Flower-Appreciation Gathering (9)

Gu Yinchen saw that the members of the Profound Heaven Sect remained seated where they were, showing no intention whatsoever of getting up to admire the flowers. After hesitating again and again, he finally forced out a smile and walked over.

Reaching the group, Gu Yinchen cupped his hands slightly and asked, "Was I negligent? Are the spirit flowers too ordinary to catch your esteemed eyes?"

Upon hearing this, True Person Yu Qing remained calm and composed as ever. He said slowly, "Not at all, not at all. Valley Master Gu may not know this, but while these spirit flowers are indeed delicate and captivating, we have abstained from food for quite some time. Today, after tasting the spirit fruits and spirit wine so carefully prepared by Medicine King Valley, we unknowingly grew attached to these pleasures of the palate. It is truly difficult for us to move away."

After saying this, he lifted the wine cup from the table and took a light sip, a contented expression appearing on his face.

Gu Yinchen knew at once that this was merely an excuse from True Person Yu Qing, but he did not expose him. The smile on his face was nearly impossible to maintain as he hurriedly turned and gestured to Gu Yueyao, who had been following close behind him. "In that case, let my daughter entertain you all in my stead. I hope you will not stand on ceremony."

After a few more polite exchanges with the group, he turned and strode away.

Shen Yuxi stared at his retreating back and somehow caught a hint of panic in it.

The Valley Master really has it rough. He is obviously socially anxious, yet he still has to force himself to entertain guests. I thought he had completely given up and handed everything over to Gu Xiaoyue. Looks like the Valley Master truly cares about his daughter's marriage.

As the saying went, water flowed downhill, while people climbed upward. The Valley Master wholeheartedly hoped his daughter would find a good home, so naturally, when choosing a son-in-law, he wanted someone outstanding.

For the other guests, it was enough to have the chief disciple receive them. But when facing the Profound Heaven Sect, the Valley Master had still gathered his courage and come personally—though he had not lasted more than a few minutes. Still, for a "homebody" who had been socially anxious for half his life, this was no small feat.

As for why he placed such special importance on the Profound Heaven Sect... Shen Yuxi was not boasting, but whether in cultivation, background, or wealth, the other sects present truly could not be mentioned in the same breath as the Profound Heaven Sect.

Moreover, the Profound Heaven Sect was renowned for its strict sect rules, and its disciples' character was praised by all. It was not as though there were absolutely no black sheep, but they were indeed few and far between. At the very least, among this generation's personal disciples, there were none of that sort.

Alas, Medicine King Valley has passed down its lineage through a single heir generation after generation. Along with medical arts, they have apparently inherited social anxiety as well. That is why the Valley Master dotes on his daughter so much.

After so many generations of socially anxious people, they finally produced a social butterfly. The Valley Master, the former Valley Master, and all the former former Valley Masters who had ascended beyond this world: "Spoil her! Spoil her with all your might!"

Shen Yuxi vividly acted out the scene in his mind.

The several senior and junior brothers beside him heard it and found it hard not to laugh. They could only clench their fists tightly and endure it so they would not burst out laughing.

True Person Yu Qing had not expected Medicine King Valley to possess such hidden family secrets.

Social anxiety... could actually be inherited?

True Person Yu Qing did not understand. True Person Yu Qing was profoundly shaken.

Gu Yueyao moved with lotus-like steps, elegant as an immortal maiden among flowers. She approached the group, then gave a graceful bow. "If any seniors or senior brothers have any needs, simply instruct Yueyao."

After speaking, she very naturally took a seat beside Wen Jian, who was surrounded by a circle of Medicine King Valley disciples.

Shen Yuxi:!!!

Wen Jian:!!!

Wen Jian was thoroughly startled, his entire body stiffening. Why had this Young Valley Master ignored so many other seats and chosen the one beside him?

At that moment, his palms were sweating from nerves. He could even clearly sense the intense resentment radiating from his second senior brother seated before him.

