checked his reflection.

Still as handsome as ever.

Seems my looks are perfect for the refined young noble type.

He set down the mirror, sat upright, closed his eyes, and quietly composed himself.

His junior brothers and sisters arrived at the cave mansion one after another, ready to listen to their senior brother give a lecture.

Ziwei Sect Master lectured the senior disciples once every ten days, while Qiu Changtian lectured his junior brothers and sisters every morning, answering their questions afterward.

Only after Qiu Changtian finished explaining, "Without, harmonize with the light and dust; within, guard the true One. Such are the wonders of these words," did his junior brothers and sisters exchange glances, hesitant to speak.

"If you have any questions, ask them all," Qiu Changtian said mildly.

"May I ask, Senior Brother," Chen Zhen blurted out, "are you and Second Senior Sister Dao Companions or not?"

Qiu Changtian kept his expression perfectly under control, giving nothing away. Xu Yinglian, sitting quietly to the side, was caught completely off guard and answered coldly:

"No."

It was the truth.

The two were only engaged; they had not officially become Dao Companions.

Becoming Dao Companions was more casual than an ordinary mortal marriage, so the Xu Family of Tiannan had left the wedding date to the betrothed couple to decide for themselves, with one condition: it had to be before Qiu Changtian formed his core.

After successfully forming his core, Qiu Changtian would become a Kunlun True Person. If their relationship still wasn't settled by then, unforeseen complications might arise.

Ziwei Sect Master's opinion was that as long as Xu Yinglian's obsession didn't worsen, there was no harm in putting things off.

But if it deepened into a flaw in her Dao Heart, they would need to become Dao Companions immediately, so Qiu Changtian could temporarily set aside his cultivation and focus on helping her untie the knot in her heart.

Xu Yinglian had made up her mind to put it off for as long as she could.

The key was that she had to form her core before Qiu Changtian did!

As long as she became a Golden Core True Person first, the Xu Family of Tiannan wouldn't dare fall out with her, and she could keep putting the matter off.

As for breaking off the engagement, she hadn't considered it... Not because she couldn't bear to part with Qiu Changtian, but because she was worried about falling out with her family. Besides, with Senior Brother Qiu standing in front of her, she could fend off a great many tiresome suitors.

Even before she came to Kunlun, she'd had a whole pack of bootlickers within her family.

Of course, the icy, ethereal Xu Yinglian never gave those bootlickers so much as a kind word. But she couldn't stop them from bribing her maids every day to pry into all sorts of details about her. It was truly annoying.

Seeing Xu Yinglian deny it so plainly, the junior brothers and sisters once again silently exchanged glances.

Jian Qingnan put a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"This is bad. If they find out Senior Brother is still single, they'll turn Kunlun upside down."

Qiu Changtian: ?

Xu Yinglian: ?

"Senior Brother and Senior Sister, you might not know this." Seeing the confusion on their faces, Zhong Tianhuai explained as well. "Because Senior Brother Qiu has gone out on so many training trips, his reputation among the outer disciples has become frighteningly great."

"These days, never mind the current generation—even quite a few outer disciples from the 279th and 278th generations have heard Senior Brother Qiu's name."

"And among the inner disciples of our generation, there are also plenty of loyal admirers of Senior Brother Qiu..."

"Wait." Qiu Changtian said, puzzled. "Forget the outer disciples. I know fewer than five inner disciples. How could I have so many admirers?"

"Because Senior Brother, you're too handsome," Jian Qingnan sighed. "You're strong, too, and your status is high."

"If that were all, it wouldn't matter. They hardly ever see you, so they'd just treat you like an untouchable immortal idol and admire you from afar."

"But the thing is, Senior Brother Qiu, you're always running around outside, lowering your guard and getting to know everyone, mixing right in with the crowd... If you still weren't popular among your fellow Kunlun disciples, that would be the strange part, wouldn't it?"

Qiu Changtian fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help lamenting inwardly that he'd miscalculated.

It's all because my charisma has nowhere to go!

He'd only meant to find people to show off in front of and rack up synchronization points. Who could've guessed that building up his Invincible Persona would end up earning him a whole horde of fans?

"Fellow disciples of Kunlun, bound by duty to help." Yan Zhitui suddenly stood and bowed respectfully. "Senior Brother's generous words from that day—I've recently heard them from fellow disciples. Their subtle wisdom and profound meaning were like a thunderclap, deeply moving. Please accept my bow, Senior Brother."

Qiu Changtian: ...

No! It was just that after I helped them, they kept thanking me without end, so I used some pretty words to shut them up. How did that turn into proof of my noble character?

After Yan Zhitui finished his grand bow, Guan Zhan scoffed and turned away.

Everyone knew their third senior brother had a cutting tongue, so no one paid him much mind.

Jian Qingnan then smiled.

"That's true. What other senior disciple would be so kind?"

"'Fellow disciples of Kunlun, bound by duty to help.' Not only did Fourth Senior Brother like those words, but several inner female disciples I know were also deeply moved when they heard them. So they asked me to find out whether Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister are Dao Companions."

"If Senior Brother has already been snapped up by Sister Yinglian, then they have no chance at all. All they can do is hide their feelings and secretly pine for him."

"But if they find out Senior Brother still hasn't become Dao Companions with Sister Yinglian, I bet they'll be itching to compete for him."

Xu Yinglian: !

What? Someone wants to compete with me?

Though she didn't think she had any romantic interest in Qiu Changtian, the words "compete for him" immediately roused her fighting spirit.

Seeing her face darken, everyone knew that even if Xu Yinglian and Qiu Changtian weren't Dao Companions yet, the two of them didn't look like nothing more than innocent senior and junior disciples.

"Ahem, I'm grateful for my fellow disciples' affection. I hardly deserve it," Qiu Changtian finally said.

"Still, I have no intention of thinking about romance at the moment. Junior Sister, if you see them next time, you can pass my words along."

Xu Yinglian's expression softened.

"I won't do that," Jian Qingnan said with a smile. "They like you, Senior Brother, not me. How could I speak for you and turn them away from afar?"

"Exactly," Xu Yinglian said expressionlessly. "If you want to reject them, do it yourself. What's the point of having Qingnan say it for you?"

"Qingnan has no proof. How can she speak for you? What if they accuse her of being put up to it by someone behind the scenes?"

"Ahem, everyone knows Qingnan is my junior sister. Who else besides me would ask her to pass those words along..."

Qiu Changtian had only made it halfway through his sentence when Xu Yinglian fixed him with a chilling stare, as though she were about to kill him.

He quickly caught on and changed tack.

"But Junior Sister Xu has a point."

"Mm, Junior Sister, don't bring this up for now. I'll handle it myself.

In any case... a harem is out of the question!

Since I, Qiu Changtian, have agreed to become Dao Companions with Junior Sister Xu, I absolutely won't touch another woman with so much as a finger!