Within the guest courtyard, the clamor had yet to subside.
Cultivators from every sect gathered in twos and threes, some sipping tea and discussing the Dao, others reviewing that morning's match, which had left them wanting more. Arguments mingled with the fragrance of tea, drifting through open window lattices and half-closed doors, melting into the warm afternoon sunlight.
True Person Yu Qing was exchanging pleasantries with an elder. A mild, appropriate smile rested on his face as he spoke courteous words that were half true and half false, his tone steady and bearing composed—until the jade pendant at his waist gave a faint tremble.
The tremor was so slight that no one else could possibly have noticed it. Yet the smile at the corner of True Person Yu Qing's eyes froze for half a beat, and the fingers holding his teacup tightened slightly.
With the Hundred Sects Tournament underway, everyone in the sect knew how burdened he was with affairs. Unless something utterly urgent had happened, no one would dare disregard protocol and use the jade pendant to send him a voice transmission directly.
Yet the smile on his face did not lessen in the slightest. It even deepened a little. As he set down his teacup, its base met the table with a light, crisp chime.
He gave the elder an apologetic smile and said sincerely, "My apologies. An urgent matter has arisen in the sect that requires my personal attention. Please excuse me for a moment."
Seeing this, the elder hurriedly waved a hand. "Business comes first. Please, go ahead."
True Person Yu Qing inclined his head, rose, and left his seat. His pace remained neither fast nor slow, and as he crossed the courtyard, he still remembered to nod to several familiar cultivators along the way, a