Shen Yuxi could only scream wildly in his mind, What are you doing?! Wrong! Not over there—over here! How could you possibly miss such a huge and handsome male lead sitting beside me?! Sister-in-law, stop obsessing over your foreign-domain medical arts! Isn't our handsome, suave, jade-tree-in-the-wind, outrageously powerful eldest senior brother appealing enough?!

Gu Yueyao, however, was utterly unaware of the stormy waves in their hearts. Smiling, she looked at everyone with bright eyes and softly asked, "I heard that everyone was discussing medicinal principles. Might Yueyao have the honor of joining in?"

The Medicine King Valley disciples seated around her were instantly overjoyed. Their senior sister was held in the highest esteem within Medicine King Valley. Not only was her status noble, but her attainments in medical arts were also extremely profound, far beyond what they could hope to match.

Now that they had the chance to exchange medical knowledge with their senior sister, it was simply a blessing they could only dream of! At once, everyone nodded eagerly, excitement written across their faces as they said in unison, "It would be wonderful if Senior Sister joined us!"

Wen Jian was awkward to the extreme and wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. He was no fool; naturally, he would not naively assume the Young Valley Master had deliberately come close because she had taken a fancy to him.

According to his second senior brother, this Young Valley Master was a medical fanatic. The foreign-domain medical arts she had heard about some days ago must have piqued her interest.

He secretly raised his eyes and glanced at Shen Yuxi. Perhaps it was only his imagination, but as his second senior brother's emotions grew increasingly agitated, the chill radiating from him became sharper and sharper, enough to freeze the air around them.

"Does anyone else feel like it suddenly got a little cold?" A Medicine King Valley disciple nearby could not help rubbing his arms as he asked in confusion.

"Mm, it does feel a little cold," another disciple echoed.

Soon, someone noticed the source of the chill. When he accidentally met Shen Yuxi's indifferent gaze, it felt as though a basin of icy water had been poured over his head. His whole body shuddered, and he hurriedly turned away, not daring to look at him again.

Afterward, the man carefully leaned close to Wen Jian's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Senior Brother Wen, is your senior brother... in a bad mood?"

What bad mood? He is clearly frantic because Eldest Senior Brother and Sister-in-law still have not made contact.

That was what Wen Jian thought, but how could he say it aloud? He could only maintain a proper smile and say, "Second Senior Brother has always been like this. He is not dissatisfied with any of you, so please do not take it to heart."

For a great sect with deep foundations like the Profound Heaven Sect, obtaining knowledge of the foreign domain was no difficult matter. Yet for a small sect like Medicine King Valley, the foreign domain was as remote and unreachable as another world. If they missed this chance, who knew when they would have another opportunity to come into contact with it?

With such thoughts in mind, Gu Yueyao was filled with the desire to learn in secret. Once seated, she quietly began making her plans.

Knowledge, in a sense, was equivalent to intelligence.

Gu Yueyao knew clearly that expecting Wen Jian to casually divulge intelligence about the foreign domain was simply a fantasy. If it were really so easy, the tales of the foreign domain would have long spread everywhere like snow filling the sky.

After all these years, how could the Lingshu Heaven Domain possibly remain in a state where the overwhelming majority knew almost nothing about the foreign domain? Some even doubted whether the foreign domain existed at all.

After considering the matter, she decided to pursue two approaches at once. On one hand, she would subtly employ a beauty trap, using her own advantages to make Wen Jian lower his guard. On the other, she would use her profound medical knowledge as bait, hoping to draw information about the foreign domain out of Wen Jian.

She turned slightly toward Wen Jian and gave him a gentle, captivating smile. Her eyes were bright and clear like a limpid spring, gazing at Wen Jian with tender affection.

"Thank you for helping with the spirit medicine matter last time, Junior Brother. Junior Brother is so learned; surely you know much rare knowledge?"

Her voice was soft and melodious, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible allure.

"Yueyao is not particularly talented, but I do possess some insight into the path of medicine. Would Junior Brother be willing to exchange a few thoughts with Yueyao?" Without waiting for Wen Jian to decline, she began sharing her own experiences and views on medical arts with the group.

Her words flowed one after another like pearls. From the unusual uses of common medicinal herbs to the distinctive effects of rare spirit plants, she explained everything in a clear and engaging manner. Her words were novel and profound, prompting the Medicine King Valley disciples present to nod repeatedly and exclaim in admiration from time to time. Wen Jian also benefited greatly.

She deftly steered the topic toward foreign-domain medical arts. "I have heard that foreign-domain medical arts are uniquely different and contain many wondrous aspects unknown to us. Has Junior Brother ever studied them?"

At first, Wen Jian had been deeply immersed in the charm of Gu Yueyao's vast knowledge. The two exchanged ideas on medical arts back and forth, finding each other remarkably compatible.

However, when Gu Yueyao suddenly changed the subject and mentioned foreign-domain medical arts, it was as though a basin of cold water had been splashed over his face, and he instantly woke up.

With a bitter laugh in his heart, he did not actually understand any foreign-domain medical arts at all. He could only reveal a troubled expression and say helplessly, "To be honest, although I usually enjoy studying all kinds of ancient texts, records concerning foreign-domain medical arts are truly scarce, and most are incomplete. The genuinely useful knowledge among them is even more scant."

"I am lacking in talent and learning. I truly cannot piece together complete information from such scattered fragments." His expression was sincere, his eyes full of helplessness and apology. Anyone who saw him would believe that he was telling the truth.

Gu Yueyao fixed her gaze tightly on Wen Jian's expression, carefully judging the truth in his words. Seeing how earnest he was, with not the slightest sign of pretense in his face, a trace of disappointment rose in her heart.

Sighing inwardly, she understood that continuing to press him would be futile, so she could only let the matter go regretfully.

She gently shook her head, still maintaining a polite and proper smile. "So that is how it is. It seems Yueyao was too rash. Still, being able to discuss medical arts with everyone today has already benefited me immensely. This journey has not been in vain."

Although Gu Yueyao was unwilling to accept it, she knew that she could not continue investigating the matter. Looking over the group from the Profound Heaven Sect, it was obvious that the others had nowhere near Wen Jian's interest in medical arts.

Since even Wen Jian said he did not know, asking the others would likely yield nothing either. There was truly little point in doing so.

This minor interlude was soon brushed aside. Wen Jian and Gu Yueyao tacitly chose to treat it as though it had never happened.

Not long afterward, soft footsteps sounded. A gray-robed young man approached the group with a fellow disciple, his strides steady.

The gray-robed young man had resolute features and a heroic air in his eyes. He cupped his hands slightly toward Gu Yueyao and said, "Forgive us for disturbing you so abruptly. Yesterday, my mischievous junior brother was accidentally injured. Fortunately, the Young Valley Master saved him. We will remember this kindness in our hearts, and we have come especially to offer our thanks."

Following the young man's gaze, Gu Yueyao saw the young disciple behind him, whose cheeks had reddened slightly. She instantly recalled the incident, and a faint smile appeared on her face. "No matter. It was only a small matter, not worth mentioning."

"My junior brother is still young and acts rashly without understanding propriety. He caused the Young Valley Master much trouble this time, and we are deeply ashamed. In the future, I will certainly discipline him strictly and never allow such a thing to happen again."

The young man's words were earnest. After speaking, he gently pulled the youth before him, signaling him to apologize to Gu Yueyao.

The youth's eyes darted about uncertainly. He looked here, then there, but did not dare meet Gu Yueyao's eyes directly.

After hesitating for quite a while, as though he had made an enormous decision, he suddenly raised his head and loudly said, "Sorry, Young Valley Master! I should not have let others provoke me into fighting someone in the valley and disturbing Medicine King Valley's peace."

It was not hard to tell from the youth's words that he did not really believe there was much wrong with fighting itself. After all, he had been "provoked" first. He merely understood that fighting within Medicine King Valley had indeed been improper.

Gu Yueyao's expression remained peaceful. She waved her hand lightly and said, "Junior Brother need not take this matter to heart. It was only a small matter."

She did not judge who had been right or wrong. She merely wanted to make a major issue into a minor one with her indifferent attitude and avoid further trouble.

Wen Jian took a closer look. Well now, more familiar faces. Was that leading young man not Tan Yin from the Heavenly Sword Sect? And that junior disciple was clearly the hot-tempered young man who had loudly spouted nonsense outside the valley before.

In that case, there was no need to guess who the other side in the conflict had been. He simply had not expected them to truly fight to the point of exchanging blows.

Sure enough, they had barely exchanged a few words when the people from the Azure Rock Sect came rushing over aggressively, as though they had caught wind of something.

A resounding cry of "What a fine case of a villain filing suit first!" shattered the somewhat calm atmosphere.

Immediately afterward, Wang Rong came striding over with several disciples in tow. He held a folding fan in his hand, appearing refined and elegant but carrying a hint of anger.

He snapped open his folding fan and said sharply, "You injured several of my junior brothers and sisters, and before we could even come to demand an explanation from your Heavenly Sword Sect, you have the nerve to speak so glibly and turn black into white!"

Wen Jian took one look and thought, Good heavens. The Heavenly Sword Sect side kept saying they had been injured, yet unless one got close enough to smell medicine on them, there was not the slightest visible sign of injury.

But looking at the Azure Rock Sect side, the dark purple bruises on every one of their faces were still plain to see. Clearly, they had suffered quite a loss.

As soon as Wang Rong finished speaking, a disciple behind him hurriedly put on a pitiful expression and said, "Yes! We did not even say anything excessive, yet he rushed over like he had gone mad and started beating people. How unreasonable!"

The other disciples also chimed in one after another. One said, "Exactly, exactly," while another said, "This is going too far." For a moment, the scene became rather chaotic.

"You...!" Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Sword Sect's young disciple was instantly enraged again. He clenched his fists, his face flushing red.

This time, however, he had not forgotten the promise he had just made. At Tan Yin's stern glance, he forcibly swallowed the rest of his words, though his furious gaze continued to glare fiercely at the Azure Rock Sect disciples.

On the surface, everyone from the Profound Heaven Sect appeared perfectly calm, as though their eyes were fixed straight ahead. They continued doing their own things—some chatting quietly, some sipping tea in silence—but in truth, every one of them was secretly paying attention to what was happening here.

As Shen Yuxi drank his tea, he grumbled inwardly, So a whole group of you got beaten up by one person? One person surrounded all of you?

No wonder the Heavenly Sword Sect does not dare fight you. If there were really a battle, the compensation for medicine probably would not even be enough. Just how huge a difference in cultivation would it take for one person to fight many and still hold an absolute advantage? Aren't you at the same realm? And it does not even look like sword wounds. What on earth are you guys doing?!

Although Chu Shihan said nothing, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes. In his understanding, even if cultivators of the same realm had a victor and loser, the difference should not have been this enormous.

Lin Huaixu wore an equally incredulous expression and could not help muttering softly, "This is far too absurd. A whole group actually got beaten this badly by one person."

For these disciples, who were gifted, had trained diligently since childhood, and had never been crushed by opponents of the same realm, it was truly difficult for them to empathize with the Azure Rock Sect's feelings.

Fights between cultivators, especially contests between those of the same realm, were often evenly matched. What mattered was each person's own ability, technique, and perseverance. Seeing the Azure Rock Sect in such a sorry state, they could not relate at all. More than anything, they were simply sincerely puzzled.

The higher a cultivator's realm, the less likely they were to possess overflowing sympathy. Not only did the group from the Profound Heaven Sect feel no pity for the Azure Rock Sect's miserable condition, they even felt that the Azure Rock Sect simply had not worked hard enough.